Conflict

Singularity is a point from which all matter in the universe can be projected. [1] It is “the whole of space shrunk down to a size of zero volume." It was first avoided by physicists.[2] But Genesis conveys singularity. God spoke the universe into existence (Genesis 1:3). The idea all matter projected from a point so small it was as tiny as a pin might make some uncomfortable.[3] But Isaiah 42:5 explains, “Thus saith God the Lord, He that created the heavens, and stretched them out; He that spread forth the Earth.”

HISTORY

After creation Satan had fallen (Isaiah 14:12, Revelation 12:7, also note Daniel 10:13, Matthew 11:12, 17:1-3, Luke 10:18, II Corinthians 12:3-4,). God gave man dominion, but Satan attempted to steal it (Genesis 1:26, 3:1, 15). All we know is shrouded in that history.

Excavations in the Middle East for example give clues of Satan's reality. There are caves on Mt. Carmel from which remains were excavated. The Tabun Cave contained those considered Neanderthal, while the Skhul cave contained human.[4] The “sons of God,” according to scripture, had mated with the “daughters of men” creating hybrid offspring (Genesis 6:1-4). Satan had been seen with them in Job 1:7 and 2:2. The New International Dictionary of the Bible defines the hybrids noted in Genesis 6:1-4, the Nephalim, as “tall, large-framed, and powerful."[5] They were found in Canaan, supporting the possibility of the reality of passages like Job 1:7 and 2:1-2.[6].

THE DEVIL IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

The idea of a Devil elicits a response. It is not logical to reject his existence (nor demon spirits') and to reject evolutionary theory too. There must be one or the other. Where the Devil and demons are real their origin had been in the past. Jesus spoke about demon spirits (Matthew 13:39; Mark 5:8).

If we embrace the gospel we must admit their existence. Salvation implies salvation from some thing. The devil is part of Christian theology. He was part of world history. Wars, conflicts, upheavals, reflect this.

GEOGRAPHY

God created, land, seas, the waters separated, dry land appeared, water gathered in one place (Genesis 9:1). The land was divided (Genesis 10:25).[7] Earth's crust caused earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes.[8] The geography of Adam's time was different (Genesis 10:25). There were natural land bridges man used to migrate, travel, to every continent, and not only travel, they took their life, history, culture, habits, lineage, customs, DNA, and religious practices with them.[9]

WORLD RELIGION

Where men went their religion went with them. Ancient ancestors erected monuments, idols, temples, pyramids, altars, pillars, obelisks, and tombs, along with houses and cities.[10] Those remains of the past are evidence of man’s quest for God. There are pyramids in North America, South America, and the Near East, Far East.[11] There are monuments on those same continents, Europe, and the islands of the Pacific.[12] There are similarities in their purpose, orientation and structure. A Temple to the Sun stood at the location of the current corner of Haight and Shrader Streets in San Francisco.[13]

There is evidence of religion and ritual. The history provides proof man attempted to relate to God and religion is a significant part of the archaeological record.

CONCLUSION

The power to create great heavens, to sustain them, was great, as was the power to prophetically steer them. The universe, geology, archaeology and history are giving us great understanding of ourselves, Earth, and God.


[1] Fred Heeren, Show Me God (Wheeling, IL: Day Star Publications, 1998), 152.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Brian Greene, "A Theory of Everything?" NOVA, available from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/everything.html; Internet; accessed 18 December 2005.
[4] "The Carmel Caves: Dwellings of Prehistoric Man," Jewish Virtual Library, available from http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/carmel.html; Internet; accessed 18 December 2005.
[5] J.D. Douglas, ed., & Merrill C. Tenney, ed., The New International Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987), 387. The Hebrew etymology is uncertain.
[6] Ibid.; consider, Hugh Ross, Kenneth Samples, and Mark Clark, Lights in the Sky & Little Green Men: A Rational Christian Look at UFO's and Extraterrestrials (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002), 113.
[7] Linda Williams, Earth Sciences Demystified (McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing, 2004), 65.
[8] C. Burr, "The geophysics of God: a scientist embraces plate tectonics and Noah’s flood," U.S. News & World Report (16 June 1997), v122, n23, 55; "Continental Drift Paleomagnetism Seafloor Spreading," available from http://myweb.cwpost.liu.edu/vdivener/notes/cont_drift_to_tectonics.htm; Internet; accessed 18 Decenber 2005.
[9] Colin Wilson, The Atlas of Holy Places and Sacred Sites (London: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 1996); Francis S. Collins, "Faith and the Human Genome," Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, September 2003, Volume 55, Number 3, 145.
[10] Colin Wilson, The Atlas of Holy Places and Sacred Sites.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Ibid.