Bible Science

Science in the Bible
As it relates to
Eschatology
(The study of end time things)
By Alvin Mitchell
Copyright 2005
By Alvin Mitchell

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See also "End of the World: why did Jesus not know?"

The Administrator at a certain site I visited yesterday (03/12/05) does not believe that the Bible foretells the end of the world. He does go on to cite
"Today's Technology in the Bible", by Charles Miller, a Bible believing/studying computer techy, who does believe. The following was written in
response to the Admin.'s challenge, as to what his visitors thought of Mr. Miller's positions:

I personally have never heard of Mr. Miller, nor have I read his book, but, based on the info given at that site, it seems he is either right, or he has a
very good point:

Both the prophet Zechariah and the apostle Peter speak of the day when Jesus will return to the earth to establish a peace to which the world
aspires, but in and of itself cannot attain. As His return will be in a time of war, He will find Himself (not by surprise) the focus of the war, originally
directed against the nation of Israel. In each passage, each writer describes different aspects of what happens during thermonuclear warfare:

Zechariah 14: describes the Day of the Lord, giving the affects of an air burst, thermonuclear blast, in which all living things exposed to its
radiation (gamma: extremely dangerous and deadly; characteristic of hydrogen bomb blasts, which emulate the way the sun produces the visible light
and heat needed to sustain life here on earth) simply vaporize, or disintegrate (i.e., melt or vanish).

II Peter 3:10-14: speaks of the Day of the Lord, in which the elements (and consequently the earth) will burn with extreme heat and be dissolved.
The elements (Greek: stoichia) speaks of an orderly arrangement of “first things” from which something else in a series or some composite thing
derives its being. A most intriguing concept, given that it was not until after the year 1900, or well within the twentieth century that the reality of the
atom was finally embraced, which means that prior to this time, no one knew how the universe was structured (least of all the under educated and
ignorant Peter); much less that each of the 92 “elements” that comprise and form the building blocks of the entire universe can “burn”, each having
its own color value, by it which can be identified. Melt is the Greek word “luthasontai” (future-something-or-other of “luo”: I set loose, unbind,
release, i.e., to break up) and “takatai” (:12; future…of “tako”) meaning “to liquefy”. “A great nose” is the Greek word “hroidzedon” (from the root
word “hroidzos”: describes the sound of a rushing arrow). All these terms coalesce to signify a noisy departure of the heavens, the fiery break up
of the normal order of the elements or base ingredients that makeup the earths atmosphere, causing the release of energy so intense, the very elements
themselves will melt or liquefy. This is said to be the exact effects (more or less) of a thermonuclear eruption.

Pretty remarkable statements, considering Peter’s Greek is heralded by scholars as the worst in the NT, suggesting that he was perhaps among the
least educated of all the uneducated apostles—none of whom had any background in science (or physics), such as it was (or wasn’t!) 2000 years ago
(not even the most erudite NT writers, Paul and Dr. Luke, had such training; but then, they didn’t make these statements). Even more remarkable
how this description of events surrounding the Day of the Lord’s return gels so well with that given by Zechariah, a minimum four to five hundred
years (or so) earlier. More noteworthy still, the level of confidence in each prophets assertion, given that they represent pronouncements which—
where the knowledge and the understanding of man is concerned—would not be even remotely possible for (at those times) another 2000 to 2500
years.

Revelation 8:8, 10: Understanding as no doubt we all do, that the biggest and only thing that people living 2000 years ago had ever seen in flight
were birds after the order of eagles, vultures, and maybe flamingoes or swans, no one should have any trouble imagining John’s difficulty, as he
struggled to describe what he saw in his visions here. Knowing as we do today the destructiveness of modern warfare, and the vehicles of that
destructiveness, it is not hard to see in John’s “great flaming mountain” and his “great star” which looked like a lamp, huge missiles laden with
thermonuclear and biological/germ warheads.

Revelation 12:14: The two wings of a great eagle are a likely reference to military airlift air craft and jumbo jets—like the American C130, C141,
and C5—being used to evacuate Jews to safety during one of their last times of distress, as Satan seeks to wipe them out via military assault (…water
as a flood…).

Revelation 13:14-18: Robots and AI (artificial intelligence) have come a long way in the past 25 years. Japan now has “pint” sized robots that can
be controlled from a remote location by way of the internet, can pick itself up when it falls down and is fully capable of very smooth, near human like
movements. “Primitive” but viable forms of AI are fast becoming commonplace, in many different. Both could and no doubt will make great strides
and gains within the next 10 to 15 years. The “image of the beast” mentioned here will most likely be an advanced, highly sophisticated mating of the
two, into a replica of the then universal world ruler for whom the world does now or will in the future long.

The mark of the beast: Some years ago, I believe in the mid-‘70’s, National Geographic did an article having to do with the desire of governments
of the world to find more effective means of managing, controlling, and keeping track of people under their watch. Among a number of different
options mentioned—including chemicals and numbers—the most promising of them all was the use of micro-computer chips planted just under the
skin in the forehead or, in the palm or back of the hand. In this age of increasing problems with identity theft, prison overcrowding and the high cost
of building, maintaining and running them, this option will no doubt gain momentum in the years to come (a precursor to such a system is already
being used in animals such as pets and live stock). This micro-chip system will in all likelihood be the means by which the world president (the beast)
affects his system of control over the men and women unfortunate enough to be alive during his dominion. Every man’s, woman’s, and child’s
micro-computer based identity, like his DNA and finger prints, will not only be unique to him or her alone, but it will be a part of him or her. There
will be no more need for plastic cards or papers, which can be lost or stolen, and used by anyone. If I’m not mistaken, I seem to recall hearing or
reading somewhere that some such a system would be subject to satellite tracking.