Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Sapphires

Sapphires Don’t Take Millions Of Years To Form

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, September 25, 2024

 


Introduction

In the secular religion, the claim is that sapphires took millions of years to form. The story goes that deep within the Earth, heat and pressure slowly formed sapphires over long ages, such as through slow continental collisions.

These sapphires were supposedly transferred to the surface by magma or deposited in lava formations after an eruption. Sometimes secularists claim it was crustal plate movements that brought sapphires to the surface. Famous London jeweler David Morris states:

“No one is exactly sure how long-ago sapphire gemstones were formed. However, we do know that the sapphires which are discovered today were formed around 150 to 200 million years ago.”[1]

Morris goes on this say:

“Sapphire stones are formed deep within the Earth when aluminium and oxygen atoms combine under high heat and pressure. They develop slowly over millions of years in particular types of rocks.”[2]

I asked Google, “how are natural sapphires formed?” Google’s AI spit out the first sentences as:

“Sapphires are rare and valuable gemstones that are formed naturally over millions of years deep within the Earth's crust”[3]

Tyler Hayden, writing for the Natural History Museum quotes Dr. Aaron Celestian, Curator of Mineral Sciences that:

‘“If you look closely at it, you might see some bands of light-colored, dark color, light, dark, dark, light, dark, light, dark, and those are representative of the growth patterns of the mineral,”…“If there's a period of time where there's fast crystal growth, then one of those bands is going to be big. Or if there's a period of time where there's lots of impurities around, then one of those bands is going to be darker in color. So they're recording all those events that are taking place all in that one crystal.” There’s millions of years of geologic happenings in one dazzling blue package.’[4]

The point is that many have espoused millions of years of unobserved and unrepeated time as the origin of sapphires. This is a religious commitment, not a scientific one, and I think that is worth noting.

Interestingly, secular researchers have challenged some of these claims—whether they meant to or not—based on research samples in volcanic deposits from Eifel, Germany. Let’s take a look at an overview of this research.

Eifel Research?

Researchers collected sapphire samples from volcanic rock layers in Eifel, Germany, from Cretaceous rock (Flood rock). They studied these samples and concluded that sapphires within them were formed far more recently, during a newer eruptive phase of the volcano when either magma or lava was flowing. It was when the lava or magma was interacting with the clayey material near the surface, introducing the necessary impurities to form sapphire.

The point is that these sapphires were not formed deep in the Earth under extreme heat and pressure over long periods of time and then transported to the surface. Instead, they were actually formed near the surface with the heat, necessary elements, and sufficient pressure to do the job rapidly before cooling and solidifying.

What this means is that deep time is not necessary for the formation of the sapphires in this region—just the right conditions: heat, some pressure, and the right elements in the right quantities. In fact, that was all that was ever needed. “Millions of years” were never required to form natural sapphires.

What Is Sapphire?

Sapphire is a crystal oxide in the corundum mineral family—aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) to be specific. When it contains certain trace elements, it can take on different tints and colors. Rubies are also in the corundum mineral family. When Al₂O₃ contains iron, it turns deep red and is called a ruby.

So rubies and sapphires are essentially the same thing, with different types of trace elements in them. Rubies are a specific form with iron traces, while sapphires result from other trace elements instead of iron.

Other gemstones have entirely different chemical compositions. For example, diamonds are pure carbon (C), emeralds are Be₃Al₂(SiO₃)₆, topaz is Al₂SiO₄(F,OH)₂, amethysts are SiO₂, and carnelian (sardion/sardius) is also SiO₂, with traces of iron oxide (hematite), which gives it a reddish to orangish hue.

Corundum (aluminum oxide, e.g., Al₂O₃) usually contains traces of titanium, iron, vanadium, or chromium, but sometimes other trace elements as well. If it were completely pure, without any trace elements, it would be clear, as the trace elements give it its luster.

As a crystal, sapphires and rubies have a crystal structure. There are various types of crystalline structures, such as body-centered cubic (BCC), face-centered cubic (FCC), or hexagonal. Sapphires and rubies, being aluminum oxide, have a natural hexagonal crystal structure.

The Bible mentions rubies 8 times (Job 28:18; Proverbs 3:15, 8:11, 20:15, 31:10; Isaiah 54:12; Lamentations 4:7; Ezekiel 27:16), and sapphires are mentioned 12 times (Exodus 24:10, 28:18, 39:11; Job 28:6, 28:16; Song of Solomon 5:14; Lamentations 4:7; Isaiah 54:11; Ezekiel 1:26, 10:1, 28:13; Revelation 21:19). Many other gemstones are also mentioned in Scripture.

Does It Require Millions Of Years To Form Sapphires And Rubies?

But does it really take millions of years to make these precious gems? No. It is common to find gemstones like sapphires (and rubies) in volcanic deposits. This indicates a relationship between rapid production and volcanic conditions.

Furthermore, researchers have known how to make sapphires and rubies in labs for years, and lab-grown gems are commonly found in jewelry today. No long ages are required. One of the primary methods mimics the natural process of heat, pressure, and the presence of trace elements.

Solution Process (e.g., Hydrothermal Synthesis): This method mimics the natural process quickly and is less expensive. The gems are not as large as those made by Flame Fusion (the next method).

Flame Fusion or Melt Processes (e.g., the Verneuil Process or the Czochralski Process): This method can grow up to 4 inches of sapphire crystal per hour and is more expensive.

A third method utilizes a solution process through either (1) Flux Growth, where solid material is melted, and dissolved minerals from that melt form crystals as the solution cools, or (2) Hydrothermal Growth, used to make synthetic quartz. This process is expensive but also requires heat, pressure, and dissolved minerals in a watery solution to synthesize crystals.

The point is that sapphire can be made rapidly without long ages (e.g., an inch of sapphire per 15 minutes, for example). The Eifel research is a good confirmation that natural sapphire formation defies the long-age scenario in favor of recent, rapid synthesis, similar to what is done in the lab.

Though the Eifel researchers wouldn’t affirm a biblical timeline, as they still wanted to leave open a couple of million years (based on their worldview)[5], the research fits nicely into the biblical framework. Volcanic activity was prominent during the Flood and early post-Flood periods, especially during the rapid mountain-building phases. I would love for future researchers to study a recent, active volcano and take a closer look at the production of natural sapphire with rapid formation in mind.



[1] David Morris, History of the Sapphire Stone, September 4, 2023, davidmorris.com, https://davidmorris.com/history-of-the-sapphire-stone/.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Google AI, Asked on September 23, 2024.

[4] Tyler Hayden, The Splendor of Sapphires, Natural History Museum (L.A. County), accessed September 23, 2024, https://nhm.org/stories/splendor-sapphires.

[5] Stephanie Pappas Sapphires form inside the fiery hearts of volcanoes, not deep in the mantle like we thought, Live Science,  August 6, 2024, https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/geology/sapphires-form-inside-the-fiery-hearts-of-volcanoes-not-deep-in-the-mantle-like-we-thought.


Friday, August 30, 2024

Was Christmas Pagan?

Was Christmas Pagan?

And Other Attacks on Christmas

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, August 30, 2024

Every year I get “love letters”—can I call them that? You know, those letters blasting me with the same old claims that “Christmas was pagan.” For some reason, I’m supposed to repent of not believing the pagans when they insist that their “holiday” is the true one. I’m chastised for not giving Christmas back to the pagans and locking myself in my house from the four Advent Sundays to the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing or poking fun at people for not celebrating Christmas, the resurrection, or their own birthdays. But I think it is wise to refute these claims from time to time as a reminder that pagans usually don’t get it right. Polytheistic and pantheistic pagans—including believers in evolution, Roman and Greek mythology, ancestor worship, Wicca, etc.—attack Christianity with fervor.


We need to remember that false religions are not neutral but have an active opposition for Christ and His Word (e.g., Matthew 12:30Luke 11:23Titus 1:15). Sadly, there are some Christians that buy into what these pagans are claiming, and they become tools to advance paganism, even if they don’t realize it. So let’s look at these common claims.

The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him. (Proverbs 18:17; NKJV)

What Is a Holiday?

A “holiday” is a “holy day.” Thus, it is predicated on the concept of absolute holiness, which is by definition, the God of the Bible. He is perfectly holy.

A holiday is literally a “holy day,” but the name is derived from the Old English hāligdæg (hālig meaning “holy” and dæg meaning “day”). “Holy” means “sacred, spiritually perfect, hallowed, and godly.” This is why we call the Bible the Holy Bible. “Bible” literally means “the book” or more properly, the collection of books from a Holy God. Furthermore, it is why Christians strive to live a godly and holy life as God patterned for man in the life of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:16).

The God of the Bible began instituting holy days in the Old Testament as types and shadows of Christ (Colossians 2:16–17):

  1. Weekly Sabbath (Exodus 16:23–2920:8–11)[1]
  2. Passover (Exodus 12:1–4Leviticus 23:5Numbers 9:1–1428:16Deuteronomy 16:1–7Matthew 26:17Mark 14:12–26John 2:1311:551 Corinthians 5:7Hebrews 11:28)
  3. Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:15–2012:3913:3–1023:1534:18Leviticus 23:6–8Numbers 28:17–25Deuteronomy 16:3–416:8Mark 14:114:12Act 12:3)
  4. Firstfruits (Exodus 23:1934:26Leviticus 23:9–14Deuteronomy 26:526:9–10)
  5. Feast of Weeks (Exodus 23:1634:22Leviticus 23:15–21Numbers 28:26–31Deuteronomy 16:9–12)
  6. Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23–25Numbers 29:1–62 Samuel 6:15)
  7. Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur—Leviticus 16:1–3423:26–32Numbers 29:7–11)
  8. Feast of Tabernacles/Booths (Exodus 23:1634:22Leviticus 23:33–43Numbers 29:12–34Deuteronomy 16:13–151 Kings 8:32 Chronicles 7:1Zechariah 14:16–19John 7:2)

There was also a Jubilee year. After seven cycles of seven years (49 years), the fiftieth year was the Jubilee! The point is that God gave holidays to man. In a nutshell, holidays exist by being predicated on the existence of the Holy God of the Bible.

The New Testament continues in this tradition with the Lord’s Day, which is the first day of the week (Acts 20:71 Corinthians 16:2Revelation 1:10) and honors when Christ resurrected. The Breaking of Bread—also called the Last Supper, Lord’s Supper, Communion, or the Elements—is a New Testament regular observance of the Passover fulfilled in Jesus for the New Covenant. Jesus, the Christ, is the final and perfect Passover Lamb. He was sacrificed and resurrected as the ultimate Victor once for all. The Lord’s Supper celebrates Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

Celebrating new holidays to the Lord is a Christian freedom. As the Bible says,

One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. (Romans 14:5–6; NKJV)

In the Old Testament, we also find the Feast of Queen Esther (Esther 2:18). This festival was instituted by the king of Persia. Solomon once instituted a 14-day feast and celebration (1 Kings 8:65). We also see something like this in the intertestamental period: a new festival—Hanukkah.

Hanukkah

Just as man is made in the image of a “holiday-making” God (Genesis 1:26–27) who instituted feasts and festivals, so man has often honored God with new feasts and festivals. The godly Jews, for example, honored God with a holiday when they developed an eight-day winter festival called Hanukkah or Festival of Dedication (Hanukkah is derived from the word “dedication” in Hebrew). It was to rededicate the second temple, and one tradition is to progressively light a special nine-branch candleholder called a menorah. This is why this holy day is sometimes called the Festival of Lights.

Jesus had no problem joining this celebration at the second temple of God in Jerusalem approximately 2,000 years ago (John 10:22–23). Jews often celebrate this, but so do many Christians as a way of honoring God.

There is nothing inherently wrong with a Christian celebrating Hanukkah, as Christ did as well. This is not a holiday prescribed in the Bible, and yet Jesus shows us the freedom we can have by making new holidays dedicated to the Lord.

This freedom does come with some exceptions though. The Bible commands we abstain from certain things, and if feasts and festivals dishonor God by utilizing things from which God commanded us to abstain—then they become a problem. As a quick check, be sure to watch out for holidays openly trying to honor false gods or forcing practices such as these that were listed in Scripture:

How Long Ago Were Christians Celebrating Christmas?

Christmas Day (also called the Nativity of Our Lord), is celebrated on December 25. Christmas has been widely celebrated by underground Christians and documented by Christians since about AD 200. Christmas became even more popular when Christianity was allowed to be out in the open after the Edicts of Toleration and Milan in AD 311 and 313 respectively.

Popular early church father Sextus Julius Africanus wrote the Chronographiai around AD 221, which put the conception of Christ on March 25—nine months prior to December 25, the date being used for Christmas. For context, this was about 125 years after the last of Jesus’ apostles died. Hippolytus of Rome also mentions December 25 in the first decade of AD 200 in his Commentary on Daniel. Some Christians still celebrate an ancient feast on March 25 called the Feast of Annunciation (also called Conceptio Christi, Solemnity of the Annunciation, Lady Day, or Feast of the Incarnation), celebrating the immaculate conception of Christ.[2]

Is December 25 the actual day of Christ’s birth? That is a great question with mixed reviews, but what we know is that widespread celebrating of December 25 in churches across the Roman Empire as the birth and first nativity of Christ was very early.

In the AD 300s, Ephraim the Syrian, writing about the first nativity or Christmas, points out that, “All men honour the day of Thy birth. Thou righteous One, keep Thou the glory of Thy birth; for even Herod honoured the day of His Birth!”[3] John Cassian points out the connection between Christ’s birth and its connection to Epiphany (the Twelfth Day of Christmas) in the late AD 300s and early AD 400s:

In the country of Egypt this custom is by ancient tradition observed that—when Epiphany is past, which the priests of that province regard as the time, both of our Lord’s baptism and also of His birth in the flesh, and so celebrate the commemoration of either mystery not separately as in the Western provinces but on the single festival of this day.[4]

December 25 was defended by Sulpitius Severus in consultation with Sabinus and Rufinus in Sacred History (Historia Sacra) chapter 27 in AD 403. The point is that Christmas, the birth of Christ, was recognized and celebrated from the early days of the church.

Xmas

Christmas is also denoted as X-mas/X’mas/Xmas. The letter Chi (X) in Greek was used as the shorthand notation of Christ, being the first letter of the name Christ, or more specifically, Christos (Χριστός).

Today, a few people unwittingly think if they use “Xmas,” they are deleting the name of Christ from this holiday because of anti-Christian sentiment. However, Xmas is an ancient Christian usage for Christmas whether they realize it or not.

Did Christmas Come From a Pagan “Holiday”?

To start, there is nothing “holy” about anything pagan. Now that that is cleared up, there are some modern claims about Christmas—particularly that it is born out of pagan celebrations, such as Saturnalia, Sol Invictus, or Winter Solstice.

Saturnalia

Saturnalia is the popular Roman mythology festival to the god Saturn (god of the harvest and time) in the Roman pantheon. It was celebrated on December 17.

December was the tenth month in the Roman calendar. In the old Roman calendar, the year began with March (in honor of the god Mars, who is the Greek equivalent of Ares and the Germanic equivalent of Tiwas—these are just ancestor-worshipped corruptions of Noah’s grandson Tiras[5]). The second month was April—which is the Roman word for “second.” Many obviously recognize certain prefixes for several later months like Sept-ember (7), Oct-ober (8), Nov-ember (9), and again, Dec-ember is 10.

Let me explain a little more about the old Roman calendar prior to ~700 BC. They had a 10-month calendar with the fifth and sixth months meaning five and six respectively:

  • Martius
  • Aprilis
  • Maius
  • Juniius
  • Quintilis (5)
  • Sextilis (6)
  • September
  • October
  • November
  • December

The remaining ~61 days, were just left to winter—not divvied up as months. About 700 BC, Numa Pompilius (a leader in Rome) added January as the first month before March (Martius) and added February after December. About 450 BC, February was moved to be between January and March—for reasons unknown to this author.

This calendar up to this point was a lunar calendar where each month was about 29–30 days. But the month-based year was off from the solar year (by about 10–11 days), so they had to add an intercalary month (like most do with lunar month-based years) called Mercedonius in Latin.

Essentially, every few years they add a thirteenth month to get the calendar back to being in line with the seasons. Julius Caesar, about 46 BC, decided to adjust the calendar to be a permanently solar calendar of 365 1/4 days, which keeps the seasons in line but requires adjusting of days within each month. This is called the Julian calendar.

In the original calculation of the Julian calendar, the solstice was on December 25, but by AD 300 the Julian calendar had drifted to have the solstice on December 23. It continued to move earlier until the adoption of the Gregorian calendar (which slightly adjusts the Julian calendar to fix this drift).

Why is all this important to Saturnalia? Some have suggested that Saturnalia was a holiday associated with the winter solstice. However, Saturnalia ends at the latest on December 23. Any celebration of Saturnalia prior to Julius Caesar still had many more days until the winter solstice. It came close to overlapping the winter solstice after Julius Caesar, but it took a few hundred years to properly overlap.

Saturnalia was originally on December 17. Later Saturnalia was expanded into a three-day (then a seven-day) festival marking the end of the autumn sowing season. According to historical records, Saturnalia lasted seven days in Caesar’s and Cicero’s days.

During Emperor Augustus Caesar’s day, it was shortened to three days (particularly for government officials like the courts).[6] Thus, it would have ended on December 19 in his reign. During Emperor Caligula’s reign, it was extended to five days.[7] So it was finished on December 21.

This festival was celebrated after the fall planting season so that the people (most of whom had agricultural jobs) were more available to “party,” if you will, in Rome and other provinces. But if you know much about the provinces of Rome, they weren’t Roman and they didn’t even follow Roman gods. So to them—whether in Judea or Egypt or elsewhere—it was merely a time off from customary work and a good time to travel and move if you were required to (think of Christmas break or summer break today). I can’t help but imagine if this was the perfect time for a carpenter to move from Nazareth to Bethlehem to get set up to be registered.

Regardless, this festival was always finished before Christmas. So, if Christians were taking this pagan day and making a Christian alternative, they failed miserably! Any way you look at it, they missed it by about a week!

Saturnalia is the equivalent festival of the Greek Kronia with the corresponding Greek god called Chronos/Chronus/Kronos/Cronus, the god of harvest and time (the name reflects time, think of chronology, chronometer, etc.). So although this might have been a huge festival for Rome and Greece, the rest of the provinces weren’t really celebrating a Roman god.

Interestingly, the Roman Saturn (where we get the name Saturday and the planet Saturn) and the Greek equivalent, Chronos, is a corruption of Noah. An ancient historian Eupolemus (as preserved by Eusebius of Caesarea in the early to mid-AD 300s) writes,

The Babylonians say, that the first was Belus, called Cronus or Saturn (that is, Noah), and of him was begotten another Belus and Chanaan (it should be read Cham), and he (i.e. Ham) begat Chanaan, the father of the Phoenicians; and of him another son, Chus, was begotten, whom the Greeks call Asbolos, the father of the Ethiopians, and the brother of Mestraim, the father of the Egyptians.[8]

You should be able to recognize Chanaan/Canaan in this list, whom God judged and gave their land to the Israelites led by Joshua. Also, Belus is a title passed from Noah to his son Ham/Cham and so forth. Although not mentioned here, this title ultimately passes as far down as Nimrod, the son of Cush (Chus), and was corrupted in Bel and Baal, which is where the pagan Baal worship in the Old Testament came from—merely a form of ancestor worship.

But of significant note, Chronos or Saturn is Noah. It is a corruption of Noah to a godlike status. It was ancestor worship of a great, godly man. Sadly, this makes sense. Noah and his early progeny lived longer lifespans. Noah lived 350 years after the flood; Shem lived 500 years after the flood, and so forth.

As the ages subsequently drop, these patriarchs outlived great, great, great grandchildren. Noah, for instance, outlived his great, great, great-grandson Peleg![9] Shem lived until Isaac was about 50 years old. So, many of these patriarchs were looked at as though they were “immortals” or “gods.” These “gods” still died—they just outlived everyone else.

Another thing that happens is that some of these patriarchs and their descendants get mixed up in their orally passed-down accounts. And the accounts themselves get warped, paganized, and embellished.[10]

Fascinatingly, Noah, the oldest patriarch after the flood, who became the first farmer and trainer of farmers (Genesis 9), is corrupted into the “god” of harvest and time. The point is that Saturn/Chronos, which is where Saturnalia and Kronia come from, is actually based on a biblical person: Noah. So that day really shouldn’t belong to pagans in the first place.

Sol Invictus

Sol Invictus means “unconquered sun.” Sol means “sun” and is where we get the name “solar,” for instance. Sol Invictus (or more properly Dies Natalis Solis Invicti [Birth of the Unconquered Sun]) was the celebration of the Roman sun god in the latter stages of the Roman Empire and also the patron of Roman soldiers. It was a form of sun-worship.

Sol Invictus, however, came into existence well after we have recorded history that Christmas was widely celebrated. Sol Invictus was first started by Roman emperor Lucius Aurelian in AD 274. If anything, the pagans took Christmas—which was already a widespread festival for Christians—and wanted a pagan alternative.

Winter Solstice

It is doubtful that Sol Invictus is related to the winter solstice. One could see how it relates to the sun since the winter solstice is the day with the least amount of sunlight on earth (in the northern hemisphere).

If Sol Invictus was meant to be associated with the winter solstice, then they missed it by a couple of days—even by the Julian calendar that they were using when they came up with that celebratory day. The shortest daylight portion of the year is the winter solstice. It falls between December 20–23, whereas Sol Invictus falls on December 25.

Solstices, as well as the equinoxes, mark the changing of the seasons. The summer solstice marks the day with the most sunlight hours and least amount of darkness. The winter solstice marks the day with the most darkness and least amount of sunlight—again, in the northern hemisphere. The opposite is true in the southern hemisphere—which is why Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, etc., have their summer in our winter.

The spring and fall equinoxes have equal amounts of daylight and darkness. You could probably see the reflection of the same Latin root word aequus for “equal” in the name “equinox.” More to the point, the godly, since Adam’s creation in Genesis 1, have utilized the sun, moon, and stars to mark these seasonal events (Genesis 1:14), including each new moon (where the name month comes from). There is nothing inherently wrong with acknowledging these “turning-point” days for the seasons and months and even celebrating them in light of Genesis 1 (1 Samuel 20:24).

Was Jesus Born in March/April Because the “Shepherds Were Keeping Watch over Their Flocks by Night”?

Another common claim is that Jesus couldn’t have been born in December because it was not the lambing season. Let me explain this argument. Luke 2:8 says,

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. (NKJV)

So, the argument goes that this takes place in the lambing season (when the ewes give birth to lambs) and therefore they were out in the fields at night during this time to watch for lambs being born to help and protect both ewe and lamb from predators. The argument then goes that this would have been in the early spring around March or April. Thus, those holding this view say that a December birth is untenable.

First, we don’t know this was lambing season. Even if it were not lambing season, in those days, shepherds were still tasked with keeping watch over the flock in shifts by night due to predators. It may have been a smaller number of them than a typical peak lambing season.

But let’s say it was lambing season. Let’s be a little more accurate. The range of lambs being born is from December to May, peaking around March and April. Farther north, it becomes later; farther south, it goes as early as December. When sheep give birth depends on when the ewes become pregnant (called “tupping”), which happens as early as late summer but usually later fall and has a five-month gestation.

Diligent shepherds should be ready and keeping watch in December. If anything, when looking at this subject in more detail, December is indeed within the range of lambing season. So, this shouldn’t be used to rule out a December date for Christ’s birth.

Christmas Trees Are Forbidden in Jeremiah?

Jeremiah 10:2–8 says:

Thus says the LORD: “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, For the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not topple. They are upright, like a palm tree, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, For they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any good.” Inasmuch as there is none like You, O LORD (You are great, and Your name is great in might), Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You. But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine. (NKJV)

This passage of Scripture is a warning about following the gentiles in their ways of making false wooden idols and the futility of worshipping such false gods. Pagan craftsmen cut down trees, obtain wood from it, cut it up, craft it, and use silver and gold; and the idols still have to be fastened to stand upright and not fall over! This type of alleged god is worthless and can do neither good nor evil! It shows how dull-hearted and foolish one must be to think these little wooden statues are gods and have power!

When someone uses Jeremiah 10 to argue that Christmas trees are forbidden, then they commit an equivocation fallacy. They are equivocating that idols and Christmas trees are the same thing. But they are not. Christmas trees are not gods and not items of worship. Furthermore, I’ve never even heard of single Christian who has ever bowed down to a Christmas tree and worshipped it as a god. That would be futile indeed.

Some might argue that the trees are cut and they are brought into the house and decorated with gold- and silver-looking tinsel. They seem to think this is a good response, but by this standard, then the temple of God built by Solomon would be called into question! Consider the wood cut and brought into the temple and the craftsmen’s intricate work and overlaying it with gold and so on. 1 Kings 6:23–35 says,

In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten cubits high. Five cubits was the length of one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the length of the other wing of the cherub; it was ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. The other cherub also measured ten cubits; both cherubim had the same measure and the same form. The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other cherub. He put the cherubim in the innermost part of the house. And the wings of the cherubim were spread out so that a wing of one touched the one wall, and a wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; their other wings touched each other in the middle of the house. And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

Around all the walls of the house he carved engraved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, in the inner and outer rooms. The floor of the house he overlaid with gold in the inner and outer rooms.

For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors of olivewood; the lintel and the doorposts were five-sided. He covered the two doors of olivewood with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. He overlaid them with gold and spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.

So also he made for the entrance to the nave doorposts of olivewood, in the form of a square, and two doors of cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. On them he carved cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the carved work. (ESV)

The difference is that this wood in the temple was not to be an idol and not to be worshipped but to give glory to God.

The history of Christmas trees begins in Europe (most say Germany; others have it in Baltic States) in the 1500–1600s. It has nothing to do with worshipping trees or false gods, but like the temple, its use is meant to give glory to God in Jesus Christ. The evergreen trees in winter were a reminder of a more perfect time. These trees in the home originated as “paradise trees” representing the garden of Eden and made their way into Christmas decor.

How Did Saint Nicholas Become Santa Claus?

Falling on December 6 is St. Nicholas’ Day—which is during the Christmas Advent season and runs for the four Sundays preceding Christmas. Advent is like a month of Sundays counting down to Christmas. St. Nicholas of Myra was a bishop (minister/pastor) in the AD 300s. He died on December 6, hence the day that is used to celebrate his life. He was an orphan who became a wealthy man living in what we now call Turkey but which was traditionally known as Asia Minor (the town of Myra was later called Kale and is now called Demre).

St. Nicholas used his wealth to help the less fortunate (for example, he kept some poor young girls out of forced prostitution by paying their debt). He was said to have hung stockings of coins for the poor on windowsills and so on. For his faith in Christ, he was persecuted by Roman Emperor Diocletian and put in jail for a time. He was released by Emperor Constantine about AD 325.

Because St. Nicholas’ Day always falls in the Christmas season, it makes sense why Christmas today has a corrupted version of him. Saint Nickolas is corrupted into Santa Claus (think: Sainta niclaus).

Sadly, attributes of God are applied to St. Nicholas. This paganized version of St. Nicholas sees all, judges between naughty and nice, gives blessings (gifts), can be everywhere at the same time, etc. It’s better to leave St. Nicholas as St. Nicholas. As a result, many Christians today avoid using Santa Claus as a deceptive tool on children.

Conclusion

When it comes to Christmas, the Bible simply doesn’t tell us the day Jesus was born. We know it was at nighttime though. Early Christians were uniformly celebrating Christ’s birth throughout the Roman Empire on December 25 by about AD 200. They commented on it without defense as though it were common knowledge.

Christmas was not, however, born out of a pagan holiday. Should you celebrate? That is up to you. Consider the words of Holy Spirit through Paul the apostle.

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (Colossians 2:16–17; NKJV)

 

Originally published here on December 17, 2022; reprinted by Permission

[1] See Hosea 2:11 and Colossians 2:16.

[2] The Feast of Annunciation was originally April 6 in some churches, but it represented more than just the conception then. It also collectively included things like Christ’s birth, circumcision, and baptism.

[3] Ephraim the Syrian, “On the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh,” Hymn III, AD 306–373, https://www.biblestudytools.com/history/early-church-fathers/post-nicene/vol-13-gregory-ephraim-and-aphrahat/ephraim-syrus/hymn-iii.html.

[4] John Cassian, Conferences of John Cassian, Chapter 2, “Of the custom which is kept up in the Province of Egypt for signifying the time of Easter,” AD 360–435, https://www.ccel.org/ccel/cassian/conferences.ii.xi.ii.html.

[5] Bodie Hodge, Tower of Babel (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2013), 174–179.

[6] Macrobius, Saturnalia, I.10.4.

[7] Suetonius, Life of Caligula, XVII; Dio, Roman History, LIX.6.4.

[8] Eusebius of Caesarea, Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 17. p. 419.

[9] Hodge, Tower of Babel, 199–204.

[10] This is why we see the Saturn/Chronos figure convoluted into Japheth, Kittim, or Ham (some of Noah’s descendants in Genesis 10) in various accounts.

 


Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Could Death Exist Before Sin Biblically?

Could Death Exist Before Sin Biblically?

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, August 21, 2024 All Scripture NKJV

Death and sin—these are two things today’s society seems to want to avoid in a conversation! In today’s secular society, kids have been taught for generations that death goes back for millions of years. But there is a huge contrast when you open the pages of Scripture beginning in Genesis.

The Bible is the authority on the past (as well as the authority on scientific and theological aspects), and it is logical that the Bible should be the authority on the issue of death and its relationship with sin. Getting a big picture of sin and death and how they are related in the Bible can make us better witnesses to today’s culture.

Everything Was Originally Perfect 

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)

He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. (Deuteronomy 32:4)

When God finished creating at the end of day six, He declared everything “very good”—it was perfect. God’s work of creation is perfect. We expect nothing less of a perfect God.

What was this “perfect” or “very good” creation like? Were animals dying? Was man dying? Let’s look closer at what the Bible teaches.

Everything Was Originally Vegetarian 

And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. “Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. (Genesis 1:29–30)

We know that animals and man were not eating meat originally, according to Genesis 1:29–30. So, meat-eaters today were all vegetarian originally, which also points to death not being part of the original creation. Plants are not “alive” in the biblical sense of nephesh chayyah, only animals and man. So, plants being eaten did not mean death existed before the Fall. One would not expect a God of life to be a god of death. When we look at God’s restoration in Revelation 21–22, there will be no death, pain, or suffering.

If a Christian wants to side with the atheistic view of a world where death existed for millions of years using the majority of the fossil layers as evidence of slow, gradual accumulation instead of a global Flood, they have major problems. The fossil layers consist of many animals that have the remains of other animals in their stomach contents. As we’ll discuss later, Scripture tells us that sin brought about animal death, something that did not occur prior to the Fall. This rules out many of the rock layers as evidence of millions of years because the Lord declared that everything was originally vegetarian. The Flood of Noah’s day is a much better explanation of the rock layers, which show animals eating other animals after sin.

Death Is a Punishment 

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16–17)

God gave the command in Genesis 2:16–17 that sin would be punishable by death. This is significant when we look at the big picture of death. If death in any form was around prior to God’s declaration in Genesis 1:31 that everything was “very good,” then death would be very good too—hence not a punishment at all.

Some have pointed out that this passage is not referring to animal death. In one sense, we agree with them: this verse was not directed toward animals. But by the same logic, this command was only directed toward Adam, yet Eve died, and so do we (Adam’s descendants) for sin. This shows the all-encompassing impact of the sin-death relationship.

Adam Knew What “Die” Meant 

Some people have brought up the objection that if there was no death existing in the world, then how did Adam know what God meant in Genesis 2:17.

God, the author of language, programmed Adam with language when He created him, as they conversed right from the start on day six (see Genesis 2). Since God makes things perfectly, Adam knew what death meant—even if he did not have experiential knowledge of it. In fact, he probably understood it better than any of us because he had a perfect mind, uncorrupted by sin and the Curse.

Sin Brought Animal Death 

The first recorded death and passages referring to death as a reality came with sin in Genesis 3 when the serpent, Eve, and Adam all were disobedient to God. Please note that what happened is the first hint that things will die:

So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. (Genesis 3:14)

Genesis 3:14 indicates that animals, which were cursed along with the serpent, would no longer live forever but have a limited life (all the days of your life). This is the first hint of animal death. Since animals were cursed, they too will now die. Though this particular verse doesn’t rule out animal death prior to sin, its placement with sin and the Curse in Genesis 3 may very well be significant.



The Lord’s sacrifice to make coats of skins for Adam and Eve

The first recorded death of animals comes in Genesis 3:21, when God covered Adam and Eve with coats of skins to replace their fig leaf coverings they assumed would cover their nakedness.

Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21)

Abel apparently mimicked something like this when he sacrificed from his flocks (fat portions) in Genesis 4:4, as did Noah after the Flood in Genesis 8:20. The Israelites did this as well, giving sin offerings of lambs, doves, etc.



Noah offering sacrifices

The punishment for sin was death; so, something had to die. Rightly, Adam and Eve deserved to die, but we serve a God of grace, mercy, and love. And out of His love and His mercy, He basically gave us a “grace period” to repent.

The Lord sacrificed an animal to cover this sin. It was not enough to take away sin but merely offered a temporary covering. This shows how much more valuable mankind is than animals (see also Matthew 6:2612:12). The punishment for sinning against an infinitely holy God is an infinite punishment, and animals are not infinite. They simply cannot take that punishment. We needed a perfect and infinite sacrifice that could take the infinite punishment from an infinite God. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is infinite, could take that punishment. These animal sacrifices foreshadowed Jesus Christ, who was the ultimate, perfect, infinite sacrifice for our sins on the cross. Hebrews reveals:

And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)

This is why Jesus had to die, and this is why people sacrificed animals to cover sin. These passages make it clear that animal death has a relationship with human sin, as well as the fact that it came after sin (see Christian Theodicy in Light of Genesis and Modern Science). Also, it is the very basis and foundation of the gospel.

Sin Brought Human Death

 

This same type of proclamation that animals will ultimately die (all the days of your life) comes back in Genesis 3:17, where man would also die (all the days of your life). So, like the animals, man would die in fulfillment of what God said in Genesis 2:17.

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. (Genesis 3:17)

Some have stated that they believe this was only a spiritual death, but God made it clear in Genesis 3:19 by adding that humanity will return to the dust from which we came, which makes it clear it was not excluding a physical death.

In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”. (Genesis 3:19)

Even Paul, when speaking of human death, specifically says:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12)

The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26)

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. (Romans 5:14)

For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) (Romans 5:17)

If the death God mentioned is only spiritual, then why did Jesus have to die physically—or rise physically? If the Curse meant only spiritual death, then the gospel is undermined.

It is true that Adam and Eve didn’t die the exact day they ate, as some seem to think Genesis 2:17 implies. The Hebrew is die-die (muwth-muwth), which is often translated as “surely die” or literally as “dying you shall die,” which indicates the beginning of dying (i.e., an ingressive sense). At that point, Adam and Eve began to die and would return to dust. If they were meant to have died right then, the text should have used muwth only once, as is used in the Hebrew meaning “dead, died, or die” and not “beginning to die” or “surely die.”

Does the Bible Teach Death before Sin?

 

The Bible tells us very clearly that there was no death before sin from many passages. In fact, there are no Bible verses indicating there was death prior to sin.



Death before sin is a problem for a perfect creation at the end of day six

The only reason some people try to insert death before sin is to fit man’s ideas of “millions of years” of death from a uniformitarian view of the fossil record into the Bible. But this makes a mockery of God’s statement that everything was very good in Genesis 1:31. Death, animals eating other animals, thorns, cancer, tumors, and so on are not very good, and yet these are found in those fossil layers.

This leads to compromising what God plainly says to accommodate fallible man’s ideas. Besides, the Scriptures reveal a global Flood in Genesis 6–8after sin, which explains the vast majority of fossil layers. So, one need not appeal to billions of years to explain these layers. It is better to trust what God says:

It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man. (Psalm 118:8)

Keep in mind that having death before sin also undermines the very gospel, where Jesus Christ stepped into history to conquer sin and death. In doing so, He graciously offered the free gift of salvation to all who receive him.

Conclusion 



A Biblical View of Death


A Secular View of Death

Keep in mind there are primarily two views of history (secular and Christian) with two different authorities (man’s fallible reason apart from God and a perfect God) with conflicting views about the past.

According to the Bible, a perfect God created a perfect creation, and because of man’s sin, death and suffering came into the world. But through Christ, we look forward to a time when there will be no more pain or death or suffering (Revelation 21:4).

In a secular worldview, there has always been death. So, when Christians try to incorporate the secular idea of millions of years into their theology, two main questions arise. Was there really a change when Adam and Eve sinned? And what will heaven really be like then?

This article was first published here. Reprinted by Permission.

 

 


Sunday, August 11, 2024

New Dinosaur Found That Burrowed Underground?

 

New Dinosaur Found…That Burrowed Underground?

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, August 11, 2024

Creationists have long commented on how dinosaurs were created on Day 6—the same day as man—according to God in Genesis 1. Those who believe in or have been influenced by the religion of secular humanism (and its variants) disagree with this, proposing that man and dinosaurs are separated by millions of alleged, unobserved years. Nevertheless, God’s Word reigns supreme against arbitrary objections to His absolute Word.

Because there are two different viewpoints about the past, there tend to be two different interpretations of various dinosaur finds. This is why we must be discerning when it comes to research that includes good observations but also incorporates secular “storytelling,” which is common in reports, whether in news or technical papers, in today’s culture.

The Fossil Find

This brings us to a new dinosaur fossil find. It is called Fona herzogae and was found in Utah. This dinosaur is part of the ornithischian kind. So, it is a new species within an existing kind. A news item on the dinosaur states:

“Found in Utah by North Carolina State University researchers and paleontologists, the Fona herzogae was a small-framed, plant-eating dinosaur that lived in the Cenomanian age — about 100-66 million years ago.”[1]  

Observable facts about the fossil include (1) where it was found, (2) that it was small-framed, and (3) who found it. However, the rest of this quote delves into interpretation. We don’t know its full diet—it may have feasted on insects. Nor do we know where it lived—what we do know is where it was buried as a result of a catastrophe.

Furthermore, this creature definitely didn’t live 100-66 million years ago when you start with God who created all things a matter of thousands of years ago.  Instead, it died in the Flood and was deposited in what became rock layers, which secular researchers misinterpret as 100-66 million years old. These particular fossil layers were laid down at the same time and are actually Flood sediment.

Fona herzogae—A New Species in An Existing Kind

Nevertheless, it is a small dinosaur (small but long, being about 7 feet in length, including the tail), by the way dinosaurs are defined.[2] The article goes on to say:

“Avrahami and his team also believe this new dino was a burrowing species, spending at least part of its life underground.”[3]

The reasons for this were first articulated by Varricchio and colleagues in 2007[4] for these types of dinosaurs, and a number of researchers have discussed and expanded on the possibility of burrowing ever since. With this new species find, and due to at least two fossils found intertwined at one site (Mini Troll) and certain anatomical structures, the possibility of burrowing was inferred. The idea of burrowing dinosaurs was discussed in more detail in the technical report.[5]

In a nutshell, they suspect that dinosaurs with limb morphologies similar to some burrowing mammals might have had burrowing behaviors. This, as well as other suggestions based on fossil study, is why they consider this creature (and those similar to it within its kind) to be a possible burrower.

Dinosaurs Burrowing?

Is burrowing a reasonable habit for these dinosaurs before the Flood? It’s definitely a possibility. The researchers were careful not to be overly adamant (e.g., no burrows were found, for instance) but strongly leaned towards the idea of burrowing.[6] Based on their fossil assessments, I don’t think they were “grasping at straws” for this interpretation—they might be onto something. Without further evidence, I’m happy to leave this option open.

Bear in mind that the Flood buried many creatures—most had already drowned and were even disarticulated. But many others were likely still alive during their burial, giving them a few moments of struggle to try to escape.

I would suspect that many of these dinosaurs—if they didn’t die from the burial or the brutality of the Flood waters already—would have tried to immediately dig their way out, which could leave possible evidence of something like burrowing. A lost cause, of course, as all these land-dwelling, air-breathing animals outside the Ark of Noah died by the 150th day of the Flood.

It may be possible to see this type of evidence in the future. Nevertheless, the researchers said they found no evidence of burrowing at this stage. The idea of burrowing strictly comes from fossil evidence.

Looking Back At Accounts—Dragon Legends May Give Us A Clue

Interestingly, creationists have often pointed out the connection between dinosaurs and dragons (as have a few secularists as well). Some dinosaurs even have the name "dragon" in their name (e.g., Dragon of Qijiang, Dracorex Hogwartsia, and Dracopelta). Draco is the Latin name for dragon.

As a point of note, all dinosaurs could rightly be classed as dragons, but not all dragons fit the definition of a dinosaur. Dinosaurs are land animals with one of two hip structures, whereas dragons also included sea and flying reptiles as well as serpentine reptiles.

John Calvin's dragon in his Genesis commentary artwork as translated into English 

One thing we commonly find in ancient land dragon legends (that creationists often discuss as the possible dinosaurs dying out after the Flood) is that many tended to live near swamps and had burrows, lairs, or caves to which they dug and lived. Consider the epic poem Beowulf, for instance, where Grendel lived at the edges of a swamp and had a burrowed lair that Beowulf had to enter to kill this menacing dragon. This particular dragon bore a description that has an uncanny resemblance to a baryonyx with a heavy claw. St. George famously killed a dragon living near a swamp in similar conditions.

The point is that there are historical reasons, within a biblical understanding of the past, to think that some dinosaurs may have burrowed or at least spent much time underground. So, finding a dinosaur with fossil anatomical structures that were possibly used for burrowing is actually expected—even within a biblical worldview.

  



[1] Jordan-Marie Smith, A newly discovered dinosaur may have spent part of its life underground, NPR, July 19, 2024, https://www.npr.org/2024/07/19/nx-s1-5046257/dinosaur-new-discovered-science-burrow.

[2] B. Hodge, Dinosaurs, Dragons, and the Bible, Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2023, pp. 9-14.

[3] Ibid.

[4] D.D. Varricchio, A.J. Martin, and Y. Katsura,  First trace and body fossil evidence of a burrowing, denning dinosaur. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 274, 2007, pp. 1–7.

[5] H.M. Avrahami, P.J. Makovicky, R.T. Tucker, and L.E. Zanno, A new semi-fossorial thescelosaurine dinosaur from the Cenomanian-age Mussentuchit Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, The Anatomical Record, July 9, 2024, https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.25505.

[6] Ibid.

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