Read Time: 4 minutes“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Dan. 12:4).
The dramatic increase in global knowledge and travel we are experiencing was prophesied over 2½ millenniums ago. These are two of the signs of the times confirming the confidence of the enlightened in the approaching fruition of divine promises. It is curious how apostate Christianity has postponed these societal advantages for so long, by obstinately refusing to recognize the scientific truths of divine testimony.
The circle of the Earth
Poor Galileo was tortured by apostate Christian leaders, violently encouraged to renounce the inescapable conclusions of his scientific research. His astrophysical research and mathematics made the self-worshipping presumptions of the apostate Christian scientists of his day appear quite foolish. Not only was the earth round and not flat, the universe did not revolve around the earth but the earth revolved around the sun. Every form of false worship places oneself at the center of their self-glorifying universe. Every form of false doctrine degrades the Creator and exalts men in their own eyes, without exception. The politically powerful and wealthy don’t appreciate lessons in humility. Yet anyone who could read the Bible would know that the earth was round and not flat. “Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers” (Isa 40:21-22). From the divine perspective (from any angle) Earth is a circle, therefore a globe. Anyone claiming the earth was flat would be declaring the Creator to be a liar or a fool. When science (the study of the features of creation) can finally stumble past the impediment of doctrinal distortions that contradict how creation projects divine truths, mankind always benefits. Science will always be at variance with apostate Christianity, because true science will only confirm divine truths and principles which exclusively glorify our Creator.
Draining away ‘life’ to heal?
Phlebotomy (draining blood) was practiced by supposedly Bible believing doctors of medicine for centuries for its supposedly healing benefits. George Washington, the first American President, had a dangerous amount of blood drained from him the last day of his life to resolve a horribly agitated throat. The Bible states perfectly clearly that the life of a person is in their blood (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 17:11; Deut. 12:23). What intelligent mind, claiming to respect the Bible, could possibly conclude it would be a healthy procedure to drain away their life in order to heal a diseased condition? Obviously this respected medical practice offered no respect for divine testimony concerning the features of creation. When doctors of science finally stumble onto divine truths, even oblivious of their spiritual implications, the benefits to mankind abound. Fortunately, science finally caught up to the testimony of the creator concerning the ignorance of draining away life blood in order to extend life. The spiritual lesson of the blood mirrors the creational features of the blood. Those who disrespect this relationship will always suffer for it.
The contagious nature of physical uncleanness and sin
Isn’t it strange that men claiming to be Bible believers would not wash their hands between hospital surgeries? They either did not read the Bibles they supposedly believed, or had no respect whatsoever for divine testimony. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries doctors finally began to scrub between surgeries. All of a sudden the death rate at hospitals plummeted. God’s laws made it perfectly clear that uncleanness (the physical effects of sin nature) is passed by touch (Lev 15; Hag 2:10-14). By the terms of the curse of sin and death, physical uncleanness was contagious. Whatever came in physical contact with an unclean person not only became unclean but became an uncleanness host…in the exact same way that disease is passed by touch. This condition resulted from the introduction of sin into a previously very good creative order (before the introduction of disease and death, as there were no contradictions to the Creator’s right-ness… yet). Under the laws of the Kingdom of God an unclean person sitting on a saddle made that saddle unclean. Anyone touching that saddle prior to its cleansing became automatically unclean and anything they touched became unclean, just like disease. Interestingly, no one becomes healthy by touch and health is not contagious. However, everyone can become sick by touch. Although holiness can be achieved by touch it was not contagious. Whatever came in direct physical contact with the altar of burnt offering or the flesh of the sin offering became automatically holy (Exod 29:37; Lev 6:27). This law prophesied of how our Messiah (shadowed in the altar and sin offering) could reverse an unclean condition (leprosy, death, bodily issue) by his touch. Indirect contact meant nothing. God emphasizes this point through Haggai so that it should have been difficult for believers to miss (Hag 2:10-14). Despite this divine spotlight, ‘Christian’ scientists and doctors were oblivious to this creational principle until the microscope was invented. Lo and behold there were microscopic disease carriers being transferred by touch whose contagious transference could be halted by cleansing. Huffing and puffing, science finally caught up to a very basic lesson of divine law, about 3,000 years late.
A severe warning for missing the point
Emphasizing the significance of cleansing ourselves from an unclean physical condition was the severe divine judgment against anyone disrespecting this issue of physical uncleanness. If anyone refused to cleanse themselves from an uncleanness issue the community was instructed to ostracize that person forever, without any recourse of return (Num 19:13,20). While it does seem quite difficult to miss the divinely appointed significance of cleansing oneself following the touching of the dead or a person with a bodily issue (etc.) it was millenniums after these divine communications were given to men that mankind stumbled upon the scientific principle of the contagiousness of physical uncleanness and disease. Society still benefits even when the divine principles of creation are only viewed from a scientific perspective, oblivious to the truly meaningful testimony.
Although there is a great deal more we can consider under this theme, we will leave it for your meditational ‘cud-chewing’, moving on in our next commentary to a brief review of Dr. Mario Livio’s most recent book: Is God a Mathematician.
Jim Dillingham (Granite State, NH)