[EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Ethan Wright holds an M.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He completed his internship and residency at Texas A & M/ Scott & White Hospital. He has been practicing Ophthalmology in Arkansas since 2008 and is a Diplomate, American Board of Ophthalmology.]

The human eye is, perhaps, one of the most obvious examples of design which defies the theory of naturalistic, unintelligent evolution. The more we learn about the eye the more unreasonable it is to suggest that it would originate in some kind of natural way.

It is often said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In many ways, vision is like a chain. It is a sequence of events where each step is dependent on every other complex component. If one single step is impaired, then vision as a whole suffers.

Consider a brief overview of the fascinating, seemingly instantaneous vision process, beginning with the first link of the chain—light rays traveling towards the eye—to the final step of the process where the brain interprets signals it receives.

When focusing on a distant object, light rays enter the eye in a parallel fashion. Objects that are closer emit light rays that are spreading (diverging). For eyes to fuse on an object—whether far, near, moving, or peripheral to where one is focusing—they must be coordinated perfectly through an extremely complex process. Multiple motor neurons throughout the brain communicate with each eye’s six muscles. For example, if one muscle pulls an eye to the right, the muscle that opposes it (designed to pull the eye to the left) must relax just the right amount to allow accurate fixation. When fully functional, this process appears to be instantaneous to the viewer. Both eyes must be precisely coordinated, or incapacitating double vision can result. Consider how quickly and smoothly one can read a line from this article and instantly jump to the next line below what was just read. These eye movements can be so powerful, they generate G-forces. In certain diseases, eye movement must be limited as these forces can negatively affect the eye’s health (i.e., hyphema).

As light reaches the eye, it encounters two lenses. The first and most powerful is the cornea. If the cornea has any abnormalities, such as scarring or being misshapen, there can be a significant effect on the clarity of vision. Even dryness of the corneal surface will commonly cause visual impairment. After the cornea, light travels through a fluid-filled chamber and then through the continually adjusting pupil, where it then reaches the native lens. The shape of the lens is constantly adjusted depending on if the light rays originate from a far object (parallel rays) or from a near object (diverging rays). Incidentally, when this lens loses its clarity and becomes hazy, it is called a cataract. If vision deteriorates enough to be problematic, the cataract is surgically replaced with an artificial lens, referred to as cataract surgery. Interestingly, the lens inverts and reverses images before they fall on the retina. The brain later compensates for this, so the images are perceived in the proper orientation.

After light leaves the lens, it travels to its final destination, the retina. The retina has some eight layers. Each layer must be fully functioning or vision is impaired. A single layer of pigmented support cells is just outside the retina (RPE). This layer appears to support the retina in at least six ways:

• Absorb light
• Maintain the anatomical shape under the retina
• Discard (phagocytosis) the spent rod and cone outer segments
• Metabolize the retinal fatty acids
• Form the essential barrier between blood and eye
• The repair and formation of scars

Again, if this single layer of cells (RPE) is not functioning, the overlying retina will suffer.

Traveling just beyond this pigment layer is the most densely vascular part of the human body, the choriocapillaris. This significant blood flow is believed to serve as a heat sink to remove thermal energy from the light absorption. Once light energy has reached the deepest layer of the retina (rods and cones), the energy converts to a neural impulse. Impulses are then carried to the brain by roughly 1.2 million fibers. All nerve fibers leave the eye through a small opening (optic disc) about 1.5 mm in diameter. This small opening can be damaged from elevated eye pressures, a disease known as glaucoma.

The visual impulses now leave each eye by means of its own optic nerve. Ultimately, these will both reach their destination in the back of the brain, the visual cortex. Not far after leaving the eye, the right and left optic nerves join briefly at a central location called the optic chiasm. Here, about 53% of these fibers cross to the opposite side of the brain, while the remaining 47% stay on the same side from which they started. Next, the fibers travel along the sides of the brain—splitting again, but vertically this time—until they reach the visual cortex (occipital lobe). Here, complex visual impulses are processed into meaningful information by which so many decisions are made. These nerves can sometimes be disrupted by strokes and tumors that occur along their path leaving permanent vision loss.

Our Creator’s design is evident in our vision. Every aspect of this chain of events must function precisely at all times for us to enjoy the vision with which God has blessed us. Macroevolution suggests each individual link of vision—each being entirely dependent on all the other links—would have to independently (and by chance) evolve without the influence from other yet-to-be-formed visual components. Yet, if one link is not present, the others provide no benefit. How could one part of the system develop where the other parts have not yet arisen?

The alleged evolution of vision is nothing more than an imaginary mirage, where people are “seeing” what they want to see rather than what is actually there. In truth, complex, functional design demands a Designer. Yes, the vision process has been fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)—a gift from the Creator.

The post Seeing Vision’s Marvelous Process appeared first on Apologetics Press.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a two-part series on the teleological argument for the existence of God. Part II will appear in the March issue.]

Several years ago, astronomers from more than 30 research institutions in 15 countries worked together to select a site for a giant telescope that they hoped would read TV or radio signals from alien civilizations. Slated to cost one billion dollars, the Square Kilometer Array, or SKA, would be the world’s most powerful radio telescope. Speaking at a conference of the International Society for Optical Engineering in Orlando, Florida, project astronomers said they hoped to find “immediate and direct evidence of life elsewhere in the Universe.”¹

Despite this bold venture, the scientists admitted that “such a search would have distinct limitations, to be sure.” “Distinct limitations”? Like what? For one, the scientists “aren’t sure how to recognize such signals, if they do turn up. The hope is that the signals would consist of organized patterns suggestive of intelligence, and not attributable to any known celestial sources.”² Wait a minute. Evolutionary scientists are renowned for their condescending ridicule of creationists because those who believe in God assert that evidence of intelligent design in the Universe is proof of an Intelligent Designer. No, the evolutionists counter, the Universe got here by accident through random chance, mindless trial and error, and the blind, mechanistic forces of nature. They maintain that life on Earth owes its ultimate origin to dead, non-purposive, unconscious, non-intelligent matter. Yet they were perfectly willing to squander one billion dollars on a telescope with the speculative idea that solid proof—hard evidence—for the existence of alien life would reside in undecipherable radio or TV signals that convey “organized patterns suggestive of intelligence.”³ Atheistic evolutionists want it both ways: organized patterns prove the existence of intelligent alien design and organized patterns do not prove the existence of an Intelligent Designer. Philosophers and logicians refer to such duplicitous posturing as irrational and “logical contradiction.” Apparently, evolutionists call it “science.” Nevertheless, the basic thrust of the teleological argument for the existence of God is self-evident.

THE UNIVERSE—A “Waste of Space”?

“The cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be.”⁴ So began Carl Sagan’s immensely popular book and PBStelevision series: Cosmos. A more atheistic, humanistic, materialistic declaration could not be spoken. Sagan (1934-1996), who was an astronomer at Cornell University who lived his entire life resistant to the possibility of God and an afterlife, maintained his unbelief—in the words of his third wife—“unflinching” to the end.⁵ She, herself, finds comfort after his passing “without resorting to the supernatural.”⁶

When people reject or avoid the implications of the design in the created order—i.e., that it is logically the result of a Supreme Creator—they have inevitably “exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). Skeptical of the survival of the Earth at the mercy of Homo sapiens, Sagan turned his attention to an almost obsessive dedication to finding answers and solutions from life forms beyond Earth. In his own words: “In a very real sense this search for extraterrestrial intelligence is a search for a cosmic context for mankind, a search for who we are, where we have come from, and what possibilities there are for our future—in a universe vaster both in extent and duration than our forefathers ever dreamed of.”⁷

Less than a year after his death, Hollywood released a movie on July 11, 1997 based on Sagan’s novel Contact.⁸ The film’s central character, Dr. Eleanor Arroway (played by Jodie Foster), was surely the embodiment of the formative experiences, philosophical perspectives, and spiritual beliefs of Sagan himself. On three separate occasions in the film, a pseudo-intellectual remark, obviously designed to defend the naturalistic explanation of the existence of the Universe while ridiculing the Christian viewpoint, is offered up to viewers. As a child, “Ellie” asks her father if life exists out in the Universe, to which he responds: “Well, if there wasn’t, it’d be an awful waste of space.” As an adult, she converses with Palmer Joss (played by Matthew McConaughey), and, staring up at the starry Puerto Rican sky, expresses her confidence in the evolution of other life forms elsewhere in the Universe: “If just one in a million of those stars has planets, and if only one in a million of those has life, and if just one in a million of those has intelligent life, then there are millions of civilizations out there.”⁹ Ellie is pleasantly stunned when Joss repeats the same line that her father uttered to her when she was a child. Near the close of the film, Ellie speaks the line again to a group of school children when asked if life exists in space.

This triple declaration was obviously intended to offer a “logical” proof that, rather than looking to some supernatural Being Who is transcendent of the Universe, humans had best recognize that the only life beyond planet Earth are those life forms that have evolved (like our own) on other planets in far off galaxies. The materialist is forced to follow Sagan’s presupposition: life must exist elsewhere in the Universe since there is no God. If there is a God Who created life only on Earth, then He was guilty of poor teleological design—creating a vast physical realm that serves absolutely no purpose—and thus producing a nearly infinite realm of “wasted space.”

But wait! The Bible long ago anticipated the skepticism of the materialist astronomer. At the creation of the Universe, God said: “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth” (Genesis 1:14-15). The luminaries that God made included the stars: “God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night” (vss. 17-18). One very specific function of the stars that occupy space far beyond our solar system is illumination (cf. Psalm 136:9). They are “light-bearers.”¹⁰

Another very specific purpose of the vastness of space is seen in the multiple declarations regarding the infinitude of God and the evidence that points to His existence, His glory, His eternality, and His power. Paul affirmed very confidently that “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). It is absolutely incredible—and, according to Paul, inexcusable—for a rational human being to contemplate the magnitude of the Universe and the vastness of space, and then to reject the only logical, plausible explanation for it all: God. We simply have no excuse for rejecting God when we are surrounded by such an overwhelming display of wonders and marvels in the created order. Indeed, atheism, evolution, and humanism are simply more sophisticated forms of the polytheism that has plagued humanity for millennia. Moses warned the Israelites of this very thing: “[T]ake heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage” (Deuteronomy 4:19). Evolutionary astronomy assigns an inflated value to the vastness of space by postulating that it can provide mankind with an alternative explanation for the existence of life—an explanation that absents God. Any such postulation ultimately amounts to idolatry.

David, too, paid homage to the glory of the Creator, as evidenced by the eloquent symphony of the majestic Universe that is played perpetually—24 hours a day:

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run its race. Its rising is from one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end; and there is nothing hidden from its heat (Psalm 19:1-6; cf. 74:16-17; 136:7-8).

Separate and apart from the latest evidence that confirms the movement of the Sun through space,¹¹ these verses reaffirm the fact that the created Universe loudly announces the existence of the Universe-Maker. David also declared: “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, You have set Your glory above the heavens! …When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:1,3). God “stretched out the heavens like a curtain” (Psalm 104:2). No wonder even a philosopher on the order of Immanuel Kant observed: “Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the oftener and more steadily we reflect on them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”¹²

A third biblical explanation for the creation of the vast Universe was hinted at by God Himself in the attitude-adjusting lecture He delivered to Job: “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion? Can you lead forth a constellation in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you fix their rule over the earth?” (Job 38:31-33). Notice the action terms that are used to refer to the movement of the constellations: bind, loose, lead forth, and guide. Observe also the “laws of the heavens” and their relationship to “ruling over the earth.”¹³ These verses imply that the heavenly bodies, and the laws that govern them, have been deliberately orchestrated, modulated, and regulated by the Creator to serve a purpose or purposes far beyond our present understanding. The text seems to hint that Earth’s status, with its living beings, is somehow affected by the phenomena of the cosmic bodies. Even as the comprehension of scientists has been lacking through the centuries on many features of the physical realm, only eventually to discover the meaning that lay behind observable phenomena, even so our present comprehension of space is woefully inadequate to justify passing judgment on the intentionality and teleology that lie behind many astronomical phenomena.

Evolutionists have far better arguments with which to attempt to prop up their atheistic stance (the “problem of evil” being the strongest, though refutable¹⁴). The “wasted space” argument is anemic, pitiful, and hardly worthy of rebuttal. However, since they brought it to our attention, the Christian is once again reminded of the unfathomable attributes of the great God Who stands above and beyond this vast physical realm. The immensity and vastness of the Universe only spurs the rational mind to marvel at the One whose own metaphysical transcendence surpasses the visible. In the words of the psalmist: “I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness” (145:5-6). “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:4-5). Isaiah agreed: “Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power” (40:26). Indeed, “the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:  ‘You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created’” (Revelation 4:10-11). The vast cosmos points directly and unmistakably to an awesome God.

The Revelation of God

You see, the infinite God of the Bible has revealed Himself to the human race by means of two forms of revelation: natural (or generic) and supernatural (or special). Special revelation consists of the Bible—the self-authenticating, supernatural book that God imparted to humanity by miraculously directing human writers to record His will (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).

Natural revelation consists of nature: the material realm, the created order. Since God created the heavens and the Earth, His “fingerprints” are all over it. Humans can easily recognize these fingerprints—if they are unbiased, honest, and willing to follow the evidence to its logical conclusion.

Sadly, the number of those who reject the obvious is legion. Why? They are generally unwilling to accept the implications of the existence of God: the need to bring one’s fleshly appetites and actions into harmony with the will of the Creator. But that fact does not lessen the magnitude of the evidence and its availability. Indeed, the psalmist said there is no language where the evidence for God is unavailable (Psalm 19:1-2).

Teleology

The word “teleology” comes from the Greek term teleios, meaning “complete, perfect,” taken from telos which means “end,” “outcome, result.”¹⁵ The teleological argument maintains that one proof for God’s existence is the fact that the Universe is the result or outcome of intentional design, order, and purpose. The characteristics of design in the Universe demonstrate the existence of a Designer. In addition to the passages given previously, the Bible also articulates this principle when the Hebrews writer stated this rationale succinctly in Hebrews 3:4—“For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.” If houses with their sophisticated designs cannot just happen or evolve over millions of years, how could worlds? If a watch cannot occur by chance, neither can the systematic chronometers of the Universe. Their geometric precision is so superior to human invention that eclipses, planetary movements, and other astronomical phenomena can be predicted centuries in advance. The Universe is literally a finely tuned, organized machine. If we readily recognize that intelligent planning is behind all ordered design, how could nature’s intricate networks have no Planner? To observe the fantastic design in nature and then conclude there is no Supreme Designer is to behave irrationally. The evidence that surrounds us in the material Universe demands the conclusion that God exists.

Decisive Evidence

Do cars just happen? Of course not. Their multiple systems are interactive and integrated with each other in order for the automobile to operate. A mind—no, multiple minds—lie behind the creation of a car. Yet, compared to the Universe, or compared to the human body, or even compared to the inner workings of one tree leaf, a car is a crude and primitive invention. If the creation of a car demands the existence of the remarkable human brain/mind, what must be required for the creation of the human brain/mind? Obviously, something or Someone far superior to the human mind would be needed for its creation. Logically, that Someone must be the powerful, transcendent Creator: the God of the Bible.

The naturalistic explanation given by evolutionists for the existence of the created order cannot meet the dictates of logic that characterize the unencumbered, unprejudiced human mind. The more one investigates the intricacies and complexities of the natural realm, the more self-evident it is that a grand and great Designer is responsible for the existence of the Universe. In fact, the evidence is overwhelming and decisive.

The Human Body¹⁶

Take, for example, the human body, which possesses such complexity that it simply could not have evolved. Its amazing intricacies absolutely demand a mind—a higher intelligence—behind them. The development of the camera was based upon the human eye. Yet, for all we have accomplished with video and sophisticated photographic equipment, the living, full color optical system of the human eye is unsurpassed. What’s more, we possess a self-restoring, self-repairing healing system; a sensitive stereophonic auditory system; tireless muscular-connecting tissue systems; a well-engineered skeletal framework; a computerized memory-bank brain; a ventilation-insulation skin envelope which constitutes an efficient cooling system of 2000 pores per square inch of skin; and a cardiovascular system that constantly oxygenates our blood with every breath. The human body is absolute proof of God. Atheism cannot explain it. Evolution cannot logically account for it. Scientists have yet to fully understand it. Multiple lifetimes would be necessary even to begin to grasp the massive amount of evidence inherent in the human body.

The psalmist also stated, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well” (Psalm 139:14). Indeed, the human body itself is sufficient proof of the existence of the Divine Creator. Right now, your body is performing amazing feats of engineering, chemistry, and physics that no machine designed by man can duplicate. Great human minds have applied themselves to the task of duplicating the various capabilities of the human body. Some incredible things have been accomplished in their efforts to copy God’s Creation, but they simply cannot compare with the marvel of God’s design.

The Flagellum¹⁷

Consider yet another among the millions of amazing proofs of the reality of the Creator. Bacteria, like salmonella, have as part of their anatomy several flagella filaments extending from their cell body. These flagella are marvels of engineering—bio-nanomachines—that appear to possess the remarkable ability of self-assembly. The bacterium’s flagellum assembly process begins with the formation of an MS ring in the cytoplasmic membrane. Then a switch complex called a “C” ring is assembled on its cytoplasmic side, followed by integration of the protein export apparatus inside the ring. The export apparatus sends out flagellar proteins from the cell body to the distal end of the flagellum to grow the structure.

Next, the “hook,” working as an efficient universal joint, extends to the outside of the cell. Then two junction proteins, Hap¹ and Hap³, are attached, followed by the binding of the cap protein, Hap², to form a capping structure under which the assembly of flagellum molecules begins to grow the flagellar filament. Flagellum molecules are then inserted successively just below the cap, and the flagellar filament continues to grow. All of the flagellar axial proteins produced in the cell body are sent into the central channel of the flagellum and transported to and polymerized at its growing end. Some 20 to 30,000 flagellum molecules polymerize to construct a 10 to 15 micrometer long filament.

The flagellar motor is similar to manmade motors—since both were built on fundamental principles set in place by the Creator. The flagellum consists of rotor and stator units in the cell membrane, including switching unit, bushing, universal joint, and helical screw propeller. To generate thrust, the rotary motor is driven by protons flowing into the cell body. The motor then drives the rotation of the flagellum at around 300 Hz, at a power level of 10^-16 W, with energy conversion efficiency close to 100%. The resulting speed is up to 20,000 rpms—faster than the speed of Formula 1 race car engines. This highly efficient, flagellar motor is far beyond the capabilities of manmade, artificial motors. It is so sophisticated, that to suggest that it evolved is the height of irrationality and blind prejudice. Indeed, the evidence is decisive: there is a Designer.

The Pine Tree¹⁸

Consider the pine tree. Some 120 species and subspecies of the pine tree exist worldwide. The Ponderosa pine tree (pinus ponderosa) is one of America’s abundant tree species, covering approximately 27 million acres of land. A young Ponderosa pine has brownish-black bark that changes to a distinctive orange-brown color as the tree grows older. The bark is segmented into large, plate-like structures whose appearance has been likened to a jigsaw puzzle. This unusual design has a purpose. If the tree catches fire, these plates pop off as the bark burns. The tree, in effect, sheds its burning bark! This design, along with the great thickness of the bark, allows the tree to be very resistant to low intensity fires. Since design demands a designer, Who is responsible for this intricate design?

Another species of pine tree is the Lodgepole Pine (pinus contorta), so named since Native Americans used Lodgepole pine for the “lodge poles” in their tepees. This amazing pine tree grows cones that are slightly smaller than a golf ball, are tan when fresh, but turn gray with age. These serotinous cones remain closed until the heat of a forest fire prompts them to open. After the fire, the cones open and reseed the forest. The species literally regenerates itself—even though the forest fire kills the tree itself. Since such design demands a designer, Who is responsible for this ingenious design?

Yet another species of pine tree is the Whitebark Pine (pinus albicaulis). This tree possesses a symbiotic relationship with a bird species known as the Clark’s Nutcracker. The tree is dependent on this bird for reproduction, while the seed of the tree is a major source of food for the bird. This mutualistic relationship is further seen in the fact that Whitebark pinecones do not open and cast seed when they are ripe. The cones remain closed until the Nutcracker comes along, pries the cone open with its bill, and stores the seed within a pouch beneath its tongue. The bird then caches the seed to be used later as a food supply. Some of these seed caches are forgotten, or are not needed, thus enabling the tree to reproduce. Such amazing design—with no Mind behind it? Illogical!

Seed: The Dandelion, Tipuana tipu, and the Alsomitra macrocarpa¹⁹

When the Creator created the Universe in six literal days, He created seed on the third day:

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day (Genesis 1:11-13).

God designed three main mechanisms for seed dispersal: (1) via animals (e.g., a bird eating a piece of fruit containing seed, and flying to another location where the seed passes out of its body), (2) drifting in ocean and fresh water, and (3) floating with the wind. Incredibly, each of these mechanisms points to the orchestration of a Mastermind.

Consider the ordinary dandelion. It possesses a magnificent crown of plumose hairs forming a symmetrical sphere. Upon closer investigation, this sphere is composed of numerous shafts, each equipped with its own umbrella-like canopy of intricately branched hairs. At the base of each shaft is a single seed. Each individual shaft with its canopy and single seed closely resemble the same design as that utilized in parachutes.

As breezes blow across the surface of the dandelion, the canopy of hairs catch the wind which tugs at the shaft with its host of attached seeds, gently pulling them free from the dandelion head. The parachute-like canopy of hairs then allows the entire assembly to drift with the wind. In fact, the canopy of hairs is precisely designed to achieve flight. The length of the shaft is just right to enable aerodynamic positioning of the canopy to enable it to come to a landing in another location. The attached seed can then take root and start the process all over again. The dandelion is absolute, undeniable proof of God.

Then there is the Tipuana tipu tree (also called Rosewood), originally from South America, but now planted as a shade tree throughout the world. This tree produces achenes—a type of fruit consisting of a dry, membranous sheath that surrounds a seed. The tipu tree has a unique type of achene called a samara, which facilitates a specialized form of wind dispersal. It possesses a fan-shaped wing with a slight pitch (like a propeller or fan blade) which causes it to spin like the auto-rotation of helicopter blades when it falls. The spinning creates lift that slows descent, giving more opportunity to be carried a substantial distance from the tree by the wind, depending on wind velocity and distance above the ground. The decomposed seed spirals down to the ground to become established and perpetuate the species—an unmistakable example of flawless aerodynamic wing design.

Also known for its ingenious aerodynamic configuration is the seed of a tenacious tropical climbing vine identified as Alsomitra macrocarpa. Also called the Javan cucumber, it hangs from trees high in the rain forest canopy in the Sunda Islands of the Malay Archipelago and the Indonesian islands. Each football-sized fruit/gourd is densely packed with large numbers of winged “Stealth Bomber” seeds. A single seed is enveloped by two transparent, papery wings, about five inches across, angled slightly back from and extending either side of the seed. Upon ripening, the wings become dry and the long edge opposite the seed curls slightly upwards.

Each one becomes airborne when released through a hole at the bottom of the gourd and sails through the air, majestically spiraling downward in 20 foot circles. The carefully designed aerodynamic features of the seed are such that it can glide great distances from its point of origin—a classic example of mechanical dispersal in the forest. Moving through the air like a butterfly in flight, it gains height, stalls, dips, and accelerates, once again producing lift—a maneuver known as phugoid oscillation. The seed’s stability in pitch and roll inspired the early aviation pioneer Igo Etrich. Scientists studying this amazing plant describe its lift-to-drag ratio and the rate of descent in these terms: “flight was so stable that samples were seen to take their optimal trimmed angle of attack with a value between the maximum gliding ratio and the minimum rate of descent.”

Evolutionists are confident in their conviction that their explanations for such marvels demonstrate nature’s independent, autonomous existence to the exclusion of God. They virtually “jump through hoops” and engage in “scientific ventriloquism” in their quest to achieve legitimacy for their atheistic bent. However, when all relevant evidence eventually comes to light, it fits “hand in glove” with the presence of the God of the Bible.

Wood²⁰

Prior to the invention of modern plastics, what would the Creator have humans to use for suitable containers? Wood, stone, or clay, and eventually metal, pretty much exhausted the possibilities. Yet, government agencies, like the USDA and the FDA, generally have advocated the use of plastic for cutting boards and other surfaces that sustain food contact, on the grounds that the micropores and knife cuts in wood provide hidden havens for deadly bacterial organisms. As one Extension Specialist from the Department of Human Nutrition stated: “for cleanability and control of microorganisms, plastic is the better choice.”

However, the best research available on the subject suggests otherwise. Dr. Dean Cliver, microbiologist formerly with the Food Safety Laboratory and World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Food Virology at the University of California-Davis, disputed the oft’-repeated claim regarding the superiority of plastic over wood. His research findings, conducted over a period of several years, consistently demonstrated the remarkable antibacterial properties of wood.

Dr. Cliver and his research associates tested five life-threatening bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter jejuni, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus) on four plastic polymers and more than 10 species of hardwood, including hard maple, birch, beech, black cherry, basswood, butternut, and American black walnut. Within three minutes of inoculating wooden boards with cultures of the food-poisoning agents, 99.9% of the bacteria were “unrecoverable.” On the other hand, none of the bacteria tested under similar conditions on plastic died. In fact, leaving microbe populations on the two surfaces overnight resulted in microbial growth on the plastic boards, while no live bacteria were recovered from wood the next morning. Interestingly, bacteria are absorbed into the wood, but evidently do not multiply, and rarely if ever thrive again. In contrast, bacteria in knife scars in plastic boards remain viable (even after a hot-water-and-soap wash) and maintain their ability to surface later and contaminate foods. Treating wood cutting boards with oils and other finishes to make them more impermeable actually retards wood’s bactericidal activity. Microbiologists remain mystified by their inability to isolate a mechanism or agent responsible for wood’s antibacterial properties. Incredible, divine design.

Do these research findings bear any resemblance to Mosaic injunctions 3,500 years ago which required the destruction of pottery that had become contaminated—while wood was simply to be rinsed (Leviticus 6:28; 11:32-33; 15:12)? Dr. Cliver concluded: “I have no idea where the image of plastic’s superiority came from; but I have spent 40 years promoting food safety, and I would go with plastic if the science supported it. I don’t necessarily trust ‘nature,’ but I do trust laboratory research.” Kudos to Dr. Cliver’s honesty. What about trusting nature’s God?

Summary

Founding Father Thomas Paine was among the small handful of Founders who rejected Christianity. Yet he was not an atheist. He believed that the created order proves God exists. In fact, he considered atheists to be “fools” for their rejection of the plain evidence of creation. In Age of Reason, he explained:

Deism, then, teaches us, without the possibility of being deceived, all that is necessary or proper to be known. The creation is the Bible of the Deist. He there reads, in the handwriting of the Creator himself, the certainty of his existence and the immutability of his power, and all other Bibles and Testaments are to him forgeries. The probability that we may be called to account hereafter will, to a reflecting mind, have the influence of belief; for it is not our belief or disbelief that can make or unmake the fact. As this is the state we are in, and which it is proper we should be in, as free agents, it is the fool only, and not the philosopher, or even the prudent man, that would live as if there were no God.²¹

Don’t be foolish. The evidence for the marvelous, creative handiwork of God is simply staggering. The only plausible, rational explanation for the existence of human beings on this planet is God. The intricacies of the created order attest to that living God.

[to be continued]

Endnotes

¹ “Sites Under Review for Telescope that Could Detect Alien TV” (2006), World Science, July 10, http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/060711_ska.htm.

² Ibid., emp. added.

³ One is reminded of NASA’s Viking mission to Mars in the mid-seventies in which scientists eagerly declared evidence for life on Mars based on initial photos that appeared to show a “B” or even a face on a rock. Such judgments soon were deemed premature and incorrect. Cf. “‘Life’ on Mars” (2006), http://burro.astr.cwru.edu/stu/mars_life.html. Also Thomas Warren and Antony Flew (1976), The Warren-Flew Debate (Jonesboro, AR: National Christian Press), pp. 112,156.

⁴ Carl Sagan (1980), Cosmos (New York: Random House), p. 4.

⁵ Carl Sagan (1997), Billions and Billions (New York: Random House), p. 225.

⁶ Ibid., p. 228.

⁷ Carl Sagan, ed. (1973), “Introduction,” Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence [CETI] (MIT Press), pp. ix-x.

⁸ Carl Sagan (1985), Contact (New York: Simon and Schuster).

⁹ As cited in Ray Bohlin (1998), “Contact: A Eulogy to Carl Sagan,” http://www.probe.org/docs/contact.html. Of course, the scientific evidence does not support this conclusion—see Ray Bohlin (2002), “Are We Alone in the Universe?” http://www.probe.org/docs/lifemars.html.

¹⁰ C.F. Keil and F. Delitzsch (1976 reprint), Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans), 1:56; Herbert Leupold (1950 reprint), Exposition of Genesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker), p. 71.

¹¹ See “StarChild Question of the Month for February 2000,” High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC), Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA/GSFC, https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question18.html: “[T]he Sun—in fact, our whole solar system—orbits around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. We are moving at an average velocity of 828,000 km/hr. But even at that high rate, it still takes us about 230 million years to make one complete orbit around the Milky Way!”

¹² As quoted in Norman Geisler (1983), Cosmos: Carl Sagan’s Religion for the Scientific Mind (Dallas, TX: Quest), p. 59.

¹³ See Frank Gaebelein, ed. (1988), The Expositor’s Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan), 4:1037,1042.

¹⁴ See Thomas Warren (1972), Have Atheists Proved There Is No God? (Jonesboro, AR: National Christian Press). Also Dave Miller (2015), Why People Suffer (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press); Kyle Butt (2010), A Christian’s Guide to Refuting Modern Atheism (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).

¹⁵ Barclay Newman (1971), A Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament (London: United Bible Societies), p. 180.

¹⁶ The following details were gleaned from: “The Brain Initiative” (2015), National Institutes of Health, http://www.braininitiative.nih.gov/index.htm; “The Cardiovascular System” (2008), SUNY Downstate Medical Center, http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/histomanual/cardiovascular.html; D.D. Clark and L. Sokoloff (1999), Basic Neurochemistry: Molecular, Cellular and Medical Aspects, ed. G.J. Siegel, B.W. Agranoff, R.W. Albers, S.K. Fisher, M.D. Uhler (Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott), pp. 637–670; Brian Clegg (2013), “20 Amazing Facts about the Human Body,” The Guardian, January 26, http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/jan/27/20-human-body-facts-science; “Fantastic Facts about the Human Body” (2008), DiscoveryHealth.com writers, HowStuffWorks.com, August 12, http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/parts/facts-about-the-human-body.htm; Henry Gray (1918), Anatomy of the Human Body (Philadelphia, PA: Lea & Febiger); Bartleby.com, 2000, www.bartleby.com/107/; “Human Anatomy” (2015), http://www.innerbody.com/; “Human Body” (2015), National Geographic, http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/; Tanya Lewis (2015), “Human Brain: Facts, Anatomy & Mapping Project,” LiveScience, March 26, http://www.livescience.com/29365-human-brain.html; Marcus E. Raichle and Debra A. Gusnard (2002), “Appraising the Brain’s Energy Budget,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 99[16]:10237-10239, August 6, http://www.pnas.org/content/99/16/10237; Nikhil Swaminathan (2008), “Why Does the Brain Need So Much Power?” Scientific American, April 29, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-does-the-brain-need-s/; “Understanding the Brain” (no date), The National Science Foundation, http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/brain/; Carl Zimmer (2004), Soul Made Flesh: The Discovery of the Brain—and How It Changed the World (New York: Free Press).

¹⁷ See Anton Arkhipov, Peter L. Freddolino, Katsumi Imada, Keiichi Namba, and Klaus Schulten (2006), “Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Simulations of a Rotating Bacterial Flagellum,” Biophysical Journal, 91:4589-4597; Anton Arkhipov, Peter Freddolino, and Klaus Schulten (2014), “Bacterial Flagellum,” Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling & Bioinformatics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/flagellum/; Howard Berg (2000), “Motile Behavior of Bacteria,” Physics Today, 53[1]:24, January, http://scitation.aip.org/docserver/fulltext/aip/magazine/physicstoday/53/1/1.882934.pdf?expires=1447448109&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=4DB7CE4D03EA780CE104B9A03A1CD811; “‘Clutch’ Stops Flagella” (2008), Photonics.com, June 23, http://www.photonics.com/Article.aspx?PID=6&VID=35&IID=258&AID=34236; Tim Dean (2010), “Inside Nature’s Most Efficient Motor: The Flagellar,” Australian Life Scientist, August 2, http://www.lifescientist.com.au/content/molecular-biology/news/inside-nature-s-most-efficient-motor-the-flagellar-1216235209; Zoltán Diószeghy, Péter Závodszky, Keiichi Namba, and Ferenc Vonderviszt (2004), “Stabilization of Flagellar Filaments by HAP2 Capping,” FEBS Letters, 568[1-3]:105-109, June 18, http://www.febsletters.org/article/S0014-5793(04)00623-4/abstract; Erato Protonic Nanomachine Project, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, http://www.fbs.osaka-u.ac.jp/labs/namba/npn/index.html; Vitold Galkin, Xiong Yu, Jacob Bielnick, et al. (2008), “Divergence of Quaternary Structures among Bacterial Flagellar Filaments,” Science, 320[5874]:382-385, http://www.sciencemag.org/content/320/5874/382, http://www.sciencemag.org/content/320/5874/382; Abhrajyoti Ghosh and Sonja-Verena Albers (2011), “Assembly and Function of the Archaeal Flagellum,” Biochemical Society Transactions, 39[1]:64-69, February 1, http://www.biochemsoctrans.org/content/39/1/64#fn-group-1; Ken Jarrell, Douglas Bayley, and Alla Kostyukova (1996), “The Archaeal Flagellum: a Unique Motility Structure,” Journal of Bacteriology, 178[17]:5057-5064, September, http://jb.asm.org/content/178/17/5057?ijkey=bb6062450f68ce38ff0bb584daab03fe3ff79f1b&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha; H. Lodish, A. Berk, S.L. Zipursky, et al. (2000), “Cilia and Flagella: Structure and Movement” (Section 19.4), Molecular Cell Biology (New York: W.H. Freeman), fourth edition, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21698/; Robert Macnab (2003), “How Bacteria Assemble Flagella,” Annual Review of Microbiology, 57:77-100, October, http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.micro.57.030502.090832; Saori Maki-Yonekura, Koji Yonekura, and Keiichi Namba (2010), “Conformational Change of Flagellin for Polymorphic Supercoiling of the Flagellar Filament,” Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 17:417-422, March 14, http://www.nature.com/nsmb/journal/v17/n4/full/nsmb.1774.html; G.L.M. Meister and H.C. Berg (1987), “Rapid Rotation of Flagellar Bundles in Swimming Bacteria,” Nature, 325[6105]:637-640; Yoshio Nagata (2014), “Unlocking the Secrets of Nature’s Nanomotor,” Nikkei Asian Review, June 2, http://asia.nikkei.com/Tech-Science/Tech/Unlocking-the-secrets-of-nature-s-nanomotor; Fadel Samatey, Katsumi Imada, et al. (2001), “Structure of the Bacterial Flagellar Protofilament and Implications for a Switch for Supercoiling,” Nature, 410[15]:331-337; “Self-Assembly NanoMachine” (2008), ICORP Dynamic NanoMachine Project, Japan Science and Technology Agency, NHK Joho Network, Research Director Keiichi Namba, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw0-MHI_248.

¹⁸ “Lodgepole Pine” (no date), USDA Forest Service, http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/helena/resources/trees/LodgepolePine.shtml; “Ponderosa Pine” (no date), USDA Forest Service, http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/helena/resources/trees/PonderosaPine.shtml; “Ponderosa Pine” (1995), Western Wood Products Association, http://www.wwpa.org/ppine.htm; “What Are Pine Trees?” (no date), The Lovett Pinetum Charitable Foundation, http://www.lovett-pinetum.org/1whatare.htm; “Whitebark Pine” (no date), USDA Forest Service, http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/helena/resources/trees/WhitebarkPine.shtml.

¹⁹ Trevor Armstrong, et al. (2003), “Rosewood or tipuana tree (Tipuana tipu),” Weed Management Guide, CRC Weed Management, https://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/publications/guidelines/alert/pubs/t-tipu.pdf; W.P. Armstrong (1999), “Blowing in the Wind: Seeds & Fruits Dispersed By Wind,” Wayne’s Word, http://waynesword.palomar.edu/plfeb99.htm#helicopters; Akira Azuma and Yoshinori Okuno (1987), “Flight of a Samara, Alsomitra macrocarpa,” Journal of Theoretical Biology, 129[3]:263-274, December 7, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022519387800012; Y. Bar-Cohen (2012), “Biologically Inspired Technologies for Aeronautics,” in Innovation in Aeronautics, ed. Trevor Young and Mike Hirst (Philadelphia, PA: Woodhead Publishing); J.W. Dunne (1913), “The Theory of the Dunne Aeroplane,” The Aeronautical Journal, April, 83-102; “Helicopter Seed Dispersal—Tipuana tipu Samara” (2012), TheNerdyGardener, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caGTvw-CRaA; J. Hutchinson (1942), “Macrozanonia Cogn. and Alsomitra Roem,” Annals of Botany, 6[1]:95-102, http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/6/1/95.full.pdf; K. Jones (1995), Pau d’Arco: Immune Power From the Rain Forest (Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press); Ch’ien Lee (2015), “Alsomitra macrocarpa,” Image # cld06121913, from East Kalimantan, Indonesia, Nature Photography of Southeast Asia, http://www.wildborneo.com.my/photo.php?k=East Kalimantan, Indonesia&p=1&i=7; P. Loewer (1995), Seeds: The Definitive Guide to Growing, History, and Lore (New York: Macmillan Company), R.A. Rolfe (1920), “Macrozanonia Macrocarpa,” Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew), 6:197-199, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4118666?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents; Tipuana tipu (no date), The Australian Government,http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/weeddetails.pl?taxon_id=67959; Percy Walker (1974), Early Aviation at Farnborough Volume II: The First Aeroplanes (London: Macdonald), 2:174-175.

²⁰ Dean Cliver (2002), “Plastic and Wooden Cutting Boards,” Unpublished manuscript; Dean Cliver (2002), personal letter; Karen Penner (1994), “Plastic vs. Wood Cutting Boards,” Timely Topics, Department of Human Nutrition, K-State Research and Extension; Janet Raloff (1993), “Wood Wins, Plastic Trashed for Cutting Meat,” Science News, 143[6]:84-85, February 6; Janet Raloff (1997), “Cutting Through the Cutting Board Brouhaha,” Science News Online, Food For Thought, July 11.

²¹ Thomas Paine (1794), Age of Reason, Part II, Section 21, emp. added, http://www.ushistory.org/paine/reason/singlehtml.htm.

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The answer lies in the amazing way God designed the stomach to work. He placed special cells in the mucous membrane in the inner lining of the stomach which contain the glands and gastric pits that secrete the acid into the stomach. The chloride and the hydrogen are secreted separately in these glands. At least five different complicated chemical actions take place at the same time to secrete the acid into the stomach.

Hydrochloric acid is very important to digestion, since it helps break down food so that digestive enzymes can take over and finish the job. That way your body gets nutrition from the food. And that’s not all; the acid also destroys invading microorganisms that enter the stomach through contaminated food.

Meanwhile goblet cells secrete a thick layer of mucus along the inner walls of the stomach to protect it from being burned. After leaving the stomach, the hydrochloric acid is quickly neutralized by sodium bicarbonate produced by the pancreas. Sodium bicarbonate is the very stuff that many people use to help their heartburn!

If you were to take the time to study the stomach, you would find that all of the things that take place there are unbelievably complicated, sophisticated, and baffling. There’s no way such activity could have evolved over millions of years. They are unmistakably the result of a Mind that is way above and beyond our minds. That Mind is the marvelous God of the Bible Who created our bodies. He is absolutely amazing!

“For You formed my inward parts…. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made”

(Psalm 139:13-14).

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One organ, however, that we don’t often think about as being vital is our liver. In fact, when we hear the word “liver” we probably think about food we don’t really like. Did you know that your liver is one of the most important organs in your whole body? You could not live a single day without your liver. Let’s look at the amazing jobs God designed the liver to perform.

When you were just a little baby, even before you were born, your liver made the blood inside your body.As you know, you cannot live without blood. This was a very important job for your liver. As you grew older, your liver began to do other important jobs. Your liver produces special cells called Kupffer cells. These cells were named after Karl Kupffer who discovered them in 1876. They are special kinds of cells called macrofages. What is a macrofage? The word comes from two Greek words that mean “Big Eater.” Kupffer cells are large cells that “eat” other cells in your body. They swallow damaged blood cells or invading germs. After they swallow these harmful cells, chemicals inside Kupffer cells digest the harmful cells and turn them into harmless substances. Kupffer cells protect your body from infection and disease.

The human liver weighs about three pounds. It is one of the largest organs in the body. It is also one of the most interesting. Did you know that the liver can regenerate itself? What does “regenerate” mean? It means the liver can make itself grow back. Maybe you have seen lizards that can regenerate their tails. If a bird bites the tail off of certain kinds of lizards, the lizard simply grows a new one. In the same way, the human liver can “re-grow” itself. Think about this. Sometimes due to sickness or an accident, a person may damage or destroy his liver so it no longer works like it should. He would then need a liver transplant. Another person can give him half of his liver. What happens to the person who donates half of a liver? Does that person live the rest of his life with only half a liver? Nope. His liver grows back the part that he donated. And the part of his liver that he donated to the other person grows into a full liver as well! Amazing.

The amount of sugar in your blood is important to your health. If you have too much, it can cause serious problems. If you do not have enough sugar in your blood, you can faint or become very weak. It is a good thing God designed your liver to monitor your blood sugar. Your liver can check the amount of sugar in your blood. If there is too much, then it removes sugar and stores it. If there is not enough sugar in your blood, the liver releases just enough into the bloodstream to help you be healthy. Not only does the liver store sugar, it also stores important vitamins that it releases when your body needs them.

Did you know that your liver helps keep you alive when you cut your finger? You might wonder what a cut on your finger has to do with an organ that is not close to the cut. When you are cut, your blood has to clot in order to plug the hole where your blood is coming out. If your blood does not clot, there is a chance that you could bleed to death. Your liver produces chemicals and proteins that help your blood clot. Without your liver, your blood would not clot correctly and it could be very dangerous for you.

Isn’t it interesting that an organ that most of us know so little about can be so important to our lives? Only an all-knowing God could foresee what our bodies would need and design useful organs such as the liver to keep us alive and healthy. We should be reminded of Psalm 119:73, “Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.”

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God did not design our noses to make boogers to irritate or embarrass us (or to make others who see us with occasional booger problems feel uncomfortable). In truth, the nose’s ability to produce boogers is a wonderful thing. (Let’s just be polite how we dispose of them.)

Everyone needs to breathe to survive. Scientists tell us that the average person breathes in about 20,000 liters of air each day. But what’s often in the air we breathe? Dust, dirt, pollen, germs, and other things that we don’t want or need in our lungs. Thankfully, God knew about our needs at the beginning of Creation, which no doubt is why He created mankind with the ability to deal with foreign objects that float in the air and enter our noses.

God designed our noses to have hair and ciliated (SILL-lee-a-ted) membranes. These two things, along with the mucus that our noses produce, function as a God-given natural barrier against potentially harmful germs. Like the air filters that are used with heating and cooling systems in houses (to help “clean” the air that is circulated), God made our bodies with a natural air filter. (And boogers are sometimes the visible effect of this properly working “air filter.”)

Our mucus membranes produce sticky mucus that traps germs. Sometimes these trapped germs and tiny dust particles that we breathe mix with the all-important mucus and become dried snot (or boogers), which we can then expel from our noses. At other times, the mucus and trapped germs are pushed (by the tiny hair-like cilia) to the back of our mouths and are expelled, either by coughing or by swallowing (and eventually are destroyed by the acid in our stomachs).

Isn’t the human body an amazing creation of God? Indeed, even icky boogers remind us of the marvelous handiwork of God Who gave us a way to filter the air without us even thinking about it.

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As a simple example, consider an important feature of your eyes that you might not think about much. Have you ever noticed that tears will often come into your eyes when a gust of cold wind hits them? Believe it or not, that’s very important. If your eyes get too cold, they can get too dry and even freeze. Dryness will make your vision blurry, and your eyes will begin to burn and get tired quickly. If your eyes stay dry or cold too long, there can be permanent damage, including blindness. So to help keep that from happening, there are special engineering sensors in your eyes called “thermoreceptors” that take the temperature of your eyes. They are constantly sending that information to your brain along special “power lines” called peripheral (purr-IF-er-ul) nerves. The brain—the control system for your body—processes that temperature information, and when the eyes are too cold, the brain sends the message back to your eyes (to the tear ducts) telling them to release tears into your eyes. Since the water in your body is so warm, when tears pour onto your eyes, your eyes quickly warm up. Amazing design! But that’s not all. The tears themselves are “salty.” It’s much harder to freeze salty water than it is to freeze unsalty water. So the tears not only warm your eyes, but they make it so that cold temperatures and wind won’t freeze them as easily.

Now, think about this. If evolution were true, then eyes had to accidentally evolve over time. But what would happen to the first pair of eyes if they did not already have tear ducts, thermoreceptors, and peripheral nerves installed? They would have stopped working and would have been pointless to their host. Since they would not have been a benefit to their host, evolution would tend to eliminate eyes from existence, “selecting” against them. The fact that we have working eyes proves that they, along with everything they need to work properly, were designed by an amazing Engineer—God.

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Just think about all the different kinds of skin. Human skin is thin and mostly smooth. Sharkskin is rough and feels like sandpaper. Elephant skin is thick. Many reptiles have scaly skin. God made all these different types of skin to help humans and animals survive. Let’s look at some amazing skin.

Take a minute to look at your arms and hands. Did you know that the skin you see is busy protecting you even though you are not thinking about it? Your skin covers your body and protects your internal organs from harmful germs. Special cells in your skin act as “security guards.”  When these little guys detect bad germs that are trying to get in, they tell your body to make cells that fight the germs.

Not only does your skin protect you, but it also helps keep your body the right temperature. What happens when you run fast, or play a game of tag? That’s right, you sweat. Did you know that your skin produces sweat and moves it to the outside of your body? When the air around you causes the sweat to evaporate, it cools you down so you don’t overheat.

Your skin also works like a factory. When the Sun shines on your body, your skin tells your body to make vitamin D. This vitamin is very important. It helps keep your body healthy and your bones strong. Without the vitamin D that your skin helps produce, your bones would get soft and break easily.

The cells in your body need water in order to work correctly. Your skin holds water inside your body so your cells can do their jobs. Without your skin, the water that you drink would evaporate into the air and your body would dehydrate (a fancy word that means “dry out”).

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When we look into the natural world, we find that it is filled with design. For instance, the human brain is a super computer that is more advanced than an iPad. The human eye is connected to the brain by over 600,000 nerves. Messages from these nerves can travel to the brain at over 300 miles per hour. The brain can then sort through the messages and determine which ones are important. Not only that, the brain can produce about 50 chemicals that are used to regulate functions in the body. At the same time, your brain keeps your heart pumping, lungs breathing, and blood flowing without you even having to think about it.

And the brain is just one excellent example of design. There are millions more. What if you saw a robotic humming bird flying near your home? The robot would have hundreds of little pieces that fit together perfectly to allow it to work. You might be interested to know that scientists have created such a machine. But what is more interesting is that when the robot is compared to a real hummingbird, the robot is not nearly as well designed. The real humming bird can fly faster, flap its wings more quickly, and move better than its robot double. If brilliant scientists designed the robot, then a more brilliant designer had to design the real thing. That designer is God. He is the all-powerful Creator Who is the only Being that would be able to create all the awesome design we see in this world. Complex design demands a designer.

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Did you know that your body is like a house? It produces garbage, uses up resources, and needs to be constantly refueled and taken care of. The purpose of your blood is to take new food to your cells, to remove garbage, and to perform numerous other jobs. Your blood keeps you alive. But how does your blood get to all the places in your body where it needs to go? It just so happens that your body has the most well-designed pump in the world—your heart. Your heart is an organ made up mostly of muscle that is about the size of one of your closed fists. (In adults, it is about the size of two adult fists.) Many people think that the heart is on the left side of the body, but actually it is almost in the center, between your two lungs. Because the heart is so important, God put it inside the rib cage to protect it.

What is so amazing about this little pump? Maybe the most amazing aspect of your heart is that it never gets tired—ever. Think about how your other muscles get tired. When you run, your leg muscles get tired. When you lift weights, your arms get tired. But have you ever stopped and said, “Whew, my heart muscle is tired! I’ve got to let it rest”? No, you haven’t. This fact is astounding when you realize that your heart beats about 100,000 times a day (about 70 times per minute). That means if you live to be 75 years old, your heart will beat about 2.7 billion times. If this little pump were pumping liquid into the air, it could project it about 30 feet. If you take 10 really big steps, that would be about 30 feet. Furthermore, the energy that the heart produces every hour could lift a 2,000 pound car off the ground. And yet your heart does not need a break. Imagine squeezing a tennis ball in your hand as hard as you can. That is about what a heartbeat is. Now imagine doing that for five minutes. Would your arm get tired? What if you did that for 20 minutes? Would your arm get tired then? Of course it would. But your heart can do that more than once per second and never gets tired, even after 70 or 80 years. Also, electrical impulses in your heart keep it beating at just the right pace. And all of this happens all day every day, and you never even have to think about making your heart beat, because your body is so wonderfully designed.

Doctors and scientists understand how difficult making a pump like the heart is. They have attempted to produce artificial hearts that work like the human heart. But the artificial hearts that they make are no match for the real thing. The longest any person has ever lived with an artificial heart is 1,512 days. In fact, many of the parts that are used in artificial hearts wear out or break in just a few months.

If brilliant scientists have studied the human heart and attempted to design one like it, but have failed, what does that say about the One Who designed the human heart? It proves that God, Who is the Master Designer, is more brilliant than all the doctors in the world combined. We should thank God for the amazing little pump in our chest that never gets tired.

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Your tongue weighs about 2.5 ounces. It is only about 2-3 inches long, but it performs some of the most important tasks in your body. For one, it helps you speak and make the kinds of sounds you need for language. Without a tongue, you would not be able to communicate with others using words that they could understand. Just think how much more difficult your life would be if you could not use your voice to tell a doctor what part of your body hurts when you are sick. Just imagine not being able to tell your friends a story using your tongue and language.

In addition, your tongue acts as a cleaner. Have you ever gotten a popcorn hull stuck between your teeth? Do you remember how your tongue felt it and you kept trying to get it unstuck? You might not even realize how often you run your tongue around your teeth each day to check for little food particles that are not supposed to be there. Furthermore, your tongue plays a major role in helping you swallow your food. It “grabs” the food that you eat and puts it in the proper place in your mouth so you can swallow it properly. Your tongue is a tireless worker, it does not “sleep” at night, but is constantly working by pushing saliva to the back of your mouth so you can swallow it.

You might find it interesting that your tongue is very strong. It is composed of several muscles that work together to make it one of the strongest organs for its size in your body. Some people have lifted weights of over 20 pounds with their tongues! If you look in the mirror and stick out your tongue, you will see hundreds of small red bumps. Those are called papillae (pa-pil-lee); the singular form is papilla and is pronounced like it is spelled. Many people mistake these bumps for taste buds. They are not taste buds. They are designed to make your tongue have grip, similar to the tread on truck or tractor tires.

Your taste buds are so small you cannot see them in a mirror. You have between 3,000-10,000 of them on your tongue. Not only do they allow you to taste different kinds of food, but they also protect you. If food is rotten or contains harmful bacteria, your taste buds often pick up a “bad” taste that warns you not to eat that food. The shape of your tongue, along with the pattern of papillae on it, is so unique that it is like your own special “fingerprint” (or should we say “tongue print”). There is no one else in the world that has a tongue that looks exactly like yours.

God designed your tongue to be a special, important organ in your body. He gave it many interesting and remarkable jobs. It is right that we should use our tongues to praise God and tell others about His marvelous power and love. We should never use our tongues and speech to bring other people down, call them bad names, use curse words, or lie. The apostle Peter said: “He who would love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit” (1 Peter 3:10). Even though our tongue is very little, it is powerful and important (James 3:1-9). Let’s use our tongues to thank God for designing and creating such a wonderful body part!

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Research shows that many of our ancestors were very intelligent. Take, for in­ stance, the ancient Egyptians. More than 4,000 years ago, they built great pyramid­ shaped “tombs” in which to bury their dead kings. One of these tombs, known as the Great Pyramid, stood nearly 500 feet high. [That is three times taller than the Statue of Liberty, and almost as tall as the Washington Monument-the tallest stone structure in the world!] The Great Pyramid was made of over 2 million blocks of stone that had to be cut, transported, and assembled to create the almost 6-million-ton structure. To this day, modern man still does not know how the Egyptians built such a pyramid. What an amazing accomplishment!

The ancient Mayans are another example of our “finely tuned” forefathers. More than one thousand years before astronomers found that the length of a year was precisely 365.2422 days, the Mayans (without computers or modern measuring devices) calculated it to be 365.2420 days long. They also figured the orbit of Venus to be 584 days, when current science shows it at 583.92 days. Amazing! What accu­racy! What intelligence!

As you would expect, the Bible verifies these historical facts. By reading just the first six chapters of Genesis you learn that: (1) Adam was created with the ability to speak a language (naming all of the animals God brought to him the very day of his creation); (2) Jubal, one of Cain’s descendants, “was the father of all those who play the harp and flute” (4:21); (3) Tubal-Cain, Jubal’s half­brother, formed tools out of bronze and iron (4:22); and (4) Noah built an ark bigger than many modern-day cruise ships. All of these things were accomplished without electronic calculators or lightning-fast computers.

Truth be told, our ancestors were no dummies; man has been intelligent since the beginning of time. God made us that way. He created us in His own image (Genesis 1:26- 27), and crowned us with glory and honor (Psalm 8:5).

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That is a very good question. In fact it is so good that it puzzled doctors for many years. If you read last month’s question and answer, you will remember that many years ago organs such as the tonsils and the appendix were thought to be useless ”leftovers” of evolution. These parts were called vestigial (ve-STIJ-ē-al) organs. The word “vestigial” means a trace or a mark left by something, much like a footprint. It was thought that these “useless” organs were marks or “footprints” of evolution.

However, as doctors learned more about these organs, especially the appendix, they discovered that they are not useless after all. The appendix is a small pouch that extends off the large intestine. It also is called the vermiform (worm-shaped) appendix because it looks like a three-inch earthworm. In recent years, doctors have observed that the appendix is a tough soldier against infection, especially in people who have been exposed to some types of radiation. Inside the appendix is lymphoid (LIM-foid) tissue which helps produce white blood cells that fight disease. Also, early in a child’s life the appendix is relatively larger than it is in adults. It is during these early stages of life that the appendix appears to play an even bigger role in guarding the body from infection.

The more we learn about the human body, the more we realize that it does not have “useless” parts. In fact, the Bible teaches that humans are “fearfully and wonderfully made”(Psalm 139:14).The old familiar child’s saying is true: “God doesn’t make junk!”

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People have given that “stuff” we get out of our eyes in the morning many different names. Some call it “matter”; others call it “sleep,” “sleepy,” “crusties,”or “eye boogers.” But whatever it is called, there is no denying that we all have it and would like to know what it is.

Many years ago, some scientists said that evolution was a fact because the human body supposedly contained parts that didn’t do any­ thing. For a long time it was thought that organs such as the tonsils and the appendix were use­ less ”leftovers” of evolution. These parts were called vestigial (ve-STIJ-ee-al) organs. The word “vestigial” means a trace or a mark left by some­ thing, much like a footprint. It was thought that these “useless” organs were marks or “footprints” of evolution.

One of those organs was the plica (PLY-ka) semilunaris (sem-ee-LOO-ner-is), which is located around the eye. For many years, this organ was thought to have no function. But lo and behold, eventually it was discovered that this “useless” organ has an important function after all.

In fact, it is the “crusty” factory. It secretes a sticky mass that collects any foreign materials such as dust or pollen. All this trash is surrounded by the sticky gook so that it does not scratch the sensitive cornea in your eye. Once the garbage is collected, the plica semilunaris “escorts” it out of the eye just like a security guard would escort noisy troublemakers out of a theater.

Let’s all give the plica semilunaris a big hand for doing such a great job of “taking out the trash” in our eyes. And remember, there are no “footprints” of evolution in your body because your body did not evolve—God designed it!

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And why do we yawn when we’re not sleepy? Yawning is a curious behavior. People keep themselves up at night trying to come up with answers to this gaping mystery. Basically, three different solutions have been offered, but each one has its problems.

Solution #1: We yawn because we need extra oxygen. Our body senses we’re running low on oxygen, and forces us to take an extra big gulp of air. Problem: Why don’t we yawn after running a mile? Surely, if there were ever a time we needed more oxygen, that would be it.

Solution #2: Yawning is healthy for our lungs. Perhaps, every now and then, we get pockets and wrinkles in our lungs. A deep breath and a good stretch will smooth these wrinkles out. We know that yawning is very common among creatures with a backbone, including fish, crocodiles, and humans. All these creatures have a special fluid in their lungs, and yawning might spread this fluid out. Problem: This doesn’t explain why yawning is “contagious.”

Solution #3: Yawning is a form of social communication. A yawn is a sign we’re sleepy. If lots of us start to yawn, then it’s time for the whole group to go to bed. It’s an unspoken agreement that we’ll take a nap after Thanksgiving Dinner, and not sneak away to eat the leftover turkey. Problem: This solution doesn’t tell us why yawning is so common among creatures with a back­ bone. What’s a goldfish trying to tell us when it yawns? Also, we yawn when we get up in the morning, even after a good night’s rest. Does this mean we should go back to bed? That’s a nice thought, but it doesn’t explain yawning.

Well, that’s it for now. All this talk of yawning has made feel…kind of…(yawn)… sleepy….

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Such is the situation as it stands in the United Kingdom. The U.K. recently banned the teaching of Creation as a scientific alternative to Darwinism in all schools and academies in their country that receive any public funding. The U.K.’s new funding agreement to schools includes the following statement: “The requirement on every academy and free school to provide a broad and balanced curriculum in any case prevents the teaching of creationism as evidence based theory in any academy or free school” (“British Government…,” 2014). This new law means that all public funded schools in the U.K., presently operating or those that will be founded in the future, are banned from teaching Creation as an evidence based, scientific idea.

If the U.K. wants to ensure that its students will be force-fed false information without being allowed to properly assess it, then they have made the right move. It is in such an atmosphere of intentional censorship that truth is repressed and real learning is abandoned. Woe to the nation that refuses to recognize the all-powerful Creator Who brought them into existence.

As a note of warning to those of us in the United States, such bans are not presently in place, but they will be, if those who believe in God and Christ do not stand up to the rising tide of secularism. It is time we cast off the craven ideas that have so long muted the voice of truth and reason. “I can’t or I’ll lose my job,” “The separation of church and states says…,” “I don’t really believe this, but the government says I have to teach it, so turn to page….” Where are the brave Christian souls who will build a wall of truth and stand in the gap? Where are those formidable personalities who are willing to say, “God created you, it is the truth, and I’ll teach it as the fact it is until I am relieved of my position”? Where are those who will herald against the storms of secularism: “Evolution is a false, unscientific theory and here is why” (see Miller, 2013)?

I know there are still some courageous forces for good. I know because they have invited us into their classrooms to teach what is accurate, to distribute material, and to present the scientific evidence for Creation to their children who are starving for the truth. Just last year we were able to put approximately 1,000 copies of our book Truth Be Told into the hands of middle-schoolers across our country. God be praised that such is still legal in our country (if you would like more information on how you can get this done at your school, please contact our offices). We should look with saddened disappointment at the U.K. as a specter of what will be the case in our country in the not-too-distant future, if Christians allow the secular community to fight more boldly for their ungodly cause than Christians are willing to fight for what is right.

Reference

“British Government Finally Bans Creationism from Free Schools and Academies in Secular Triumph” (2014), Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/06/19/british-government-bans-creationism-schools_n_5511010.html?utm_hp_ref=uk.

Miller, Jeff (2013), Science vs. Evolution (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).

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After spending about half an hour soaking in a nice, hot bathtub you look down at your hands and feet and realize that you have been attacked by a case of “raisin skin.” Especially the tips of your fingers and toes have shriveled up like prunes. What happened to your skin to make it wrinkle?

Your skin is composed of two layers. The outer layer is called the epidermis, and the lower level is the dermis. The epidermis produces an oily substance called sebum. You can see this substance when you touch a window or mirror and your “oily” fingerprint is left there. One job sebum performs is to keep water out of your skin- a job it does very well. However, after long periods of time in a swimming pool, shower, or bathtub, much of the sebum is washed off and your epidermis starts to absorb water. As it does so, it swells, but since the epidermis is “tied down” to your dermis in certain spots, it expands more where it is not tied down, and this causes your skin to wrinkle. The difference between your skin and a raisin is that raisins wrinkle because they shrink, but your skin wrinkles because it is getting bigger.

But don’t worry. Once you get out of the pool or tub, the water that your skin absorbed will evaporate, your skin will return to its usual size, and your body will produce more sebum. Your fingers and toes will be back to normal in no time. Isn’t your body amazing? Always remember to thank God for giving you such a well-designed body.

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But a fresh look into the brain has revealed something amazing. This supercomputer is even more “super” than we thought. Inside the brain are short branches of cells called dendrites. These dendrites have long been thought to be simple transporters of nerve signals to brain neurons. Recent discoveries by neuroscientist Spencer Smith and his team of researchers suggest, however, that dendrites do more than passively transfer information (Choi, 2013). It appears that dendrites are actually minicomputers that process information instead of simply transferring it. Because of this discovery, Smith stated: “Suddenly, it’s as if the processing power of the brain is much greater than we had originally thought” (as quoted in Choi, 2013).

To what did Smith compare this remarkable discovery? He illustrated the results in this way: “Imagine you’re reverse engineering a piece of alien technology, and what you thought was simple wiring turns out to be transistors that compute information” (as quoted in Choi, 2013).

The implication of Smith’s statement about alien technology could not be clearer—the brain is comparable to (but surpasses) any technology humans have designed. Therefore, if we were to realistically compare it to something, it would have to be technology produced by brilliant aliens whose mental capabilities must be far superior to that of humans. But wait, the technology that we at first recognized to be superior, we discover to be even more advanced than we originally thought. What does that say about the brain? It must have been designed by a Being with incomprehensible intelligence. The idea of mindless evolution simply cannot account for the computer, no, the supercomputer filled with minicomputers, we call the brain. It really is a no-brainer, there must be a God.

References

Choi, Charles (2013), “‘Minicomputers’ Live Inside the Brain,” LiveScience, http://news.yahoo.com/minicomputers-live-inside-human-brain-113240564.html.

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One of the most powerful and easy-to-understand proofs for the existence of God is the argument from design. You might word the argument this way: (1) Since design demands a designer, and (2) since the Universe is full of examples of complex, functional design, then (3) there must be a Designer who designed the Universe and everything in it.

The design argument is easy to understand and remember. But what makes this argument even better is that it can be illustrated by observing the design of countless, remarkable things—not the least of which is the design seen in the human eye.

Evolutionists teach that your eyes are the result of time, non-intelligence, and chance. Yet, when you look in a mirror, evidence of complex, functional design, which demands more than evolution, is staring you in the face.

Think for a moment about the location of your eyes—they are in the perfect part of your body. Your eyes do not dangle from your cheekbones, nor are they tucked away under your arms. Your eyes were put in the perfect place—in protective pockets called orbits (or eye sockets). Soft and fatty tissues line the orbits and provide necessary cushion. This tissue, along with six muscles, also enable each eye to move extremely effectively.

In addition to your perfectly designed eyelids and eyelashes, which help to protect your eyes from all sorts of things, your eyes also come with their own mucus and tear factories, called the conjunctiva membrane and lacrimal glands. These important outer-eye parts are able to lubricate the eye well and keep it clean.

Now to your actual eyeballs…. Each of your eyes has an aperture (or an opening), called a pupil, and an iris that automatically adjusts to make sure just the right amount of light passes through the eye. On top of the iris and pupil is a kind of clear protective plate called a cornea.

Once light passes through the cornea and pupil it moves through a lens, which can adjust its shape to help clarify the image. The picture is then focused on to the retina. Your retina contains two kinds of light-sensitive cells (called rods and cones) that convert different types of light (red, blue, green) into chemical signals. (Fascinating!) Those signals pass from the retina to the optic nerve, and then on to the brain where the picture is stored. And all of this is done in a fraction of a second…as signals from the eyes to the brain travel along nerves at hundreds of miles per hour.

Does this sound like the result of an accident? Is this the product of non-intelligence? Or is this the work of a Designer?

Imagine waking up one day and seeing a shiny new digital camera on the floor in the middle of your room. You quickly notice that it has a tiny opening, called an aperture, that lets in light. The aperture is covered by a shutter, which regulates the length of time light is allowed though the aperture. The camera also has a lens to help focus the image being photographed, and a computer memory card to store the image. What would you think if your science teacher said that your camera simply evolved by time and chance? Even though it looks like it has been designed and it works perfectly, you are asked to believe that the camera had no designer or creator, but is the product of evolution. Such a thought is absurd.

No sane person would argue that your new camera evolved naturally over millions of years. Likewise, no one can rightly conclude that the human eye is the product of evolution.

The truth is, your sense of sight is a blessing from God, and it is evidence of His existence. Doctors have studied it for centuries, and are awestruck by its complex design. The human eye is far better than any camera. So much so that even Charles Darwin had to admit: “To suppose that the eye…could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest sense.”

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Located in the corneas of your eyes are thermoreceptors (thur-moh-ree-SEP-ters), which just happen to be able to check the temperature of the liquid in your eyes. They just happen to be able to send that temperature information to your hypothalamus (hi-po-THAL-uh-mus) in your brain. They send that information along special pathways that just happen to connect the thermoreceptors to the brain, called effector (ee-FECT-er) nerves. The brain just happens to be able to figure out what to do with that information. If the temperature is too cold, it just happens to decide to send a message back to the eyes to tell the tear ducts to make tears—warm liquid that will heat your eyes and protect them. That’s a lot of thinking, purpose, and decision making that had to come about by mindless evolution that just “happened,” don’t you think?

Do you think it makes sense that evolution could accidentally, all of a sudden one day, simultaneously develop the entire tear system, including the corneas, effector nerves, thermoreceptors, tear ducts, hypothalamus, and the ability of those objects to communicate with each other? Or does it seem more reasonable that those items were designed by an Engineer with a purpose in mind for those things when they were created?

Eyes are so amazing that engineers in Illinois studied them to figure out how they can see such a wide view with a single glance. Then they designed a special camera in the shape of the human eye. They discovered that by using the design of the eye for their camera, they were able to take wide-angle pictures without the image being messed up—just like the human eye can.

Now why would anyone design something based on an evolutionary accident? It makes more sense that designers designed this special camera because they saw an amazingdesign that they wanted to copy. And where there is design, there is always a designer. Truly, “the hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both” (Proverbs 20:12).

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On May 24, 1844, Samuel Morse, who invented the telegraph system and Morse Code, sent the very first telegraph from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore, Maryland. This message consisted of a brief quotation from Numbers 23:23 (KJV): “What hath God wrought!” (“Oh, what God has done!”—

Indeed, nature testifies loudly to what “God has worked!” In truth, “the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). “He Who built all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4).

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