the theology of geology amazing grace written in stone what we’ll cover this morning:

The Theology of Geology

Amazing Grace Written in Stone

What we’ll cover this morning:

What we’ll cover this morning:

Five amazing geological discoveries in the last 50 yearsHow God used five geological events

to shape human history

How God used geology when He called a chosen people

First, several simple definitions

Theology: knowledge of God

Geology: knowledge of the earth’s rocky crust (aka: skin)

The Earth’s rocky crust Two types

But first, a couple of additional definitions

Two types of Crust: 1. Continental crust 2. Oceanic crust

We will focus on the recent history of continental crust; i.e. the continents

Five Amazing Scientific Discoveriesmade in the last 50 years defining the

Earth’s Rocky Crust (continents)

1. Continental (crustal plate) Drift2. Plate Tectonics3. Paleo-magnetics4. Absolute Age Dating

But first: Some basic assumptions

5. The Earth’s Living Crust

Scientific Data: Describing God’s Creation

Data are reliable: Job 12: 8, 9

Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee:And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of theLord hath wrought this?

Biblical interpretations

Interpretations of the Bible

1. Literally true 2. Inerrant 3. Contains God’s word 4. Amazing ancient literature

Five recent discoveries of God’sIntelligent Design of the Earth’s rocky Crust

God builds & arranges today’s Continents Discovery #1: Continental Drift

Continental Drift

The slow movement of the crustal plates over the face of the earth

How has continental drift shaped human history?

http://schools.techno.ru/sch518/koridor/geograf/detrab/Tektonika/litosfera2.htm

Continental Drift: Last 250 million years

Present Day

250 million years ago

How has continental drift shaped human history?

Five recent discoveries of God’sIntelligent Design of the Earth’s rocky Crust

WesternHemisphere

EasternHemisphere

Continental Drift Creates theWestern and Eastern Hemispheres

Critical to the migration of humans out of Africa

And

Continental Drift Shaped the Continents

Shaped the continentsThree elongated north-south

One elongated east-west

Why is elongation important?

It determines the number of climate zones that the continent covers

And

How has God shaped human history by positioning the continents?

Tropical climate zones

Why is that important?

Because no great nation or religionhas ever developed in the Tropics!!!

Discovery #2: Plate TectonicsGod builds mountain ranges, major rivers, and natural resources that shape human history

1. Continental Drift

2. Plate Tectonics

The deforming continents when they collide

Collisions produce:mountain rangesmajor river systems

God creates mountains that shape human history

Five recent discoveries of God’sIntelligent Design of the Earth’s rocky Crust

A 6000 mile mountain range createdwhen Africa & India collide with Eurasia

Mountains create & expose at or near theearth’s surface natural resources metallic ores, coal, and oil that have shaped human history

God used Plate Tectonics to create six major river systems south of the mountains where our earliest civilizations and religions developed

YellowYangtze

GangesTigrisEuphratesNile Indus

Ideal trend for the early development of major civilizations and religions based on large scale farming

The Six Major River Systems where theearliest civilizations and religions formed

HinduismConfucianism

Judaism

Discovery # 3: Paleo-magneticsGod stamps the lat-long location of rocks when they are formed

1. Continental Drift

2. Plate Tectonics

3. Paleo-magnetics

What is the fourth discovery?

Paleo-magnetics defines the lat-long of a rock when it is formed

All our continental drift reconstruction maps are based on Paleo-magnetics

Five recent discoveries of God’sIntelligent Design of the Earth’s rocky Crust

4. Absolute Age Dating

God stamps the age of rocks when they are formed by the decay of radio active

minerals

Again, all our continental drift maps are heavily dependent on Absolute Ages

The fifth discovery in the last 50 years: The Earth’s Living Crust

Five recent discoveries of God’sIntelligent Design of the Earth’s rocky Crust

Continent beingDestroyed byWeathering &Erosion

Continental DebrisTrapped along theContinental Margins

ContinentalDebris beingWelded backInto the Continent byMountain building

Five recent discoveries of God’sIntelligent Design of the Earth’s rocky Crust

Our Living EarthRenewing the Continents

Living Earth: It is designed by the Creator to propagate itself

The continents would be eroded down to slightly below sea level!

What would happen if the continents were not renewed periodically by mountain building?

A Worldwide Ocean! No land: no plants, no animals, no us

World’s Earliest World’s Earliest Civilizations:Civilizations: pre-Iron Age pre-Iron Age

World’s Earliest World’s Earliest Civilizations:Civilizations: pre-Iron Age pre-Iron Age

From: Hammond Atlas, 1972From: Hammond Atlas, 1972

GangesGanges

Xia DynastyXia DynastyYellow River Yellow River

EgyptEgyptNile River Nile River

All are in major river flood plains!

MatureMatureIndus RiverIndus River

Yangzi RiverYangzi River

SumeriaSumeriaTigris &Tigris &Euphrates Euphrates

The history of the Iron Ages

The Creator’s Intelligent Design for the World

Tropical Climate Zones: Historically unfavorable for major civilizations

Northern Temperate Climate Zone: Historically ideal for major civilizations

How have we humans responded to this Benevolent Design?

How have we humans responded to this Benevolent Design?

We have fought each other for the iron, coal, and oil resources

Where are these resources located?

The locations of major natural resources that shaped human history

We have fought over these resources for thousands of years

Sumeria without Iron Resourcessurrounded by lands with Iron

Sumeria invaded first by the Hittites then by the Egyptians, then the Medes and Persians, then by Indians, and finally by the Greeks and Romans

Next let’s look at the fate of Egypt

Conclusion: Mesopotamian empiresnever recovered after the Indian invasion

Egypt: Nile River & Iron DepositsThe Bronze Age 3300 to 1300 BC: Egypt

Bronze Age Iron

Egypt

Egyptians, Hittites, Medes, and Persians fight over the iron deposits of their lands

Greece, Rome, Muslim

100011000

Then Egypt occupied by Greece, Rome, and finally became a world renown center for culture and science at Alexandria as part of the Muslin empire

Now let’s look at how God called a people

Judaism: The Third Early Religion Judaism: The Third Early Religion

God calls Abram out of the river flood plainGod calls Abram out of the river flood plain and into the Hillsand into the Hills!!

1900 BC1900 BC

30003500 25004500 1500

Sticks and stones

Copp

er A

ge Bronze Age: World

World Empires: last 7000 years

Stone Age

5000

4000

3000 2000

1000

1Flood plain empires

Farming

Bronze tools weapons

Iron Age

Iron & coal Age

Iro

n, c

oa

l, o

il A

ge

Archeological Ages

Iron & steel tools & weapons

Hill country empires

Families, clans, & tribes

Hunters & Gatherers

Mature: Indus

Xia: Yellow River

Egypt: Nile

Sumeria: Tigris/Euphrates

5000

4000

3000

2000

Ancient Times: 5000 BC to 1000 BC

Iro

n a

ge

1000

Where is Palestine?

Abramcalled

Palestine: No major flood plainPalestine: No major flood plain Hills but no metal resources!!Hills but no metal resources!!

Judaism: The Third Early Religion Judaism: The Third Early Religion

Judaism: The Third Early Religion Judaism: The Third Early Religion

Out of the Hills into the Nile flood plain From a clan of 90 persons to a nation

Mature: Indus

Xia: Yellow River

Egypt: Nile

Sumeria: Tigris/Euphrates

5000

4000

3000

2000

Ancient Times: 5000 BC to 1000 BC

Iro

n a

ge

1000

Abramcalled

MosescalledOut of the flood plain, back to the hills

Out of the Nile Flood PlainOut of the Nile Flood Plaina Nation of Several Milliona Nation of Several Million

Into the Sinai for 40 Years, why?Time to arm with Midianite weapons?

Mid

ian

Back in the Hill CountryBack in the Hill Country a Conquering Nation of Several Milliona Conquering Nation of Several Million

Mid

ian

Kingdoms of Israel cannot Compete

Location of Iron ores for weapons

The Great Nations and Empires ran on their access to Iron and Coal

Transportation: by Foot or “Horse”Iron & Coal provided tools & Weapons

Remember from previous sessions

Everything changes with the invention of the Steam Engine

Then Coal was truly KING!

Then, it was the Internal Combustion Engine

Now Great Nations run on Oil

Only the USA and Russia have large DOMESTIC Oil reserves

Iron and Coal Oil

Foot & “Horse” Steam Internal CombustionEngine

Natural Resources: 1700 AD to 2200 AD

ElectricMotor

What?

Who will run out of oil first?

The 21st Century: Today’s Cheap Oil New, Expensive Oil & Gas

USA

Middle EastVenezuela

Libya

Indonesia

Lack Oil

Lack Oil

Alaska

Lack Oil

The future of Iron resources is similar to oil: of the major nations only Russia has a plentiful future reserve

In the next 15 years:Gasoline: $3.00 X 3 to 5$9.00 to $15.00/gallon

Oil: $90.00 to $150.00/bbl

How does all this impact the rise and fall of nations?

Nations having their own oil, iron, and coal have a huge advantage over those who must buy oil, iron, and coal

Let’s look at the national distribution of iron, coal, and oil

Major Iron Ore Producing Countries

Note: England, Germany & FranceIron Ore largely depleted

USA: Iron Ore Reserves approaching depletion

Putin’s Russia:Substantial Reserves

Let’s look at the worlds leading Nationstheir Iron, Coal, Oil in the next 100 years

China: Iron Ore Reserves greatly depleted

China:No significant oilRunning out of ironRunning out of coal

What is China doing now?Buying oil & gas from RussiaContracting for iron from AustraliaReplacing coal with electricity from

their programs of building dams

Weighed in the Balance & Found Wanting

USA

Western Europe

Putin’s

Russia

What can we do?China

Go Electric!

Develop our vast lignite coal deposits

Our untapped lignite coal deposits

And, or go Nuclear

This Belongs to You

The Fat Lady’s Song:

Set Your Watch onSet Your Watch on Mountain TimeMountain Time

It’s your choice!It’s your choice!