The FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

What to Know

• A Separate and Significant Feast: The Feast of Unleavened Bread — distinct from Passover— is a seven-day biblical observance (Leviticus 23) that highlights a different stage of God’s redemptive plan for humanity.

• Symbolism of Leaven: In Exodus 12:15–20, the removal of leaven (representing sin and false doctrine) teaches believers to pursue purity, rooting out anything that corrupts our lives or doctrine.

• Continued Relevance in Christ: Paul’s exhortation in 1 Corinthians 5:7–8 (“clean out the old leaven… let us keep the feast”) shows that these Days remain meaningful for believers, pointing us to ongoing spiritual growth after accepting Christ’s sacrifice (Passover).

• Spiritual Renewal and Righteous Living: Observing this Feast is more than a ritual — physically removing leaven mirrors our commitment to removing sin and false doctrine from our lives, thus honoring God’s call to “be holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

• Early Church Practice: Acts 20:6 confirms that New Testament believers kept these days, seeing in them a time to reflect on Jesus Christ’s sinless life (unleavened bread) and their own sanctification process.

• A Deeper Walk with God: Through the Days of Unleavened Bread, believers acknowledge Christ’s ongoing work in their lives, embracing the humility and sincerity needed to live in step with His perfect example.

The Feast (or Days) of Unleavened Bread, a seven-day Feast commanded by God in the Bible (Leviticus 23), stands as a distinct and significant observance separate from Passover. While the two are often combined into a single "Passover festival," doing so diminishes the unique spiritual meanings of both. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread highlight different aspects of God’s redemptive plan. For believers today, the Feast of Unleavened Bread holds profound spiritual relevance, teaching that living a righteous life and removing sin is an ongoing and transformative process. Far from being mere ceremonial practices, these days serve as a vital part of the believer’s spiritual journey, pointing to the deeper significance of Jesus Christ's sacrifice.

The foundation of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is rooted in the Old Testament account of God delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. In Exodus 12:15-20, God commanded the Israelites to eat unleavened bread for seven days and to remove all leaven from their homes. Leaven, or yeast, symbolized corruption, sin, and false doctrine, illustrating how quickly these can spread and permeate lives if left unchecked. The act of removing leaven was a physical exercise that mirrored a spiritual reality: God was not only liberating His people from physical bondage, but also calling them to leave behind the spiritual corruption, sin, and false doctrines of Egypt.

The unleavened bread, described in Deuteronomy 16:3 as the “bread of affliction,” served as a reminder of the Israelites’ dependence on God for deliverance and the urgency with which they left Egypt. It symbolized purity, humility, and the necessity of living without sin, pointing forward to The Way that believers are called to walk today. For believers today, the Days of Unleavened Bread remind us that following Christ involves continually examining our lives, purging sin and wrong ways, and striving for righteousness in an enduring relationship with God.

In the New Testament, the Days of Unleavened Bread, like all of God’s biblical holy days, find their ultimate fulfillment and deeper meaning in Jesus Christ. Just as the Israelites physically removed leaven from their homes, believers are called to remove spiritual leaven — sin and false doctrine — from their lives. The apostle Paul makes this connection explicit when addressing Gentile believers in 1 Corinthians 5:7, exhorting them to “clean out the old leaven” so that they may be a “new lump,” reflecting their new life in Jesus Christ. He continues in 1 Corinthians 5:8, “Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Paul’s imagery ties directly to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, underscoring its continued relevance for followers of Jesus as a time to reflect on their spiritual condition and recommit to living a life of holiness.

Notably, Paul highlights the distinct roles of Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread in these verses. In 1 Corinthians 5:7, he connects Jesus Christ to the Passover, the ultimate sacrifice for sin. But in 1 Corinthians 5:8, he calls believers to “keep the feast”—a reference to the Days of Unleavened Bread, separate from Passover. This distinction emphasizes the unique significance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread as an opportunity for believers to examine their relationship with God and align themselves with His redemptive plan.

While the physical removal of leaven during this Feast is important, it is not the primary focus. Instead, it serves as a practical exercise in self-examination and repentance. Leaven, symbolizing sin and false doctrine, reminds believers how easily corruption can infiltrate their lives — often subtly and without notice. By physically removing leaven from their homes, believers engage in an act of obedience that mirrors the spiritual process of rooting out sin and falsehood from their hearts and minds. This aligns with God’s ongoing work of sanctification and redemption, as Paul describes in Romans 6:22: “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”

The Days of Unleavened Bread, therefore, provide an essential time for spiritual growth and renewal. As believers reflect on God’s call to “be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16) and Paul’s admonition to “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ,” they should be reminded of the continuous journey toward righteousness and the transformative power of Jesus Christ in their lives. This Feast is not merely an ancient tradition, but a meaningful observance that encourages believers to draw closer to God and align their lives with His will.

The unleavened bread used during the Days of Unleavened Bread carries profound symbolism, pointing to Jesus Christ as the “bread of life” (John 6:35). Unlike leavened bread, which rises and puffs up, unleavened bread remains flat, reflecting humility and purity. Spiritually, it mirrors the sinless life of Jesus, who lived without pride or corruption. By eating unleavened bread daily during this Feast (Exodus 13:6), followers of Jesus Christ are reminded of their continual dependence on Him for spiritual sustenance and renewal. It is through Him alone that believers can overcome sin and live in righteousness. This connection between unleavened bread and Christ’s sinless life underscores that the Days of Unleavened Bread are not merely about abstaining from physical leaven, but about internalizing the character of Christ and striving to live as He lived.

Historically, the Bible shows that the early Church continued to observe the Days of Unleavened Bread, even after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. In Acts 20:6, Paul and those accompanying him were described as observing this Feast during their travels, demonstrating its continued relevance to the apostles and early Christians. This continuity affirms that the Feast was not abolished with Christ’s death, but was seen as a meaningful and necessary practice. The early Church used these days as an opportunity to reflect on Christ’s sacrifice and to recommit to living in the newness of life.

Moreover, New Testament Scriptures reveal that the apostles understood the Feast of Unleavened Bread, along with God’s other biblical feasts, as part of His appointed times established for all His people. These Feasts served as an everlasting reminder of God’s redemptive work and His call for His followers to live in righteousness and holiness. The Days of Unleavened Bread remain a powerful symbol of spiritual renewal, challenging believers to examine their lives, remove sin and falsehoods, and draw closer to Christ’s perfect example.

The Days of Unleavened Bread are theologically central to God’s redemptive plan because they symbolize the process of sanctification that follows redemption. While Passover represents deliverance through the blood of the Lamb — Christ’s sacrifice that justifies believers — the Days of Unleavened Bread focus on the believer’s response to that justification. This response involves a commitment to living a holy and righteous life by removing sin and false doctrine while embracing sincerity and truth. This progression mirrors the broader narrative of salvation, in which God delivers His people not only from the penalty of sin, but also from its power. Paul emphasizes this in Romans 6:1-2, asking, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”

Contrary to the belief that the Days of Unleavened Bread are obsolete, their fulfillment in Christ enhances their significance rather than nullifying their observance. Jesus Himself affirms this in Matthew 5:17, declaring, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” The Greek word for fulfill (plērōsai) means "to complete, fill up, or bring to its intended goal or perfection." Jesus’ purpose was to reveal the deeper spiritual principles behind God’s redemptive plan, demonstrating that they remain relevant and were not abolished.

The Days of Unleavened Bread, in particular, highlight the ongoing work of Christ in the lives of believers. Through the help of God’s Holy Spirit, believers are transformed into His image and are prepared for His Kingdom. Observing this Feast allows believers to actively engage in God’s sanctifying work, aligning their lives with His purposes and demonstrating their commitment to live as His holy people. Far from being a relic of the past, the Days of Unleavened Bread provide a powerful reminder of the believer's continual journey toward righteousness and their dependence on Christ’s transformative power.

Curious about why leavening is such a powerful symbol in Scripture?
Please check out our article “What does Leaven Represent in the Bible?” to understand what Scriptures say on how this simple ingredient carries a deeper spiritual message about sin, purity, and our walk with God.

Table of Contents

God’s Biblical Holy Days
The Sabbath
The Passover
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
The Wave Sheaf Offering
Pentecost (The Feast of Weeks)
The Feast of Trumpets
The Day of Atonement
The Feast of Tabernacles
The Eighth Day (The Last Great Day)

THE PASSOVER

What to Know

• Passover is More than a Jewish Tradition: While often viewed as a historical or cultural observance for Jews, Passover is a divinely instituted Feast that reveals God’s redemptive plan for all humanity.

• Its meaning is Fulfilled in Jesus Christ: The original Passover lamb (Exodus 12) pointed forward to Jesus, the true Passover Lamb, whose blood provides spiritual deliverance from sin and death (1 Corinthians 5:7).

• Jesus and the Early Church Kept Passover: Jesus observed Passover throughout His life (Luke 2:41; Matthew 26:17–19), and the apostles continued its observance with both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 18:21; 1 Corinthians 5:8).

• The Last Supper was a Passover Meal: Jesus redefined the bread and wine as symbols of His body and blood, making Passover a memorial of His sacrifice and deepening its spiritual meaning (Matthew 26:26–28).

• Passover Remains Relevant for Christians: Far from being abolished, Passover points to Christ’s atonement, reinforces gratitude for grace, and aligns believers with God’s redemptive timeline.

• Revelation Presents Christ as the Slain Lamb: The imagery of Jesus as the Lamb in Revelation 5:6-9 ties directly back to Passover, confirming its enduring place in God’s plan and in Christian worship.

• Observing Passover Brings Spiritual Clarity and Renewal: Passover invites Christians to reflect on God’s deliverance, recommit to His purpose, and find hope in the promise of His coming Kingdom.

When most people think of Passover, they often associate it with a historical or cultural observance primarily kept by those who are Jewish, either by faith or nationality. However, Passover is far more than just a historical or cultural tradition. Regrettably, many — including Christians — fail to recognize its deeper spiritual significance. Passover is a divinely instituted Feast Day that holds profound meaning, pointing to God’s redemptive plan for all of humanity and carrying significant implications for Christians today. Although its roots are found in the Old Testament (Exodus 12), its ultimate fulfillment is revealed in the New Testament through Jesus Christ.

The origins of Passover are recorded in Exodus 12, where God instructed the Israelites to commemorate their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. Central to the Passover observance was the sacrifice of a lamb without blemish, whose blood was applied to the doorposts of Israelite homes (Exodus 12:5-7). This blood served as a protective marker, sparing the household from the final plague — the death of the firstborn. God commanded Passover to be an everlasting memorial of His redemptive power and deliverance, distinct from the Passover Feast (that the Jewish faith keeps today) and the Days of Unleavened Bread. Its observance not only celebrated Israel’s physical liberation from Egypt, but also pointed forward to the greater spiritual deliverance that would come through the Messiah. For believers, Passover takes on even greater significance as it foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate Passover Lamb, whose sacrifice provides redemption for all humanity.

In the New Testament, Passover finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is explicitly identified as the Passover Lamb. The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:7, “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” Just as the blood of the lamb spared the Israelites from physical death in the Old Testament, the blood of Christ spares believers from eternal death and pays the spiritual debt of sin. Christ’s sacrifice perfectly fulfills the prophetic symbolism of the Passover lamb, offering redemption and reconciliation to all humanity.

John the Baptist recognized this profound truth when he saw Jesus approaching to be baptized and declared,
“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Furthermore, Jesus’ crucifixion occurred during the Passover season, precisely when lambs were being sacrificed in the Temple. This alignment underscores the deep connection between the Passover and Christ’s atoning work, revealing that He is the ultimate fulfillment of the redemption foreshadowed in the Old Testament Passover.

The Last Supper, which Jesus celebrated with His disciples, was a Passover meal, as clearly demonstrated in Scripture. Matthew 26:17-19 states: “Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, ‘Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?’ And He said, ‘Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, “The Teacher says, ‘My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.”’ So, the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.” All the synoptic gospels — Matthew, Mark, and Luke — affirm this event as a Passover meal (Mark 14:12-16, Luke 22:7-8, Luke 22:15).

During this Passover, Jesus redefined its elements to reflect the deeper spiritual deliverance He would accomplish. The unleavened bread became a representation of His body, broken for humanity, and the wine symbolized His blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:26-28, Luke 22:19-20). By observing Passover with His disciples, Jesus reaffirmed its significance and fulfilled its ultimate purpose by providing deliverance from spiritual bondage. Rather than abolishing Passover, Jesus completed its meaning, ensuring its continued relevance as a memorial of His sacrifice. Jesus even commands His followers to continue to keep the Passover, doing it “in remembrance of Me (Luke 22:19).”

Passover is central to God’s redemptive plan, encapsulating themes of atonement and deliverance. In the Old Testament, Passover commemorated God’s power to save His people from physical bondage and deliver them from Egypt. In the New Testament, Passover highlights Christ’s victory over sin and death, offering spiritual liberation and a chance for eternal life to all who believe in Him. Observing Passover allows believers to reflect on these profound truths, deepening their understanding of salvation and fostering gratitude for God’s grace. As Paul exhorted in 1 Corinthians 5:8, “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

The observance of Passover also aligns with the practices of Jesus and the early Church. Jesus celebrated Passover throughout His life, as recorded in Luke 2:41 and Matthew 26:17-19, affirming its importance. The early Church continued this observance, demonstrating that Passover was not merely a Jewish tradition, but an enduring part of God’s plan for His people. Paul’s writings and accounts in the early Church show that Gentile converts also kept Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7-8, Acts 18:21, Acts 20:6), reinforcing its universal relevance for all believers.

Contrary to the belief that Passover was abolished and is exclusive to the Jewish faith, its fulfillment in Christ enhances, rather than nullifies, its observance. Jesus’ death did not render Passover obsolete; instead, it deepened its meaning, transforming it into a memorial of His ultimate sacrifice. For believers, observing Passover serves as a powerful reminder of God’s deliverance, both past and present, and the ongoing relevance of His redemptive plan for humanity.

For believers, keeping Passover is a profound way to honor Christ’s sacrifice, reflect on God’s redemptive plan, and engage in meaningful introspection. It serves as a powerful reminder of the deliverance from sin and death made possible through the blood of the Lamb. In the book of Revelation, which prophesies the culmination of this age, Jesus is portrayed as this Lamb: “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain... And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.’” (Revelation 5:6, 9).

Even as Jesus prepares to return triumphantly to the world, saving it from destruction, we are reminded of the central role of His sacrifice. Without the events symbolized by Passover — His death and the shedding of His blood for humanity’s redemption — His ultimate return and the establishment of His Kingdom would not be possible. Passover is more than a memorial; it is a cornerstone of God’s redemptive plan, pointing to the assurance of salvation and the promise of His eternal Kingdom.

If this day holds such significance in God’s plan and the establishment of His Kingdom, shouldn’t it be a day that those seek to follow Jesus should embrace and reflect upon? What other observance so vividly connects humanity to the profound truths of Christ’s sacrifice and the hope it brings? As believers, how might celebrating Passover help us recommit to God’s purpose for our lives, renew our faith, and deeply reflect on the assurance we have through Jesus’ sacrifice?

If no other mainstream holiday offers this type of certainty and hope for humanity, should we instead not make Passover a central part of our worship and reflection?

If you’re interested in researching more about the Passover and why this Biblical Feast should be kept both from the Bible and a historical perspective, we’ve provided additional references here for your review.

Table of Contents

God’s Biblical Holy Days
The Sabbath
The Passover
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
The Wave Sheaf Offering
Pentecost (The Feast of Weeks)
The Feast of Trumpets
The Day of Atonement
The Feast of Tabernacles
The Eighth Day (The Last Great Day)

THE SABBATH

What to Know

• The Seventh-Day Sabbath is God’s First Appointed Feast: Established at creation (Genesis 2:2–3), the Sabbath predates Israel and the law given at Sinai, making it a universal institution for all humanity.

• The Sabbath was Honored Throughout Scripture: Prophets, Jesus, and the apostles all observed the seventh-day Sabbath. Nowhere in the Bible is it changed to Sunday or abolished.

• Jesus Affirmed the Sabbath’s Purpose: Jesus called the Sabbath a gift for mankind (Mark 2:27) and made it part of His moral practice (ethos), using it for worship, teaching, and healing.

• The Apostles and Early Church Kept the Sabbath: The book of Acts shows Paul and others observing the Sabbath with both Jews and Gentiles. Hebrews 4:9 reaffirms a “Sabbath-rest” still remains for God’s people.

• Sunday Observance Came Later: The shift to Sunday worship developed centuries after Christ due to Roman and ecclesiastical influence — not by biblical command.

• Historical and Catholic Sources Admit the Change: The Catholic Church openly states it changed the day of worship to Sunday by its own authority, not based on Scripture.

• The Sabbath Remains Central to God’s Plan: Prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel show Sabbath observance continuing in the Millennial Kingdom, underscoring its eternal relevance.

• The Sabbath Reflects God’s Covenant and Redemption: It symbolizes rest, peace, and wholeness in Christ and points to the coming Kingdom of God.

• Global Language Supports the Sabbath: Over 30 world languages preserve the word “Sabbath” as the name for Saturday, reflecting its longstanding, universal recognition.

The first Feast of the LORD mentioned in Leviticus 23 is the weekly seventh-day Sabbath, a time appointed by God as a day of rest and worship emphasized throughout the Bible. While some argue that the seventh-day Sabbath (along with the rest of the law) was not instituted until the law was given to Moses at Mount Sinai, Scripture reveals otherwise. God established the Sabbath at creation, blessing and sanctifying the seventh day (Genesis 2:2-3). The Sabbath was affirmed throughout the Old Testament, upheld by the prophets (e.g., Isaiah 56:2; Ezekiel 20:12, 20; Ezekiel 44:24), and honored by Jesus and His disciples (e.g., Matthew 12:12; Mark 1:21; Luke 4:16). Even after Jesus’ resurrection, the apostles and the early Christian church observed the seventh-day Sabbath (e.g., Acts 13:14, 42-44; Acts 16:13).

There is no scriptural evidence that the Sabbath was ever changed to Sunday. A thorough examination of both the Old and New Testaments, along with historical and scholarly research, confirms that the seventh day (Saturday) remains the biblically endorsed Sabbath for all who seek to follow God and honor His redemptive plan. The practice of Sunday observance arose centuries after the apostolic era and lacks any clear biblical mandate. Recognizing the Sabbath as Saturday is neither an outdated tradition nor a custom exclusive to Judaism; rather, it is a foundational aspect of God’s design for humanity’s spiritual well-being and ultimate redemption.

From the very beginning, the Sabbath was rooted in the creation narrative itself. Genesis 2:2-3 declares, “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.” This passage precedes the establishment of the Israelite nation, demonstrating that the Sabbath transcends ethnic and national boundaries. Its significance is not confined to the Mosaic Covenant but is woven into the very fabric of creation, intended as a universal gift for all humanity. Jesus affirmed this when He said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

Throughout the Old Testament, God reaffirmed the importance of the seventh-day Sabbath. The Fourth Commandment, recorded in Exodus 20:8-11, explicitly commands believers to “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” This commandment is placed on equal footing with the other nine moral laws, none of which most Christians believe have been annulled. Ironically, the Sabbath is often the only commandment claimed to have been abolished, despite its extensive endorsement by the major prophets in the Old Testament and its reaffirmation in the New Testament.

The prophet Isaiah emphasized that the Sabbath was not limited to Israel alone but extended to all who would follow God. In Isaiah 56:2-7, he includes foreign converts and eunuchs among those who would be blessed by keeping the Sabbath. Isaiah’s prophetic vision of the future in Isaiah 66:23 describes humanity worshiping God “from one Sabbath to another,” indicating that Sabbath observance will continue into the Millennial Kingdom. Similarly, the prophet Ezekiel describes the Sabbath as fundamental to God’s future Kingdom. In Ezekiel 44-46, Ezekiel records prophetic visions of the future millennial temple, where the Sabbath is observed alongside Feasts, New Moons, and other appointed seasons. For example, Ezekiel 45:17 states, “Then it shall be the prince’s part to give burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the New Moons, the Sabbaths, and at all the appointed seasons…”

Other passages, such as Ezekiel 46:12-14 and Isaiah 66:22-23, reinforce the continued significance of the Sabbath during the Millennial reign of Christ. These prophecies affirm that the Sabbath is not merely a relic of the past but an eternal principle that reflects God’s design for humanity’s worship, rest, and relationship with Him. Its observance is deeply embedded in God’s plan for both the present and the future, making it a timeless practice for those who seek to align with God’s will.

Many argue that Sabbath observance, rooted in the Old Testament, is no longer required under the New Covenant. However, the New Testament provides clear evidence that this argument is incorrect. Throughout His ministry, Jesus consistently upheld the seventh-day Sabbath. Luke 4:16 highlights that Jesus kept the Sabbath regularly, as it was “His custom” to attend synagogue on that day. While the English word “custom” might suggest a voluntary habit or tradition specific to a certain time or place, the original Greek word ethos conveys a much deeper meaning. It refers to “the inherent traits or disposition of an individual, reflecting their moral qualities or character.” For Jesus, the Sabbath was not merely a tradition or routine specific to that time and place — it was an intrinsic part of His moral nature and practice.

Jesus used the Sabbath as an opportunity for worship, teaching, and acts of mercy, demonstrating its true purpose and significance. He never suggested that the Sabbath should be abolished or changed. Instead, He clarified its true meaning, declaring in Mark 2:27, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” If the Sabbath was so integral to Jesus’ character and moral standard, does it not follow that those who claim to follow Him should view it with the same importance? How can those trying to follow Jesus reflect His nature, while neglecting something He so clearly valued and practiced?

Further, the apostles and early Church also continued to observe and honor the seventh-day Sabbath after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Acts 13:42-44 describes Paul preaching to both Jews and Gentiles on the Sabbath, while Acts 17:2 notes that it was Paul’s custom (the same Greek word ethos) to reason from the Scriptures on the Sabbath, just as Jesus had done. Even the book of Hebrews reinforces the enduring nature of the Sabbath. Hebrews 4:9 states, ,“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest (sabbatismos) for the people of God” affirming that the Sabbath commandment remains relevant for believers under the New Covenant. Nowhere in Scripture is there any record of Jesus or the apostles instituting Sunday as a replacement for the Sabbath. Instead, the historical shift toward Sunday observance emerged over centuries, driven by political, social, and religious influences, not by clear biblical instruction.

Historical research strongly supports the evidence that the shift from Sabbath observance on the seventh day (Saturday) to Sunday worship was not biblically mandated, but arose gradually over centuries. Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi, in his work From Sabbath to Sunday, details how this change was driven by Roman cultural and religious practices, as well as church councils that sought to distance Christianity from its Jewish roots. This transition was later formalized through the influence of the Roman Church and the Roman Empire, not through scriptural instruction.

Additional scholarly resources, such as Sabbath Truth and the United Church of God’s Sunset to Sunset: God’s Sabbath Rest, document how early Christians — both Jewish and Gentile — faithfully observed the seventh-day Sabbath for centuries following Christ’s resurrection. These sources highlight that Sunday observance was later institutionalized through traditions and decrees of the Catholic Church.

Remarkably, the Catholic Church itself openly acknowledges this change. In The Catechism of the Catholic Church and other official publications, it is stated that the Church, by its authority, transferred the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. The Catholic Encyclopedia, available on their website, emphasizes that this change was not based on biblical instruction but on ecclesiastical authority. For instance, The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine states, “The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday by the plenitude of that divine power which Jesus Christ bestowed upon her.”

This raises a critical question for belivers: If the seventh-day Sabbath was sanctified by God at creation and upheld by Jesus and the apostles, does an institution have the authority to alter what God established? By observing Sunday, are people not affirming a change made by human authority rather than God’s command? Some may argue that the specific day of worship is unimportant. But if the Sabbath was set apart by God and reinforced throughout Scripture, would it not be more meaningful to align with what God ordained rather than with a tradition introduced centuries later by an organization?

Could it be that by observing Sunday, one is unintentionally prioritizing human tradition over God’s eternal standard?

The biblical and historical evidence clearly supports the seventh-day Sabbath as a continuing practice for those seeking to honor God’s design for worship, rest, and spiritual renewal.

The Sabbath’s significance extends far beyond mere legalism. It embodies God’s redemptive plan, symbolizing the rest, peace, and wholeness that come from a right relationship with Him. Just as God completed creation and rested on the seventh day, the Sabbath points believers toward the ultimate spiritual rest and restoration promised through Christ’s redemptive work and the future establishment of His Kingdom. By observing the Sabbath, believers affirm their dependence on God rather than on human effort or cultural norms. Far from being abolished, as many Christians claim today, Jesus enlarged its meaning, emphasizing that the Sabbath was made for humanity’s well-being and to honor God’s intentions.

Critically, there is no scriptural basis to suggest the Sabbath was transferred to Sunday. The Resurrection of Christ, often cited as the reason for Sunday observance, is never biblically connected to a change in the Sabbath day. In fact, closer examination shows that the Resurrection has a stronger connection to the Sabbath itself and did not occur on Sunday, as is widely believed. This makes the seventh-day Sabbath not only biblically sound but also deeply symbolic of God’s covenant with humanity.

If you’re interested in researching more about the Sabbath and the change from Saturday to Sunday, we’ve provided additional references here for your review.

The seventh-day Sabbath stands as a timeless sign of God’s covenantal relationship with His creation (Ezekiel 20:12). Interestingly, its significance is echoed across many cultures and languages around the world. For example, in over 30 languages, the word for Saturday is derived from the word “Sabbath.” This linguistic consistency highlights the enduring acknowledgment of the seventh day’s sanctity, even in cultures that may not recognize its biblical origins. In contrast, no such distinction is made for Sunday in these languages, underscoring the Sabbath’s unique and God-ordained role. This global testament to the Sabbath’s significance serves as a powerful reminder of its place in God’s design for humanity.

Semitic Languages

• Hebrew: שבת (Shabbat)

• Arabic: السبت (As-Sabt)

• Amharic: ሰንበት (Sänbet)

Romance Languages

• Spanish: Sábado

• Portuguese: Sábado

• Italian: Sabato

• French: Samedi (from Latin Sabbatum, combined with dies)

• Catalan: Dissabte

• Galician: Sábado

• Romanian: Sâmbătă (derives indirectly from Sabbath)

• Occitan: Dissabte

Slavic Languages

• Russian: Суббота (Subbota)

• Ukrainian: Субота (Subota)

• Belarusian: Субота (Subota)

• Polish: Sobota

• Czech: Sobota

• Slovak: Sobota

• Bulgarian: Събота (Sǎbota)

• Macedonian: Сабота (Sabota)

• Serbo-Croatian: Субота / Subota

• Slovenian: Sobota

 Germanic Influence

• Yiddish: שבת (Shabbes) (note: borrowed directly from Hebrew).

 Hellenic Languages

• Greek: Σάββατο (Sabbato)

 Baltic Languages

• Latvian: Sestdiena (indirect root via Sabbath)

• Lithuanian: Šeštadienis (indirect root via Sabbath)

 Non-Indo-European Languages

• Georgian: შაბათი (Shabati)

 Indic Languages (borrowed from Arabic/Hebrew influence)

• Hindi: शनिवार (Shanivaar)

• Urdu: ہفتہ )Hafta, indirectly related through Persian influence on "week")

 Other Languages with Religious or Historical Borrowing

• Maltese: Sibt (direct borrowing from Semitic roots)

• Ethiopian Semitic (e.g., Tigrinya): ሰንበት (Sänbet)

 Ancient Languages

• Latin: Sabbatum

• Ancient Greek: Σάββατον (Sabbaton)

Table of Contents

God’s Biblical Holy Days
The Sabbath
The Passover
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
The Wave Sheaf Offering
Pentecost (The Feast of Weeks)
The Feast of Trumpets
The Day of Atonement
The Feast of Tabernacles
The Eighth Day (The Last Great Day)

GOD’S BIBLICAL HOLY DAYS

(AN INTRODUCTION)

What to Know

• God’s Feasts are His appointed Times: From Genesis to Leviticus, God declares the Holy Days as “My Feasts” and “Feasts of the LORD” —not manmade traditions, but divine appointments for worship, reflection, and celebration.

• These Holy Days are Still Relevant: Jesus and the early Church observed them (e.g., Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost), showing their continuity beyond the Old Testament. Jesus affirmed God’s law as enduring (Matthew 5:17–19).

• The Holy Days reveal God’s Plan of Salvation: Each Feast foreshadows aspects of God’s redemptive plan, fulfilled in Jesus Christ and pointing to future events in God’s Kingdom.

• “These Shall be Statutes Forever”: The phrase “statute forever” (the Hebrew word olam) appears throughout Leviticus 23, emphasizing the perpetual nature of these Holy days and how they tie directly to God’s eternal character.

• The New Testament Supports Ongoing Observance: The apostles, including Paul, kept and taught these Feasts (Acts 20:6, 1 Corinthians 5:8), and many of Jesus’ key teachings occurred during them (e.g., John 7, during the Feast of Tabernacles).

• God’s Calendar Reflects His Dternal Purposes: Observing His Feasts aligns those seeking to Him follow Him (His believers) with His timetable and deepens their understanding of His work in the past, present, and future.

• The Feasts are Part of a Living Covenant: Rather than being abolished, these Holy Days reflect God’s unchanging relationship with His people and remain significant for all who seek to worship Him in spirit and truth.

From the very beginning in Genesis, God established specific days as His appointed times, marking them as sacred and set apart. Later, in Leviticus, God reaffirms these appointed times, declaring them as holy convocations for worship, reflection, and celebration. These Holy Days were not merely ceremonial observances for ancient Israel; they were declared as "My Feasts" and "the Feasts of the LORD" (Leviticus 23:2), emphasizing their divine origin and ongoing importance. God’s repeated claim that these are His Feasts underscores that they are not human traditions, but are divinely instituted times of significance for all who seek to worship Him in spirit and truth.

Contrary to the common belief that these Holy Days were part of an old covenant system now abolished, the Bible reveals their enduring relevance. Jesus Himself affirmed the unchanging validity of God’s law in Matthew 5:17-19, stating that He came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it. In the New Testament, the continuity of these holy days is evident. Jesus observed them, as seen in Luke 22:14-15, when He celebrated Passover with His disciples. The early Church continued to recognize and observe these holy days, as demonstrated in Acts 20:6 and 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, where Paul explicitly connects the meaning of Passover and Unleavened Bread to Jesus Christ.

God’s Holy Days remain relevant for those seeking to follow Him today as times to reflect on His plan of salvation, draw closer to Him, and celebrate the fulfillment of them in Jesus Christ while anticipating their ultimate completion in God’s Kingdom. Observing these appointed and holy times allows believers to align themselves with not only God's calendar, but on His ultimate focus for humanity.

In addition to referring to the annual holy days as “My Feasts,” God consistently uses another phrase that underscores their enduring importance: “this shall be a statute forever.” This phrase, often repeated when God establishes His Feasts, highlights their perpetual significance. The Hebrew word translated as “forever” is olam, which conveys the concept of ongoing continuity, perpetual duration, or timelessness.

For example, regarding the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:14 states: “It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.” Similarly, the same wording is used for other Holy Days. Leviticus 23:21 describes the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost): “It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.” This phrase also appears in commands for the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:31) and the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:41), underscoring their ongoing and timeless relevance.

Interestingly, the same Hebrew word, olam, used to describe the eternal nature of God’s Holy Days is also applied to describe God’s own eternal nature. For instance, Psalm 90:2 declares: “From everlasting to everlasting (forever or eternal), You are God.” This connection between the enduring nature of God and the perpetual observance of His Feasts emphasizes their origin from God and timeless significance, making them just as relevant for believers today as when they were first commanded.

The use of olam in conjunction with God’s command to observe His Feast days ties directly to His eternal nature. What does it mean that God describes these days as “My Feasts” (Leviticus 23:2)? Does this not suggest that they belong to Him, rather than being temporary cultural practices for ancient Israel? If God’s very character is eternal, wouldn’t the permanence of these Feasts also reflect His unchanging nature and His covenant with His people in both the Old and New Testaments?

The word “forever” (or as the Hebrew often says, from everlasting to everlasting) transcends human limitations, pointing to the spiritual and prophetic significance of God’s Holy Days. As statutes ordained by God, they are not subject to human alteration or cessation. Instead, their observance serves as a reminder of His sovereignty, His plan for humanity, and the enduring relationship between Him and His people. If these appointed times are part of God’s redemptive plan and reflect His eternal character, why would they be abolished? Should believers not align themselves with God’s purposes by keeping His designated Feast days?

To explore this further, we will examine each of God’s Biblical Feasts and their pivotal role in foreshadowing the plan established by God from the foundation of the earth to reconcile humanity to Him. For those seeking to verify the phrase “My Feasts”, the following verses demonstrate God’s claim of ownership over these annual observances. They are not human traditions or temporary rituals, but integral components of God’s redemptive plan for all people.

Old Testament Contextual Support

Leviticus 23:1-2 (NKJV) - "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: "The Feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My Feasts."'

Leviticus 23:4 (NKJV) - "These are the Feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times."

Leviticus 23:37-38 (NKJV) - "These are the Feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD: a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day—besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the LORD."

Leviticus 23:44 (NKJV) - "So Moses declared to the children of Israel the Feasts of the LORD."

Numbers 28:16-17 (NKJV) - "On the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover of the LORD. And on the fifteenth day of this month is the Feast; unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days."

Numbers 29:12 (NKJV) - "On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work, and you shall keep a Feast to the LORD seven days."

Exodus 23:14-16 (NKJV) - "Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread... the Feast of Harvest, the first fruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field."

Deuteronomy 16:10 (NKJV) - "Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you."

Deuteronomy 16:13-15 (NKJV) - "You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice."

New Testament Contextual Support

Passover

1. Luke 2:41-42 - "His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast."

2. Matthew 26:17-19 - "Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, 'Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?'"

3. Mark 14:12-16 - "Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, 'Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?'"

4. Luke 22:7-8 - "Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, 'Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.'"

5. John 2:13 - "Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem."

6. John 13:1 - "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end."

 Feast of Unleavened Bread

1. Luke 22:1 - "Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover."

2. Acts 12:3-4 - "And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread."

 Pentecost (Feast of Weeks)

1. Acts 2:1-4 - "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting."

2. Acts 20:16 - "For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost."

3. 1 Corinthians 16:8 - "But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost."

 Feast of Trumpets

No explicit New Testament reference is made to the Feast of Trumpets being kept. However, its themes of trumpets and future events resonate in:

1. Matthew 24:31 - "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

2. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 - "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first."

 Day of Atonement - Acts 27:9

"Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them..." (‘The Fast’ is widely understood as referring to the Day of Atonement).

 Feast of Tabernacles

1. John 7:2, 10, 14 - "Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand... But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret... Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught."

2. John 8:12 - "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'"

• This teaching likely occurred during the Feast of Tabernacles, during the illumination ceremony in the temple.

General Observance of Feasts

1. Acts 18:21 - "But took leave of them, saying, 'I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing.' And he sailed from Ephesus."

Table of Contents

God’s Biblical Holy Days
The Sabbath
The Passover
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
The Wave Sheaf Offering
Pentecost (The Feast of Weeks)
The Feast of Trumpets
The Day of Atonement
The Feast of Tabernacles
The Eighth Day (The Last Great Day)

THE ANISOTROPIC GEMSTONES OF REVELATION 21

“The foundation of the wall of the city [New Jerusalem] were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.” (Revelation 21:19-20)

Pictured above is the Nicol prism, invented by William Nicol in 1828, which consists of two specially cut calcite prisms bonded together with an adhesive. This prism transmits waves vibrating in one direction only and thus produces a plane-polarized beam from ordinary light.

The study of light polarization gained significant momentum in the early 19th century, mainly due to the groundbreaking work of French engineer and physicist Étienne-Louis Malus. In 1808, Malus made the pivotal discovery that light could be polarized through reflection, meaning that it would bounce off when it hit a surface, causing the light waves to align in a specific orientation. Typically, light waves vibrate in multiple directions as they travel. However, when reflected off certain surfaces, the vibrations become restricted to a particular plane, producing polarized light. This insight paved the way for developing instruments to observe polarized light better. Building on this foundation, Scottish physicist William Nicol invented the Nicol prism. This device, composed of two pieces of calcite glued together, allowed only light traveling in a single direction to pass through. By 1828, Nicol had applied this invention to create the polarizing light microscope. This tool became fundamental in the study of gemstones' optical properties.

Sir David Brewster, Scottish physicist, who discovered the concept of double refraction, which paved the way for the discovery of anisotropic stones.

Sir David Brewster, another Scottish physicist, expanded on Nicol's work through a series of experiments from 1815 to 1830, delving deeper into the behavior of light as it passed through various crystals. His investigations explored critical areas of optical science, such as birefringence, chromatic polarization, and the refractive index of polarized light. During this period, Brewster made a crucial discovery: specific stones could split a single light ray into two distinct rays, a phenomenon known as double refraction. This property became the defining feature of what we now call anisotropic stones, including many gemstones used throughout history.

But what does this history of gemstones and polarized light have to do with the Bible and science?

These discoveries laid the groundwork for modern gemology. Today, gemologists use polarized light microscopes to examine the anisotropic properties of stones. This practice continues to benefit from the pioneering work of Brewster and Nicol. Their contributions transformed the understanding of gemstones, revealing optical properties that were previously inaccessible. Remarkably, these characteristics were not known until the 19th century, adding a layer of awe to the detailed description in Revelation 21. In this passage, John lists twelve gemstones as the foundations of New Jerusalem. This vision now resonates with this new and expanded scientific understanding:

“The foundation of the wall of the city [New Jerusalem] were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.” (Revelation 21:19-20)

All the gemstones listed by John in Revelation are anisotropic! Furthermore, John mentions only 12 gemstones in his account. While hundreds of gemstones have been discovered today, historically (and at the time when John wrote Revelation), there were 28 primary gemstones referred to as "precious" and "semi-precious." This number is often referenced in historical records or for simplified contexts, typically including the most well-known and commonly recognized gemstones since many of the newly discovered gemstones are varieties or subsets of these original 28.

The odds of John randomly selecting 12 gemstones from this group and having all of them be anisotropic would be an astonishing 1 in 16,715! This calculation assumes that all gemstones were equally likely to be included, which wasn't the case since some were considered more valuable than others. Even when narrowing it down through the Bible, you can see that certain gems and stones were esteemed more highly than others. For instance, in the Old Testament God commands the ancient Israelites to make for Aaron a breastplate of precious gemstones as described in Exodus 28:17-20. That chapter tells us specifically what gemstones were to be used in that breastplate:

“The first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row; the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper.”

Interestingly, when looking at the breastplate that the ancient Israelites were commanded to make for Aaron and his sons, an exciting distinction emerges: while diamonds are included among the stones listed for Aaron’s breastplate, they are notably absent from the list that John provided in Revelation when describing the New Jerusalem.

Despite their brilliance, diamonds are isotropic, meaning they do not interact with light in the same dynamic way as anisotropic gems. Curiously, John replaces some stones from the Exodus breastplate in Revelation, such as agate with chalcedony (a variety of agate) and onyx with another gem. Only turquoise is anisotropic of the four stones replaced between the two lists. John substitutes it with yet another anisotropic stone. He could have easily chosen other significant biblical gems like garnets or diamonds, or other precious gemstones such as spinel, amber, glass, or opal. Still, he opted for a different set of symbolic stones all of which are anisotropic.

Below are the gemstones which are included in the list of those to be in the New Jerusalem, but do not show up in the account in Exodus of those that were in Aaron’s breastplate. Notice some of the gemstones added to this list, especially chrysoprase, looks to be almost opaque. It would have been very difficult for John to know at the time of writing that this gemstone could not only allow light through, but that the light passing through would result in color.

Sardonyx

Chrysolite

chrysoprase

Below are gemstones mentioned in both accounts of the New Jerusalem and Aaron’s breastplate. Once again, notice how some of the gemstones appear opaque (such as jasper) and others appear transparent (such as topaz and beryl). For some of these gemstones it would be hard to imagine light could pass through. For others, that could easily be seen, but for these gemstones the fact that color results (and not just plain light shining through) would have been much harder for John to know without divine knowledge.

Jasper

Sapphire

Emerald

Sardius

Topaz

Beryl

Jacinth

Amethyst

Finally, the gemstones below are the ones that were included on Aaron’s breastplate, but are not in the New Jerusalem. Of the gemstones below, most look to be opaque and were actually anisotropic. The only one that wasn’t is diamond, which is isotropic in nature. These gemstones were replaced with all anisotropic gemstones as listed above.

Turquoise (anisotropic)

Diamond (isotropic)

Agate (anisotropic)

Onyx (anisotropic)

God selected the stones and gemstones for the new temple's foundation, deliberately avoiding those that would fade in color or lose their brilliance in light. Instead, He chose gemstones that disperse light to create stunning rainbow effects—well before we even understood this unique characteristic of these gems.

 “And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.” (Revelation 4:3)

 Why would He want this?

Although the gemstones listed in Revelations have spiritual significance, Revelation describes New Jerusalem in physical terms. Its application in the universe will most likely be both spiritual and physical. The Bible tells us there will no longer be any light in that city, but the light we know of now will be replaced with a pure and perfect light – from God the Father and Jesus Christ. Imagine the effects and beauty these gemstones will give off when their light source is totally pure.

“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it; for the glory of God gave it light, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” (Revelation 21:3)

The gemstones listed in Revelation 21 provide more than just a glimpse of the beauty of God's coming Kingdom and the New Jerusalem; they reveal divine knowledge far beyond what John or anyone in the first century could have understood. The precise mention of these anisotropic gems—nearly 1,800 years before their unique optical properties were discovered—points to the Bible's divine inspiration and prophetic insight. This alignment with modern scientific discoveries further proves that the Bible is not merely a product of its time but a timeless revelation from God. Whether through the precious stones of the New Jerusalem or the symbolic gems of the priesthood, the Bible continues to unveil truths that only an omniscient Creator could have known.

Table of Contents

Science and Scientists
All Things Were Created
Hanging in the Void
The Creator’s Vantage Point
Noah’s Ark: The Engineering Marvel that Survived the Flood
The Fragile Earth: Soil Erosion
The Polar Ice Caps and Frozen Realm
The Heavens Stretched Above the Earth
The Anisotropic Gemstones of Revelation 21
The Solar Eclipse

THE HEAVENS STRETCHED ABOVE THE EARTH

“This is what God the LORD says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it…” (Isaiah 42:5)

To properly grasp how our current view and understanding of the universe came about (the Big Bang Theory), we must first briefly visit a debate that has been happening since the time of the ancient Greeks – whether the universe is infinite or finite. This debate spanned across many ancient cultures, but the ancient Greeks began and influenced this debate greatly due to their mastery and excellence in so many different scientific and philosophical fields. There were differing views among the ancient Greeks with some arguing, such as Anaximander and Democritus, the universe was infinite, boundless, and had no size or shape. Others, such as Pythagoras and Aristotle, believed the opposite to be true. That is that the universe was bounded, limited (finite), and essentially spherical in shape.

Massive objects like planets and stars curve the fabric of space and time. This curvature tells objects how to move. Instead of considering gravity a force, this theory shows that objects follow the curves in space created by these masses.

By the 20th century, considerable technological and scientific advancements had been made, allowing humanity to peer into the heavens for the first time, and approach this ongoing debate from a new perspective. In 1915, the prevailing consensus of the scientific community was that the universe was static (unchanging), ageless, and infinite. This was before Albert Einstein introduced his theory of general relativity, which provided a new framework for understanding the nature of space, time, gravity, and ultimately the universe. His theory argued the opposite of the prevailing consensus, that the universe was finite, had a beginning, and was ever-expanding. Einstein’s theory was the groundwork which allowed Edwin Hubble and other astronomers to make groundbreaking observations during the 1920s, demonstrating that the galaxies were moving away from each other, suggesting that the universe was expanding. These observations are what ultimately led to the Big Bang theory being solidified as the predominant view in the scientific community.

The Big Bang theory continues to be dominant view in the scientific community today, however, recently cracks have begun to appear due to the recent launch of the James Webb telescope in December 2021. Some of the early images released from the James Webb telescope show six large galaxies (each consisting of millions of stars) being presumed to have been formed just 500-600 millions years after the Big Bang.

The image from the James Webb telescope, taken in December 2021, which shows the six large galaxies presumed to have been formed just 500 - 600 million years after the Big Bang.

Why is this such a problem and contradicts, or at the very least, calls into question the established model of the Big Bang?

Nancy Levenson, the Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute, which operates the James Webb telescope for NASA, says this of the unexpected find: “The reason why it [the released images] flies in the face of our current understanding of cosmology is because our cosmological theory predicts that it should take much longer for galaxies of this mass to form. We think that it should take about 2 billion years, at least, to form these large galaxies with so many stars.” These findings are still being reviewed and further research into this matter is needed. However, based on the initial findings and statements made, it seems like there will certainly be some new understandings that come from this discovery.

We shouldn’t be surprised that the Big Bang model is beginning to be challenged. Although it is true that the universe had a beginning (Genesis 1:1), the actual workings of the universe are far more complicated, which we are beginning to see revealed to us through the findings of the James Webb telescope. Even though these things are coming to light now in the scientific community, the Bible already has some of these things recorded, and helps us to understand some of these complexities with a term that’s used throughout. This term appears in Isaiah:

“Thus says the LORD God, He created the heavens above, and stretched them out…” (Isaiah 42:5)

The word “stretch” is derived from the Hebrew word natah which is used approximately 215 times throughout the Bible with over 25 different meanings. Through this word natah we begin to see some of the complexity that God built into the universe.

Before we continue, it should be noted that many writers, and even some scholars, have attempted to correlate this Hebrew word natah to the concept of an ever-expanding universe, in order to align it to contemporary scientific theories, such as the Big Bang. A primary example that many of these writers use to make this point is given to us in Isaiah and is located near the end of the verse in question,

“…And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.” (Isaiah 40:22)

Instead of natah being translated as “stretched”, in this instance it is translated as “spreads” which some online writers and scholars interpret as a constant and expanding universe. However, in order to see what this word, and thus the verse, actually means we need carefully analyze this Hebrew word. The first time natah is used in the Bible is found in Genesis 12:8, where it is states that Abram pitched (natah) his tent. Pitching a tent would have caused fabric to stretch out over the poles, but this fabric wouldn’t keep expanding or even be stretchy. Once the fabric was fully stretched out, it stopped. When the Bible describes God as "stretching the heavens," it refers to an initial action of arranging the stars and their positions, similar to stretching fabric over tent poles. This action was completed, but God’s ongoing maintenance of the universe continues, as suggested in Hebrews, where the author says,

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3)

This dual aspect of the universe—its initial creation and its ongoing maintenance—parallels the Big Bang Theory and modern cosmology, which hold that the universe expanded rapidly at its creation but continues to expand at just the right rate to sustain life. The Bible’s description of cosmic stretching aligns closely with these concepts. In fact, the Bible goes beyond the initial creation event, suggesting that the universe's expansion is both completed and ongoing. Isaiah 40:22 employs two distinct Hebrew verb forms: one to describe the ongoing stretching of the heavens and another to indicate that this stretching has already been accomplished.

Moreover, this biblical claim of simultaneous completion and ongoing maintenance is not limited to the universe’s expansion. For example, the same principle is applied to God’s laying of Earth’s foundations. Isaiah 51:13 and Zechariah 12:1 refer to this process, which aligns with the geophysical discovery that long-lived radiometric elements were placed into the Earth’s crust more than four billion years ago. These elements were positioned in just the right quantities to ensure the continual building and sustaining of continents. This concept of completed yet ongoing creation echoes the scientific understanding of the universe's precise, finely tuned nature.

Through the preceding verses that we covered we looked at the word natah and the true meaning to this Hebrew word as “stretch” or “spread out.” However, we are introduced to another concept which is connected to this word in Isaiah 40:22, which may surprise you.

“It is He that sits upon the circle of the Earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.” (Isaiah 40:22)

We previously looked at the first part of this verse and its implications to a spherical Earth, but the ending is just as important and has implications to the universe. The word translated as “curtain” in the last part of this verse is more closely translated as “canopy.” This verse is the only time that this Hebrew word “dōq” is used in the Bible. This Hebrew word dōq is strongly correlated to the Hebrew word “dāqaq”, which you can see in many online Biblical concordances, and means “to crush, pulverize, thresh; to crush or to be fine; to pulverize and make dust of.” Essentially, Isaiah 40:22 says this “canopy” that God spread or stretched out above the Earth was finely beaten, pulverized, and small powder or dust. Take a moment to consider and fully grasp what’s being said in this verse, since a full understanding wasn’t available to humanity until 1970, when Don Brownlee at the University of Washington in Seattle first reliably identified the extraterrestrial nature of collected dust particles. His discovery resulted in other scientists looking into cosmic dust and the role it plays in the universe, and its importance. The information they discovered was actually contained and given to humanity some 2,700 years prior in the Bible. 

An image taken by the James Webb telescope of cosmic dust. Through pictures like these showing the expansiveness and vastness of cosmic dust throughout the universe, we are beginning to understand just how important cosmic dust is to the origin and makings of universe.

As we continue to deepen our understanding of the universe, we are reminded of the ongoing dialogue between science and the Bible, particularly as it relates to the origins and nature of the universe. From the debates of the ancient Greeks to the groundbreaking theories of the 20th century, humanity's quest to comprehend the universe has evolved dramatically. The proposed discovery of cosmic expansion reshaped our perception of space, time, and the universe and led us to accept the Big Bang Theory as the predominant view held in the scientific community. Yet, the recent findings from the James Webb telescope hint at complexities in the universe that challenge these most established scientific models and concepts.

The Bible has long contained references that align with some of these cosmic truths, offering insights that science is only beginning to uncover. The Hebrew word natah — meaning "stretch" or "spread out" — in Isaiah provides a glimpse into how the Bible has described the structure and maintenance by God of the heavens for thousands of years. These ancient scriptures speak of God stretching out the heavens like a canopy. Now, with modern discoveries about cosmic dust and the expanding universe, we can appreciate the depth of these descriptions in a new light. As scientific inquiry and biblical wisdom intersect, we gain a fuller picture and understanding of the universe's grandeur and the Creator's sustaining power.

Table of Contents

Science and Scientists
All Things Were Created
Hanging in the Void
The Creator’s Vantage Point
Noah’s Ark: The Engineering Marvel that Survived the Flood
The Fragile Earth: Soil Erosion
The Polar Ice Caps and Frozen Realm
The Heavens Stretched Above the Earth
The Anisotropic Gemstones of Revelation 21
The Solar Eclipse

THE POLAR ICE CAPS AND THE FROZEN REALM

“From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds of the north. By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen.” (Job 37:9)

In the late 19th century, the era of exploration and the allure of discovering new lands began to diminish as the world became “smaller.” By this time, most of the Earth had been explored due to prioritization based on resources and perceived competitive advantage that a place could give. The only places that remained unexplored were extreme frontiers, such as the North or South Pole. Like with so many things, scientific progression prevented humanity from exploring these unknown areas. As time progressed into the 20th century, technological advancements began to allow humans to explore these new frontiers by creating vehicles that could withstand the harsh and hazardous environment, and gear that would allow us to survive in these extreme conditions.

A portrait of Robert Peary (1856-1920) taken in Cape Sheridan, Canada in 1909. 

Today, a debate has emerged regarding this new age of exploration into these more hostile environments: who was the first person to reach the North Pole? Unlike Antarctica, a landmass capable of preserving human relics and exploration, the North Pole and its surrounding regions are a vast expanse of ice with extreme conditions, rarely making it to freezing (32 degrees Fahrenheit), even in the summer months. These extreme conditions make travel to the North Pole by ocean difficult, since oftentimes extreme and rapidly changing conditions would get vessels stuck in ice, causing the men on board to die of exposure (freezing to death) or starvation. As a result, travel to the North Pole by land, via Greenland, became the preferred method. Many historians believe Robert Peary was the first person to make it to the North Pole, with his explorations beginning in 1886. Through a series of eight expeditions, he is recorded as finally reaching the North Pole on his last expedition in 1909.

There are also historical records of other people who may have seen the polar ice caps before Robert Peary in 1909. However, none of those people reached the North Pole as Robert Peary did. Further, we can see from the historical record that all of this exploration took place in the 1800s. There is no record that anyone saw the polar ice caps before this date due to the challenges of travel and surviving there, as discussed earlier.

How then does the Bible make mention of the polar ice caps millennia before the first recorded siting?

Although there’s much debate on the subject, many sources consider the book of Job as the oldest book in the Bible, with most sources dating this book to before the 6th century B.C. The author of Job 37 writes, “From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds of the north. By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen (Job 37:9-10).” Later in Job 38, God is recorded answering Job by saying, “From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth? The waters harden lie stone, and the surface of the deep is frozen (Job 38:29-30).”

Picture of the polar ice caps in its natural landscape. Taken in 2018.

According to Dr. Henry Morris (founder of ICR), the book of Job interestingly “refers to cold, snow, ice, and frost more than in any other book of the Bible” despite Job living in the land of Uz, located in modern-day Syria (although the climate was different in Syria at the time of Job, Syria is still nowhere close to the polar ice caps). We should take note of the words used in this passage, such as in Job 37:10. The words for “broad waters” clearly describes massive bodies of ice when looking at its context and the meaning of the original Hebrew words. Then in Job 38:30, God’s response to Job is recorded and He states the surface of the deep as being frozen. The word “deep” in this verse comes from the Hebrew word “tehom”, which refers to not only the deeps, but also to an abyss, and great quantities of water. These passages together clearly show us that it isn’t surface water being described in these passages (as some scholars try to argue due to the implications of the alternative). In actuality, thick quantities of ice, miles deep, are being described in these passages, just like the polar ice caps - the only places on Earth that match this description.

As we’ve seen with so many other discoveries, Robert Peary (or whoever else may have been the first to discovered or make it to the North Pole) only “re-discovered” the polar ice caps. The knowledge of the polar ice caps, and what lies at the poles, was actually inspired by God to be put into the Bible over 1,500 years before they were re-discovered in modern times.

Table of Contents

Science and Scientists
All Things Were Created
Hanging in the Void
The Creator’s Vantage Point
Noah’s Ark: The Engineering Marvel that Survived the Flood
The Fragile Earth: Soil Erosion
The Polar Ice Caps and Frozen Realm
The Heavens Stretched Above the Earth
The Anisotropic Gemstones of Revelation 21
The Solar Eclipse

THE FRAGILE EARTH (SOIL EROSION)

“But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and as a rock is moved from its place, as water wears away stones and torrents wash away the soil, so you destroy a person’s hope.” (Job 14:18-19)

A portrait of James Hutton (1726–1797) by Sir Henry Raeborn.
Portrait by Sir Henry Raeburn, courtesy of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

James Hutton was a Scottish farmer and naturalist who lived in the 18th century. He was an acute observer of the world around him, and was known for making sound and reasoned arguments about geology by his peers. In the end, it was primarily Hutton’s background in farming which drove him to try to understand how the land he worked with every day was able to withstand the destructive forces of wind and weather. To better understand why, Hutton devoted the majority of his life, scientific knowledge, and his keen sense of observation to better understand the processes taking place. Through time and his continued dedication, Hutton came to believe the Earth was constantly being formed over and over through processes such as erosion and sedimentation, which challenged the prevailing belief at the time. Hutton’s groundbreaking views and discoveries led him to being known as the founder of modern geology.

Hutton’s work was only the beginning with his work sparking renewed interest in geology, especially in erosion’s effect on soil. This renewed interest lasted through the rest of the 18th century, and eventually resulted in the first published essay on the subject by William Morris Davis in 1899. Interestingly, Thomas Jefferson also demonstrated awareness of soil erosion and its effects, making mention of these phenomena in a letter dated 1813. However, Davis was given primary credit due to his extensive knowledge on these subjects and since his essay was in a published format. Davis’ erosion theory dominated for nearly 50 years until it was challenged by others in 1950.

Due to his extensive work in observing erosion and its effects, Hutton is considered the founder of geology, and even Davis is given credit to discovering erosion due to his expertise in the matter and publishing the first essay on the matter. In fact, the ideas of Hutton and Davis were so revolutionary and made such an impact on the thinkers of the time, that their work is credited as inspiring Charles Darwin and Sir Charles Lyell with their contributions to the field later. However, like so many other discoveries made in modern times, we see that God originally revealed this knowledge to humanity and humanity is only now “re-discovering” this information thousands of years later. The Bible records Job speaking these words regarding erosion in plain language:

“But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and as a rock is moved from its place, as water wears away stones and torrents wash away the soil, so you destroy a person’s hope.” (Job 14:18-19)

Modern scholars date the book of Job to at least the 5th century B.C. with Jewish views holding that the book of Job was written by Moses along with the Pentateuch (in the 13th century B.C). Even if the conservative view of scholars is taken and we consider Job was written in the 5th century B.C., this still means that God revealed this knowledge of erosion to Job, and inspired him to write these words about 2,300 years before the modern “discovery” by Hutton. Hutton’s observations eventually led him to believe that the Earth was older than 6,000 years old, in opposition to the view at the time that the Earth was only 6,000 years old (presumably due to the commonly held Biblical belief). However, this belief is a misunderstanding of Scripture as the Bible doesn’t state the Earth as only being 6,000 years old. The original Hebrew in the Genesis account actually indicates the Earth as being much older. There are other articles and information going into this subject more in-depth, nevertheless, this further shows that even though Hutton’s original idea was counter to the “Biblical” narrative of the time, his work in reality provided further reliability to God’s inspiration of the Bible.

Table of Contents

Science and Scientists
All Things Were Created
Hanging in the Void
The Creator’s Vantage Point
Noah’s Ark: The Engineering Marvel that Survived the Flood
The Fragile Earth: Soil Erosion
The Polar Ice Caps and Frozen Realm
The Heavens Stretched Above the Earth
The Anisotropic Gemstones of Revelation 21
The Solar Eclipse

NOAH’S ARK: THE ENGINEERING MARVEL THAT SURVIVED THE FLOOD

“Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.
(Genesis 6:14-15)

Faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional painting of Archimedes.

Commonly regarded by many historians as one of the world’s greatest scientists, Archimedes gave us many principles and equations, which are still used in mathematics today. One of Archimedes most well-known discoveries is the Archimedes principle, which he discovered in 256 B.C. The principle states, “a result stating that a body totally or partially immersed in a fluid is subject to an upward force equal in magnitude to the weight of fluid it displaces.” This principle is more commonly referred to as buoyancy. When we think of buoyancy, we most likely think of boats and what allows objects to float on water. However, the historical record tells us that the discovery of Archimedes’ principle wasn’t to help with a problem he had with boats. The discovery was actually to help to determine if a crown made for the king, Hieron of Syracuse, was made of pure gold as the goldsmith had claimed (this story was first recorded in the 1st century B.C. by Roman architect Vitruvius). Regardless of the intended application for this discovery at the time, to us this principle has become synonymous with ships as it is this understanding which allows the modern world to create the massive cruise and cargo ships we see today.

If Archimedes had read the Bible, he probably would have had an easier time devising this principle. One of the oldest books in the Bible, Genesis, was written by Moses and dates back to the 13th century B.C. The information in this book is even older, dating back to the creation and dawn of human civilization. Although this discovery was revolutionary for the Greeks, the Bible shows us this fundamental principle within its first six chapters. In Genesis 6 of Genesis, we read about Noah’s ark and the impending flood that will eventually come onto the Earth.
The beginning of Genesis 6 tells us why this flood is occurring as well as the instructions to Noah regarding the ark, but in the middle of Genesis we find the exact dimensions that the ark should be made to:

“This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.” (Genesis 6:15)

Why is this such as important detail?

Analysis of these dimensions show that the dimensions recorded in Genesis 6:15 are the exact proportions needed according to buoyancy (Archimedes’ principle), which would have allowed the ark to float. Ask yourself, how was Noah, a man with no prior knowledge in ship-building and not living near a large body of water, able to know the steps required to build the ark and the exact dimensions required for it to float, only recently confirmed by modern science?

In 1993 a scientific study was headed by Dr. Seon Hong at the world-class ship research center KRISO, based in Dajeon, South Korea (Dr. Seon Hong was later appointed general director of KRISO). This study was to compare the hull dimensions and design of the ark to modern cargo ships to determine which design was the most practical. Out of the twelve hulls tested, it was concluded that no hull design of a modern cargo ship outperformed Noah’s Ark. Furthermore, it was determined that the dimensions and instructions outlined to Noah in Genesis 6 would have made a perfectly balanced ship, with the balance easily lost if the proportions were modified even slightly.

More recently, student research from the University of Leicester conducted in 2014, shows the dimensions described in the Genesis account were more than adequate to accommodate the weight of the ark and for holding up to 70,000 animals without sinking (other research shows the number of species alive at the time would have only been 35,000; however, that number is just an estimate and up to interpretation). Student Benjamin Jordan working on the project concluded: “Using the dimensions of the Ark and the density of the water, we were able to calculate its buoyancy force, which, according to Archimedes’ principle, is equal to the weight of the volume of fluid the object displaces.”

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The discovery of Archimedes’ principle was a remarkable achievement that revolutionized our understanding of buoyancy and continues to shape modern engineering. However, long before Archimedes, the Bible presented the same principles within the story of Noah’s Ark in Genesis. The precise dimensions of the Ark, as described in Genesis 6, align perfectly with what we now know about buoyancy and ship design.

If you have ever been on a cruise ship or seen a cargo ship floating on the water, you can appreciate the science and exactness that must have gone into perfecting these ships’ design. Beginning in the late 18th century, the design of modern cargo ships, as we see them today, began to be slowly perfected over the course of centuries. However, with all the time, money, resources, and lost lives spent perfecting this design and pushing the boundaries on the size of these ships, the answer to their questions was already given to them, inspired by God, millennia before.

Table of Contents

Science and Scientists
All Things Were Created
Hanging in the Void
The Creator’s Vantage Point
Noah’s Ark: The Engineering Marvel that Survived the Flood
The Fragile Earth: Soil Erosion
The Polar Ice Caps and Frozen Realm
The Heavens Stretched Above the Earth
The Anisotropic Gemstones of Revelation 21
The Solar Eclipse

THE CREATOR’S VANTAGE POINT

“It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.” (Isaiah 40:22)

Around 500 B.C. Greek thought began to shift with more philosophers accepting the notion that the Earth and its existence could be explained by natural processes rather than Greek mythology. This revolutionary shift led to many of the scientific principles we still use and are taught today in the fields of physics, astronomy, ethics, and of course mathematics (such as the famous Pythagorean theorem). One of the major scientific discoveries made around this time is the first recorded observation that the earth was round (and not flat like widely believed in other ancient civilizations) by Pythagoras. Roughly 250 years later after Pythagoras’ discover, Eratosthenes was able to devise a precise theory to measure the circumference of the Earth at between 24,000 and 29,000 miles (variations exist because the exact unit of measure is unknown and the figure is derived from other historical documents of the time). The earth is now known to measure 24,901 miles around the equator.

2015: Earthrise 2.0 (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter)

“The image is simply stunning,” said Noah Petro, who was Deputy Project Scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center when this unique view of Earth was taken by the LRO. Launched in 2009, LRO captures some 12 Earthrises daily, but is generally busy look at the Moon’s surface. On occassion, such as this, planets sometimes come into view as LRO points its instruments into space for atmospheric observations and calibration. This image is a composite of high-resolution black-and-white Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) and lower-resolution color Wide Angle Camera (WAC) images.

Image credit and text: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

History scholars credit Pythagoras as the first person to record the Earth is round, but in actuality he is the second. The book of Isaiah recorded this fact roughly 200 years earlier (around 740 B.C):

“It is He who sits above the circle of the Earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.” (Isiah 40:22)

The book of Proverbs also uses the same Hebrew word “ḥûg” (meaning "circle") as found in Isaiah. Like Isaiah, Proverbs was written long before the time of Pythagoras. King Solomon authored Proverbs during his reign over Israel, between 970 and 931 B.C., which is more than 400 years before Pythagoras made his discovery.

"When He prepared the heavens, I was there, when He drew a circle on the face of the deep.” (Proverbs 8:27)

In Job, which dates back to around the patriarchal age, we see the concept of a round Earth also recorded. A more literal translation of this verse in Job states:

“He described a circle upon the face of the waters, until the day and night come to an end.” (Job 26:10)

Upon reading these verses, you might be thinking the words mentioned in both of these verses are “circle” so the writers are describing something different. Consider that there was no word for “sphere” in the ancient Hebrew language. Most Hebrew scholars agree on this that “sphere” and “circle” are the same words in Hebrew. Also, consider, when you’re high above a sphere looking down on it, how does it appear to you? From a high vantage point, does it appear as a circle or a sphere?

The ancient Greeks philosophers are the most well-known in history and are credited for laying the foundations of western thought, including advancing our understanding of the Earth and science. They are revered in history for their advancements, achievements, and discoveries in so many different fields of study, which are still used and taught today. However, long before Greek philosophers like Pythagoras and Eratosthenes theorized the Earth’s roundness, the Bible had already alluded to this truth in Isaiah 40:22: It is He who sits above the circle of the Earth.” While ancient civilizations held varying beliefs about the Earth’s shape, the Bible presented a clear depiction that aligns with what we now know scientifically. This verse and others found in the Bible, written centuries before these groundbreaking discoveries, highlights the Bible’s remarkable insight into the natural world, providing evidence that its teaching were not bound by the limitations of human understanding at the time.

“He [God] reveals deep and secret things, He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells in Him.” (Daniel 2:22)

Table of Contents

Science and Scientists
All Things Were Created
Hanging in the Void
The Creator’s Vantage Point
Noah’s Ark: The Engineering Marvel that Survived the Flood
The Fragile Earth: Soil Erosion
The Polar Ice Caps and Frozen Realm
The Heavens Stretched Above the Earth
The Anisotropic Gemstones of Revelation 21
The Solar Eclipse

HANGING IN THE VOID

“He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.”
(Job 26:7)

Throughout humanity’s existence, people have always struggled to explain the Earth and to make sense of how it and the things around it operated. Hindu mythology stated the world was on the back of eight elephants, which then lie on the back of a giant turtle. In Greek mythology, it was Atlas, the son of Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene, who was known as “the Titan who held the world [or sky] upon his shoulders.” Even in ancient Norse mythology (dating back to 790-1100 B.C) we see a similar concept where four dwarves (Austri, Vestri, Sudri, and Nordr) supported the four corners of the Earth. This was the prevailing thoughts of the people during this time, and continued for thousands of years. It wasn’t until 1543 that Nicolas Copernicus wrote about his radical theory in heliocentric hypothesis (The Copernican Planetary Model) that the Earth, along with the other planets in the solar system, rotated around the sun.

It is important to note that all the myths about gods supporting the Earth in various cultures were created before or during the time the Bible was written. One might expect the Bible to contain a similar idea, suggesting that God physically holds up the Earth. This would seem logical, especially since, unlike other religions, the Bible says there is only one God who created the Earth and sustains everything. However, the Bible takes a completely different stance, one that aligns with modern science—a perspective that wasn't "discovered" until the time of Nicolas Copernicus.

“He stretches out the north over empty (nothing) space; He hangs the earth on nothing.” (Job 26:7)

Job was given this knowledge by God, and he wrote about this remarkable scientific concept more than 2,000 years before it was understood by others. Contrary to the beliefs of his time, Job's description accurately portrays the Earth's situation and how it is held in place, showcasing God's divine power with scientific precision. Throughout the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments, we find passages that emphasize it is God, our Creator, who grants stability to the Earth through His power, and not through physical forces. Additionally, the phrase “stretching out the heavens” (mentioned in several Bible verses and discussed further later) suggests a vast, unsupported expanse over which God rules. Here are just a few Bible verses that illustrate this knowledge, often through poetic language and imagery.

"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” (Colossians 1:17)

"It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.” (Isaiah 40:22)

"Covering Yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind.” (Psalms 104:2-3)

"It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding stretched out the heavens.” (Jeremiah 10:12)

The ancient world was filled with imaginative explanations for the nature of the Earth, ranging from elephants and turtles to titans and dwarves. Yet, long before Copernicus' groundbreaking heliocentric theory or modern scientific understanding, the Bible provided a profound and accurate description: "He hangs the earth on nothing" (Job 26:7). This statement, written millennia ago, aligns with our current understanding of a planet suspended in space, without the need for mythological supports or fanciful explanations. The verse from Job stands as an example of the Bible’s unique insight, offering truths that predate human discovery and continue to affirm the harmony between faith and science.

Earth as viewed from NASA's Cassini spacecraft from 900 million miles away (Credit: NASA)

One of the farthest-away pictures of Earth ever taken.

Table of Contents

Science and Scientists
All Things Were Created
Hanging in the Void
The Creator’s Vantage Point
Noah’s Ark: The Engineering Marvel that Survived the Flood
The Fragile Earth: Soil Erosion
The Polar Ice Caps and Frozen Realm
The Heavens Stretched Above the Earth
The Anisotropic Gemstones of Revelation 21
The Solar Eclipse

THE SOLAR ECLIPSE

On April 8, 2024, something occurred that is truly rare and significant within our universe – a solar eclipse.

Depending on where you live you may experienced a total solar eclipse, a partial eclipse, or nothing at all. If you were fortunate to find yourself in the path of totality (where a total solar eclipse can be seen) then you would have witnessed something many people say is an inspiring and life-changing experience. Science says what you saw is totally unique within the known universe. Today, we are able to calculate precisely where a solar eclipse will occur, for how long, and when it will happen far in advance of its occurrence. This allowed an estimated 7 million people to travel to the path of totality to view it, if they chose. Due to the predictability of the Earth, Moon, and Sun’s orbit ancient civilizations such as the Greeks, Aztecs, and Mesopotamians understood this, too. They were able to calculate when a solar eclipse would occur and for how long, but not exactly where it could be seen. Even if they could calculate where a solar eclipse could be seen it’s doubtful that they would travel there.

We may think of solar eclipses as a cool, natural phenomenon to watch, but practically every ancient civilization saw solar eclipses as a negative and ominous sign by their gods. History indicates that the Mayan and Aztec civilizations feared solar eclipses the most. They saw this event as a battle between light and darkness, where demons were attempting to cast out the light and plunge the Earth into darkness. The Greeks viewed solar eclipses as unhappiness by their gods and an impending punishment or doom. Even one of the most ancient civilizations we have record of, the Mesopotamians, viewed solar eclipses as an omen or a sign of negative things to come. For the majority of civilizations throughout human history, solar eclipses carried with them a warning. The solar eclipse that occurred on April 8, 2024 should be viewed no different, especially with the current state of affairs of the world. There is a lot of information available on why the April 8 solar eclipse was unique in this aspect, but that is not the scope of this article.  

I would like to look at the solar eclipse from a different perspective – the uniqueness of it to our planet and it as a sign by God to humanity. Solar eclipses are seen on Earth due to the ratio of size and distance between the Earth, Moon, and Sun. The Sun is 400 times larger than the Moon, but the Moon is 400 times closer to the Earth than to the Sun on average. This ratio is referred to as “the perfect ratio” since it allows the Sun and Moon to appear about the same size in the sky.

This “perfect ratio” is what actually allows the Moon to ‘cover’ the Sun, giving us on Earth the opportunity to witness a solar eclipse. In addition to the size and distance ratios, the Earth and Moon orbit the Sun in elliptical paths. This comic dance between the three celestial bodies complicates things further since the irregular paths of all three objects must perfectly align, along with the tilt of the Earth and Moon, to give us a solar eclipse. In a perfect situation where all three bodies had the same perfectly circular path, we would see a solar eclipse each month. However, due to the irregular paths present solar eclipses occur only twice every three years, and any location on Earth’s surface gets darkened by the Moon only once roughly every 400 years. All of these things working together make a solar eclipse a truly rare and unique cosmic event within the universe. That cosmic event of a solar eclipse also happens to occur on the only known planet with intelligent beings.

Ask yourself, what are the chances of that occurring?

Of all of the planets in our solar system, Earth is the only planet that has all of the required conditions. No other planet comes even close. In other solar systems where we see Earth like planets, most of those planets have multiple moons or they are located in a solar system with two or more stars making a solar eclipse impossible. Yet all of the characteristics needed to witness a solar eclipse are present in our solar system and planet. Even the American Astronomical Society acknowledges how bizarre this is and refers to a solar eclipse as the “cosmic coincidence.” They further state on their website, “Given all the variables, it’s almost surprising that we see eclipses at all.”

The chances of any planet experiencing a solar eclipse are exceedingly rare and the probability being incalculable. Include that this event happens on a planet where humanity is present and we are looking at a truly incomprehensible number. Is this truly just a “cosmic coincidence” as the American Astronomical Society says?
Or perhaps there’s something more to the solar eclipse as all ancient civilizations recognized?

The Bible expounds on this and gives us the answer in Genesis,

“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years (Genesis 1:14).”

God tells us in the first book of the Bible that the lights we see in the expanse of the heavens (the Sun and Moon) were not only created for light and to separate the night from the day. They were also created for humanity as signs. In other verses this Hebrew word “oth”, translated as signs, is translated as “token”, “mark”, or even as God’s “miracles” (We should take note of this last translation of “miracle” since that is exactly what an eclipse is). Just like how God created the moon to go through its many phases to mark the seasons for His appointed Feast times, God also created signs in the heaven like the solar eclipse. The Bible doesn’t mention a solar eclipse by name, but does describe certain events with the description “the sun darkening.” There are many references throughout the Bible of the sun darkening, but these are all prophetic warnings of God’s judgement. In the Old Testament, Joel refers to a solar eclipse,

“The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes (Joel 2:31).”

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ Himself refers to this sign as the impending judgement on humanity when He says,

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken (Matthew 24:29).”

This imagery of a solar eclipse or “the sun darkening” preceding God’s judgement on humanity is repeated throughout the Old and New Testament. The events depicted by Jesus Christ and Revelation indicate something beyond a typical solar eclipse. However, it’s not a coincidence that God created the Earth, Sun, and Moon to experience this phenomenon to remind of His eventual judgement on humanity just as He created the rainbow to remind us of the covenant He made with us as stated in Genesis 9:12.

Today, many people view the solar eclipse as a cosmic event. The millions that witnessed the April 8 solar eclipse were mesmerized and fascinated by it, as they should have been. Within the entire universe, this is truly a rare cosmic event that has been given to us by the Creator of the Universe. Hopefully, everyone enjoyed the April 8 solar eclipse and was inspired by this event. However, we should keep in mind what’s been understood throughout human history and what all ancient civilizations recognized. We should enjoy the spectacle of these events as it’s something totally unique and special that God has given to us, but keep in mind the warning God is telling us with the solar eclipse as well.

Table of Contents

Science and Scientists
All Things Were Created
Hanging in the Void
The Creator’s Vantage Point
Noah’s Ark: The Engineering Marvel that Survived the Flood
The Fragile Earth: Soil Erosion
The Polar Ice Caps and Frozen Realm
The Heavens Stretched Above the Earth
The Anisotropic Gemstones of Revelation 21
The Solar Eclipse

ALL THINGS CREATED

“By faith we understand that time was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are invisible.” (Hebrews 11:3)

This verse aligns closely with what we hear from science today; the things created and that exist in our world came not from things seen by us, but from invisible things.
What we discussed in our previous article, Science and Scientists, regarding natural laws and the forces that govern our world is a good example of this. Progressing from philosophical arguments that were briefly discussed, we should also be able to see scientific proof of how these laws came into nature. We are beginning to see just that occur within science through a term called “fine-tuning.” Simply put, fine-tuning is the process of making small adjustments to something, which eventually leads to the best or desired performance, or desired outcome. The concept of fine-tuning was discovered in 1961 by Robert H. Dicke. Due to its profound implications, it has already been implemented in a variety of fields such as physics, engineering, and computer science.

SpaceX rocket boosters successfully landing on LZ1 and LZ2 landing pads after launch.
This picture was donated to the public domain by SpaceX.

In 2017, SpaceX used the fine-tuning concept to achieve what so many thought was impossible: successfully launching and landing re-used rocket boosters for space exploration. Recently in 2023, we’ve seen AI (artificial intelligence) dominate headlines with the introduction of new AI platforms, which many experts claim will fundamentally change society and how we interact with computers. Both these inventions are impressive and will change our lives; however, let’s consider for a moment both of these examples from another perspective. No one would argue that either of these breakthroughs just occurred. On the contrary, these breakthroughs only occurred as the result of meticulous planning, design, and construction by someone (or in this case, a group of people) with the same objective. This fact should be absolutely clear and indisputable. So, if these facts are indisputable, how much more indisputable should the fine-tuning of our universe, and the exponentially more complex processes which took place, be to us?

To properly understand the complexity of the fine-tuning that was required when it comes to the creation of the universe, it is important to be acquainted with the four fundamental forces which govern the universe. All four of these forces interact with each other, so all had to come into existence within hundredths of milliseconds of one another. In addition, all of these forces had to come into existence in the perfect ratio for the universe to not only be created, but to sustain life and continue to exist. These four fundamental forces are widely accepted throughout the scientific community as the governing forces of the universe.
To illustrate this point, I will be using information from IntelligentDesign.org.

These four fundamental forces, and a brief explanation of each, are as follows:

1. The gravitation force constant (large scale attractive force, holds people on planets, and holds planets, stars, and galaxies together) – too weak and planets and stars cannot form; too strong and stars burn up too quickly.

2. Electromagnetic force constant (small scale attractive and repulsive force, holds atoms’ electrons and nuclei together) - if it were slightly weaker or stronger, we wouldn’t have stable chemical bonds.

3. Strong nuclei force constant (small-scale attractive force, holds nuclei of atoms together, which otherwise repulse each other because of the electromagnetic force) – if it were weaker, the universe would have far fewer stable chemical elements, eliminating several that are essential for life.

4. Weak nuclear force constant (governs radioactive decay) – if it were much stronger or weaker, life-essential stars could not form.
   

Although these forces are very technical and complex, it’s important to understand the scale that is being dealt with to properly comprehend the intricate design required for all this to occur at the perfect time and in the perfect ratio. So, to give you an example, when theorists are dealing with the fundamental forces they consider in terms of their range, which is theoretically infinite. To get around this, theorists compare each of these constants against the gravitation force constant to get a more exact awareness on the precision of fine-tuning required for each individual constant (the range would be when the force is at its weakest and strongest). So, using this technique, theorists have observed that the strong nuclear force compared to the gravitational force is 1,040 times stronger, or put another way, is ten thousand, billion, billion, billion, billion times the strength of gravity.

If we take this range and represent it by a ruler stretching across the observable universe, this would be the equivalent to 15 billion light years. Now, you would probably think because of the strength of the gravitation force, there would be considerable leeway for this force to fluctuate, but that is actually the opposite of what we see. If the gravitation force constant was increased by just 1 part in 1,034 of the range of force strengths, the universe couldn’t have life sustaining planets, like the Earth. Measuring this in the example of the ruler, this would be the equivalent of moving less than one inch on that universe-long ruler! If you just contemplate the precision of this force for a few seconds, you quickly begin to realize how everything fits together too perfectly for it to all have happened by accident.

The example of the gravitation force constant was just one of how these four fundamental forces are fine-tuned. This same precision is seen in all four of them, but for the sake of this article I’ve only tried to help you understand the precision required for one. It should also be noted that not only are these four fundamental forces fine-tuned, but scientists have discovered another 22 lesser forces that were not mentioned. The fine-tuning for these 22 lesser forces is the same seen in the four fundamental forces. If any of these forces were off by the smallest fraction (to the extreme that was illustrated with the gravitation constant example), and didn’t happen with hundredths of milliseconds of the others (all of these forces interact with each other), then the universe would not be here, and life on Earth would not exist.

The amazing knowledge that has been discovered regarding natural laws, and more recently, the fine-tuning of the universe, shows us the full power and majesty of God as its Creator. While Genesis is the most well-known account of creation in the Bible, there are actually many other places throughout the Old and New Testaments which speaks to God’s role in the creation of the universe and its laws, as well as sustaining them. In a book that actually pre-dates Genesis (in regards to the events described), the book of Job gives us some fascinating insights into this. Job 38 includes a discourse between Job and God, and contrasts what God can do with what humans are able to do.

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determines its measurements – surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? (Job 38:4)

We read in both Psalms and Isaiah that the world was created and is sustained by God:

“O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have them all; the earth is full of your possessions [or creation].” (Psalms 104:24)

“Thus says God, the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spreads out the earth and what comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it.” (Isaiah 42:5)

The New Testament also speaks similarly when Paul speaks to the Colossians:

“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17)

The Bible is filled with verses like these that not only speak to God’s majestic power, but also to His sustaining attributes as the Creator of the Universe. Through these verses, and the many more available, we see a clear picture of the God that was intimately involved in every aspect of creation, and His power to continue to sustain.
So, ask yourself again, where did the natural laws come from, and why do we see such order and consistency in the universe? The answer should be clear.

The theologian Thomas Aquinas thought about this question, and puts it succinctly in his book Summa Theologica,

“Therefore it is necessary to arrive at a first mover, put in motion by no other; and this everyone understands to be God.”

Table of Contents

Science and Scientists
All Things Were Created
Hanging in the Void
The Creator’s Vantage Point
Noah’s Ark: The Engineering Marvel that Survived the Flood
The Fragile Earth: Soil Erosion
The Polar Ice Caps and Frozen Realm
The Heavens Stretched Above the Earth
The Anisotropic Gemstones of Revelation 21
The Solar Eclipse

SCIENCE AND SCIENTISTS

“For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in Earth, visible and invisible, whether by thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16)

 Before diving into specific scientific proofs in the Bible, it’s important to first look at “science” and what it means. This is especially important since we’re living in a time when many people believe the Bible and science contradict one another, which I hope these articles and other material on this website will show is actually the opposite of the truth. The Bible and science both complement one another, as we’ll see, and this should be expected since God, the Creator of all things, also created science.

 Let’s first briefly look at the term “scientist.” The term actually only dates back to 1833 and was coined by British polymath William Whewell. Whewell was just the first person to coin the term, but history shows scientists have been with us for far longer. Modern scholars consider the well-known ancient Greek Aristotle to be the first recorded “scientist” in history, largely due to his extensive knowledge of natural phenomenon, and his curiosity in trying to understand why things happen as they do. Others may argue the astronomer Galileo Galilei is the first true “scientist” due to his use of experimentation, observation, and math to understand nature (instead of common sense and logical deductions used by Aristotle). Regardless of who the first scientist was, we can see that science dates back thousands of years, and even before these men, perhaps to the beginning of humanity.

These scientists made science what it is today, that is observing and then using those observations to establish rules and laws to explain how the world operates. In the realm of physics, this process is done largely through mathematical equations. Understanding this brings us to an important question to consider:
If these great scientists from the past only discovered these laws, then where did they come from?

For science to exist and to be trusted, the observations seen must be consistent and repeatable. For the observations we see to be consistent and repeatable, there must be specific laws that are being followed, otherwise everything would be in constant change and science would be impossible. This is an important point to consider since life itself and our interactions with the world would be impossible unless we had established, predictable, and constant laws. At some point, these laws of the universe had to be established. Not surprisingly, this observation was made in the beginning of science by the ancient Greeks and they debated this topic extensively. In school we learned about famous Greek scientists such as Socrates, Plato, and the previously mentioned Aristotle. These men were not only considered great scientists of their age, but also great philosophers. The Greeks realized that oftentimes science and philosophy needed to be included together to form a wholistic and complete picture of the reasoning and laws which govern the universe. This correlation between philosophy and science exists even today. Some of the great scientists of the 20th century, such as Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, considered themselves to be “philosophical scientists.”

Both ancient Greeks and modern scientists understand that science and philosophy are needed together to begin to understand and answer some of these big questions, but the question still remains. Where did the laws come from that allow science to exist?

The Natural Laws argument comes from the philosophical field and dates back to Aristotle. According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the argument states, “the observation of governing laws and existing order in the universe indicates the existence of a superior being who enacted these laws.” Due to the age of this argument, there is obviously much debate, specifically on what should be considered a natural law versus a man-made law or observance.

Regardless, through basic observation and common sense we can see there are obviously core laws built into the universe which humanity can merely just discover such as mathematics, engineering, and physics. Without these laws present and consistent, our interaction with the universe would be impossible. Considering this, ask yourself:
If these laws are present, orderly, and consistent then what would that imply?
The Bible tells us plainly what this implies and precisely where these laws came from.

“For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our Lawgiver, the LORD is our King, He will save us.” (Isaiah 33:22)

In the New Testament of the Bible, we see the apostle James state something similar:

“There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy…” (James 4:12)

You might think these verses refer to the LORD as the giver of the law, particularly in the Old Testament, and that’s partially correct. However, consider the Hebrew word translated as “Lawgiver” here: ḥāqaq. This word is also used in Proverbs, but not in reference to God’s law. Instead it is used to describe the creation of the Earth and the establishment of the laws of the universe.

“When He gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep His commands, and when He appointed [ḥāqaq] the foundations of the earth…” (Proverbs 8:29)

Whether it was Aristotle or Galileo, whoever was the first person to observe or discover these natural laws did only that - discover. As the Bible states and we are able to see all around us, it was God Who created not only the universe, but also the laws that govern it and provide stability. When we ask where did the natural laws come from, we should consider Paul’s word in Colossians who succinctly summarizes this point,

“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17)

Paul, and other Biblical authors before him, are given no consideration by scholars as being great scientists or philosophers from their times. However, we see the Biblical authors, who were inspired to write these words by God, come to the same conclusion regarding natural laws and a Lawgiver well before the great minds of the ancient Greeks, like Aristotle, began to grasp with these questions. The intricate relationship between science and the Bible is not one of opposition but of complementarity. As we’ve explored, the Bible anticipated many of the questions that would later be formalized by great minds like Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato. The natural laws they discussed and we’ve “discovered” are not inventions of humanity, but rather, reflections of the divine order established by God from the very beginning. These laws provide the consistent, predictable foundation upon which science stands, and their existence points to the necessity of a Lawgiver. As we look at the universe and the governing principles within it, it becomes clear that science, rather than contradicting the Bible, affirms the existence of a Creator. The Bible not only explains where these laws originated, but offers a broader understanding of their purpose, as seen in scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments. Just as science relies on consistent laws, our lives depend on a God who created them and continues to hold sustains and all holds all these things together. Through this, we see that both the Bible and science ultimately lead us back to the same truth: that God is the author of all creation, including the laws that govern it.

Table of Contents

Science and Scientists
All Things Were Created
Hanging in the Void
The Creator’s Vantage Point
Noah’s Ark: The Engineering Marvel that Survived the Flood
The Fragile Earth: Soil Erosion
The Polar Ice Caps and Frozen Realm
The Heavens Stretched Above the Earth
The Anisotropic Gemstones of Revelation 21
The Solar Eclipse

THE EVIDENCE OF JESUS OUTSIDE THE BIBLE (PART 2)

What to Know

• Several early non-Christian writers—Josephus, Tacitus, Mara bar Serapion, Pliny the Younger, Lucian—reference Jesus, despite generally hostile views of Christianity, lending credibility to the Gospel accounts.

• These sources support three main points: Jesus lived when the Gospels say He did, was executed by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate, and was worshipped as divine by His followers.

• Josephus, a Jewish historian, mentioned Jesus within 60 years of His death; Tacitus, a Roman historian, describes His execution during the reign of Emperor Tiberius.

• Pliny the Younger details early Christians’ worship practices, explicitly noting they sang hymns to Christ “as to a god,” reinforcing the idea that Jesus was viewed as divine soon after His crucifixion.

Now, let's explore another way to demonstrate the historical reliability of the Bible by examining references to Jesus Christ in early non-Christian sources. These references are particularly significant because they come from writers who were generally hostile to Christianity, making their accounts all the more noteworthy. We'll focus on establishing three main points through these sources:

1) Jesus Christ was a real person who lived during the time described in the Gospels and had a public ministry.
2) He was condemned to death by crucifixion under the authority of Pontius Pilate.
3) Jesus was worshipped as a God by His followers after His crucifixion.

We'll review references to Jesus from various sources such as Josephus, Thallus, Suetonius, Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Mara bar Serapion, Lucian, and certain Talmudic texts (in this post and future posts on the topic). These accounts will confirm to you key elements of the synoptic Gospels, including Jesus' birth out of wedlock through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, His connection with John the Baptist, the existence of His brother James, His gathering of disciples, His disagreements with Jewish leaders over the interpretation of the law, His performance of miraculous feats, His crucifixion by Pilate, and the belief among His followers that He was the Messiah who was resurrected after death.

First, in this post, we will use non-Christian sources, to establish that Jesus Christ lived during the time the Bible claims. The first mention of Jesus comes from the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who lived from around 37 to 100 A.D. In his work Jewish Antiquities, written in 93 A.D., Josephus refers to Jesus within 60 years of his death.

The Roman historian Tacitus, who lived from 56 to 120 A.D., also mentioned Jesus in his book Annals. He wrote,

"The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day – the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites and was crucified on that account."

He later adds, "Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called 'Christians' by the populace. Christus [Christ], from whom the name originated, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate."

Although Tacitus was not sympathetic to Christians, he provided clear evidence of their existence and worship of Christ, including his crucifixion under Tiberius at the hands of Pontius Pilate, exactly as the Bible portrays.

Mara bar Serapion, a Stoic philosopher writing around 73 A.D., referred to Jesus in a letter to his son, saying,

"On the eve of the Passover, Yeshua was hanged," using a synonym for crucifixion.

Pliny the Younger, a governor in Asia Minor, wrote to Emperor Trajan around 112 A.D., describing how Christians worshipped Jesus as a God:

"They [Christians] were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up."

Lucian of Samosata, a Greek satirist who lived from 120 to 195 A.D., mentioned Jesus in his work Death of Peregrine, stating,

"Or what advantage came to the Jews by the murder of their Wise King, seeing that from that very time their kingdom was driven away from them?"

These non-Biblical references, along with others, align closely with what we know about Jesus from the New Testament, providing strong evidence that Jesus was a real historical figure. The fact that so many different sources mention Him is remarkable, especially given the relative scarcity of such records from that time, and these sources’ general hostility toward Christianity.

Table of Contents

Textual Criticism of the Bible (Part 1)
The Evidence of Jesus Christ Outside the Bible (Part 2)
The Evidence of Jesus Christ Through the Darkening of the Sun (Part 3)
When was the First New Testament Book Written and by whom? (Part 4)
The Historical Reliability of the New Testament and Gospels (Part 5)
Proving the Accuracy of the Bible Through Prophecy (Part 6)
Proof of the Bible Through the Crucifixtion and Ressurection (Part 7)
A New Beginning - What does this Mean for Us? (Part 8)

Sources

1. Flavius Josephus: "Jewish Antiquities," Book 18, Chapter 3, Section 3.
   Tacitus: "Annals," Book 15, Chapter 44.

2. Mara bar Serapion: Letter to his son, dated around 73 AD.

3. Pliny the Younger: "Letters," Book 10, Letter 96.

4. Lucian of Samosata: "Death of Peregrine," Chapter 11.

THE EVIDENCE OF JESUS OUTSIDE THROUGH THE DARKENING OF THE SUN (PART 3)

What to Know

• Multiple Outside Accounts: Rufinus, Phlegon of Tralles, and Tertullian—all non-biblical writers—corroborate the biblical narrative of a sudden darkness immediately following Jesus’ crucifixion, underscoring its historicity.

• Significance of Darkness: For the ancient Jewish audience, darkness often symbolized God’s judgment (e.g., Genesis 1:2, Exodus 10:22). This alignment with Jewish tradition amplifies the event’s importance, especially surrounding Jesus’ controversial death.

• Roman Archive References: Tertullian mentions that Roman records documented this phenomenon. Although those archives were likely destroyed in the Roman sacking of Jerusalem (70 A.D.), his testimony shows the official recognition of the crucifixion’s extraordinary circumstances.

• Not a Natural Eclipse: Phlegon describes an eclipse during a full moon—impossible for a standard solar eclipse—while Tertullian highlights the same timing, reaffirming the supernatural nature of the darkness and cementing its consistency with the biblical accounts.

Let's now look at a particularly remarkable and supernatural event recorded in the Gospels immediately after Jesus' death. While we'll reference the Bible to highlight this event, our primary aim is to examine it from a historical perspective through non-Biblical sources and accounts. We'll compare the biblical account to other non-biblical sources to demonstrate that this event wasn't only recorded in the Scriptures — others witnessed and documented it as well making it indisputable, historical fact.

We'll examine the darkness that covered the land right after Jesus Christ died. This event, occurring immediately after the death of someone as controversial as Jesus, is highly significant. For ancient peoples, notably the Jews, darkness often symbolized divine judgment on the Earth. This is seen in biblical examples such as Genesis 1:2, where the Earth was formless and dark, and Exodus 10:22, where darkness served as a judgment against the Egyptians. These examples underscore that the concept of darkness as a sign of judgment was well-established and would have been especially meaningful to the people of that time, especially the Jews. Historical records show that this event did not go unnoticed; it was recorded exactly as it happened.

The Greek historian Rufinus notes:

"Search your writings, and you shall find that in Pilate's time, when Christ suffered, the sun was suddenly withdrawn and darkness followed."

This account corresponds precisely with what is written in Matthew 27:45-46:

"Now from the sixth hour (Noon) until the ninth hour (3 p.m.), there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'"

Phlegon of Tralles, a historian from the reign of Tiberius Caesar, provides a second-century record describing a solar eclipse during the time of the full moon, "from the sixth to the ninth hour," just as the Gospels record. He states:

"This eclipse was visible from Jerusalem at moonrise… first visible from Jerusalem at about 6:20 p.m. (the start of the Jewish Sabbath and also the start of Passover day in 33 AD) with about 20% of its disc in the umbra of the earth's shadow… the eclipse finished thirty minutes later, at 6:50 p.m."

Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullian, in his work Apologeticus, comments that many witnesses of Jesus's crucifixion were unaware of the prophecies in Amos and Isaiah predicting darkness and thus believed the darkness was an eclipse. Tertullian wrote that evidence of this event was still available in the Roman archives. This claim is particularly significant, suggesting that records of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection were documented in Rome as early as the first century. These documents would have most likely been destroyed when Rome burned Jerusalem to the ground during the Jewish revolt in 70 A.D. However, before that occurred we have historical proof from Tertullian that such documents existed and were being stored there.

In another writing, Tertullian describes the darkness surrounding the crucifixion as occurring precisely when Jesus was on the cross. He writes:

"In the same hour (as the crucifixion), too, the light of day was withdrawn, when the sun at that very time was in his meridian blaze. Those unaware that this had been prophesied about Christ no doubt thought it an eclipse. You yourselves have an account of the world portent still in your archives."

Tertullian's acknowledgment that this event could not have been an eclipse is crucial, especially in light of the record from Julius Africanus, who stated that a solar eclipse could not have caused the darkness. The Passover Feast is always observed on the 14th day of Nisan, during a full moon. An eclipse can only occur when the moon is new and under the sun, making it scientifically impossible for a total solar eclipse to coincide with a full moon. This crucial detail as acknowledged by Tertullian and Julius Africanus through the historical record, shows that this darkness following Jesus Christ’s crucifixion was truly remarkable and miraculous. Despite the widespread persecution and hostility toward Christianity during this time period, the accounts of these non-biblical sources align perfectly with that of the Bible and synoptic Gospels.

 Table of Contents

Textual Criticism of the Bible (Part 1)
The Evidence of Jesus Christ Outside the Bible (Part 2)
The Evidence of Jesus Christ Through the Darkening of the Sun (Part 3)
When was the First New Testament Book Written and by whom? (Part 4)
The Historical Reliability of the New Testament and Gospels (Part 5)
Proving the Accuracy of the Bible Through Prophecy (Part 6)
Proof of the Bible Through the Crucifixtion and Ressurection (Part 7)
A New Beginning - What does this Mean for Us? (Part 8)

Sources

1. Rufinus of Aquileia: Rufinus's Ecclesiastical History contains references to events surrounding early Christian history, including the supernatural events reported at the time of Jesus’s crucifixion. His work is particularly noted for continuing Eusebius's Historia Ecclesiastica, and it's a valuable source for understanding how early Christians perceived these events​(Tertullian)​ (Wikipedia).

2. Phlegon of Tralles: Phlegon, a historian during the reign of Tiberius Caesar, is known for his Chronicles, where he mentions unusual astronomical phenomena, including the darkness during the crucifixion. This account is often cited in discussions about non-Christian references to events described in the Gospels​ (Princeton University Library Catalog).

3. Tertullian: Tertullian, in his Apologeticus and other writings, discusses the darkness at the crucifixion and asserts that records of this event were kept in Roman archives. His works are among the earliest to argue for the historicity of Jesus's life and the supernatural events surrounding His death from a non-biblical perspective​ (academic.oup).

4. Julius Africanus: Julius Africanus, in his Chronographiae, critiques the idea that the darkness was caused by a solar eclipse, noting the impossibility of such an event during a full moon, which is when Passover is observed. This argument is crucial for establishing the event's supernatural nature rather than a natural phenomenon​ (Princeton University Library Catalog).

THE HISTORICAL RELIABILITY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT AND GOSPELS (PART 5)

What to Know

• Jewish Expectations of the Messiah: The Jewish people anticipated a triumphant, eternal ruler as their Messiah. Scriptures such as 2 Samuel 7:12-13 and Daniel 7:14 describe a reigning, everlasting king, making the idea of a suffering, dying Messiah unthinkable at that time. Even the disciples initially struggled to reconcile this concept, as seen in Peter’s reaction in Matthew 16:22 and the crowd’s confusion in John 12:33-34.

• The Paradox of the Crucifixion: Crucifixion was a symbol of being cursed by God, according to Deuteronomy 21:23, and was reserved for criminals. Despite this, Jesus’s death on the cross became the centerpiece of the gospel message, as Paul explains in Galatians 3:13-14. The unlikely nature of this event underlines the sincerity of the disciples’ proclamation—they believed it truly happened.

• Abandonment and Unlikely Burial: All of Jesus’s disciples fled during His arrest and crucifixion (Matthew 26:35; Mark 14:50). His body was buried not by His followers, but by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus — members of the Sanhedrin, the council that condemned Him. This unexpected detail strengthens the credibility of the accounts, as these prominent figures would have publicly refuted a fabricated story.

In this post, we will reference Biblical passages to highlight why it is remarkable that the disciples and other Jews of Jesus's time responded as they did. These individuals were deeply familiar with the Scriptures and well-versed in its teachings. Therefore, understanding what the Bible says on this matter is essential, as it underscores how improbable it would have been for someone of Jewish heritage to fabricate these events, given their significant implications.

1. A Suffering and Dying Deliverer: The idea of a suffering and dying Messiah, especially one mocked by the religious leaders of the time, would have been unthinkable to Jews of that era. The Jewish people anticipated a Messiah who would reign eternally, as seen in passages like 2 Samuel 7:12-13: "I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever." Likewise, in Daniel 7:14, the "Son of Man" — a title Jesus frequently used for Himself — is described as being given "dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed." The Jewish people, including Jesus's followers, expected a triumphant Messiah, not one who would die, particularly in a public and humiliating manner. This is evident in Peter's reaction before Jesus's crucifixion: "Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, 'God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to you! (Matthew 16:22)'" Similarly, the crowd's confusion is recorded in John 12:33-34: "We have heard from the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how is it that You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'?"

While the Old Testament, notably in Isaiah 53, did foretell the Messiah's death, it is clear from these passages that the Jews of Jesus's time struggled to reconcile these prophecies with their expectations. They did not grasp that these promises would be fulfilled in stages. Given this context, why would Jesus predict His own humiliating death at the hands of Jewish leaders? Why would His disciples continue to proclaim this message after His death, even to the point of enduring their own excruciating deaths? The most plausible answer is that they believed it to be true.

2. The Nature of Jesus's Death: The crucifixion of Jesus Christ adds another layer of improbability to the idea that this story was fabricated. Dying on a cross was a symbol of being cursed by God and was reserved by the Romans for criminals. Deuteronomy 21:23 states, "...for he who is hanged is accursed of God." Paul echoes this in Galatians 3:13, acknowledging how contradictory it might seem for the Messiah, who claimed to be sent by God, to die such a death. This paradox likely contributed to Paul's initial persecution of the church, yet it later became central to his message. Paul explains its significance: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:13-14).

Table of Contents

Textual Criticism of the Bible (Part 1)
The Evidence of Jesus Christ Outside the Bible (Part 2)
The Evidence of Jesus Christ Through the Darkening of the Sun (Part 3)
When was the First New Testament Book Written and by whom? (Part 4)
The Historical Reliability of the New Testament and Gospels (Part 5)
Proving the Accuracy of the Bible Through Prophecy (Part 6)
Proof of the Bible Through the Crucifixtion and Ressurection (Part 7)
A New Beginning - What does this Mean for Us? (Part 8)

Sources

1. 2 Samuel 7:12-13 - Bible passage referring to the Messiah's eternal reign.

2. Daniel 7:14 - Describes the everlasting dominion of the "Son of Man."

3. Matthew 16:22 - Peter's reaction to Jesus predicting His death.

4. John 12:33-34 - The crowd's confusion over the Messiah's predicted death.

5. Isaiah 53 - Prophecy of the suffering servant.

6. Deuteronomy 21:23 - The curse associated with hanging on a tree.

7. Galatians 3:13-14 - Paul’s explanation of the significance of Christ’s crucifixion.

8. Matthew 26:35; Mark 14:50 - The disciples abandoning Jesus.

9. John 19:38-42; Mark 15:43; John 3:1 - The burial of Jesus by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.