September 6, 1522
Victoria anchors safely in the ports of Spain. Four ships down, more than half of Magellan's crew were dead. Magellan himself was dead. But their death was not in vain. Magellan did not originally plan to circumnavigate the world, but to secure a communication channel between Spain and the Spice Island.
"The World is Round!"
What a breaking news this could have been in those days. Dispelling all claims of this world being flat. For thousands of years men believed that the world was flat. Finally, in 1522, the first circumnavigation of the world was flagged.
Dear friends, if the Bible has the power to talk, it would've said this to our forefathers:
Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!
John 8:45
Why? Because 2 milleniums before the world was proven round, the Book of Isaiah the Prophet was written... and there it says,
He
sits enthroned above the circle
of the earth,
and
its people are like grasshoppers.
He
stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and
spreads them out like a tent to live in.
Isaiah 40:22
2000 years before the world was proven round, Isaiah knew, and in his lifetime he wrote an account that the world is round. in those years, the Bible was already the most popular book of all time... yet, it wasn't until the return of Victoria that people believed Isaiah 40:22. Solomon added to this in his accounts in Proverbs 8:27 when he said,
When
He established the heavens, I was there,
When
He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
Now what was that deep Solomon was talking about? It's what we know today as Space. These accounts were made 25 centuries ago, yet it wasn't until the latter half of the first millenium that men confirmed the validity of these verses.
While all these were going on, the book of Job, which was written sometime between 600BC to 400BC, has this:
He
spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he
suspends the earth over nothing
Job 26:7
It was not until 1697 that Isaac Newton proved this verse valid. Earth is suspended over nothing, but is kept in its orbit by gravity. 2000 years ago before newton discovered this fact, the men of God already knew such wisdom.
Astronomers have discovered that there is a great empty space in the north. By turning their telescopes every direction they find countless stars, but when they look to the north they find none. This is a fairly recent discovery to the men of science, yet the Book of Job has already made an account for it.
The Bible did many more claims that I have not included in today's devotional. But these are written so that we may believe that the Bible brings genuine information to us. How does these authors know about such facts that was never known all over the world till the latter half of the first millenium?
God told them!
Does science disprove the Bible? Not really. Science is in fact the ultimate means in which man may know that the word of God is genuine.
Dear friends, let us not fall into false wisdom this world drags us to. May we all remain in God's word... for it is by His word that we may find genuine wisdom sin cannot understand.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we thank You for this day that you have given us. For the wisdom and the grace. For reminding us of the magnificent accounts in the Bible that man didn't believe. Yet, in man's effort, he came to realize the vailidty of Your Words. Bless us o God, that we may always lean on your words, that we may always bear wisdom all the days of our lives.
All these we pray in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
AMEN!
Grace and Peace be with You.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 1:7