Daniel Lazich

The covenant with Noah and his sons continued.

The covenant with Noah and his descendants is God’s unilateral action on behalf of His enemies, the rebellious humankind. God did not place a condition for his promise. Instead, God assured the rebellious humankind that He would watch over them whether they loved him or not. For Noah, and only for him, the covenant was a reward for Noah being faithful to Go. It was a reward for Noah’s devotion to God and the effort to preserve life on the earth. However, for Noah’s descendants, God’s selfless promise was a grant to the whole of humankind. God did not require anything from Noah and his descendants in return for His grant or a promise. God’s selfless grant remained valid for the whole of humankind whether they chose to be loyal to God or not.

The flood was not God’s punishment for the rebellion in the garden of Eden. Humankind before the flood became so violent that humankind’s survival was in danger. Because He loves humankind, God prevented the destruction of humankind until its redemption at just the right time. The covenant with Noah and his sons ensured the whole of humankind that God will preserve them until He re-creates humankind in Jesus Christ. God fulfilled His promise through the body of Jesus Christ on the cross at Golgotha.

The covenant with Noah and his sons is the only time God promised not to do something. God promised humankind that He would never again destroy the earth and humankind by the waters of the flood. God gave His grant or a promise to preserve humankind even though He knew that humankind would not remain loyal to Him. The flood was the only means by which God ensured the preservation of humankind until the coming of the Messiah, at just the right time. God knows the future; therefore, He acts at just the right time. By His selfless act, God preserved humankind until He justified and restored it to Himself through the body of Jesus on the cross at Golgotha.

The covenant with Noah and his sons.

“Then God said to Noah and his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every creature that was with you – Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of the flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Genesis 9:8 – 11). God’s promise, or grant, He gave Noah, included all generations after him. It included the whole of humankind and all life on the earth. (Genesis 9:12 – 17). The purpose of the grant to Noah, or covenant with him) was to ensure the whole of humankind that the destructive cataclysm, such as the flood, shall never again happen.

However, the covenant with Noah and his sons did not remove from Noah and humankind the wages for sin that humankind committed in the garden of Eden. Noah himself walked with God and, therefore, only he was righteous in the eyes of God. However, Noah’s righteousness and loyalty to God could not make the whole of humankind righteous. Noah’s righteous living and his loyalty to God could justify neither him nor humankind from the sin that humankind committed in the garden of Eden. Despite Noah’s efforts, he and the whole of humankind remained a sinner by nature who needed a Savior.

None of the covenants, or grants, described in the Old Covenant Scriptures could justify humankind from the sin it committed in the garden of Eden. God, to justify humankind, had to remove the sin that humankind committed in the garden of Eden. The justification by removal of sin had to await the arrival of the promised Messiah. Because the whole of humankind became God’s enemy, only God could remove the sin which made humankind His enemy. Humankind was powerless to do anything concerning its enmity with God.

The above will continue in the next blog.

Covenants in the Old Testament Scriptures.

The Old Covenant Scriptures present several promises that God gave to the people. Bible describes these promises as covenants. Usually, the covenant is an agreement between two parties. However, some of the covenants described in the Bible are not an agreement between two parties. Examples of these grants, or covenants, are. The covenant, or a promise, that God gave to Adam in the garden of Eden; the Covenant with Noah after the flood; the Covenant with Abraham; and the Covenant with David. These covenants are promises because they do not involve two parties. The Hebrew Scriptures address the covenants as grants. God granted a promise as a reward for loyalty both past and present. God is the unilateral Grantor of a promise. The humanity in the garden of Eden, Noah, Abraham, and David are grantees or recipients of a promise. The grant, or a promise, obligates the Grantor only. It does not obligate or imposes conditions on the grantee or recipient. The recipient, grantee, of a promise could not choose when and how God would fulfill the promise. The translators of the Scriptures present these grants as covenants. However, grants, or promises, are not legally binding agreements between two parties. God, as Grantor, fulfills his promises unilaterally. The recipients of grants do not have a say in when and how God would fulfill his promises, and they cannot request what the promises are to include.

The grant, God’s promise, in the garden of Eden pertained to God’s future action on behalf of the rebellious humankind. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15. God addressed Satan in the serpent on the tree. God referred to the offspring in the singular, not plural. When God stated “and her seed” the seeds or offspring of the woman, He referred to the Messiah. Christ crushed or defeated Satan, God’s Enemy. However, to do so, He suffered the cross.

The Messiah received the human body through a woman at the incarnation. The male part of humanity did not have a role in the incarnation. The Messiah is the seed of the woman in His body. God determined when and how the Messiah would come into the world. Humankind has no say in how God would fulfill the promise He gave in the garden in Eden. Humans had to trust that God would fulfill the promise at just the right time. God did not impose any requirements on humankind concerning the coming of the Messiah. The grantee, the recipient, humankind, could not and did not impose any requirement on God concerning the coming of the Messiah. God did fulfill His promise at just the right time. God ensured that humankind would not perish. He did so because He loves humankind. Because God loves humankind selflessly, He restored it to Him as His children.

The consequences

The Earth’s collision with an extrasolar body shattered the Earth’s crust, like breaking an eggshell when dropped. The breakup of the Earth’s crust released water from within the Earth’s crust. The force of the collision, combined with water pressure, propelled the water high into Earth’s atmosphere, which fell in the form of heavy rain under the influence of gravity. The water in the lower part of the crust was hot, so it released steam and mist, which may have formed a thick cloud over the planet Earth. The steam blocked the sun rays from reaching the surface of the Earth. Also, the force of the collision may have stopped the Earth’s rotation. The stoppage of Earth’s rotation caused the side of the planet opposite from where Noah’s ark was to remain dark long enough for the water to become ice. Sufficient evidence of surface ice cover exists in the regions of the Americas.

The force of the Earth’s collision with an extrasolar body was strong enough to tilt the Earth’s axis of rotation by 23.5 degrees, compared to the sun’s axis of rotation. In addition, the force of the Earth’s collision with an extrasolar body pushed the Earth slightly into the outer half of the lifebelt. At its formation, the Earth orbited the sun along the centerline of the habitable zone. The combined consequence resulted in seasons in the northern and southern regions. Also, the violent impact caused the Earth’s orbit around the sun to be elliptical instead of circular.

The area where Noah’s ark floated faced the sun continuously. Therefore, the atmospheric temperature in the region where the ark floated remained above the freezing level. Noah’s ark floated among the mountains of the ancient Urartu region (the region between the Black and Caspian seas). The region of ancient Urartu remained sufficiently calm to ensure the ark’s survival. The eyes of the Creator were continually watching the ark. Eventually, the disturbance caused by the collision equilibrated, and the Earth resumed rotation about its axis. The resumption of rotation of the Earth induced the atmospheric motion, which Noah observed as the east wind. The onset of the east wind is because the Earth spins from west to east. When the water had receded sufficiently, the ark rested on one of several mountain peaks of the ancient Urartu region. The condition of Earth before the flood supported a longer lifespan. However, the Earth’s collision with an extrasolar body altered the original conditions. The Earth’s condition now cannot support the long lifespan of humans.

Unique characteristics of the Pacific Ocean region, together with the location and behavior of tectonic plates, support the probability that the Earth’s collision with an extrasolar body caused the global flood. All the water in flood came from within the Earth’s crust and is now on its surface. However, we can be confident that the global flood was the act of the loving Creator who acted to preserve humankind from certain self-destruction until the Messiah came.

What caused the change?

The present condition of planet Earth supports the real possibility that Earth has in its past experienced violent cataclysm. The unique characteristic of the Pacific Ocean’s basin supports the probability that an extra-solar body impacted the Earth. The impact may have occurred in the time of the biblical flood. Ancient flood narratives also point to such a probability. The extra-solar body’s collision with the earth conformed to the laws established by the Creator before He began His creating activity. The impact was on the opposite side of the planet from where Noah built the ark. Therefore, he and his family could not have seen the impact but only its consequences.

The angle of the violent impact was such that the strongest shock wave traveled west and south-west, creating the Earth’s highest mountain range, the Himalayas, and south-pacific parts of the Earth’s surface observed today. A slightly lesser magnitude shock wave traveled east. The eastward shockwave created the Earth’s second-highest mountains, the Rockies, and the Andes. The two shock waves collided on the opposite side of the point of an extra-solar body’s impact, where the mid-Atlantic Oceans trench is. The mid-Atlantic crack in the Earth’s crust stretches from North to South. Tectonic plates on each side of the mid-Atlantic break are still tending apart, away from each other. The rebounding shock waves created the rest of the Earth’s mountains. Some volcanic mountains, such as Mount Ararat and a few others, existed before the flood. They are still standing in the region between the Black and Caspian seas. This region is the area where Noah built his ark. That region is known as the ancient Urartu Region. The ark rested on one of the peaks in the Urartu region. Tradition names Mount Ararat as the ark’s resting place because it is the tallest in that region.

Most of the mountains observed today resulted from violent upheaval. Therefore, the conclusion that an extra-solar body’s impact created them is highly probable. In the Rocky Mountains, we can see in some places that parts of the Earth’s crust are standing at various angles, and some are vertical. Before the impact, the Earth’s crust had to be mostly horizontal. The extra-solar body’s impact pushed a part of the Earth’s crust toward the south pole region. Water covered the south and the north polar regions before the asteroid impact.

the consequences of the Earth-asteroid collision? Read the next Blog.

The original condition

Our knowledge about the formation and function of celestial bodies is in its infancy. Numerous studies concerning our universe are ongoing. Human knowledge about our universe is increasing. Nevertheless, what we know about our universe leads us to conclude that planet Earth and other bodies in our solar system formed out of the planetary nebula, mostly hydrogen gas, surrounding the Sun during its formation. The Sun, during its formation, expelled excess matter which interacted with the planetary nebula and thus assisted in the formation of other bodies in our solar system. The exact mechanism of the formation of Galaxies, solar systems, and other celestial bodies is complex. This blogger will employ a more straightforward approach to show what and how the Earth became as it is today.

It is highly likely that solid planets, like Earth, retained water during the early part of their formation. However, they did not retain water permanently because of lower atmospheric pressure. The planet Earth had the proper atmospheric pressure to retain its water permanently. The volcanic activity formed the planet’s crust. Volcanic activity does not continue indefinitely because the pressure in the Mantle oscillates. Because of the pressure oscillations, we see layers in Earth’s crust. During the volcanic formation of the crust, most of the water was below the crust, in the form of a continuous shell around the planet. Some of the water became enclosed within the crust. The water within the crust was at higher pressure; thus, it circulated in the crust, enabling the support of biological life on its surface. The remaining water formed various bodies of water on the crust’s surface. Earth’s crust formed a continuous shall around the planet except for the Polar Regions. The entire south and north polar regions retained water on their surface. There were highly likely, strategically located vents to function as the pressure regulators.

Volcanic activity, originally, formed all the mountains on the Earth. Mountains, therefore, were of well-formed conic shape. The axis of Earth’s rotation was vertical or parallel to the Sun’s axes of rotation. The Earth’s path around the Sun followed the central line of the lifebelt surrounding our Sun. This configuration enabled the planet earth to have a uniform temperature distribution with minor variations from the equator to the polls. The lifebelt of our Star is at about ninety-four million miles from the center of the Sun and is approximately five million miles wide. Only the planets that reside in the lifebelt of a Star could support the biological and intelligent life on it.

The conditions and the configuration of our planet are different today. What caused the change? The answer will be in the next Blog.

The Earth’s configuration before and after the flood.

The planet Earth is a sphere comprised of layers, or shells, like an onion. The upper shell is the crust, on the surface on which life as we know it thrives. Originally, the Crust enveloped the planed as a continuous shell. The soil on the surface of the Crust has encircled the planet without a break. Below the crust is the upper and lower mantle shells. The mantle is a molten matter that produces volcanic lava. The mantle extends down to the core of the planet Earth. The upper shell of the core is a less viscous fluid; it does not flow as quickly as the mantle liquid. The lower part of the core is a solid sphere made primarily of iron, with a lesser number of other elements. The solid sphere in the center of the earth produces the magnetic field that serves as a protective shield above the planet.

The planet Earth has, in the past, experienced violent break-up which impacted the crust of the planet more than the lower layers of the planet Earth. Because of the violent break-up, it is not possible now to ascertain the Earth’s original characteristics accurately. The current crust of the planet Earth varies in thickness from approximately three (3) miles (or about 4.8 kilometers) to almost forty-four (44) miles (or approximately seventy kilometers). The bottom of the crust is the sub-oceanic part of the crust which is more uniform in thickness.

The planet Earth in its current configuration has several large and several smaller plates called “tectonic plates.” (There are fifteen known tectonic plates) Tectonic plates are in constant motion which causes earthquakes. The tectonic plates have a memory of where they were before the geologic upheaval, so they are trying to get back to their original location. Deep sub-oceanic cracks or tranches now surround the Pacific Ocean. These tranches are the source of most of the earthquakes that occur on the planet Earth. Violent upheaval created most of the current mountains on the Earth.

The Creator, at the end of the creation narrative, declared the Earth to be “very good.” However, even without the biblical narrative, we could conclude that the current configuration of the planet is not so good, it is not exactly the way it came out of the hands of the Creator. Humankind messed it up.

What was the original condition of the Earth? The answer is in the next Blog.

Creation from nothing.

What does the creation from nothing mean? The scientific data concerning the universe of spacetime (our universe) indicate that the All-knowing Intelligence created it from nothing. The “nothing” is not an empty region of space. It refers to the very beginning of the expansion of spacetime. Humankind cannot study and define the very beginning of the universe. The creation of spacetime is the beginning of our universe. The very beginning of the expansion of spacetime is an inaccessible region to humankind because; a law that is not in the universe we observe and study, governed the beginning of spacetime. It is apart from every law known to humankind. Humankind cannot study our universe at time zero, t = o. The closest that we can get mathematically is

t =10⁴³ seconds. That is 0. Followed by forty-two zeroes. However, at t = 10^-43 seconds, the entire observable universe exists without a reason why it exists.

            Humankind does not know what spacetime is. There are no known particles that mediate (or transmit) spacetime. We do not know what, if any, law governs spacetime. We call spacetime the distance between the objects of matter and events in our universe. The current successes in the search for gravitational waves may shed light on the true nature of spacetime. However, all that we can know for now is that our universe has begun by creation from nothing.

            The recent theoretical research concludes that our universe is, in fact, by creation from nothing. Professor Alan Guth worked on solutions to the problems associated with the big bang theory. His solution was the new theory concerning the beginning of our universe. His theory is the Inflationary Universe Theory, which is currently the leading explanation of our universe’s origin. Central to this theory is the assertion that our universe could have begun by creation from nothing. Subsequent independent studies and research confirmed that our universe is indeed by creation from nothing. However, no one has been successful yet in countering the claim by the inflationary universe theory. Therefore, we are not wrong to maintain “In the beginning God.”

What is the meaning of the six critically tuned parameters?

Scientists discovered the six fine-tuned parameters presented in the previous blog by analyzing the observed characteristics concerning our universe. Other critically tuned parameters exist in our universe. However, the six fine-tuned parameters appear to be the most puzzling. Some, among scientists, are hoping for a natural explanation of the puzzling nature of the six critically tuned parameters. However, a growing number of scientists have realized that a natural answer does not exist. They realize that our universe is incomprehensibly unnatural. Accordingly, quantum physics scientists consider anthropic cosmological principles as the only possible source for an answer. Shockingly, the anthropic cosmological principles maintain that an Ultimate Intelligence, or the Final Observer, had selected the puzzling nature of our universe before He created it. The Final observer selected the critical parameters because he intended to put humankind in our universe.

The interpretation of the quantum mechanics known as the Copenhagen interpretation asserts that properties of particles of matter do not exist until observed by an intelligent observer. Also, quantum mechanics asserts that a series of intelligent observers must exist in a universe like ours. This reasoning line naturally leads to the possibility that a Final Observer must exist. He coordinates the series of observations by lesser observers into a single whole. Therefore, the Final Observer brings the entire universe into concrete existence.

Based on a series of observers, the shocking conclusion is that the Final Observer is not in the universe that humankind observes. The Final Observer is in the future time-like infinity for an open universe such as ours. Another shocking conclusion based on the above reasoning is that the Final Observer is All-knowing and All-Powerful. The Final Observer possessed all knowledge concerning our universe before He created it from nothing. The Final Observer, in quantum physics, and God, in the Bible, are the same. However, the most shocking and surprising implication of the anthropic principles concerns God’s true nature. Based on the inexorable logic, the anthropic principles conclude that the Final Observer exists, and He loves us. Additionally, anthropic cosmological principles maintain the foundation of our universe is selfless love. The heavens do declare the glory of God.

Continue reading the next blog.

The puzzling nature of our universe.

Advanced observation and study of our universe revealed six (6) essential parameters that govern the universe’s expansion. The six parameters, as described, are the six non-dimensional, critically tuned numbers in scientific reports. No scientific theory has ever predicted the six governing numbers. The six critical parameters are not related to a theory. They are not dependent on each other. And they do not relate to any other known parameter in our universe. However, without these six critical parameters, our universe would not exist. Therefore, the carbon-based intelligent life would not exist either.

The puzzling nature of the six critical parameters is their fine-tuning. The All-knowing Intelligence has precisely tuned the unique values of critical parameters to humankind’s existence. However, the origin of the six fine-tuned parameters is a mystery. Why are the six critical parameters so precisely fine-tuned to our existence in our universe? Neither science, theology, nor philosophy could explain the existence of the critical parameters.

The six precisely fine-tuned parameters are:

1. In the atoms of matter, both the gravitational attraction and the electric repulsion follow the same inverse square law precisely. Therefore, even a minute variation in either of the two would ensure that a universe of appropriate size cannot exist.
2. Ɛ. In our sun, the efficiency of converting Hydrogen to Helium is extremely low and invariable.
3. Ω. In our universe, The All-knowing Intelligence has fine-tuned the ratio of the observed density of matter to the critical density to the existence of carbon-based intelligent life precisely.
4. λ. This parameter is the newly discovered force related to the expansion of our universe. It is so precise that even the minute variation in its strength would not allow the carbon-based intelligent life
5. to exist in our universe.
6. Ǫ. The force required to break apart large structures in our universe is inexplicably precise. Any variation in its value would result in a very dark universe, or the universe could not exist at all.
7. The three (3) dimensions of space are essential for the existence of carbon-based life in our universe. If there were two (2) or four (4) dimensions, the carbon-based life could not exist.

Continue reading the next blog.

Does the Creator exist?

Historically, those who observed stars and contemplated the meaning of it all have concluded that a higher being who is above it all exists. It is the same today. Data and images obtained through the most advanced instruments imply that intelligent selection has initiated our universe. Also, the data indicate that intelligence that selected our universe had to possess all knowledge possible about the universe before creating it. However, science and theology cannot prove and explain the existence of the Ultimate Intelligence, God, and a sense of morality. In like manner, human research cannot prove the non-existence of the Ultimate Intelligence. Nevertheless, scientists who study the universe objectively are convinced that morality among human beings could not exist without belief in the Ultimate intelligence, God.

However, the conviction that an All-knowing Creator exists is a matter of personal belief and choice. The scientific discoveries concerning our universe support personal belief in an All-knowing Creator. However, because God the Creator is Absolute Spirit, the created intelligent beings can not know everything concerning the nature of the Creator. The created intelligent beings can only know what the Ultimate Intelligence (God) reveals to them through His Word and creation. Therefore, the mystery concerning our universe is not the mystery about God. The observed mystery demonstrates the lack of knowledge and proper understanding by humans.

A sincere and careful study of the observable universe will always conclude that there is at least a probability that a Creator is behind it all. Humans cannot silence the voice of an ancient observer, who proclaimed that heavens declare the glory of God. However, we as intelligent observers must maintain a correct attitude while pursuing knowledge and understanding. All knowledge, which can exist, comes from the Ultimate Intelligence – God. Therefore, the proper pursuit of knowledge will always conclude that the universe declares the glory of its Creator. The Creator’s glory is His selfless love. The objective scientists in quantum cosmology have arrived at such a conclusion. What leads them to conclude so? Read the next blog.

Is there a Creator?

The knowledge we have gained recently shows that quantum physics and Christian theologians can cooperate in studies about God the Creator. Theological implications inherent in quantum physics and quantum cosmology are unprecedented. It quickly became evident to quantum cosmologists that it is necessary to have answers to theological implications for science to advance. An additional unexpected result of research during the quantum physics’ golden period (1970 es and 1980 es) is the discovery that only the Judeo-Christian concept concerning Absolute Intelligence can answer the theological implication. Writings by the apostle Paul were most helpful in finding appropriate answers to enable the scientific study to continue the right path of study. The logic that apostle Paul employed is identical to the quantum logic. Is it an accident? Something to consider. Paul did not know about quantum cosmology. However, we need to realize that scientific study points to God the Creator, not to God the Savior. Neither theology, science, nor philosophy could fully explain God’s acts of selfless love on behalf of sinful humankind.

It is no secret that quantum physicists have been brought face-to-face with God by implications of their theory and studies. Even the world’s greatest minds take great pains to explain why questions about God will not disappear from quantum physics. Questions such as “Is the universe the product of fortuitous events?” and “Is it possible that our universe is by creation from nothing?” Not all the world’s experts in quantum physics and quantum cosmology like the unexpected development that resulted from the human study about our universe. However, a growing number of serious and objective researchers are defying the scientific tradition and are admitting at least a possibility that our universe has a Creator who made it from nothing.

What is causing the revolutionary change in scientific thought? The root of the shift is the implications of scientific theories concerning physical reality. Advanced experiments and observations support these implications. The advanced experimental proof and discovery have shaken human scientific thought irreversibly. The primary cause for change in scientific worldview is the inexplicable nature of the subatomic world. The nature of the particles that obey the quantum law is often puzzling.

Read the next blog.

Humankind’s mind and the universe are inseparable.

A Notion that humankind was in the center of the observed reality suffered loss beginning in the 1970es. Rise of the quantum physics and quantum cosmology dominated scientific research. It quickly became obvious that an all-knowing intelligence had tied together humankind’s mind and the universe we observe. Also, the advanced research indicated that the Creator (The Final Observer} made the universe where we live for humankind, and no other created intelligence. The research showed that humankind, as the intelligent processing of information, and our universe, are inextricably tied together. Also, advanced research and observation confirmed that the earth and humankind are not in the center of the universe. The nature of the observed universe indicates that humankind could not define a center of it. The center of our universe may not exist as classical thought maintained. Therefore, the planet earth and humankind are not privileged in the universe.

The shocking implications of the advanced observations and experiment hit the scientist’s world like a large asteroid. Implications by the advancer research and observation divorced modern-day science from the classical concepts. The human mind and matter in our universe are no longer separate realities. The human mind and the universe are made of the same matter, protons, neutrons, and electrons. Because the All-knowing Intelligence made the human mind and our universe of the same matter, they are the same. The observed universe would not exist apart from humankind as intelligent information processing. The converse is also true. Humankind could not exist without the universe we observe. These may appear as subjective conclusions; nevertheless, they are intriguing.

Another shocking consequence of advanced research is the assertion that humans can learn about the Creator by studying the universe. Divine revelation is no longer the only way humans can learn about God the Creator. Knowledge of God the Creator permeates the universe he has created from nothing. The golden period of modern science (1970 es and 1980 es) led most scientists to acknowledge that there is a role for God the Creator in the universe we observe and study. The new knowledge also implied that the existence of God the Creator is essential and critical for humankind’s existence here in our universe. The location at which we are in our universe is not bay an accident. When projected to the distant future, all cosmology must end with God. No one has yet been able to negate the shocking implications of modern-day science.

This line of thinking will continue in the next blog.