Out of the
Lab Donald S. Robertson, Ph.D. Chairman, Dept of Science, Biola Bible College
E a r t h T a k i n g S h a p e
1 ^ or the last two months we have 1 been considering in this column the theory of Professor Gamow as to the origin of the universe.* In last month’s article we sdw that the scien tist has suggested that all the matter of the universe came into being within an hour’s time. This was the matter out of which the “ heavens and the earth” was made. This month we want to consider the suggested mech anism whereby the earth finally came to take its present shape. This may be of help in understanding how the elements of the earth, which were created in the first hour came to be organized into the world as we know it today. The evidence seems to suggest that after the day of creation the material of the universe continued to expand. Originally the material was in the form of a hot gas but as expansion took place it gradually cooled below the melting points of the various ele ments at which point they began to condense into fine dust. The material of the earth and the universe was then present as a dusty gas mixture so rare as to be almost a complete vacuum. Professor Gamow says that if we could get H. G. Wells’ “ time machine” and go back far enough, “ we would find ourselves floating in an almost complete vacuum, com parable to that which exists today in the space between the stars inside one galaxy. It would be pitch dark around us since the brilliance óf the first days of creation (comparable to that of the center of an exploding atomic bomb) had by that time been com pletely dimmed by the expansion pro cess, and the stars which illuminate the universe today had not yet been formed.” -)- Present in this dark ex panse was all the material of our earth. From this primordial material there condensed large diffused clouds of gas
and dust which are known as proto galaxies. These proto-galaxies were rotating and as a result the material they contained became very turbulent which caused it to break up into ed dies of all sizes. Because of this tur bulence some of this gaseous material was compressed into large local con densations. As this material contin ued to condense these masses began to heat up and started to emit light. Finally the temperature became so great that the thermonuclear reactions began which furnish the light and heat of the stars today. A process similar to this was probably responsi ble for the origin of our sun. But what about the earth? Where did it come from? According to this theory it is thought to have been produced along with the other planets out of the same dark turbulent dust and gas cloud that gave rise to the sun. So we see that after the day of creation the material of our earth spent considerable time in a dark, diffuse and turbulent state before it condensed into the more solid form we know today. This agrees with God’s description of the original crea tion that was without form, void and dark, Gen. 1:2. Although this scheme is still a theory it is interesting to discover how closely some of the latest scien tific thought parallels the scriptural account of creation. The Christian has every reason to expect that as more data is accumulated by the scientist his theories will come into -inser and closer agreement with tho Word of God. This has been the case in the past and there is no reason to expect that this trend will not con tinue. END. *Gamow, George, The Creation of the Universe, The Viking Press, New York, 1952. flb id . P. 79.
t h e t i t l e in s t i t u t e h o u r
• Heart searching messages • Thrilling te s t i monies • Outstanding features • Inspiring music MONDAY WEDNESDAY FRIDAY 8*.30 ant.
MUTUAL
DON LEE
NETWORK
FOR FREE
STATION LOG write to BIBLE INSTITUTE HOUR LOS ANGELES 17, CALIF. jÜT
HAW A II . . • see inside front cover
1 0
THE KING'S BUSINESS
20
Made with FlippingBook Annual report