ACTS&FACTS - The Institute for Creation Research

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IMPACTThe fact is that no one really knows thedate of His birth, so no one should be dogmaticon this subject. Nevertheless, there isone particularly intriguing possibility: Onthe night Christ was born, shepherds were inthe field watching their sheep (Luke 2:8). Althoughit is barely possible that this could be inlate December, it seems far more likely that itwould be sometime in the early fall.If so, the birth of Jesus also would havebeen in the fall, and it is significant that therewas an ancient Christian feast called Michaelmas,observed on September 29 by many earlyChristians, especially in England and westernEurope. The name later also was appropriatedto identify a period during the fall when certaincourts were in session.In any case, the name “Michaelmas”meant “Michael sent,” just as“Christmas” means “Christ sent.”It is very probable that Michaelwas the “angel of the Lord” (Luke2:9) who was sent from heaven toannounce the birth of Jesus to theshepherds. The feast of Michaelmasthus may well have originatedto commemorate this coming ofMichael and the angels to welcome Jesus at Hishuman birth.This date would be just several days beforethe great Feast of Tabernacles, which thepre-exilic Israelites observed each fall in gratitudefor the annual harvest, with each familydwelling for a time in a tent, or “tabernacle.”When John wrote that “the Word was madeflesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), hedid not use the usual Greek word for “dwell.”Instead, he said, literally, that the Word (thatis, the Creator) “tabernacled” among us for atime. It was as though He had come into theworld at just the appropriate time for the joyfulFeast of Tabernacles, as Michael and the angelssang of “good tidings of great joy, which shallbe to all people” (Luke 2:10).As glorious as the birth of Christ mayhave seemed, however, this was not His incarnation.He had already been “made inthe likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7) ninemonths earlier, when He created a body forHimself and took up His residence in Mary’swomb. That was the time when “the Wordwas made flesh”!And so it may be beautifully significantthat the real “Christmas” (i.e., “Christ sent”),when the Christ was sent from His throne inheaven to enter a “tabernacle” of flesh, wouldhave been nine months earlier than “Michaelmas,”when Michael and the angels were sentto announce His birth. But that brings us backto December 25 again! The actual number ofdays between the two dates is 278, which is theideal period of human gestation.Whether or not these inferences are correct(and remember no one really knows whenChrist was born), they at least yield a greaterHow appropriate it would be for Him toenter the world right at the season ofdarkest and longest night, for He wouldcome as “the light of the world.”appreciation of His miraculous conception.How appropriate it would be for Him to enterthe world right at the season of darkestand longest night, for He would come as “thelight of the world” (John 8:12) to bring “lifeand immortality to light through the gospel”(2 Timothy 1:10). Then, at “Christmas” time,we can remember with deep thanksgiving (notwith Saturnalian revelry and pagan greed) theamazing Christmas gift of God Himself, when“God sent his only begotten Son into the world,that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9).Why Did the Creator Become Man?No question that begins with “Why?”can be answered scientifically. Such questionscan be answered only theologically,and that means they can only be truly answeredfrom the written Word of God. Andthis greatest of all questions has the mostwonderful of all answers!For God sent not his Son into the worldto condemn the world; but that the worldthrough him might be saved. (John 3:17)When the fulness of the time was come,God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,made under the law, to redeem them thatwere under the law. (Galatians 4:4-5)This is a faithful saying, and worthy of allacceptation, that Christ Jesus came intothe world to save sinners. (1 Timothy1:15)But that is not all, of course. His firstcoming, followed by His sacrificial death,bodily resurrection, and glorious ascension, isa prophetic promise of His second coming.At His first coming, He “tabernacled”among us for a little while; at His second coming,there will be “a great voice outof heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacleof God is with men, andhe will dwell with them, and theyshall be his people, and God himselfshall be with them, and be theirGod. And God shall wipe away alltears from their eyes; and thereshall be no more death, neithersorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be anymore pain: for the former things are passedaway” (Revelation 21:3-4). “And there shall beno night there;...for the Lord God giveth themlight: and they shall reign for ever and ever”(Revelation 22:5).How infinitely sad it is that so manytoday reject or ignore such a gracious, loving,holy, powerful Creator/Redeemer. Not onlydo they miss all the true meaning and blessingof Christmas now, but, unless they respond toHim in repentance and faith, they will be everlastinglyseparated from Him in the gloriouseternal ages to come.Adapted from Dr. Morris’ article“When God Became Man”in the December 1993 editionof Acts & Facts.Dr. Morris (1918-2006) wasFounder of the Institute forCreation Research.12 ACTS&FACTS • DECEMBER 2008
BACK TO GENESISSurface FeaturesRequire Rapid DepositionJ O H N D . M O R R I S , P h .D.Geologists now accept that catastrophicprocesses are necessaryfor the deposition of nearly allrock types. Only a short time wasneeded to form each bed of sediments (whicheventually hardened into sedimentary rock).But how much time elapsed between the depositionof one bed and the deposition of an overlyingbed? One clue is to recognize that the variousfeatures present on the top surface of eachbed would not last very long if exposed. Thesefeatures had to be covered rather quickly, beforethey had a chance to erode or be destroyed.One very common feature, seen in manyrock layers in many locations, is the presence ofripple marks, which form as water moves over asurface. These can frequently be seen on a beachafter the tide has receded, and can also be seenon the ocean bottom where a particular currentdirection dominates. In many other places wesee what have been called raindrop impressions,although these fragile markings may actually beblisters that formed as air bubbles escaped fromrapidly deposited underwater sediments. Animaltracks are also common. In any case, thesesurface features, which had to be formed in softsediment or they would not have existed at all,are very fragile, and if present on any surface—whether soft unconsolidated material or hardrock—will not last very long.Keep in mind that almost every sedimentaryrock layer was deposited under water.Every geologist agrees with this. Unless erosiondominates locally, sediments normally accumulateon an ocean bottom, lakebed, delta,beach, lagoon, stream bank, etc., in the presenceof water currents. If subsequent events liftthe deposit up out of the water, erosion and/ornon-deposition will result. But if a zone staysunder water, it will continue to be subjected towater action and will either receive more sedimentor be eroded. In such an active environment,ripple marks can be preserved only ifthey are quickly buried by overlying materials,so that they are protected and thus have time toharden into rock.In many places around the world, oceanfloorsediments have solidified into rock andare now uplifted onto continental surfaces.Ripple marks and similar features are readilyseen in many locations, “frozen” into solid rock.Many examples come readily to mind for anyonewho spends time out of doors. Sometimesone can observe several layers of rock stackedon top of one another, each displaying obviousripple marks. The ripple marks in differentlayers may be in varied orientations, indicatingthat the water currents responsible for depositionshifted rapidly and erratically while depositioncontinued. There must have been a continuedsupply of sediments, but how could allthe ripple marks be preserved?If such a mark is exposed on any surface,under water or above water, it will soonerode and be washed away, especially in soft,unconsolidated sediments. Even on a hard rocksurface, markings will erode in a few decades.There is no possibility that fragile features willlast if unprotected for millions of years, waitingto be re-submerged and buried, and thus protectedfrom destructive forces. We cannot determineexactly how much time passed betweenthe deposition of two adjacent layers simply bylooking at ripple marks, raindrop impressions,animal footprints, etc., but we can concludethat much less time passed than it takes for surfacefeatures to be eroded and disappear.Since almost every layer gives demonstrableevidence of having been laid down rapidlyand catastrophically, and since nearly all suchcatastrophic layers have surface features thatwere not eroded, one can reasonably concludethat the whole sequence of rocks was depositedby different episodes in a dynamic, watercharged,and sediment-laden event—such asthe one described in Genesis 7 and 8.Dr. Morris is President of the Institute for Creation Research.DECEMBER 2008 • ACTS&FACTS13
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