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Y-chromosome validates Bible

December 12, 2022Answers to Questions, Bible/Science, Biology, DNA, Migrationadmin

Foreword

Those who believe the Bible accept it by faith; however, there are many accounts in the Bible that are testable scientifically. One of these accounts is that of Noah having three sons, and these three sons repopulated the entire earth after the flood. This paper provides scientific evidence that all men alive today came from one of three ancient ancestors. Our findings are based on Y-chromosome analysis. The analysis is simple, straightforward, and repeatable; anyone can understand it and repeat it. The data is fully documented herein and generated from mainstream scientific community sources (Reference 1 is the browser and Reference 2 contains the sequences used).

The Bible made the following proclamation thousands of years ago, and now we have the genetic tools to test its validity:

Genesis 9:19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.

Genesis 10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

Background

We know that the Y-chromosome is passed from father to son, and, in general, each generation passes on a few genetic variants to the next generation. These variants provide genetic markers which are highly valuable for tracking ancestry. Geneticists sort people into groups called haplogroups because they contain like genetic markers. The haplogroups form a family tree for all humanity and allow us to trace ancestry back to our most ancient ancestors.

Former Work

We, at Genesis and Genetics, made a preliminary evaluation of Y-chromosome DNA genetic markers and discovered that all human men on earth came from one of three ancient ancestors (Reference 3). We found that any human man could trace his genetic markers back to one and only one of three ancient ancestors. Any man with a marker ‘A’ at rs9786139 is from one ancient ancestor, a marker ‘A’ at rs17306671 is from another ancient ancestor, and a marker ‘G’ at rs3900 is from the third ancient ancestor. It was easy to associate these three most ancient ancestors with Ham, Shem, and Japheth by looking at Biblical history of migration and nations. Ham had the ‘A’ at rs9786139, Shem had the ‘A’ at rs17306671, and Japheth had the ‘G’ at rs3900.

This former research was based on a study of 57 modern human men. All the men had one, and only one of the three markers stated above.

Note: We use the terms “mutations,” “variants,” and “markers” interchangeably.

Confirmation

Since our original study, we have looked at many more sequences, a total of 1233 Y-chromosome genomes, and found they all conformed to our original findings. Reference 4 documents the 1233 human genomes and which ones are from each of Noah’s three sons. All 1233 humans had one and only one of the three markers. There were no exceptions. This paper confirms our original findings and compares our Biblical ancestral family tree to that of mainline science.

Comparison to Mainline Science

In general, our analysis agreed with mainstream science concerning haplogroups. Therefore, our family tree uses the same haplogroups as our friends in mainstream science. But they are rooted differently. Here is the secular science tree followed by our family tree. There are several versions of the secular trees (called phylogenetic trees), but we, generally, used the one generated by the International Society of Genetic Genealogy, ISOGG (Reference 5).

As one can see, the two trees are similar, but the root and flow of genetic markers are different. The secular tree is rooted in haplogroup A, and the Biblical tree is rooted in Noah dividing into three separate haplogroups; one from Ham; one from Shem; and one from Japheth. We do not present Noah’s DNA, but it is simply his three sons’ DNA less their genetic markers.

Finding the Tree Root

Armed with these 1233 diverse genomes, we began our search by noticing that a few mutations/genetic markers, were common in the population; some were up to 52 percent of the population. It is quite logical to assume that the higher the mutation’s frequency, the better chance that it is at or near the root of our family tree.

For example, if a mutation is in 1/2 of the population, it probably originated when the population was approximately 2 men. If a mutation is in 1/10th of the male population, it probably originated when the male population was approximately 10. And if a mutation is in1/1,000,000), it probably originated when the world population was 1,000,000.

So, we decided that any mutation with a frequency of more than 5 percent could be one of Noah’s three sons. This assumption would allow for some genetic drift and the inability for our 1233 subjects to exactly match the whole world population distribution.

All Men came from three ancient ancestors

Next, we took each of the mutations with frequencies higher than 5 percent and used them to form genetic groups, i.e., haplogroups. Quickly, we realized that every mutation belonged to one and only one of three ancient ancestors.

It appeared that we found Shem, Ham, and Japheth. There was a Shem haplogroup, a Ham haplogroup, and a Japheth haplogroup. All 1233 genomes fit into one and only one of the three. There were no exceptions. The three root mutations had frequencies of 10%, 38%, and 52%. And, as expected, they added up to 100% of the population. Furthermore, Shem, Ham, and Japheth were associated with the three ancient ancestor mutations easily by looking at the geographical locations of each group and comparing them to Bible history. Ham went south and east; Japheth went north and east, and Shem populated the Near East and Europe.

Noah’s Y-chromosome is impossible to find directly. The reason is that he is the origin of all male humanity and he had, by definition, no genetic markers. Therefore, the way to find Noah’s Y-genome is by determining the genomes of his sons and deleting all their mutations.

The true root of humanity was Adam. Adam’s DNA went through the bottleneck of Noah. So we all came from Adam, and we all came from Noah. Adam is the root of all humanity, and Noah is the root of post-flood humanity.

Genetic Mutations/Markers Flow in One Direction

Just as water flows downstream, so do genetic markers. Genetic markers flow from most ancient ancestors to modern ancestors. For instance, your great-grandfather passed markers to your grandfather who passed additional markers to your father. Your father passed his additional markers to you. And if you are a man, you too will pass new markers to your sons. Lineage flows downstream. More and more new markers appear in offspring as the generations pass. However, the original markers of your ancestors remain in your genome. A key point here is that as the markers flow away from the root, the new markers divide the offspring into sub-haplogroups. This dividing into sub-haplogroups shows the direction of the genetic marker flow. Distant branches have only the markers close to the root but are missing many of the markers in their cousins, second cousins, etc.

Therefore, as expected, the data shows that markers flow from Noah’s three sons to their sub-haplogroups. Consider just haplogroup K. Everyone from haplogroup K has the rs3900 G marker. Likewise, the sub-haplogroups have additional markers that show they are later generations forming smaller haplogroups such as M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, and T. T must come from K, but K cannot come from T.

Since genetic mutations/markers flow downstream, it is not possible that the root of the Y-chromosome family tree is rooted in a marker with a small frequency. In order for that to happen, it would take many bottlenecks, overwrites, drift, and other genetic contortions.

Full Population Representation

The three adjacent haplogroups, IJ, IJK, and K contain 100 percent (Ham 38%, Shem 10%, and Japheth 52%) of the 1233 genomes analyzed. In other words, they are the source of all modern humans. Take any other combination of the other haplogroups and mix and match them; they do not represent all humanity; they do not add up to 100 percent. The only way you get one hundred percent is to use IJ, IJK, and K.

Biblical and Secular History

The haplogroups IJ, IJK, and K comprise people from Mid-East, West Asia, and Near East. According to the Biblical narrative, all humanity came from the Armenian mountains which are in West Asia and close to the Near East and the Mid-East. In short, these haplogroups locations fit nicely into Biblical history.

The historical age began in Mesopotamia, shortly after the flood. These earliest writings document a worldwide flood and the world populated by flood survivors. Nowhere do these legends and writings record mankind originating from other parts of the world.

Summary

The Y-chromosome DNA is the perfect vehicle for scientifically testing the portion of the Bible that says all modern human men were born of three ancient men. The Y-chromosome data of 1233 genomes corroborates the Biblical account. We now have a Biblical family tree and can trace our ancestry to the Biblical sons of Noah.

Future Work

We are in the process of identifying the DNA of Noah’s 16 grandsons in the family tree.

References:

http://useast.ensembl.org/info/about/publications.html
https://www.genome.gov/27528684/1000-genomes-project
https://www.genesisandgenetics.org/2021/04/16/y-chromosome-migration-and-the-biblical-phylogenetic-tree-or-finding-ham-shem-and-japheth-via-y-chromosome/
https://www.genesisandgenetics.org/Ancient.xlsx
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Y0GXjhazYa46u0EpPA9b0Y0RVWuh5lDzww_o979mbjQ/edit#gid=1904113265
https://useast.ensembl.org/index.html

Big Bang and the Bible

June 2, 2022Answers to Questions, Bible/Scienceadmin

Recent discoveries in cosmology have resulted in the ‘big bang’ theory. Some pieces of the theory are clear, and some pieces are problematic. The clear pieces are in tune with the Bible, and the rest are not. Here is what is clear and in tune with the Bible. (1) The universe had a beginning, (2) The universe is expanding, (3) The expansion of the universe is accelerating, and (4) The universe is magnificent and huge (at least as big as the event horizon). These four points have reached consensus in both Biblical and modern science circles.

Big Bang – Background

One could say that the Bible is the origin of the big bang concept. The Bible documents that our universe had a beginning and that God created it and stretched it out. (Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 45:12, et al.) Then in 1929, Edwin Hubble proved that the universe is, indeed, expanding. His discovery solved one mystery of cosmology. Cosmologists did not know if the universe was expanding, contracting, or static. Cosmology was doing well, and the term “big bang theory” arose in the late 1940s. There were several unanswered questions, but they were making progress. One question continued to plague them: From where did the energy, laws of physics, and cosmological constants come?

Big Bang confusion

Then in 1998, two cosmology research projects discovered that the universe was expanding at an accelerated rate. This discovery changed cosmology forever. The acceleration of the expanding universe meant that there had to be some large force driving the expansion or some large mass outside the universe giving everything a gravitational force outward. Scientists coined the terms ‘dark force’ and ‘dark energy’ to explain the accelerated expansion, but no one knows anything about dark energy and matter. They know that something is causing the universe to expand at an accelerated rate. This expansion was an inconvenient surprise.

Modern Cosmology

Here is a summary of some of the primary ‘big bang theory’ problems facing modern cosmology:

Everything from Nothing

From where did all the energy come to fuel the big bang? How did everything come from nothing? Having everything come from nothing defies all scientific laws and common sense. Many proposed solutions to this problem require adopting the concept of the universe being a temporal happening in an eternal system. It is the only possibility and confirms one more portion of the Biblical creation.

Space Creation

The big bang is an expansion of a singularity. Singularities, by definition, dwell in infinitely small spaces, so from where did all the space come? Quantum physics has shown us space is very complicated. So, did it evolve instantaneously?

Creation of time

Time doesn’t exist in singularities. So, what created the concept of time, and what started it going?

Basic Building Blocks of the Universe

How did all the quarks, leptons, and bosons evolve and self-assemble within a billionth of a second? These basic building blocks of the universe each have precise mass, charge, spin, and color, all of which are fine-tuned to perform their function in making the universe useful and beautiful. They also have a dual personality, primarily a wave but can also exist as particles. They are complex to the extreme. Scientists cannot understand how they work, much less create one. So, how could they evolve by chance uniformly and intricately in a billionth of a second without intelligence?

Physical Laws and Constants

How did the fundamental physical constants and laws of physics miraculously evolve in a trillionth of a second? They are perfectly in tune with one another, allowing our universe and us to exist.

Dark Stuff

Dark matter and dark energy were conceived when the redshift verified that the universe was expanding and accelerating its expansion. The problem is that no one understands anything about them. Scientists are not even sure they exist. All that is known is that the universe is expanding at an accelerated rate. If dark matter and energy exist, they make up 95 percent of the universe. Wow!

Orderly

Another competing issue for the greatest mystery of cosmology concerns entropy, the measure of order. The question is, how did the big bang start with such high order? From where did the order come? One would think that the big bang started with disorder, but it didn’t.

Vacuum Energy

Then we have the puzzling cosmological constant, which measures how much energy there is in a vacuum. This constant is in fierce debate. The cosmologists have their number, and quantum physicists have their number. Who is right? They are very different numbers. These two values differ by 10 to the 120^th. In other words, they are off by 10 with 120 zeros behind the 10. This difference is embarrassing, but it shows a tremendous lack of understanding of space. Please note that those in quantum physics have an outstanding record of being right, and their number may be correct.

Dimensions of Space

There is also debate on the number of dimensions defining space. Some say three, some say 10, some 26, and some say many. No one knows.

Spatial Inflation – Fudge Factor

Many of those who accept the present big bang model embrace spatial inflation. Spatial inflation is the sudden stretching out of space to justify happenings faster than the speed of light. Some physicists do not accept spatial inflation and call it a fudge factor. A fudge factor is what scientists invent to make things fit the theory. S Most physicists contend that the speed of light is the speed limit in the universe. But we know things travel faster than the speed of light, so the spatial inflation notion solves this problem; space inflates rapidly, stretching out space and the light within it. But the problem is, what turns spatial inflation on and off? What orchestrates it? Cosmologists use spatial inflation to make their timeline work. The observed universe is 92 billion light-years in diameter, but they say it happened 14 billion years ago. Something is wrong.

Matter/Antimatter

Then another big problem in cosmology is the lack of antimatter. According to findings in the colliders, you cannot produce matter without antimatter. So, the question becomes: what happened to the antimatter during the big bang? When matter and antimatter coexist, they annihilate one another. Scientists admit that unless something separated the matter from the antimatter, the universe could not exist.

Gravity

One more significant problem is gravity. Why is there gravity, and from where does it come? Is it a particle, or is it curved space?

Biblical cosmology

As said before, the Bible agrees with (1) the universe had a beginning, (2) the universe is expanding, or as the Bible says, the heavens are being stretched, and (3) the universe is expanding at an accelerated rate, and (4) the universe is enormous and magnificent. The big difference between the Bible and cosmology is time. Cosmologists say the universe is 13.8 billion years old, and the Bible says it is approximately 6000 years old. This time difference is considerable. Time dilatation or spatial inflation may explain the difference.

The Bible says that a Divine Creator spoke all things into existence. The Biblical narrative is consistent with modern quantum physics, which proclaims the basic building blocks of the universe are, in fact, waves, quantum waves. It appears that in the beginning, everything was ‘null and void,’ and the first thing created was light. At the end of the first day, God called it a day; therefore, it appears that God created time in the beginning. The Bible clearly states in Genesis chapter 1 that God created all things in six days. The Bible does not treat the creation as miracles; it simply records the creator’s handiwork.

Miracles

Presently, miracles dominate the big bang theory. Cosmologists theorize that everything miraculously came from nothing. A singularity with miraculous entropy miraculously evolved into our laws of physics, cosmological constants, time, space, and quantum particles in less than one billionth of a second. Then, miraculously, multi-dimensioned space was put in place, and some miraculous force stretched out the universe, miraculously separating matter from antimatter. Miraculously, in less than one trillionth of a second, spatial inflation appeared and was miraculously orchestrated so everything would unfold and not be limited to the speed of light.

The current modern cosmology depends on more miracles than science. They understand very little, including how time and space work, but they are sure that space was created in a time of 13.8 billion years. The present writer is confident that the 13.8 billion years will change drastically to match the Biblical time.

Summary

Modern cosmology is converging with the Bible because of better telescopes. The “big bang” and the “big creation” models are closer than ever. The Bible is the fundamental book of science, and its proclamations are testable. The present writer has concluded that when modern science solves the problems stated above, the Bible will stand as the Bible of cosmology.

Additional Reading:

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Finding Ham, Shem, and Japheth via the Y-Chromosome

April 16, 2021Answers to Questions, Bible/Science, DNA, Migrationadmin

At Genesis and Genetics, we have examined Y-chromosome genomes searching for Noah and his three sons, Ham, Japheth, and Shem. They were easy to find. According to our analysis, if you have the rs17306671 Y-chromosome mutation nucleotide A you are from Shem. If you have the rs9786139 Y-chromosome mutation nucleotide A you are from Ham. If you have the rs3900 Y-chromosome mutation nucleotide G you are from Japheth. If you are a woman, you will have to check your father’s y-chromosome. Women don’t have the y-chromosome.

The following presents the easy-to-follow logic and analysis which anyone can repeat. Our findings are consistent with the Bible and modern science raw data.

Here is a bit of background: Y-chromosome DNA is exclusively found in males; it is inherited from one’s father. The Y-chromosome has approximately 60 million base pairs, each of which is subject to mutations. Mutations develop in the Y-chromosome, typically at the rate of 2 mutations per generation. This is based on a mutation rate of 1.0*10^-9 mutations /nucleotide/year (Reference 1) and 30 years per generation. These mutations allow us to track ancestry. If one man populated all the earth, all males would have his Y-chromosome, and if this man had two sons, one would expect that roughly half of the world would have one son’s mutations and the other half would have the other son’s mutations. Furthermore, if our original ancestor had 10 grandsons, one would expect that each grandson would have mutations that would each exist in approximately 10 percent of the male population. Successive generations would continue to generate new mutations that would form a human family tree, known as a phylogenetic tree to geneticists.

In our research, we used the above principles in tracking our most ancient ancestors. We made no assumptions and shelved our preconceived ideas. We wanted to see where the data led us. Appendix A shows the precise method we used to extract the data. Our strategy was simple; we gathered the Y-chromosome mutations, which are seen in more than 5 percent of human males, and entered them into a spreadsheet. We looked for patterns and color-coded the resulting groups. Please consider doing one Y-chromosome example yourself using Appendix A as a guide, or if you have your Y-chromosome data, you can trace it back to your most ancient ancestor/ancestors. You will see the ancient ancestor to whom you are related.

The data used in this research came from the 1000 genomes project (Reference 2) and retrieved using the Ensembl browser (Reference 3). The data appeared to be correct with no errors. No data was eliminated due to suspect errors, and no data was “cherry-picked” to suit any preconceived ideas. Our thanks to the great effort of those who did the sequencing and publishing of the raw data. We also greatly appreciate that it was made available to the public.

We started by taking 57 Y-genomes of diverse people (Americas, East Asia, Europe, South Asia, and Africa). Next, we gathered mutations that were in at least 5 percent of the world’s male population. The technical term for this is those with a Mean Allele Frequency (MAF) greater than or equal to 0.05 (5 percent). These mutations are the most interesting; any smaller MAF mutation is a subset of those greater than 5%.

The spreadsheet below provides 57 rows (individual male humans) and 30 columns (mutations over 5 percent of the population). Each column element of the matrix was color-coded to show us whether the individual had the mutation or not. We noticed patterns beginning to form (you can CLICK HERE to see the EXCEL copy.)

Next, we switched columns and rows to form groups. The groups were obvious. We also took each group and moved the columns so that the columns for each group with the largest MAF were on the left. Now we can see a clear pattern in the figure below. We see that each individual fits into just one group and had no mutations in any other group. Also, we see that every individual in the group has the mutation with the greatest MAF; this is the mutation of the most ancient ancestor of that group. Here is what the spreadsheet looks like after grouping: Note: you can CLICK HERE to see the matrix in EXCEL.

Looking at the matrix above, we see that each group has one maximum MAF. The yellow is .38, the red is 52, and the green is .10. They add up to 100 percent.

Now that we have shown that our most ancient ancestor had three sons, we can state that this finding is consistent with the Bible. The three groups are consistent with the three sons of Noah: Ham, Shem, and Japheth. The Bible states that, generally, those from Ham went south to Africa and southern Asia, those from Japheth went north to northern Europe and northern Asia, and those from Shem stayed in the Caucuses, the Near East, and North Africa. Therefore, one could easily conclude that Ham is the yellow group, Shem is the green group, and Japheth is the red group. Note: Noah’s Y-chromosome is also known since it would be that of the three sons with all mutations removed.

Bible in Genesis 10, the Table of Nations, states that all humanity came from these three sons:

Genesis 10:1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

Genesis 10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

This means that roughly 1/3 of the earth’s male population came from each son, but, since Japheth had 7 sons, Ham had 4 sons, and Shem had 5 sons; therefore, the worldwide distribution should be closer to the following:

Patriarch Number of sons % Projected World Population Observation

Japheth 7 sons 43.75 52

Ham 4 sons 25 38

Shem 5 sons 31.25 10

The chart above shows that both the Ham and Japheth results were higher than expected, and Shem was lower than expected. However, this can be explained in at least two ways:

(1) The Ham and Japheth offspring are in the world’s heavily populated areas, namely South and East Asia.

(2) The Thousand Genomes Project did not provide representatives of the Near East, the Mid-East, or Northern Africa, all of which would increase the Shem percentage, thereby decreasing Ham and Japheth’s percentages.

The above two issues are not meant as criticism but offered as an explanation.

Our findings are consistent with the Bible, secular ancient history, and genetic diversity:

The Bible documents Noah and his family to be the only ones spared from the deluge which flooded the entire earth, and the earth was repopulated through Noah’s three sons.
The historical period began when the Sumerians began writing cuneiform tablets. These early writings documented the kings before and after the flood. Also, the Sumerian legends are consistent with the world being populated by the three sons on the Ark.
According to the Bible and Sumerian history, all humanity came from one family. As they migrated throughout the world, the genetic diversity would be lost from those who separated from the core population; therefore, the most genetic diversity should be where Noah’s family settled, the Near East. Those who migrated to the Americas, Australia, and southern Africa lost some genetic diversity. We can consider two levels of observing genetic diversity, first, what we see and, second, what DNA tells us. We can easily see eye color, skin color, and hair color. Looking at a globe, it is apparent that those with the most visual diversity meet in the Near East, the place of disembarkation from Noah’s Ark. From a DNA standpoint, one can look at the diversity of haplogroups, both Y-chromosomal and mitochondrial. The extremities are South Africa, Australia, and the Americas, which have only a few haplogroups. The location with the most haplogroups is, again, in the Near East.

To summarize our findings:

(1) From a Y-chromosome perspective, it appears that all humanity came from three male humans.

(2) Item (1) is not proof of the Biblical narrative concerning Noah’s three sons, but it is consistent with it. To prove it, one would have to sequence every human male ever born and analyze his genome. If anyone can trace an individual human Y Chromosome back to some basal mutation other than the three given, please let us know and comment below.

(3) We can now project Noah’s DNA; it is that of his three sons with no mutations.

(4) Our findings are consistent with the Bible, Sumerian history, and our current state of human diversity.

Future analysis It is now possible to know the Y-chromosome DNA of each of Noah’s grandchildren. This is in our job jar.

References:

1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2748900/#:~:text=The%20chromosomes%20were%20separated%20by,7.0%20%C3%97%2010%E2%88%928).

2 https://www.internationalgenome.org/

3 https://useast.ensembl.org/index.html

Appendix A

If you would like to repeat this analysis or add to it, the following is the step-by-step procedure we used.

Let’s start by taking someone from, perhaps, Peru and find out to which group he belongs. Did he come from Shem, Ham, or Japheth?

(1) We open Ensembl (https://useast.ensembl.org/index.html ). Leave everything default and enter rs9786139 in the upper right-hand box—hit enter.

(2) You should get a new window with the following “rs9786139 (Human Variant).” Click on it. Notice that the MAF is .38.

(3) Click on the ICON that says, “population genetics.” Scroll down to find “AMR” and the subgroup “PEL.” Click on the “PEL.” You can see that 95 percent of this group has a “G,” and 5 percent of the population have an “A.” Next, go to the far right of the “PEL” row and click on “show.” Each of the rows of this screen is an actual human being. You will notice that most of this group has a “G,” but a few have an “A.”

(4) Looking at the population genetics of those from PEL, Peru, you can see that a few Peruvians are from Ham, but most are from someone else. You can find out who by entering the defining mutations for Shem and Japheth. If you enter all the mutations and analyze the same Peruvian, you will see all his mutations are in one group or another. If you look at rs3900, you will see that most Peruvians are from Japheth.

(5) continue entering the mutations one by one, and you will see that our Peruvian is only from one group and has no mutations from any other group. If you do a significant number of individuals, please sent them to us.

Why Can’t Dogs and Other Animals Talk?

May 21, 2020Answers to Questions, Bible/Science, DNAadmin

When we first received this question, it seemed a bit silly, but after pondering it, it became quite intriguing. Why can’t dogs and other creatures speak? Wouldn’t it enhance our sojourn here on earth if they could?

By many, dogs are considered “man’s best friend.” There are nearly 90 million dogs in the United States. Dogs have some very distasteful habits; they are expensive to buy, feed, and keep, but we love them. Dogs are not judgmental and treat us as though we are important, no matter our social standing, net worth, jail record, or bad habits. Wouldn’t it enhance our relationship with dogs if we could converse with them? And how about bluebirds, rattlesnakes, dolphins, or elephants? They all see life through a different lens. Wouldn’t it broaden our knowledge to know their thoughts and life experiences?

Dogs have all the necessary DNA to build human-like larynxes, and dogs are sufficiently intelligent to converse with us. But, yet, they cannot. Why not?

The Bible gives us an excellent reason why animals should not dialogue with us. In the beginning, there was an animal called the “serpent,” which talked with Eve. The conversation did not go well. And, as a result, sin entered the world, cursing it and us. Whoa! Too bad the serpent could speak. Imagine if we could talk with wolves, mosquitoes, spiders, grizzly bears, and killer whales. What kind of sin would we learn from them?

There is one more Biblical account of an animal talking with a human. It is the account of Balaam and his donkey (Numbers 22:21-39). Balaam did wrong in the eyes of God, so God sent an angel to kill Balaam, but when Balaam’s donkey saw the angel with a drawn sword, the donkey turned aside to avoid the angel. Since Balaam did not see the angel, Balaam interpreted his donkey’s reaction as disobedience and beat him. This was repeated a second and third time. After the third beating, the Lord “opened the donkey’s mouth,” and the donkey gave Balaam a reproach. The Bible gives us a direct quote from the donkey’s mouth in the book of Numbers:

Numbers 22:28 Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
Numbers 22:29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.”
Numbers 22:30 And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.”
Numbers 22:31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face.
Numbers 22:32 And the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me.
Numbers 22:33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.”
Numbers 22:34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now, therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.”
Numbers 22:35 And the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak. (Bible – ESV)

So, the donkey did well; he is the hero of this account. Think about this: the donkey saved Balaam’s life and changed God’s purpose. God intended to kill Balaam, but the donkey prevented it. Here is one example of possible benefits from conversing with animals. But, in general, God prevents direct conversation with animals. Why?

A donkey has a brain one third the size of a human. An elephant has a brain more than four times larger than we humans, and the whale brain is bigger yet. Imagine what would happen if animals could routinely converse with us; things would change. It could ruin our having dominion over the animals, and we humans would no longer be special. Maybe the elephants and the whales would seize intellectual prowess. Perhaps humanity would be bombarded with too much information, much of which could be misinformation.

Also, the donkey had a visual connection to the spiritual world. The donkey could see the angel, whereas Balaam and his two servants could not. Do all animals have this ability? Maybe. If so, this is another potential problem. God wants us to connect with the spiritual world through Him. He does not want us to contact the spiritual world through mediums, fortune tellers, serpents, donkeys, or chickadees. God has given us the Holy Spirit to be our connection with the spiritual world, and any other source could mislead us.

Returning to dogs, consider having a hard day at your job, coming home, and looking forward to having a peaceful evening. Your spouse tells you the children are doing poorly in school, the dishwasher broke, and there were huge bills in the mail. You just want some peace and quiet, So, you go and sit in the back yard with your dog, Fido. Then Fido starts to complain about his day: tormented by the neighbor’s cat, not liking his food, wanting to go for more walks, upset that you took away his dead squirrel he rolls in, and wanting to visit his girlfriend on the next block. Would this conversation enhance your lifestyle? What if the bluebird wanted a better feeder? What if the snake reasoned that he wanted to spend the winter in your basement? How would you like to work in a meatpacking plant if the steers could talk? Etc. Etc. I am convinced that the optimum relationship with animals is the status quo.

In summary, there may be some advantages to talking with animals, but the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. If dogs and other animals could talk, I suggest that there could be several problems:

1. Our relationship with the animals would deteriorate.

2. We humans would have added outlets and temptations to sin.

3. God has decreed that we are created in His image and have dominance over all other creatures. The inability to talk with animals assures our dominance.

4. It would give us a channel to the spiritual world that could be detrimental. God has put us here to be isolated from a direct channel to the spiritual world. He wants us to live by faith and get our direction and teaching from the Bible as revealed by His Holy Spirit, not a dog, donkey, or chickadee.

Things are the way they are because the divine creation is perfectly suited for our nature and nurture.

Flood Effects on Radio-Carbon Dating

July 27, 2019Answers to Questions, Bible/Scienceadmin

Neanderthals have been carbon-dated to 30,000+ years before present; extinct dire wolves have been dated to 10,000+ years before present, and coal has been dated to 20,000+ years before present. However, the Bible proclaims a young earth, approximately 6,000 years old. How can these differences be rectified? We, at Genesis and Genetics, have concluded that the carbon levels are generally correct, but the calibration is wrong. Secular science assumes no significant catastrophes such as Noah’s flood; however, if we consider the flood, we find that:

Noah’s flood significantly influences radiocarbon dating.

This paper offers the following radio-carbon conversion chart, which can be used to convert secular science carbon dates to Biblical dates. This chart assumes that (1) the Bible dates are correct, and (2) a global catastrophic flood did happen, and (3) the secular radio-carbon values are correct. The following chart may be used to convert any secular science radiocarbon date to a Biblical date, or you can CLICK HERE to go to our Radiocarbon Biblical Date Calculator.

Figure 1 requires the following points of explanation:

1. All dates more recent than approximately 1,000 B.C. are the same for the secular and Biblical calibrations.
2. There is a human-made spike, the atomic bomb testing of the 1940s and 1950s. They are similar in form, and both had significant effects on Carbon 14 amounts.
3. The amount of Carbon 14/12 ratio before the flood was constant and decayed according to its half-life.
4. The Flood suddenly reduced Carbon 14/12 which explains how secular carbon dating is so different than Biblical. The year of the flood, 2348 B.C., renders vastly different fossil dates depending on the exact time of death of the creature being dated.
5. For some secular dates, there can be several Biblical dates. For instance, consider 10,000 B.C., the Biblical calculator gives three possibilities: 3398 B.C., 2348 B.C., and 2250 B.C. The 3398 B.C. date would be someone who died before the flood and had his grave washed to a place where anthropologists could find it. The 2348 B.C. date would be someone who died in the flood, not at the onslaught, but several weeks or months later. They would have lived on one of the massive rafts of debris or in a boat other than the Ark. The 2250 B.C. date would apply to one who died 98 years after the flood.\
6. The period between the flood and 1,000 B.C. was the flood-recovery period, which was also the ice age.

Background

God told Noah that He would destroy the earth with a flood (Genesis 6:13). The flood was a catastrophe of Biblical proportions. The land surface was washed, damaged, and resurfaced as the rains came down. The atmosphere was washed clean by the torrents of rain. The oceans were stirred as the fountains of the deep opened and accompanied by earthquakes and volcanoes. All these happenings changed the carbon quantities of the atmosphere, the land, and the sea.

The basis for Conversion Chart

Radiocarbon dating is a function of the ratio of the amount of carbon-14 divided by the amount of carbon-12. Figure 2 provides a time history estimate of carbon 14/12 levels in our atmosphere. This estimate is based on the assumptions that the carbon 14/12 levels were constant before the flood, dipped to very low levels during the flood, and recovered to the levels we have now. The highlighted numbers in Figure 2 correspond to the explanatory notes.

Additional Supporting Evidence for the Above

Atmospheric carbon values can change quickly.

Our world is continually balancing the amounts of carbon in the atmosphere, the oceans, and the soil, and this balance does not discriminate between carbon-12 and carbon-14, they mix homogeneously. Fortunately, we have data regarding sudden changes in carbon-14 levels and the atmosphere’s response to these sudden changes. There was a sudden injection of carbon 14 in the 1950s and 1960s during the atomic bomb tests, and these tests can help us understand the effects of sudden changes to carbon 14/12 levels. The nuclear testing caused the carbon 14 values to skyrocket in the atmosphere while the carbon 12 remained the same; carbon-14 levels doubled from the pre-atomic-testing values (Reference 1). Carbon 14 has a half-life of 5730 years and had it not been for the dry land and the oceans, it would have taken 10s of thousands of years to recover to the pre-atomic-testing levels, but, surprisingly, it recovered quickly, in just a few decades. Equilibrium was reached quickly due to the carbon-14 absorption in the land and sea. This atomic testing carbon-14 “spike” is depicted in Figures 1 and 2. This is a human-made spike, but the God-made “spike” can also be seen in both figures.

The deep oceans are deficient in carbon-14

Another point of evidence is that even today there are vast differences in the amount of carbon 14 in the various depths of water; for instance, right now, some of the deep ocean has water that carbon dates to 2400 years before present, and the average deep ocean water dates to 1400 years before present (Reference 2). Therefore, it is easy to conclude that the pre-flood deep oceans contained almost no carbon-14. Plus, this deep ocean water would mix with the “fountains of the deep” water which would contain no carbon-14 but much carbon-12.

The carbon-12 released by the earthquakes and volcanoes reduced the carbon-14/carbon-12 ratio.

Since carbon dating uses the ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12, the additional amount of carbon-12 would make the ratio smaller, which would also result in dates older than the true dates. Presently our atmosphere contains approximately 800 gigatons of carbon. This carbon comes from volcanoes and photosynthesis of plants. Currently, we are having volcanoes that occasionally erupt, but also emit small amounts of carbon while dormant, but during Noah’s flood, there would be massive eruptions and fissures spewing large amounts of carbon. This carbon would be pure and carbon-14 free.

Nearly 100 percent of the carbon in our body is replaced annually. (Reference 3)

The Biblical narrative implies that many creatures did not die at the flood onset. It appears that there were huge rafts of debris, possibly hundreds of miles in breadth and thousands of feet in depth. Therefore, creatures, including humans, could have survived for weeks or even months on these rafts of debris. The longer a human, animal, or plant survived would significantly affect their amount of carbon-14/12. Much radiocarbon testing uses collagen, which is replaced in the body rapidly.

The atmosphere was different before the flood.

We know that before the flood, there were giant insects such as dragonflies and cockroaches. These enormous insects and others have been documented in the fossil record (Reference 4). Secular science had concluded that these giant insects could only have lived at a time when the oxygen levels in the atmosphere were 30 to 50 percent higher than what we currently have. This ancient atmosphere would, most probably, have reduced the production of carbon-14 simply because there would be less nitrogen available to convert to carbon-14.

Summary

In summary, the global flood has a significant effect on carbon dating. The fountains of the deep opened, spewing out carbon-14-free water; the surface of the earth was covered with carbon-14-free silt; the massive volcanic eruptions flooded the atmosphere with carbon-12, and the carbon-14/carbon-12 ratio was reduced close to zero. Since carbon is replaced quickly in the body of living creatures, the exact time and circumstance of death affect the carbon dating results.

Takeaways from conversion chart

Here are some exciting takeaways we can collect from this chart in figure 1:

1. The “flood spike” of carbon 14/12 explains why secular scientists have concluded everything is older than the Biblical dates.

2. The Bible implies that all the creatures did not die until just a few months before the landing of the Ark; therefore, the carbon 14/12 ratio was changing rapidly in all living beings during this period. The resulting dates could vary by thousands of years. Looking at the chart in Figure 1, we can see a vertical line at the year 2348. During this single year, many humans, plants, and animals died. Some during the initial onslaught and some during the ten months or so while on rafts or boats. Each casualty reflected the carbon ratio at that time. Their bodies were rapidly replacing low carbon14 from the atmosphere and the food chain.

3. Any radiocarbon date more recent than 1000 B.C. is generally accurate whether the secular or Biblical flood calibrations are used.

4. The chart shows two spikes, one from the atomic bombs and one from the flood. Both spikes are abrupt and recover rapidly.

5. Example: Otzi, the Iceman has been dated to 5,300 years before present. Using the conversion curve, this would convert to 1900 B.C., which would mean that Otzi and Abraham were contemporaries. Otzi’s DNA clearly places him in the category of modern man.

6. Neanderthal fossils carbon-date to over 28,000 years or more. Converting the Neanderthal carbon dates to Biblical dates we can see that they all died in the flood.

References:

1.http://web.science.uu.nl/AMS/Radiocarbon.htm

2 https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2007JC004095

3.https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/g63l6/are_98_of_the_atoms_in_the_human_body_replaced/

4.https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/08/110808-ancient-insects-bugs-giants-oxygen-animals-science/

What Happens after Death?

November 23, 2018Answers to Questions, Bible/Science, DNAadmin

We live in the physical world; we have bodies and we have brains: we are living souls. We have personalities and we have memories. We have desires and we have goals. So, the question is do these personal possessions stay with us after death?

There have been many people who claim to have died, experienced the “other side,” and come back to tell about it. However, these accounts, as fascinating as they are, really cannot be trusted; there are many things that could affect their testimonies such as drugs and/or hallucinations due to lack of blood flow. Fortunately, we have an account in the Bible that can answer many of our questions, and since this account was told by Jesus himself, we know it is true. This account is about Lazarus and the rich man. This is not a parable, it is an actual account; we know this because specific names were used: Lazarus and Abraham, not just some generic Abraham, but “the” Abraham from the book of Genesis. Here is the Biblical account:

Luke 16:19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

Luke 16:20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,

Luke 16:21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.

Luke 16:22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried,

Luke 16:23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

Luke 16:24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

Luke 16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

Luke 16:26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’

Luke 16:27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—

Luke 16:28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’

Luke 16:29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’

Luke 16:30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

Luke 16:31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'” (ESV – words of Jesus in red)

From this account, we can answer the following questions: Where did they go? Did they keep their memory? Did they retain their physical bodies and senses? Did they keep their personalities? Let’s take these one at a time:

Where did they go?

Lazarus went to be with Abraham and was comforted (Luke 16:25); the rich man went to Hades where he was in torment (Luke 16:23). There was a deep chasm between the two places, and neither side could cross over to the other side, but they could see one another and verbally communicate from one side to the other.

Did they have memory after death?

Yes, they did have memory after their brains stopped working. Even though their neurons and dendrites rotted, their memory lived on. The rich man saw Lazarus and recognized him. Surprisingly, the rich man not only recognized Lazarus but also recognized Abraham; this would imply that the rich man had an enhanced memory/knowledge and awareness of things he had never seen. Continuing on, we also see that the rich man remembered that he had five brothers, another indication of his earthly memory. Abraham too had an enhanced awareness and memory; he spoke of Moses and the prophets, all of whom lived many years after Abraham died.

Did they have bodies and senses of sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste after death?

Both Lazarus and the rich man had bodies. We know that Lazarus had a body because he was seen by the rich man and recognized. The rich man was experiencing excessive heat and thirst; he wanted Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and touch his tongue (the rich man’s) so he could feel some cooling relief. This would indicate that he had a body and similar senses to those he had while alive on earth.

Lazarus was being comforted which would show that he was in a good spiritual as well as physical state. Also, we know that they all had eyes to see, ears to hear, tongues to taste, and fingers to touch. So, all of this would lead us to believe that our characters in this account had DNA and it was performing in a similar fashion to how it performed before death.

Did they keep their personality after death?

It appears that the rich man did keep his personality. The rich man was accustomed to getting his way by ordering people around. In this account, the rich man implored Abraham to order Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool his (the rich man’s) tongue, and also ordered Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to witness to his five brothers. The rich man knew that Abraham was high in the spiritual realm, but assumed that Lazarus was still a lowly outcast. Therefore, the rich man presumed that his power and authority conveyed to life after death. He presumed that both he and Abraham were men of importance, and therefore Lazarus, the low man, should do tasks when ordered. Abraham, however, did not hearken to the demands of the rich man and reproved him.

Note: This account mentions Lazarus by name, but not the rich man; he is simply referred to as the “rich man.” This shows us that Jesus knew Lazarus, but not the rich man. This is consistent with many scriptures including Luke 13:27 and Matthew 7:23:

Luke 13:27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

Matthew 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Final thoughts

It is important to understand that this account of life after death was before the resurrection of Jesus. The New Testament teaches that when Christians die, they instantly go to be with Jesus. However, the account of Lazarus and the rich man presents some interesting clues concerning memories, senses, DNA, and personalities. It also implies that, like Abraham, we will inherit enhanced awareness, knowledge, and memory.

One clue is missing from this account, and that is the words of Lazarus. Wouldn’t it be interesting to hear Lazarus’ thoughts? Would he have said to the rich man: “Now you are getting yours,” or “I forgive you,” or “I do not know you?” Perhaps Lazarus was being spared the unpleasantness of dealing with the rich man, but for now, his thoughts remain a mystery.

Dear children and friends, The Bible is truth and the account of Lazarus, the rich man and Abraham may be used to better understand “the other side.”

Which Came First – the Chicken or the Egg? The Bible and Science

July 12, 2018Answers to Questions, Bible/Scienceadmin

This has been a topic of debate for more than 2000 years, but with the latest finding in genetics, it appears those who say the “chicken” are on the winning side. The present writer says the “chicken” based solely on the Biblical narrative, but I am pleased to pass on the recent scientific findings that support the Biblical stance.

We can start by summarizing what we know about chickens, eggs, and genetics:

Chickens and their eggs have the same DNA. A chicken’s DNA is set at conception and remains the same no matter the form: egg, chick, pullet, capon, hen or rooster.
Chickens are domestic animals whose purpose is laying eggs. Some lay up to 300 eggs per year.
Chickens have a gene which allows them to produce an egg with a shell in less than 24 hours. This gene is unique to chickens. No other egg-laying creature has it.
Chickens are a unique species: Gallus gallus. There are many colors, shapes, and sizes, but only one species.

Previously, those who accepted evolutionary biology said that the egg came first. This was based on the notion that a near chicken mated with another near chicken and produced a chicken egg. This chicken egg hatched and found another chicken that was conceived by two near chickens. The two chickens mated and Gallus gallus made its debut as a viable species. Case closed! Well, not quite! say some of their peers. Recent genetic studies found that chickens have a unique gene called ovocledidin-17 (Oc17) ¹. Without the proteins produced by this gene, a chicken cannot lay an egg. This causes trouble with the “egg first” thinking since near chickens could not lay a chicken egg because they didn’t have the Oc17 gene. So, if the egg couldn’t come first, it had to be the chicken. It would be impossible for an egg from two near chickens to develop a complex gene which produces a protein with 142 amino acids. You would need two eggs that could accomplish this feat and coexist at the same time and place. This defies any imagination of probability and is a severe problem for those putting their money on the egg. The ancient philosopher, whoever he or she was, couldn’t have picked a worse example for the evolutionists. He or she could have picked any other egg-laying creature and would have avoided this inconvenient truth. On the other hand, for we creationists, the Bible is once again shown to be Rock solid.

It must be said that the evolutionary stance is still not dead. The chicken is said to be the closest living relative to the T-rex (Tyrannosaurus rex). Since we do know whether or not the T-Rex had the Oc17 gene, the case is not closed.

Now, let’s look at the Biblical narrative. The Bible says that all things were created in six days, this includes the wild and domestic birds. The Bible also states that all things were created after their kind and that they reproduce after their kind. Therefore, the Bible, which does not change with the ages or “latest” hypotheses, is and has always been clear:

Gallus gallus was created during the first six days of the creation. It was a chicken and it mated with other chickens that were also created during the creation week.
Gallus gallus reproduces after its kind and produces more chickens.
The chicken was created for man. It has the ovocledidin-17 protein, which separates them from other species and allows us to raise chickens and have plenty of fresh eggs.
Also, the Gallus gallus species has sufficient genetic diversity to produce egg-laying chickens and meat chickens. Some chickens lay beautifully colored eggs and some chickens have silky feathers. They were divinely created for us. They are like dogs, they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors to be useful and pleasing to mankind.

Dear friends and children, the Bible gets it right every time. It is Rock solid and can be trusted, eternally.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/100313508

Why Did God Create Plant Life before the Sun?

August 21, 2017Answers to Questions, Bible/Scienceadmin

Did God make a mistake by creating the plants before creating the sun? Everyone knows that photosynthesis requires light. How could the Creator of the universe make such an error? Or, maybe He didn’t.

First of all, we must realize that Genesis chapter 1 was peer-reviewed by Jesus, and He accepted it as is. Therefore, these Scriptures must be correct. God created vegetation on day three (Genesis 1:11-13) and created the sun on day four (Genesis 1:14-19). So, how does this make sense?

Point one: Photosynthesis and heat were not lacking on day three since God created light on day 1.

Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (KJV)

Therefore, on day three, there was no shortage of light or heat; it’s just that the source was not the sun; it was Jesus.

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying,
I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (KJV Jesus’ words in red)

Point two: At the end of the age, again, there will be light but no sun, as clearly stated in the Bible:

Revelation 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (KJV)

So, concerning the question, “Why did God create the plants before the sun?” the answer is: the sequence of creation of the sun and plant life doesn’t matter, but it highlights what is essential, and that is that Jesus is the eternal source of light. So, what is the purpose of the sun? The Bible tells us it is to rule the day, and it is for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years (Genesis 1:14-16). The sun is an essential element in the creation, but it is temporal. It supplies light for our brief sojourn here on earth, but one day the sun will cease from shining, and Jesus will provide us with not only our physical light needs but also our spiritual light needs. Jesus is the Light.

Adam’s Complexion and Hair Color

July 13, 2017Answers to Questions, Bible/Science, DNA, Neanderthaladmin

Recent genetic discoveries coupled with Scriptures lead us to an intriguing possibility: Adam had red hair and a ruddy, or rosy, complexion. This notion is based on the following three pieces of evidence:

(1) The name Adam means “red.”

(2) Adam’s complexion was tuned for the early atmosphere.

(3) Neanderthal had a ruddy/rosy complexion.

(1) The name “Adam” means “red.” Look it up in any dictionary in any language and it means “red.” It comes from the Hebrew word “adam” which means “red” (Strong’s ref H119, H120). So, why would God call the first human “red?” I have known several people in my life who were called “red,” and they all had red hair and rosy complexions. We also know that the Bible proclaims that the life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). Adam was formed out of the dust of the ground (also from the Hebrew H119 meaning redness), received the breath of life, and became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). The blood is arguably the centerpiece of creation: it gives us life and is the source of redemption (Hebrews 9:12). If Adam was, in fact, rosy, his complexion would display this centerpiece of the creation – the blood.

(2) Adam’s complexion was tuned for the early atmosphere. The early atmosphere was different from what we have now. The fossil evidence shows us that there were giant dragonflies, mammoth millipedes, and huge cockroaches, just to name a few. These insects could not survive in our present atmosphere and would have required 30 to 50 percent more oxygen than we have presently.^{(Ref 1)} This early atmosphere would affect vitamin D production in humans. It is known that rosy complexioned people are very efficient at producing vitamin D from sunlight. It follows that the complexion of those who occupied the Earth before the flood was various shades of “rosy” in order to optimize vitamin D production. Then, the darker shades of skin pigment were activated after the flood to accommodate the new ecosystem. Had the darker skin pigments been activated before the flood, there could have been problems with inadequate production of vitamin D which typically result in rickets, bone deformities, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, asthma, cancer, and/or physiological problems. These ailments would not be consistent with the Creators proclamation that the entire creation was “very good” (Genesis 1:31) in the beginning.

(Technical note: Increased oxygen, by itself, would not significantly reduce the amount of ultraviolet radiation on the surface of the Earth, but ozone which does filter ultraviolet radiation is a product of oxygen. The assumption being that a higher percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere would result in a more protective ozone layer.)

In the beginning, God gave the command, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth.” We can be confident that He also gave man the genetics to provide the optimum skin and hair color to fulfill this charge. Then, after the flood, when Noah disembarked from the Ark, God again gave the decree to “fill the earth.” Again, with this decree, we can be assured that the Creator activated the proper DNA, optimizing skin pigment variation. If one looks at the present distribution of skin pigmentation on the globe, it is obvious the darker skin colors inhabit the equatorial regions and the lighter skin colors occupy the more northern and southern latitudes.

(3) Neanderthal had a ruddy/rosy complexion.

We at Genesis and Genetics have concluded that Neanderthal is, in fact, antediluvian man (i.e. pre-flood man) ^{(Ref 2)}. If we are correct, Neanderthal is the key to understanding Adam and our roots. Two Neanderthals have been sequenced for the Mc1R gene (this gene is known to determine rate and type of pigment production thereby determining hair color and skin color). The two Neanderthals had the Val92Met ^{(Ref 3)} and Arg307Gly ^{(Ref 4)}variations of this gene, both of which are known to produce red hair and rosy complexions. It is important to point out that one Neanderthal fossil was found in Italy and the other found in Spain, leading us to suppose they were not closely related. It is not known whether these variations in Neanderthals are dominant or recessive; it is also not known if the Neanderthals had one or two copies of these variations. Therefore, we must wait to know how much variation in hair color and complexion the Neanderthals had. Today, approximately one percent of the world population has red hair. So, if Neanderthals had the same mix, the probability of testing one Neanderthal and finding it had red hair would be 1 in 100. The probability of finding two unrelated ruddy Neanderthals would be 1 in 10,000. Therefore, it is reasonable to consider that a greater percentage of Neanderthals had red hair and rosy complexions than modern humans and they inherited them from Adam.

Neanderthals have been of keen interest among anthropologists for many years. There are many Neanderthal fossils and DNA sequences which have inspired scientists to make replicas based on the best evidence. These replicas of Neanderthal generally have red hair and rosy complexions.

Summary

Adam’s hair color and skin complexion have been a great mystery, but we are getting closer to the answer. Based on the Biblical meaning of the name “Adam”, the knowledge of the early atmosphere characteristics, and the consideration that Neanderthal is Adam’s close offspring, we at Genesis and Genetics are persuaded that Adam had red hair and a rosy complexion.

References:
(1) http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/08/110808-ancient-insects-bugs-giants-oxygen-animals-science/
(2) https://www.genesisandgenetics.org/2013/11/08/177/

(3) Qiliang Ding, Ya Hu, Shuhua Xu, Chuan-Chao Wang, Hui Li, Ruyue Zhang, Shi Yan, Jiucun Wang, Li Jin; Neanderthal Origin of the Haplotypes Carrying the Functional Variant Val92Met in theMC1R in Modern Humans. Mol Biol Evol 2014; 31 (8): 1994-2003. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msu180

(4) A Melanocortin 1 Receptor Allele Suggests Varying, Science 318, 1453 (2007);Carles Lalueza-Fox, et al., Pigmentation Among Neanderthals DOI: 10.1126/science.1147417

The Sons of God and the Daughters of Man (and Giants)

February 6, 2015Answers to Questionsadmin

In the book of Genesis, there is a very interesting scripture that states:

“… the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” (Genesis 6:2)

This scripture is nestled in with other scriptures that talk about population increase, giants, great wickedness, and culminates with God confessing that He was broken hearted (Genesis 6:6); He was broken-hearted to the point of being sorry He had made mankind (also Genesis 6:6). Here are the scriptures in context:

Genesis 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Genesis 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Genesis 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Genesis 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Genesis 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. (KJV)

What does all this mean? Let’s start by reviewing the early history of man: God created man (Adam) in God’s image and this creation was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Then, Adam sinned and became a mortal being, separated from God and destined to die. However, God was pleased with one of Adam’s sons, Abel, who was righteous; but, Cain, Adam’s other son, killed Abel. The Bible states that Abel’s works were righteous and Cain’s were evil (1 John 3:12). Then, God raised up Seth as a replacement for Abel (Genesis 4:25), and Seth was righteous like Abel. At this time, there was a separation of those from Cain and those from Seth (Genesis 4:16) until the sons of God (those from Seth) saw that the daughters of men (those from Cain) were fair and took them as wives; this resulted in an irreversible mixing of the righteous and unrighteous lines.

Concerning the giants i.e. Nephilim, there are some who believe that these giants were the result of angels taking the daughters of men as wives, supposing that the sons of God were angels. This notion originated in the book of Enoch which has been accepted as neither the Hebrew Holy Scriptures nor as Christian Bible Canon. Our conclusion is that this human-angel hybridization is contrary to both the scriptures and the genetic data. Here are our reasons:

(1) The scriptures (Genesis 6:4) clearly state that the giants existed before the sons of God took the daughters of men as wives.

. . . there were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men. (Genesis 6:4)

(2) The scriptures are clear that angels don’t marry. The following are the words of Jesus:

Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. (Matthew 22:29-30; Words of Jesus in red)

(3) Humans have souls, i.e. flesh and blood, and angels do not.

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

Adam became a “living soul.” Angels are spirits and do not have flesh and blood. They can dwell in flesh and blood, but they do not have their own flesh and blood.

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
(Luc 24:39 – words of Jesus in red)

(4) We have much genetic data that has been collected over the last few decades and it shows that all human DNA can be traced to one woman and one man. Any foreign, non-human DNA would appear and be noticeable. In this case, modern humans would have two origins of Y-chromosome DNA since the fathers of some would be angels and the fathers of other would be human. This is not the case.

(5) Here is another portion of scripture that speaks for itself:

Hebrews 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Hebrews 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

The giants most probably had the genetic mutation which causes (gigantism, or acromegaly). Do a search on either of these words and you can read all about it. These early giants were probably the first evidence of genetic mutations and were called “Nephilim” which, in the original Hebrew, has the sense of giant, bully, and tyrant; so, they were large and took advantage of their size being bullies and tyrants, like Goliath.

Conclusion: This is an important part of human history when the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair and took them as wives; it helps us understand who we are and how we got to where we are. Also, the notion that sons of God were angels is, in our opinion, a myth.