The Evidence of God

I notice the handiwork of God in life - infused throughout all living things; His will for creation revealed throughout existence. Doubters say the existence of God must be proved, but they fail to remove the blinders from their eyes and see that proof right before them, and feel that proof within themselves - the fact that they even are.

You can see a benevolent and ingenious creator in the diversity of life from the smallest grain, the most colorful fruit, and the beautiful canvas of nature to the way life compliments each other - all having a unique and unequivocal purpose.

Could such a varied and magnificent creation of life and all living things happen by chance? No - God's loving masterpiece is at work - through us, and the world that surrounds us. Our bodies were designed to fit in harmoniously with this earth, as do the animals who labor with us, feed us, clothe us, and comfort us. Only a loving God could make such a home for us.

Robert L. Herrman, a scientist, was quoted as saying:

"Everywhere you look in science, the harder it becomes to understand the universe without God."

Have you really looked?

What's more, biblical accounts of major events have often been proven to be true.

Recently, I watched The Exodus Decoded on the History Channel - a fascinating and spellbinding two hour documentary rife with facts, which left me convinced, and moved.

Basically, they placed the time of the Exodus around 1500 B.C.E, during the reign of Pharaoh Ahmose (his mummy and that of one of his wives was also shown). Ahmose, by the way, means "The brother of Moses" in Hebrew.

Engraved on the Ahmose Stele was a catastrophic event describing potent, rare storms and that Egypt was enveloped in darkness. The inscription goes on to say that God, in the plural (Egyptians worshipped many Gods), manifested His power through those storms.

A granite monument, El Arish, details the Exodus from Pharaohs point of view. Moses is called "a prince of the desert" and the Israelites (referred to as Hyksos) are called "the evil ones," but the bible calls them God's people. The granite confirms the parting of the sea and went on to give a location; Lake El Balah; in Hebrew that means "the lake where God devoured."

The lake survived until the 1800's when the Swiss canal was built, and is nearly gone now.

In 1500 B.C.E, in conjunction with the rare storms, Ahmose expelled a foreign nation called the Hyksos - Semites like the Israelites. One of these Hyksos slaves left an engraving where he labored. It read, "God, help me."

Interestingly enough, in that area were discovered nine royal rings, which belonged to the biblical Joseph - the Israelite who became as powerful as Pharaoh in the days before the Israelites were forced into slavery. Upon the rings were inscribed, "Yakov - Joseph's father." This was the only time a Hebrew name appears on royal rings.

The documentary goes on to discuss the Santorini eruption, dated by archaeologists at having occurred around 1500 B.C.E. This eruption killed off the Minoan civilization living there. Her ash was found in the Nile Delta. The ash cloud measured 40 kilometers up and 200 kilometers across. The sound encircled the earth 10-12 times.

This eruption may have caused the 10 biblical plagues.

Moses demanded of Pharaoh, "Let my people go." 10 times Pharaoh refused. And so, God manipulated nature. Could it be that the Santorini eruption triggered these events?

1. Water to Blood
This can be explained by an eruption which occurred in Cameroon during 1986; the water of Lake Nyos turned blood red as the result of underground gas leaks.

2. Frogs
When water becomes devoid of oxygen due to gas leaks, frogs jump out and their influx leads to lice, flies, etc.

3. Gnats
These are a result of the frog infestation.

4. Flies
So are these.

5. Livestock Diseased
And this.

6. Boils
The people of Lake Nyos developed boils and blisters following the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo.

7. Thunder and Hail
This was corroborated by the Egyptian Ipuwer papyrus, which revealed natural disasters and the arrival of ice and fire which fell from the sky. Scientifically, this is called Volcanic hail.

8. Locusts
Weather disruptions following the eruption forced locusts to land in Egypt.

9. Darkness
The volcanic blowout sent an ash cloud that reached the Nile Delta and covered Egypt in darkness.

10. Death of the Firstborn
Carbon dioxide seeped to the surface and a small quake would have released the deadly gas. Carbon Dioxide is heavier than air so it affects low lying areas once it moves upon land. This would suffocate sleeping people and animals, like it did in the Lake Nyos disaster when 1,800 people died, as well as numerous animals. The ones who survived did so because they slept on higher ground.

In Egypt, males had a privileged position in the household and were given the choicest sleeping arrangements - Egyptian beds, low to the ground. Everyone else slept on higher ground. The Israelites, at the time of this last plague, were up having their first Passover meal and were not affected. Archaeology backs this as one mass grave, again dated to 1500 B.C.E, was discovered containing the remains of males, all of whom died at the same time. The bible states that Pharaohs own son died, and Ahmose's son, whose coffin was shown on the documentary, died at the age of 12.

It was this last plague and the select discrimination that persuaded Pharaoh to let the Israelites go.

And that brings us to the parting of the red sea, translated to "reed" sea. Seismic activity would cause plates to move and for a short amount of time, ground would have been revealed, with water rushing from high level areas to lower, allowing the passing of the Israelites. Further seismic activity would have then sent a tsunami inland, sweeping the Egyptian army to their deaths.

Proof of this can be seen on various Egyptian inscriptions, which are shown in the documentary.

The climax of the documentary was pinpointing (through biblical coordinates) the real Mt. Sinai; Hashem El Tarif. Seeing this small mountain was remarkably moving, and a powerful moment. Hashem El Tarif had evidence of an ancient spring, also mentioned in the bible, and an area for a natural amphitheater, which Moses used to speak to the Israelites.

Out of all the documentaries I've seen regarding the Exodus, The Exodus Decoded was the most persuasive.

While my faith doesn't need scientific proof, it's captivating to see the bible brought to life; the area and mountain where people named in the bible once walked, survived and worshipped.

The miracles are right before you; all you have to do is see and believe.