Meteorology and Biblical Inspiration

[tomwindsor]

Meteorology and the Bible --- by G.Thomas Windsor

There are various examples in Scripture related to the field of meteorology that give evidence of Divine inspiration. Some of these are in what ancient writers described thousands of years ago. Things that they couldn't have known or that aren't self evident. These truths have only been discovered in modern times .

Some of the more well known are as follows:

The hydrological cycle (evaporation /transportation /condensation of water around the globe)

Job 36:27-28 " For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapor thereof: Which the clouds do drop [and] distill upon man abundantly. "; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD [is] his name. (KJV)

Eccl. 1:7* "All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again."

Jeremiah 10:13 " When He utters His voice, There is a multitude of waters in the heavens:

And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth."

Also Amos 9.6 " he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth"

The concept that air has weight

Job 28:25 "To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. "(KJV)

*Also in Job 37 "by watering he wearieth (to make heavy ) the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud"

The Jet Stream circuit

The large "rivers" of winds that circle the globe are described in Ecclesiastes 1.

It states, "the wind .. blows round and round on its circuits... " )(NET)

Ecclesiastes 1:6*(KJV) "The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits."

The "Whirlwind" in Scripture

Relating to the jet stream, let us go to a more detailed look at the subtle atmospheric characteristics the Bible makes reference to that wouldn't be discerned by visual observation in ancient times. These are some lesser known evidences of inspiration. The Scripture speaks so much about whirling winds when they are actually statistically very rare to behold (even for those living in highest probability areas.)

In the natural world, whirlwinds/tornadoes are devastating. These violent rotating columns of air can lift up almost everything in their path, scattering vast amounts of materials far distances down wind.

There are spots on the globe where favorable terrain, etc., helps create this dynamic as in the central States of the US. The Middle East is also such an area. Certain other major factors create this weather ; simplistically stated, colder drier air slams into very humid warmer air. Next, the turning and veering in the direction of the winds at differing heights creates the rotating columns (" the pillars of cloud " to use another biblical term) and explosive updrafts .

These are essential in the formation of the mesocyclone.

So we have two main factors A- rotation and B- updraft

The principle of rotation

Job 37:12 " The clouds go round in circles, wheeling about according to his plans,to carry out all that he commands them over the face of the whole inhabited world, v-13.

(NET)

In another translation it states " And it is turned round about by his counsels: that they may do whatsoever he commandeth them upon the face of the world in the earth ( kjv. )"

The large scale movement of air takes the shape of a meandering river.

Although winds generally move in a linear direction, they also contain many circuitous swirling movements. Also, amongst the movement of bodies of air, countless eddies are produced like in a turbulent flow of water .

The earth's wind streams have areas of clockwise rotations and counterclockwise rotations on many scales.

On a continental view, one could have a very large upper level cyclonic area of the atmosphere that can form mesocyclones (a rotating "supercell" thunderstorm) at lower levels. These can spawn tornadoes which themselves can have within them multiple vortices. These all wheel around, from the massive pinwheel of a hurricane hundreds of miles across in size, to the swirling dust-devil in a hot farmer's field.

The Bible makes a connection with the whirlwind in a repetitive them of whirling wheels and chariots (Jeremiah. 4:13; Daniel. 11:40; Isaiah 5:28; Zechariah. 6:5; Psalm 104:4; Isaiah 66:15 .)

The principle of updraft

Typically, these thunderstorms have visible large-scale cloud rotation, even if it doesn't produce an actual tornado that touches the ground. The people at that time when the Scripture was penned didn't understand the rapid updraft in severe storms. However, they wrote of Elijah having been taken up in the whirlwind into heaven. 2Ki.2:11 - "As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire .... And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. "

Also, in the updraft portion of a severe storm a trained eye can observe clouds lifting upwards and infolding upon themselves as it rotates around.

Ezek. 1:4

And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire."

Speaking of this whirlwind it states in the Greek, "I beheld (pneuma) a wind (exairon) lifting up." In the Hebrew it can also translate to "touching itself around," as "in a circle.")

This is incidentally probably one of the earliest historical accounts of a mesocyclone.

The " rolling " of the heavenly winds

When there is a turning or a veering in the direction of the winds at differing heights (low level winds and the upper jet stream winds,) this creates a "rolling " effect in the clouds of the thunderstorm which is thought to spawn tornadoes at the surface. So we have horizontal and vertical turning in the atmosphere .

This rolling of the atmosphere helps produce a spiraling updraft .

The Bible also speaks of this effect as in Revelation 6 (see also Isaiah 34): " 13.....even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together" (KJV.)

It is interesting that another passage may speak of this concept. When God delivered his people at the Red Sea (remember the pillar of cloud) it was described in this way: "The crash of thy thunder was in the whirlwind,..." (Psm. 77.) Other translations state "The thunder of your (God's) chariot wheels resounded; your lightning lit up the world; " (NAB.) In another translation it states "the voice of thy thunder in a wheel.... ". (D.R. B.)

Here the psalmist uses the Hebrew word for "wheels" (GalGal) by an analogy and metaphor in describing the storms in the heavens and again portrays the heavens as in a rolling dynamic.

Nature is transcendent

God uses the natural physical heavens and winds to teach us of the heavenly spiritual world. This metaphor for the spirit is used more than any other in the Bible. The Old testament prophets saw these and other storms as revelations and manifestations of His glory. The physical heavens (with its clouds and the winds) is the shadow of the true realities for "The heavens declare his glory" (Psm.19 . )

About the author --- G.Thomas Windsor is a storm chaser and does weather photography.

www.upwardcall.net

Edited March 11, 2008 by tomwindsor

[sheya joie]

As I recall, while Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873) was recovering from an illness, a family member sat by his bed reading to him from the Book of Psalms when this verse caught Maury's attention:

Psalm 8:8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

Intrigued by the notion of paths in the seas, Maury set about to map the currents of the ocean, and is still hailed as the 'Pathfinder of the Seas.'

[DozyBen]

Sorry to disappoint but the writings in scripture don't give evidence of divine inspiration. They're recordings of the world as they saw it at the time. It's fairly logical that rainfall is water from the seas. Where else would they think it came from?

What they didn't know then was that the hydrological cycle was completely natural and so they attributed the process to a supernatural being. It's similar to Thor causing thunder and lightening.

Personally I see statements like those you quoted as evidence against the existence of God. All these processes that were once attributed to Him are now just part of the natural order of things. He once had this as part of what defined Him but He longer does. How much of there is left?

[mead]

Sorry to disappoint but the writings in scripture don't give evidence of divine inspiration. They're recordings of the world as they saw it at the time. It's fairly logical that rainfall is water from the seas. Where else would they think it came from?

What they didn't know then was that the hydrological cycle was completely natural and so they attributed the process to a supernatural being. It's similar to Thor causing thunder and lightening.

Personally I see statements like those you quoted as evidence against the existence of God. All these processes that were once attributed to Him are now just part of the natural order of things. He once had this as part of what defined Him but He longer does. How much of there is left?

Non believers, you spend so much time convincing yourself and others the Lord does not exist. There is so much more left, but my Father doesn't share those things with people who do not love and fear Him. My Father doesn't need anything to define Him, there wouldn't be enough space on this Earth and in it to contain the books that would have record of all my Father's terrible and glorious wonders.

Edited March 31, 2008 by mead4935

[mead]

Sorry to disappoint but the writings in scripture don't give evidence of divine inspiration. They're recordings of the world as they saw it at the time. It's fairly logical that rainfall is water from the seas. Where else would they think it came from?

What they didn't know then was that the hydrological cycle was completely natural and so they attributed the process to a supernatural being. It's similar to Thor causing thunder and lightening.

Personally I see statements like those you quoted as evidence against the existence of God. All these processes that were once attributed to Him are now just part of the natural order of things. He once had this as part of what defined Him but He longer does. How much of there is left?

Non believers, you spend so much time convincing yourself and others the Lord does not exist. There is so much more left, but my Father doesn't share those things with people who do not love and fear Him. My Father doesn't need anything to define Him, there wouldn't be enough space on this Earth and in it to contain the books that would have record of all my Father's terrible and glorious wonders.

He doesn't share? What is this like a secret club? Get a life. The entire world, the entire universe is out there for people to investigate and make an attempt to understand. Are you suggesting that God does not want us to do that? People have to kowtow to him and then he'll tell them???

I enjoy you nonbelievers,lol. Why would my Father give anything to someone who doesn't love and believe in Him, unless He deemed them worthy of it? You are lucky though, my Father's blessings fall on the righteous and the unrighteous. Yes the universe is there, yes to many other things you may senselessly argue. Get a life,lol, got one brother, full of love and wisdom... end of story. I will remember you in my prayers.

Edited April 1, 2008 by mead4935