Christopher Columbus Embarked on a Bold Journey

At age 40, Christopher Columbus embarked on a bold journey that would become a turning point in human history. It marked the start of demographic, commercial, economic, social, and political changes. This event began what is now called the “Columbian Exchange.” That exchange involved plants—corn, potatoes, beans, squash, cocoa, and other foods were brought from America to Europe and Africa. Wheat from Europe was introduced into America. Animals such as cattle, horses, and pigs, which were unknown in the Americas, were brought over from Europe. Sadly, European explorers also brought slavery and diseases that killed many in the New World.

Columbus claimed that one of the reasons for his journey was to bring Christianity to the people he thought were natives of the East Indies. Although Columbus made four trips to the region, he never acknowledged it as anything other than the East Indies. Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci was the first to realize it was a New World, which is why we call it America.

Going much further back in time, after the Flood, God told Noah and his family to “multiply and fill the Earth” (Genesis 9:1 and 9:7). Instead of obeying that command, they devised their own plan to build a tall tower to make a name for themselves (Genesis 11:4). God responded to their rebellion in Genesis 11:7-9 by forcing them to disperse.

According to Hugh Ross, land bridges once connected Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia, making migration possible. The land bridge in the Bering Strait between Siberia and Alaska was covered with too much ice for humans to cross until about 16,500 years ago. Once it became passable, people from Asia entered the Americas until the sea level rose due to melting ice about 11,000 years ago, causing the land bridge to disappear.

Losing the Bering Strait land bridge meant the Americas were cut off from the Old World and the Gospel message until Columbus’s time. Europeans began arriving in the New World, including the Pilgrims and missionaries. Although not everything they brought was positive, the Good News was the greatest gift to the New World, and today we benefit from the fact that Christopher Columbus embarked on a bold journey.

— Roland Earnst © 2025

References: Hugh Ross, Noah’s Flood Revisited, chapter 11, and wikipedia.org