Bible Archives

May 14, 2026May 13, 2026

Space Aliens and Disclosure Day

There has been an explosion of comments in the news media and on social media about space aliens and Disclosure Day, following President Trump’s order to release previously classified information on UAPs (UFOs). At the same time, a “blockbuster” movie by Steven Spielberg is set to be released on June 12, 2026. Its title is Disclosure Day, based on a story by Spielberg, a firm believer in extraterrestrials.

Social media contains comments that the government’s disclosure of information about UAPs will challenge traditional religious beliefs. The current print issue of Moviemaker magazine features an interview with David Koepp, the screenwriter of the Disclosure Day movie. When the interviewer asked him if he believed in aliens, he compared aliens to God or religion. He said, “My personal belief is the same as my personal belief in God, which is why I think religion is an important part of Disclosure Day.” He goes on to say that his favorite theory about aliens is, “Yes, other intelligent life forms exist. Yes, they’ve been here. They may even be here now. We can’t perceive them.”

Thus far, what the government has released from its secret files is not much more than grainy pictures of objects in the sky that seem to move erratically, filmed from a distance. There doesn’t seem to be anything different from what we have seen before. Concerning space aliens and Disclosure Day, Spielberg claims that the movie will contain “more truth than fiction” and will “upend all established order.” That sounds to me like overblown promotional hoopla designed to sell more tickets.

What if the government released materials that conclusively demonstrated that aliens are visiting our planet? Would it mean the end of Christian faith? Would it refute the Bible? The answer is no and no. The Bible deals with the creation of the universe (Genesis 1:1) and the creation of life upon the Earth (the rest of Genesis 1 and 2). It also tells us that God created spiritual beings. It does not tell us whether God created physical creatures elsewhere within the universe. Even if God created life on other planets within the universe, which is questionable, and even if we learned that aliens have visited Earth, that would not refute the existence of God. Those other creatures would have to have been created by God. Only an intelligent force outside of the universe could have created what is within the universe.

Fred Hoyle and other scientists have advanced the idea of “panspermia,” meaning that life on Earth was seeded by aliens from elsewhere in the universe. There is absolutely no evidence for that, but even if true, it would not explain where those intelligent beings came from. It has been scientifically established that the universe had a beginning. That was the beginning of time, space, matter, and energy, so whatever caused the universe’s origin was outside of time and space and not material. That is the way the Bible describes God. Don’t let space aliens and Disclosure Day interfere with your faith in the one who created all things. (See Colossians 1:15-16.)

Reference: moviemaker.com

May 8, 2026May 4, 2026

Creating a Smell Map

It is easy to overlook the importance of the sense of smell. Smell affects human health and safety. The sense of smell plays an essential role in the taste of food. It can also warn us of spoiled or unsafe food by its rancid odor. Smell can give pleasure, as with the fragrance of flowers, or make us nauseated, as when we smell a foul odor. Fragrances can bring back pleasant memories. The loss of smell can cause depression. With those things in mind, researchers are creating a smell map.

Maps of the receptors for vision, hearing, and touch have been developed previously, but this research was the first to create a detailed map of the receptors for smell. The research began by studying the smell receptors in mice. The challenge in creating a smell map is that it is more complex than the other senses. There are only three main receptor types needed for color vision, but mice have 20 million olfactory neurons and more than 1,000 types of odor receptors that detect unique subsets of odor molecules.

Before creating a smell map, the prevailing theory was that the smell receptors were randomly placed. The study showed that smell receptors form horizontal stripes from the top of the nose to the bottom, and the order matches the brain’s olfactory bulb. Further study will explore human olfactory receptors to compare them with those in mice.

This research is important because it will help scientists develop therapies for people who have lost their sense of smell, as has sometimes been the case with COVID-19. As we learn more about how the sense of smell works, we see evidence of design. The bottom line is that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalms 139:14). The design of life, and especially the human body, shows evidence of a Designer, not random chance.

Reference: Harvard Medical School hms.harvard.edu

May 7, 2026May 4, 2026

Humans Are Viruses on the Earth – or Not

Humans Are Viruses on the Earth – Influenza Virus — Influenza virus 3D illustration

Perhaps you have seen posts or comments online claiming that humans are viruses on the Earth. The argument is that human numbers are growing, and we “feed parasitically on the body of the Earth.” They say we are swarming over the Earth and leaving no part of the planet “untouched by our pollution and destruction.”

The mantra is that humans move into an area, multiply until they consume all the natural resources, then move on to another area, like a virus. Critics suggest that all other mammals live in equilibrium with their surroundings, whereas humans behave like viruses that spread and consume resources. So the question they ask is whether humans are a disease, a cancer, or a virus on the Earth, what are we going to do about it? How can we stop this human virus?

As Christians, we believe that humans were made in God’s image and that God entrusted the first humans and us with taking care of the planet and ruling over it (see Genesis 1:28). Perhaps we’ve done a better job of ruling over the planet than of taking care of it. Some have pointed out that even though the Bible says we were created in God’s image, we are also the ones who introduced sin into the world.

Hosea 4:1-3 is a Bible passage sometimes quoted by those who insist that humans are viruses on the Earth. In this passage, Hosea tells the children of Israel that because they have been swearing, lying, killing, stealing, and committing adultery, God will punish them by allowing them to waste away along with the animals, birds, and fish. You could say that applies to us today, but that might be stretching the context.

It is true that God gave humans the job of being stewards of the Earth, to rule over and protect or conserve the creatures that live here. It is also true that we have often failed in that job, but God always gives us another chance to do better. As for humans introducing sin into the world, God also gave us a second chance on that. The most amazing thing we read in the Bible is that God became a human being to live a perfect life, to show us what that is like, and to bear the punishment for our failures.

As we consider whether humans are viruses on the Earth, we must consider our relationship with the Creator. Perhaps if we can accept what God has done through Jesus Christ to restore us to a right relationship with Him, we will find that we can have a right relationship with the Earth God gave us to live on. Remember that God is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).

May 6, 2026May 4, 2026

Spoken Language and Linguistics

Animals communicate with each other in various ways, including sounds, movements, colors, odors, and more. Humans are the only creatures God has created that use spoken language. Many scholars have studied language in the field of linguistics. Noam Chomsky is an American linguist who has been called “the father of modern linguistics.” Chomsky is a controversial figure because of his political and atheistic radicalism, but his credentials in linguistics are widely recognized.

Chomsky insists that the principles of language structure are biologically present in the human brain and are genetically inherited from birth. He believes that knowledge of syntax is at least partially inborn and that children need only learn the specific features of the language they are exposed to in their native culture. Thus, Chomsky maintains that there is an innate linguistic capacity in every human, enabling language-based communication in ways no other creature can.

Some animals, such as parrots, can imitate spoken language, but they are just imitating sounds. They are not capable of understanding syntax or communicating in human language. Dr. Stephen C. Meyer has said, “Every single human language has this complexity and suppleness of expression, all the tenses and the declensions and so forth. This was Chomsky’s mantra: There are technologically primitive cultures, but there are no primitive languages. And how you get from what the primates do to what we do is a complete mystery.”

In Genesis 1:28, we find God telling the first couple to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth.” It seems they failed to do so, since at the time of the flood they were still confined to a limited area of the planet that God covered with water. Then, when Noah’s family emerged from the ark, God repeated his command to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1). Again, they failed to do so because they still lived in a limited area, and, working together, they contrived to build a tower to reach heaven against God’s wishes.

It was then that God gave them different languages: “So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth” (Genesis 11:8). They still had that sophisticated inborn language ability, but they could no longer understand one another or work together to accomplish the project they were attempting. That action of God finally caused them to spread over the Earth. In the genealogies of Genesis 10:25, we read an interesting note. It says that in the days of Peleg, “the earth was divided.” Could that refer to the time when the land bridge between Asia and North America became covered with water, so the people who had migrated to the Western Hemisphere could no longer travel back to the east? The land bridge was no longer needed.

Today, of course, we are scattered over the Earth, but our ability to communicate with one another through spoken language has increased to the point where we can instantly talk with people around the world. Even in cases where we don’t speak the same language, computers and even handheld devices can translate our words into another language. We have today the ability to use language to accomplish prideful things, similar to the people in Babel attempting to build the tower. Or we can use our ability to communicate with one another to achieve peace and bring the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to people all over the world. I pray that we will make the right choice.

References: scienceandculture.com and wikipedia.com

April 29, 2026April 29, 2026

A Natural Tendency to Believe in God

An international research project found that humans have a natural tendency to believe in God. Directed by academics at the University of Oxford, the project involved 57 researchers examining diverse cultures across 20 countries. The project was not intended to prove or disprove the existence of God but to determine whether the concept of God, or gods, is learned or a basic aspect of human nature.

The studies were conducted in both traditionally religious countries and atheist societies. Among the findings were that children as young as age three believed in “all-seeing, all-knowing supernatural agents.” It seems normal for a child to have a natural tendency to believe in God, but atheism must be taught. The research also indicated that adults instinctively believe that some part of their mind, soul, or spirit lives on after death. In other words, people find it natural to believe in the separation of the mind and the body. Project director Dr. Justin Barrett of Oxford University said, “Interestingly, we found that religion is less likely to thrive in populations living in cities in developed nations…”

Project co-director Robert Trigg said, “We have gathered a body of evidence that suggests that religion is a common fact of human nature across different societies. This suggests that attempts to suppress religion are likely to be short-lived as human thought seems to be rooted to religious concepts…” Why would people want to “suppress religion,” or a natural tendency to believe in God? That question is especially significant since the research also found, not surprisingly, that people with religious ties are more likely to cooperate in societies.

This research project was conducted over three years, and the results were published in 2011. Despite the years that have passed, I suspect the results would still be the same today. The bottom line is that people everywhere naturally believe in God and in an afterlife. They have to be convinced otherwise. Are most members of the human race confused and wrong, or is there an inherent truth behind that belief? “He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV).

Reference: phys.org

April 22, 2026April 21, 2026

The Strongest Evidence for an Intelligent Creator

What is the strongest evidence for an intelligent Creator? That is an interesting question. Sarah Salviander, an astrophysicist, suggests that biology offers more convincing evidence than her field of astrophysics. She said, “The incredible machinery of a living cell is far more complex than the structure of an entire Galaxy of stars.” On the other hand, the late atheist critic Christopher Hitchens once said that atheists find the “fine-tuning” of the universe to be “one of the most intriguing” arguments for intelligent design. I think that biology and cosmology together make a strong case for God’s existence.

We have discussed the evidence for a Creator based on the fine-tuning of the universe. Many scientists believe the fine-tuning argument is very strong, as it seems to be the primary basis for postulating multiple universes. We must acknowledge that the evidence shows this universe has been fine-tuned from the very beginning to make it possible for life, including human life, to exist and prosper. Is that fine-tuning the strongest evidence for an intelligent Creator? Since scientists have not been able to explain it, unbelievers advance the unproven and unprovable idea that there are countless universes, and we just happen to live in the one that’s fine-tuned for life.

However, when we look at the evidence for design in living things, especially in the human body, we are in awe. As Dr. Salviander said, the incredible machinery of a living cell is far more complex than an entire Galaxy of stars. Another advantage that biology has over cosmology as the strongest evidence for an intelligent Creator is that we can see it in real time. To see the evidence for design in the fine-tuning of the universe, we must look back in time, but evidence for design in life is all around us right now. The information in DNA shows that life could not have happened by chance, since information comes only from an intelligent source.

In addition, we see beauty in living things and in the physical creation. Chance would create chaos rather than beauty. The psalmist David, who did not know about the fine-tuning of the universe, was in awe of the majesty and beauty in the night sky. (See Psalms 8 and 19:1-6.) The psalmist was also in awe of his own physical body, realizing that God had created him in his mother’s womb. He was awestruck by that, despite having no idea about DNA or the amazing structures within the cells of our bodies. (See Psalms 139:14-16.) Interestingly, Charles Darwin thought that cells were nothing but globs of protoplasm, and he had no idea of the remarkable machines working within every cell or of the DNA that gives instructions for the assembly of proteins to do those jobs.

The bottom line is that, regardless of what you think is the strongest evidence for an intelligent Creator, there is massive and growing evidence that we can’t ignore.

P.S. A new movie, “The Story of Everything,” is coming to select theaters around the country on April 30, 2026. In it, many experts examine two possible stories. Does the universe and life lack purpose and design, or do they show the purpose and intelligence of a divine Creator? I encourage our readers to see this film if it comes to your local theater. Does the fine-tuned cosmos or design and purpose in life provide the strongest evidence for an intelligent Creator? I encourage you to examine the evidence and decide for yourself.

April 21, 2026April 20, 2026

The Wood Wide Web

Hidden underground is a network that enables most green plants to survive. Without it, most green plants would be unable to survive. It’s a network of mycorrhizal fungi. In 1960, a Swedish botanist demonstrated that substances pass between plants through a fungal pathway. In the 1980s, it became clear that most plants form mycorrhizal associations. In a play on words from the “worldwide web,” English researcher David Reed called this underground network “the wood wide web.”

Through this network, plants exchange nitrogen, phosphorus, water, and carbon. These fungal networks collaborate by connecting with one another, forming a vast, complex mycorrhizal network. Although it is not worldwide, it can be wood wide.

An extreme example of a plant that depends on the wood wide web is Monotropa uniflora, also known as ghost pipes. They resemble white smoking pipes, with their stems stuck in the ground. They are white because they lack chlorophyll and therefore cannot use photosynthesis to produce the nutrients plants need. Since the fungal networks form physical connections between plants, allowing them to share nutrients, Monotropa plants freeload on other plants.

Although Monotropa is an extreme example of dependence on the wood wide web, most other plants depend on receiving and sharing the nutrients required for plant life. We normally think of plants as separate units, and we may even think of them as competing with one another, but that is not always the case. Sometimes tall plants, such as trees, compete with smaller plants by blocking sunlight. However, they may also share nutrients underground through the mycorrhizal network.

Only in recent years have scientists discovered the wood wide web, even though it has surely been around since God created plants. This fungal network is still not fully understood, but science is seeking to understand it. How many other things in God’s creation will we discover in the future? It is clear that we have much to learn about the vast web of life. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

April 13, 2026April 11, 2026

Purpose in Life and Euthanasia

One of the greatest challenges in life is to know why we exist. For Christians, our existence has a clear purpose. The book of Job offers a clear picture of the war between good and evil, and Jesus Christ taught His followers that they would be active soldiers in that war. Ephesians 6:12 tells Christians, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 3:10 tells us that championing this struggle is the Church’s purpose. As a Christian, I can tell you that I have a purpose in life, and that makes my life full of meaning.

So, how do atheists explain their purpose for existing? For the young college student who is at the top of their game, the answer may be to enjoy the “survival of the fittest.” What is the answer for those who are not the “fittest”?

Noelia Castillo was a 25-year-old woman who ended her life against the wishes of her family, the Catholic Church, and the Spanish government. She spent her teenage years in a state-run foster care facility. She was sexually assaulted multiple times, including a gang rape, after which she jumped from a 5th-floor window, leaving her a paraplegic. She ended her life under a Spanish law that was intended for the elderly. Intellectuals are now debating what purpose in life she could have had.

Philosophers and psychologists can argue all they want, but the fact is, as a Christian, Noelia COULD have had a great purpose in life. How many young women in Spain have been raped or gang raped, and need to know that they can recover from that horror by someone who has been there? What influence could she have had on the Catholic Church?

In America, the debate is centered on “death with dignity.” Unless we present a purpose for living in the debate, we will never reach a real consensus. Your author is 88 years old and has his share of pain. To end my life prematurely would destroy a time in my life when I can uniquely speak to younger people about why their lives can be full of meaning. The key is to use the tools God has given all humans to make this world a better place in which to live.

Reference: The Week magazine, April 10, 2026, page 15.

April 6, 2026April 3, 2026

A Royal Tax Bill

We are only a week away from tax day in the United States, and I am concerned that I still haven’t completed my tax return. I’m surely not the only one in this situation, and it isn’t anything new. In fact, near the Western Wall in Jerusalem, archaeologists discovered part of what might be King Hezekiah’s unpaid royal tax bill, dating from the eighth or seventh century BC.

What they found is part of a bulla, a piece of clay used to seal a document. A bulla often summarized what was inside the attached document. This one, from the first temple period, is written in Neo-Assyrian and appears to relate to a delay in paying a royal tax bill owed to Assyria by the king of Judah. Archaeologists confirmed that the clay came from the Assyrian heartland near the Tigris River. It would be interesting to see the full document from the Assyrian equivalent of the IRS, but we can learn some things from this fragment.

The document confirms a due date on the first day of the month of Av (not April 15). It also mentions a chariot officer, probably the one responsible for bringing the royal tax bill from Assyria to Jerusalem. It seems that King Hezekiah was late in paying his taxes. You can read about that in 2 Kings 18. Verses 5 and 7 tell us that “Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel…And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.”

If you think you can get by without paying your taxes by trusting the Lord, consider this. Verse 13 states that Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah. Then Hezekiah sent him this message: “I have done wrong. Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me” (verse 14). Sennacherib demanded a lot. The royal tax bill forced Hezekiah to surrender all the silver in the temple and the royal treasury.

One lesson here is to pay your taxes on time, but there’s more. The most important thing we learn from this document is that it aligns with what we read in the Bible. Archaeological discoveries continue to support the biblical record. It’s another sign that we can trust the Bible.

Reference: “Hezekiah’s Unpaid Tax Bill?” in Biblical Archaeology Review, spring 2026. 2026.