May 23, 2005

[Rev. Doc]

That We May Understand

"The chariots storm through the streets, rushing back and forth through the squares. They look like flaming torches; they dart about like lightning."
Nahum 2:4

Isaac Newton was born in 1642 in Lincolnshire, England. He entered Cambridge University in 1661. He was elected a Fellow of Trinity College in 1667 and Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in 1669. A brilliant mathematician and physicist, Newton is best remembered for his theory of universal gravitation.

In later life, Newton abandoned math and physics and became a student of the Bible.

In his "Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John", that were posthumously published, Newton's aim was to show that the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments had so far been fulfilled.

After studying Nahum 2:4, Newton made a prediction based on these verses saying: "Man will some day be able to travel at the tremendous speed of 40 miles an hour."

Voltaire, the French humanist and atheist, replied: "See what a fool Christianity makes of an otherwise brilliant man, such as Sir Isaac Newton! Doesn't he know that if man traveled 40 miles an hour, he would suffocate and his heart would stop?"

Though Newton couldn't explain how man would travel so fast and he had no concept of the modern automobile, he knew God's Word could be trusted.

Prayer: Ask God to help you in your understanding of His unfailing Word.

"We count the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever!"
~Isaac Newton