God of Creation: Atmosphere and Atoms

Fourteen tons of air presses on your body at sea level and you don’t even feel it. That single fact opens a door into a bigger question we can’t ignore: are we living inside a carefully measured system or a lucky accident that somehow holds together?

We walk through the atmosphere as a life-support design: pressure that’s stable enough to breathe, gravity that’s strong enough to hold an “ocean of air” in place, and a composition of gases that sits in a narrow window where life can function. We talk oxygen and why it’s essential yet dangerous in excess, nitrogen and why its “inert” nature protects us, and the hidden supply chain that turns sky nitrogen into protein through root bacteria and even lightning. Along the way we connect science observations to Scripture, including Job’s line about God making “the weight for the winds,” and we reflect on what it means if the world is not self-explaining.

Then we zoom in to matter itself: atoms, elements, molecules, and chemical laws that operate with repeatable precision. If the same Creator can set the rules for air, water vapor, winds, and the very particles that form our bodies, we argue He can also guide a worried, distracted life with wisdom and care. We end with a direct invitation to turn the controls over to Jesus Christ and find joy, peace, and forgiveness.

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Transcript

Welcome And Series Context

SPEAKER_01 1:03

And greetings to you once again. I welcome you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, and the preaching of the cross radio broadcast today. Lesson number ten in a series of messages presenting the God of creation. We've been talking for the last uh several broadcasts together about the marvels of the natural world round about us, nature as it is called, and we've been discussing the well, many of the things which science just can't answer for us. We've been talking about the indications on every hand that there is an almighty God who formed and fashioned all the things that you see with your natural eye, even some things that you cannot see with your natural eye, and we've been uh having quite a time of it as we look to the various realms of God's creation. Now, we've talked on the last two broadcasts about the human body, and you'd think in our society, the world we live in today, when people are so so body conscious that it would be of great interest to them to know uh a little bit about their creator, a little bit about that uh body that they live in. You know, uh s one person wisely said that America has more restaurants, more grocery stores, more food markets than any other nation in the world, and more diet programs to keep us from eating all that food than any other nation in the world. But we've got weight clubs and health spas and workout programs. We've we're just about gone mad with this fashion business trying to dress it up and fix it up and the cosmetics and the hairsprays and and uh the new three piece suits and all the rest of it. But you know something? That body is far more than just something to look at. Now you know something uh people have different ways of looking at things. Uh we've got a great big ugly truck, uh, my family and I, and we thank God for it. God has blessed us with it, and uh a lot of people say, Well, it's a great big ugly truck, but you know something I didn't buy the truck to be pretty. I bought the truck to uh get us around and to haul all our uh material in and and uh do some work without in the farm and so forth. And uh, you know something I kind of feel the same way about this old uh human body. Some people might say, well, it's pretty or it's ugly or it's handsome or it's uh not much to look at, but the truth of the matter is your body was made to carry you around in and uh for transportation purposes. But anyway, we live in a in a body crazy society, and so we're gonna talk again today on the broadcast about the human body, and you know you live in the bottom of an ocean. Did you know that? You realize that? It's right, you live at the bottom of a vast ocean of air which extends to a height of about two hundred miles. Man's exploration of this huge expanse has uh been quite interesting. He's ascended up into the air in airplanes and balloons and rocket ships, and the density of this gaseous envelope is greatest near the Earth's surface, and gradually it becomes thinner as the altitude increases. About half its weight is within four miles of the Earth, although every minute traces of air are believed to exist, even at a height of two thousand miles, very small traces, though. The weight of the atmosphere is very important, and it's an item about which there could be no chance. The air pressure at sea level is nearly fifteen pounds to every square inch of surface, an average of fourteen tons of air pressure upon your body. About one ton of air rests upon every square foot of surface. This exact weight is due obviously to two factors the weight of the gases composing the atmosphere and the height to which the air goes. A slight change in either of these conditions might result in a greatly increased pressure or on the other hand greatly reduced. The former would crush by its weight, and the latter would bring about death, possibly through hemorrhage, and also the inability to breathe the rarefied air is on top of the highest mountains. Now, of course, in addition to these two factors is the presence of watery vapor, another condition on which life depends, and behind all these must be placed the size and weight of the earth determining the atmospheric mantle. If the weight and size of the earth were doubled, every object would have its weight doubled. The atmosphere would press down with twofold force, uh respiration would be labored and painful, water would weigh twice as much, and sap could not ascend. Tools and implements would be so heavy they would be well, you couldn't use them. Every mechanical operation, field and workshop would require twice as much energy. Every animal would move as though loaded down with another equal size or weight, men could barely crawl about with strength, exhausted and bearing their own weight. Winds would tear down all houses if they had not already fallen by their own weight, and rain, hail, and floods would exert a tremendously destructive force. On the other hand, if the earth were only half its size and weight, equally death dealing would be the results, the air would be too light to sustain life. Sap would ascend too rapidly, men and animals would move about very unsteadily and slowly because they wouldn't have the balance. Life just couldn't go on. Now these facts cause us to pay attention to the statement made in Job chapter twenty eight, verses twenty four and twenty five in the Holy Bible. For he looketh, speaking of God, for he looketh to the end of earth of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven to make the weight for the winds, he weighed the waters by measure. Now how do you account for this remarkable scientific item being written down so long ago unless we believe in a supernatural God who wrote a supernatural book? With the exception of water vapor, the percentage of which may vary between wide limits, the constituents of the air are relatively constant in amount. The average composition of dry air is nitrogen 78%, oxygen twenty one percent, carbon dioxide.04%, argon.96%, and slight traces of neon, helium, krypton uh exon or xenon, hydrogen and ozone. In addition, of course, the air contains dust particles, bacteria, and minute quantities of certain gases caused by manufacturing processes, compounds of sulfur with oxygen and hydrogen. The constituents of air are not chemically united, they are merely mixed, a device which shows again the wisdom of the creator. Now you think of the gases which make up ninety nine percent of the air, nitrogen and oxygen. Nitrogen serves to dilute the oxygen, thus retarding burning and oxidation, and is necessary as plant food. Oxygen is necessary for respiration to support combustion, and to aid in the decay of organic matter. The delicate balance of these two gases, the constancy of their proportions in the atmosphere, the admirable way in which they operate for their design purpose must be because there was thought and planning somewhere. Of the ninety two elements known to man, not one is more important than oxygen. Man breathes it every moment of the day and night, and so is enabled to carry on his life processes. He uses it to help burn the fuels that cook his foods, that warm his home, and generate power to operate his machinery. He depends on oxygen to decay waste materials, destroy germs, and purify water. In hospitals, submarines, mines, and airplanes, it is put to vitally important uses. Nitrogen is by far the most abundant substance in the air. It is an inert or a lazy gas, not combining readily with other substances. The fact that it is abundant and inert is well, it seemed to be very necessary. If the air were composed entirely or largely of oxygen, all burning would take place with extreme vigor and would be practically impossible to control. A fire once started, uh you couldn't stop it. Nitrogen therefore dilutes the oxygen to the point where it is just active enough for our needs. Now I ask you something. How was this proportion arranged? Certainly not by chance. Nitrogen is an important constituent of all plants and animals, but most living things are unable to extract it from the vast atmosphere reservoir about them. They depend on certain tiny plants belonging to the bacteria class, which have the ability to extract nitrogen from the air. In this way, nitrogen is made available for all other living things, and man has now succeeded in tapping the great stores of nitrogen in the air by using powerful electric currents, a process known as fixation of nitrogen. In all these studies we have observed that there is plan and forethought in regard to the atmosphere. This is clearly apparent. Again, the passage that we mentioned in the book of Job, God is said, or it is said of God, quote, God understandeth, for he looketh to the end of the earth. He maketh a wait for the wind. Now this is intelligent action. What a startling and suggestive expression. The only possible meaning is that this important item was considered and arranged by the Creator. In order that there might be suitable life conditions, he has given us thousands of instances of his planning. If we apply our reason to this subject, there is one inevitable conclusion, and that is there was a personal God exerting his supreme wisdom and power at every point in the formation of our universe. Besides these wonderful properties and functions of the atmosphere, it is the appointed medium of many other inestimable benefits to the world in which we live. While the sun is the great source of light, yet the cooperation of the atmosphere to diffuse the light is essential to the proper illumination of the earth. To the atmosphere we must ascribe the glories of the day, the lovely blue of the heavens and the soft and soothing shades of the landscape. Without it, the sky would be black as ebony, and out of it the sun would gleam like a red hot ball, and his beams like a ray passing through an archer into a dark room would reveal only the objects on which they fell, or those from which they were directly reflected. Without atmosphere there would be no twilight, no morning, no evening. The sun at the dawn of day would burst from the bosom of night in all its unbearable brilliance, and at the close of the day would suddenly plunge out of view, leaving us suddenly in utter darkness. To the atmosphere we owe all the glories of the setting sun, when the heavens put on their most glorious robes to thrill us with God's celestial beauty. By means of atmosphere, birds wing their way through space, insects flip from flower to flower. Without it the eagle and condor would flap their wings in vain, and flight would be impossible. The atmosphere is also the medium of sound and smell. Without it, eternal silence would reign, music would be impossible, conversation and song would be unknown. This vast and wonderful appendage of our globe has been made to meet the nature and wants of the living creatures and growing vegetation that occupy its surface. Design and mutual adaptation are very manifest. We have exactly those elements in just the proportions essential to the life and health of all creatures. The atmosphere has been made for the lungs. The lungs have been made for the atmosphere. How beautiful the adjustment whereby animals breathe oxygen and liberate carbon dioxide, plants using the carbon and setting the oxygen free for the use of the animals. The atmosphere and the ear have been formed one for the other. In like manner, the atmosphere and organs of speech have been formed in mutual adaptation. You are hearing my voice because of these planned features, and the message I would like you to get from this program today is that which would bring you into vital contact with the one who has made all these things possible. How can you ignore these manifestations of wisdom and glory and power and might? God has spoken and we ought to listen. Just a few moments of quiet thought regarding your relation to Jesus Christ, I can assure you He'll give you pardon of your sin. He'll give you joy and peace if you'll accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior. It may be that now the world with all its distractions is crowding out God's place that you ought to have in your life, and as a result of that you fret and you worry. There's countless things which take place every day that uh seem to affect your life, but you look at it, and the truth of the matter is you're not getting anywhere. You may be a worldly Christian, getting little joy out of your Christian life. Why don't you allow Jesus Christ, the master of this universe, to be the master of your life? Certainly, he's capable of guiding and directing all your steps and all your ways according to his wonderful, marvelous power. I believe he can do it. He's just waiting for you to trust. Turn the controls of your life over to him. That's what he's waiting for. Now we've seen that nitrogen is made available by small plants. Plants and animals need this gas in order to build protein, an essential substance present in the tissues and organs of all living things. Corn, wheat, oats, and all other common crops remove great quantities of this element from the soil. This may be replaced, of course, by artificial fertilizers containing nitrogen in the form of certain chemical compounds with potassium, sodium, and ammonia. The method by which the nitrogen in the air may be seized upon and appropriated by nature is exceedingly interesting. Certain common leguminous plants, such as beans, peas, clover, and alfalfa, have attached to their roots certain round structures known as nodules, which contain types of bacteria able to convert the inert nitrogen of the air into useful nitrogen compounds. Some of these are absorbed by the plants, and the remainder are left in the soil to enrich it. Who would ever imagine that these microscopic organisms could be so useful? Was it accident which placed them in the ground? The action of lightning is another means of fixing atmospheric nitrogen. During a thunderstorm, small amounts of nitrogen and oxygen are caused to combine, forming compounds that are dissolved by rain and water and carried down to the ground. The feature which arrests our attention is the ingenious way in which this necessary element is made available for plants, and then for animals, and then for our human bodies. Without it, life would not be possible. But while free in vast quantities, it must be captured in a very special manner. The plan we have so briefly discussed is admirable in every way. The gas, carbon dioxide, which is the product of combustion in animals and man, must be disposed of. Otherwise, as it is breathed out in great quantities and released in other ways, life would become impossible. But here is where the divine plan comes in. The plants are eagerly waiting for every bit of carbon dioxide we can give them, and drink it in eagerly through their wide open mouths, present in countless thousands on their leaves. The presence of water vapor in the air is another evidence of design. As we have seen, this vapor is constantly arising from oceans, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water. When the amount of water vapor in the air becomes excessive, it is changed into rain, snow, hail, fog, dew, or frost, depending on the existing conditions. The humidity of the air is of great importance to the health of all living things. Without water vapor in the atmosphere over the Earth, a condition would exist similar to that on the Moon. The surface of the Moon is very hot as the sun shines on it, but immediately after the sun's rays disappear, heat is succeeded by the most intense cold, almost two hundred degrees below zero. The reason for this is the absence of water vapor which holds in its folds the heat received during the day, gradually releasing it through the hours of the night, but so slowly that man is not causing any suffering. Another blanket may have to be pulled over the bed about four in the morning, but that's all. If the night were much longer, it is easy to see how death would result. The moisture in the air then keeps us warm, God's blanket over his children. Now we can't close this study without a brief mention of winds. Without winds, the air would be calm and dead. Noxious and irritating vapors and objectionable odors would distress and disturb humanity daily, but God's thought went ahead and provided a solution. A wind, of course, is a movement of air along the earth's surface. Differences of temperature and air pressure are the two basic factors which produce such movements of air, ranging from the intense uh hurricanes uh to the gentle summer breeze. When air is heated, it expands, becomes lighter than the uh adjacent region. Immediately the colder, heavier air flows along the Earth's surface to the warmer region, pushes the lighter air upwards. This air is then carried across the upper atmosphere where it is cooled, it then descends, thus completing its cycle. It is the horizontal movement of the air that we call wind. And so difference of pressure and temperature on sea and land causes the delightful and invigorating land and sea breezes. During the day, the earth absorbs heat more rapidly than the water. This causes the air over the land to become warmer and lighter than the air over the water, so a cool breeze from the water area flows in toward the land during the afternoon, or a sea breeze, as we call it. At night the land loses heat more rapidly than the water, thus causing the air over the water to become warmer and lighter than the air over the land, and consequently there is a flow of colder, heavier air during the night and early morning hours from the land to the water. This is called a land breeze. What a what a marvelous thoughts. What a marvelous gift from a loving creator. You know, the great differences in temperature and air pressure between the regions of the equator and the polar regions give rise to large scale movements of air. These movements are modified by the rotation of the Earth and thus establishing a system of alternating belts of wind, so much so that airline pilots can chart their courses according to them. These trade winds are perhaps the most interesting, and certainly they are very beneficial as a means of transportation. There are regions on either side of the equator in which the air is moving steadily from both sides toward the equator. The rotation of the earth causes a deflection of the winds, so they flow from the northeast in the northern hemisphere and from the southeast in the southern hemisphere. Ships navigating these areas can always count on the presence of these trade winds. Now when we think of these interesting features of our globe, we are accustomed to having them described as the wonders of nature or the marvels of chance or the glories of the Big Bang. But you've got to remember something. God is not nature. Nature is not God. Whatever of wisdom or wonder of goodness or excellence nature displays existed in the mind of God from eternity. The end of every created thing is to be a manifestation of the perfections and powers of the Creator. Amen and amen. Now there are ninety-two elements possibly a hundred and three, possibly a hundred and seven or eight. But relatively speaking, there are very few elements which constitute all kinds of matter, from hydrogen at one end of the scale to uranium at the other. Matter is formed from particles known as molecules, which are a combination of atoms. Inside the atoms, science affirms there are infinitely minute particles called electrons, thought to be charges of negative electricity. Each atom also is said to contain one proton, which is a charge of positive electricity. Other curious and infinitely small particles such as neutrons and positrons have also been discovered in the atom as science seeks to unravel the unfathomable mystery of matter. Hydrogen, the first element on the table, is extremely light, inflammable gas, which the Germans use to fill up their zeppelins with. It is one of the constituent parts of water and is found in many other substances. Its presence in fuels is usually revealed by the blue flame produced. The atom of hydrogen has, as far as science has been able to determine, only one positively charged particle or proton in its nucleus, and around this is the swiftly moving negatively charged electron. Though the two particles exactly counterbalance each other in electrical charge, the mass of proton has been calculated as being one thousand eight hundred and forty-five times as great as the mass of the electron. Thus the proton accounts for practically the entire mass of the atom. The nucleus of the atom may contain more than one proton. As we proceed upward from hydrogen in the table of elements, we find more and more protons and even electrons squeezed into the relatively small nucleus. When we reach uranium, the complexity of the atoms of the elements is greatly increased. In the atomic nucleus of uranium, there is said to be ninety-two protons and one hundred and forty six electrons, along with ninety-two out-revolving electrons. In addition to the ninety-two elements, there are many compounds, substances of whose building blocks consist combinations of atoms of various elements. Therefore, Theodore Hendrick writes in his interesting book Everyday Science about them, and every student gazes with astonishment at what he sees on examination of these mysterious substances. For example, the water molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. These molecules, which are fundamental units of matter, vary from the center. As those of water, to others containing thousands of atoms all combined in definite proportions and patterns. A crystalline protein molecule from the juice of diseased tobacco plants consists of about two million atoms. A slight change in the proportion of one element to another in a molecule can alter the compound so radically that it has entirely different properties. Between hydrogen and uranium lie all the other elements with many differing combinations, each obeying some rigid law which governs its operations. There must be an infinite mind behind the origin of matter to bring into being these infinitesimal particles and then cause them to combine in innumerable ways according to some prearranged plan, not a great dust cloud, not a big bang, not a Charlie Darwin monkey man. Will any such terms as struggle for existence or survival of the fittest suffice as an explanation for existence of these uh building blocks of life? The question answers itself. Could these lifeless particles possibly create life themselves? Ah, you know better than that. While the ninety two kinds of atoms are distinct and separate, those of each particular form are absolutely similar in structure and performance. They are like coins struck in a mint, each bearing the image of their maker and the attributes they possess. Another wonderful feature of the atom is that while those of the same element are alike in size, shape, and weight and other properties, the electrons in all the elements are identical as to their properties. This suggests the ultimate identity of all the elements in the constitution of all matter. Different kinds of matter, therefore, would differ only in having different numbers of electrons with different velocities within or around their fields of positive electrification or around their positive nuclei? If the proton portion of the atom consists of granular particles, then these particles, like electrons, must be also the same for all the so called chemical elements. In other words, all matter would be composed of the same electrons, protons, duotrons, positrons, neutrons, differing only in their numbers, arrangements, and revolutions. Is the human mind able to contemplate anything more amazing than this? Such a conception and the power to make it work belong only to deity, God Himself. The chemical laws which compel these elements to combine according to atomic weights and the law of multiple proportions show the infinite wisdom of the Creator. Each atom of matter is stamped with laws that are definite and invariable so that it acts with absolute precision in all that it does. Thirty-two pounds of sulfur must have fifty pounds of iron with which to unite, no more, no less, and so it is true with all the elements. L. J. Henderson said, in his book The Order of Nature, the properties of elements are to be regarded as fully determined from the earliest conceivable epoch and perfectly changeless in time. L. Franklin Gruber, in his book Whence Came the Universe, quote What skill or intelligence must be necessary to build up such complex, infinitesimal structures in their countless duplicates, all exactly alike for the same substance? Yet so wonderful are the workings of nature's mysterious laboratory that no two of the same kind among the countless number of these molecules, whatever found throughout nature and wherever found throughout nature, differ in the least detail. Surely a law is operating here that requires an infinitely intelligent law giver. The Bible says in Deuteronomy chapter three and verse twenty four, O Lord God, thou hast begun to show thy servant thy greatness and thy mighty hand. For what God is there in heaven or in earth that can do according to thy works and according to thy might. I would seek unto God. Unto God would I commit my cause, who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number, who giveth rain upon the earth and sendeth waters upon the fields to set up on high those that be low. And again Verses eighteen and twenty seven. For he maketh sore and bindeth up, he woundeth and his hands make whole. He will deliver thee from six troubles, yea in seven there shall no evil touch thee. In famine he shall redeem thee from death, in war from the power of the sword, thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue, neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh, at destruction and death thou shalt laugh. Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth, for thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee, and thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace, thou shalt visit thy fold and shalt miss nothing. Lo, this we have searched it, so it is, hear it and know that it is good. Philippians chapter four and verse nineteen My God shall supply all your need, according to his riches and glory by Jesus Christ. Now, if there is, and we believe, absolutely there is, such a wise and mighty and marvelous creator as God. And this God has shown and proven his love for you by sending his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to suffer and bleed and die to pay for your sins? How could you ever doubt that he has the wisdom and the power to guide and direct your life? Why he puts you together, he formed the sea of air and atmosphere in which you live, he formed the atoms that make up your human body, he formed all the combinations by which life continues. Now you know he has the wisdom and power to guide and control your life. Does he love you and care for you enough to do it? You know that is also true because he proved it by giving his son to die that you might live. He's simply waiting for you to humble yourself. Call upon him, say, God, I'm the sinner that your son died for. I believe that he died for me. I am tired of trying to run and guide and direct and control my own life. I surrender. I receive Jesus Christ as my Savior, my King, my Lord, my friend. Trust the Lord Jesus Christ, won't you, this very day, as your personal Lord and Savior.

SPEAKER_00 28:33

Thanks for tuning in today. Join us every weekday for another episode of the Preaching of the Cross Radio Podcast. For hundreds of hours of in-depth expository Bible teaching, please visit our YouTube channel, Flames of the Not Terminal, our terminal audio page, Bible Baptist Land, or our website, BibleBaptisttheland.com. Until next time and throughout eternity, maintain Christoph Great.