Busy with so many things, most of us don’t think much about what’s below the ground or under ocean waters, unless there is an earthquake or volcano that gets our attention. But there are many things down there known to man and other things that can only be guessed at. What we do know is that “In the beginning God created the heaven [atmosphere and starry skies] and the earth” (Gen. l:1), and that He had a purpose in it, not only for His own pleasure but for the benefit of mankind and of the other creatures He was to place on it.
We see in Genesis 1 a period of time arranged by God (and its length known only by Him) when the earth he had formed in perfection was allowed to become “without form, and void” Genesis 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2). We are not told why this took place, but we believe that during this apparently long time such things as gold, silver and other minerals as well as coal, gas and oil, along with gems of all kinds, were forming under the surface for the later use of mankind when all was put back in order again. There are those who speak of this space of time as “evolution,” but we know nothing could have survived to “evolve” after the earth became without form and void. Creation took place exactly as the first two chapters of Genesis (and many other Bible references) state.
About 70% of the world’s surface is water, making a beautiful scene for astronauts in space. The greatest depth of 36,198 feet, is in the Pacific Ocean. Incidentally, the bottoms of the oceans are not flat, but have valleys and mountains, some higher than the tallest on land. Many islands of the seas are actually the tops of such peaks poking up through the ocean.
If you could bore a hole straight through the middle of the earth it would be almost 8,000 miles long, and to travel around the equator you would have to cover about 25,000 miles. The earth is not the biggest planet, but is the most important since it is the only one on which God has placed mankind and other forms of life. Here He provided just the right amount of heat and light from the sun, a perfect composition of air for sustaining life, ample water for every need, plus a balance of night and day to meet the requirements of everything. Consider, too, the benefit of gravity to hold things in place and yet allow them to be moved as needed. On any other planet lower gravity would make you too light, and higher gravity would make you uncomfortably heavy. These things are just a few of God’s benefits to us in His marvelous creation.
In the next issue we will consider what is under our feet in more detail.
ML-08/03/1986