The All-New Book of Amazing Facts, Vol. 3

Pastor Doug Batchelor

Copyright 2020 by Amazing Facts International

P.O. Box 1058

Roseville, CA 95678

afbookstore.com

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King

James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Project Manager: Anthony Lester

Editor: Laurie Lyon

Assistant Editors: Michelle Kiss, Kristyn Dolinsky

Research: Rosemary McKenzie

Cover design and layout: Haley Trimmer

ISBN: 978-1-58019-699-4

Table of Contents

Introduction

Animals and Biology

Wood Frogs | Baobab Tree | Sea Otters | Sooty Terns | Humpback Whales | Poison Dart Frogs | Horses | Tree Weta | Basilisks | Star-Nosed Moles | Walking Catfish | Polar Bears | Barn Owls | Human Hearts | Frankincense | Shrews | Ostriches | Electric Eels | Xeroderma Pigmentosum | Cochineal Beetles | Crocodiles | Emperor Penguins | Dolphins | Starfish | Armadillos | Phantom Pain | Methuselah Seed | Aepyornis | Koala Bears | Coccinellidae

People and Places

Roy Sullivan | Isaac Newton | Albert Lexie | Janette and Alan Murray | Christopher Thomas Knight | Inchindown Oil Tanks | King Louis XII | Fridtjof Nansen | Harrison Okene | Sahara Cave Paintings | Carlsbad Caverns | AJ Hayes | Dashrath Manjhi | Charles Feeney | Telemachus | Cheops Pyramid | Dead Sea | Panama Canal | Shoichi Yokoi | Navajo Code Talkers | Masada | World Trade Center | Dr. Evan O’Neil Kane | Ostry Farm | Larry Walters | Kim Peek | Mary Mallon | Jadav Payeng | Cross Island Chapel | American Versailles

Culture and History

Halloween | Mirror in the Ocean | Great Race | Missing Declaration | Miracle of Andersonville | Floating Church | Influenza of 1918 | America Bombed | India Blackouts | Air Canada Flight 143 | Tally Sticks | Comstock Lode | Adams and Jefferson | Milk and Honey | Buried Alive | Cigarettes | Thanksgiving | Pony Express | Gambling | Debtor’s Prison

Science and Technology

Pioneer 10 | Central Artery/Tunnel Project | Astrobees | Alaskan Pipeline | Longest-Burning Bulb | Microscopic Bible | Svalbard Global Seed Vault | Mercury Comet | Space Tourism | NORAD | Lightning | Stars | Sun | Jupiter | Icebergs | Fool’s Gold | USS Nautilus | Great Wall of China | Tornadoes | Earthquakes | Plastic

Jesus was the master storyteller.

His interesting and diverse parables, found throughout the four Gospels, make up about a third of His teaching ministry. Indeed, parables, stories, and facts were His principal method of instruction: “All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them (Matthew 13:34).

Christ’s memorable stories and catchy illustrations are profound—not because they are complex, but because they come from our everyday life and experiences.

But He didn’t want listeners to merely laugh or cry or be wowed by some amazing fact. His purpose was to enlighten seekers about heavenly truths. He was focused on presenting a clearer understanding of God and His love for our lost world.

As you read through this All-New Book of Amazing Facts, Volume 3, I hope that you will find many rich illustrations that will help you as a parent, public speaker, pastor, Bible student, or teacher to open the hearts and minds of your listeners to the awesome truths of Scripture.

Doug Batchelor

President, Amazing Facts International

Editor’s Note

Inside this volume, you’ll find some of the most eye-opening—and sometimes unbelievable—facts that Pastor Doug has used in his radio and television programs, sermons, and books. Even with our limited resources, we have done our best to ensure the veracity of each and every fact in this volume, vetting them for accuracy and truthfulness. However, if you do spot an inaccuracy along the way, we hope you’ll write us to let us know. We’ll do our best to make appropriate corrections in future editions.

Wood Frogs

Frogsicles

Each winter in Alaska, the common wood frog freezes solid. It quits breathing, and its heart completely stops beating. If you picked one up, it would not move. If you bent one of its legs, it would break off. But when the warm weather returns, its tissues thaw—and it miraculously comes back to life! The wood frog has even been revived after being frozen for seven months at temperatures dipping as low as three degrees Fahrenheit.

These “frogsicles” can endure multiple freeze-and-thaw cycles in a season because the fluid in their cells contains high levels of glucose, a natural antifreeze also known as cryoprotectant, that lowers the freezing temperature of tissue. Scientists are interested in learning from these frogs in order to increase the shelf life of human organs for transplants by a process known as cryopreservation. Reviving organs after freezing them for a short period would enable them to be shipped around the world and save many more lives.

Did you know that God is an expert at organ transplants? “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them” (Ezekiel 36:26, 27).

Baobab Tree

The Tree of Life

The alien-looking baobab tree of Africa, Australia, and Madagascar is sometimes referred to as “the tree of life” because it provides shelter, clothing, food, and water for both man and animal. The bloated trunk of the tree can store thousands of gallons of water in its spongy, fibrous wood during the rainy season, which it then uses during the subsequent dry period.

The tree produces a fruit called “monkey bread,” which contains more vitamin C than four oranges. Other parts of the tree are useful as well. For example, the pollen can be used as glue, and the oily, protein-packed seeds can be roasted and eaten. Young leaves can be used like spinach and have lots of calcium, while the fibrous trunk can be woven into rope, cloth, mats, and paper. Even the bark can be used to make tea. Older trees are often hollow, providing living space for animals and humans.

Many baobab trees appear to be ancient, dated many thousands of years old. One aged tree in South Africa measures 72 feet high and 155 feet in circumference. Did you know the Bible mentions that about six thousand years ago, there was a real tree of life here on earth? “Out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden” (Genesis 2:9).

Sea Otters

Back from the Abyss

Weighing between 40 and 100 pounds, the sea otter is the world’s smallest species of marine mammal, while at the same time being the heaviest member of the weasel family. Sea otters have voracious appetites and relish eating abalone, clams, and other marine species. With their high metabolism, they consume about 25 percent of their weight in food every day.

While there were once around a million sea otters in the North Pacific, aggressive fur-trade hunting in the early 1900s decimated their numbers to just over a thousand worldwide. Today, after laws were passed to protect them, it is estimated that there are about 106,000 sea otters. However, they are still categorized as endangered.

What made the pelts of sea otters so valuable that these creatures were nearly hunted to extinction? Unlike other marine mammals, sea otters don’t have a layer of blubber to keep them warm. Instead, they have the densest fur in the animal kingdom, ranging from 250,000 to a million hairs per square inch. By comparison, the average human head contains 100,000 hair follicles.

Did you know that God is lovingly concerned with every detail of our lives and that every hair of our head is numbered? Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:29, 30).

Sooty Terns

Tireless Birds

The sooty tern, a common black and white tropical seabird, has very uncommon abilities. When terns were taken from their breeding grounds on the Dry Tortugas, marked, and released along the North Carolina and Texas coasts, all of them returned to their breeding grounds within a week.

The sooty tern is sometimes called a “wide-awake” tern because it never seems to rest. The species is long-lived and can survive up to 35 years, which is amazing when you consider that a sooty tern will remain aloft nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week for three to ten years, from the time it leaves its nesting grounds as a youngster until the time it begins to breed!

This graceful bird, with its 36-inch wingspan and forked, scissor-like tail, soars above the ocean month after month. It even sleeps on the wing. When hungry, it takes its food via airmail, skimming the water and scooping up fish near the surface. Because of its weak oil glands, it can become waterlogged if it lands on the surface for too long—so it flies, rarely touching down on the ocean.

The Bible says that people cannot live like sooty terns, going nonstop. Without regular rest, we will ultimately crash. “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest” (Exodus 34:21).

Humpback Whales

Ocean Singers

Humans and birds aren’t the only creatures that sing.

Whales sing too. In fact, the songs of humpback whales are some of the most complex arrangements in the animal kingdom. Their ditties consist of vast roars, deep bellows, and groans interspersed with interesting sighs, chirps, whistles, and squawks. Their songs range from five to 30 minutes long.

Once a whale is done singing, it will surface to take a breath, then descend to about 50 feet, where it holds its position with its head down and then repeats the song verbatim, again and again, sometimes for hours on end.

As far as we know, only the males sing, and humpbacks in the same region of the ocean sing the same song. Each year, their songs change somewhat, as though they are experimenting with different arrangements. The song of the humpback reaches sound levels up to 180 decibels—that’s louder than a rocket blasting off. And researchers believe that some of these low-frequency sounds can travel more than 3,000 miles!

Did you know that the Bible says the loud voice of an angel can reach all around the world? “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water’” (Revelation 14:6, 7).

Poison Dart Frogs

Dangerous Beauty

Scattered throughout the rainforests of Central and South America are some of the brightest and most beautiful creatures in the world—poison dart frogs. They come in yellow, gold, copper, red, green, blue, or black, with stripes and spots from every color in the rainbow.

Yet the skin of these brightly colored frogs contains one of the most toxic venoms in the world. The two-inch-long golden poison dart frog, for instance, has enough poison to kill ten grown men. South Americans used their potent toxin for centuries on the tips of blowgun darts for hunting. Strangely, modern medicine has learned to use their deadly poison in a positive way, chemically paralyzing patients during surgery.

Scientists don’t know for sure how poison dart frogs get their toxicity, but it’s possible they assimilate plant poisons carried by the insects they eat. In fact, poison dart frogs raised in captivity and isolated from their native habitat never develop the toxin.

Did you know that the Bible says some deadly frogs are connected with last-day prophecies? “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:13, 14).

Horses

Big and Small

Horses come in many colors, coats, and sizes—black and white, roan and dappled, and big and small. According to Guinness World Records, the smallest living horse on the planet is Thumbelina. Born on May 1, 2001, in St. Louis, this dwarf miniature horse weighs only 57 pounds and stands 17 inches tall. Smaller than many dogs, Thumbelina can nearly walk under a barn fence.

On the other hand, there is Big Jake, who is thought to be the tallest living horse. Big Jake was born in Poynette, Wisconsin, and stands an astounding six feet, ten-and-three-quarter inches tall. (In horse vernacular, that’s 20 hands, two and three-quarter inches.) Big Jake weighs in at 2,600 pounds and is kept healthy by consuming one-and-a-half bales of hay and 40 quarts of oats per day. Big Jake could walk right over many farm fences.

Did you know horses are mentioned about 160 times in the Bible and figure prominently in the prophecies of Revelation? “Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, ‘Come and see.’ And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer” (Revelation 6:1, 2).

Tree Weta

Playing Dead Bug

Living on New Zealand’s North Island is the tree weta, a large cricket-like insect with thorny legs. These flightless bugs typically live in the holes of trees, and they eat lichens, flowers, seeds, and fruit. Some species grow to four inches long and are as heavy as a cell phone.

But don’t reach for them, especially if they vibrate. Weta can deliver an intensely painful bite with their powerful mandibles and inflict irritating scratches with their bacteria-laced spiny legs. Their menacing physical appearance makes them scary enough, but when you mix that in with their zombie-like ability to revive from death—well, you have one spooky bug.

Of course, weta do not really return from the dead. They only play dead. When threatened, they might lie still for a short time, with their legs splayed, claws exposed, and jaws wide open, ready to scratch and bite. Another way weta cheat death is when they revive after being frozen for months—similar to the wood frogs, another amazing creature found in this book. During especially cold winters, they are able to put themselves in a type of suspended animation, because their hemolymph (the insect equivalent of blood) contains a special antifreeze that prevents ice from forming in their cells.

While weta can only pretend to rise from the dead, the Bible says that a day is coming when people will be resurrected. “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28, 29).

BasilIsks

The Jesus Lizard

In the jungles of Central and South America can be found the basilisk, an unusual member of the Iguana family. From its crested head to its long tail, this reptile can grow up to 30 inches long. It spends most of its time up in the trees, but it’s also never found far from a body of water. For the most part, it’s just a typical lizard in what it eats and where it lives.

What makes the basilisk so notable, however, is how it escapes when threatened. The lizard is famous for dropping from the trees and running atop of the water. It can scamper 60 feet across the surface of rivers or lakes in just a few seconds. This is how the species earned its nickname “The Jesus Lizard.”

So how does the basilisk do it? To begin with, it has powerful hind legs that give it explosive running speed and enough momentum to get moving. Of course, other fast runners can’t “walk on water,” but the basilisk has another trick. Its hind feet have fringes of skin that unfurl in the water, increasing the surface area. And as its feet slap the water, they trap a small air pocket or bubble that briefly keeps it afloat, step-by-step. If the basilisk slows down or stops, it sinks. But that’s no real problem either; with its long whipping tail, the basilisk is an excellent swimmer and can remain underwater for up to 30 minutes to escape predators.

Of course, the Bible teaches that Jesus walked across water, but He was not the only one. “And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ So He said, ‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus” (Matthew 14:28, 29).

Star-Nosed Moles

A Sense of Smell

In the wetlands of eastern North America lives the star-nosed mole, a strange but incredible animal. As with other moles, it survives by digging networks of tunnels in the soil and rummaging for bugs, mollusks, and worms. Although virtually blind, this particular mole is blessed with an ultra-sensitive, star-shaped nose featuring 22 fleshy tendrils covered with 25,000 receptors, making it six times more sensitive than a human hand. In fact, this special appendage is one of the most sensitive organs in all of the animal kingdom.

Armed with this tool and a lightning-fast nervous system, a star-nosed mole needs only eight milliseconds to identify whether an object is edible, and 120 milliseconds to swallow a food item. It’s capable of eating eight different items of food in less than two seconds, giving it the Guinness World Record for the world’s fastest forager. Another astonishing feature is the mole’s ability to smell underwater. When researchers filmed one mole hunting underwater, they discovered it inhaled micro-bubbles containing the odor of the food.

Only a powerful and loving God could invest His creatures with such extraordinary senses. Meanwhile, people still insist on worshiping idols who have no senses whatsoever. “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear; noses they have, but they do not smell; they have hands, but they do not handle; feet they have, but they do not walk; nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them” (Psalm 115:4–8).

Walking Catfish

Cross-Country Adventurer

Imagine a fish that can take off on a cross-country hike to find a better situation for itself. Seem impossible? Well, the walking catfish of Southeast Asia has the unique ability of traveling over land in search of food or a more inviting environment. The catfish doesn’t have legs to accomplish such a feat; instead, it uses pectoral fins to hold itself up while wiggling to propel itself forward. It can travel more than a mile in this way.

But what about breathing? Besides its typical fish gills, the walking catfish has a special tree-shaped respiratory structure allowing it to absorb oxygen from the air. To maintain its body moisture, the catfish ventures out of water mainly after or during rainfall. This catfish often lives in stagnant temporary pools or rice paddies in the Mekong Basin. When its home dries up, its unique talent enables it to move to a new one. Can you imagine driving down the road and seeing a sign that says, “Caution: Catfish Crossing”?

Knowing that God can design a fish to walk over land, it shouldn’t be difficult for us to believe that He can also empower us to walk in holiness. “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24).

Polar Bears

Carnivoran Lethargy

Found in the planet’s northernmost regions, the polar bear is the world’s largest land carnivore. In fact, while these bears generally weigh less than two pounds at birth, one massive adult male was recorded at more than 2,200 pounds!

Polar bears have large stomachs that can hold more than 150 pounds of food, enabling them to go weeks between meals. They will cover up to 50 miles a day in their constant search for seals. Strong swimmers, polar bears paddle with their large front paws while using their rear paws as rudders to steer. They average six miles an hour in the frigid water and can travel 60 miles without resting. Polar bears are also exceptional divers, remaining submerged up to two minutes and reaching a depth of 15 feet. They’re incredibly agile for their size and have been observed leaping up to eight feet out of the water in order to surprise unsuspecting seals resting on an ice floe.

Only the pregnant females hibernate. When the long, dark winter months begin in October, the expecting mother will enter her den to spend up to 170 days in a state of limited activity known as carnivoran lethargy. While in this state, her heart rate drops from about 45 beats per minute to only 25 beats per minute. During this time, it’s common for a polar bear with newborn cubs to lose as much as 40 percent of her weight.

Did you know that the Bible teaches the devil will be forced into a state of dark “carnivoran lethargy” for a thousand years? “He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:2, 3).

Barn Owls

The Silent Hunter

Found on every continent except Antarctica, the barn owl is one of God’s most fascinating creatures. Its favorite food is rodents, and since owls have no teeth, it swallows such prey whole.

Owls are excellent hunters, with huge eyes that excel in low-light conditions. Their forward-facing eyes offer a wide range of binocular vision. In fact, they’re not exactly eyeballs, but rather elongated tubes like short telescopes held in place by bony structures in the skull. This is why an owl cannot “roll” or move its eyes but can look only straight ahead. However, it compensates with its ability to turn its head around and almost upside-down—made possible by its long, flexible neck of 14 vertebrae (twice as many as humans)—allowing the owl to turn its head in a range of 270 degrees.

Most birds’ wings make sounds when they fly, but not the owl’s. A velvety layer on the feather surface muffles sound and the leading edges of the wing feathers have a fine comb that deadens sound. The silent flight prevents prey from hearing its approach.

Barn owls in particular have acute hearing. Its ear openings are at slightly different levels and angles—one high near the forehead and the other lower. This lopsided placement helps them precisely pinpoint sounds. The ears are also covered by a flexible ruff made up of short, densely webbed feathers that frame the face, turning it into a parabolic, dish-like reflector for sound. This gives the owl sensitive directional hearing with which it can locate even small prey in total darkness.

The Bible teaches us that the eyes of God can see us wherever we are and that His ears can even hear our thoughts. “The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth” (Psalm 33:13,14). “You understand my thought afar off” (Psalm 139:2).

Human Hearts

Powerless Powerhouse

A tenaciously hard-working dynamo, the human heart can continue beating even when all surrounding nerves are severed.

And what a beat! It thumps an average of 80 times a minute, 42 million times a year, and 2.5 billion times in an average life. With each beat, the adult heart discharges about one-third of a cup of blood. This amounts to 2,000 gallons a day—or more than 700,000 gallons a year.

But despite all the power of a human heart, it is powerless to change itself. “Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19).

Frankincense

The Scent of Prayer

One of the gifts offered to Jesus, frankincense is a fragrant resin found in Southern Arabia, as well as Somalia and Ethiopia. The Boswellia trees that produce it are lowly, twisted things with fat prickly branches and small crinkly leaves.

When an incision is made into the bark, brilliant white resin oozes out. These drops, called “tears,” are left on the tree for two weeks to dry and are then gathered for processing. From Rome to India, frankincense was one of the most prized substances in the ancient world. It was used in cosmetics and medicines.

The frankincense trade peaked in the first century. To supply the copious need (the temple of Baal at Babylon used 2.5 tons annually), the resin had to be carried over land via long and grueling journeys. Eventually, incense caravans grew to 3,000 camels in one procession. Even today, satellite images reveal traces of these ancient trails. The trade was so lucrative that Alexander the Great planned to invade Arabia in an effort to control and tax the roads, a plan thwarted only by his death.

While frankincense is a wonderful fragrance and may have some medicinal value, its worth was deeply attached to religious services and worship. Many civilizations in the ancient world believed that prayers could be carried to heaven in the smoke of this incense. No wonder they would pay a king’s ransom for the powder!

The Bible teaches that there is one true vehicle that transports our prayers to heaven. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).

Shrews

Ferocious Appetite

Even though it’s the smallest mammal in the world, the mouse-like shrew still has the biggest appetite. One variety in northern Europe, called the “least shrew,” is rarely longer than an inch-and-a-half, yet it can consume the equivalent of its weight every three hours. In fact, the metabolism of the shrew is so voracious that if they don’t eat for several hours, they could starve to death.

Not only is the shrew the smallest mammal, it is also one of the most ferocious in all the animal kingdom. In its quest to feed its ravenous hunger, the shrew will attack and eat almost anything that moves, including rodents.

While it’s natural for this tiny mammal to have an uncontrolled appetite, God’s Word says that humans should always keep control of theirs. “When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food” (Proverbs 23:1–3). “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18, 19).

Ostriches

Big, Fast, but Dumb

Once flourishing throughout Africa, ostriches now live mostly in protected reserves on the continent’s east coast. Male African ostriches grow as high as nine feet and can weigh a hefty 350 pounds—making them the tallest and heaviest of all birds. They also have powerful legs useful for self-defense, enabling them to reach a top speed of 40 miles per hour.

Ostriches live in family groups consisting of one male and several hens. During breeding season, each hen lays between seven and 10 creamy-white eggs into a communal nest, which is a hollowed-out crater in the ground about 10 feet across. Eventually, these nests can contain up to 50 eggs, but only about 20 will be successfully incubated. The eggs of the ostrich are the largest laid by any bird, measuring from six to eight inches long and weighing about three pounds. An ostrich egg has the volume of about 24 chicken eggs, and though the shell is only 1.5 millimeters thick, it can hold the weight of a grown man.

The male and the hens take turns incubating the eggs. The hens sit on them during the day, and the male at night. After about 42 days, the eggs hatch. The chicks quickly learn to follow the long legs of the male, who cares for them.

Ostriches can live between 50 to 70 years on a diet of roots, leaves, and seeds. These sturdy birds are well adapted to living in dry conditions and can survive a 25 percent loss of body weight due to dehydration. These tallest, fastest, and biggest of birds cannot fly, so they are easily farmed throughout the world for meat, feathers, and leather. They’re also not the smartest birds. (Amazingly, an ostrich’s eye is larger than its brain.) And the notion that they bury their heads in the sand is a myth.

The Bible teaches us that the greatest of the angels had his wings clipped because his eye was too big. “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High’” (Isaiah 14:12–14).

Electric Eels

Shocking Knifefish

Did you know that electric eels aren’t actually eels? Instead, they are a species of knifefish that emits potent electrical charges. The organs capable of producing these jolts consist of highly compact nerve endings. In small electric eels, a typical nerve-ending cell is about a quarter-inch long and has an electric voltage of 0.14 volts. The average small electric eel has about a thousand of these nerve-ending cells per square inch of skin.

Electric eels also have a small “pilot organ” that emits electricity continuously for navigation and a large high-voltage organ that supplies most of the power for the occasional power zaps. The most potent electric eel discharge is emitted by an eel native to the rivers of the Amazon Basin; it is capable of emitting a discharge of 450 to 600 volts, which could stun a horse!

An electric eel’s discharge is emitted mostly for self-defense or to detect or stun prey while hunting. The devil also has the ability to stun his victims before he destroys them. “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4). “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Xeroderma Pigmentosum

Living in Darkness

Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP) is a rare and incurable skin disease that mostly affects children. The condition prevents skin cells from repairing once they have become sun-damaged. Only about four in a million people are affected by this life-threatening disease, but those afflicted are a thousand times more likely to develop skin cancers or lose their sight than those without XP.

In order to prolong their lives, affected children must take extreme measures to avoid all direct and even indirect sunlight. They must live their lives slathered in sunscreen, hidden away in shadows and darkness, all in an effort to decrease harm. Such children can go outside to play only after dark.

Like these children, there are those who are trapped in another kind of darkness—spiritual darkness. They have never heard the story of Jesus or that God loves them. “They do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness” (Psalm 82:5). “I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:17, 18).

Cochineal Beetles

Painting the Town Red

Among the ancient Aztecs, red dye was collected as a yearly religious tribute. Acquiring this bright colorant required hundreds of subjects to comb the desert in search of its source—the tiny female cochineal beetle. Making just a pound of this rare extract required the harvesting of about 70,000 of these insects!

After the arrival of Cortez in the 1500s, Spaniards traded for the dried remains of the cochineal beetle, whose red dye created a brilliant color that no one could duplicate by any other source. Soon after, Europeans used it for coloring fabrics. In the years that followed, Michelangelo used it in paintings and the British and Canadians for their red coats.

Today, less expensive synthetic dyes have mostly replaced this insect dye, but it is still used as a natural FDA-approved coloring for food, drugs, and cosmetics. Strange as it may sound, some brands of fruit juice use this beetle as colorant. It’s also fascinating to note that Spanish traders never told the Europeans of the dye’s origin. And because the little beetles looked so much like seeds, they were traded as grain.

Did you know that the Bible teaches you can wash red stains with blood and get pure white? “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool’” (Isaiah 1:18). “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).

Crocodiles

Shortsighted Lizard

Among the largest reptiles on earth are crocodiles, cold-blooded animals that lie in the sun to warm up and laze in the water to cool down. However, they can also slow or speed up blood flow to regulate their body temperature.

Amazingly, crocodiles have growth rings found in their bones and teeth. By counting the rings, zoologists can determine their ages, which can reach up to 70 years. Male crocs can weigh more than 2,000 pounds and measure over 20 feet in length.

Despite their walnut-sized brains, crocodiles are fairly intelligent. When they catch supper, mighty muscles snap their jaws closed—and that’s about it, as their jaws can’t chew. They often toss the food farther back into their throats before gulping it down. The digestive fluid in their stomachs is so strong that it can digest a steel nail. Still, crocodiles can live for months without eating because they don’t use much energy.

Crocs also have good vision. They have three eyelids: two leathery protective eyelids and one clear or translucent one for underwater excursions. They can scan the shoreline without moving their heads—but they can’t see below their nose line.

Like the crocodile, some Christians are blind to the obvious truth that’s right under their noses. “For this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love…. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins” (2 Peter 1:5–7, 9).

Emperor Penguins

Cold Feathers, Warm Hearts

In March and April, the majestic emperor penguin, the largest of the species, travels far inland across the Antarctic ice pack—sometimes walking, sometimes sliding on their bellies—for many miles.

It finally arrives at one of the world’s most desolate places near the South Pole, where the female lays an egg at the feet of her male companion. He then quickly covers it with a fold of his feathery fur to keep it warm, and he continues to do so in the middle of winter, with its perpetual darkness, terrible cold, and fierce windstorms. For 64 days he stands there, living on his blubber and eating nothing while the mother returns to the sea and spends the next two months feeding in the ocean.

The males, while standing, huddle together for protection from the frigid wind, incubating the eggs. Soon after the babies hatch, the females return. How do they find the nesting grounds across the trackless wastes of land covered in snow? And once there, how do they find their chick among the thousands of squawking youngsters? These are two great mysteries, but we do know that when the females return, the males have lost between 20 and 40 pounds and it’s now their turn to go to the ocean and feed while the females care for their young.

Emperor penguins demonstrate some of the most patient devotion and love for their young of any creatures, and they do this in the coldest conditions on earth—where temperatures can drop as low as minus 85 degrees.

The Bible says that in the last days, “because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). But your love can stay warm even in a cold world. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Dolphins

Marvels of the Deep

Did you know that dolphins belong to a group known as cetaceans, which also includes whales and porpoises? More than forty different species of dolphins and porpoises can be found in oceans and even freshwater rivers. Like humans, dolphins are warm-blooded mammals that breathe air and nurse their young. They are highly intelligent and can live up to 45 years.

Incredibly, dolphins sleep in a semi-alert state by resting one side of their brains at a time. A dolphin also sheds a thin outer layer of skin every two hours. This slick, rubbery flesh enables them to swim at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour, which is why they can keep up with speeding boats! In fact, the flukes on a dolphin’s tail are closely studied by engineers to improve the effectiveness of submarines and boat propellers.

To find their way around, dolphins use a form of bio sonar, called echolocation, which allows them to navigate through dark or murky water without bumping into anything. They produce a powerful clicking sound that travels through water, bouncing off objects and returning to them. A whopping 200 clicks a second can be transmitted, and by the pitch of the returning echo and the time it takes to return, a dolphin can determine the shape, size, speed, texture, and density of the object.

To communicate, dolphins use a variety of noises which come from their blowholes, the equivalent of human nostrils. Every dolphin has its own signature whistle to distinguish itself from its companions, and most marine biologists are convinced that dolphins have a complex language to communicate emotions and signals.

Is all this lucky chance or incredible design? “Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He commanded and they were created…. Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all the depths” (Psalm 148:5, 7).

Starfish

Amazing Regeneration

Starfish are the most recognizable creatures in tidal pools. About two thousand starfish species can be found in the ocean, from the deep sea to the shallow reef. They range in size, but some species can reach three feet across.

These unique, brainless creatures have no front, back, head, or tail—and they can move in any direction without turning. Rather than using muscles to move their hundreds of tiny legs, starfish use a complex hydraulic system to travel around or cling to rocks. Because they’re slow, they prey on other slow-moving or stationary creatures, and even scavenge dead ones. They will eat just about anything, which is why you don’t find many in home aquariums.

With its powerful sense of smell, a starfish analyzes chemical changes in the water to detect edible tidbits. To eat an oyster or a clam, the starfish patiently pries the two shells apart to open a tiny gap, whereupon it performs a unique feat: It turns its stomach inside out, pops it into the clam, and releases digestive juices, absorbing the resulting soup! After the meal, it inverts its stomach back into its body.

Starfish usually have five arms, but some species have as many as fifty. They are famous for their ability to regenerate lost arms. One common Pacific starfish can cast off a limb without any part of the central body attached—and that arm will grow into a completely new starfish. In fact, some starfish reproduce by purposely pulling off an arm.

Years ago, inexperienced pearl divers would hack up starfish to prevent them from eating oysters, not realizing that they were only making more starfish. In like manner, Rome once tried exterminating the church by killing Christians. But the more it was persecuted, the more the church grew. “Continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:46, 47). “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8, 9).

Armadillos

Armored Leprosy

Armadillos are among God’s strangest creatures. Like their cousins the anteaters, armadillos have a long, sticky tongue to slurp up bugs. They are also equipped with strong claws to tear open ant nests and dig burrows for their young. The female armadillo always bears four young, which are always the same gender; it is also the only mammal known to do so.

Even without a male around, some female armadillos have been known to give birth long after they were captured. These “virgin births” are actually the result of the female’s amazing ability to delay implantation of a fertilized egg for up to four months.

Armadillos are also great swimmers, but because their heavy shell makes them sink, they must swallow air to become buoyant. When necessary, they can hold their breath for up to six minutes at a time and can walk along the bottom of streams and ponds like a lobster. These creatures also sleep an average of 18 hours a day.

Generally, armadillos struggle in their coexistence with humanity. The greatest cause of death is automobiles. But most do not get hit by the wheels; instead, they have a habit of jumping straight up into the air when frightened—a reaction that increases their mortality rate.

Moreover, armadillos are used in leprosy research due to their weak immune systems. They’re the only living creatures besides humans that can contract the disease. Some people have been known to contract leprosy from eating armadillos. Perhaps this is one reason the Bible says that we shouldn’t eat unclean animals. “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20).

Phantom Pain

Helpless Feelings

Amputees often experience a strange sensation called “phantom pain” that seems to come from their missing limbs.

For example, an amputee who has lost his entire leg still “feels” his toes hurt or his knee throb, even though he no longer has those body parts. Phantom pain commonly affects body parts farthest away from the body part removed and can vary in sensation, from cramping to burning. For certain individuals, the pain is constant and may last the rest of their lives.

In the same way, Christians have confessed and forsaken their sins and applied the blood of Jesus for cleansing. Yet many, new and old, still feel the phantom pain of guilt. To successfully run the Christian race, we are commanded to lay aside not only the sin but also the weight of guilt that impedes us. “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1, 2).

Methuselah Seed

A Resurrection Story

In 1963, archaeologists exploring Masada found date seeds that had remained undisturbed for millennia. Masada was the mountaintop fortress above the Dead Sea built by Herod the Great. Beginning in AD 70, more than 900 Jews held the Roman army at bay for three years. When the Romans finally breached the fortress, rather than surrender, the besieged Jewish zealots committed mass suicide. The date seeds were found alongside the skeletons of those who had died.

For the next 40 years, the seeds languished in a drawer in Tel Aviv. In 2005, a research center in Jerusalem began an experiment by planting three of the seeds. Incredibly, one of them sprouted. At first, its leaves were plagued with white spots, believed to be due to insufficient nutrients. But after more than a decade, the tree began to spring healthy leaves and grew to over 10 feet tall.

Because it grew from such an ancient seed, the young tree was dubbed Methuselah after the oldest person in the Bible. An ancestor of the modern date palm, this tree is the lone survivor of a variety called the Judean date. Researchers are hoping that by reviving the plant, they may be able to study its medicinal value. Considering the location and age of the seed, it’s possible that Jesus ate dates from the original tree.

It is nothing short of a miracle that this ancient seed should be resurrected 2,000 years later. Yet the Bible says that one day people from all periods of history will be resurrected. “For the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28, 29). “I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust” (Acts 24:15).

Aepyornis

The Elephant Bird

For as long as adventurers have been exploring unknown lands, they have been returning with stories of mythical beasts. But sometimes, these stories were rooted in truth. Around the 1600s, Arabian and Indian explorers began returning from East Africa with accounts of gigantic birds—twice as tall as a man. At first, their stories were scoffed at, but then the explorers brought evidence: huge eggs, up to three feet in circumference.

We know today that these were the eggs of a giant flightless bird called Aepyornis, which came to be known as the elephant bird. The strange name came from the stories of Marco Polo, which recounted colossal birds on Madagascar that could supposedly lift an elephant. These birds are also thought to have been the inspiration for the Roc, a mythical giant bird.

Evidently, the Aepyornis was the largest bird to have ever lived. It is estimated to have weighed up to 1,100 pounds and grew to 11 feet tall. By the time the French settled in Madagascar around 1642, the elephant bird had become rare, and the last sighting of a living specimen occurred around 1649. The native people of Madagascar described the elephant bird as a shy, peaceful giant. It was most likely driven to extinction by hunters raiding their nests for eggs, which were bigger than the largest dinosaur eggs.

Many thought that the elephant bird was nothing more than a myth until they saw the undeniable evidence. Some people still think the devil is a mythical beast despite the Bible’s clear evidence. “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ So Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it’” (Job 1:6, 7).

Koala Bears

A Sleepy Eater

While the Australian koala certainly looks like a round, furry teddy bear, it’s actually a marsupial related more to kangaroos and wombats. Until the late 1920s, koalas were nearly hunted to extinction for their skins, with as many as 500,000 being exported every month. But today, thankfully, these quiet and cute marsupials are protected as one of Australia’s most unique and iconic animals.

You might say koalas are “all thumbs,” because each foot has two thumbs, which help it to cling to and climb tree branches. The koala is also unique from other marsupials because its pouch opens at the bottom rather than at the top. Like all marsupials, the koala’s young are born small, blind, and hairless. The baby crawls into its mother’s pouch, where it suckles and continues to grow for six months. At the end of this time, the young koala climbs onto its mother’s back and she begins teaching it how to feed.

The name “koala” is an aboriginal word meaning “no drink.” It’s a fitting name because the koala rarely drinks water; instead, it gets nearly all the moisture it needs from eucalyptus leaves. The koala spends almost all its time in eucalyptus trees, only coming down to move to another tree. The koala is an amazingly fussy eater as well. Of the more than 600 species of eucalypti in Australia, it will only eat from 50 of them. It will also pick through 20 or so leaves before selecting one to eat.

The eucalyptus leaves contain strong smelling oils that seem to act as a bug repellent, keeping the animal free from parasites. Unfortunately, they also make the koala smell like cough syrup! Because the eucalyptus is not very nutritious, adult koalas have to eat nearly three pounds a day. Otherwise, they spend most of the day in the fork of a tree, sleeping to conserve energy. In fact, a koala spends up to three-quarters of its life asleep.

Did you know that the Bible warns us not to be symbolically sleeping—in other words to be spiritually ready—for Jesus’ second coming? “You, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night” (1 Thessalonians 5:4–7).

Coccinellidae

The Ladybug

The coccinellid, or “ladybug,” is one of the best natural forms of pest control on Earth. Farmers in the Middle Ages believed that the ladybug could work miracles for their crops, so they named the little beetle “Our Lady’s Bug” or “The Bug of Our Lady,” after the Virgin Mary. Naturally, not all ladybugs are ladies; there are male ladybugs too.

There are about five thousand species in the world. Besides the familiar red with black spots, they also come in brown and yellow; one beautiful species is black with red spots. These hardy beetles beat their wings 85 times a second when flying and can live for weeks without eating. When insects are scarce, ladybugs switch to eating pollen. They can also emit a foul-smelling, bitter-tasting chemical from its leg sockets when attacked by a predator. That’s why birds generally avoid them.

In winter, ladybugs gather in huge groups to hibernate under sticks, bark, and even rocks. In California, 750 million ladybugs were discovered hibernating together in one group. In 1999, four ladybugs were sent to space as part of a NASA experiment. Upon completion of the mission, it was determined that ladybugs thrived in space and even ate aphids while in zero gravity.

But whatever the color, farmers praise ladybugs for making healthy crops possible. They are good bugs that fight bad bugs—eating billions of aphids, scale insects, and mealybugs every year. Gardeners even buy boxes of ladybugs to eat the pests in their gardens.

Did you know that God will send angels to protect those who trust in Him from the “bad bugs” of this world? “No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:10–12).

Roy Sullivan

The Spark Ranger

According to Guinness World Records, Roy C. Sullivan holds the record for being struck by lightning more times than any other human. Sullivan worked as a U.S. ranger in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, a place that averages about forty thunderstorms a year. Between 1942 and 1977, Sullivan was struck by lightning seven different times and survived, gaining him the nickname “The Spark Ranger.” A single lightning strike can unleash 100 million volts and 20,000 amps! All seven strikes were documented by the Shenandoah National Park superintendent and verified by doctors.

The odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime are about one in 3,000. The odds of being struck seven times and surviving is one in a trillion.

Did you know that the Bible talks about seven thunders? “When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them’” (Revelation 10:3, 4).

Isaac Newton

God-Fearing Man of Science

The tremendous scientific influence of Sir Isaac Newton is undisputed. A leader in the scientific revolution, Newton was an ingenious mathematician and physicist whose book The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy formed the bedrock for classical mechanics.

During his lifetime, Newton defined crucial principles of motion, gravity, and even cooling. He also developed a theory of color based on the visible spectrum, built the first practical reflecting telescope, and confirmed that the heliocentric model of the cosmos is valid. He studied the speed of sound and invented calculus, allowing mathematical problems to be solved in more powerful ways. Yet this scientific genius was a God-fearing man who loved to study the books of Daniel and Revelation and firmly believed that Bible prophecies were true and accurate.

According to the Bible, Newton wasn’t the first wise man to believe these things. Take, for example, the words of King Solomon: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).

Albert Lexie

Shoeshine Tips

Twice a week, Albert Lexie woke up at 4:30 AM and rode a bus for 90 minutes to the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he worked shining shoes. This mildly handicapped gentleman believed that his skill in shining shoes was a God-given gift, and he gave it everything he had.

Shining shoes was the only job Albert ever had, a job which he started at the age of fifteen. Kindhearted and generous, Albert wanted to help needy children who came to the hospital for treatment, so he donated all of his tips from shining shoes to the hospital for that purpose. Although his tips came in only a few dollars at a time, they added up. By the time he died in 2018 at the age of 76, Albert had donated $202,000 to help uninsured and underinsured children.

Did you know that the Bible teaches our faithfulness in the small things counts? “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10).

Janette and Alan Murray

Most Consecutive Marathons

Janette and Alan Murray, a couple from Melbourne, Australia, love to run so much that they decided to run around the entire continent of Australia and the island of Tasmania. In order to complete this epic 10,000-mile trek, they ran the equivalent of about a marathon a day—every day for an entire year! The couple chose to run this record-breaking distance partially to promote a vegetarian diet, which Janette believed helped to cure her of breast cancer a decade earlier.

On January 1, 2013, off they went, rising each day at 4:00 AM to avoid the heat and running at least 26.2 miles every day for the following year. Along the way, they consumed almost 11,000 bananas between them, several hundred green smoothies, fruit salads, oranges, avocados, and many gallons of vegetable juice.

On New Year’s Eve, they arrived back in Melbourne, completing their 365th run. And as if that weren’t enough, they followed it up with one additional marathon on January 1, 2014, setting a new Guinness World Record for the most consecutive marathons. By the way, Janette was 64 years old and Alan was 68!

Did you know the Bible teaches that God’s original diet for humanity was vegetarian? “And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food’” (Genesis 1:29).

Christopher Thomas Knight

An American Hermit

For nearly thirty years, a seemingly ghostly recluse haunted the woods of Central Maine. Unseen, he lived in secret, creeping into homes and vacation cabins in the dead of night and surviving on what he could steal. He was so stealthy that he even escaped the sharp senses of watchdogs. Many wondered if he was even real, until he was captured in the early morning of April 4, 2013.

Upon his arrest, Christopher Thomas Knight could barely speak, having been isolated from other humans for so long. With some difficulty, he communicated that he had walked into the remote woods around Rome, Maine, in 1986 and had never returned. He had lived in tents or under tarps for more than 27 years. He had survived by pilfering food, clothing, and supplies.

Born on December 7, 1965, Christopher claimed that he had no ID and no address. He stated that at some point during the 1990s, he suddenly encountered a hiker while walking in the woods and simply said, “Hi.” Other than that single syllable, he hadn’t spoken with or touched another human being until his arrest.

What amazed the locals is how he could survive those frigid, wet, and snowy winters in the woods of Maine for 27 years! What did he do with all of his time? Evidently, he also stole books and did a lot of reading. After serving a short jail term, Knight secured a job with his brother.

Did you know that the Bible speaks of another hermit who lived in the wilderness for years, surviving on food brought to him by birds? “So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook” (1 Kings 17:5, 6).

Inchindown Oil Tanks

World’s Longest Echo

Between the years of 1939 and 1941, massive oil storage tanks were excavated from a solid-rock hillside in Ross-shire, Scotland. These Inchindown oil tanks were dug amid concerns that German bombing during WWII would interrupt the supply of shipping fuel to the Royal Navy. Each of the concrete tanks is twice the length of a soccer field, with a high, arched roof and walls 18 inches thick. The colossal reservoirs were designed to hold 6.6 million gallons of fuel oil.

After their construction, it was discovered that the unusual shape and location had made these cisterns a sonic wonder. Guinness World Records certified the Inchindown oil tanks as having the longest echo in the world. When tested by firing a starting pistol inside the tunnel, the sound reverberated for a full 112 seconds. That means if you were to play a single note on a saxophone in one of these tanks, the sound would echo for nearly two minutes.

Did you know that the Bible speaks of another sound that will resonate throughout eternity? “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

King Louis XII

Red Crosses

Louis XII became king of France late in life. Before ascending to the throne, he had his fair share of hardships—narrowly escaping the demise of his lineage as well as his own life. At one point, he was imprisoned by his cousin, Charles VIII, the reigning French monarch.

When he finally came to the throne, Louis XII was advised to punish all those who had mistreated him in the past. Subsequently, he wrote down the names of each of his enemies on a list and marked a red cross beside each one. When word of the king’s list got around, his enemies fled, even out of the country. They assumed the red crosses meant that they had been marked for death.

But King Louis XII’s list was not one of vengeance; it was one of pardon. The red crosses were not omens of blood; they meant that the king had forgiven his enemies, just as Jesus forgave all of His enemies and even prayed for them. The red cross was the king’s promise of pardon to those who had wronged him.

Did you know that the Bible teaches one of the best ways to get even with your enemies is to love and forgive them? “Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:20,21).

Fridtjof Nansen

Arctic Ocean Dead Water

Fridtjof Nansen was a famous Norwegian explorer who dreamed of reaching the North Pole. He organized an expedition on the ship Fram, built explicitly for this voyage, with a small crew of only twelve men, chosen from thousands of applicants. On June 24, 1893, Fram set sail northward and did not return until three years later.

While the expedition ultimately proved unsuccessful, Nansen and crew did reportedly travel farther north than any other person had at that time, reaching a latitude of 86°13.6’N before turning back. Fraught with danger and hardship, Nansen’s trip included an attack by walrus, disastrously losing direction, and the first recorded encounter with the phenomenon known as “dead water.”

“Dead water” is caused when a layer of freshwater rests atop a body of saltwater without mixing. In places like the Arctic Ocean, these kinds of areas can occur when, for example, a glacier melts. “Dead water” can stop a ship “dead” in its tracks, as the ship’s own movement causes waves between the fresh and salt layers of water, bringing the ship to a near standstill. These waves, invisible on the ocean’s surface, make it seem as though some “mysterious force,” as Nansen described it, or some supernatural hand has caught the vessel in its grasp.

Did you know that the Bible says most people have the capacity to pour out both fresh water and bitter water? “No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh” (James 3:8–12).

Harrison Okene

In the Deep

Harrison Okene begged God for a miracle. In turbulent seas some twenty miles off the coast of Logos, the Nigerian cook’s tugboat flipped over in the middle of the night and sank 100 feet to the sea floor. In the watery chaos, the eleven other seamen on the boat perished, but Harrison somehow found himself trapped in a large pocket of air deep within the capsized vessel.

Providentially, just prior to the accident, Harrison’s wife sent him a text message quoting Psalm 54: “Save me, O God, by Your name…. Behold, God is my helper; the LORD is with those who uphold my life.” That became Harrison’s prayer.

Seventy-two hours later and nearly out of air, Harrison noticed the water in the soggy chamber begin to glow with a green light. A Dutch salvage company had sent divers to the sunken ship expecting to recover bodies. Imagine their shock when Harrison’s hand reached down and grabbed one of the divers. The shocked diver shouted through his microphone to the rescue ship, “There’s a survivor! He’s alive.” Trapped in the cold depths of the ocean for three days, Harrison had miraculously survived.

Did you know the Bible also talks about a man who was rescued after being trapped in the deep for three days? “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me” (Jonah 2:2, 3).

Sahara Cave Paintings

Not Always a Desert

The Sahara is the world’s largest and hottest desert. At more than 3.6 million square miles, it covers most of North Africa, making it almost as large as the United States. And the blistering heat there can reach 130 degrees in the shade!

But the Sahara has not always been a burning wasteland. In 1847, French army officers in Algeria discovered a number of ancient rock paintings depicting a people who lived in a savannah-like land filled with rivers and lakes. The paintings show a country teeming with buffalo, elephants, rhinoceros, crocodiles, and hippopotamus—animals that obviously no longer inhabit the Sahara.

One cave even contains pictographs of people diving and swimming. These amazing images dating from between 2000 and 3000 BC demonstrate that the Sahara was once a lush, green land abounding in life.

Did you know that the Bible says this is not the first time a garden-like land turned into a desert? “And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD” (Genesis 13:10). “For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of melody” (Isaiah 51:3).

Carlsbad Caverns

Stalactites and Bats

One late afternoon in 1898, a young cowboy named Jim White was looking for stray cattle in the New Mexico wilderness when he spotted what seemed to be smoke rising from the distant hills. However, on investigating, he discovered that it was not smoke at all—but millions of bats boiling out of a cave like a tornado.

A few days later, Jim returned to the entrance of the colossal cave where he proceeded to craft a makeshift ladder with fence wire and sticks. Then, armed only with a homemade kerosene lamp, the sixteen-year-old adventurer descended 50 feet into the gaping corridor of the dark abyss, becoming the first person to explore Carlsbad Caverns.

Filled with a kaleidoscope of beautiful stalactites and other magnificent formations, these world-famous caverns are now a national park consisting of 117 caves—with the biggest one large enough to contain an entire football field. Today, more than 300,000 people each year enjoy the wonders of the caverns. Jim White dedicated the rest of his life to promoting the caves and guiding people safely through these underground cathedrals.

The Bible also talks about a lamp that can guide you through the darkness. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

AJ Hayes

Youngest 911 Caller

Three-year-old AJ Hayes from Keizer, Oregon, set the world record for being the youngest person to make a genuine 911 call. AJ’s dad, Aaron, was working with a wood chisel when he accidentally severed a main artery in his arm. Little AJ grabbed the phone and dialed 911, numbers his dad had taught him.

AJ told the emergency operator that his father was hurt and said, “You have to come. He really needs help.” Aaron was taken to an area hospital, treated for the wound, and released. Paramedics said the boy’s quick action likely saved his father’s life.

Each year in the United States, about 190 million 911 calls are made to summon police, fire, or other emergency medical services, saving thousands of lives. Unfortunately, a few major disasters have brought the system down. When Superstorm Sandy walloped the Northeast, for example, New York City’s 911 phone system was completely overwhelmed with 10,000 calls per hour.

What number do you dial for a spiritual emergency? Did you know that the Bible teaches God has the best emergency call system in the world? “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation” (Psalm 91:15, 16). “It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).

Dashrath Manjhi

Mountain Pathfinder

In 1960, a poor Indian farmer from Gehlaur lost his young wife due to a lack of basic medical services. The road to the nearest town with a doctor was 43 miles around a long chain of mountains. When the government ignored appeals from villagers to build a short road through the mountain, the grieving farmer, Dashrath Manjhi, took matters into his own hands.

In memory of his wife, Dashrath took a hammer, chisel, and shovel and started hammering a path through the hill, often working day and night. At first, people considered him mad, but as he continued pounding at the mountain, some of his neighbors began to bring him food and support.

Dashrath said that he did not want anyone else to suffer the fate of his wife; he also wanted to make it easier for his fellow villagers to access schools and markets. With relentless determination, Manjhi labored for almost 22 years. During that time, he successfully carved a passage 30 feet wide and 360 feet long through the rocky obstacle, reducing the distance between the village and the city to just three miles. Dasrath said, “When God is with you, nothing can stop you.” This man moved a mountain with his determination.

The Bible says that with faith every mountain can be moved. “So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive’” (Matthew 21:21, 22).

Charles Feeney

Mystery Giver

In 1997, a longtime mystery was finally solved. For years, someone had been secretly giving away millions of dollars to universities, hospitals, and charities around the globe. The recipients didn’t know why the gifts came, how to thank the giver, or even how to ask for more. The funds were sent in cashier’s checks and accompanied by a message that the person wished to remain anonymous.

But when the mystery benefactor sold a company in 1997, the truth leaked out and the generous soul could no longer hide it. It now turns out that the hidden humanitarian was Charles Feeney, an elderly businessman from New Jersey who made his fortune building a network of duty-free shops around the world. After amassing a fortune, Feeney realized it was more fun to give it away while he was alive. So, for years, Feeney quietly gave away 99 percent of all he had, which added up to more than $8 billion. Yet this billionaire still lives modestly. Chuck flies economy, wears a $15 watch, and doesn’t even own a house or car.

Did you know that the only way to secure your wealth is to store it in heaven? “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19–21).

Telemachus

Standing Up for God

Around AD 400, the great Coliseum in Rome was often packed with spectators watching the violent games in which human beings battled one another or wild beasts until one was killed. People reveled in such sport and were delighted when a person was slain.

On one such day, a Syrian monk named Telemachus stood up in the middle of a battle. Grieved and outraged by the utter disregard for human life, he leaped into the arena in the midst of the carnage, boldly crying out against the atrocities. But because he was interfering with their entertainment, Telemachus was run through with a sword by an enraged gladiator. His death, however, kindled a flame in the hearts and consciences of many. History tells us that because of his courageous sacrifice, within a few months these blood baths began to decline and soon ended.

Scripture encourages us to stand for what is right regardless of the consequences. “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). “For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard” (Acts 22:15).

Cheops Pyramid

An Ancient Wonder Humbled

As one of the world’s oldest structures, some 4,600 years old, the great Giza pyramid is the sole survivor of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It is believed that an enslaved force of about 25,000 built the colossal monument. It took 20 years to raise, using approximately 2.3 million blocks with an average weight of 2.5 metric tons. The largest block weighs as much as 15 metric tons! The pyramid currently stands more than 450 feet high, but in its prime, it stood 480 feet, equivalent to 50 stories. For more than 38 centuries, it stood as the tallest manmade structure until being surpassed by England’s Lincoln Cathedral in 1311.

The sloping angle of its sides is 51 degrees and 51 minutes. Each side is oriented with one of the cardinal points of the compass—north, south, east, west. The pyramid is located at the exact center of the earth’s landmass; in addition, the average height of all the land above sea level, as measured only by modern-day technology, is 5,449 inches—the exact height of Cheops.

In addition, the interior stones fit so well that even today, a business card won’t slide in between them. Its engineering prowess was so advanced that current technology still can’t duplicate the structure. The pyramid’s core was constructed mostly of soft limestone, but the outer layer was crafted in a beautifully bright, protective layer of polished “casing stones,” superior in durability against the elements. These stones are missing today because of a thirteenth-century earthquake, which loosened them. Looters carted them off to finish the construction of palaces and mosques.

This great pyramid represents man’s best attempt to build an eternal dwelling, but even the pyramids are crumbling. In contrast, Jesus promises to build us eternal dwellings, where we can abide forever. “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).

The Dead Sea

An Unlikely Treasure Trove

Situated at 1,412 feet below sea level in Israel, the Dead Sea is one of the world’s lowest water surfaces—and one of the most unusual spots on the planet.

The sea used to receive more than six million tons of water every day from the Jordan River. Strangely though, despite having no outlet, its water level never rose. Today, however, the sea is quickly receding, as water is diverted from the Jordan for agriculture and industry. Geographers used to believe that there was an enormous chasm in the bottom of the Dead Sea into which its water poured down. But U.S. Navy sound tests have since disproved that theory. The real answer lies in the fact that the seabed is 31 miles long and nine miles across at its widest point, which means that evaporation in that seething desert basin exceeds the watery input. This also makes the sea nine times as salty as ocean water, which makes it impossible for plants or animals to live there.

Because of its high mineral content, no one can sink or drown while bathing there. It is said that Vespasian, an ancient Roman commander, heard this fact and tested it by ordering bound slaves to be thrown in. The slaves floated. This concentration of minerals also makes the Dead Sea one of the most valuable spots on earth. Among its precious minerals is potash, which is used in explosives and fertilizer.

It also has an estimated 22 billion tons of magnesium chloride, 11 billion tons of common salt, 5 billion tons of calcium chloride, 2 billion tons of potassium chloride, and 1 billion tons of magnesium bromide. The combined value of these chemicals comes to a staggering $250 trillion. All the goods exported from Israel are nothing compared to the enormous mineral wealth found in the Dead Sea.

Who would dream that a place so outwardly lifeless could be so valuable? Perhaps you have also underestimated your worth before God. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:28–31).

Panama Canal

The Human Cost

The canal across the Isthmus of Panama in Central America is one of the greatest engineering feats of the past thousand years. In 1513, Vasco de Balboa’s discovery of the Pacific Coast of Panama soon had merchants and empire-builders dreaming of a shortcut that would enable their ships to sail westward from the Atlantic to the Pacific without making the grueling and expensive 12,000-mile journey around the tip of South America.

Over the next 200 years, visionaries ranging from Benjamin Franklin to Simon Bolivar advocated the digging of a channel. Several countries and companies either quit or went bankrupt attempting to build it, but the canal was finally completed by the United States under Teddy Roosevelt in 1914. At that time, it was the largest and most complex project of its kind ever undertaken, employing tens of thousands of workers and costing $350 million.

The 48-mile canal consists of artificially created lakes and channels and a series of water-filled chambers, known as locks, that raise and lower ships 85 feet through the mountainous terrain of Panama. Battleships and destroyers of the world are built to squeeze through the small 80-year-old locks. The canal’s 12 locks have the same dimensions: 110 feet wide by 1,000 feet long with gates at each end. Water enters and leaves each lock through a system of large culverts. About 52 million gallons of gravity-flow water are used to transfer each ship through the canal. Because of the “S” shape of the Isthmus of Panama, a ship sailing through the canal will actually travel west to east to go east to west.

The canal commission recruited more than 50,000 laborers, mostly from nearby Caribbean islands, to work on the project. In all, another 100,000 people migrated to Panama during the construction era, adding to the diversity of Panama’s population. The canal was also the costliest modern project in terms of lives lost: More than 30,000 people died. Amazingly, it was not the mountains that killed most of the workers but the mosquitoes carrying deadly diseases! Finally, Dr. William Gorgas staged a successful campaign to eradicate the pests, and malaria and yellow fever disappeared.

Likewise, the number one killer in North America today is not from an obvious threat, like the use of firearms or irresponsible driving, but from eating with knives and forks! “And put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite” (Proverbs 23:2). “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Shoichi Yokoi

A Soldier in Hiding

For 26 years after the surrender of Japan in 1945, Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi hid in the remote jungles of Guam, living only on berries, nuts, rats, and frogs. Following the creed of soldiers loyal to imperial Japan, he refused to surrender because he did not believe World War II had really ended. Two local hunters discovered him in January 1972 in the remote jungle. He was wearing a pair of burlap pants and a shirt that he had made from tree bark.

When found, Yokoi was expecting the worst from his American captors. Instead, they gave him a first-class trip back to Japan. His first words to his people were, “It is with much embarrassment that I return.” But instead, the Japanese people welcomed him back as a national hero. He became a popular commentator on survival and even ran for parliament.

Many are reluctant and ashamed to surrender to Jesus, believing it is a sign of weakness or that He will rob them of their liberties. In reality, it requires great courage to surrender all to Jesus. And instead of limiting our liberties, Jesus wants to set us free and invites us to reign with Him in heavenly places! “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life” (Romans 6:22). “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him” (2 Timothy 2:12).

Navajo Code Talkers

Unbreakable Language

During the Pacific battles of World War II, the Japanese began to eavesdrop on U.S. Marine communications and managed to decipher the coded messages. In fact, Japanese cryptographers were succeeding in breaking every U.S. code as fast as it was developed.

But there was one code they were never able to break.

The idea originated with Philip Johnston, an engineer and World War I veteran, who knew of the military’s need for an unbreakable code. He was raised on a Navajo Reservation, where his father had served as a missionary. Navajo was virtually an unwritten language in 1942, with no alphabet or symbols, and was spoken only on Navajo lands in the American Southwest.

Confident that few people in the world understood the complex syntax and tonal qualities of Navajo, Johnston suggested that the army use the language as the basis for a new code. After staging an impressive demonstration in which several Navajo friends transmitted English into Navajo and back to English, the Marines authorized an official program to develop and implement the code.

Twenty-nine Navajos fluent in both their native tongue and English constructed and mastered the Navajo code, which they used to transmit crucial information in battles. Their work resulted in significant U.S. victories in the Pacific—especially in Iwo Jima.

Did you know that the Scriptures teach there is a little-known code that, once understood, will unlock the mysteries of Bible prophecy? “He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things” (Daniel 2:21, 22). “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Masada

A Refusal to Surrender

The term “zealot,” in reference to extremists, originated from the doomed defenders of Masada, a name which means “fortress” in Hebrew. This mountaintop stronghold in the Judean desert was built on a rocky mesa rising abruptly more than a thousand feet above the nearby Dead Sea.

Herod the Great renovated the fortress between 37 and 31 BC. When Jerusalem was taken by Rome in AD 70, the last remaining rebels, a Jewish sect known as the Sicarii, revolted and seized the fortress in their stand against Roman rule. With plenty of food and water, this group of about a thousand men, women, and children—led by Eleazar ben Jair—held off the Roman army for more than two years.

After the long siege, 8,000 Roman soldiers from the Tenth Legion built an enormous ramp and battering ram and broke through the walls. According to Josephus, they found the dead bodies of 960 men, women, and children—all victims of a suicide pact to keep the Romans from taking them as slaves. All but seven killed themselves rather than surrender.

But the Bible teaches that sometimes surrender is the bravest and wisest thing to do. “Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, ‘Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say, “We will enter the city,” the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die’” (2 Kings 7:3, 4). “And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will’” (Mark 14:36).

World Trade Center

New York City Marvel

Until the events of September 11, 2001, the tallest building in New York City and the second highest in the world was the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Over the years, more than 30 million people had visited the observation deck at the top of the South Tower. Each day, more than 250,000 people worked in or visited the World Trade Center—that’s nearly half of the people that live in Wyoming.

During its construction, 1.2 million cubic yards of earth were excavated and placed in the Hudson River, which created more than 23 acres of new land for Battery Park. The 425,000 cubic yards of concrete used in building the World Trade Center would have been enough to construct a five-foot-wide sidewalk from New York City to Washington D.C.

The center building was the largest office structure in the world, with 12 million square feet of rental space. Each twin tower had 99 elevators, but two of them were express elevators that traveled 107 floors in less than a minute—faster than 25 feet per second! The 43,600 windows were cleaned by automatic window-washing machines.

On May 26, 1977, George Willig, also known as the “Human Fly,” suction-cupped his way up the northeast wall of the South Tower to the “Top of the World” lookout. On August 7, 1974, Philippe Petit walked on a tight rope between the twin structures. The two towers of the World Trade Center dominated New York’s vista and were the first thing you noticed when approaching on a clear day.

But Scripture reminds us that Christ’s return will far exceed giant skyscrapers in dominance of the sky. “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:27).

Dr. Evan O’Neil Kane

“Physician, Heal Yourself!”

Dr. Evan O’Neil Kane was the chief surgeon at Kane Summit Hospital in New York City. By the time he was 60, he had been practicing surgery for 37 years and was especially interested in anesthetics. Dr. Kane practiced in a time when only general anesthetic was used, meaning that the patient had to be completely knocked out. This often resulted in serious complications, as patients were sometimes left paralyzed or sometimes even died. Dr. Kane believed it was possible to operate on patients who only received a local anesthetic, numbing only the smaller area that needed surgery.

He wanted to prove his point, so he found a patient who needed his appendix removed and who agreed to help him experiment. On Tuesday morning, February 15, 1921, the patient was prepared and rolled into the operating room. Kane had performed more than 4,000 appendectomies, so he easily performed the initial incision and clamped the blood vessels while he located the appendix. He then skillfully removed it, just as he had done many times before. Through it all, the patient experienced only minor pain. He recuperated quickly and was released from the hospital the next day.

Dr. Kane had done it—a milestone in medical history. But did you know that the surgeon and the patient were one and the same? Dr. Kane operated on himself and removed his own appendix!

Perhaps you’ve heard the proverb, “Physician, heal yourself!” Did you know that Jesus once spoke these words and actually did heal Himself? “My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father” (John 10:17, 18).

The Ostry Farm

Barn Relocation

In the 1980s, Herman and Donna Ostry bought a farm about half-a-mile outside Bruno, Nebraska. Because the barn was near a creek, the floor was often muddy and wet. One year, when the creek flooded and left 29 inches of water in his barn, Herman decided that something had to be done.

At supper one night, Herman joked to his family, “I’ll bet if we had enough people, we could just pick up that barn and carry it to higher ground.” Herman’s son, Mike, however, took the idea seriously and designed and welded a grid of steel lifting handles that fit all around the barn. After calculating the boards, timber, and steel handles, he estimated the barn’s weight at almost ten tons, which meant that each person would need to lift about 55 pounds.

The little town of Bruno was already planning its centennial that summer, so they decided to make the moving of Ostry’s barn part of the official celebration. On July 30, 1988, local TV cameramen were on hand, along with 4,000 spectators. Following directions shouted through a bullhorn, 344 volunteers lifted in unison. The crowd then applauded as the team moved the barn 115 feet to higher ground in three minutes.

It’s amazing what people can accomplish when they all work together, such as when the Jewish people rebuilt the wall around the entire city of Jerusalem. “So we built the wall, … for the people had a mind to work…. So the wall was finished … in fifty-two days” (Nehemiah 4:6; 6:15).

Larry Walters

The Joy of Flight

In 1982, Larry Walters, a 33-year-old truck driver in Los Angeles, made national news for a unique reason. His dream to fly and get an aerial view of his neighborhood prompted him to buy 45 six-foot weather balloons, several tanks of helium, and rope.

As neighbors watched, Larry secured his lawn chair to the bumper of his SUV, and one by one he filled the balloons with helium and tied them to his chair. He also carried a two-way radio, a parachute, some water, a few sandwiches, and a BB gun to regulate altitude by shooting out balloons. When he was ready, his neighbors cut the ropes.

But Larry didn’t slowly rise into the air as he had planned. Instead, he shot up so fast that he lost his glasses, climbing more than a thousand feet per minute. At one point, he climbed to over 15,000 feet! For hours, Larry drifted in the cold air over the Pacific near the landing pattern of a busy airport. Eventually, a pilot reported that he had passed a man in a lawn chair in the sky.

After shooting out some balloons, Larry finally drifted down. He got entangled in powerlines but escaped uninjured. On the ground, Larry found himself surrounded by TV crews, police, and rescue squads. When a reporter asked why he did it, Larry explained, “A man can’t just sit around.” He’s right, of course, but his calculations for his historic flight nearly got him killed.

The Bible teaches that when Jesus returns, the redeemed will be caught up to meet Him in the air. But many sincere Christians are in danger of being deceived because they have miscalculated the nature of this event. “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ … Do not go after them” (Luke 21:8). “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers” (2 Timothy 4:3).

Kim Peek

A Mastermind

When Kim Peek was born in 1951, his parents knew that he was different. He had an enlarged head, and tests revealed that his left and right brain hemispheres weren’t separated like most people’s, instead forming a single “data storage” area. Kim’s physical development was slow, and he didn’t walk until age four, but early on, his parents noticed remarkable abilities. By twenty months, Kim was able to memorize every book read to him. Overall, he could recall at least 12,000 books!

Peek was called a “mega-savant” because his photographic memory made him a genius in fifteen distinct subjects. Known as “Kimputer,” his vast knowledge included world history, the Bible, geography, sports statistics, movies, the works of Shakespeare, and classical music. He especially enjoyed calendar calculations. If you told him your birth date, he could instantly tell you the day of the week you were born.

In his home in Utah, he spent his afternoons at the library poring over books. It took him about eight seconds to read an average page, and he could read two pages at a time—one with his left eye and the other with his right. But Kim struggled in other areas like dressing and shaving or finding the silverware drawer at home. Still, it was his encyclopedic memory that became the inspiration for the 1988 Oscar-winning movie Rain Man.

You might naturally ask, “How much information can the human brain hold?” While no human can answer that question precisely, the Bible says that the most important information we can know is found in God’s Word. “The Holy Scriptures … are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:15, 16).

Mary Mallon

Typhoid Mary

Mary Mallon was an Irish immigrant and the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the United States. She immigrated in 1883 when she was only 15 years old. Apparently, she contracted typhoid fever at some point but only suffered a mild case, resisting the bacteria enough to appear healthy while still spreading the disease to others. Mary began to work as a household cook in private homes around New York City between 1900 and 1907.

When Mary cooked for a household in Mamaroneck, New York, in less than two weeks the residents came down with typhoid. She then worked in another home in Manhattan in 1901, and members of that family developed typhoid; their laundress died. Next, she went to work for a lawyer until seven of the eight household members developed typhoid. In 1904, she took another position on Long Island; within two weeks, four family members were hospitalized. She changed employment once again, and three more households were infected.

After careful investigation, a sanitary engineer identified Mary as a carrier and approached her with the news that she was spreading typhoid. Mary stubbornly refused to believe that someone who wasn’t sick could spread the disease, and she rejected requests for testing with cursing and even violence. The New York City Health Department tried to reason with Mary, but she was convinced that the law was persecuting her because she was a working-class Irish immigrant. It required several police officers to place her into custody. The New York City health inspector tested her and confirmed that she was a rare case of a healthy carrier. She was isolated for three years at a hospital located on North Brother Island.

Reluctantly, the city released her on the condition that she would no longer work with food. However, in 1915, she took a cooking job at a New York hospital and infected 25 people, two of whom died. Public health authorities again seized her and confined Mary in quarantine for the remaining 23 years of her life. When she died in 1938 of pneumonia, the autopsy revealed that she was still actively carrying typhoid. Because Mary refused to accept the facts, she infected at least 55 people with the disease, three of whom died.

The Bible teaches about another woman who deliberately spreads deadly false teachings. “I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication…. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement” (Revelation 17:3–6).

Jadav Payeng

Forest Maker

A man from Jorhat, India, is called by many as “The Forest Man of India.” In 1979, 17-year-old Jadav “Molai” Payeng saw how the large island he lived on was slowly being washed away by deforestation and flooding. Molai decided to do something about it. Over the course of several decades, he planted and tended thousands of trees on a barren 1,360-foot sandbar of the Brahmaputra River, gradually turning the area into a thriving forest reserve.

The Molai Forest, named after Payeng, is located near Assam and encompasses an area larger than Central Park in New York City. The forest has become a refuge for Bengal tigers, rhinoceros, elephants, monkeys, deer, rabbits, and many varieties of birds.

Did you know that the Bible says Adam, the first man, was originally designed to be a gardener? “The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden…. Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it” (Genesis 2:8, 15).

Cross Island Chapel

World’s Smallest Church

According to Roadside America, the “World’s Smallest Church” can be found in Oneida, New York. Built in 1989 on wooden pilings, Cross Island Chapel is located on a small island in the middle of a pond. With a floor area of only 51” by 81” or 28 square feet, the chapel is just big enough to accommodate two people sitting—or a tiny wedding with the bride, groom, and pastor standing. Open by appointment only, this itsy-bitsy non-denominational church is only accessible by boat. Strangely, other denominations are now considering building smaller churches to compete for the world record.

One might wonder how Jesus would feel about Christians trying to build smaller churches! “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

American Versailles

The Mega Mega-Mansion

Time-share mogul David Siegel, 77, and his wife Jackie, 46, a former beauty queen, were planning a lavish home before the economic implosion of 2008. After struggling with finances on its construction for several years, the Siegels now have the project back on track. Once completed, the house is projected to be one of the largest private mansions in the United States.

They call the 90,000-square-foot mansion “The American Versailles,” after the famous French palace. Bigger than a 747 airplane hangar, the ambitious house features 14 bedrooms with a 6,000-square-foot master bedroom, 30 bathrooms, nine kitchens, a roller rink, full-service spa, two movie theaters, six swimming pools, a bowling alley, a tennis court with stadium seating, and a 30-car underground parking lot. The home’s two-story mahogany doors and windows alone cost $4 million.

Did you know that the Bible says Jesus has prepared an even better home for us and that the deed has already been secured? “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1–3).

Halloween

Pagan Superstition

Halloween is one of the most commercially successful holidays in North America, averaging $2 billion every year in candy, costumes, decorations, and other related sales.

It began as a pagan holiday dating back more than two millennia. The name comes from All Hallows’ Eve, the evening before All Saints’ Day, a holiday established by the Catholic Church, which was hoping to convert pagans, as a day to honor dead saints. This practice traces its roots back to the Druids, an ancient Celtic culture in Britain, Ireland, and Northern Europe.

The Druids also held an annual feast to honor the dead; it was called the feast of Samhain and was held on October 31. Samhain means “summer’s end”; it marked the beginning of a new Celtic year and included a harvest festival complete with sacred bonfires. The Druids were superstitious people who believed the souls of the dead roamed throughout the villages at night, some of them unfriendly. To confuse these spirits, many of them wore disguises. And to pacify such spirits and ensure that the next harvest would be successful, treats and gifts were left outside. Eventually, these customs evolved into trick-or-treating.

But Christians should never fear the dead because they don’t roam the earth; rather, they sleep in the grave. “For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10). “The dead do not praise the LORD, nor any who go down into silence” (Psalm 115:17).

Mirror in the Ocean

A Tale of Two Passing Ships

On August 4, 1914, the magnificent British luxury liner Carmania was three days out of New York City on her way to Liverpool with 800 passengers when her crew learned that England had declared war on Germany.

As soon as the Carmania arrived in Liverpool, the Royal Navy assumed command. Within a week, the liner was converted into a warship. Her refrigerated food stores, originally intended for the cruise passengers, had been left on board, so the officers and crew ate quite well.

On September 2, the Carmania was assigned to the West Indies with orders to scout the vicinity for enemy ships. Three days later, a lookout sighted a ship off the coast of Trinidad. At that point, the crew might have thought they’d entered the Twilight Zone; the ship spied in the distance from the deck of the Carmania was the Carmania!

Or, at least, it was a ship that bore her name and looked exactly like her. The other vessel was, in fact, a German luxury liner called the Cap Trafalgar, which had also been converted into a warship but was then disguised in every outward detail as the Carmania—even to the dismantling of one smokestack.

After a bloody and blazing battle in the mid-Atlantic on September 14, 1914, the disguised Cap Trafalgar was sunk by the real Carmania. It was the first battle ever between two ocean liners.

The Bible teaches that in the last days, Satan will perform a masterpiece of impersonation. “For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:26, 27).

The Great Race

From New York to Paris

The longest automobile competition in history began on February 12, 1908, in Times Square. Six teams from Italy, France, Germany, and the United States competed in this globe-trotting race from New York to Paris. After traveling from New York City to Albany, then Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle, the teams were to cross the Pacific by ship to Japan, trek across Russia to Berlin, and finally end up in Paris.

This torturous race began in mid-winter back at a time when roads were rarely maintained, maps were unreliable, and there were no snowplows, radios, gas stations, or food stops. Furthermore, this was long before four-wheel drive, and the open cabs exposed drivers to the elements. The American car, a Thomas Flyer model, had a small four-cylinder engine with a top speed of sixty miles per hour. Whenever possible, the teams would follow railroad tracks, which was a bone-jarring ride in the days before shock absorbers. They often were forced to drive across open country, sometimes getting lost for days and then having to backtrack. With frequent breakdowns and flat tires, it was essential for each team to bring along a mechanic. Sometimes, they had to hire a team of horses to pull the cars through deep snow or mud. Occasionally, the teams even stopped to help each other.

Finally, on July 30, 1908, after a 169-day struggle covering more than 22,000 miles, George Schuster, the driver for the American team, rolled into Paris to win the race. Only three of the six teams made it to the finish line; the Germans won second place and the Italians third.

Incredibly, George wasn’t even supposed to be part of the epic race. His job was delivering the Flyer to the starting line. But when the team’s mechanic backed out at the last minute, George took his place. He was the only team member aboard the car throughout the entire race. Before it was over, he had become the driver; he was also the only original member of the American team to finish the historic race. George, who lived to 99, was the first person to drive an automobile across the United States during the winter.

Did you know that the Bible speaks of the Christian life as a great race? “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1, 2).

The Missing Declaration

Thrift-Shop Treasure

After Stan Caffy and his wife Linda married, she urged him to clean out the garage to make some room for their combined households. Stan, a self-professed “pack rat,” was reluctant to part with a reprint of the Declaration of Independence that he hung on the wall of his garage. He had bought the yellowed document about a decade earlier at a yard sale for $10. Linda, however, won the debate, so Caffy sold the parchment in 2006.

Fast forward one year. Michael Sparks was visiting the Music City Thrift store in Nashville, where he bought a yellowed print of the Declaration. He also figured the document was a worthless reprint, so he paid the asking price, $2.48, and headed home.

After looking over the document for a few days, he wondered if it might be older than he thought. He clicked around on the Internet and realized, based on a number of clues, that he had purchased one of only 200 official copies of the Declaration. It had been commissioned by John Quincy Adams in 1820 and printed in 1823. Of those 200 early copies, only 35 had been found intact; Michael had number 36.

It took a year for Sparks to have the print authenticated, and he then put it up for auction. The final sale price? $477,650. Caffy confessed he felt like the village idiot when he read that the document he’d once had hanging in his garage for ten years was actually a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence.

But this isn’t the only time a precious national document has been misplaced or gone unrecognized. “Now when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses. Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.’ And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan” (2 Chronicles 34:14, 15).

Miracle of Andersonville

A Powerful Answer to Prayer

At 26 acres, Camp Sumter was the Civil War’s largest Confederate military prison. Designed to detain 10,000 Northern soldiers, it eventually held 32,000; there was scarcely room for everyone to lie down at night. In the winter, the prisoners were soaked and freezing, and in the summer they suffered from the scorching heat.

In 1864, with little food to spare, the Confederates allowed their prisoners to starve. The unsanitary water supply compounded the misery. A small creek that ran through the prison yard first passed by the living area of the guards and livestock, resulting in sewage—yet it was the only water prisoners had for drinking. As a result, in the span of 14 months, nearly 13,000 men died from disease, malnutrition, and exposure.

Conditions were especially brutal during a heat wave in August 1864, when a large group of prisoners gathered under the blazing sun, kneeled against each other, and prayed. The men asked not only for rain to cool them and raise the water level to wash away the filth, they also specifically asked for clean water to drink.

Suddenly, a powerful thunderstorm developed from the clear sky above them. The clouds ruptured, and rain began to pour down, cleansing the prisoners, quenching their thirst, and flushing the camp. God also sent a mighty lightning bolt that struck the ground in the midst of the crowded camp without harming any prisoners. The third miracle was that a new, cool, clean spring of water appeared at the very spot where the lightning had struck the ground. That spring, still flowing today, is called Providence Spring.

Did you know that springs still flow today in answer to prayer? “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13, 14).

Floating Church

Guided by Providence

In 1874, Methodists in Swan Quarter, North Carolina, decided it was time to build a permanent church building.

A beautiful lot on high ground in the heart of town seemed like the perfect site. But the lot’s owner, Sam Sadler, didn’t want a church built on his prime real estate. When the congregation made a higher offer, Sadler flatly turned it down. Soon after, the Methodists accepted a plot of land half a mile away on some low-lying property. The members cheerfully began building a modest but sturdy structure resting on brick piers.

Then something miraculous occurred. On September 17, 1876, right after they had dedicated the small church, a powerful hurricane came aground. As rain and wind increased, the rising water lifted the little church from its foundation and carried it down the street. When people awoke the next morning, they saw an amazing sight—the entire church was floating down Oyster Creek Road.

A few good Samaritans saw the drifting church and tried to tie it off with ropes, but it broke its moorings and continued its journey as though it had a mind of its own. After bumping into a general store, it took a sharp right turn and headed down another road for about two city blocks until it reached the corner of what is now Church Street. It then turned left, crossed the Carawan Canal, and stopped. The little church had settled in the center of the property the members had originally requested—the parcel that Sadler had refused to sell to them.

After seeing the mighty work of Providence, Sadler finally gave the title deed for the land to the Methodists. Today, a sign stands in front of the aptly named Providence United Methodist Church, reminding visitors that this was the church “Moved by the Hand of God.”

Many are wondering if the hand of God is still leading His church today—He is. “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19–22).

Influenza of 1918

A Case of Pig Pathology

Most people believe that the deadliest plague in history was the Bubonic Plague, which killed two million victims a year. But actually, the deadliest plague occurred in the twentieth century—in the United States. It was the influenza outbreak of 1918. While World War I had killed nine million men in four years, this killer flu took at least 25 million lives in one year. In the first year, nearly 20 million cases were reported in the United States alone, accounting for almost one million deaths. That’s more than the number of people killed during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War combined!

It started on the morning of March 11, 1918, at Camp Funston, Kansas, when a cook reported to the infirmary with typical flu-like symptoms. By noon, 107 soldiers were sick. Within two days, 522 people were sick, many gravely ill with severe pneumonia, which eventually became the deadliest part of the sickness. Soon, more reports started coming in from other military bases around the country.

Within a week, the influenza was hitting isolated places such as Alcatraz. Every state in the Union had been invaded by this airborne killer. In just two months, it had spread down to South America, then across the Atlantic to Europe, down to Africa, and across the Pacific to China and Japan. Interestingly, the United States ended up having the lowest death toll. But 60 percent of the Eskimo population was wiped out in Nome, Alaska. Eighty to 90 percent of the Samoan population was infected, and many died from starvation, as they were too weak to feed themselves. Ocean liners would arrive in New York with seven percent fewer passengers.

The good news was that the disease seemed to peak within three weeks after showing up in a given city, then subsided. In the end, it was estimated that between 50 and 100 million people died worldwide.

Eighteen months after the flu bug appeared, it vanished, leaving a mystery as to its source. But in March 1997, the mystery was solved, when Armed Forces Institute of Pathology researchers found some specimens that had been preserved in 1918 by army doctors. It appears that the virus started with birds, then it was passed to pigs and then to humans. These types of viruses that infect pigs are the deadliest of all viruses because when the pig’s hearty immune system kicks into action, the virus is forced to mutate. Both the deadly Asian flu of 1957 and the Hong Kong flu of 1968 came from mutated pig viruses. The scary part is that hog farms continue to breed pigs for food near populated areas, so it could easily happen again!

Perhaps this is one of the reasons that God said that people should not eat pigs. “Also the swine is unclean for you, because it has cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud; you shall not eat their flesh or touch their dead carcasses” (Deuteronomy 14:8).

America Bombed

The Mainland Under Attack!

Everyone knows about December 7, 1941, the infamous day when Pearl Harbor was attacked. But few realize that the Japanese also bombed the American mainland 10 months later. It’s true!

The bizarre but daring mission involved using a Japanese submarine to penetrate U.S. coastal defenses. Attached to the deck of the submarine was a small hanger containing a partially disassembled seaplane. The plane was designed to drop incendiary bombs on the dry forests of the Northwest, with the intention of causing a massive inferno. The Japanese were hoping that the American people would become so demoralized and exhausted fighting forest fires that they would lose their spirit to fight the war.

On September 9, 1942, Japanese pilot Nobuo Fujita and one assistant surfaced on the submarine near the border of Oregon and California. After waiting for the weather to clear, they quickly assembled the tiny plane and secretly catapulted into the skies. Along with the two 160-pound incendiary bombs, Nobuo packed a Samurai sword that had been in his family for 400 years. If he were forced onto U.S. soil, he planned to use it to end his life rather than submit to being captured by the enemy.

It was a peaceful morning in Brookings, Oregon, when the sound of a small plane flying overhead was heard. The small plane proceeded east, climbed to 8,000 feet, and dropped its load over a heavily wooded forest—the first foreign bombing of the U.S. mainland. But Fujita didn’t wait around to see what would happen. Instead, he hurried back to the submarine, where the plane was soon disassembled and stored away on the ship.

At 4:20 PM that day, a lookout on Mount Emily spotted a small blaze involving about seven trees, a fire which was easily extinguished. Evidently, the wooded regions in Southern Oregon were still moist due to unseasonable rains that had fallen a few days before the attack. Twenty days later, the bombing mission was repeated somewhere east of Port Orford. But this time, both bombs fizzled.

In 1962, twenty years after the attack, Fujita returned to Brookings and presented the city with his cherished Samurai sword to make amends, pledging peace and friendship. The sword was originally placed in the mayor’s office and currently can be found on display at the Brookings Public Library.

Did you know the Bible speaks of another ancient sword that God has given to mankind? “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

India Blackouts

Record-Breaking Standstill

The India blackout on July 30, 2012, was the most widespread power outage in history—until India broke its own record the very next day on July 31, 2012. During the first blackout, over 400 million people were affected. During the second, over 620 million people were affected in 22 states; that’s half the population in India! The blackouts shut down airports, trains, hospitals, and even water treatment plants. Because of the back-to-back outages, many were without power for the better part of two days.

Life is all about your bonds and connections with family and friends. But of all unions, none is more important than your connection with God. Your inner peace, outer witness, and your ultimate salvation all depend upon a solid relationship with your Maker—don’t let it blackout. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing…. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:4, 5, 7).

Air Canada Flight 143

Gimli Glider

On July 23, 1983, Air Canada Flight 143 ran out of fuel at 41,000 feet.

The Boeing 767 jet was only halfway through its trip from Montreal to Edmonton when the aircraft’s warning system sounded, indicating a fuel problem on the left side. The pilots naturally assumed that a fuel pump had failed and turned off the alarm, but a few moments later, a second fuel alarm sounded, followed by a loud bang. Both fuel-starved engines went silent.

The pilots were stunned, and the 63 passengers were terrified. With no engine power, most of the cockpit instruments were shut down, leaving only a few powered by batteries. Thinking it impossible that the jet could be out of fuel, the pilots struggled to restart the engines, but to no avail. Frantic for a landing spot, they searched the charts for a landing strip within gliding distance and located a closed airbase at Gimli, Manitoba—20 miles away.

What the pilots didn’t know was that the decommissioned runway was now in use as a drag-racing strip and was filled with cars and people. Flight captain Bob Pearson performed a tricky maneuver to line up the rapidly descending aircraft with the old runway. The instant the main gear touched down, he stood on the brakes. Then the nose wheel collapsed, sending a shower of sparks 300 feet into the air as the aircraft rocketed down the runway.

Shocked spectators, racers, and kids on bikes scattered. Miraculously, the crew safely landed the jumbo jet without injuring anyone. The subsequent investigation revealed that someone had miscalculated the fuel due to the airline’s recently adopting the metric system in place of the imperial system.

Did you know that if a Christian begins to assume great things about himself and becomes too self-assured, he will descend? “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Tally Sticks

Ancient Carbon Copies

You hear a lot about banking corruption, but the problem isn’t new. In eleventh-century England, for instance, people were plagued by dishonest creditors. To overcome this abuse, in the year AD 1100, Henry I, son of William the Conqueror, started a system called the “tally,” from the Latin word for “stick.” Medieval Europe was constantly short of coinage, and the population was mostly illiterate, so tally sticks were a practical substitute.

A tally stick was typically made of a square piece of hazel wood about nine inches long, with each side about a half inch wide. Every time loan money changed hands, lines were drawn across the face of a stick indicating the amount of the principle. On two sides, the value of the tally was carved into the wood. On the other two sides, the names of the persons and amount involved were printed in ink. It was marked with a system of notches and lines and then was split lengthwise to protect it from counterfeiting. The creditor kept one half and the debtor retained the other as proof of the transaction.

In this way, the debtor had what amounted to an exact “carbon copy.” It was practically impossible to counterfeit a tally, but those who tried were subject to the gallows. The wood grain, as unique as fingerprints, had to match; the notches had to match; and the ink inscriptions had to match. This could only happen if both pieces came from the same split tally stick. When compared, they had to “tally”—which is where we get the word for reckoning.

The British Empire used tally sticks for more than 700 years. Then in 1843, because a new banking system and currency were introduced, all the tally sticks in England were collected in the cellar of the House of Lords and burned in the furnace. But while burning the old tinder-dry sticks, the overheated flues exploded and burned down the Houses of Parliament.

The “stick” though still lives on in our financial life today. Did you know that it is from the German word for “stick” that we get the word “stock,” the term we use today to describe the sometimes dubious business of Wall Street?

The Bible speaks of another tally stick that is used to measure the people of God. “Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months’” (Revelation 11:1, 2).

Comstock Lode

And How It Helped to Win the Civil War

In 1859, as the California Gold Rush began to fade, a few prospectors wandered into Nevada following rumors of gold in the Washoe Mountains. Two miners did find gold and staked a claim at the head of Six-Mile Canyon. Another clever miner, Henry Comstock, stumbled upon their find and claimed an interest in the property, convincing the others to give him a share of the stake. Soon the surrounding hills were sprinkled with gold mines.

The biggest problem for miners was a bluish mud surrounding the gold. It piled up everywhere, sticking to boots and clinging to picks and shovels. Miners called it that “blasted blue stuff,” and it made their gold-mining a miserable business. Eventually, a perceptive miner had the mud tested, and it was found to be silver ore, worth more than $2,000 a ton in 1859. These miners were knee deep in one of the greatest single mineral strikes in history. It became known as the legendary Comstock Lode.

By 1864, the staggering amounts of silver and gold coming out of the mine reached the attention of President Lincoln, who needed the riches to help win the Civil War. In addition, Lincoln needed the votes of another state to pass the 13th Amendment, drafted to abolish slavery. So even though Nevada was too sparsely populated for statehood, its constitution was telegraphed to Chicago, where it was written and delivered to Washington.

Because of this blue mud, Nevada became a state on October 31, 1864, helping the North to win the Civil War and abolish slavery. How many people today fail to recognize the spiritual treasure they have been trampling underfoot? “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).

Adams and Jefferson

Coincidental Deaths

The second and third U.S. Presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, were good friends in their youth, but after Adams was replaced by Jefferson in the White House, political disagreements separated them and they never saw each other again.

They eventually reconnected in the last years of their lives and exchanged many affectionate letters. When Adams died at the ripe age of 91, his last words were, “Thomas Jefferson still lives.” But this was incorrect.

You see, at the age of 83, during his last hours in his home in Monticello, Virginia, Jefferson passed in and out of consciousness. In 1826, just a few hours before Adams died, Jefferson had died surrounded by friends and family.

Amazingly, the final words of these two Founding Fathers were uttered on the same day, July 4—on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. They were the last surviving signers of that historic document.

Did you know that the day of Jesus’ death coincided perfectly with the Jewish celebration of independence from Egypt? “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified” (Matthew 26:2).

Milk and Honey

The Bible’s Odd Couple

Nearly twenty times in Scripture, God speaks of bringing His people into a good land “flowing with milk and honey.” Why milk and honey?

Milk and honey are the classic odd couple for several reasons: Milk is a perfect culture for disease. If left in the open air without pasteurization, it will quickly begin to separate, spoil, and breed bacteria. On the other hand, honey is one of the only foods that doesn’t spoil. It can be used as a food preservative and, by itself, will last practically forever. In fact, crystallized honey thousands of years old has been found in the pyramids and reconstituted after heating.

Honey placed on an open wound will help it to heal, while milk will promote infection. One is produced by insects, the other by mammals. Milk and honey are also two animal products that can be eaten without killing the creatures.

But do you know what has even greater healing power than honey? God’s law. “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; …. sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:7, 10).

Buried Alive

A Brief History

On January 25, 2018, a 39-year-old woman was saved from premature burial when the mortician heard gurgling sounds coming from a body bag in his morgue. He called 911 and held the woman’s head so that she could breathe until emergency personnel arrived. Found in a cold bathtub from the result of an apparent drug overdose, the woman had not shown any signs of life. But a little time in a warm place gave her a new lease on life.

Did you know that history is littered with frightening examples of people being buried alive, accidentally and deliberately? In 1896, T.M. Montgomery, who supervised the moving of all the remains at the Fort Randall Cemetery, reported that nearly two percent of those exhumed were likely victims of suspended animation.

And in the late sixteenth century, the body of Matthew Wall was being carried to his grave in Braughing, England, when one of the pallbearers tripped, causing the others to drop the coffin, reviving the dearly departed. Wall lived on for several more years before his real death in 1595. He celebrated his “resurrection” every year.

In the early seventeenth century, Marjorie Elphinstone died and was buried in Ardtannies, Scotland. When grave robbers attempted to steal the jewelry off her body, the deceased scared the daylights out of them by groaning. The terrified robbers fled for their lives, and Marjorie revived, walked home, and outlived her husband by six years.

The Bible addresses another kind of premature burial: When people are baptized. “In Him you were also … buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Colossians 2:11–13).

Cigarettes

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Several factories in North America still produce and sell weapons of mass destruction—that is, cigarettes. The saddest part is that this deadly and expensive health hazard is easily preventable.

Every year, 7.1 million people die worldwide from smoking-related diseases, approximately one person every five seconds. And every minute, 10 million cigarettes are sold worldwide; that’s 15 billion every day. Smoking costs the United States more than $150 billion each year in healthcare costs, including $81 billion in productivity losses and over $75 billion in excess medical expenditures. In addition, smoking is directly responsible for 87 percent of lung cancer victims and causes most cases of emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking is also a major factor in coronary heart disease and stroke, and it has been linked to a variety of other health disorders, including infertility and peptic ulcers.

Cigarettes contain at least 69 distinct cancer-causing chemicals, one of which is hydrogen cyanide, found both in mainstream and secondhand smoke. This chemical is extremely toxic and was used in World War II as a genocidal agent. Reports also indicate that Saddam Hussein may have used the substance against the Kurds in the 1980s.

Still, the tobacco companies continue to manufacture and promote these chemicals of mass destruction. Even with all this knowledge, it’s thought that one out of five teens between the ages of 13 and 15 uses some form of tobacco. Evidence also indicates that half of the people who start smoking as adolescents will go on to smoke for 15 to 20 years. The greatest irony is that tobacco companies outwardly discourage people from smoking while they continue to profit from their deadly poison.

Sometimes, Christians are guilty of double talk as well. “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Matthew 15:8).

Thanksgiving

Thanks, Sarah Hale

This traditional American holiday might not be celebrated today were it not for a remarkable woman named Sarah Hale. It is well known that pilgrims celebrated Thanksgiving in 1619 and 1621 in gratitude for their bountiful harvest in the New World.

President George Washington issued a National Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789 to remember God’s blessings on the American people. But Thomas Jefferson, the third president, discontinued it federally. After this, Thanksgiving was observed by some individual states on whatever date suited them.

Then in 1846, Mrs. Hale, a patient, persistent widow and mother of five, began campaigning for the restoration of Thanksgiving as a national holiday. For nearly 17 years, she wrote letters and sought appointments with national leaders from five different presidents on down. Time after time, she was politely rebuffed, sometimes being told it was “impractical” or “impossible.” Other times she was chased off and scolded!

But Sarah was relentless. And in 1863, President Lincoln acquiesced to her plea that the North and South “lay aside [their] enmities and strifes” and proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November to be the official “National Thanksgiving Day.” This day was finally ratified by the U.S. Congress in 1941.

Did you know the Bible says that we should live in an attitude of thankfulness? “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

The Pony Express

An American Adventure

Did you know that the Pony Express, a thrilling part of American history, transported mail 1,900 miles from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, in only ten days? A total of 120 men, each riding 75 miles a day, dashed along the trail on 400 of the best horses the West could provide. Even though the express route was hazardous, only one delivery was ever lost.

The Express is credited with helping to keep California in the Union by providing rapid communication between the two coasts. News of Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860 and the outbreak of the Civil War a year later reached California via the Pony Express.

Stringent rules were followed to conserve weight. Clothing was light, saddles were small and thin, and each rider was allowed only one revolver and a water sack. The mail pouches were also small, and letters had to be written on thin paper. Initially, postage was $5.00 per half ounce—a tremendous sum in those days.

Yet despite all the scrupulous weight precautions, when the Pony Express first began, each rider carried a full-sized Bible. It was presented when a rider joined the unit, and he took it with him on his routes. Many are surprised to learn that among the Bible-toting couriers in the Pony Express was a young man named William Cody, later known as Buffalo Bill. Sadly, after only a year and a half of operation, the service was discontinued when the Pacific Telegraph Company completed its line to San Francisco.

Today, international communications travel at the speed of light, but for thousands of years God has been sending messages to man at the speed of thought. “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

Gambling

Legalized Get-Rich-Quick Scheme

Did you know that in 2016, U.S. citizens lost $116 billion in legal gambling? But the most amazing fact is that over the past 25 years, the United States has been transformed from a nation in which legalized gambling was rare and limited into one in which it has grown and become commonplace.

Today, all but two states have some form of legalized gambling. Lotteries have been established in 44 states and the District of Columbia, with more states poised to follow. Indian casinos operate in every region of the country. From cruise ships to riverboats, gambling sites continue to proliferate.

Internet and telephone gambling have been legalized in more states, making it possible for an increasingly large percentage of the public to place a bet without ever leaving home. Universally available, “round-the-clock” gambling may soon become a reality. The problem is that gambling now accounts for a significant portion of each state’s income.

So who would want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, even as it destroys lives and families through financial ruin? “A man with an evil eye hastens after riches, and does not consider that poverty will come upon him” (Proverbs 28:22). “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).

Debtor’s Prison

Speaking of Financial Ruin …

In the nineteenth century, being thrown in jail for debt was common in the USA. Unfortunately, the jailed person had to pay not only their debt, they also had to pay for their imprisonment! Many debtors died while serving time.

The Annapolis jail, where many debtors were holed, was described as “a place of torments to many unfortunate people.” Some were held under these conditions for debts as small as 50 cents.

Did you know that a signer of the Declaration of Independence once landed in debtor’s prison? Robert Morris was a Founding Father and even helped to finance the American Revolution. In 1776, George Washington called upon Morris to raise cash to fight the British. Washington had thousands of troops without clothing, food, guns, or ammunition—and there was no treasury. So Morris pesonally loaned 10,000 pounds to the government, which used the cash to supply provisions at Valley Forge. Those soldiers went on to win the Battle of Trenton, changing the course of the war. Morris had borrowed against his own assets and property to allow Washington to continue fighting the war.

Indeed, Morris became the chief financier of the American Revolution and was appointed by Congress in 1781 as the first superintendent of finance. Sadly, because of some bad land investments, he was arrested for debt in 1798 and confined to prison in Philadelphia, until liberated by the passage of the national bankruptcy law in 1801.

It’s hard to believe that a man who lent money to fight the Revolutionary War would later be cast into debtor’s prison by the country he helped to liberate. But more amazingly, Jesus came to our world and redeemed us by His life while we were His enemies. “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:10).

Pioneer 10

Distant Traveler

What was made by humans and is nearly 12 billion miles away? Pioneer 10!

It’s been nearly half a century since its launch on March 3, 1972. NASA’s Pioneer 10 has a number of record-making distinctions, including being the first spacecraft to travel through the asteroid belt; the first spacecraft to visit Jupiter, collect data, and transmit close-up images of the planet; the first to use a planet’s gravity to change course and to reach escape velocity from the solar system; and the first human artifact to venture beyond the outer solar system.

Pioneer 10 was supposed to last only long enough for a two-year mission. As it turned out, the spacecraft sent signals back to Earth for more than thirty years! Pioneer 10’s long mission finally ended when the instruments powered by the 40-watt radioisotope thermoelectric generators fell silent in 2003. However, the 570-pound spacecraft continues to coast outward, traveling to deep interstellar space at 28,000 miles per hour.

Pioneer 10 is no longer the most distant manmade object, however. In 1998, Voyager 1, speeding at over 35,000 miles per hour, has traveled farther from Earth than Pioneer 10. But the mission of Pioneer 10 may not be completely over. You see, this spacefaring ambassador carries a six-inch-by-nine-inch gold-anodized plaque bolted to the spacecraft’s mainframe. It’s engraved with a graphic message of goodwill from the human race and a map showing Earth’s location in the solar system. NASA says this is just in case “somebody out there” finds it.

Did you know that the Bible teaches there are extraterrestrials trying to communicate goodwill to Earth? “Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord’” (Luke 2:10, 11).

Central Artery/Tunnel Project

The Big Dig

Boston’s Central Artery/Tunnel Project, better known as the Big Dig, constitutes the largest construction project in U.S. history. One of its main goals was to replace an elevated six-lane highway through downtown Boston with an 8- to 10-lane underground highway directly beneath it. Engineers of this subterranean thoroughfare had to make room for 7.5 miles of underground roads that required excavating 16 million cubic yards of dirt—enough to fill a football stadium more than 15 times.

This colossal project was on the same scale as the Panama Canal or the Chunnel from Britain to France. To top things off, the highway had to be built through a gauntlet of existing subway lines, not to mention countless pipes and utility cables, and all this had to happen without disrupting the daily traffic flow and business life of one of America’s busiest cities.

First conceived in the 1970s, the project’s history spanned six presidents, seven governors, and finished five years overdue in 2005. The Big Dig was also the most expensive highway project in U.S. history. The total price is estimated at $14.8 billion. During one three-year period when construction peaked, the Big Dig was swallowing $100 million a month! Pretty pricey for a road that still has gridlock during rush hour.

Did you know that the Bible tells of an even more expensive road that leads to a better city? “Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’” (John 14:5, 6). “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13, 14).

Astrobees

Plugging In

In 2019, new, unique crewmates arrived at the International Space Station—Astrobee robots named Honey, Bumble, and Queen. These rather cute bots are replacing a team of three free-flying satellites called Spheres, which were employed inside the station for more than a decade. NASA hopes that the Astrobees will become useful assistants to the astronauts, performing some of the more routine activities and maintenance chores. Although capable of autonomous action, Astrobees can be remotely controlled as well, allowing astronauts or researchers on Earth to directly carry out tasks or conduct scientific experiments.

Each Astrobee measures about one cubic foot and has multiple sensors to interact with its surroundings. For example, its glowing “eyes” can “see” using tiny cameras, it can record video and sound, and its modular design allows for expansion. A mechanical arm enables it to grasp objects or grab onto railings to anchor itself.

In the microgravity environment of the Space Station, Astrobees are able to fly around on their own, propelled by small fans. They can work together or individually, depending on the task. When the little robots’ batteries are nearly depleted, they automatically fly to a docking station and plug themselves in to recharge.

Did you know the Bible says that Christians need to be “plugged in” all the time? “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Alaskan Pipeline

The Oil Must Flow

Running 800 miles north to south, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System is one of the wonders of the modern world. The four-foot-diameter pipeline crosses three mountain ranges and 800 rivers and streams. Every day, this colossal conduit transports 88,000 barrels of oil from Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope to Valdez, Alaska’s southern ice-free port.

Engineers had to design the pipe to survive earthquakes, forest fires, and extreme temperatures. Because the oil emerges from the ground at around 180 degrees Fahrenheit and travels through the pipeline at temperatures above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, much of the pipe had to be elevated to prevent the permafrost from melting. Otherwise, the pipeline could sink in the mud and possibly break.

The vast pipeline was constructed in six sections by five different contractors employing 21,000 people at the peak of the work. Tragically, 32 workers died in construction accidents. From conception to completion, the Alaska pipeline took two years to build and cost about $8 billion.

When the oil arrives in Valdez, it is stored in one of 18 storage tanks, where it’s pumped into ocean tankers and carried by sea to refineries. The storage tanks are 63 feet tall, 250 feet wide, and hold 9.1 million barrels—with each barrel equivalent to 42 gallons. This energy lifeline is crucial to the U.S. economy because more than 15 percent of America’s oil now flows through it each year.

Did you know that one of the Bible’s prophecies speaks of an “oil pipeline”? “And I further answered and said to him, ‘What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?’ Then he answered me and said, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ And I said, ‘No, my lord.’ So he said, ‘These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth’” (Zechariah 4:12–14).

Longest-Burning Bulb

Record-breaking Illumination

From a single electric wire in an old Livermore, California, firehouse hangs a light bulb. Not so amazing, you think? But there’s more. The bulb is supplied by 120 volts and puts out a meager four watts of amber light. You’re probably still not very impressed—until you consider that this same humble light bulb was already burning when the Wright brothers made their historic flight in 1903! This light bulb has persistently glowed through World War I, the crash of the stock market in 1929, and on through World War II. At present, this incredible light bulb has been burning for more than 118 years!

The durable bulb was made by the Shelby Electric Company in Ohio. The company had a legendary reputation for quality until it was bought by General Electric in 1914. This particular bulb is one of the early hand-blown models with a heavy carbon filament.

Over the years, it’s had brief interruptions during a firehouse renovation and when the firehouse relocated from its First Street location to its present site at 4550 East Avenue. With these minor exceptions, it has burned continuously as a nightlight over the fire trucks since 1901! This unique bulb has been declared by Guinness World Records to be the oldest-known working light bulb in the world.

Did you know that the Bible speaks of a sacred light that burned for centuries? “And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out” (Leviticus 6:12, 13).

Microscopic Bible

Scripture Nanotechnology

On December 20, 2007, scientists in Jerusalem announced that they had successfully inscribed the entire Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible on an area smaller than a pinhead. The nanotechnology experts at the Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, say that the text surface measures less than a hundredth of a square inch. They chose the Jewish Bible to highlight how vast quantities of information—1.2 million letters, in this case—can be stored in minimum amounts of space. They hope to use the technology in the future as a way to store vast amounts of data on biomolecules and DNA.

According to Guinness World Records, the Technion’s tiny Bible is now the world’s smallest. The previous smallest copy of the Bible, supposedly created in Australia, measured about one square inch and contained 1,514 pages of text. Incredibly, it took about an hour to etch the Old Testament onto the silicon surface. A device called FIB, Focused Ion Beam, was used to write the 300,000 words. This device blasts focused beams of tiny particles, called gallium ions, onto the silicon. When the particles hit the object, they cause the gold atoms plating the silicon surface to bounce off, similar to the way in which a water jet from a hose can dig a shallow hole in the earth. In order for humans to read it, the text would have to be magnified 10,000 times.

It seems a bit counterproductive to make the Bible more difficult for the common person to access, but no matter what humans do with it or to it, the Scriptures promise that God’s Word will stand forever. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35). “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

In Case of Apocalypse

Hidden on a remote island near the Arctic Ocean is a bunker considered to be the ultimate backup for the world’s agriculture. Blasted 427 feet inside a Norwegian mountain 620 miles from the North Pole, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault—better known as the “Doomsday Vault”—has been built to withstand virtually any catastrophe.

The reinforced concrete chamber is designed to keep millions of worldwide seed samples safe in the event of a natural or unnatural disaster, such as nuclear war, an asteroid strike, a vegetation plague, and even earthquakes. The structure has already withstood a 6.2-level quake. It’s also far enough above sea level to not be flooded by melting icecaps.

The Norwegian government paid $9.4 million to build the seed vault, which is even designed to survive a lack of funding. Designers employed a refrigeration system to bring the vault down to minus 18 degrees Celsius (about 0 degrees Fahrenheit). If someone forgets to pay the electric bill and the refrigeration system shuts down, the vault temperatures will remain cool enough to preserve the seeds. Because the storage chamber is located so deep within the mountain’s thick rock, the area’s natural permafrost will keep the vault at least minus 4 degrees Celsius (25 degrees Fahrenheit). It is believed that at these temperatures, seeds for important crops like wheat, barley, and peas can last up to 10,000 years!

Currently, the vault is holding about 983,000 distinct samples from different farms and fields around the world and is capable of holding up to four million packages of seeds—some two billion total seeds. Ideally, the seed bank will eventually house virtually every type of seed available in the world. This will theoretically allow humanity to re-establish agriculture if its main food plants disappear.

According to the Bible, if this ultra-secure vault survives the Second Coming, no one will be able to use the seeds but the devil. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). “He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:2, 3).

Mercury Comet

The Engine That Could

Most people would consider themselves lucky should they get 150,000 miles out of a car engine. Rachel Veitch’s car, however, had passed the 150,000-mile mark well over three times and was still ran running strong. Her vehicle was a 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente that she bought new off the lot for a mere $3,289, a price that included all the upgrades. Rachel gave her beloved car the nickname “Chariot,” which was fitting considering it carried her safely for more than 540,000 miles on its original engine! Ms. Veitch confessed that at times she drove her Comet up to 120 miles per hour and that the vintage car actually outlasted her three husbands.

What was her secret? For one thing, Rachel faithfully took Chariot in for all scheduled maintenance. She refused to leave its side during any servicing or inspections. She also made sure to show the mechanics a diagram outlining all the grease fittings on the car. She was always on the lookout for lifetime warranties on any parts, and when she found one, she made sure to use it. Rachel’s car went through eight Midas mufflers, three sets of Sears shocks, and 18 batteries from J.C. Penny—all for the price of one.

Those half a million miles also included a trip to Rachel’s 70th class reunion, a trip that added over 3,000 miles to the historic odometer reading. Sadly, the Orlando grandmother stopped being able to drive at the age of 93 due to age-related macular degeneration in both eyes, but not before racking up a total of 576,000 miles in her beloved 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente.

If a little loving care and regular maintenance can multiply the lifespan of a car, it makes one wonder how long our bodies might last with proper care? “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20).

Space Tourism

A Pricey Ticket

Who would spend millions for a one-week vacation? Sixty-year-old Dennis Tito did with no regrets. In fact, you could say his vacation was literally “out of this world.”

Dennis started his career as a space scientist, designing flight paths in the 1960s for three historic Mars missions. He then worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena for five years. He left that job to set up a private finance company, Wilshire Associates, where he made his fortune. But Dennis never lost his love for the heavens.

After years of negotiations and red tape, on April 28, 2001, Dennis Tito was chauffeured by two cosmonauts in their Soyuz TM-32 spacecraft to the International Space Station. Tito paid a reported $20 million to spend seven days, 22 hours, and four minutes in space and to orbit Earth 128 times, making him the first private citizen to visit not only the International Space Station but also outer space. He is considered the world’s first space tourist. I wonder if he booked his vacation on the Orbitz website? While in space, Tito also put in some work hours conducting science experiments for his business, and when the week was over, he was sorry to return home.

Did you know that the Bible teaches it is possible for you to book a journey through space? The good news is that the travel arrangements have already been paid in full. “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2, 3).

NORAD

Secret Mountain Fortress

Hidden about 2,000 feet beneath Colorado’s Cheyenne Mountain is the world’s most sophisticated military headquarters. NORAD—the North American Aerospace Defense Command—is a joint U.S. and Canadian command center set up in the 1960s. Its task is to coordinate military efforts in the event of a nuclear attack and to monitor the skies for possible threats.

The complex was built to survive a direct hit from a nuclear weapon. About 4.5 acres were excavated from solid granite to form a small city of underground chambers. Thirteen of its freestanding buildings are three stories tall and no building touches a granite wall to avoid seismic damage. To enter the complex, you must drive down a tunnel one-third of a mile and through a pair of 25-ton steel blast doors.

To make the compound self-sufficient, there was built a dining facility; a hospilat, pharmacy, and a clinic; two fitness centers; a chapel; and a barbershop. Water comes from a spring within the mountain and is stored in four reservoirs that hold 1.5 million gallons each. Incoming air can be filtered to remove harmful germs, chemicals, or radioactive particles. For backup power, six huge 2,800-horsepower diesel generators were installed.

This self-sufficient design allows NORAD to provide its own power, water, air, and food for up to 800 people for 30 days. But it’s still not tough enough to survive the second coming of Christ. “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’” (Revelation 6:15–17).

Lightning

Shocking Statistics

At 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, a bolt of lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun and one of the most powerful phenomena on earth.

The International Space Station has observed that our planet is struck by more than a hundred lightning bolts every second. Special sensors in the United States record an average of 25 million lightning strikes every year, and some produce over a hundred million volts. That’s why it’s no surprise that lightning is one of the leading weather-related causes of death in the nation, killing about 51 people each year.

The odds of becoming a victim of a lightning strike is about one in 3,000. Most people don’t realize that they can be struck by lightning even when the center of a thunderstorm is miles away and the overhead skies are blue. But lightning isn’t confined just to thunderstorms. It’s been seen in volcanic eruptions, large tornados, and even intense forest fires.

Here are some safety tips to avoid becoming a lightning statistic:

1. Stay away from open areas where you’re the tallest target—parking lots, open fields, etc. If caught in such a place, find a ditch to lie in or crouch down and put your head between your knees.

2. Avoid metallic objects and water, which conduct electricity.

3. Avoid tall objects like towers and trees, which may be struck.

4. Stay away from electrical appliances and electric outlets.

5. Stay inside grounded, enclosed buildings. You are also generally safe in a completely enclosed automobile.

Do you know whose defeat in the Bible is described as lightning? “He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18).

Stars

Heavenly Wonders

About 2,000 stars can be seen with the naked eye, but a small telescope can reveal hundreds of thousands more! Indeed, the largest telescopes reveal millions of galaxies packed with stars, while the Hubble telescope in space may be able to see over a billion galaxies—ensembles of stars—gravitationally interacting and orbiting around a common center.

Each galaxy is estimated to contain more than 200 billion stars, and we have determined that about 10 trillion galaxies exist in the universe. That means that there are more than 7x10²² (70 billion trillion) stars in the universe. But the numbers keep growing!

All the stars visible to the unaided eye are in the Milky Way. The sun is just one star in this vast galaxy. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy with a diameter of 100,000 light-years. That means that when traveling at the speed of light (approximately 186,000 miles per second), it would take 100,000 years to cross the galaxy. The central “bulge” of this spiral is about 10,000 light-years thick. The center is in the direction of Sagittarius and is about 26,000 light-years from our sun. The largest stars of the Milky Way would easily consume our planet, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn if placed where the sun is now.

The smallest white dwarf stars are about the size of Earth, and neutron stars can be less than seven miles in diameter. Other than the sun, the nearest star to us, Proxima Centauri, is about 4.2 light-years away. Stars are made chiefly of hot, glowing hydrogen and a smaller amount of helium. Other stars are so dense that a teaspoonful of the material would weigh 10 million tons!

No human on earth can count the number of stars, but God can. Not only that, he knows them all by name. “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:4, 5).

The Sun

More Star Stuff

The sun, our fantastically hot, cosmic radiation powerhouse, has a surface temperature of about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and its interior temperature is estimated as high as 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. The sun is so colossal that it contains 99.8 percent of the total mass of our solar system. It would take more than a million Earths to fill its core! Because it’s some 93 million miles away, its light takes about eight minutes and 20 seconds to reach us. It also generates 386 billion billion megawatts every second, but it still has enough fuel to warm the earth for another five billion years!

We can understand why many of the ancient pagan civilizations worshiped the sun, but how much better it would be if they had worshiped the One who made the sun and who longed to bring healing to their lives. “But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:2).

Jupiter

The Giant Among Us

Jupiter, the king of planets, is two and a half times larger than all the other planets, satellites, asteroids, and comets of our solar system combined. Yet despite its immense size, Jupiter has the shortest day! With a circumference of more than 272,000 miles (Earth’s is merely 25,000), Jupiter still manages to make one turn every nine hours and fifty-five minutes! Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is more than 10,000 miles wide and is thought to be a gigantic storm that has lasted for more than a century.

In Roman mythology, Jupiter was the ruler of the gods. Originally the god of the sky and king of heaven, Jupiter was later worshiped as a god of rain, thunder, and lightning. As the protector of Rome, he was called Jupiter Optimus Maximus (“Best and Greatest”).

Sadly, God’s wonders have led great civilizations like Rome and Greece to worship the creation instead of the Creator. Let’s not do the same! “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, …. who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 1:20–22, 25).

Icebergs

More Than Meets the Eye

On March 21, 2000, one of the largest icebergs ever documented broke free from the Ross Ice Shelf in the Antarctic. A satellite image, taken from 435 miles up, alerted scientists and mariners to the iceberg’s birth. It was 183 miles long and 23 miles wide, with a surface area of over 4,200 square miles.

But the biggest iceberg ever recorded was an estimated 208 miles long and 60 miles wide—a total of 12,000 square miles. That’s larger than the country of Belgium! Even more amazing, it was spotted floating in the South Pacific. The tallest iceberg ever recorded was 550 feet, equaling a 50-story building. But remember that only 10 percent of an iceberg’s mass is above water, meaning that the bulk of this titan could have reached 4,000 feet deep!

Icebergs can wander far from their polar origins and have even been seen reaching within 150 nautical miles of the island of Bermuda, a journey of 2,500 miles. Those icebergs that travel to warmer waters end up eventually melting away into smaller and smaller fragments.

Jesus warned us that in the last days, lawlessness will abound because the love of many will grow cold. How can we have our frozen hearts melted and our first love rekindled in a spiritually cold world? “And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’” (Luke 24:32).

Fool’s Gold

Don’t Fall for It

Gold coinage is typically composed of about 92 percent gold and eight percent silver and copper. But counterfeit gold or “fool’s gold” is made of iron pyrite, which is a mineral composed of iron sulfide, the most common sulfide mineral. The mineral is brass yellow, opaque, and has a metallic luster. Its resemblance to gold caused many prospectors to mistake it for the real deal. Although it often mimics gold or copper, pyrite is easily distinguished by its unusual brittleness.

This dynamic is also seen in the area of spiritual truth. Millions of people are toting around heavy bags bulging with fool’s gold. They rejoice that they’ve discovered something that will make them rich. But though it sparkles on the outside, it will be discovered useless at the bank of heaven. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19–21).

USS Nautilus

Inertial Navigation System

Ancient explorers could determine their exact location simply based on the position of the sun, moon, and stars. Between 1768 and 1775, the famous British explorer James Cook made two voyages around the world, charting much of the South Pacific, using nothing more than a sextant, a simple compass, and the heavens above for navigation.

For years, submarine navigation was a big problem. These secret underwater vessels had to frequently surface to get their basic bearings, exposing themselves to enemy fire. But eventually, the U.S. Navy developed an inertial navigation system for marine vessels based on gyroscopes. This sophisticated apparatus enabled subs to get a precise fix on their location even while isolated deep beneath the surface of a dark ocean.

This navigation system was fully proven in 1958 when the USS Nautilus accomplished the impossible. With 18 men on board, the nuclear-powered vessel became the first submarine to traverse the Arctic Ocean under the polar ice. Unable to surface during this journey, a system failure would certainly have doomed the crew. But the sub traveled successfully from the Bering Strait to Iceland via the North Pole in just four days.

In this world of constantly changing values, we also need a dependable navigation system to guide our lives. “For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death” (Psalm 48:14).

The Great Wall of China

Marvel of Engineering

More than 2,000 years old, the Great Wall of China remains one of the most impressive engineering wonders of the world, stretching more than 13,000 miles from the mountains of Korea to the Gobi Desert. That is nearly five times the distance across the United States.

The Great Wall is actually a series of walls built and rebuilt by different dynasties over the centuries. It was first designed to protect an ancient Chinese empire from marauding tribes in the north. The first section of the Great Wall, the Qin, was a massive undertaking begun by the first Emperor of China during the third century BC. It was equivalent to the building of 30 of the great pyramids of Egypt. It’s estimated that for every person building the Qin Wall, six were needed to provide materials, food, and supplies. Three million people, 70 percent of China’s population at the time, were involved in its construction.

The section called the Ming Wall reportedly took 200 years to complete at an estimated cost of $360 billion—roughly the amount spent on America’s interstate highway system over the past 40 years. At its peak, the Ming Wall contained thousands of individual forts and towers and was guarded by more than a million men. One section of the wall ascends mountain ridges that are more than 4,500 feet above sea level.

The Great Wall averages from a few feet to 30 feet high and from 15 to 25 feet wide; at the top of some sections is a roadway about 13 feet wide. While the Great Wall cannot really be seen from the moon, it can be faintly seen from the International Space Station, if you know where to look. In fact, in the past decade, scientists have used GPS devices to discover unknown sections of the Great Wall that have been buried over time.

In 1966, Mao Zedong launched the political campaign known as the Cultural Revolution, in which he appealed to the Chinese people to destroy anything associated with traditional culture. Unappreciated for its historical value, the magnificent wall surrounding Beijing and other sections were torn down or cannibalized for material during this period. Modern Chinese eventually realized the historical significance of the Great Wall and are struggling to preserve this national treasure.

Did you know that Bible prophecy declares that in the last days, God’s people will rediscover and rebuild ancient truth that has been lost? “Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In” (Isaiah 58:12).

Tornadoes

Devilish Whirlwind

The United States experiences some of the world’s most brutal weather events, with a typical year bringing several hurricanes and about 100,000 thunderstorms. Roughly 10 percent of these thunderstorms are severe, producing up to 1,200 violently rotating columns of air called tornadoes.

Each year, America suffers through more tornadoes than every other country combined, resulting in an average of 70 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries. But this varies from year to year. In one 24-hour period in April 1974, for instance, a record 148 tornadoes tore through the Midwest, killing 335 people and injuring more than six thousand. These destructive forces can occur anywhere in the states at any time of year, though the peak season in the south is March through May.

The worst tornadoes, classified as EF5s, are capable of generating tremendous wind speeds of 200 miles per hour or more. In the spring of 1999, Oklahoma recorded one of its deadliest outbreaks ever: Near Oklahoma City, a massive EF5 stayed on the ground for more than one and a half hours, causing incredible damage. An estimated 8,000 homes were destroyed and more than 35 people died. Overall, the storm caused $1 billion in damages. Researchers clocked the wind at nearly 318 miles per hour, the fastest surface wind ever recorded on earth.

Tornadoes also do some bizarre things. An unusual incident occurred in 1957 in Thomasville, Alabama, when thousands of small fish, frogs, and crayfish fell from the sky. After a tornado pulled up lake water some miles away, it lost strength and the little animals rained across the countryside.

Did you know that the Scriptures teach that a prophet actually rode a tornado to heaven? “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11).

Earthquakes

Loaded Seismic Cannon

Unlike most tornadoes, volcanoes, and hurricanes, earthquakes typically strike without warning.

In North America, when we hear the word “earthquake,” we typically think of Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Alaska. But there also have been major earthquakes recorded in Boston; Charleston, South Carolina; and Long Island. Surprisingly, some of the greatest potential for a powerful North American earthquake is not on the Pacific or Atlantic Coasts, but rather the states around mid-America.

The granddaddies of great American earthquakes occurred between 1811 and 1812 on the New Madrid Fault, halfway between St. Louis and Memphis beneath the Mississippi River. These 7.0 or higher earthquakes shook the entire United States, affecting the topography of the North American continent more than any other earthquake in recorded history. The shock was so massive that large areas sank into the earth, new lakes were formed, and the Mississippi River even had its course temporarily changed. Fatalities and damage were low because, back then, the area was sparsely settled. But in the last 200 years, those same areas have become heavily populated.

For years, geologists have been wondering not if but when the big one will hit. Scientists believe a significant probability exists that a major earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 or greater will strike in the near future, causing catastrophic loss of life and property damage in the billions. Several North American cities have been looking down the barrel of a loaded seismic cannon, hoping for another day of grace.

Jesus said that just before His coming there would be earthquakes in different places. “And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven” (Luke 21:11).

Plastic

Flood-Powered

Plastics are one of the most versatile materials in the world. They can be made hard as stone, strong as steel, transparent as glass, light as wood, and elastic as rubber. Plastics are also lightweight, waterproof, chemical resistant, and can be produced in almost any color.

At night, we sleep on pillows and mattresses made of plastic materials. In the morning, we step out of bed onto polyester and nylon carpets. Plastics are used extensively in the computers we use, the utensils with which we cook, the recreational equipment with which we play, the houses and buildings in which we live and work, and the cars we drive. For example, the average car contains over 260 pounds of plastics—nearly 10 percent of the vehicle’s weight! Phones, textiles, paints, plumbing fixtures, boats, health products, furniture, and thousands of other domestic products are made of plastics. In fact, in 1979, the volume of plastics produced in the United States surpassed the volume of steel produced!

But from where does all this plastic come? Most plastic is chemically fabricated from fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, or natural gas. It then begs the question, “From where did all the gas, oil, and coal come?” These great reserves of fossil fuels were formed from ancient vegetation and animals—even dinosaurs—that lived before the Flood. As these tremendous forests with lush plants and copious animal life died in the flood, the wind and currents pushed them into great heaps. These immense deposits of decomposing animals and plants were eventually buried under deep layers of mud and silt, which gradually hardened into rock. After 4,000 years of heat and pressure, these enormous pockets of compost were compressed and transformed into great fields of coal, oil, and natural gas.

That’s right, the car you drive is not running on horsepower—but dinosaur power. And your computer is made of ancient ferns! It’s amazing to consider that so many of our modern plastic products are made from ancient plants and animals.

But God is the master of converting matter. He turned water to wine and sticks to snakes. The Bible even tells us that God once turned a woman into salt. “But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26).