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Imagine
how it would feel to have your home washed away by raging torrents of rain and
mud, or to have all your earthly possessions, let alone a family member,
suddenly buried by an earthquake. These things happen almost everyday in some
part of the world and are referred to by some as “nature’s fury unleashed.”
But, if
it is God our Heavenly Father speaking to man at such times, would He not
communicate more effectively than with an angry tirade? Lest we miss what he might be saying, lets
look at the most studied geological event in modern days through the eyes of
scripture. There we find that the Prophet Isaiah prayed and longed for this
type of catastrophe (Chapter 64).
Oh
that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the
mountains might flow down at thy presence, As when the melting fire burneth,
the fire causeth the waters to boil to make thy name known to thine
adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!
Then too,
Jesus Himself challenged us to pray just such a wake up call after he had
cursed the barren fig tree, the symbol of Israel whose leaders had just
rejected Him. (Matthew 21:21):
Truly I
say to you, whoever says to this mountain, be thou removed and cast into the
sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, and shall believe that those things
which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
In the winter of 1970, a praying woodsman
with the heart of a prophet was hunting elk on the face of Elk Rock. As the
morning sparkled with splendor and St. Helen gleamed in the cold winter sun, he
was stunned by the beauty and appalled by the fact that many who came here came
to exploit what to him was a sanctuary. He soon found himself praying that God
would display His power for all to see through the eruption of the mountain.
Like Isaiah, he was hoping such an event would change the hearts of men.
Although, truthfully, he was more awe-stricken than the rest of the
world when ten years later God honored his specific request to "cast men's
works off the mountain."1. What we are about to discover is the
detail in which an all-wise and all-powerful Creator can answer His children when
they pray in league with divine purposes. It was much like keeping his promise
given in Micah 1:4:
The Lord will come down and tread upon the high places
of the earth and the mountains shall
be molten under Him and the valleys shall be cleft as wax before the fire and
as the waters that are poured down a steep place.
So then,
is it just coincidence that Mount St. Helens is now a monument where people
cannot even step off the trails? Furthermore, was it mere chance that the
mountain erupted to the North, giving us seven geological changes so rapidly
that they dispute the idea of long ages of time for man’s origin?
When a
volcano erupts, the hot molten material that lies below the earth’s crust
pushes its way upward through cracks and weaknesses in various types of rock --
some very hard, others quite soft. This can happen suddenly without warning or
over time, producing many earthquakes. No one knows for sure when or where
magma will rise. We cannot see the channels and how they block the magma. We do
know from Proverbs 3:20, however, that it
is by the Lord’s “knowledge that the depths are broken up.”
Scientists describe that prayed-for Sunday morning somewhat like this: a
strong earthquake caused a wedge of the north side of the mountain to plunge
into the valleys below releasing the pressure within. Superheated water trapped in the magma-heated rock flashed to
steam. Water expands 1700 times when
converted to steam. Millions of gallons of water instantaneously turning to
steam produced an enormous chain explosion blowing the north side of the
mountain across the landscape like a mighty canon and cutting down 150 square
miles of forest. As additional snow and
ice from the heights of the mountain turned to water and came in contact with
the hot rock below, the explosions continued.
Later in the day the magma became exposed and began exploding until the
mountain was hollowed out, its top was gone, the water supply was exhausted,
nine hours had elapsed and the energy equal to 20,000 Hiroshima-sized atom
bombs had been released.2
...it was as if “a great invisible hand had passed over the face of the mountain” bringing the entire forest that was on its surface all down at once.1 |
The blast so quickly compressed the air
ahead of it that it produced a shock wave that smashed the forest to the
ground. One observer described it this
way: “It was as if a great invisible hand had passed over the face of the
mountain. The entire forest on the
whole mountain went down all at once.”1
The theory of evolution
is based on small changes occurring over vast ages. This theory, when it
becomes a presupposition for interpreting scientific data has a large margin of
error. 2
For
instance, at Yellowstone National Park there used to be a sign that read, “What
you see here is a succession of 27 forests, now fossilized, that lived and died
over a period of 50 million years.” The sign has been removed because MSH has
raised doubts about this explanation. 3 The sinking logs on Spirit
Lake, just one of the displays at the 7Wonders Museum, show it was, more
likely, one forest carried there by a catastrophe similar to the eruption of
MSH. Again, God was not only speaking loudly to the world in the eruption of
MSH, but definitively, as promised in Isaiah 45:18-19:
For thus saith the LORD that created the
heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it,
... to be inhabited; I am the LORD, and there is none else. I have not spoken
in secret, in a dark place of the earth;... I the LORD speak righteousness, I
declare things that are right.
God
consistently proclaims not just His power, but His mercy mixed with justice. He awoke the mountain with enough warning
that people could get out of the way. For, “He looketh on the earth and it trembleth, He
toucheth the mountains and they smoke.” (Psalm 104:32.)
God began
the eruption by first touching the mountain gently so that it only began to
smoke. People soon gathered -- scientists, news media, curiosity seekers,
volcano chasers, photographers and government agents. The primary topic of
discussion then was all about when and how bad. "How long can we continue
to send loggers in? How soon do people
have to evacuate their lodges and cabins?
How far will the explosion go?
Dixie Lee
Ray was Washington’s governor at the time. Even as the mountain began to bulge
on the North side, she was being harassed because she had begun to erect
roadblocks to protect people. Finally, Saturday, May 17th, she said owners
could cross the barriers to get their things if they would sign a release and
return by 6:00 p.m. She planned to
allow it once again on Sunday, but God had other plans according to His
character described in Isaiah 54:10: “the mountains shall depart and the hills be
removed; but my kindness shall not depart from Thee.”
The
following arguments suggested by Creation Scientist Dr. Stephen Austin
support the above conclusions:
The eruption was
executed with perfect timing to prove God’s point that changes can occur
rapidly.
·
The eruption occurred on a sunny and cloudless day -- Due to nighttime and bad weather, MSH is normally
visible only about 15% of the time.
·
12 time zones
(most of western civilization) were awake and off work to watch the display.
·
Casualties were minimized. Most families in the area would have experienced the
death of at least one close friend or relative if the Eruption had taken
place during working hours. In an
event that could have killed a thousand more, 57 people died.
God chose the perfect direction to
make his point--
·
The northward blast and landslide provided the setting
for the rapid geological changes that
best challenge evolution. Two of them involve Spirit Lake. There is no lake in
another direction from the mountain that would have exhibited the appearance of
multiple forests and the early beginnings of coal. Likewise, the Upper Toutle
drainage provided the ideal setting for the canyons, drainage and layering
resulting from the volcano’s activities.
·
If the blast had gone west it could have involved
50,000 more people. If south, three dams that produce
electricity along the Lewis River could have failed and threatened large
populations of Portland and Vancouver.
The ash plume went west for about one hour dropping much debris in the
foothills before blowing east, saving more potential damage.
As it
was, street lights came on in Yakima, Washington at noon and the ash spread to
so many states that people began to use bumper stickers that read ”Don’t come
to Washington, Washington will come to you.” Amos 4:13 says God does these sorts
of things.
For lo, He that forms the mountains and
creates the wind and declares unto man what is his thought, that makes the
morning darkness and treads upon the high places of the earth, the Lord,
the God of Hosts is His name.
But,
unfortunately, just as in Noah’s day when that prophet foretold the Global
Flood, many fail to heed God’s messages. In fact, the tectonic plates that
cause earthquakes are but leftovers from that flood when the “fountains of the
deep were opened up” (Genesis 7:11). The changes of the earth from the flood
have resulted in our violent weather patterns, changing climate and diminishing
lifespans.4 Although we
wrestle with the idea of evil being so bad God would have to destroy the earth,
we need to ask ourselves how much more violent our earth might be without
natural disasters and wild weather to constantly remind us of our mortality.
Psalm 46:8 teaches us how to respond appropriately:
Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations
He has made in the earth.... Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted
among the heathen.
One of
the people who did not listen to the warnings that came before the eruption of
MSH was Harry Truman, the 83 year old man who owned the beautiful Spirit Lake
Lodge. He has become a sort of icon representing the attitude many people have
that we are self-sufficient. Even school children wrote to him to leave the
mountain, but he declared “there is not enough material there to come this far,
and it will go
the other direction if it is going to blow.” Harry and
his lodge now lie under the rocks and ash of what used to be the north side of
MSH, 1/2 cubic mile of material that raced down the mountain at 100 miles per
hour to end his life in an instant of time. He chose his own death when he refused
to leave, saying, “I am part of this mountain and this mountain is part of me.”
There is
one more story to help us reflect on the character of God displayed in the
eruption. So different from that of Harry Truman’s. It is that of Michael
Lienau. His story follows in his own words.
All my life I wanted to make movies. When
I was nine years old, in order to buy more film, I charged neighbor kids
admission to see my home movies. By age 13, I had a 16mm camera and freelanced
local news footage for TV stations. At 17, I began work as a full-time
cameraman for an NBC affiliate. At 19, I started my own film production
company. I was poised for my “big break” whenever it came...
May 18, 1980...the
world was stunned by the raw power that tore the top off Mount St. Helens. I
joined a film crew attempting to capture the first ground level shots of the
devastation. Common sense told me not to go -- the mountain could erupt again
at any moment. But eager for my first big break, I soon found myself the
youngest of a team of five, camera-ready, leaping from a helicopter into a wasteland
of flattened timbers.
A three-hour shoot soon became a three-day struggle for survival. We struggled in hot
ash, eventually in circles, our compass rendered useless by magnetism in the
ash and our contour maps made meaningless on the altered slopes. We were
terrified and now hopelessly lost when a second eruption of Mount St. Helens
shook the ground. The atmosphere was charged with electricity, but it was
deathly quiet. The blast rocketed over our heads to be heard by people 200
miles away.
Cold, hungry and injured, we became the story. Unknown to us, we had been
declared missing and presumed dead. Morale plummeted as the possibility of
never getting out became a reality; it was then that I called out to God in my
desperation.
Broken trees lay scattered around me, one of them making the
shape of a cross. I heard an audible voice say, “Michael, look up to your
left!” It scared me because no one was near. Minutes later I saw the blades of a
rescue helicopter rise over the hill exactly where the voice had told me to
look. We were saved!
Today, the
volcano is an awe-inspiring national monument. But for me, Mount St. Helens is
also a personal monument, a landmark which graphically reminds me that in any
of life’s disasters, the One who made the mountains, Jesus Christ, can be my
rescuer. The One who moves the mountains offers the only solid ground to stand
on. 5
For Michael Lienau, God kept His promise found in Psalm
46:1-2:
God is our refuge and strength, a very
present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be
removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though
the waters thereof roar and be troubled and though the mountains shake with the
swelling thereof.
After the
eruption this conversation occurred between the woodsman (W.M.) working in the
blast zone and his friend:
W.M.: “God sure did a work here.”
Friend: “I don’t think
God had much to do with it.”
W.M.: “8:32 Sunday morning! What would have
happened, if it had been 8:32 Monday
morning?”
Friend: “There wouldn’t be enough men in this county
left to rig a tower.”
W.M.: “God is good to us, Buddy.”
As life
returns to MSH, forestry experts are able to study how nature rapidly recreates
complex ecosystems after catastrophes. This is producing a kinder and gentler
forestry that better accommodates ecological values while allowing for the
extraction of commodities.6 God
has done far more than the woodsman ever imagined.
If you are
far from God or wish to use the Mountain’s witness to help a friend, call the
Mount St. Helens Creation Information Center. We are here to help you turn
yourself and others to the One who created you for a purpose and can bring good
from every personal disaster.
Mount St. Helens Creation Information Center
4749 Spirit Lake Highway, Silverlake, WA 98645
www.creationism.org/sthelens/
Sources 2-6 used in this paper can be purchased through the
Mount St. Helens Creation Information Center. Order form available.
1 Brooks, David. Information obtained through
personal interview.
2Austin, Steven. A
Slide Collection for Educators, and,
the video,“Mount St. Helens, Explosive Evidence for Catastrophe.” Institute for
Creation Research.
3 Anderson, Lloyd. “7Wonders,” (summary leaflet using
Austin’s work), Mount St. Helens Creation Information Center, 1999.
4 Whitcomb,
John. The World That Perished, Baker
book House, 1988.
5Lienau, Michael. “The Fire Below Us,” an
award-winning dramatic documentary
video of Global Net Productions.
6Swenson, Keith, Biological Recovery from Catastrophism at
MSH (quoting Franklin, Jerry F.
from “Ecosystem responses to the eruption of Mount St. Helens.” National Geographic Research. 1(2):
198-216
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