My wife likes jigsaw puzzles and is relatively good at putting them together; that is, at least in comparison to me. She once did a 2,000 piece puzzle in a few days. She did have help though, I put in three pieces after a significant effort on my part.
Looking at the completed puzzle and doing some simple math, I calculated that the pieces of her puzzle if strung together in a chain, would reach nearly across the lot on which our house is built: ½ inch (average piece) times 2,000 pieces = 1,000 inches. 1,000 inches divided by twelve equals 83.3 feet. Our house is built on a 100 ft. lot. To me that’s quite a chain of unorganized pieces that she had to put together in a specific way to form something that made sense.
Now with that introduction, let’s look at the complexity of her 83 feet of puzzle pieces and compare that to the complexity of this next puzzle with its 13+ trillion pieces and the reason for this article.
According to: The Physics Factbook (An encyclopedia of scientific essays) https://hypertextbook.com/facts/index-authors.shtml
The human genome comprises the information contained in one set of human chromosomes which themselves contain about 3 billion base pairs of DNA in 46 chromosomes (22 autosomepairs + 2 sex chromosomes). The total length of DNA present in one adult human is calculated by the multiplication of the length of 1 base pair (0.34 × 10−9 m) times the number of base pair per cell (6 × 109) times the average number of cells in the average body (1013X). The result is 2.0 × 1013 (20 trillion) meters. That is the equivalent of nearly 70 trips from the earth to the sun and back.
Think deeply about the extreme intricacy involved here. It really is an amazing and complex micro-puzzle that makes up each unique human being. But that’s not all. The functionality of the systems it contains is even more amazing. The skeletal, nervous, reproductive (wow, amazing), vascular, optical (human eye) with its 137 million light sensitive cells in each eye controlled by tiny muscles enabling focusing hundreds of thousands of times per hour. Our eyes are the entry point of a process which enables us to take in sizes, shapes, textures, distances, colors, and can even pick up the slightest movement in real time, plus much more while doing it all in 3D. Then there is the digestive, the endocrine, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listof_human_hormones along with many other complex systems and the wiring that connects them all so the parts combined can function as: “you.” Oh! The DNA also has some incredible invisible glue that holds it all together. Yes, the Bible tells us more about the origin of that glue in the first sentence of the first book of the Bible and also in the New Testament (see Hebrews 1: 1-3) “Oh” again, think of the human body’s self-repair system that allows it to go after and heal itself from all but the most serious attacks that come to it in the form of injuries and disease. It can even last up to 100 years if we don’t radically abuse it. All this is before mentioning the human brain with its accompanying but intangible power of thought and reason that seems to just float out into another dimension.
The atheist says that all this came by coincidence or chance from nothing. On the other hand, the Bible says: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). and that God formed you and knew you in your mother’s womb before you were born (Jeremiah 1:5). He also said: that you are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 119:13). God loves you and has a plan and a purpose for every life, including yours. The Bible also says that only… “a fool has said in his heart that there is no God” (Psalm 14:1).
Now, let’s briefly go back to my wife’s jigsaw puzzle with its 83.3 feet or 1/63 of a mile of pieces and think of the mathematical probability of the pieces, if randomly tossed in the air a billion – trillion times, coming down and forming a perfectly completed puzzle. I don’t think anyone could know the exact math, but the odds would be about 0% probability of that happening by a lucky toss. So, I think we can say with some sense of certainty that intelligent input would most likely be needed for the successful completion of her puzzle. Imagine then the probability of a puzzle toss, with not 2000 pieces, but 13 + trillion DNA pieces coming together by accident?
If you are searching for truth, you probably already know in your heart that the amazing intricacy and functionality of you yourself and everything you see around you didn’t just happen by chance (evolve from nothing). Even most atheist scientists will admit that DNA contains all of the code for the life in which it is contained. The question you must answer is: Where did this extremely intricate code come from?
If you want to know the reason for your existence and your place in God’s incredible plan, start by getting and reading the Bible. The Bible is God’s instruction book for life, which He put together through his prophets and apostles (see 2 Peter1:21) and has preserved for us over the centuries. His creation and His Word are the main two ways that God has chosen to communicate with us today.
If reading a Bible is something totally new to you, you may want to start with an easy- to- read paraphrase of the Bible such as The New Living Translation or The Living Bible. The New International Version is also quite easy to read and a step up from the paraphrase versions. Each of these will give you the essence of God’s message for you. For a deeper study in the future, you will eventually want to switch to a more precise and scholarly word for word translation such as The New King James Version, New American Standard Version, English Standard Version or King James Version. You may want to start your journey by reading the Gospel of John (the fourth book of the New Testament). Here you will find a free easy to read copy of The New Living Translation paraphrase: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1&version=NLT
Please stay away from versions such as The New World Translation, Clear Word Bible, The Passion Bible, The Message, The Good News Bible, The New Revised Standard Version, Tree of Life Version and Contemporary English Version as they tend to be over simplified, or agenda driven.
Here are two promises from God that I will leave you with: “If you continue in my word you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32), and “If you seek me and search for me with all your heart, you will find me” (Jeremiah 29:13). I will admit that during my first reading of the Bible, and even though it was a paraphrase I had to struggle through some parts of it (as you probably will also), but it was definitely worth it. I can’t make the effort for you; that is up to you. It is so important though, that the fate of your eternal soul may very well depend on it.
If you are already a Christian, please download, print and Pass This On to someone who needs to hear its message. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so…” (Psalm 107:2).
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