The Wonderful Variety of God's Creation

One way God has chosen to reveal Himself to us is through His wonderful creation. So much intelligence, so much variety, and yet so much order - all these point to the presence of a Creator. Even though this world has fallen into sin and is not perfect, there yet remains an overwhelming body of evidence to show the existence of God from the creation.

My intention is to use Google Earth to show some remarkable landforms and places that display the beautiful and thought-provoking design of God as He shaped the world. Actually, what I am showing is what God has done to the world in the aftermath of the Flood. I believe that the whole earth was covered by water and that the mountains were formed by God raising them up as the Flood waters receded. Thus, in some ways, God actually "re-created" the world after the Flood, and He recreated it in such a way to show how majestic He is - whether through the Himalayas or through the Grand Canyon. They show His power in a most astonishing way, so as to render us speechless in awe. Instead of personifying these mountains and canyons into semi-gods of their own, as many of us have done in our ignorance, may we look at the One who shaped them all. Let's begin!





















Krenitsyn Volcano, Onekotan Island, Kuril Islands, Russia


While surfing on Google Earth up from Japan into Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, I was touring the Kuril Islands, a volcanic chain between the two countries. Suddenly this amazing image came into view - a crater filled by a huge lake, out of which rose another volcano that formed the island's highest elevation. Although crater lakes are actually not that rare of a sight (there are several of them across the world), the presence of islands within crater lakes is much lower. Oregon's Crater Lake is another example besides this one, with Wizard Island rising out of the water. However, I thought this particular crater was much more marvelous, since the lake was located on an island in the ocean and the mountain rising out of the lake was actually the highest point of the entire island! Here we see how God has used multiple volcanic eruptions and the filling of a crater to produce a very rare sight.



















Peters, Cove, and Second Mountains, with Susquehanna River, north of Harrisburg, PA



I have had the privilege of personally witnessing this unusual area, both by driving and hiking. This is a section of the Appalachian Mountains known as the "folded mountains." Virginia and Alabama also have areas like this, but Pennsylvania is particularly known for the contorted nature of its hills. All across the central area of the state, mountains double back onto themselves (such as in the picture above), are cut by rivers, and uniquely dictate the limits of human enterprise (such as highway building). I myself am not exactly sure how God constructed these mountains, but it is obvious that the rivers afterwards cut through them in such a way that the notches are clean and neat, without much further erosion of the mountainsides. Perhaps the draining of waters after the Flood contributed to this? I have also climbed Peters Mountain (at the top of the picture), and discovered the crest of the ridge to be comprised of razor-sharp knife edge rocks that make for rugged and precarious walking. Peters, Cove, and Second Mountains are actually one mountain that doubles back on itself; it changes its name both times upon crossing the Susquehanna River.



These peaks are barely 1,400 feet high. Nevertheless, even though my heart often goes out more after bigger and loftier peaks, it never fails to be amazed at the teasy, determined nature of Pennsylvania's "little hills."




























Mount Kenya, Kenya, Africa

Snow on the Equator? You betcha! In South America, Africa, and New Guinea, there are permanent glaciers very close to that famous line which encircles the Earth. Africa itself has three locations with glaciers: Kilimanjaro (of course), Mount Kenya, and the Ruwenzori Mountains near Lake Victoria. I want to focus on Kenya because it is probably Africa's most diverse mountain (even more so than the great Kili!). In the picture above, notice the diverse shading of slopes as they go up towards the summit. This is the changing of plants and trees according to the elevation - as you go higher, certain species of trees can no longer handle the changed climate and thus stop at a certain height. Eventually, the treeline is reached and the slopes become barren and rocky. In Africa, the climate is so tropical that some very unusual plant combinations can proliferate on mountain slopes: giant moss, huge out-of-this-world plants above treeline, and dense rain forests on the lower levels.




















Kenya's Upper Slopes


As if that wasn't enough, the topmost portion of Kenya is steep, craggy, and technical. Ropes and climbing gear are required to surmount the highest peak, which is just over 17,000 feet high. Kenya is a (supposedly) ancient volcano which has been eroded into its current state - and so it, the second tallest peak in Africa, is a much more difficult climb than Kilimanjaro. Unfortunately, the glaciers have been melting considerably over the last few decades......the debate continues over whether this global warming is human-caused or simply natural. But it is still incredible to see the amazing variety that God has bestowed upon this world, so that even at hot latitudes high mountains can still receive and retain snow.
























The great Rub' al Khali Desert in Saudi Arabia - 750mi. long and 250 mi. wide (center of pic)


There is amazing vastness in God's creation, but oftentimes the Lord chooses to astonish us at the huge simplicity of certain patterns in Creation. One such example is in the Rub' al Khali desert on the Arabian Peninsula. It is one of the most hostile wastelands on the surface of the planet, and yet it has a stark and austere beauty: sand dunes paralleling each other in a remarkable pattern:





















Sand dunes - this picture covers 100 miles of desert!

The desert's name means "Empty Quarter" in English. In time past, cities and trade routes actually existed here, but desertification took over. Some of the sand dunes are actually upwards of 200 feet high! Here is a very close up picture of the dunes:



















Rub' al Khali sand dunes, @ 5 mi length



In my mind, the vast simplicity of such dunes is incredible. The great God who raised up many remarkable landforms also created orderly patterns of various terrain types across the world. in order to show the world that Creation is not a haphazard process but is carefully planned and is coherent. In many places across the world, there are intriguing areas of rock layering that sometimes stretch for dozens, perhaps even a few hundred, of miles. It really shows us how small we are and how dwarfed we are by things so much bigger than we could imagine. Remember, until we got aerial and satellite photography, we couldn't see the world the way we see it here, from above. That's one of the reasons Google Earth is on my top list of favorite programs of all time - because it shows the world in such a comprehensive light that I cannot help but be wowed at the awesome intricacy and simplicity of God's creation wound together in a most tantalizing way.

These were but 4 examples - hundreds more are undoubtedly out there. God also continually shows us wonders after wonders - a gorgeous sunset, dramatic thunderstorms, sublime views......in short, we live in a world where He is still very much alive and active. He is visible not just in what we observe in the geography of creation, but also in its workings. This should make us more eager to praise Him for being so benevolent as to show Himself in such multifarious ways - the world definitely has no excuse for rejecting Him. I have shown above a little glimpse of the Lord's mighty works: may He continue to be exalted in our hearts and in our lives! Feel free to ask any questions or pass on to me any comments about other examples of God's handiwork in creation that you too enjoy greatly.