Are gorges gorgeous?
Beauty is certainly subjective. A manufacturing structure can be beautiful to an architectural engineer. Programming code can be beautiful to a software engineer. A steamy bowl of mac & cheese might be beautiful to everyone, but not me. I’ve never had any! What? Yes, it’s true. I’ve never had mac & cheese. The world’s leading psychologists have been trying to figure that one out for years but to no avail as of the writing of this article.
But what about a gorge? What exactly is a gorge? It’s a steep-sided, deep, and narrow valley. Most definitions will add that they are generally carved by rivers. Although it’s not the focus of this article, most gorges were not formed by river erosion. On the contrary, the rivers were created by their gorges! Most rivers are considered to be “underfit.” And just what does that mean? Simply put, it means they are way too small to have carved out the valleys or gorges through which they flow. The gorges were carved out catastrophically, and the remaining water began to flow through the newly created valley or gorge. It’s definitely the case with the Grand Canyon. The Colorado River did not create that canyon. The canyon created the river! More specifically (and more accurately), the canyon created a new route for the river as it came from the north, originating in Colorado. Why are we talking about gorges? Some of you have been on our Grand Canyon Rim & Raft tours. They are phenomenal! I just finished leading two back-to-back tours. In May of this year, I was invited to whitewater raft one-third of the Grand Canyon and do some teaching along the way. That was quite an experience, thanks to Nate Loper, Executive Director of Canyon Ministries (Flagstaff, AZ), who sponsored the tour and was the main guide. Many people who attend our tours have been there on their own, but they say it’s a “night and day difference” being there and hearing the biblical and scientific explanation of what they are seeing. Everyone has certainly seen pictures of the Grand Canyon, but they pale immensely compared to seeing it in person. In fact, one of the biggest frustrations of visiting the canyon and attempting to share your experience with others upon returning home is that the pictures do not do it justice. Not even close! Is it just me, or am I rambling? No, I’m not rambling; I’m just taking a bit to set up the main point of this article. About halfway through our Grand Canyon tours, I ask people if they think the canyon is beautiful. Without exception, they all agree that it’s absolutely stunning and very beautiful. Then, I share one other very intriguing comment, something most had not considered previously. What they are looking at (the Grand Canyon) is actually a direct result of God’s judgment on mankind’s sin! The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:5-8). Dire Warning
Big picture summary:
In the last referenced passage above (direct words of Jesus from Matthew), we can glean another lesson regarding the Flood: For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:37). At the time of the Flood, things had gotten so bad that God describes it as being a time when the thoughts and intentions of mankind were “only evil continually.”
Sound familiar? Let’s wipe out the Jews. Let’s abort millions upon millions of babies. Let’s turn boys into girls and vice versa. Let’s let men marry men and women marry women. And on and on. A number of years ago, Billy Graham’s wife (Ruth) said, “If God doesn't soon bring judgment upon America, He'll have to go back and apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.” Our current state of moral decay is certainly not limited to the US; it’s all over the world. My main point is that the people of Noah’s day were carrying on with “business as usual,” and then the Flood came, taking them by “surprise!” They had ample time to repent, all the while Noah was preaching (2 Peter 2:5), but they ignored his message and paid with their lives. We also read in 2 Peter 3:3-7 that skeptics of the last days (which I believe we are in) will doubt the return of Christ for two reasons: (1) they reject the Genesis creation account, and (2) they reject the Genesis Flood! By rejecting the creation account, they reject God as the ultimate source of authority over their lives. They certainly don’t want that. Secondly, they reject the Flood, which was God’s judgment on mankind’s sin. Well, these skeptics don’t think they are “sinners,” they’re good people. They reject deserving any kind of judgment from God. With that in mind, what does the second coming of Christ represent? Another judgment! Peter says not by water, but by fire this time (2 Peter 3:7, 10-12). Since there’s so much physical evidence for the reality of the Flood (God’s first major judgment), what does that say about the likelihood of His second judgment? If we truly believe in that reality, how much effort are we making to warn others. It’s not fearmongering; it’s showing your concern for those around you who are lost and in need of the truth and encouragement of the Gospel. So, are gorges gorgeous? (You probably forgot that was the question!) I think so, but they also represent further truth of the reliability of Scripture, including its warnings to mankind. Be constantly looking for opportunities to witness to those around you. And if you really want to get fired up about all of this, join one of our Grand Canyon tours and learn tons of answers to the most challenging questions about Christianity! |
