What Darwin Didn't Know - Part 6: The Permian Mass Extinction - Introduction

I want to introduce you to our guest blogger for next week (or maybe next month depending on his schedule), Dr. Matthew Mirabile, who will be discussing the subject of The Permian Mass Extinction.

Dr. Mirabile will delve into this amazing event of Earth's history. I'll just give you a brief introduction.

After the Cambrian Explosion but before the advent of the Dinosaurs, 95% of all life on Earth was wiped out in an event named the Permian Mass Extinction. This event happened about 240 million years ago. Scientists are not sure what caused this mass extinction event, but have speculated that an asteroid the size of Manhattan struck the Earth. This impact event also set off a chain reaction of volcanic activity which in turn emitted enormous amounts of green house gases. These gases warmed the planet by 10 degrees, enough to wipe out all life.

What I find fascinating about this cataclysmic event is not only the magnitude of the destruction of life on Earth, but just how quickly God replenished this life. Within a span of only 100,000 years after the end of the Permian Mass Extinction, new life forms are introduced more suitable to the new environment, the Dinosaurs.

My friends, there is no way that a Darwinian mechanism can explain this. Sorry, that's just too short a period of time to jump from the types of animals that existed on the Earth before the Permian, to the types of animals that were introduced just after. The types of animals are so dramatically different in morphology that, may I say this politely, it takes more faith to believe that natural processes produced the Dinosaurs than it does to believe that God did it.

Remember the Psalm I showed you a few months ago where the Psalmist speaks of God replenishing the Earth with new life, then wiping it out only to replenish it once again with new life? Here it is again for you in Psalm 104, which is one of about 20 creation accounts in the Bible. For more creation accounts, please read Genesis 1, Job 38, Psalm 104, and Proverbs 8 among others.

Psalm 104

²⁷ These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time.

²⁸ When you give it to them,
they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.

²⁹ When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.

³⁰ When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

³¹ May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works-

That is awesome. God is the One who is introducing new life forms at just the right time in Earth's history to prepare the planet for the advent of humanity. This is yet another fingerprint of God.

Here is an excellent video clip I found called "The Day the Earth Nearly Died."

The Day the Earth Nearly Died: Part 3 of 5

So, that's my introduction for you. Dr. Mirabile will get into more details about this incredible event next time. Until then, have a great week.

Tom