Genesis Lecture 40 (Fifth day of the Creation 2)
Bible passage: Genesis 1:20-23
“20. And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." 21. So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." 23. And there was evening, and there was morning-- the fifth day. ”
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the 40th Lecture on Genesis.
I continue from the last lecture to explain the creation works of the 5th day. God created fish in the waters and birds in the in the open expanse. Genesis 1:21 says, "God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good." At this time, fish were created not just in the sea waters alone, but also in the fresh waters. "Every living creature that moves with which the waters swarmed" was created on the 5th day.
Shellfish with hard shells, mollusks such as squids and octopus, bottom-creeping things under the seas such as crabs and crawfish, and underwater plants that cannot survive out of water were also created on this day. By the way, "the great sea monsters" are specially mentioned in this verse. What are these "great sea monsters?" They refer to fish which are immense in size such as whales. Currently, the largest true whale existing on earth is the blue whale. Blue whales can reach up to 33 meters in length and 190 tons or more in weight. Unlike other fish, whales don't lay eggs, but give live-birth to offspring called "calves", nurse their calves with milk, and breathe air through pulmonary respiration. Therefore, biology defines whales not as fish but as mammals just like cows, horses, or lambs. Mammals in terms of biology were created on the 6th day.
But God says that whales which were 'great sea monsters' were created on the 5th day, which was the same day when other fish were created. God also tells you that you can find out how long they have existed if you take a measurement on the date they came to exist. Scientists agree that all kinds of whales that exist today also existed 2 million years ago. They have acknowledged that the whales with the same appearance with the whales of today existed a very long time ago. Now, when you look at these whales, you can understand better that animals didn't evolve, but that they were created. Evolutionists claim that fish in the waters evolved to be able to live in both the waters and the land, and then they evolved more to live on the land. However, they further claim the other way around that animals, like whales, which originally lived in the land, evolved to live back in the waters.
They insist that some animals that starved on the land went back to the waters where there was much more to eat. As grounds for their theory, they present a fossil of a whale which has the remnant trace of legs. However, the animal of the fossil originally looked like that. Look at the animals such as seals. They have some parts in front that look just like legs, which make them appear to be like an intermediary transitional link between aquatic animals and land animals. However, animals such as otters and seals were originally created like that. They are not an intermediate stage of an animal in the middle of evolution! Furthermore, a theory that a land animal returns to become an aquatic animal again is against the flow of evolution that evolutionists insist upon. Evolutionists collect small pieces of information, and use their imagination to manipulate them to fit into the framework of evolutionism.
And thus, they claim a theory which is logically contradictory to their theory, which doesn't make sense at all. Dear brothers and sisters. Think about it. How could fish evolve so that its fins disappear and legs generate in their place? They also insist that whales were originally land animals, but that their legs disappeared and fins came to exist again. Evolutionists claim that such an odd thing like can take place for over 'a long period of time.' Evolutionists themselves don't believe in the theory that fish can evolve into a land animal in a short period of time. But they insist that fish can become land animals if they evolve for over a very long period of time. Though they argue that it is extremely unlikely, they argue that it may still be possible over a long period of time.
Evolutionists usually explain their evolutionary theory in this way. However, if you think seriously, just a little bit, then you can easily figure out that their theory is nothing but speculation. For fish to evolve to be able to live on the land, their evolution with many changes should be able to be followed. Could they come out of water and live in the land if their fins just disappeared and legs were generated? To be able to breathe air out of water while on the land, their internal organs should change together as well. Moreover, these changes should not take place individually. For example, if their fins disappeared and legs generated but yet they still breathed through their gills, they couldn't live on the land. It means that the morphology of their whole body structure would have to be changed all at the same time. Even if they changed all at once, problems would still remain.
In the middle of changes, all the functions might have been unstable. However, evolutionists insist that this unstable intermediate process lasted for a long period of time. They say intermediary transitional animals with unstable body parts, neither with complete fins nor complete legs, survived for a very long time. Could these strange looking animals maintain their transitional species for an untold period of time? With such a system of unstable body parts, it wouldn't be easy for them to find food in the water or on the land. It would be rather easy for them to become the prey of other animals and thereby they would become extinct before they could become land animals. If such an interim animal had ever existed much less had existed for a long period of time, then many of their fossils should have been found. However, most fossils that have been discovered so far have the same structural appearance of current animals. There are fossils that evolutionists argue as missing links, but they were either proved to be a hoax, or they were the animals that originally looked like that.
For example, the fossils which evolutionists presented as evolutionary ancestors of human beings were either mistakes or fabricated evidences. A fossil called Ramapithecus which was believed an ancestor of human beings actually turned out to be the same as an orangutan. The Piltdown man, which was known as a missing link, turned out a hoax of a skull of a man and a jaw of a monkey. Since God created everything after their kind from the beginning, fossils which are called missing links cannot be found. A land animal never evolved into a whale, nor has a fish ever evolved into a land animal. Fish were created after their kind on the 5th day, and land animals were created after their kind on the 6th day by God. Genesis 1:21 says that God created "every winged bird after its kind" on the 5th day. However, evolutionists claim that primeval land animals evolved into birds.
Now, imagine the process that a land animal evolves into a bird just as evolutionists claim. First, its front legs would have to become wings, and the rear legs would change into the legs of a bird. Moreover, its body structure and internal organs would have to change so that it could fly. Its skin would have to become covered with feathers. However, even if an animal happens to have wings, it will not make the animal fly right on the spot. Let's suppose there is a good car with an engine with lots of horse power. If someone installs wings on the both sides of this car, can this car now fly in the air? No matter how many years pass by, this car can never fly in the air. In order to fly, its structure and shape would have to be changed to be like that of an airplane or a helicopter.
Just as a car, roughly modified, cannot become a plane, a land animal cannot evolve into a bird. If you take a close look at birds, you can find that birds are constructed specially so that they can fly in the air. The most minute details of birds such as the shape and characteristics of the avian body structure, and even their instincts are created to make them suited to fly in the air. Not only birds, but all creatures have outstanding abilities to survive in a given environment. Creatures cannot obtain this ability by themselves. It is given by God the Father. And so, in Job 12:7-9 it say this: "But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; and the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you. Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you; and let the fish of the sea declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this," The scripture says that if animals could speak, they could clearly explain that they were created by the hands of God the Creator.
Even animals know about God the Creator, but men who are endowed with perception, don't seek God and do not believe in God. It is such a pity. By the way, people admit that certain animals and plants have very unique and outstanding abilities. They study these abilities to copy and apply them to cutting edge technologies. This kind of study is called 'biomimetics', or more commonly called "biomimicry" Here are a couple of by-products of this study. First, there is a 'full body swimming suit' to which principles of shark scales are applied. Some sharks swim at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour. The scales of such a high-speed shark are equipped with a device that reduces the frictional resistance. A full body swimming suit to which the principle of shark scales are applied has 10-15% less frictional resistance than a normal swimming suit. It allows for a swimmer to swim forward much easier in the water. This full body swimming suit first appeared in 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
And the swimmers wearing this full body swimming suit won 25 out of 33 gold medals in the swimming events. In a swimming event where 0.01 second decides its winner, the full body swimming suit which has 10-15% less frictional resistance made great impact on the games. The technology that utilizes the principle of shark scales is used not only for swimming suits, but also for transporting vehicles such as cars and planes, and in submarine technology to minimize water resistance. As another example, mussels and abalones also have an amazing ability. Mussels are known to have strong adhesive protein. This protein makes mussels able to stick to rocks under the sea water. The adhesive protein that mussels have is stronger yet more flexible than any other man-made adhesive. When compared to man's tendon, it is 5 times stronger, and it stretches 16 times longer.
Since the adhesive protein of mussels is natural, it is safe for the human body, and thus it can be used as medical adhesive to adjoin torn skin or broken bones. Since this adhesive maintains its strength in water, it can be very useful to construct ships or battleships. The shell of an abalone is very hard. A study showed that abalones' shell is very strong due to its unique structure. If the structure of abalones' shell is applied, people can create very hard material. An American research team used the abalone shell structure to invent tank armor. A spider's web seems fragile, but it is five times stronger than iron of the same thickness. A web that is 1 millimeter thick is capable of supporting a full grown man. In addition, the web is as soft as silk, and yet more durable than nylon, and it has excellent elasticity. And it ventilates well, but water cannot pass through it so that these characteristics are used to produce body armor or parachute material. Dear brothers and sisters.
One of the major objects of biomimetic study in is the dragonfly, with which you are well familiar. It is actually difficult to catch dragonflies with bare hands. When you try to catch a dragonfly that is sitting on something, it quickly flies away. It can hover in the air, and instantly fly at the speed of 50 kilometers an hour. There are many American research teams that are trying to apply this technique to fighter planes. Besides this, studies on dragonflies have revealed many other great flying techniques of dragonflies. They can fly forward and backward easily, and they flap their wings 40 times per second. If a man were to use his arms as much as a dragonfly does, his shoulder where his arms and torso adjoin would be seriously affected. However, dragonflies are fine even when they flap their wings countless times thanks to an elastomeric protein, called 'Resilin' which can be found in their wing-hinge. The elasticity of this elastomeric protein is so outstanding that scientists developed an artificial Resilin after the model of this protein.
Moreover, the important body parts of a dragonfly are covered by a liquid material. It is the reason that it can protect internal organs even when it flies at the highest speed while a great pressure is applied to it which is 30 times stronger than its body weight. A new type of flying gear is under development after the model of this principle. Moreover, dragonflies can approach their prey from its foot, and stretch their legs to snatch the prey. This technique has 97% of success rate. An American research team is studying this nervous system that dragonflies use to catch food, and developing a new plane guidance system. The eyes of a dragonfly are quite interesting as well. A dragonfly has a pair of compound eyes each of which consists of roughly 28,000 ommatidia. A compound eye is the convex eye, consisting of numerous separate light-sensitive units (ommatidia).
Strangely enough, the shape of each ommatidium is hexagonal. I told you that the number 6 means 'a complete state' in the 1st heaven, which is a fleshly space. I also told you that hexagon is the most stable and well-balanced of polygons. Besides the dragonflies, there are other insects that have compound eyes which consist of hexagonal ommatidia. Honey bees, butterflies, and ants have hundreds or thousands of hexagonal ommatidia as well. But, dragonflies have the most number of ommatidia among the insects. Therefore, without turning its head, a dragonfly can see front, read, left, and right side at the same time.
It can spot a moving object at a distance of 20 meters, and something in a fixed location at a distance of 37 meters. Scientists studied the eyes of dragonflies and invented optical camera lenses which have 360 degree view. If it is deployed on a commercial scale, endoscopes which can sense a minute changes inside a human body, and cameras which can shoot tiny movements with 360 view angle. Let me tell you another great ability of a dragonfly. BBC news reported on July 14, 2009 that a dragonfly became a champion in an insects' marathon. It means a dragonfly is the insect that can fly the farthest distance. Before this marathon, the champion of insects marathon was the Monarch butterfly which can travel 7,000 kilometers, from Mexico to Canada.
However, a biologist in the Maldives found after a 10 year long research that dragonflies can fly much farther. He found that dragonflies travel 14,000 to 18,000 kilometers from India to Africa every year. Like Monarch butterflies, it took 4 generations for dragonflies to make around trip. And 800 kilometer wide sea was included in their routes. It means they have to keep on flying a distance of 800 kilometers without taking a rest. It has still remained as a mystery how dragonflies could cross the sea and fly such a long distance. You will see many dragonflies again in this year. I hope you will receive all the more grace while thinking of the amazing ability that God has given to dragonflies. In the next lecture, I will explain the creation works of the 6th day.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. In this lecture, I told explained that God created fish and birds after their kind, and that they didn't evolve. I also explained how men study the special ability of animals and plants and how they copy the ability to cutting edge technologies. Those who are good in heart will acknowledge and believe that God the Creator does exist only by looking at the special abilities that animals and plants possess. It is because they themselves know that it is never possible to attain such a special ability through evolution. Jesus said in Matthew 6:26, "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" How much more does God treasure His children as He feeds even the birds of the air? God the Father always wants to give only the best thing to His children.
Since love should go hand in hand with justice, however, it is you that should ask God the Father for it by faith. God the Father surely gives answers to those who seek by faith. So, Jesus said in Mathew 7:9-11, "Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" God the Father is full of grace. He always wants to give everything to His lovely children of faith again and again, and He wants to give it all overflowingly. Just as He created all things with His word, nothing is impossible for God the God the Father.
And He has added that nothing will be impossible to those who believe in this God. Therefore, I hope that you will live your life with a confession that you can do everything in God who gives you strength. You should never make your faith weak or doubt the promise of God before the reality that seems negative. May your faith grow stronger every day, and give glory to God by bearing the fruit of answer all the time, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray! [Amen]
Mafundisho ya Mwanzo 40 | Siku ya Tano ya Uumbaji 2
Andiko la Biblia: Mwanzo 1:20–23
“20. Mungu akasema, Maji na yajae kwa wingi viumbe vyenye uhai, na ndege waruke juu ya nchi katika anga la mbingu. 21. Mungu akaumba nyangumi wakubwa, na kila kiumbe chenye uhai kiendacho ambavyo maji yalijawa navyo, kwa jinsi zao, na kila ndege mwenye mabawa kwa jinsi yake; Mungu akaona ya kuwa ni vyema. 22. Mungu akavibarikia, akasema, Zaeni, mkaongezeke, mkaijaze maji ya baharini; ndege nao na waongezeke duniani. 23. Ikawa jioni ikawa asubuhi, siku ya tano.”
Ndugu wapendwa katika Kristo. Haya ni Mafundisho ya 40 ya Mwanzo.
Ninaendelea kutoka katika somo lililopita kueleza kazi za uumbaji za siku ya tano. Mungu aliumba samaki majini na ndege katika anga pana. Mwanzo 1:21 inasema: “Mungu akaumba nyangumi wakubwa, na kila kiumbe chenye uhai kiendacho ambavyo maji yalijawa navyo, kwa jinsi zao, na kila ndege mwenye mabawa kwa jinsi yake; Mungu akaona ya kuwa ni vyema.” Wakati huo samaki hawakuumbwa katika maji ya bahari tu, bali pia katika maji baridi. “Kila kiumbe chenye uhai kiendacho ambavyo maji yalijawa navyo” kiliumbwa siku ya tano.
Viumbe wenye magamba magumu, moluska kama ngisi na pweza, viumbe vya chini ya bahari vinavyotambaa kama kaa na kamba, pamoja na mimea ya chini ya maji isiyoweza kuishi nje ya maji, vyote viliumbwa siku hii. Kwa upande mwingine, “nyangumi wakubwa” wametajwa hasa katika mstari huu. Hawa “nyangumi wakubwa” ni nani? Wanamaanisha viumbe wa majini wenye ukubwa mkubwa sana, kama nyangumi. Kwa sasa, mnyama mkubwa zaidi wa kundi la nyangumi duniani ni nyangumi bluu. Anaweza kufikia urefu wa mita 33 na uzito wa tani 190 au zaidi. Tofauti na samaki wengine, nyangumi hawatagi mayai; huzaa watoto hai wanaoitwa ndama, huwanyonyesha kwa maziwa na hupumua hewa kwa kutumia mapafu. Kwa hiyo, biolojia huwaainisha nyangumi kuwa mamalia, kama ng’ombe, farasi na kondoo, wala si samaki. Kwa mujibu wa biolojia, mamalia waliumbwa siku ya sita.
Hata hivyo, Mungu anasema kwamba nyangumi, ambao ni “nyangumi wakubwa,” waliumbwa siku ya tano, siku ileile ambayo samaki wengine waliumbwa. Mungu anawaambia pia kwamba mnaweza kujua wamekuwepo kwa muda gani kwa kuchunguza tarehe walipoanza kuwepo. Wanasayansi wanakubaliana kwamba aina zote za nyangumi waliopo leo walikuwepo miaka milioni mbili iliyopita. Wanakiri kwamba nyangumi walio na sura sawa na wa leo waliishi zamani sana. Mkiwatazama nyangumi hawa, mnaweza kuelewa vizuri zaidi kwamba wanyama hawakubadilika kwa mageuzi bali waliumbwa. Wanaounga mkono mageuzi hudai kwamba samaki waliishi majini, kisha wakapata uwezo wa kuishi majini na nchi kavu, na baadaye wakabadilika zaidi na kuishi nchi kavu. Hata hivyo, hudai pia kinyume chake kwamba wanyama kama nyangumi, ambao hapo awali waliishi nchi kavu, walibadilika na kurudi kuishi majini.
Wanasisitiza kwamba baadhi ya wanyama waliokosa chakula nchi kavu walirudi majini, ambako chakula kilikuwa kingi zaidi. Kama ushahidi wa nadharia yao, wanaonyesha kisukuku cha nyangumi chenye mabaki yanayoonekana ya miguu. Hata hivyo, mnyama huyo wa kisukuku alikuwa na umbo hilo tangu mwanzo. Waangalieni wanyama kama sili. Wana sehemu za mbele zinazofanana na miguu na hivyo wanaweza kuonekana kama viumbe vya mpito kati ya wanyama wa majini na wa nchi kavu. Lakini wanyama kama otter na sili waliumbwa hivyo tangu mwanzo. Si hatua ya kati ya mnyama anayeendelea kubadilika kwa mageuzi! Zaidi ya hayo, dai kwamba mnyama wa nchi kavu alirudi kuwa mnyama wa majini linapingana na mkondo wa mageuzi ambao wanaounga mkono mageuzi wanasisitiza. Wanakusanya vipande vidogo vya habari na kutumia mawazo yao kuvipotosha ili vilingane na mfumo wa nadharia ya mageuzi.
Kwa hiyo, wanadai nadharia inayopingana kimantiki na nadharia yao yenyewe, jambo lisilo na maana. Ndugu wapendwa, fikirieni jambo hili. Samaki angewezaje kubadilika kiasi kwamba mapezi yake yakatoweka na miguu ikamea badala yake? Pia wanadai kwamba nyangumi hapo awali walikuwa wanyama wa nchi kavu, lakini miguu yao ikatoweka na mapezi yakatokea tena. Wanaounga mkono mageuzi hudai kwamba jambo lisilo la kawaida namna hii linaweza kutokea baada ya “muda mrefu.” Hata wao wenyewe hawaamini kwamba samaki anaweza kubadilika na kuwa mnyama wa nchi kavu kwa muda mfupi. Lakini wanasisitiza kwamba samaki anaweza kuwa mnyama wa nchi kavu akibadilika kwa muda mrefu sana. Ingawa wanakubali kwamba jambo hilo haliwezekani kabisa, bado hudai kwamba huenda likatokea baada ya muda mrefu.
Kwa kawaida, wanaounga mkono mageuzi hueleza nadharia yao kwa namna hii. Hata hivyo, ukifikiria kwa uzito hata kidogo, unaweza kutambua kwa urahisi kwamba nadharia yao si chochote ila dhana. Ili samaki abadilike na aweze kuishi nchi kavu, mabadiliko yake mengi yanapaswa kufuatiliwa. Je, angeweza kutoka majini na kuishi nchi kavu mapezi yake yakitoweka tu na miguu ikamea? Ili aweze kupumua hewa akiwa nchi kavu, viungo vyake vya ndani pia vinapaswa kubadilika. Zaidi ya hayo, mabadiliko haya hayawezi kutokea moja moja. Kwa mfano, mapezi yakitoweka na miguu kuota huku akiendelea kupumua kwa matamvua, hangeweza kuishi nchi kavu. Hii ina maana kwamba muundo wa mwili wake wote ungelazimika kubadilika kwa wakati mmoja. Hata kama yote yangebadilika mara moja, bado kungebaki matatizo.
Katikati ya mabadiliko, kazi zote za mwili huenda zisingekuwa thabiti. Hata hivyo, wanaounga mkono mageuzi wanasisitiza kwamba kipindi hiki kisicho thabiti kilidumu kwa muda mrefu. Husema kwamba wanyama wa mpito walio na sehemu za mwili zisizokamilika—wasio na mapezi kamili wala miguu kamili—waliishi kwa muda mrefu sana. Je, wanyama hao wa ajabu wangeweza kudumisha hali yao ya mpito kwa kipindi kisichojulikana? Kwa kuwa na viungo visivyo thabiti namna hiyo, isingekuwa rahisi kwao kupata chakula majini au nchi kavu. Ingekuwa rahisi zaidi kuwindwa na wanyama wengine na kutoweka kabla hawajawa wanyama wa nchi kavu. Kama mnyama wa mpito huyo aliwahi kuwepo, sembuse kuishi kwa muda mrefu, visukuku vyake vingi vingepaswa kupatikana. Hata hivyo, visukuku vingi vilivyogunduliwa hadi sasa vina miundo sawa na ya wanyama waliopo leo. Kuna visukuku ambavyo wanaounga mkono mageuzi husema ni viungo vya mpito, lakini vingine vimethibitishwa kuwa vya kughushi, na vingine ni vya wanyama waliokuwa na umbo hilo tangu mwanzo.
Kwa mfano, visukuku ambavyo wanaounga mkono mageuzi walivitoa kama mababu wa wanadamu vilikuwa ama makosa au ushahidi wa kughushi. Kisukuku kilichoitwa Ramapithecus, kilichoaminika kuwa babu wa mwanadamu, kilibainika kuwa sawa na orangutani. Piltdown Man, aliyesemekana kuwa kiungo cha mpito, alibainika kuwa udanganyifu uliounganisha fuvu la mwanadamu na taya ya tumbili. Kwa kuwa tangu mwanzo Mungu aliumba kila kitu kwa jinsi yake, visukuku vinavyoitwa viungo vya mpito havipatikani. Hakuna mnyama wa nchi kavu aliyebadilika na kuwa nyangumi, wala samaki aliyebadilika na kuwa mnyama wa nchi kavu. Mungu aliumba samaki kwa jinsi zao siku ya tano, na wanyama wa nchi kavu kwa jinsi zao siku ya sita. Mwanzo 1:21 inasema kwamba Mungu aliumba “kila ndege mwenye mabawa kwa jinsi yake” siku ya tano. Hata hivyo, wanaounga mkono mageuzi hudai kwamba wanyama wa nchi kavu wa kale walibadilika na kuwa ndege.
Sasa fikirieni mchakato ambao mnyama wa nchi kavu angebadilika na kuwa ndege kama wanavyodai. Kwanza, miguu yake ya mbele ingebadilika kuwa mabawa, na miguu ya nyuma ingebadilika na kuwa miguu ya ndege. Zaidi ya hayo, muundo wa mwili na viungo vya ndani vingelazimika kubadilika ili uweze kuruka. Ngozi yake ingelazimika kufunikwa na manyoya. Hata hivyo, mnyama akipata mabawa tu, hataanza kuruka mara moja. Tuseme kuna gari zuri lenye injini yenye nguvu kubwa. Mtu akiweka mabawa pande zake zote mbili, je, gari hilo litaweza kuruka angani? Haijalishi miaka mingapi inapita, gari hilo haliwezi kuruka angani. Ili liruke, muundo na umbo lake lazima vibadilishwe na kuwa kama vya ndege au helikopta.
Kama vile gari lililofanyiwa marekebisho ya juu juu haliwezi kuwa ndege, mnyama wa nchi kavu hawezi kubadilika na kuwa ndege. Mkichunguza ndege kwa makini, mtaona kwamba miili yao imeundwa mahsusi ili iweze kuruka angani. Hata maelezo madogo zaidi ya ndege, kama umbo na sifa za miili yao na silika zao, vimeumbwa ili viwafae kuruka angani. Si ndege pekee, bali viumbe vyote vina uwezo wa ajabu wa kuishi katika mazingira yao. Viumbe hawawezi kupata uwezo huo wenyewe; wamepewa na Mungu Baba. Kwa hiyo, Ayubu 12:7–9 inasema: “Lakini sasa waulize wanyama, watakufundisha; na ndege wa angani, watakuambia. Au useme na nchi, nayo itakufundisha; na samaki wa baharini watakuhadithia. Katika vitu hivi vyote ni nani asiyejua ya kuwa mkono wa Bwana ndio uliofanya haya?” Andiko linasema kwamba wanyama wangeweza kuzungumza wangeeleza wazi kwamba waliumbwa kwa mikono ya Mungu Muumba.
Hata wanyama wanamjua Mungu Muumba, lakini watu waliojaliwa ufahamu hawamtafuti wala kumwamini Mungu. Inasikitisha sana. Hata hivyo, watu wanakiri kwamba wanyama na mimea fulani wana uwezo wa pekee na wa ajabu. Wanasoma uwezo huo ili wauige na kuutumia katika teknolojia ya kisasa. Utafiti huu huitwa “biomimetics,” au kwa kawaida “biomimicry.” Hii hapa mifano michache ya vitu vilivyotokana na utafiti huo. Kwanza, kuna vazi la kuogelea la mwili mzima linalotumia kanuni za magamba ya papa. Baadhi ya papa huogelea kwa kasi ya kilomita 80 kwa saa. Magamba ya papa huyo mwenye kasi kubwa yana muundo unaopunguza msuguano wa maji. Vazi la kuogelea la mwili mzima linalotumia kanuni hiyo lina msuguano mdogo kwa asilimia 10–15 kuliko vazi la kawaida. Hivyo humwezesha mwogeleaji kusonga majini kwa urahisi zaidi. Vazi hili lilionekana kwa mara ya kwanza katika Michezo ya Olimpiki ya Sydney mwaka 2000.
Waogeleaji waliovaa vazi hili la mwili mzima walishinda medali 25 kati ya 33 za dhahabu katika mashindano ya kuogelea. Katika mashindano ambayo sekunde 0.01 huamua mshindi, vazi lenye msuguano mdogo kwa asilimia 10–15 lilikuwa na athari kubwa. Teknolojia inayotumia kanuni ya magamba ya papa haitumiki katika mavazi ya kuogelea tu, bali pia katika vyombo vya usafiri kama magari na ndege, na katika teknolojia ya nyambizi ili kupunguza upinzani wa maji. Mfano mwingine ni kome na abaloni, ambao wana uwezo wa ajabu. Kome wanajulikana kuwa na protini yenye nguvu ya kunata. Protini hiyo huwawezesha kushikamana na miamba chini ya maji ya bahari. Protini ya kunata ya kome ina nguvu na unyumbufu mkubwa kuliko gundi yoyote iliyotengenezwa na mwanadamu. Ikilinganishwa na kano ya mwanadamu, ina nguvu mara tano zaidi na inaweza kunyooshwa mara 16 zaidi.
Kwa kuwa protini ya kunata ya kome ni ya asili, ni salama kwa mwili wa mwanadamu; kwa hiyo inaweza kutumiwa kama gundi ya kitabibu kuunganisha ngozi iliyopasuka au mifupa iliyovunjika. Kwa kuwa hudumisha nguvu yake ndani ya maji, inaweza kusaidia sana katika ujenzi wa meli na manowari. Gamba la abaloni ni gumu sana. Utafiti umeonyesha kwamba gamba lake lina nguvu kutokana na muundo wake wa pekee. Muundo huo ukitumiwa, watu wanaweza kutengeneza nyenzo ngumu sana. Timu moja ya watafiti wa Marekani ilitumia muundo wa gamba la abaloni kubuni kinga ya vifaru. Wavu wa buibui huonekana dhaifu, lakini una nguvu mara tano kuliko chuma chenye unene sawa. Wavu wenye unene wa milimita moja unaweza kumshikilia mwanamume mzima. Zaidi ya hayo, ni laini kama hariri, lakini hudumu zaidi kuliko nailoni na hunyumbulika sana. Hupitisha hewa vizuri lakini maji hayawezi kupenya; sifa hizi hutumiwa kutengeneza mavazi ya kujikinga na risasi au nyenzo za parachuti. Ndugu wapendwa katika Kristo.
Mmoja wa viumbe wakuu wanaochunguzwa katika biomimetics ni kereng’ende, ambaye mnamfahamu vizuri. Kwa kweli ni vigumu kumkamata kereng’ende kwa mikono mitupu. Ukijaribu kumkamata akiwa amekaa juu ya kitu, huruka haraka. Anaweza kutulia hewani bila kusonga na mara moja kuruka kwa kasi ya kilomita 50 kwa saa. Timu nyingi za watafiti wa Marekani zinajaribu kutumia mbinu hii katika ndege za kivita. Zaidi ya hayo, tafiti kuhusu kereng’ende zimefichua mbinu nyingine nyingi za ajabu za kuruka. Anaweza kuruka mbele na nyuma kwa urahisi na kupiga mabawa yake mara 40 kwa sekunde. Mwanadamu akitumia mikono yake kama kereng’ende anavyotumia mabawa, bega linalounganisha mikono na kiwiliwili lingeathirika sana. Hata hivyo, kereng’ende hawaathiriki hata wanapopiga mabawa yao mara nyingi sana, kwa sababu ya protini nyumbufu iitwayo resilin iliyo kwenye kiungio cha bawa. Unyumbufu wa protini hii ni wa ajabu sana hivi kwamba wanasayansi walitengeneza resilin ya bandia kwa kufuata mfano wake.
Zaidi ya hayo, sehemu muhimu za mwili wa kereng’ende zimefunikwa na dutu ya majimaji. Hii humlinda dhidi ya uharibifu wa viungo vya ndani anaporuka kwa kasi ya juu sana, huku akikabiliwa na shinikizo lenye nguvu mara 30 ya uzito wa mwili wake. Kifaa kipya cha kuruka kinatengenezwa kwa kufuata kanuni hii. Kereng’ende anaweza pia kumsogelea mawindo yake kutoka chini, kisha kunyoosha miguu yake na kumkamata. Mbinu hii hufaulu kwa asilimia 97. Timu ya watafiti wa Marekani inachunguza mfumo wa neva ambao kereng’ende hutumia kukamata chakula na kuutumia kutengeneza mfumo mpya wa kuelekeza ndege. Macho ya kereng’ende nayo yanavutia sana. Ana jozi ya macho changamani, kila moja likiwa na takriban vitengo 28,000 vinavyohisi mwanga vinavyoitwa ommatidia. Jicho changamani ni jicho lililopinda, linaloundwa na vitengo vingi tofauti vinavyohisi mwanga.
Cha ajabu, kila ommatidium kina umbo la pembe sita. Niliwaambia kwamba namba sita humaanisha “hali kamili” katika mbingu ya kwanza, ambayo ni nafasi ya kimwili. Pia nilieleza kwamba umbo la pembe sita ndilo thabiti na lenye mizani mizuri zaidi kati ya maumbo ya pembe nyingi. Mbali na kereng’ende, wadudu wengine wana macho changamani yanayoundwa na ommatidia zenye umbo la pembe sita. Nyuki, vipepeo na siafu pia wana mamia au maelfu ya vitengo hivyo. Hata hivyo, kereng’ende ana ommatidia nyingi zaidi kuliko wadudu wengine. Kwa hiyo, bila kugeuza kichwa chake, anaweza kuona mbele, nyuma, kushoto na kulia kwa wakati mmoja.
Anaweza kuona kitu kinachosogea kwa umbali wa mita 20 na kitu kisichosogea kwa umbali wa mita 37. Wanasayansi walichunguza macho ya kereng’ende na kutengeneza lenzi za kamera zinazoweza kuona nyuzi 360. Zikitengenezwa kwa matumizi ya kawaida, zitawezesha kutengeneza endoskopu zinazoweza kutambua mabadiliko madogo ndani ya mwili wa mwanadamu na kamera zinazoweza kurekodi mienendo midogo kwa pembe ya kuona ya nyuzi 360. Ngoja niwaeleze uwezo mwingine wa ajabu wa kereng’ende. Habari za BBC ziliripoti tarehe 14 Julai 2009 kwamba kereng’ende alishinda mbio za wadudu. Hii ina maana kwamba kereng’ende ndiye mdudu anayeweza kuruka umbali mrefu zaidi. Kabla ya mashindano hayo, kipepeo aina ya Monarch ndiye aliyeshikilia rekodi, akiruka kilomita 7,000 kutoka Mexico hadi Kanada.
Hata hivyo, mwanabiolojia mmoja nchini Maldives aligundua baada ya utafiti wa miaka kumi kwamba kereng’ende huruka mbali zaidi. Aligundua kwamba kila mwaka kereng’ende husafiri kilomita 14,000 hadi 18,000 kutoka India hadi Afrika. Kama vipepeo aina ya Monarch, kereng’ende huhitaji vizazi vinne kufanya safari ya kwenda na kurudi. Njia yao inajumuisha bahari yenye upana wa kilomita 800. Hii ina maana kwamba hulazimika kuendelea kuruka umbali wa kilomita 800 bila kupumzika. Bado ni fumbo jinsi kereng’ende wanavyoweza kuvuka bahari na kuruka umbali mrefu hivyo. Mtaona kereng’ende wengi tena mwaka huu. Ninaomba mpokee neema zaidi mnapofikiria uwezo wa ajabu ambao Mungu amewapa kereng’ende. Katika somo lijalo, nitaeleza kazi za uumbaji za siku ya sita.
Ndugu wapendwa katika Kristo, katika somo hili nimewaeleza kwamba Mungu aliumba samaki na ndege kwa jinsi zao na kwamba hawakubadilika kwa mageuzi. Pia nimeeleza jinsi watu wanavyochunguza uwezo wa pekee wa wanyama na mimea na kuiga uwezo huo kwa ajili ya teknolojia ya kisasa. Watu walio na mioyo mizuri watakiri na kuamini kwamba Mungu Muumba yupo wanapoona tu uwezo wa pekee walionao wanyama na mimea. Wanajua wenyewe kwamba uwezo huo hauwezi kupatikana kwa mageuzi. Yesu alisema katika Mathayo 6:26: “Waangalieni ndege wa angani, ya kwamba hawapandi, wala hawavuni, wala hawakusanyi ghalani, na Baba yenu wa mbinguni huwalisha hao. Ninyi je, si bora kupita hao?” Mungu anawathamini watoto wake kiasi gani ikiwa hata ndege wa angani huwalisha? Mungu Baba hutaka daima kuwapa watoto wake vitu bora kabisa.
Hata hivyo, kwa kuwa upendo lazima uambatane na haki, ni ninyi mnapaswa kumwomba Mungu Baba kwa imani. Mungu Baba hakika huwajibu wale wanaoomba kwa imani. Ndiyo sababu Yesu alisema katika Mathayo 7:9–11: “Au kuna mtu gani kwenu, ambaye mwanawe akimwomba mkate, atampa jiwe? Au akiomba samaki, atampa nyoka? Basi ikiwa ninyi mlio waovu mnajua kuwapa watoto wenu vipawa vyema, je! si zaidi sana Baba yenu aliye mbinguni atawapa mema wao wamwombao?” Mungu Baba amejaa neema. Daima hutaka kuwapa watoto wake wapenzi wa imani kila kitu, tena na tena, na kuwamiminia baraka tele. Kama vile alivyoviumba vitu vyote kwa neno lake, hakuna lisilowezekana kwa Mungu Baba.
Naye amesema kwamba hakuna lisilowezekana kwa wale wanaomwamini Mungu huyu. Kwa hiyo, ninaomba muishi maisha yenu mkikiri kwamba mnaweza kufanya yote katika Mungu anayewatia nguvu. Msidhoofishe imani yenu wala kutilia shaka ahadi ya Mungu mbele ya hali halisi inayoonekana kuwa mbaya. Ninaomba imani yenu izidi kuwa imara kila siku na kumpa Mungu utukufu kwa kuzaa matunda ya majibu ya maombi daima, katika jina la Bwana Yesu Kristo! [Amina]
