I came across this article at Sci Tech Daily about the mass extinction event at the end of the Permian known as the “Great Dying.” I think this study drives home some important points about science and history. The dominant scientific theories taught today include the belief that the Earth is covered with sediment laid down over millions and billions of years, along with evolution and extinction. But these theories fail to address geologic processes in light of God’s existence. In fact, these theories reject what the Bible teaches in favor of an alternate, secular history.

The article considers the possibility that there was a mass extinction that happened in ‘an instant’… geologically speaking, of course. It’s interesting, however, that the Bible describes such a mass extinction event caused by a world-wide flood. Such a flood would, obviously, produce the kind of mass extinction described here.

So, what are some of the findings discovered by the Geological Society of America? They claim it took less than 30,000 years- maybe thousands- for 90% of sea creatures and most land animals to die off. This supposedly happened as a result of “intensive explosive volcanism,” which, not coincidentally, disrupted the ecosystem so severely that “a single extreme incident” could have triggered a mass extinction.

Consider- if we compare this to a global flood that happened not that long ago, we can see some remarkable similarities, and I suggest this further substantiates the historical event described in the Bible. The cataclysmic incident described in this study may be the result of Noah’s Flood, which, not coincidentally, is documented by hundreds of ancient cultures around the world, including the Babylonians, Pawnee Indians, Aztecs, Inca, Ojibwe, and even China, Russia, and across Africa.

It’s interesting, then, that despite overwhelming evidence for a world-wide flood, the secular scientific community chooses to ignore it, while promoting a purely naturalistic worldview, as if they’re afraid to admit something that’s obvious and plain to anyone who examines the evidence without bias.

Instead, this study demands climate change like no human has ever witnessed… intense eruptions, explosive volcanism, acid rain, atmospheric pollution by heavy metals, carbon dioxide, methane and sulfur dioxide that lasted about 420 thousand years! (on a side note, it’s fascinating that some people believe carbon dioxide is a pollutant caused by man, who is therefore responsible for altering the climate to the point where all life on the planet will go extinct)

The report also indicates some uncertainty, which is to be commended. Some scientists write about the distant past with certainty, as if they had witnessed and observed the events themselves, but, obviously, that is not the case. Nonetheless, while an element of that is present, at least the scientists admit they’re not certain why sediment types changed, or if something affected the ocean currents, or if there was an increase in carbon deposition or ocean anoxia, and they admit that their dating techniques are uncertain… but they do their best to come up with plausible explanations of the data.

Another important point to note is that these scientists rely on accelerated processes, something creationists have long proposed. In this case, scientists believe certain sediments were accumulated in water 100 times faster at one location than another, making it thick enough to determine that the vast, abundant marine life disappeared suddenly within a lone layer of volcanic sediment, which was immediately followed by a global warming increase of 10 degrees Celsius.

This study acknowledges many of the same conditions and solutions proposed by creationists in a global flood without realizing it. Consider:

1: Secular scientists agree with creationists that about 90% of the sea creatures died in an “instant”, so to speak, and that plants and insects “suffered near annihilation”. The main differences are that creationists believe this extinction occurred over the course of a few years vs. a few thousand years, and that ALL the land animals did die, except those preserved on the ark. Secularists believe this happened about 252 million years ago instead of about four thousand years ago.

2: Intense, explosive volcanic eruptions played a major role in this extinction.

3: The study suggests that a single, extreme incident could have caused the sudden extinction, and creationists agree, suggesting that this event was the global flood documented in the Bible and other historical records.

4: Both secular and creation scientists believe in accelerated geologic processes to account for thick sedimentary layers and other geologic processes.

5: Both secular and creation scientists agree that climate change and global warming occurs by natural processes, and that extreme climates have existed throughout Earth history.

6: Both secular and creation scientists agree with increased weathering and river runoff to account for certain data.

7: Both secular and creation scientists agree that dating techniques are uncertain.

All told, I think this article neatly provides plenty of evidence supporting an extinction event caused by a global flood, as described in the Bible.