Are Bible stories really miracles?

You have doubters of the Bible. They often wonder: Are Bible stories really miracles? Allow me to discuss this issue and come to a logical conclusion.

The history channel has been doing an interesting series this week on the history of the Bible and the scientific basis that could make some of the things happen back then. Modern experts "propose" that while Divine intervention may have caused many of the Biblical events, Hebrew Priests may also have had scientific wisdom that was lost to time.

It is noted in the Bible that the Arc of the Covenant hovered over a platform while it was carried by men. It also hovered whenever it sat in the Temple and had kind of a mist spewing from it.

The neat thing is, one scientist recently found a metal that if cooled to a certain degree Kelvin caused magnets to hover over it. So, he proceeded to make an replica of the Arc and he put magnets under it and he used only artifacts that were available to the ancient peoples of that time. And, using a cooling machine, the Arc really hovered over the platform. It was really cool.

Of course how the Hebrews would have cooled the metal is unknown. Or, perhaps they had another technique of making this phenomenon happen at room temperature that we are still unaware of to this day.

One story in the Bible talks of a battle where the Hebrews defeated a king's army that was far superior in man power and weapons. However, in the Bible it says: "Do not eat the honey, as honey can kill you." (or something like that.) So, it is speculated, based on Biblical descriptions, that the Hebrews lured the King's army to a field. Once the King was ready to slaughter the Hebrew army, the Hebrews surrendered and fled, leaving behind jars of honey.

The King's soldiers thought the honey was a gift acknowledging that the Kings army was far superior. The soldiers ate the honey. Then, and this is where the speculating comes in, the soldiers became drunk and vomited. That was when the Hebrew's returned and slaughtered the kings men and won the battle.

So, modern experts found a mixture if blended in with honey causes these symptoms that were described in the Bible. They had a volunteer who was fit as the King's soldiers would have been eat honey mixed with this substance and he got to the point he couldn't do anything physical.

Another Biblical story talks about a biblical prophet (I can't remember his name) who lived during a time when their were many Hebrew tribes, all of whom worshiped their own version of God. The Hebrew prophet wanted to unite all the Hebrew, so he proposed all the Kings of each tribe create an altar of wood. The first King to have a fire spontaneously erupt by pouring water on it in front of witnesses would be the true God.

All the kings built their alters. Not one of the altars burned. So then it was the Hebrew Prophets turn. He told his men, "Pour water on it... Come on, pour more water... pour some more water... keep coming." The men were skeptical, "What good does water on wood going to do, when water is to put out fire not start it. Still, the men did as they were instructed and poured more and more water onto the altar. Finally it started to smoke. Then it started to burn. A miracle?

In Biblical terms it was. But modern scientists discovered a mixture that was available at that time in history. When it is mixed with water it causes a chemical reaction that warms it and can cause a fire.

A scientist recently performed a study in his lab, and he caused this chemical reaction to happen, and it cooked an egg. He later built an altar of wood like the Hebrew Prophet might have, and he told his men to pour water on it. He re-enacted what would have happened. His men were skeptical. Yet, a fire occurred.

Were these miracles, or were the Hebrew Prophets just excellent scientists?

Now, I do not think any of these new scientific revelations show that the Bible's stories do not refer to miracles of God. They do not prove God does not exist. Even the scientist who proved you can make wood burn by adding water to it as I described above said this new science does not prove a Divine Miracle didn't occur.

What this may prove is that God gave man the wisdom to prove to his people that he does exist, and set them on the path in life that was the best path for the future of man in a Christian world. And, in essence, yes, Bible stories are really miracles.