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Has God Spoken?
Book by Schnabel, A. O
172 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
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November 27, 2025
DOES THE BIBLE CONTAIN ‘SCIENTIFIC’ FACTS, BEFORE MAN ‘DISCOVERED’ THEM?
Author Arnold 0. Schnabel was an engineer with Boeing Aircraft Company in its Research and Development Department.
He wrote in the Foreword to this 1974 book, “A knowledge of the evidences of Christianity is essential to each of God’s children… Too few Christians realize the burden of proof falls upon the one who states, ‘There is a God and the Bible is His revelation to us.’ The denial of the unbelievers cannot be proved, but in reality the challenge is for the believer to ‘prove his statement.’ God… has given us ample evidence for His existence, His nature, and that He has spoken to us through men in the past. The purpose of this study therefore is to accredit the testimony of the writers of the Bible. A person’s faith can be founded on the fact that their written record is a reliable and faithful witness, both historically and scientifically. The integrity of the Bible stands on the proven integrity of its writers.” (Pg. i)
He continues in the Introduction, “This work has been written to demonstrate that between the observations of science and a simple, direct interpretation of the Bible narrative there exists a harmony such as would be expected of a book having the same Author as the physical world. If you, the reader, can be shown proof of the above statement, they truly you have seen beyond any doubt a miracle in this scientific age as unexplainable as any recorded in the Bible. It is beyond comprehension that man who lived 2,000 to 4,000 years ago could, without this age’s scientific instruments, arrive at the same knowledge as the men of science have in the last 300 years…
He goes on, “As evidence of their Divine Guidance the writers of the Bible have included scientific truths in non-scientific terms… Truths that have come to light in recent times only through painstaking and costly research… Moreover a study of the Bible … shows no reflection of scientific error…. Thus not only does this book predescribe later scientific discoveries, but it does so without allowing entrance of any error that was believed in the age in which it was written…
He adds, “The question confronting us is not by what means did those ancient writers… acquire an amazingly accurate knowledge of certain major discoveries of the last three centuries? This study is intended to bring to your attention the ‘facts’ in their writings. The answer to the question---by what means?---is for you, the reader, to ponder.” (Pg. ii-iv)
He begins listing these ‘Facts’ and appropriate biblical references: THE EARTH IS SPHERICAL: … Solomon wrote in Proberbs 8:27, ‘He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep.’ Isaiah 40:22, ‘It is He that sitteth above the circle of the earth.’ (Pg. 1)
THE EARTH REVOLVES DAILY: Job 38:12-14a: “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, and caused the dawn to know its place…’ (Pg. 3)
THE EARTH IS NOT SUPPORTED: Job 26:7: ‘He … hangs the earth on nothing.’ (Pg. 6)
THE UNIVERSE IS A CONTINUOUSLY SPREADING EXPANSE: Genesis 1:8: ‘And God called the expanse heaven.’ In verses 14-19 it is recorded that the sun and stars were ‘in the expanse of the heavens.’ (Pg. 9)
THE STARS ARE INNUMERABLE: Hebrews 11:12: ‘As the stars of the heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.’ (Pg. 14)
STARS EMIT SOUND: Job 38:7: ‘… the morning stars sang together.’ (Pg. 15)
THERE ARE MANY SUNS: Genesis 1:16-17: ‘And God made the two great lights… He made the stars also…” (Pg. 19)
ENTIRE EARTH HAS BEEN UNDER WATER: Genesis 7:19-24: ‘And the water prevailed … and the mountains were covered…” (Pg. 26-27)
SPRINGS IN THE OCEAN: Job 38:16: ‘Have you entered into the springs of the sea?” (Pg. 36)
WATER-VAPOR CYCLE: Job 36: 27-28) ‘For He draws up the drops of water, they distill rain from the mist, which the clouds pour down, they drop on man abundantly.” (Pg. 39)
LIGHTNING CAUSES RAIN: Job 38:25-27: ‘Who has cleft a channel for the flood, or a way for the thunderbolt; to being rain…’ (Pg. 46)
ALL MATTER AND ENERGY COMPLETED AT UNIVERSE’S ORIGIN: Genesis 2:1-2: ‘Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.’ (Pg. 49)
THE UNIVERSE IS DECAYING: Isaiah 51:6: ‘for the sky will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment…” (Pg. 50)
UNIVERSE BUILT OF THINGS NOT SEEN: Hebrews 11:3: ‘the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.’ (Pg. 52)
LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD: Leviticus: 17:11: ‘The life of the flesh is in the blood.’ (Pg. 65)
MANKIND IS OF ONE ORIGIN: Acts 17:26, ‘He made of one every nation of mankind to live on all the faces of the earth.’ (Pg. 66)
He also includes a chapter on ‘Scientific Difficulties of the Theory of Evolution.’
He concludes, “If the preceding pages convinced you that the ancient Bible writers obtained information beyond their human ability, then you will be interested in their account of this information’s origin which follows…”
Frankly, to me it requires a great deal of ‘special pleading’ (which is a logically fallacy, of course) to interpret most of these verses in the manner that Schnabel proposes.
Author Arnold 0. Schnabel was an engineer with Boeing Aircraft Company in its Research and Development Department.
He wrote in the Foreword to this 1974 book, “A knowledge of the evidences of Christianity is essential to each of God’s children… Too few Christians realize the burden of proof falls upon the one who states, ‘There is a God and the Bible is His revelation to us.’ The denial of the unbelievers cannot be proved, but in reality the challenge is for the believer to ‘prove his statement.’ God… has given us ample evidence for His existence, His nature, and that He has spoken to us through men in the past. The purpose of this study therefore is to accredit the testimony of the writers of the Bible. A person’s faith can be founded on the fact that their written record is a reliable and faithful witness, both historically and scientifically. The integrity of the Bible stands on the proven integrity of its writers.” (Pg. i)
He continues in the Introduction, “This work has been written to demonstrate that between the observations of science and a simple, direct interpretation of the Bible narrative there exists a harmony such as would be expected of a book having the same Author as the physical world. If you, the reader, can be shown proof of the above statement, they truly you have seen beyond any doubt a miracle in this scientific age as unexplainable as any recorded in the Bible. It is beyond comprehension that man who lived 2,000 to 4,000 years ago could, without this age’s scientific instruments, arrive at the same knowledge as the men of science have in the last 300 years…
He goes on, “As evidence of their Divine Guidance the writers of the Bible have included scientific truths in non-scientific terms… Truths that have come to light in recent times only through painstaking and costly research… Moreover a study of the Bible … shows no reflection of scientific error…. Thus not only does this book predescribe later scientific discoveries, but it does so without allowing entrance of any error that was believed in the age in which it was written…
He adds, “The question confronting us is not by what means did those ancient writers… acquire an amazingly accurate knowledge of certain major discoveries of the last three centuries? This study is intended to bring to your attention the ‘facts’ in their writings. The answer to the question---by what means?---is for you, the reader, to ponder.” (Pg. ii-iv)
He begins listing these ‘Facts’ and appropriate biblical references: THE EARTH IS SPHERICAL: … Solomon wrote in Proberbs 8:27, ‘He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep.’ Isaiah 40:22, ‘It is He that sitteth above the circle of the earth.’ (Pg. 1)
THE EARTH REVOLVES DAILY: Job 38:12-14a: “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, and caused the dawn to know its place…’ (Pg. 3)
THE EARTH IS NOT SUPPORTED: Job 26:7: ‘He … hangs the earth on nothing.’ (Pg. 6)
THE UNIVERSE IS A CONTINUOUSLY SPREADING EXPANSE: Genesis 1:8: ‘And God called the expanse heaven.’ In verses 14-19 it is recorded that the sun and stars were ‘in the expanse of the heavens.’ (Pg. 9)
THE STARS ARE INNUMERABLE: Hebrews 11:12: ‘As the stars of the heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.’ (Pg. 14)
STARS EMIT SOUND: Job 38:7: ‘… the morning stars sang together.’ (Pg. 15)
THERE ARE MANY SUNS: Genesis 1:16-17: ‘And God made the two great lights… He made the stars also…” (Pg. 19)
ENTIRE EARTH HAS BEEN UNDER WATER: Genesis 7:19-24: ‘And the water prevailed … and the mountains were covered…” (Pg. 26-27)
SPRINGS IN THE OCEAN: Job 38:16: ‘Have you entered into the springs of the sea?” (Pg. 36)
WATER-VAPOR CYCLE: Job 36: 27-28) ‘For He draws up the drops of water, they distill rain from the mist, which the clouds pour down, they drop on man abundantly.” (Pg. 39)
LIGHTNING CAUSES RAIN: Job 38:25-27: ‘Who has cleft a channel for the flood, or a way for the thunderbolt; to being rain…’ (Pg. 46)
ALL MATTER AND ENERGY COMPLETED AT UNIVERSE’S ORIGIN: Genesis 2:1-2: ‘Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.’ (Pg. 49)
THE UNIVERSE IS DECAYING: Isaiah 51:6: ‘for the sky will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment…” (Pg. 50)
UNIVERSE BUILT OF THINGS NOT SEEN: Hebrews 11:3: ‘the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.’ (Pg. 52)
LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD: Leviticus: 17:11: ‘The life of the flesh is in the blood.’ (Pg. 65)
MANKIND IS OF ONE ORIGIN: Acts 17:26, ‘He made of one every nation of mankind to live on all the faces of the earth.’ (Pg. 66)
He also includes a chapter on ‘Scientific Difficulties of the Theory of Evolution.’
He concludes, “If the preceding pages convinced you that the ancient Bible writers obtained information beyond their human ability, then you will be interested in their account of this information’s origin which follows…”
Frankly, to me it requires a great deal of ‘special pleading’ (which is a logically fallacy, of course) to interpret most of these verses in the manner that Schnabel proposes.
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