No Rain

As part of the discussion of the Creation model, we need to consider where the rain the Bible discusses in Genesis seven came from.  The Bible seems to indicate that there had been no rain until that point.  Therefore it also behooves us to ask why there had been no rain prior to the flood and why that changed.  This is a very deep, complex question which no one article can cover.  However, this article will lay the foundation for those not in the science field to begin to understand the significance of this lack of rain.

The Bible seems to imply that it did not rain prior to the fall. “And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.” Genesis 2:5-6 tells us. Whether it rained prior to the flood is unclear. The Bible does not outright say either way. There are clues, however, that would seem to indicate that it did not.  Note that Genesis 2 indicates that it is God Who would eventually cause it to rain. The Bible then indicates in Genesis 7 that God did cause it to rain.  “For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.” Genesis 7:4 tells us. While not proof positive, this would appear to imply that it did not rain prior to the flood.

The above-cited verse from Genesis 2 has another interesting implication.  Since mist came up from the ground and watered the earth, there had to be very high humidity almost continuously. If humidity is one hundred percent, it is still possible for there to be no rain. The water evaporating from the ground turns into low hanging fog, which sounds incredibly similar to what the Bible calls mist.  In order to maintain this high level of humidity, atmospheric pressure would have had to have been much greater. This increase in atmospheric pressure would have kept water from dissipating and maintained the high level of humidity required for the mist to rise from the ground. However, higher atmospheric pressure requires specialized conditions.

In order to maintain high atmospheric pressure, one of a couple things had to be in place. Either gravity had to be significantly stronger, or the atmosphere had to have something in or above it that kept the pressure high, or there simply was a lot more gas in the atmosphere.  Increasing the strength of gravity would have impacted a lot of things, including the distance of the moon, which, in turn, would have altered tides. The fact that altering gravity alters so much about the earth makes it unlikely that increased gravity was responsible for the increase in atmospheric pressure. Therefore other alternatives must be considered. There could have been more gas in the atmosphere. However, we will discuss that in a moment. The third option is that there was something in or above the atmosphere that pressurized the air and kept it from escaping. Many of you have run ahead of me and are thinking I’m about to espouse some version of the canopy theory. For those unaware, the canopy theory essentially states that there was a canopy of water above the earth that kept it luscious and green by increasing greenhouse gases and protecting it from harmful sun rays. This canopy was supposedly destroyed as part of the flood. However, while appealing, this theory has issues, including the rain falling from it generating enough thermal energy to burn the earth down.  What I propose is something far less conspicuous.

Located about twenty kilometers above the surface of the earth in the upper atmosphere is the ozone layer, a layer of gas made largely of ozone, a chemical consisting of three oxygen molecules.  The ozone layer is very important because it stops much of the ultraviolet radiation that comes from the sun. UV light as it is called is a carcinogen and breaks down just about any material it contacts over time. It does this to ozone too, splitting ozone into elemental and gaseous oxygen. The elemental oxygen then combines with gaseous oxygen again when struck by more UV light to reform ozone. However, the impact with the ozone is enough to dampen much of the UV light’s damage potential.

With the above paragraph in mind, consider this idea as a potential explanation for the high atmospheric pressure that led to the mist. Before the flood, the ozone layer was significantly thicker than it is now.  Essentially there was a lot more ozone gas in the atmosphere then than there is now. This would have done several things. It would have applied the necessary pressure to the atmosphere to keep high humidity in place. Importantly it would have blocked the vast majority if not all of the UV light. This is significant because UV light, among other things, can cause mutations. Remember that, prior to the flood, men lived incredibly long lives. Methuselah lived nearly one thousand years. Yet after the flood, the lifespan drops off. It is possible that the extended lifespan prior to the Flood was in part due to the near-complete absence of UV radiation from a thickened ozone layer.

If the above paragraph is true, which cannot be empirically proved I freely admit, then there must also be an explanation for the lost ozone. Fortunately, the flood provides us one. I have written previously about the fountains of the deep, an article which may be found here. When these blasted open and propelled billions of gallons of water into space, the passed through the ozone layer, slicing giant holes in the layer.  When the fountains subsided, the ozone layer spread out to cover the gaps, much as water fills in around a pebble dropped into a puddle. However, the ozone that had been in the path of the up-rushing water had been hurtled into space, meaning that the layer was much less thick than it had been previously. This allowed more UV light to pass through it, causing mutations in the human genome. These mutations were partially responsible for man’s shortened life span.

The lack of ozone also lowered atmospheric pressure down to where it is now, drastically reducing humidity. This would have put an end to the mist rising from the ground. However, in the post-flood world, it was no longer needed as the rain had been unleashed upon the earth. The flood drastically changed the climate of the earth. The few remnants of Eden were gone. The new climate was much harsher, indicative of the damage man’s sin had done to the universe. One single poor choice resulted in drastic, destructive changes for the entire universe.

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