The Divine Comfort of the Grey Blanket: Finding Peace in Times of Turbulence

The Grey Blanket: Understanding Animal Dispersion After the Flood

The story of Australia's amazing rabbit plague provides valuable insights into the dispersion of animals after the Genesis Flood. Critics often question how animals could have spread to far corners of the earth from the Ark's resting place in the Middle East in such a short period. However, when we examine the evidence, we find that the Flood could have provided an ideal mechanism for rapidly changing climates and animal migration.

1. Changing Climates and Lush Rainforests

Contrary to popular belief, Australia's massive inland deserts were not always arid. Both evolutionists and creationists agree that the interior of Australia was once covered in lush rainforests. The Flood would have caused a rapidly changing climate worldwide. The warmer waters from below the ground would have led to increased evaporation and added moisture to the air over hundreds of years. This, in turn, would have triggered the formation of massive ice sheets in colder regions, resulting in the Ice Age.

In other parts of the world, increased rainfall would have created tropical or semi-tropical forestation. Over time, as the oceans cooled and released their heat into the atmosphere, present-day climates were established. This explains why regions like central Australia adopted their current arid climate. The remains of rainforest plants are found mummified in what are now deserts, further supporting this notion.

2. Animal Dispersion by Gradual Spread

The rapid spread of rabbits in Australia provides a real-life example of how animal migration can occur within a relatively short period. Before Europeans arrived, rabbits were unknown in Australia. In 1859, domestic rabbits were introduced onto a property in southern Victoria for sport hunting purposes. Within seven years, rabbits had already spread beyond the property boundaries and were being released in other locations.

By 1890, they had colonized an area exceeding one million square kilometers. And within 51 years of the first release, their descendants had reached the coast of Western Australia on the other side of the continent. This rapid spread was not due to individual rabbits traveling thousands of kilometers, but rather through gradual population expansion and territorial expansion.

3. Post-Flood Animal Dispersion

The mental barrier to understanding post-Flood animal dispersion is often a psychological one rather than a logical one. People struggle to envision individual couples traveling such vast distances. However, the Bible does not teach that each couple traveled the entire distance.

To better understand this, let's consider the example of the Australian rabbit invasion. The spread of rabbits happened through multiple generations gradually expanding their territory as their population grew. Similarly, after the Flood, there was little resistance to animal invasion worldwide. Animals could move into empty ecological niches in all directions. This gradual spread over many centuries allowed animals with varying mobility and reproduction rates to accomplish their migrations.

4. Realistic Calculations Confirm Biblical History

Realistic calculations based on recorded animal dispersion and migrations align with the Genesis history of Earth's land-dwelling vertebrates. The rapid spread of rabbits in Australia demonstrates that migration can occur within a shorter timeframe than we might initially think.

By trusting the historical data provided in the Bible, including biological and geological information, we can gain insights into the world around us. Jesus himself emphasized the importance of trusting earthly things before understanding heavenly matters.

Why This Matters

Understanding how animals dispersed after the Flood is crucial for reconciling biblical history with scientific evidence. By exploring real-life examples such as the rabbit invasion in Australia, we can see that rapid migration is possible over a shorter period than commonly assumed.

Think About It

Consider how the concept of gradual population expansion and territorial expansion can help explain the dispersion of animals after the Flood. Reflect on how this perspective aligns with both biblical teachings and scientific evidence.