by sister initiate
Jennifer Wu, Austin, Texas, USA
(originally in English and Chinese)
Sir
Isaac Newton (1642-1727) is regarded as one of the most outstanding
scientists in history. His discoveries span all aspects of the physical
world, with special emphasis on experimental and theoretical physics
and chemistry and applied mathematics. Of his many scientific achievements,
he is most remembered for co-inventing calculus, discovering the composite
nature of light, formulating the laws of motion and universal gravitation,
and constructing the first reflecting telescope. His exceptional achievements
formed the foundation of modern physical science.
In
his lifetime, Newton diligently explored the mysteries of the universe
and considered atheism to be senseless, stating, “When I look
at the solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the
sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not
happen by chance.”
In
addition to his scientific work, Newton read the Bible daily, devoting
a great portion of his time and effort to its study, with a special
interest in prophecy and alchemy. Newton wrote over a million words
of notes regarding his analysis, trying to decode the Bible and pin
down the date of the apocalypse. On this subject, he wrote, “I
have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God* written
by men who were inspired.”
Not
long before he passed away, Newton reviewed his life and stated, “I
know not what I appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have
been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself
in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell, whilst
the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”
At
the time of his death, he left more than a million words of notes
on the Bible. Six years after his death, Newton’s work containing
some of these notes entitled Observations upon the Prophecies of
Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John was published. Many of his
notes went to a collector and were stored in the Hebrew National Library
in Jerusalem, where they were catalogued and made accessible to scholars
at the end of the 1960’s.
Recently,
while studying Newton’s notes, a Canadian academic came across
the original document where Newton had written down his prediction
that the Second Coming of Christ would follow plagues and war and
would precede a 1000-year reign by the Saints on earth — of
which he would be one. The Canadian scholar also found that the most
definitive date Newton set for the occurrence of the dramatic events
forecast in the apocalyptic Book of Revelation, scribbled on a scrap
of paper, was 2060.
Newton’s
prediction has been explored in a special television documentary aired
on the U. K.’s BBC2 network in early March 2003. For more information,
please refer to the following websites.
http://www.rense.com/general35/isa.htm
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/isaac_newton/prophecies/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/tv_radio/miscprogs/newton.shtml
http://www.scifitoday.com/story/2003/2/23/21450/4036
*
Related to “The Word of God” mentioned in The Old Testament
