My wife, Lida, and I took a trip to Thermopolis, WY, inspired by Lida’s interest to soak in the hot spring and participate in an event, “Artists Painting in the Park.” We have been to the area several times before. This time I viewed the hot spring and the Wind River canyon with greater interest in geology, and noticed God’s kindness and severity.
“Note then the kindness and the severity of God.” Romans 11:22a
I learned that the hot spring exists because an underground flow water originating from rain and snow in the Owl Creek Mountains is heated thousands of feet below the surface and then redirected upward as the hot water with dissolved minerals meets a severe fault in the earth. The beauty of the spring and the healthful properties of the mineral water for people were evidence of God’s kindness.
South of Thermopolis, one comes to the Owl Creek Mountain Range that includes a ten mile long canyon. In the canyon the river, flowing north, is called the Wind River. North of the canyon, it is called the Big Horn River.
The following photos in this post are labeled with terms used to describe the rocks according to long periods of time. I believe these periods of time are greatly exaggerated, largely because of a confusion caused by dating methods. I will relate these named periods with a view put forth by creationists that describe these layers as part of six periods of sedimentation (“megasquences”) during the worldwide flood less than 5000 years ago. Another eroding influence was the ice age that followed the flood. This time period likely lasted 500-700 years as reviewed by Paul Garner in his book “The New Creationism”. The involvement of moving plates of the earth and immense tsunamis were described recently in a research paper and an animated video.
After learning from these resources, I developed a view for the formation and structure of the Wind River canyon. A possibility is that some time after the worldwide flood, large amounts of water broke through the Owl Creek mountain range and exposed the layers of sediment laid down during the year-long flood. This mountain range (and the Rocky Mountains) likely was uplifted, folded and faulted late in the flood by the progress of the earth’s crust plunging below the western edge of the continent.
What we see in these massive changes in the earth is the severity of God in His judgement over sin.
“Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them.” Genesis 6:11-13
Driving south through the canyon, one starts with layers laid down during later times during the flood.
The canyon does not appear to have sediments of the last periods of the flood because of erosion. A portion of the Morrison formation remains East of Thermopolis, overlooking the Canyon. This wave of sediment buried large numbers of dinosaurs that migrated to higher ground during the year-long flood. A dinosaur museum in town offers a trip to a dinosaur excavation site, Warm Spring Ranch.
North of the Wind River Canyon was red rock laid down during what geologists call the Triassic period. Layers of sediment deposited during the Permian and Pennsylvanian periods are visible in the beginning of the canyon. All three of these formations, creationists theorize were laid down during the forth megasequence (Absaroka) of the flood. One can clearly see the immensity of what happened in the past by driving through the canyon.
The third megasquence (Kaskaskia) of the flood includes the Pennsylvanian and Mississippian periods; the second megasequence (Tippecanoe) of the flood includes the Ordovician period; the first megasequence (Sauk) includes the Cambrian and Precambrian periods. These are all visible in the canyon.
The great changes in the earths surface and the movements of the continents tell us of God’s severity because of man’s sinful nature.
The Bible says that God will refine the earth again.
“But the day of the Lord will come life a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” 2 Peter 3:10
In the face of a holy God, how can we be like Noah’s family who continued in God’s kindness?
See that we acknowledge Him (not refuse Him).
“See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ … let us be grateful for a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:25-26,28-29.
Acknowledge God through faith (not proud, but fear God).
“They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. … Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God‘s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness”(Romans 11:22).
Faith in Jesus whom God raised from the dead.
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your hear that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.'” Romans 10:9-11
With hope.
“But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” 2 Peter 3:13
Peter concludes with a warning and focus to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.
“You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:17-18
