Tag Archives: Bible

Bible Birds – The Bat?

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Giant Fruit Bat at Cincinnati Zoo 9-5-13 by Dan

Giant Fruit Bat at Cincinnati Zoo by Dan

And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you. Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.
(Leviticus 11:19-23 KJV)

While we were at the Cincinnati Zoo, we were able to see and photograph several Bat species. They were really cool and I wanted to share them with you.

Giant Fruit Bat at Cincinnati Zoo 9-5-13 by Lee

Giant Fruit Bat at Cincinnati Zoo by Lee

Then I remembered that I had written about them in Birds of the Bible – The Bat?, in 2010. That article was about the controversy over whether a Bat is a Bird. This time, I am mainly sharing the photos of the Bats that are there at the Zoo and comments about them. Just one personal observation about the above verses. The use of “fowl” in the King James Version and some of the others seems to refer to any creature that had wings and flies. I quoted the whole context because; 1) The verse and chapter separations were inserted later, 2) Birds, bats, and insects all seem to be referred to with the same collective term, “fowl.” I do not have a problem with the bat. It is not a bird.

The only other verses using “bat” or “bats” are:

And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. (Deuteronomy 14:18 KJV)

In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; (Isaiah 2:20 KJV)

The bats we saw at the Cincinnati Zoo were the Giant Fruit Bats and the Vampire Bats. They are amazing creatures of design and creation from their Creator, the Lord.

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Giant Fruit Bat at Cincinnati Zoo 9-5-13 by Lee

Giant Fruit Bat’s Foot amazed me

Giant Fruit Bat (Pteropus giganteus) or Indian Flying Fox is found in Bangladesh, China, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Also known as the greater Indian fruit bat, it lives in mainly forests. It is a very large bat with a wingspan between 3 ft 10 in and 4 ft 10 in (1.2 and 1.5 m). It is nocturnal and feeds mainly on ripe fruits, such as mangoes and bananas, and nectar. This bat is gregarious and lives in colonies which can number a few hundred. Their offspring have no specific name besides ‘young’. They have one to two young.

The Indian flying fox lives in tropical forests and swamps, where a large body of water is nearby.

The way they were hanging up there amazed me. I zoomed in and took a photo of its foot. Also, they almost looked like a large cocoon hanging up there with the wings wrapper around them. The first photo, Dan caught one of them stretching.

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Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus) Cincinnati Zoo 9-5-13 by Lee

Common Vampire Bat Cincinnati Zoo by Lee (Shot through glass into a dark exhibit)

(Common) Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus) – The common vampire bat mainly feeds on the blood of livestock, approaching its prey at night while they are sleeping. It uses its razor-sharp teeth to cut open the skin of its hosts and laps up their blood with its long tongue. They are native to the New World, ranging from Mexico to Brazil, Chile, and Argentina.

The common vampire bat is short-haired, with silver-gray fur on its undersides, sharply separated from the darker fur on its back. It has small, somewhat rounded ears, a deeply grooved lower lip, and a flat, leaf-shaped nose. A well-developed, clawed thumb on each wing is used to climb onto prey and to assist the animal in take-off. The bat averages about 3.5 in (9 cm) long with a wingspan of 7 in (18 cm). It commonly weighs about 2 oz (57 grams), but its weight can double after a single feeding. The braincase is relatively large, but the snout is reduced to accommodate large incisors and canines. It has the fewest teeth among bats.

Common Vampire Bat - Cincinnati Zoo by Lee

Common Vampire Bat – Cincinnati Zoo by Lee

Common vampire bats have good eyesight. They are able to distinguish different optical patterns and may use vision for long-range orientation. These bats also have well-developed senses of smell and hearing: the cochlea (ear) is highly sensitive to low-frequency sounds, and the nasal passages are relatively large. They emit echolocation signals orally, and thus fly with their mouths open for navigation.

Common Vampire Bat - Cincinnati Zoo by Lee

Common Vampire Bat – Cincinnati Zoo by Lee

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(Wikipedia with editing)

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Links:

Cincinnati Zoo

Giant Fruit Bats – Cincinnati Zoo

Indian Flying Fox – Wikipedia

Vampire Bats – Cincinnati Zoo

Common Vampire Bat – Wikipedia

Bible Birds

Birds of the Bible – The Bat?

Birds of the Bible

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Scripture Alphabet of Animals: The Dog

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Sleeping Pubs ©WikiC

Scripture Alphabet of Animals: The Dog

By Harriet N. Cook (1814-1843)

There are many dogs in the countries where the Bible was written, but the people do not like them as well as we do, and do not let them live about their yards and houses. So the dogs go wandering about without any master, and live on whatever they can find in the ….

Continue Reading Here

Scripture Alphabet of Animals: The Bear

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Brown Bear ©WikiC

Scripture Alphabet of Animals: The Bear

By Harriet N. Cook (1814-1843)

Did you ever hear children say, “He is as cross as a bear? I hope it will never be said of you, for nobody loves a ….

Continue Reading Here

Deuteronomy 14:11-18 With Pictures

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I trust you enjoy Deuteronomy 14:11-18 with pictures.

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I trust you like my effort to use the Slideshow this way.

KJV

Most photos were provided by permission of the photographers in the sidebar.

Deuteronomy 14:11-18 KJV
(11) Of all clean birds ye shall eat.
(12) But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
(13) And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind,
(14) And every raven after his kind,
(15) And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
(16) The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,
(17) And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,
(18) And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

Original Here

Wordless Birds

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From The Archives – Birds of the Bible – Eagle’s Renewal

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Birds of the Bible – Eagle’s Renewal

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Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalms 103:2-5 NKJV)

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by AestheticPhotos

The Eagle is an interesting bird and I have written about them before. In the King James Version of the Bible, an eagle is mentioned in 34 verses. So, there will be future articles about the eagle also.

The interest of this article is the renewing of the eagle. In Psalms 103:5 (quoted above), your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. What exactly does that mean? Also, in Isaiah 40:31, strength is renewed and “shall mount up with wings as eagles.”

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 KJV)

Many articles can be found on the internet about an eagle going off and plucking its feathers and not being able to fly for about five months. The image has even been added that the beak and claws are knocked off and then grow back during that time, giving them another 10 or so more years to their life. I have been trying to find proof of that, and am not finding it. Most Eagle authorities state that that would not happen, because the bird would die during that time with no flight feathers or beak or claws.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)Grandfather Eagle by PastorBBC

If those facts are true, then what is meant by God’s Word about the eagle? I believe God’s Word is true, so there has to be an explanation of it. From the Southwestern Bald Eagle Management I found an interesting chart that shows the different stages of plumage (feathers) as an eagle ages.  They said, “In their five year development to adulthood, bald eagles go through one of the most varied plumage changes of any North American bird. During its first four weeks of life, an eaglet’s fluffy white down changes to a gray wooly down. At about five weeks, brown and black feathers begin to grow. It becomes fully feathered at 10 weeks of age. In its first year, the mostly dark-colored juvenile can often be mistaken as a golden eagle. However, the bald eagle progressively changes until it reaches adult plumage at five years. Notice in the pictures how its dark eye lightens throughout its first four years of life until it becomes yellow. Also, see how its beak changes form gray-black to a vibrant yellow.

ald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by AestheticPhotos

It is believed that the darker, more mottled plumage of a young eagle serves as camouflage, while the white head and tail announce that it is of breeding age.”

That to me sounds a lot like, “So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” As the eagle goes through the different stages of its life, the new feathers are graciously provided by a Creator that sees to the needs of His creation by having designed those features to renew as it matures.

The Lord provides for renewal for His children as they mature. The following verses tell of a renewed right spirit, mind, spirit of your mind, and knowledge:

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalms 51:10 KJV)
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2 KJV)
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; (Ephesians 4:23 KJV)
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (Colossians 3:10 KJV)

(Update 11/2/11) Here is another possible explaination about this topic. It might be a vulture instead of an eagle. See: http://www.thewonderofbirds.com/griffon-vulture/bible.htm)
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*** From the Archives ***

This is the first of “From the Archives.” We have decided to look back over the years and bring back some of the most popular articles. This post has had 114 remarks so far and was originally posted on  BY . If you want to go to the original post, CLICK HERE. There you will be able to read those remarks. New remarks here are also appreciated.

[We have advanced in our layout of the blog over the year. The Birds of the Bible articles were the original reason for Lee’s Birdwatching Adventures being launched.

 

Birds of the Bible – Foundation – The Ark

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Ernesto Carrasco's Noah's Ark Model

Ernesto Carrasco’s Noah’s Ark Model –  Noah’s Ark Model

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. (Hebrews 11:7 KJV)

We will continue on with the Birds of the Bible – Foundation series.

If you have not read the previous blogs:
Foundation #1 Updated  –  Foundation #2 Updated –  Foundation #3 Updated – Foundation #4 Updated

(These articles are being updated because they were written back in 2009 and needed a little dusting off. The Truths are the same, just updating the photos, etc.) This article about the Ark is a new one. It needs to go between #4 and #5, but I didn’t want to call it #4.5.

Ark with Animals ©CreationWiki

Ark with Animals ©CreationWiki

What this Foundation article is about, is the Ark itself. We read about the birds going into and out of the ark in the other Birds of the Bible Foundation articles. But what about the Ark?

Noah's Ark © SketchPort

Noah’s Ark © SketchPort

How did Noah, his family, the animals and our birds all fit in the ark? Was it like you see depicted many times in drawings with of a small boat with a giraffe sticking his head out?

Girrafe at Lowry Park Zoo by Lee

Giraffe at Lowry Park Zoo by Lee

If it was a small ark, as some suppose, it is because they do not believe God’s Word. God said He was going to destroy all flesh except those on the Ark.

And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. (Genesis 6:17-20 KJV) (emphasis mine)

They don’t believe those verses. They think that it was only a local flood. If it were, why did the birds have to come on board? They could have just flown off to some other part of the earth. So, for those that only believe in a partial flood, a small ark with a giraffe sticking out is sufficient.

But, did those verses not say that “flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh” and “every thing that is in the earth shall die”?  Is God a liar? The exception, of course, are those with Noah in the Ark.

Ark Model at Creation Museum ©Flickr Daniel Tuttle

Ark Model at Creation Museum ©Flickr Daniel Tuttle

And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. (Genesis 8:13 KJV)

So, we need a big Ark, one that the Giraffes and birds don’t have to hang out the windows. Right? So, how big was the Ark?

“Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.” (Genesis 6:14-16 NKJV)

The reason for this article is that, today, there is construction of a life size Ark underway. It is being built by the Answers in Genesis organization. The Ark Encounter, as the location will be known as, is in Williamstown, Kentucky. The planned opening is July 7, 2016. We will be going to Indiana this summer and are planning to visit the Ark during the trip.

Here are two videos showing the ark under construction. They have all those men and great technology. Noah took 120 years. During that time he was preaching and trying to get others to join him and his family.

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I trust those videos will give you a new perspective of how large the Ark actually was. There was even more room for more people to be saved, had they only believed God’s Word. We have the same issue today. John 3:16 is right before our eyes almost daily. Even ball games have banners reminding people of this promise of salvation. If they would only believe.

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:15-19 KJV)

If I took verse 19 and changed it thus; “And this is the condemnation, that AN ARK WAS come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.“ (John 3:19) (My paraphrase) This is why they didn’t seek to join Noah. That is the same reason sinners refuse to be saved today.

Gospel Message

Continue to Birds of the Bible – Foundation #5 (Updated version coming soon)

Some links to some informative articles about the flood and the Ark:

Gospel Message

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Birds of the Bible – Foundation #3 Updated

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Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) by Quy Tran

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) by Quy Tran

We will continue on with the Birds of the Bible – Foundation series.

If you have not read the previous blogs:
Foundation #1 Updated
Foundation #2 Updated

In the last blog the “Fall” of Adam and Eve was mentioned and because of that, the “Curse” is now on them and all of God’s creation. Death comes on the scene, mankind now has sinned and now each person is born as a sinner. The ground is cursed and thorns and thistle now appear.

By Genesis Chapter 6, God has had it with the sins of man.

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. (Genesis 6:5-7 KJV)

The Ark by Elfred Lee

The Ark by Elfred Lee

All is not lost because, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:8 KJV) Because of the grace found by Noah, the LORD gives him instructions about how to build an ark including the size, materials to use, who and what will be on board, and why the ark will be needed. God makes a covenant with Noah and tells him to come in with his wife and his sons and his son’s wives.

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. (Genesis 6:19-20 KJV)

He was also to provide food for all of them. And Noah obeyed all that he was told. Noah spent over 100 years preparing the ark and trying to warn others of the coming judgment. There was plenty of room on the ark for more than the 8 people who boarded the ark. The others refused to repent.

Noah's Ark ©©Flickr elmada

Noah’s Ark ©©Flickr elmada

When we get to Chapter 7, the boarding of the ark takes place and the rain and flood begins. “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 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. And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.” (Genesis 7:1-5)

Noah did not have to round up the animals, they came to him. Because not every animal we see today came on board but the main kinds (for instance the “bird kinds” may have had a “warbler kind” but not have black and white warblers, yellow-rumped warblers, hooded warbler, etc.), which ever ones they were, there was plenty of room for them. I have an idea that because the LORD sent the animals, birds, and critters, that their DNA’s were of the highest quality. (That is my opinion)

Dove in Israel

Doves in Israel

If you read the rest of Genesis 7, you will see that the global flood came and covered everything and only those who were in the ark survived, plus some of those that live in the water.

And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. (Genesis 7:21-23)

In Foundation #4 we will find out about what the birds go through as they come off the ark and after.

Gospel Presentation

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Golden Eagle’s Adventure Continues… Welcome Boys and Girls!

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Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) Flying ©WikiC

Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) Flying ©WikiC

Golden Eagle ©PD

Golden Eagle ©PD

Hi everybody! This is Golden Eagle and I am very excited today! I got up this morning and flew around one of the beautiful lakes in my home state of Florida! The Bible says that God sends the rain and the sunshine on the good people and the bad people. God treats us all with GRACE and kindnesses!

Genesis 6:8 says that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” That’s the first time the Bible mentions grace and the last time? It’s in the last verse of the Bible: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (Rev 22:21)

This ADVENTURE all started in the mind of our Creator God (the Lord Jesus Christ). Hey young people, ponder the lakes, the streams, and the rivers. Ponder the rocks, the minerals, and oh yes, the gold and silver. Ponder the butterflies, the animals, and the insects. Ponder the planets, the Earth, the stars, and the sun. Ponder the Milky Way Galaxy and our beautiful Solar System. Ponder mankind, life, and all that it means. Ponder God and His created Universe.

Hubble Ultra Deep Field with Scale Comparison ©©

Hubble Ultra Deep Field with Scale Comparison ©©

ALL OF THIS AND SO MUCH MORE CAME FROM THE MIND OF GOD. The Universe shows us what was in the mind of God in eternity past!

God has a PLAN for this Universe, for our Solar System, and for our Planet, Earth. He has a PLAN for your life and for my life. We are going to get to live FOREVER with God if we are saved! Are you saved? The answer is either yes or no.

Sunrise over Lake

This morning as I flew around my hometown lake I saw the sunrise in beautiful colors of splendor. I saw the sky turn different shades of red and pink. I saw the colors reflected in the glass like mirror of the still and smooth lake surface. I saw the birds fly in a V-shape formation. The white ibises were just beautiful. I flew around the lake for a number of minutes and the minutes turned into an hour.

Circle B Bar White Pelicans

Circle B Bar White Pelicans

Every moment we get closer to God. “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7) We have come from God and we are going back to God.

This ADVENTURE that God has planned for us is truly exiting. We will get to reign with Jesus for a thousand years on this very Earth. Some of you will be in charge of two or five or ten cities! Now is the time to prepare for what God has in store for us! It all starts with you admitting that you are a sinner and excepting what Jesus has done for us on the cross. He shed His precious blood to wash away our sins. Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour and Lord and you will have entered this amazing journey that God has planned for us, all because of His GRACE.

Kids keep in touch and the Golden Eagle will fly in with exciting new developments in this adventurous journey. A journey that will lead to the God of the Universe and His amazing Heaven!!!

(Re-post of Bibleworld Adventure’s The Adventure Continues… Welcome Boys and Girls!)

Bibleworld Adventures is the new home of Golden Eagle and other interesting articles about Christian different topics.

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Golden Eagle Articles Here

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