Steven Collins
July 2, 2007
An alert reader sent me the link below from a British website. That nation is considering a law which would, among other things, prevent the introduction of a “chimera” embryo into a woman’s womb. A chimera is a mixed-species creature, or in this case a viable embryo which is partially human and partially animal. Such a mutation can be caused by genetic manipulation (i.e. inserting animal DNA into a human egg). Rather amazingly, the Roman Catholic Church in the United Kingdom gave its blessing to allowing such human-hybrid “chimeras” to be carried full-term and born.
I suppose the Catholic Church is trying to bolster its pro-life position vs: abortions in general, but allowing chimera species to be born creates a huge can of worms. Will lion or bear DNA be bred into human embryos to give birth to soldiers who are more fierce than regular human warriors? Will animal DNA from hibernating animal species be bred into human embryos to create a special breed of astronauts who could hibernate on deep-space missions (thereby needing less food and water for the mission). There is no end to the dangers that could result if chimeras are allowed to come into existence. Indeed, it is possible that mankind has already devastated itself by crossing this scientific threshold once before. This has a possible biblical connection.
Matthew 24:37 prophesies that the time just prior to the return of Jesus Christ would mirror the time in which Noah lived before the Deluge. While not in the inspired cannon of the Bible, Joshua 10:13 and II Samuel 1:18 confirm that the book of Jasher was once accepted as a Divinely-inspired book in Old Testament times. Current versions of the book of Jasher include obvious conflicts with the Bible and non-inspired material which was later added to the book. However, I’ve read the book of Jasher and find that it “rings true” in its pre-Deluge accounts and in its patriarchal sections. Interestingly, Jasher IV:18 records that in pre-Deluge times, mankind “taught the mixture of animals of one species with another, in order therewith to provoke the Lord.” Genesis 6:12 states that “all flesh had corrupted his [God’s] way upon the earth.” Certainly, any tampering with the Divine order of what constitutes a “species” (or what Genesis 1 calls a “kind”) would “corrupt” God’s creation and incur his anger.
If Jasher’s account is correct, it indicates that pre-Flood mankind had highly-advanced laboratories which could map the genomes of animal species and which had the technology to transfer DNA from one species to another species’ embryo to create mixed (or “chimera”) species. Indeed, might pre-Flood mankind have eventually mixed animal and human DNA together as well? I think the answer is “yes” because Jesus Christ prophesied the latter days would mirror the pre-Flood world of Noah and mankind is already able to create such chimera species today.
It is possible that chimera species are already living on the earth in laboratories and hidden locations. Perhaps some Western nations will try to decriminalize what they have already been doing. Autocratic nations won’t worry about laws; they will just go ahead and do it if they want to do so. Maybe we are only beginning to understand how right Solomon was in observing: “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be…there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It hath been already of old time, which was before us.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10).
For considerable other examples that we are living in the biblically-prophesied latter days, please read my article “Are We Living in the Biblical latter days?” in the Articles link at this website.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/26/nchimera126.xml
