The Body Continues to Take Shape

On the left we see the actual size of the embryo in the first days of the development of a human being. It is surely God Who causes a mass of cells that can be measured in centimetres to develop into a human being with a fully developed body.

In the first days the embryo takes the nourishment it needs only from the mother's blood. Now, in order to nourish its own body and send oxygen to its cells, the embryo needs its own circulatory system. So, in order to bring this system into being, a number of cells make an instant decision to cooperate, and begin to form the circulatory system. This cell activity is a clear proof that they are directed by an eternal intelligence and knowledge. On about day 13, a group of cells moves into position where the chest will be to form the heart. Arranging themselves into a U-shaped tube, with a great level of awareness they first establish the basic structure of the heart. Then, as if they had heard that the formation of the heart had begun, thousands of other cells begin to construct the blood vessels that will extend all around the body. So, with their conscious deployment to the appropriate places, the formation of the blood vessels is completed around day 21. Now, the circulatory system is ready to function, and after its first beat about day 25, the heart will maintain a rhythm of 60 beats a minute during its first month of development.³⁹ The first contractions move throughout the whole length of the heart like a wave, but when the formation of the heart is finished, the contraction is distributed among the different chambers.

The heart begins to beat, but there is no blood yet. For this also there are the appropriate cells. These cells, in fact, calculate in advance that the newly formed human body will need a substance called "blood", and they turn into blood cells. Before long, blood starts to flow in the blood vessels. At the end of four weeks, blood begins to fill the heart and the blood vessels completely. Indeed, the formation of the heart, the circulatory system and the blood is in itself an astonishing thing. While none of these yet existed, the cells, executing a perfect plan and going to the right place at the right time, construct the circulation system indispensable for human life. None of the stages we have outlined here is the result of any chance operation; this perfect plan of construction cannot possibly be made by cells which came into being from one single cell. At this point too, what confronts us is the evident truth of creation.

The Miraculous Formation of the Circulatory System

These cells, disposed independently of one another, are actually the cells of the blood vessels.

(1-2) A little later, these cells suddenly come together and begin to form a connection among themselves.

(3-4) The cells form the blood vessels.

(5-6) Finally, they construct a perfect system of conduits with no cracks or perforations. The internal surface of the blood vessels is so smooth that it could have been made by hand. The total length of the blood vessels is more than 40,000 km. This is as long as the entire circumference of the earth. This magnificent design is from God, the Lord of the all the worlds.

Not only the formation of the circulatory system but also the characteristics possessed by every element of it are created in an astonishing balance. The blood of a baby developing in its mother's womb has many more special qualities than that of a mature individual. For example, the haemoglobin in the baby's blood is able to hold more oxygen than that of an adult. The number of red blood cells in one cubic centimetre of the blood taken from an embryo is higher than that found in the same volume of blood from a newly born baby. At fourth months, the cord can carry a circulation equivalent to 24 litres a day between the baby and its own placenta. This circulation flows in constant round trips, bringing supplies to the baby from the placenta, and returning wastes to the placenta, so swiftly that a round trip is completed in about thirty seconds.⁴⁰In this way, the blood begins to take the required oxygen and nutrients from the placenta and carry them to the cells. At the moment the kidneys are formed, the blood begins to be purified by taking waste gathered from baby's cells to the kidneys.

Let us pause here to consider: Is it possible that such a perfect system could one day come into being by chance, perfectly and by itself? Is it possible that the special quality of a baby's blood, the blood vessels that carry the blood to the heart and from the heart to the appropriate areas, and the elements that bind the blood cells to the placenta came about in the course of time by chance? Is it possible that all these elements in the system constructed themselves?

The Formation of The Heart

A. Day 23
B. Day 25
C. Day 26-27
D. Day 33
E. Day 40

2. Blood Vessels Coalesce
1. Direction of Blood Flow
3. The Heart as a Single Chamber
4. The Chambers Begin to Develop
5. Ventricle and Atrium
6. Developing Atrium
7. Sulcus Developing Between the Atrium and the Ventricle.
8. Developing Ventricle

The formation of the heart is an obvious wonder of creation. Suddenly, some multiplying cells begin to contract and expand. Later, hundreds of thousands of these cells come together to form the heart. This heart will continue to beat for a lifetime. On the 23rd day after fertilisation, the blood vessels of the embryo begin to coalesce; on the 25th day, only one chamber can be seen. On the 26th and 27th days the other chambers begin to develop. On the 33rd day the ventricles and the atria begin to develop and on the 40th day the heart is fully formed. In the picture of the embryo to the left, the heart is shown in red.

It is surely not. This system, of the utmost importance for human beings, must come into being perfectly and in one moment, because any problem with the formation of the blood or the blood vessels will cause the development of the embryo to cease. If the heart pumped the blood before the formation of the blood vessels, the blood would flow uncontrolled and there would be no circulation. Or, if the heart did not begin to beat at the right time, blood would not circulate through the body. This means that the embryo would die without developing in the mother's womb. However, in every one of the millions of people who have lived throughout the ages until today, there has been no problem with these operations; the heart makes its first beat at exactly the right time and pumps just enough blood to the developing body. This makes the question we posed earlier nonsensical: "Could it have happened by chance?" The fact that a system, a living being or an organism comes into being in a moment is clear proof that it has been created. This is a plain truth that every intelligent person will affirm.

The Creator of all these perfect systems is God, Who created man together with everything he needs and gave him the best of forms.