By the Numbers

Monday, April 22, 2013

Will We Go to the Stars?

                                Will We Go to the Stars?

We've put a man on the moon? We've sent space probes that give us detailed pictures of planets in our solar system and on out into space. We've discovered hundreds of planets circling hundreds of stars. One science channel program discussed planting a colony on Mars. Telescopes have mapped out the ends of the universe and cosmic background radiation shows the universe is not round like a basketball but stretched out or oval like an egg. I'm neither astronomer nor physicist, so I must rely on what they say. What does both science and the Bible say about other worlds?

                What Does Science Say about other Worlds?

Modern telescopes show us there are billions of galaxies like our Milky Way Galaxy each containing billions of stars that must contain billions of planets. It seems reasonable that some are inhabited with intelligent life forms like us. Could aliens travel in space to reach us or we to reach them? And would their advanced civilization be helpful or harmful, develop us or destroy us?
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There were millions of reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOS) in the 50's. Television science fiction series such as Star Trek and others became very popular. Movies of space exploration fascinated young movie goers. People grew up wondering if we had been invaded by flying saucers and extraterrestrials. But the reports turned out to be of natural phenomena, home made or experimental aircraft, or pranks. No visible evidence was found of flying saucers, sighted aliens, crash debris, or persons found to have travel in a space ship.
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Today scientists know of multiple problems that would be connected with space flight. Even the closest stars in our galaxy are light years away. Light travels at approximately 186,000 miles a second. If we  or aliens could travel through space at just 1% of the speed of light or 6.7 million miles an hour it would take 25,000 years to reach another planetary system. It would require hundreds of generations. Just the known hazards of space such as dust, gas, gravity, radiation, and black holes could prove fatal. A little pebble traveling at thousands of miles an hour colliding with the space craft would destroy it. The ship would have to steer away from meteors, comets, asteroids, wandering planets and things in the darkness maybe impossible to detect.
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Enormous quantities of food, water and other supplies must be preserved. It seems doctors, medicines, labs, machines, mechanics, engineers would be needed as well. Such a super large scale project would demand a huge space craft and its cost would break world banks. Experiments to be encountered in a long term space journey were conducted with only eight people in a 3.15 acre capsule. Oxygen and carbon dioxide levels varied wildly to toxic levels. Cockroaches multiplied out of control. And long term confinement in limited space would cause mental breakdowns. It seems machines and robots would work better but even they would break down after awhile.
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You may have heard all we need to populate a planet is water. Don't believe it! That's science fiction. Human life on earth requires literally hundreds of exactly right factors that are not known  elsewhere in our galaxy--it's called the anthropic principle.
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Even a slight variation of earth's gravity, heat,  atmosphere, chemical composition, water, light, rotation, magnetism would make all life impossible. Smaller planets closer to the sun enable us to receive the right amount of light and heat while those bigger planets further out protect us from incoming meteors and space debris. The moon's craters evidence this protection and its gravity enables our tides to cleanse the oceans whose right amount of water enables us to have the right atmosphere. Earth contains the right elements needed in our bodies such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium. Our distance to the nearest star and our exact location between the spiral arms of our galaxy and hundreds of other factors enable us to live on earth.
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Such utter complexity working in harmony couldn't be an accident of chance and must be a God thing. A nonexistent universe couldn't create itself and the scientific physical law called entropy means heat energy will spread out and one day the universe will become cold, inactive and dead. The universe is the effect, and its cause must be an infinite, self-existent, immaterial, and independent intelligence much like what the Bible describes as God. What now does the Bible say about other worlds?
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             What Does the Bible Say about other Worlds?
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The Bible is clear that ultimately there are only two worlds to which we can go as our eternal home, and they are as different as night and day. Both worlds are the same for all their occupants, but our experiences in our new world will be very different since we all are different persons with different ways. In other words, we are forming our character every day by the things we think, say and do, our beliefs and behaviors, attitudes and acts, what we like and dislike, how we respond to others and even to what we understand about God. At death our character is fixed and final (Heb. 9:27; Rev. 22:11).  So it's most important that we assess ourselves in light of all this--we reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7-8).
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The Natural Man Will Go to the World of Darkness to Reap What He's Sown in this World.
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I like to party with my friends and don't see anything wrong with a few social drinks and drugs. Why are Christians against some sexual pleasures that are just a natural part of different lifestyles? There's nothing wrong to exploit nature's resources, its beauty, its animals, or anything to make me rich and powerful. We have to get what we can while we can. I don't believe in those Bible myths of alleged miracles and God. With so many conflicting religions, we can never know if any religion is right.  Christians are judgmental to say some things are wrong and I don't believe that nonsense about being born again. Everybody knows we can only come from our mother's womb. We have to live it up and get what we want today since we may not have tomorrow. Gal. 3:19-21; Rev. 21:8; Jude 12-13. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.
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The Spiritual Man Will Go to the World of Light to Reap What He's Sown in this World.
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My body is God's temple, so I try to avoid harmful things that could  enslave me, and to use by body to serve  the Lord I love. Sex is God's precious gift for our pleasure and for producting children in covenant relationship with God and our spouse. Nature's resources, beauty, animals, and objects too are God's gifts for our benefit which we are to care for and use responsibly. Its no advantage to gain the whole world and lose our own soul. I once was blind to the things of God until I opened my heart and invited Jesus to save me. It was like being born all over again with a new outlook on life, a love for God, His Word and His will. I've found the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He lives within me and I'll go to live with Him as my eternal home in His world of light. Gal. 5:22-25; 1 Cor. 3:9-14.  Lord, I love You, trust You, and want my life to count for You eternally.                 
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What Does the Bible Say About the End of the World?
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"What manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless, we according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:11-13).  
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What Does the Bible Say About the Two Worlds?
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"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever" (Daniel 12:2-3).
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"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life" (Gal. 6:7-8). Yes, by trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior we join His world of light; rejecting Him confines us away in darkness forever. But our degree of rejoicing together in light, or degree of torment alone in darkness, is decided by how we live now. If we don't want God in our life, He respects our dignity and choice--He lets us have our own way, forever. And being ungrateful for His benefits, we'll cease to have them. Think about it! Is that what U want?
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"We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). Which world will be your eternal home--His light, or your darkness? Say, Lord Jesus, I trust You to come into my life, save me from sin, and be my Guide forever. Thank You. 
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1 comment:

  1. What we do with our time in life is crucial to the kind of life we will have in eternity. I hear Christians say they have no time to share their faith. Yet they may spend hours watching TV, playing computer games or other spiritually useless things. What rewards will they receive when Jesus asks them at the Judgment Seat of Christ: What did U do to serve me? 1 Cor. 3:9-14
    U have great opportunity with these articles to disciple others or invite them to Jesus. Matt. 4:19

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