About 40 years ago we went to the moon, and there are persistant rumors of
something called "Alternative 003" where we have established a super-secret base
on Mars. However, what if earlier hi-tech societies (following the flood) did
the same? I suspect that there may be human beings on other planets today,
however if so, they would all have had to originate here on the "cradle" planet,
earth...

Sincerely;
BRuce AlaN walTON
(BRANTON)


Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 13:05:34 -0000
From: "deep_mindquest"
Subject: is Life on other Planets? nope


Is there Life on Other Planets?

Summary

Is there life on other planets? If there is, do they have a "soul"
and will they go to our Heaven and Hell? If there isn't life out
there, why did God create such a humungous universe?


Chapter: 11.06

(Section 11: Understanding God and His Universe)

Copyright © Michael Bronson 2001

BibleHelp.org

Are we alone in the universe or is there other life out there? Is our
planet the only one with life or is the universe riddled with planets
populated with life? If you are like most people, you have asked
yourself these questions one time or another.

Public opinion has swung to extremes on this issue. In 1600, the
Italian philosopher, Giordano Bruno was burned at the stakes because
he maintained the "heretical" notion that there were countless other
worlds out there containing life. In the 18th century, the pendulum
shifted to the other extreme; many astronomers were convinced that
every star had planets with life. Will Herschel (the man who
discovered Uranus), even speculated that the sun was populated with
life.

In order for life to exist on other planets, there obviously has to
be "other planets." This is where we run into our first problem in
our quest for extraterrestrial life. Scientists haven't seen any
other planets outside of our solar system. Of course, this doesn't
mean other planets don't exist. Even if the universe was riddled with
trillions of planets, we would never be able to see them with our
current telescopes (they would be too small to be seen at these
distances). The only reason we can even see stars is because they are
gigantic floodlights blasting a tremendous amount of light in our
direction. Planets, on the other hand, don't produce their own light;
they only reflect the light of their sun.

The moons of Uranus provide us a great example of the difficulties of
seeing "non-burning" objects in outer space. We originally thought
that Uranus had only five moons. However, when Voyager flew by
Uranus in 1986, it discovered ten more moons. If our telescopes
couldn't even see these nearby moons, there is no way that we would
be able to see planets that are over 14.5 million times the distance.
(Uranus is 1.7 million miles away and the nearest star is 24.7
trillion miles away).

To compensate for this shortcoming, scientists are trying to find
planets by measuring the movement of stars. They theorize that
planets will exert a gravitational pull on their sun and slightly
alter its movements. Although this approach is controversial and its
findings are considered inconclusive by many scientists, 60 planets
(as of 2001) have been "discovered."

In my chapter, Our God is an Awesome God, I talked about the immense
size of our universe. Our sun is part of a galaxy (the Milky Way)
that consists of over 200 billion suns (stars). Although our galaxy
is huge, it is just a minuscule dot in comparison to the rest of the
universe. Our universe has over 100 billion galaxies.

Why did God create these other galaxies? Was it to provide us light
to "govern the night" (Genesis 1:6 and Psalm 136:9)? No, the stars in
these galaxies are too far away to provide visible light to our naked
(unaided) eye1. It is only the stars in our own galaxy that provide
us our nighttime view and even then we are only able to see a small
portion of them (about three thousand stars). In fact, we didn't even
know about the other galaxies until powerful telescopes were
developed this past century.



"The red circle shows the basic range of most of our nighttime
vision. The yellow circle shows the location of some of the very
bright stars we see at night.


If these other galaxies are not for our benefit, why did God create
them? Why did God create such a large universe? Is there some special
purpose for such a large universe or did the blueprint for a
quality "Grade A" universe come in only one size?

Before we discovered that the universe was so huge, it was easy for
us to think that we were probably alone in the universe. It was easy
to think that the few thousand small dots in the sky were only there
to provide us light at night. However, when we now see that over
99.999999…% of the universe was not created for "our benefit," we
have to wonder why God made it so large. With a universe this size,
it becomes easier to believe that maybe God has other special
creations out there. Maybe God has hundreds or even trillions of
planets inhabited with life.

If there are other life forms out there, what are they like? What are
their levels of intelligence and complexity? Do they have a "soul?"
Does God take a personal interest in them like He does with us? If
they have sinned, has God provided a special redemption for them like
He has for us? Will their "redeemed" spend eternity in the same
Heaven with us? Will their "lost" go to our Hell? Will their redeemed
have the special privilege of being the "Bride of Christ" along with
us?

Obviously, the answers to these questions are beyond our reach.
Technology is too limited to verify the existence (or non-existence)
of life and the Bible doesn't even address this subject. Therefore,
as I present my view on this subject, keep in mind it is only my
opinion and is not Biblical dogma.

Do I believe there is extraterrestrial life on other planets? No. You
may be surprised with this answer considering what I have already
said. I believe that our tiny insignificant planet is the only planet
in this humongous universe that has life. As incredulous and arrogant
as this may sound, I believe that God built this humongous universe
just for the human creation package.

There are a couple minor reasons why I believe this, but the main
reason is the limited time frame God has placed on the universe. It
appears that the universe has only been in existence for about 6,000
years and will probably be destroyed in one or two thousand years.
This means that the universe will probably not reach the age of 8,000
years. (See footnote #2 below for an explanation on how these figures
were derived.)

If the universe has a maximum life of less than 8,000 years, then all
of the worlds that it contains will also have a maximum life of less
than 8,000 years. As the footnote below shows, God will bring our
society to its final culmination just before He ends the universe.
Likewise, if there are other worlds out there, God will have to bring
their societies to a final culmination before He ends the universe.
If you are only talking about a couple planets with life, I can see
(statistically) how this might be probable.

Remember, a main argument some Christians have used to support the
existence of extraterrestrial life is the "apparent" lack of need for
these other galaxies. It is reasoned that if these galaxies have zero
impact on us (or on each other) they must have been created to
support other creation projects. Therefore, if supporting
extraterrestrial life were the only reason for their existence, we
would then have to assume that all of these galaxies have planets
with life. If all of these galaxies don't have life, we are back to
our original question of, "Why did God create all of these unneeded
galaxies?"

Assuming that there is only one planet with life per galaxy, there
would be over 100 billion planets with life. If, however, every star
in each galaxy has a planet with life, you will have to multiply the
above number by at least another 100 billion. It seems very
improbable (statistically) that all of these other societies will
have their final culmination at the exact same time as us. Our God
could do that, of course, but it seems highly unlikely.

If the purpose of this large universe was not to accommodate other
life forms, why then did God create it so large? I see four main
reasons why God made this universe as large as He did. First, it
seems that almost everything God does is a first-class major
production. I think God likes creating spectacular and awesome things
and He enjoys looking at the finished product.

Second, I think God wanted to give our world a surrounding that has
no visible end, a surrounding that seems complete. God could have
created our world the same way Hollywood creates a city street for a
movie: Fake fronts on all of the buildings. When you walk down a
Hollywood street, you see a city that looks complete. However, when
you take a closer look and peek behind the doors and windows, you
find that the buildings are not real. I think God wanted to create a
surrounding for us that could withstand as much scrutiny as we could
give.

Obviously, up until the past couple hundred years, the depth of our
scrutiny had not been very deep. However, all of this has changed. We
now have technology that allows us to "peek behind the doors and
windows" of our surroundings. For example, we used to think that
atoms were the smallest building block elements. (Of course, this was
after we discovered that "fire, water, wind, and dirt" were not the
basic building block elements.)

As technology increased, we discovered that atoms were made up of
neutrons, protons, and electrons. Later, we discovered that these
small particles were made up of smaller particles called quarks. I
personally don't think we will ever find the smallest building block
particles. Likewise, I don't think we will ever find the final limits
of outer space. I believe God knew that we would eventually break out
of the shell of our immediate surroundings and He wanted something
out there that we could see and explore.

What would have happened if God made our surrounding boundaries much
smaller? I'll try to give you an example. Let's say that God created
a brand new world and populated it with a colony of 1,000 people.
These people were placed in the middle of a territory that looked
like one of our deserts. As far as they could see in all directions,
there was nothing but sand, cactus, rocky hills, etc. Since the only
water supply was in the middle of this desert, this primitive
community could not travel more than 20 miles in any direction.

A thousand years later the community is still centered around the
water supply. The faces have changed and their population has
fluctuated, but the community is still tied to their water supply.
Then, one day someone discovered that glass can be made by super-
heating the desert sand. Before long, large water jugs were made and
people began to travel and explore.

As people reached distances of 100 miles, they discovered something
unusual. They find that the "endless" desert suddenly stops. About
100 miles in all directions from the watering hole they find a
gigantic wall surrounding the desert. Since this wall was blue in
color, it blended in well with the background. Even the rocky hills
suddenly stopped with no back sides to them. Since this wall seemed
infinitely tall and indestructible, exploration stopped at this point.

This discovery, of course, would not alter their belief in God. It
would not change their life significantly. Life would carry on as
usual up to that 100 mile boundary. I do believe, however, that this
discovery would be rather confusing and disconcerting. I think they
would wonder why God chose to put the boundaries where He did. They
would wonder why God put the "end of the world" so easily within
their grasp. Somehow their world would probably seem incomplete.

The third reason that I think God created our universe so large was
for the sake of those in eternity (both the angels and believers in
Heaven). God is obviously mightier, more complex, and more
magnificent than the universe He created. This immense universe
provides others a tangible glimpse of His greatness and power. It
displays His wisdom, majesty, and creativity. Psalm 19:1 says, "The
heavens declare the glory of God."

The fourth reason I think God created our universe so large was to
give those of us on Earth a glimpse of His power and majesty. I think
He wanted to demonstrate that He truly is Lord of lords and King of
kings. If the universe consisted of only our planet, we would think
God was great, but His true greatness would still be hidden from us.
Now, that we have a glimpse of the magnitude of the universe, we have
a better appreciation of God's true greatness. We learn more about
God as we learn more about His creation. Yet, with all we have seen,
I still don't think we even come close to understanding God's true
magnitude.

As I said before, we were unaware of the immense size of the universe
until this last century. Therefore, some people say that this
gigantic universe was not created to show us (those here on Earth)
His glory. I have two responses to this. First, God's revelation of
Himself is progressive. Mankind has learned more about God as the
centuries have unfolded. Moses knew more about God than Abraham. King
David knew more than Moses and the Apostle Paul knew more than King
David. Therefore, I don't find it surprising that we know more about
God than our predecessors.

My second response is I think God continually reveals more about
Himself to keep us humble. As we (mankind) make educational and
scientific advances, we begin to get delusions of grandeur.
Our "great" technological advances tend to make us proud, arrogant,
and overconfident. As we begin to harness incredible powers through
technology, we begin to think we can control almost anything. I think
God continually reveals more about Himself (through His creation) to
help us keep our "great" advances in proper perspective.

Although I do not believe there are other life forms in our universe,
I do believe God is currently working on other creation projects. Our
God is a creative God and I believe He always has and always will be
creating things. I don't believe, however, that they are part of our
realm or dimension. It is quite possible that God is currently
working on dozens of other creation projects in other realms.

Obviously, we have no idea how many other realms or dimensions God
has created. We shouldn't be surprised that an Almighty God (a being
who has no beginning nor end) would be restricted by our simple four
dimensions (height, width, depth, and time). The Bible briefly
mentions some of these other realms. For example, we know Heaven and
Hell are not part of our realm because they won't be destroyed when
our universe is destroyed.

Heaven and Hell are eternal in nature, whereas our universe is in a
continual state of deterioration. When you buy a new car it doesn't
take too many years for entropy (2nd Law of Thermodynamics) to turn
it into rust. Even if God doesn't destroy our universe in a couple
thousand years, it would eventually come to an end on its own. Our
universe is like a big clock that has been wound up; it will
eventually unwind itself.

Angels and demons are creatures of multiple realms. Not only can
these beings operate fully in our realm, they can also operate
invisibly behind the scenes. Our laws of physics do not bind them and
they can traverse back and forth between our realm and Heaven.

Our souls are another example of multiple realms. Although our
current bodies are made of flesh and blood ("carbon-based life
forms") our true identity is spiritual in nature. When our body dies,
our soul will leave its earthly vessel and continue living. Our souls
are not made up of the materials from this dimension. That is why a
person's body could be completely vaporized by a nuclear bomb and his
soul will depart totally unscathed.

Am I convinced that we are alone in this universe? No, of course not.
I may be completely wrong in my speculations on this subject. It
wouldn't bother me, however, if I am wrong about this. It wouldn't
shake my faith or theology if we do find life out there. As I
mentioned before, these are my opinions, not Biblical dogma.

As I contemplate the immense size of our universe, I usually do not
wonder about extraterrestrial life. Rather, I spend my time pondering
the age-old question of why would such an awesome God care so much
for mortal man? Why would God Almighty seek our friendship?

Footnote #1

The only stars we see at night are the ones in our own galaxy (Milky
Way). The stars in the other galaxies are too far away to be seen
from our planet. I would like to point out that there are three
nearby galaxies that can be seen with our naked (unaided) eye. They
are the Large Magellanic Cloud, Small Magellanic Cloud, and
Andromeda. The only reason we can see them is because they are over
100 billion times brighter than an individual star. One of these
galaxies (Andromeda) is over a trillion times brighter than a star.
Yet, because these galaxies are so far away, they only appear as
faint stars.

Footnote #2


Although evolutionists believe the universe has been in existence for
about 15 billion years, most Christians do not. Many Christian
scholars have estimated that the universe has been in existence for
only about 6,000 years. If you believe in a literal seven-day
creation (which I do) you then believe the universe was created
around the same time Adam was created. Look at the chapter 7-Day
Creation: Literal or Figurative? for more information on this subject.

Using the genealogical records provided in the Old Testament, many
scholars say Adam was created about 6,000 years ago (4,000 BC). There
are, however, some disagreements on a couple of the genealogical
dates. An example of a book providing a detailed timeline from Adam
to Jesus is The Wall Chart of World History (Publisher: Barnes and
Noble).

Although the universe has the potential of existing for several dozen
billion years, God will cut its life short. God has a special plan
for mankind and the Bible says that when He is finished, He will
destroy the universe (Revelation 21:1).

The Bible provides a description of several events that will take
place in the "End Times." First, the Christians will be taken out of
the world ("Rapture"). Second, seven years of trouble ("Tribulation")
will immediately follow the Rapture. Third, after the Tribulation
there will be a period lasting a thousand years where Christ will
rule directly here on Earth ("Millennium"). At the end of the
Millennium, there will be a "short season" when Satan will have one
final reign. At the end of these events, the universe will be
destroyed.

Once the Rapture takes place, the countdown clock is set in motion.
After the clock has been started, there will only be 1007 years (plus
a "short season") left for the universe. The question, of course, is
when will the Rapture take place? No one knows when Jesus will come
as a "thief in the night" and rapture His church (1 Th. 5:2), but it
could happen at any time. http://www.biblehelp.org/planet.htm

Understanding God http://www.biblehelp.org/whogod.htm
What is God's Race http://www.biblehelp.org/godrace.htm
Could Jesus have Sinned? http://www.biblehelp.org/jesussin.htm
What an Awesome God http://www.biblehelp.org/awegod.htm
7-Day Creation: Figurative or Literal?
http://www.biblehelp.org/7day.htm
Is There Life on Other Planets? http://www.biblehelp.org/planet.htm
UFOs -1: Fact or Fiction? http://www.biblehelp.org/ufo1.htm
UFOs -2: Distances are too Great http://www.biblehelp.org/ufo2.htm


ENTER ANOTHER DIMENSION

AND KISS REALITY AS YOU KNOW IT GOODBY

http://www.angelfire.com/empire/fireangel/index.html





Probe THE CODE
http://www.angelfire.com/ut/branton/codes.html


Enter our "dungeon-war" training grounds
http://thcnet.net/error/index.php




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