Is there intelligent life elsewhere? What does the Bible say about that? Did God create life on other planets?

Well, here goes my take on it:

An interesting concept of creation is that God created earth on the first day. Does that infer the earth is the center of all creation? He also created light on the first but didn’t work up the sun until the 4th day. While we currently revolve around the sun, that apparently wasn’t the case on days 1, 2 or 3. And where did the light come from before the sun?

Why did God create such a massive universe? Maybe to show us how omnipotent He is and to glorify Him. When I think about all that, He created it certainly focuses my attention to how awesome and great He is.

Do I believe there is intelligent life other than man and the animals? Yes. Why? Well, first off I believe in God. Ok, I know, no brainer. Other than the trinity? Yes. The Bible describes the angels, Seraphim, and Cherubim, right? I think they must all be intelligent.

The Angels are mentioned throughout the Bible. We all know what they are about. Wikipedia describes the angels as “often depicted as benevolent celestial beings who act as intermediaries between God or Heaven and Earth, or as guardian spirits or a guiding influence. Other roles of angels include protecting and guiding human beings and carrying out God’s tasks.

Next up, the Seraphim. Considered like an angel, they are only mentioned once in Isaiah. They are described as the “burning ones,” nobles, and the “ones of love.” They hover OVER the throne of God and are considered His personal attendants, continually glorifying and praising God. Their eternal song “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Again, we’re centering in on the earth.

Now, the Cherubim. These are the throne angels as they are seen AROUND God’s throne. Their role is to guard God’s holy domain and presence from any sin and corruption. Thus, they protect the Garden of Eden (Is it still here today?).

Hey what what about “The Four Living Creatures?” Hmmm. Well, the way I understand it this tetramorph  doesn’t come about until the apocalyptic end of this world and the universe as we know it. It’s described in the book of Revelation. It is said to be like a Cherubim with eyes all around, so we can assume this is an intelligent life as well. Or will be, when we get to the times described in Revelation Chapter 4. References to The Four Living Creatures are also found in the books of Ezekiel and Daniel. These seem to be visions of the same thing.

Scripture doesn’t say these intelligent life forms are just hanging around our planet. I’m confident if the Lord told an angel to head out to the Andromeda Galaxy the angel would have no problem making that journey.

What about Carl Sagan? Didn’t he prove there is extraterrestrial life? Well not exactly. Here’s a famous Sagan quote:

“I’m frequently asked, “Do you believe there’s extraterrestrial intelligence?” I give the standard arguments- there are a lot of places out there, the molecules of life are everywhere, I use the word billions, and so on. Then I say it would be astonishing to me if there weren’t extraterrestrial intelligence, but of course there is as yet no compelling evidence for it.
Often, I’m asked next, “What do you really think?”
I say, “I just told you what I really think.”
“Yes, but what’s your gut feeling?”
But I try not to think with my gut. If I’m serious about understanding the world, thinking with anything besides my brain, as tempting as that might be, is likely to get me into trouble. Really, it’s okay to reserve judgment until the evidence is in.”

Indeed, despite the years of research and a life dedicated to trying to find the answers, Sagan ended up saying we don’t know. Or do we? I guess Sagan came to that conclusion as he must have never accepted the presence of the Lord. I know, that’s not how we usually thing about “artificial intelligence” or the ET. If we think of an extraterrestrial being as one from outside the planet Earth, then we can list God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Seraphim, Cherubims, and the angels. Just saying. Perhaps Sagan was just looking in the wrong place?

With all that said it begs the question: Are we alone in the universe? No, we are not. However, I’m not looking for a bunch or space aliens, Martians or little green men to arrive. I don’t expect that will happen.

Is there intelligent life on other planets? The Bible doesn’t say. However, it is inferred that the earth and all of other planets and stars in the solar system will one day be destroyed, and a new earth and heaven will be created.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 2 Peter 3:10.

I believe we are the sole beneficiaries of fellowship with God. While God certainly could have created other life forms, His timetable for the existence of the earth and our universe is directly tied to His itinerary for humanity. The Bible teaches that we were created in His image. When He did so, He gave us dominion over all things on earth. God created us out of His great love and to fulfill His eternal plan. We play a part in His plan, including defeating satan. Through the freedom of choice, we have an opportunity for eternal life through His “ministry of reconciliation.” How refreshing to know and to be a part of His plot with an eternal result.

Image courtesy of Adrian Senn on flickr.com

The post Are We Alone In The Plot With An Eternal Result?: Part 2 first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Questions. A major turning point for me in my faith journey was when my faith grew more substantial than the issues I had. Questions? Yes, some of them I still have. Here’s one: Is there intelligent life elsewhere? That’s a pretty big concept to wrap my mind around. Are we alone in the plot with an eternal result? Let’s think this through and we’ll be coming back to that shortly.

Forging ahead to plot. It’s not super complicated. We have to think cause and effect here. It’s a series of events that make up a story and lead us to “and so.” You got it, babe, the climax of the tale. Many a novel follow the same general plot. The circumstances change, but the plot remains the same. There are even templates for Fiction plots. Many start off with character development; the conflict is introduced; rising action leading up to the climax, and then winding up the story. All the loose ends are tied up. Incomplete thoughts? Well, sometimes we do encounter them in a novel or movie, but we want to know how the story ends.

The power of story – so let’s take this notion and apply it to humanity. You know, the plot with an eternal result. Really? Yep, just wait. One cool aspect that I love about my church is that it is Gospel centered. We keep it simple. We learn how events that occur in the Old Testament will relate or point to the Gospel, and to Jesus. For example, many a Prophet offered the foreshadowing of Jesus’ arrival, ministry, and resurrection.

“The Old Testament is in the New revealed and the New is in the Old concealed.” Augustine

Jesus clearly says in Matthew 5:17 that He came to fulfill the foreshadowing through the Law and the Prophets.

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Jesus, in Matthew 5:17

Moses is the clearest Old Testament person whom we can look to as one of the greatest types of Jesus. Time and again, Moses’ life story pointed us to Jesus through his faith and leadership. And where was the conflict introduced for humanity? Hmm, pretty early on right? Like in the Garden of Eden? Yes! The cross was the climax? Yes, the cross was the point from the very beginning. It was the fulfillment mentioned in Matthew 5:17. So now we’re just tying up the loose ends.

The power of truth…

So all that leads us back to this question: Is there intelligent life elsewhere? What does the Bible say about that? Did God create life on other planets?

This is part 1 of a 2 part series. Please check back next week for part 2.

Image courtesy of Adrian Senn on flickr.com

The post Are We Alone In The Plot With An Eternal Result?: Part 1 first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.