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Let’s start at the beginning—no pun intended. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Many have interpreted the heavens, from the languages that promoted the Bible down through the ages, to be the entire universe. So, God created the universe.
Jesus was there at “the beginning,” as told in John 1:1-2, so he was there when the universe was created. In Mark 16:15-16, Jesus says to his disciples “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” What is “whole creation,” other than the universe? Of course, Jesus at this point doesn’t go into the logistics of proclaiming the gospel to this “whole creation.” Then again, he doesn’t go into the logistics of ‘going into “all the world,”’ either. He doesn’t mention preparing caravans for land, or the type of ships at sea, including the sales to use, and other details you might find in, say, a Herman Melville or a Robert Jordan novel. He leaves it largely to his disciples to determine how to get there. So, it follows that Jesus doesn’t tell his disciples how to go to other planets and heavenly bodies either.
Can anyone find where in the Bible, it says that life is only on earth? Can anyone find where the Bible denies that life is elsewhere?
Why would we think that life exists elsewhere? If we delve into the natural world, God’s world if you will, we find things that may surprise people. The elements of life, including phosphorus, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, have been found elsewhere. In addition, an ocean of sorts has been found in that same area, in which these elements thrive. This discovery was recently made on one of Saturn’s moons, called Enceladus.
For now, it would naturally seem ridiculous for Jesus to mean for his disciples to “proclaim the gospel” to each of these elements, even if, at the time, they could go to places like Enceladus. But if the functioning elements of life can be found there, and maybe in other places, then why not life as we know it, with an intelligence comparable to ours, as well? We may not have arrived at that stage yet where we’ve actually come face to face with living beings comparable to us. But if we did, or, say, when we do, it would follow that Jesus’ command to his disciples, and to those that follow, would extend to where such life is found elsewhere.
Seen from another angle, the opening line to many Hebrew prayers is, “Blesseth art thou oh Lord our God, ruler of the universe...” If there wasn’t life in other parts of the universe, then what is it that God would be ruler over, other than the motions of the heavenly bodies and the longevity of the stars?
Jesus was there at “the beginning,” as told in John 1:1-2, so he was there when the universe was created. In Mark 16:15-16, Jesus says to his disciples “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” What is “whole creation,” other than the universe? Of course, Jesus at this point doesn’t go into the logistics of proclaiming the gospel to this “whole creation.” Then again, he doesn’t go into the logistics of ‘going into “all the world,”’ either. He doesn’t mention preparing caravans for land, or the type of ships at sea, including the sales to use, and other details you might find in, say, a Herman Melville or a Robert Jordan novel. He leaves it largely to his disciples to determine how to get there. So, it follows that Jesus doesn’t tell his disciples how to go to other planets and heavenly bodies either.
Can anyone find where in the Bible, it says that life is only on earth? Can anyone find where the Bible denies that life is elsewhere?
Why would we think that life exists elsewhere? If we delve into the natural world, God’s world if you will, we find things that may surprise people. The elements of life, including phosphorus, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, have been found elsewhere. In addition, an ocean of sorts has been found in that same area, in which these elements thrive. This discovery was recently made on one of Saturn’s moons, called Enceladus.
For now, it would naturally seem ridiculous for Jesus to mean for his disciples to “proclaim the gospel” to each of these elements, even if, at the time, they could go to places like Enceladus. But if the functioning elements of life can be found there, and maybe in other places, then why not life as we know it, with an intelligence comparable to ours, as well? We may not have arrived at that stage yet where we’ve actually come face to face with living beings comparable to us. But if we did, or, say, when we do, it would follow that Jesus’ command to his disciples, and to those that follow, would extend to where such life is found elsewhere.
Seen from another angle, the opening line to many Hebrew prayers is, “Blesseth art thou oh Lord our God, ruler of the universe...” If there wasn’t life in other parts of the universe, then what is it that God would be ruler over, other than the motions of the heavenly bodies and the longevity of the stars?