I imagine we will expand the borders of righteous mankind’s Christ-centered dominion, not as conquerors who seize what belongs to others, but as faithful stewards who will occupy and manage the full extent of God’s physical creation. Check out Anyhoo, the latest show from Revision3. Even the present Heaven appears to occupy space. In February 2017, NASA announced they discovered seven Earth-like planets 39 light-years away in a solar system called Trappist-1. Since this is the New Earth, we should expect geographical properties of Earth: mountains, waterfalls, and other natural wonders. This includes Earth and everything on it, as well as the planets of our solar system and the far reaches of our galaxy and beyond. Perhaps you will be. In the heavenly realms, even angels, whom we think of as disembodied spirits, can be hindered in space and time due to combat with fallen angels (Daniel 10:13). It may be built into the environment so that our efforts can be spent on other concerns. Sure. The Master tells me each world he gives is tailor-made to the receiver.”, “Yes,” the Carpenter said. Yes. In exactly the same way, the stars will be destroyed, yet they will last forever. But because the Bible gives a clear picture of resurrection and of earthly civilization in the eternal state, I’m walking through a door of imagination that Scripture itself opens. will exercise hereafter. How about the Voyager spacecraft? In the new universe, none of those restraints will hold us back. However, “the teaching that the new creation involves a radically new beginning,” writes theologian Cornelius Venema, “would suggest that sin and evil have become so much a part of the substance of the present created order that it is unrelievedly and radically evil. If citizens only walked, perhaps paths would be enough. On the present Earth, God shows himself through natural wonders and weather (Job 9:5-7; 38:34-35). What will we be able to accomplish for God’s glory when we have resurrected minds, unlimited resources, complete scientific cooperation, and no more death? Since we’ll draw from the reservoir of God’s being, which never runs dry, we’ll never run out of passion and joy. Creatures inhabit time. . Not only mankind in general but believers in particular (those with God’s Spirit within) are aligned with the rest of creation, which intuitively reaches out to God for deliverance. Mankind’s fall may have initiated a divine moratorium on creation. On this earth, we seek comfort and invent ways to get it. But we should not look at things as they are now and assume they’ve always been this way. The most remote galaxy, the most distant quasar, was somehow shaken by mankind’s sin.†, Adherents of some views of the origin of the universe believe that entropy (i.e., all things tend toward deterioration and disorder) has always been operative. It’s also possible that when the Curse is lifted, Venus may become a beautiful paradise. God subjected the whole creation to frustration by putting the Curse not only on mankind but also on the earth (Genesis 3:17). They’ve never been here.”, “No,” she said, then her face flushed. “Why hasn’t anyone told me of this place until now? How many times has he said no to our prayers when saying yes would have harmed us and robbed us of good? He took delight in her delight. Not many in human history have seen more than a few thousand stars, and then only as dots in the sky. The same effect that our fall had on them. He will hand over to us the Kingdom. But streets may suggest the use of wagons and horse-drawn carts, or something more advanced. It’s their nature. God’s Kingdom is described as one “that cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28). We are finite physical creatures, and that means we must live in space and time. You may opt-out by. While some passages suggest that the universe will wear out and the stars will be destroyed, others indicate that the stars will exist forever (Psalm 148:3-6). Randy Alcorn (@randyalcorn) is the author of fifty-some books and the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries. Because God is not limited by time, he may choose to show us past events as if they were presently happening. It's fun to think about travelling to other planets, but I don't think any evolutionary beings like us get to do that until they are ascended mortals; at the time of our death, our personality and our soul travel to the Mansion Worlds, and after that we do travel from sphere to sphere in … No one can have enough of the beautiful rings which surround the planet. The fact that they are part of the first universe and that God called them “very good,” at least in their original forms, means they will be part of the resurrected universe. In 2009, NASA launched a spacecraft called Kepler to look for exoplanets. We know what God intended for mankind and the earth, and therefore we have an object for our longing. However, it may be that the foundations of the New Earth’s buildings will be such that they would remain solid in the most violent storms or earthquakes. Children and stars can both be born, but both ultimately become engaged in a downward spiral. Revelation 21:1-2 says, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Might we be able to go somewhere simply by thinking or willing it? Astronomy has been my hobby since childhood. Three small bodies have been found in orbit around the pulsar PSR 1257+12. Instead we have tumbled down to the dust from which we were taken and groveled on the earth instead of reaching to the skies.” Pascal writes that man endures “the miseries of a dethroned monarch.” He asks, “What can this incessant craving, and this impotence of attainment mean, unless there was once a happiness belonging to man, of which only the faintest traces remain, in that void which he attempts to fill with everything within his reach?”11. Clouds covered the Oregon sky. So far, no evidence of life on the other planets of our solar system has been found. And God’s creation will never run out of the beauty that will be the Creator’s reflection. If it means only that his government shall be all-encompassing, it might say, “Of his governmental authority there will be no limit.” That’s also true, but again it’s not the point. In other words, they can be delayed (time) from arriving at a particular destination (space). It isn’t just good news for us—it’s good news for animals, plants, stars, and planets. Even if the New Earth were many times the size of the present one, wouldn’t every inch of it immediately or eventually be under his control and under ours as his representatives? In addition to the bright planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, under certain special conditions it is possible to see Uranus with the naked eye, though it is very dim and will be hard to locate. It’s a narrow view of both God and humans to imagine that God can be pleased and glorified with a trumpet but not a desk, computer, or baseball bat. . God is going to enjoy his new universe, and we’ll enter into his joy. Some current earthly phenomena may not occur on the New Earth, including earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and volcanoes. If Christ expands his rule by creating new worlds, whom will he send to govern them on his behalf? . On the New Earth, comfort may seek us. Those with good eyes (especially children) and dark skiesmay be able to s… . But this shouldn’t cause us to dismiss its glimpses of what an infinitely creative God might fashion across the broad expanse of the new heavens and the New Earth. We also sometimes get to see other solar systems forming, which teaches us about our own origins. Look at God’s track record in creating natural wonders in this universe. This biblical foundation is laid in the book Heaven, in which these excerpts find their larger context. Plus Ultra—there is more beyond. One day we’ll behold those wonders, soaking them in with openmouthed awe. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. But if people, created in God’s image and endowed with divine creativity, have invented these fictional alien races and have so passionately contemplated them, should it surprise us if God creates the substance of which science fiction, fantasy, and mythology are but shadows? The doctrine of resurrection is an emphatic statement that we will forever occupy space. Consider how our current universe is constantly expanding. What if God intended that our dominion over the earth would ultimately extend to the entire physical universe? One writer says of Heaven, “It is certainly justifiable to abandon the scheme of time and space and to put in its place a divine simultaneity.” This has a high-sounding resonance, but what does it mean? Jesus, as the God-man, inhabits both. Where else would we live? The God who gave people creativity surely won’t take it back, will he? As your father once built you that tree house, I fashioned this place just for you.”, Nancy beamed. As to whether there is life on other planets, we simply do not know. It’s 2,800 miles long, 370 miles wide, and 4.5 miles deep. I think that’s the logical conclusion based on what Scripture reveals. Imagine what we might find on the new Mars or the new Saturn and Jupiter and their magnificent moons. “This is not the ultimate place I have prepared for you, my daughter. . I gasped air in relief. Just as I felt I would scream from unbearable pressure, the crushed world emerged from his grip a diamond. We may be able to study history from a front-row seat. Anyhoo is a daily dose of surprising lists and bizarre facts. If we believe in God’s sovereignty, we must believe God would be glorified through our better understanding of human history. Will the far edges of our galaxy be within reach? The second law of thermodynamics, entropy, tells us that all things deteriorate. It’s good. Do polar orbits ever occur naturally in space. Will we see a new Saturn, new Jupiter, new Ganymede, new Pleiades, and a new Milky Way? Let me share with you some relevant excerpts from my book Heaven, related to a New Universe, other planets, aliens and space travel.. Many people have asked how our resurrected bodies will travel on the New Earth, wondering whether we will be able to materialize, as Christ apparently was able to do in his resurrected body (John 20:24-26). In Colossians 1:16-20, notice that God highlights his plan for the church, but then he goes beyond it, emphasizing “all things,” “everything,” “things on earth,” and “things in Heaven”: For by him [Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Once his consuming central creation is finally done, he will return to his practiced habit of creating new works of art. On the one hand, these cataclysms declare God’s greatness. If mankind had never sinned, would we have invented the wheel and created machinery? According to Memory Beta (Warp drive ) “Warp drive works by distorting the fabric of space to propel the vessel. Planets can be seen during a period called apparition. The hidden beauties will be revealed to them—and us. The stars of the heavens declare God’s glory (Psalm 19:1), yet how vast and distant they are. Will he take us back to see what would have happened if we’d made other choices? Those are the Creator’s attributes, not the creature’s. Each moment, the celestial geography dramatically increases. Based on the redemptive work of Christ, God will resurrect them. Do you feel the forest’s loneliness, the ocean’s agitation? But let’s not forget that God called the original earth “very good”—the true earth, as he designed it to be (Genesis 1:31). Why does the creation wait eagerly for our resurrection? One author says, “Time and space will not be the same as known here on earth, and relationships will be of a different order. We see sun because its our closest star and it really big.. We see stars because they r like glowing balls of gases and there are many stars in our galaxy that are bigger than our sun. Jesus spoke of the uttermost parts or farthest ends of Heaven (Mark 13:27, NKJV). The proper question is not, Why would God create new worlds? Like everything else undertaken by sinful humans, science fiction is often riddled with false philosophies and assumptions that glorify mankind and ignore God. Part of the fun was hearing the oohs and ahhs from neighbors looking upward. Or perhaps it will always increase because the new universe, though still finite, may be so vast that what Christ creates in a moment will never be exhaustively known by finite beings. But certainly the new heavens and the New Earth will. Here Is Some Good Advice For Leaders Of Remote Teams. Mars, Mercury and Venus can be seen during dawn or dusk when in this period. The biblical texts speak of time and space in the New Earth similarly to how they speak of them here and now. This corresponds to Genesis 1:1, indicating a complete renewal of the same physical universe God first created. It’s inherent in exercising dominion over creation. (emphasis added). I don’t believe in the Nexus. You won’t have fins, and you won’t swim. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the Cross.”. It means nothing less than the complete renewal of the entire cosmos, culminating in the new heaven and the new earth.Anthony Hoekema, The gospel is far greater than most of us imagine. Kepler looked for planets in a wide range of sizes and orbits. From what we know of our current universe, with billions of galaxies containing millions of billions of stars and untold planets, this is certainly possible. Isn’t it reasonable to suppose that the pristine conditions of God’s original creation were such that humans and animals would not die, stellar energy would be replenished, and planets would not fall out of orbit? How many times in the new universe will we be stunned by the awesomeness of God’s creation? The Greek words for “all things,” ta panta, are extremely broad in their scope. I’ve explained my understanding of Scripture that God will resurrect nations and cultures and that we’ll be able to visit them on the New Earth. Like Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, perhaps we’ll see how we affected others, and how living our lives differently might have influenced them. It’s also possible that although our bodies will be like Christ’s, his ability to dematerialize and materialize and to rise in his ascension could be unique to his deity. Perhaps the day is coming when I can take you for a walk through them.”, In much of what I’ve just said, I’m speculating, of course. Ask a question, get a great answer. We can expect more magnificent mountains and more beautiful lakes and flowers than those on this earth. If fish could think, try telling one, “When you die, you’ll go to fish Heaven and—isn’t this great?—there will be no water! The “new heaven” in Revelation 21:1 apparently refers to exactly the same atmospheric and celestial heavens as “heavens” does in Genesis 1:1. What is particularly noteworthy about the current alignment is how close four of the five planets -- Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn -- … The power of Christ’s resurrection is enough not only to remake us, but also to remake every inch of the universe—mountains, rivers, plants, animals, stars, nebulae, quasars, and galaxies. He never will. Man is the instrument for the redemption of the earthly creation. Will the New Earth Have Other Natural Wonders? It exhilarated me and stirred my heart. Can you imagine being there as Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount? God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, on Earth and in Heaven. . The program's primary goals, as described in the 2014 NASA Science Plan, are to discover planets around other stars, to characterize their properties and to identify planets that could harbor life. What should we expect to find on the New Earth? If we will travel to other galaxies, will we also be able to travel in time? On the inside of my office door is a beautiful photograph of a menagerie of several hundred galaxies (there are more than three thousand detectable in the full picture), averaging perhaps a hundred billion stars each, never seen with any clarity until photographed by the Hubble space telescope. Paul says that not only we but “the whole creation” awaits the earth-wide deliverance that will come with our bodily resurrection. Of the hundreds of streaking meteors above me, I couldn’t see a single one. We will find rock formations more spectacular than Yosemite’s, peaks higher than the Himalayas, forests deeper and richer than anything we see in the Pacific Northwest. In my novel Dominion I try to depict this in a scene in which Jesus takes a woman who has died to a new world: Eventually they arrived on a world more beautiful than Dani could fathom—cascading waterfalls, rainbows of a hundred colors, mountain peaks five times higher than any on earth. The New Earth’s waterfalls may dwarf Niagara—or the New Niagara Falls may dwarf the one we know now. The Valles Marineris is a vast canyon that stretches one-sixth of the way around Mars. . People didn’t venture across oceans and to outer space because of sin. (Romans 8:19-23). The Woodsman squeezed his hand and the world around me darkened. Even the remotest parts of the universe reveal vast realms of fiery destruction. As Martin Luther put it, “Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.” The creation hopes for, even anticipates, resurrection. the resemblance can't just be coincidence. God’s throne is referred to forty times in the book of Revelation, appearing in sixteen of the twenty-two chapters. People imagine they’re making Heaven sound wondrous when they say there’s no space and time there. Note that John calls it a mountain, not the mountain. Everything God tells us suggests we will look back at the present Earth and conclude, creatively speaking, that God was just “warming up” and getting started. He said to his disciples, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Effect could our redemption have on galaxies that are billions of galaxies containing perhaps trillions nebulae! 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