| (Copyright) by Bradford G. Schleifer (Wadsworth, Ohio) |
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| Part 1: Why the Earth Is Unique The Earth is filled with inferences of design. Here is a look at some of these unique and inspiring markers.  Getty Images Many millions view Earth as just another planet in a vast universe. They see it as neither unique nor special in any way. But decades of research are changing this view. If we peer through the lens of science, something remarkable can be shown about our planet. The more we discover, the more we realize that hundreds of conditions are needed for the rich abundance of plant, animal, and human life on Earth, which have not been found elsewhere in the known universe. There are so many indicators on Earth pointing to an Intelligent Designer that it becomes impossible to believe they appeared by blind chance. Reading with an open mind, the honest reader will be left with little doubt as to the inspiring origin of our world and the evidence left behind for humanity to discover. In fact, much of what has been set in place for mankind was designed so that only an advanced, technology-driven society could uncover it. Top of Form Bottom of Form As you read this article, you will see the fingerprints—the handprints—of something. You will be left to ask, “Are these the fingerprints of dumb, blind luck, or the fingerprints of an engineer who left markers—clues—careful design?” Also ask: “Could our life-bearing planet be nothing more than coincidence?” Ancient Geological Compass One of the fascinating treasures waiting for millions of years to be uncovered is an ancient global positioning system found in rocks containing magnetic elements, such as iron. These rocks are located everywhere but are particularly concentrated where iron-filled molten lava spews from within the Earth. When superheated in a volcano or within crevices on the ocean floor, rock becomes as fluid as maple syrup. In this state, the iron element aligns with our planet’s magnetic field. While most are familiar with a standard compass, few realize that the planet generates a magnetic field in three dimensions. When lava cools, its magnetic alignment “locks” into place. (Only superheating to a near liquid state would cause its position to change once again.) Like a global positioning system using three satellites to pinpoint a location, these rocks can be used to pinpoint the location where they hardened. This opens a fascinating window into Earth’s early history. As continents shift, molten rock bubbles up from deep within the planet’s crust. When this liquid rock comes in contact with water or air, it cools and solidifies. As the continents continue to drift, hardened rock moves with them. By measuring its magnetic field, scientists can determine its exact original location. Collecting specimens from around the world has allowed scientists to determine that continents currently drift at a rate of about one centimeter per year. If hundreds of measurements are compared from around the globe, a road map of how our planet transformed begins to appear. A picture of the Earth from millions of years ago reveals only one large continent, referred to as Pangaea. There is no evolutionary reason for the appearance of this ancient positioning system. Could it have just been chance? This magnetic map is missing the important element of time. There is no direct way to measure how fast the continents shifted or if they maintained a constant motion over millions of years. To develop a timeline of our world, another recent discovery is required. Icy Encyclopedias Without a clear timeline, scientists have no verifiable way to compare discoveries in various parts of the world. We have a picture of how the early planet looked, but no way to know the rate at which it developed. Recall learning about tree rings in grade school. Counting them reveals the age of the tree. Their thickness indicates the growth in a particular season and the total amount of rainfall that had occurred. We have come to learn that much more can be read from these natural data recorders. While fascinating in their own right, trees are usually only centuries old. Much of that time has already been recorded by man. What was learned with tree rings has now been applied to many kinds of geological “layering,” and perhaps most interesting are the layers found in polar ice. In arctic regions, a fascinating phenomenon occurs: Snow, sediment, gases, etc., form easily identifiable layers. With each year, another layer is formed, and “snapshots” are stored. Hundreds, even thousands, of years are documented in these icy data recorders. The longest ice core retrieved is a 2.25-mile sample allowing scientists to peer 420,000 years into the past. By taking long core samples, each year can be read in a manner similar to tree rings. However, the information stored in the ice cores is much more detailed. Not only can temperature and snow depth be determined, but atmospheric gases can also be measured. Since gases are generally uniform worldwide, much can be learned about what constituted the early Earth’s environment—and when. Major earthquakes, volcanoes, climate changes, shifts in Earth’s magnetic field and even events occurring in space can be read from these wonderfully designed ice core “books.” But why would this information even exist? How could an accident “create” something as precise as sediment layers, which are so crucial to understanding the ancient Earth? One could argue that this phenomenon happened by chance. However, again, could mere accident—luck—form data recorders so detailed and precise that, until recently, it was out of the reach of mankind’s ingenuity to unlock them? Couple these icy “encyclopedias” with the detailed ancient compass already explained, and the mountain of evidence for a Creator continues to grow. Life and Technology One fascinating aspect of the above-mentioned discoveries is that they require an advanced species to understand them. The Earth is perfectly designed for advanced life. When scientists analyze the possibility of life on other planets, they use a series of parameters to determine if a planet can sustain life. Further, the more of these attributes a planet possesses the more likely it can contain both simple life (bacteria and proteins) and complex life (plants and animals). Even beyond this is another “level” seldom addressed: technological life—that is, a species advanced enough to develop technology, and in turn discover the markers placed by a Creator. Our planet was perfectly suited for the arrival of mankind. It may come as no surprise that many of the factors needed to sustain complex life are exactly the same factors needed for advanced technology. It is no mere coincidence that conditions facilitating technology are the same as those necessary to support a special life-form capable of harnessing it. Michael Denton, a famous biochemist, states the following about the precise balance of oxygen in our atmosphere and its link to technology: “Another fascinating coincidence is that only atmospheres with between ten and twenty percent oxygen can support oxidative metabolism in a higher organism, and it is only within this range that fire—and hence metallurgy [working with metals] and technology—is possible” (Nature’s Destiny). Not only is our planet perfectly designed to develop technology capable of advancing society, but those resources are also conveniently placed within our reach. The Placement of Power Another so-called coincidence is the location of the resources required to power society. This was the case with the first sustainable power source: fire, primarily derived from trees. The ability to heat homes provided for a purpose greater than pure survival. Man was free to study and research. Time was spent testing and analyzing the world around him. And before he exhausted this resource, research efforts led to our next power source, coal. This gave way to petroleum, which paved the way to the Industrial Revolution and the massive resources needed to fuel it. As society was on the verge of using up each source of power, it discovered something even better. Each resource was replaced just in time before it was completely exhausted. However, if one were to change even small aspects of our planet’s environment (varying gravity or the levels of gases in the atmosphere) the first power source—trees—would never have existed or would have been depleted long before we discovered the next sustainable source. With most of the planet covered in water, it should be unlikely that each successive resource was within reach. Sustainable power sources almost always need the crushing weight of a landmass to form. Even in modern mining operations, it has been proven time and again that the minerals and materials we need are in locations that make them relatively easy to extract. Are you beginning to question the striking coincidences that keep appearing? All Blind Luck? The complex order of our planet and the ability to learn about it are not things one can dismiss as pure chance. As you have seen, the potential for each discovery was placed before us. In many cases, the knowledge of one allowed understanding of another. And with each discovery, it seems everything mankind needed was right at its fingertips. It is almost as if humanity has gradually been taught what it needs to know, each successive step at a time. It is only now that technology has allowed us to look back at Creation and discover what has been there all along. Thousands of years ago, the ancient Bible writer Job was told to look for the fingerprints of a Creator in everything around him: “But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach you; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell you: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach you: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto you. Who knows not in all these that the hand of the Lord has wrought this?” (Job 12:7-9). It has not been until recent decades that man has been able to so fully “speak to the earth” and allow it to teach him. With scientific advancement, the precision and beauty of Creation becomes more apparent. This has been done for a reason: The great Creator does not want any who are willing to objectively weigh the facts to come to any other conclusion. The apostle Paul reiterates this in the book of Romans: “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead” (Romans 1:20). Putting the evidence together, it becomes easy to “understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God” (Heb. 11:3). His fingerprints are found in countless places—for those willing to look. Part 2: Earth’s Galactic Position Investigated! Our planet’s location within our solar system and galaxy is more unique than you could imagine.  Getty Images When helping potential clients search for a new home, real estate agents will say, “Location is everything.” It determines one’s school district, the value of nearby homes, the proximity of stores, parks and many other factors that will affect the value of a house. One’s address is even more important in commercial real estate. Success or failure is directly tied to a store’s location. The three most important things in business are often trumpeted as, “Location! Location!! Location!!!” Location in our solar system, galaxy and the universe can mean the difference between the lush, vibrant planet on which we live, and a barren wasteland, devoid of life. Though our solar system is remarkably stable compared to others, only a tiny few exist in which life might possibly survive. Top of Form Bottom of Form The formation of galaxies is said to be a violent and volatile occurrence. Collisions, explosions, combining of planets and the interplay of gravitational pulls come into play. With each budding galaxy, certain characteristics must appear within its solar systems to support terrestrial (rock) planets. Never mind the endless array of characteristics required for life. A deeper understanding of our universe can open our minds to something greater. Each fact we learn should elicit questions. Could the Big Bang, sheer coincidence or blind chance align to create Earth’s extremely favorable conditions for life of which you are about to learn? Can random processes create anything? What is the more logical answer? Our Celestial Neighborhood The universe is estimated to have ten trillion, trillion stars, most having their own solar system. The differences between these systems are great. Some stars are so enormous that their diameter would engulf Mars if they replaced the sun at the center of our solar system. Others are so small that planets with an orbit as close as Mercury would be solid blocks of ice. Some of the more exotic solar systems consist of clusters of stars intertwined in a gravitational dance that allows nothing larger than dust to form in their wake. Among all this diversity is an uncommon group, known as type G stars. Only an estimated 8 percent of the stars in the known universe are of this type and fall within the ideal age spectrum. When stars are the correct age, they are neither too hot nor too cold, and create the foundation of a solar system able to support life. However, the star type is only one factor. Stars must also form in metal-rich nebulae, which in turn produce metal-rich stars, creating the building blocks for the formation of terrestrial planets. Without complex metals, only gas giants such as Jupiter and Saturn would orbit a star. (Metals are also required for complex chemical reactions needed for life, but that is outside the scope of this article.) Even with all of the factors described above, there exists only a small distance from the star, known as the habitable zone, in which life has any chance of survival. If a planet is too close to its star, it is doused with solar radiation. It becomes superheated like Venus, which has a surface temperature of approximately 700 degrees Fahrenheit. There are many other reasons why close proximity to a star would make life impossible, but such intense temperatures prove the point. Just outside the other end of the habitable zone is Mars. This interesting planet is as close to Earth in characteristics as we have found in the entire universe. However, it is completely unable to support complex life. Its distance from the sun means that a Martian year is 687 Earth days. This distance also makes it impossible to sustain liquid water—a fundamental component of life. The temperature range of liquid water largely defines a star’s habitable zone. In our entire solar system, there is only one planet in the habitable zone: Earth! Yet there are other elements of the Earth’s position that make it unique. Planetary Security There is much more to a stable solar system than a planet orbiting inside the habitable zone. The gas giants, or Jovian planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—serve a critical purpose as well. Their massive gravitational fields attract nearby comets, asteroids, and debris, keeping the inner solar system safe. The most dramatic example of this protection occurred in 1994, when the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet collided with Jupiter. Despite the colossal explosions on impact, all evidence of the strike had disappeared within a few months. If this same comet had struck Earth, little more than bacteria would have survived. Analysis of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact and the moons around Jupiter and Saturn reveal these gas giants have long protected the inner solar system from comets and asteroids that would have annihilated our planet. Their ability to “vacuum” the solar system also removes some of the dust that would make observing our solar system and beyond more difficult. Calm Among Chaos Another interesting characteristic of our unique solar system is its relative stability. Much of the universe is far from stable. Supernovas (dying stars), nebulas (star nurseries), black holes, violent collisions and other phenomena make the universe an exciting place, to say the least. It has been suggested that a solar system would have to be a near-perfect match to Earth’s to have any chance whatsoever at facilitating life. Each planet in our system has a near circular orbit around the sun. Such an orbit is critical! It means the distance between each planet is steady, and interaction is kept to a minimum. Interaction would be particularly problematic if any of the inner planets “brushed” the gravitational fields of the gas giants. Such an encounter could tear Earth from its orbit and send it hurtling into the sun or thrust it into deep space. Our sun’s age also accounts for Earth’s stability. As mentioned above, a star’s age is crucial for life. This is mainly due to the relatively short period in which a star is stable—its middle life. The beginning of a star’s existence is marked by expansion and violent eruptions; the end, by cooling that would not generate enough heat to encourage simple or advanced life. The Milky Way Most are familiar with the shape of the Milky Way galaxy, a disc about 1,000 light-years thick and up to 100,000 light years in diameter. Its spiral arms appear as bands streaming off a spinning center and contain between 200 and 400 billion stars. It is nearly impossible to convey the immense size of our galaxy. If the Earth were shrunk to the size of a peppercorn, the sun would be slightly smaller than a volleyball. The distance between the peppercorn Earth and volleyball sun would be 78 feet. Jupiter would be the size of a chestnut and be 405 feet from the sun. The farthest point would be Pluto. It would be smaller than a pinhead and be over 3,000 feet—over half a mile—from the sun! If you were standing at Pluto, you would not be able to see the sun without binoculars. Let’s go further. If our entire solar system were scaled down to fit inside the volleyball, it would take 1.26 million volleyballs stacked on top of each other just to equal the thickness of the Milky Way! The diameter, or length, of our galaxy is 1,000 times larger than that. Put another way, it takes light approximately seven hours to travel from the sun to the edge of our solar system. This means it would take light 876 million hours—100,000 years! —to traverse the Milky Way. Our galaxy’s nearly unimaginable size is not the only interesting aspect. Like our solar system, the Milky Way also has a habitable zone. It is located in a relatively “quiet” area nestled between two spiral arms. This region is primarily defined by the distance from the galaxy’s center. The closer you are to the center, the nearer you are to the massive black hole found there. Extreme levels of X-ray and gamma radiation spew from it, completely eradicating any chance for life. On the other hand, the farther a solar system is from the galaxy’s center, the less metallic its star will be. As we have seen, metals are crucial to the formation of terrestrial planets. Perfect Viewing Station Our location in the solar system and galaxy allows for another fascinating related phenomenon: We can observe, measure, analyze and define our galactic neighborhood. Many would not even consider this, but it is extremely rare. Much of the universe is pitch black. Other locations are densely packed with clusters of stars, making the sky far too bright to observe the vast array of celestial bodies. Is it mere coincidence that we are located in the perfect spot? It is hard to call it mere coincidence that all the factors to produce conditions for advanced life are directly aligned with the conditions that make it possible to observe the universe. It would take a species as advanced as man to understand and measure the universe—and a galaxy, solar system and planet that is perfectly designed for mankind to develop! Consider the points covered: The size of our sun keeps Earth’s temperature in the range necessary for life. The size of our star also does not flood our planet with radiation, which would make it impossible to observe and measure distant galaxies. Our metal-rich solar system allows for terrestrial planets and advanced life. This rich array of metals allows for technological advancement and the creation of tools to observe our world, solar system, and universe. The location of the habitable zone means that life can flourish under an atmosphere perfect for viewing the night sky. The gas giants in our solar system are far enough away to shield the inner planets from asteroids and comets. This distance also means they do not block our view or distort observations with their gravitational effects. Planets in our solar system exhibit rare, nearly circular orbits, allowing the stability required for life. This also means extremely precise relational measurements can be made of our universe. Distance from other stars in the Milky Way keeps us from being bombarded with deadly radiation. This also means our night sky is dark, making viewing possible. If we were too close to the black hole in the galaxy’s center, X-ray and gamma radiation would not only destroy life but make precise observations impossible! Each characteristic allows for both life and discoverability! Could this just be an amazing coincidence? The Source Becomes Clear Discovering the true source of our galaxy can be determined by looking for telltale signs and fingerprints. The precision and intricacy of our universe point to an over-arching design—and a Magnificent Designer. God’s Instruction Book to man—the Holy Bible—indicates that the Creator of the universe left His fingerprints: “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead” (Rom. 1:20). All that is “seen” bears the fingerprints—shows evidence—of our Master Designer. He is not only able to create the entire universe and life within it, but design it to be observable, measurable, and definable. By His Creation, we can understand our Creator. If you search for God’s fingerprints, you will be amazed by how often they appear and what you will discover! Part 3: Scoping the Universe We are but a microscopic speck in a remote part of the cosmos. Learn just how small, and why our existence is so unique.  Getty Images For thousands of years, mankind has gazed into the heavens. Some have seen the stars and imagined that they formed meaningful pictures and symbols—bulls, scorpions, lions, etc. Others view the beauty of the night sky as a source of inspiration. Still others see the dark expanse as a window into both our past and future. No matter the reason, human beings have always had an unquenchable fascination and sense of wonder with the heavens. This has grown into an insatiable desire to understand and explore their awe-inspiring beauty. In part one of this series, we started small by examining Earth and its many unique attributes. In part two, the scope was broadened to include our solar system and the Milky Way galaxy. Though such an inspection spans tens of thousands of light-years, our cosmic neighborhood is but a tiny speck. Much more lies beyond the spiral arms of the Milky Way. The beauty and harsh extremes therein are nearly impossible to properly frame. Bottom of Form The universe was constructed in a specific way, making life possible. In fact, the margin of error for some universal constants is so small that even minute changes would cause the entire universe to unravel. As your understanding grows about our precise and perfectly designed cosmos, its purpose will become more personal. Measuring Light You may have wondered how astronomers measure the distance and age of stars, galaxies, and other cosmic objects. This is possible by an attribute of light (and other forms of electromagnetic radiation), known as red shift. Over extreme distances, radiation shifts toward the red side of a spectrum. The human eye can see part of the visual spectrum of light. However, this is an extremely small segment of the electromagnetic spectrum. Just below the range of the human eye is infrared. Most people are familiar with equipment enabling soldiers or others to see in dark conditions. This equipment converts infrared light into visible light. There are many more forms of electromagnetic radiation, including ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays. Some segments of the spectrum are able to travel much farther than visible light and are easier to measure. This is particularly true of extremely high-power gamma radiation. The farther light travels, the more dramatic its red shift. If we measure that shift in comparison to light coming from our sun, a difference can be determined. And using the speed of light as a constant (186,000 miles per second), distance can be calculated. This is the part of criteria used to determine that the universe is nearly 14 billion years old. However, the age of the cosmos is not the only thing that inspires awe. Its scope and size has also enthralled mankind. Incomprehensible Size It has only been in recent decades that scientists have been able to determine the approximate size of the universe. When describing it, measurements with values of billions and trillions are used—in light-years, not miles. Analogies and descriptions can help one appreciate our comparative microscopic size in relation to the cosmos. In part two of this series, we quantified the size of our solar system and galaxy. Doing the same with the universe is a much more difficult task—in fact, its actual size is unknown. All that can be measured is the visible universe (and even this value is not completely agreed upon). Generally speaking, it is thought that the visible cosmos is approximately 93 billion light-years in diameter. Since each light-year is 5.879 trillion miles, the diameter of the visible universe is 546,747,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles—546 billion trillion miles! It is impossible to fully comprehend a number of such proportions. To make these distances more meaningful, we must shrink our universe to a more manageable scale. First, let’s reduce the Earth to the size of a grain of salt, making our planet 42.5 billion times smaller. At this scale, the diameter of our solar system shrinks to less than 600 feet and our galaxy reduces to nearly 14 million miles across. Even at this scale, the visible universe is still 12.9 trillion miles wide. Numbers this large are impossible to appreciate. Let’s reduce the scale even further. If we could shrink our solar system from the Sun to Pluto down to the size of a single grain of salt, the Milky Way galaxy would be 24 miles in diameter—an easy distance to visualize. This still leaves the universe’s span at an incredible 22 million miles—about two-thirds the distance from Earth to Mars. This number is still too large to envision. The scale must be reduced yet again. If the Milky Way galaxy (in reality, nearly 600,000 billion miles in diameter) was reduced to the size of a grain of salt, the visible universe would be just over 915 feet wide—about the length of three American football fields. Finally, a size we can picture! What is lost in this analogy is the sheer mass of the Milky Way galaxy and how much reduction is needed to reach this result. In fact, this manageable cosmic scale would mean we have reduced the universe 3.2 septillion times—or 3.2 trillion trillion times. Our solar system, never mind the Earth, would be smaller than a single hydrogen atom! Atomic “Glue” Do not be disappointed if you are having trouble wrapping your mind around these numbers. This exercise serves to demonstrate that the cosmos is of near unimaginable size. There are no adjectives to properly frame these distances. Celestial bodies are separated by millions of light-years. Much of space is just that—space. Yet everything remains held together by an unknown celestial “glue.” Since scientists do not really understand this glue, they have loosely termed it dark matter. Few agree as to what it is. Assuming that some form of matter is needed to generate the gravitational fields required to hold the universe together, scientists have put forth their shaky hypotheses. Such vast distances between objects are not limited to outer space. “Inner space,” the space within atoms, is equally as dramatic. Let’s examine a hydrogen atom. The smallest and most abundant of all elements, hydrogen consists of a proton nucleus and a single orbiting electron. Using our reference point above, what would be the scale if we multiplied the size of the hydrogen atoms nucleus 300 billion times so that it was the size of a grain of a salt? At this size, and assuming a constant distance between the proton and electron, a near microscopic electron would be orbiting the nucleus 98 feet away. Truly, there is vast space within the largest galaxies as well as the smallest subatomic particles. Like dark matter, scientists do not fully understand what holds atoms together. Termed atomic glue or dark energy, the source of attraction has eluded scientists for thousands of years. No matter the scale, science is left with more questions than answers. The source of the universe, the way it is held together, and many other facets are left unanswered because the true Source of the cosmos is ignored. One of the few things science agrees upon is that our cosmos is enormous, and with such vast expanse, scholars make another foolish leap—the assumption that physical life must exist elsewhere. This is simply not the case. Even with billions and trillions of galaxies, most of the universe is extremely hostile to any form of life. The gravitational effects, destructive gases, harmful radiation, and a variety of other factors make it impossible for would-be human explorers to come within thousands of light-years of these remote galaxies, never mind for life to form, evolve and flourish. In fact, almost all basic conditions for life are missing in the vast majority of the universe. Over 98 percent of nearby galaxies are far less metal rich than ours—virtually eliminating any chance for Earth-like planets to form. Our Position—A Key to Discovery Some galaxies are billions of light-years away from their nearest counterparts, making the night sky pitch black. If you could stand on a planet in one of these distant galaxies, there would be no visible stars, no super clusters of galaxies, nothing to see in the sky at all. In fact, our celestial neighborhood is unique even when compared to regions where the galaxies are relatively close. Gravitational fields tend to pull galaxy clusters together, making the sky extremely bright. This would make deep space viewing impossible, including some of the discoveries we have covered in this series. When understood, our galaxy is located in a region of space that is neither too dark nor too bright. Humanity is located in a region, like the line from a popular child’s fairytale, that is “just right.” In fact, another name for a habitable zone is a Goldilocks zone. As we have seen in this series, Earth is perfectly positioned in this zone in our solar system. Our solar system is positioned in this zone within the Milky Way. And our galaxy is ideally positioned to support life and discovery of the cosmos. Everything is “just right.” Can you now grasp why the Creator states, “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God” (Psa. 53:1)? Your Great Inheritance Throughout this series, we have toured aspects of Earth, our galaxy, and the greater cosmos. Why does this matter to you? Even with the most aggressive estimations of scientific and technological advancement it would be scores or hundreds of years before mankind would be able to colonize neighboring planets. It would seem that, beyond being interesting, the universe does not matter to the average man or woman. That conclusion could not be more wrong. There is an advancement coming of which even the most brilliant scientists are ignorant. Hundreds or even thousands living today will be able to explore the universe, traveling faster than the speed of light—and soon! The farthest regions of the cosmos will be reached. Does this sound impossible—too incredible to be true? What if you were told that you could be one of those intergalactic explorers? The great Creator of all things, from atoms to galactic clusters, does everything for a purpose: “For thus says the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He has established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited…” (Isa. 45:18). The Creator of the heavens and Earth designed them to be “inhabited.” They had a special and distinct purpose. Notice: “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible…all things were created by Him, and for Him” (Col. 1:16). Again, all things were created for a purpose. Turning to the back of the Bible reveals even more fascinating understanding. The phrase “all things” appears again. This time, it is connected to true Christians alive today! Those who obey God now will inherit a reward foretold for thousands of years: “He that overcomes shall inherit all things” (Rev. 21:7). The Moffatt translation renders the single Greek word translated “all things” as the universe. That is why you were born! That is the reason for the breathtaking expanse of the heavens. That is why mankind cannot satisfy its curiosity about the cosmos. Man is meant to one day inherit “all things”—the entire universe! If you make the choice to respond to your Creator and develop your awesome potential and overcome today, you can have a part in this great inheritance. —————————————————————————————- Reprinted with permission from: The Restored Church of God The Real Truth Magazine https://rcg.org/ —————————————————————————————- |
| Iron Sharpening Iron In regard to: Designed for Discovery Article by Bradford G. Schleifer Comments by Laura Lee (Bismarck, North Dakota) |
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| This was a really great article and I liked everything in it except that scientists claim the earth is millions or billions of years old. I do not know if this is the view of the author, but if it isn’t he never corrected it. When God said He created the heaven and the earth in six days we should believe Him and not scientists. Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it. Exo 31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. |
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