In the 21st century we acknowledge that Jesus is our REDEEMER, but in the 1st century, we need to realize that He was a REVOLUTIONARY. His statements and actions challenged hundreds of years of empty ritualism and dead religion. Imagine confronting a Supreme Court justice and telling them that they have completely misunderstood the foundational meaning of the Constitution.
That is exactly what the Savior did when He approached the Scribes and the Pharisees, two groups that were considered to be the guardians and experts in the Old Testament Law. He looked them in the eye and declared: "You say (according to the Law) that thou shalt not kill. BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, that whoever has hate in his heart towards his fellow man is guilty of murder!"
Now THAT my friends, is revolutionary, radical--a complete revitalization of not only the letter of the Law, but the spirit and intent of the Law. He framed familiar verses in a whole new light and perspective that did not contradict what was generally understood...no, no, but rather deepened their comprehension in ways not previously imagined.
Now, what does the example of the paradigm-shift Savior have to do with cosmology and theology? Stay with me, this is going to be one wild ride, maybe even a bit uncomfortable, but I promise you that it won't be explicitly heretical, so please put your stones, stakes, and torches away (for now).
WHEN WORLD'S COLLIDE
History is replete with examples of revolutionary ideas that intersected scientific discovery with supposed religious dogma, often with controversial outcomes. Most Junior High students can recall at least a passing familiarity with the famous standoff between the religious authorities and the claims of Galileo.
It wasn't (as is often told) a conflict between Theology and Science, rather it was the clash of the ancient Greek models of Heliocentrism(Aristarchus) with Geocentrism(Aristotle). To put it another way, it wasn't religion versus reality, rather it was an incorrect philosophical position (NOT based on the Bible) pitted against a correct scientific position (based on empiricism).
The mathematics that must be used to describe our Universe defy any real comprehension. Our most recent estimate places the diameter of the cosmos at around 100 billion light years across (some physicists say it could be infinite). Adopting the more conservative view, since light travels about 186,000 miles per second, so (crunching the numbers) that puts the Universe at 795,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles wide (almost 800 Septillion miles).
Not only are the distances overwhelming, but the contents of the Universe wear out a calculator quickly. It is estimated that there are over 100 billion galaxies (100,000,000,000), and some galaxies have up to 1 trillion stars (1,000,000,000,000). To attempt to guesstimate the number of possible planets orbiting these zillions of stars is a fools errand, but the number would surely make any family of exponents proud.
TWINKLE TWINKLE
Over 3000 years ago, David the Shepherd-turned-King gazed out into the brilliant night sky above the Judean outback and penned these famous words:
"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,...the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?" (Psalm 8:3,4)
Who hasn't looked up into the velvet blackness of a cloudless night sky and felt two opposing yet complimentary feelings: (1) the vastness of space (2) the near insignificance of man.
After the sublime amazement of a moment like this, some have moved from the wonders to the WHY's. Why is space so huge? Why are there so many stars? Why did God create a Universe so large and complex? Why would God create things that we will never even have a chance to see, let alone study or utilize?
Even the world's most distinguished theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking (an agnostic), weighed in when considering the issue of "Why would God create a Universe so large?" The Oxford professor observed:
"Our Solar System is certainly a prerequisite for our existence, but there does not seem to be any need for all these other galaxies." (Brief History of Time)
IGNORANCE ISN'T BLISS
Before we discuss some of the more plausible and theo-intellectually satisfying answers to this interesting question (I purposefully use the word interesting) it is important to make one significant, and often overlooked, point:
Just because we (perhaps) do not currently know WHY God would create such a large Universe, does not, in any way, mean that He does not (did not?) have a reason. Ignorance does not equal Absence. In a simple Earthly example: just because a child does not know why their parent has asked them to do a certain thing, does not mean that the parent does not have a very good reason.
Ignorance of information does not equivocate absence of information. For most of human history, we did not know the basic structure of the atom, but that unawareness did not mean that atomic structure did not exist. The logic is unassailable. Let's leave that dead horse, and focus our energies on something more stimulating.
A BIG QUESTION ABOUT A BIG UNIVERSE
Let's restate the question: "Why would God create a Universe so large?"
Earlier I called this inquiry INTERESTING. I didn't say that it was important, or relevant, or even significant, rather, it is just interesting. And actually, that is all that it really is. Interesting. The reason that we must relegate it to this category is that the answer to it does not change our theology, our Christology, or our cosmology, per se. To accept or not accept, agree or disagree with any of these possibilities or assumptions does not substantially alter our understanding of God, Christ, or of His incredible plan of salvation.
Before I break into radical, even revolutionary, new ground, let's review the typical traditional and plausible answers to the question of "Why would God create a Universe so large?"
1. The immensity of the creation (Universe) reveals the power and attributes of God.
The Psalmist once said: "The Heavens declare the glory of God..." (Psalm 19:1)
God says that the night sky is like a giant electric billboard that clearly shouts out for all mankind to read that the Creator is powerful, and that He is far above us.
In the book of Isaiah, the Lord invites mankind to look up into the night sky and He asks:
"To whom will you compare Me? Or, who is my equal?” says the (Lord) "Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? It is He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength..." (Isaiah 40:25,26)
This one verse easily settles this entire question once you consider what the Lord is saying here. God declares that He made the immensity of the Universe so that we would know that there is no one and nothing that could even begin to compete with Him and His power. Why so many galaxies and so many stars? To demonstrate the limitless knowledge of God, for He has named each one of them, and has individually crafted each one in His great creative power.
(Interesting side note- the number of Bacteria in the world leaves the number of the stars in the dust (no pun intended). It is estimated that there are over 5,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bacteria---that's 5 Nonillion. But stars still outnumber grains of sand by an estimated factor of ten to one!)
In fact, the size of the Universe, though immense to us, is nothing to the Creator. Again in Isaiah the Lord says that He has: "...measured the Universe with the width of His hand." In another well-known passage the Lord shows that not only is distance meaningless to Him, but time is just as irrelevant:
"For a day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day." Neither distance nor time affects or hinders the workings of our God.
2. The size of the Universe humbles mankind.
If there is one thing we know about mankind, it is that we tend to become arrogant at the slightest opportunity. Let someone just praise you one time and our egometer goes off the charts. An immense Universe is a great safeguard against our heads expanding like a hot air balloon.
If we look at it in perspective, each of us is just one of the many billions of people, on just one planet among many gadzillions of planets, a speck, on a speck, in the western spiral arm of a nondescript galaxy, in a Universe that is impossible to even fathom. An electron seems huge by comparison.
If your ego makes your reflection in a mirror seem huge, look not out but up...up into the vastness of space.
3. A huge Universe magnifies our appreciation of God's love for us.
When we truly understand just how insignificant we are (as David said: "What is man that (God) is mindful of him?") we then can truly begin to see the size of the love of God for us. Think of the immensity of the Universe, but then realize that God Himself became a man and was born into a poor family, from a poor nation, right here on planet Earth. Not only that, but He also was crucified, bearing our sins upon a cruel Roman cross, and died.
But, out of this entire Universe, Jesus came HERE, and lived HERE, and suffered HERE, and died HERE. This proves to us, that even though we may be small, the love and focus of God is upon us. It is amazing that a super-sized Universe reveals God's super-sized passion for us.
What a perfect combination--a huge Universe to humble us, and then a huge Universe to reveal how much God loves us. Amazing.
4. A huge Universe magnifies the greatness of God's salvation.
This is the other side of the coin, so to speak, from the previous answer. Reason Number 3 is kind of from our perspective looking "up", this one is from God's perspective looking "down". When one considers just how small and insignificant planet Earth is, it reveals the immensity of God's humility that He even would consider becoming a man to die for us.
Psalm 113 tells us that God has to humble Himself just to behold the things that occur in the Universe, and even more so to behold what is occurring on the Earth.
The author of Hebrews challenges us: "How can we escape if we neglect so GREAT A SALVATION...?" (Hebrews 2:3) When we really consider the greatness of God's plan, the greatness of His humility to become a baby, and the greatness of His love to die for us, we can see why it is a serious and deadly thing to "neglect" this great salvation that He has provided.
5. The Universe must be at least a certain size for things to operate the way the Lord has revealed to us.
In Genesis it plainly says that the extra-terrestrial bodies (moons, stars, planets, etc) are there for "times and seasons" and their measurement. Even though "modern" man of the past 100 years or so does not depend upon the stars and constellations for directions, locations, and times--that does not mean that they have not served that purpose wonderfully since the dawn of human history.
Maritime travel, especially, would have been orders of magnitude more difficult without precise measurements based upon certain star-to-star locations at precise times. It takes a Universe just about as large as ours to accomplish that.
NOW WE SEE THROUGH THE GLASS DARKLY
Remember, regardless of our reaction to these 5 reasons given, that does not alter the fact that God could have had many thousands, if not limitless reasons for creating a Universe this large and this complex. These are just some of the possible, plausible reasons that we can discern with our very limited understanding.
Imagine an Aboriginal tribesman watching the creation of the latest Intel multi-core CPU's. Nearly 99.9999999999999999999999999% of what is being done is a complete mystery to him. But his lack of understanding does not, in any way, mean that the engineers at Intel do not have very good reasons for absolutely everything that they are doing. Mystery does not equal Meaningless.
BIG IS JUST A TINY IDEA
Secondly, size is a completely relative and "human" emotional concept, for the most part. What is size really? It is just a perceived scale anyway. An ant may be "small" to us, but ants are unimaginably large to a bacteria. A bacteria may be "small" to an ant, but it might as well be the size of the Universe compared to an an electron. Do you see how arbitrary this entire idea of size actually is?
Size comparison is merely an emotional concept, not nearly as empirical as we would like to think. We "feel" small by the size of the Universe, but smallness or bigness do not actually exist outside of our minds reaction to a concept.
Now, are you ready for a completely radical, revolutionary, complete paradigm shift type of thinking about "Why did God create such a large Universe?" (even though now we have to admit that "large" is just a state of mind, an emotional concept) ?
I am not saying that this theory is completely valid, but I do offer it as a possible, potential, and theologically "sound" proposal. It is called the UDT. Are you ready? Do not just read this next sentence and then close this webpage dismissing me as a heretic, please hear me out on this.
Universal Dominion Theory (UDT): The proposition that God created the Universe in such a way that it could hold an unlimited number of people, through the colonization of space.
Now, this is not the complete theory--it is supported by a number of important points that need to be enumerated. Let's look at them one by one:
1. God originally created man to live physically forever.
The book of Genesis makes it clear that death was not in the original plan. The Lord explicitly told our first human parents that only sin would lead to death. The converse of this is that a sinless human would not have physically died. Without sin, mankind would simply have lived forever, in an edenic setting, in perfect fellowship with the Creator and all of creation.
What about the sun running out of nuclear fuel, or the Earth slowing down to a mere crawl rotationally, or the core of the Earth cooling to a solid mass? Obviously, since God created the Universe, He has the ability to have originally made it to endure and function as long as He desired it to...even eternally. Perhaps that is the reason for the mysterious actions of the quantum aspects of the Universe, the ability to eternally "feed" and sustain the motions, mass, and energy of the Universe.
With the Creator interacting with it, the Universe is definitely not a closed system, in anyone's book.
2. God commanded mankind to reproduce.
Even non-Bible-thumpers are familiar with the verse "Be fruitful and multiply..." It is perhaps the only command of God that humanity has ever obeyed, yet, not without strong incentive. The basic equation is: 1 man + 1 woman (can) equal 1 child. So, starting with an original pair, the first child born would have increases the planet's population by 50% (going from 2 people to 3 people). The next child increases it by 33%, yet it has also doubled it from the original pair.
The rate of population growth has obviously varied throughout time (initially it would have been HUGE since the overall population was smaller) but then tapered down. At present, it is estimated to be about a 1.5% growth rate. It is calculated that our human population did not reach over one billion worldwide until just about 1800. In a short two hundreds years later, we have just passed seven billion.
(Side note: Even though people are always complaining about OVER-population, it is interesting to note that every single living person on planet Earth could fit within the city limits of Sarasota, Florida.)
A FLOOD OF FOLKS BEFORE THE FLOOD
Using the numbers in the book of Genesis, comparing average life spans, and average family sizes, and by calculating dates, conservative estimates reveal that the Earth's population at the time of Noah's flood could have been between 8 and 12 billion people. But then, after the flood, with drastically reduced life spans, a much harsher climate, and widespread war, disease, and competition for resources, it took humanity triple that Pre-flood period just to get back to one billion people.
But before you scoff, realize that we added SIX BILLION people in the last 200 years alone, so, in a world of increased longevity as existed before the flood, along with large family sizes (due to longer life), a lush, tropical environment....well, it is no stretch of the imagination or the data to see how the Earth's population could grow rapidly.
Population, like money, grows at a faster rate the more you have. Someone once asked a rich man if it is hard to make money: "Not really, " he said, "it is just the first million that is slow, the rest comes pretty quickly!"
3. God gave mankind dominion over the entire Universe.
Mankind is unique among all of God's physical creation. Of all the living, sentient beings, only of man was it said that God created him in His own image. Only of man did God impart an eternal spiritual dimension, when the scripture records that God, in effect, "breathed" into man spiritual life, not just physical life. Mankind was the only species that God gave moral commands to. Mankind alone communicated with the Creator. It was only of mankind that it said that God "walked" with in the Edenic paradise, communing as friend with friend. And finally, it was specifically given to man to have "dominion" over all of God's physical creation (the Universe).
Twice in Genesis 1 it declares: "God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion..." God made man as a mini-creator, so to speak. Man is nearly godlike over the rest of God's living creation. The superiority of man above the rest of creation is a picture of God's superiority above everything. We were created in His image, the image of authority, dominion, and moral consciousness.
MAN--WAY OVER QUALIFIED
Even looking at the condition of mankind from a purely naturalistic, atheistic viewpoint, mankind is extreme overkill in many areas. The gap between man and the next most "advanced" animal is nearly infinite. Whether dolphin or chimpanzee, man towers above them intellectually, morally, physically, and spiritually like a New York skyscraper. It's no contest. As we look at the animal kingdom, there is a certain range of intelligence and capability (all based on instinct) and then....there is man.
Evolution cannot account for man's impressive arsenal of non-survival skills and "unnecessary" attributes. The fact that Darwin used advanced reasoning to formulate his naturalistic theory should have invalidated his own argument. As former atheist, Anthony Flew remarked, our self-consciousness alone is enough evidence to demonstrate the necessity of a Creator. There is no simple CELL and there is no simple SELF.
From our incredible brain, capable of discovering the very fabric of reality, demonstrated by Einsteinian Relativity to the Higgs boson of the Standard Model, to our moral compass, inexplicably and universally linked by a common conscience that shows remarkable consistency across the globe and across time, to a level of interpersonal communication that knows no equal, and indeed, knows no competition. Mankind alone possesses the ability for complex discourse, and alone possesses the symbolic tools of language embodied in written communication.
UNNATURAL SELECTION
Mankind alone passionately records his own history, and builds enduring monuments to his own achievements, mankind alone not only dreams of the stars, but actively creates the vehicles to take him there. Mankind alone constructs libraries and research centers, schools and churches, museums and theme parks. Mankind alone will spend countless hours and countless resources seeking knowledge rather than nourishment, conclusions rather than comfort, and science rather than safety.
Both the written word of God revealed in the scriptures, and the unwritten word of God revealed in nature, alike agree that mankind is distinct, superior, and unique. He was created in the very image of God (authority) and was specifically given dominion.
A MAN'S REACH SHOULD EXCEED HIS GRASP
But just how far does his dominion reach? For that answer we must look at an important passage in Psalm 8, speaking of God in the creation of the Universe: "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained..."
What is the Universe? It is the "works of His fingers..." Like a potter with clay, God molded all of physical reality to His own exacting specification.
But now, look a few verses down as it discusses mankind:
"What is man that You are mindful of him...You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet."
God created mankind to have dominion over the "works of (His) hands". What are the works of His hands? Not just the Earth, but also the Moon, and the stars and all the heavenly bodies throughout the entirety of space.
According to the Lord Himself, ALL of the Universe is to be "under" our feet, i.e. that mankind is to be above it, in dominion, in authority. As of 2012 we have only claimed and actually exercised that dominion over a small portion of that promise, specifically the Earth and the Moon. If the Lord delays His return for a few more decades, I fully expect, because of these verses, that we will be traveling literally, among the stars.
But we should have ALREADY been there.
THE ORIGINAL PLAN
Here is where things start getting real interesting. It is time to start using those Darwinian-Evolution-Cannot-Account-For Neurons in your brain. I'm going to take you back in time and look at where we should have, could have, and would have been, had not sin entered the picture, and destroyed not only man's perfect relationship with God, but also all but destroyed our true potential.
Imagine a world without SIN. The differences would be nearly incomprehensible. We cannot even watch the first two minutes of an evening news broadcast without seeing the faces and hearing the names of countless victims of suicide, homicide, and even genocide. From the greed of Wall Street, to the gross immorality of Main Street, from sickness and disease, to heartache, pain, and death. The evidence and proof of sin in mankind is undeniable. But just try to imagine Earth without sin.
No death. Here in 2012 we could still talk to Adam, or go visit with Moses---how about have breakfast with Aristotle, or a quick lunch with Jefferson, Locke, or Newton. Try to imagine the wealth of knowledge that a person could accumulate with a life expectancy of, well, of eternal. And then imagine how much more knowledge and technology would flourish as all of that previous knowledge is being perfectly passed down and built upon by newer minds, with newer ideas and innovations.
Because of death, Isaac Newton never had the privilege of personally meeting with Einstein, and because of death, the possible discoveries and potentials of both of these great men will NEVER be realized. Imagine a world where the greatest minds of all of history could collaborate without the tragedy of at least one of the only two things said to be sure in this life.
No language barrier. Had there been no sin, then there would not have been the divine dividing of the languages at the famous Tower of Babel. There is no telling the amount of time and labor that goes into just attempting to bridge the language barrier that hinders business, technology, medicine, and politics. The benefits of a true global language are incalculable. Ideas, innovation, data, and concepts would move effortlessly and knowledge would only be aptly described as explosive.
No distraction. So much of our time is wrapped up chasing meaningless ventures, and much of the world devotes the majority of it's day seeking food and shelter. But in a world of no sin, Genesis records that man's every need was met with bounty. Hunger would be unknown, and the endless pursuit of the basic necessities of life would be the stuff of poor fiction. Without the constant need to barely meet the demands of body and community, the incredible intellectual capital of mankind would be best described as logarithmic.
No competition. In a world without sin, no one would be seeking to "get it before the other guy get's it." Instead of competition (driven by greed and pride) we would have collaboration. Instead of fighting each other, we would be working with each other to answer any challenge, and overcome any obstacle. Associated with this would be equitable and necessary utilization of resources (such as energy, metals, property) to best meet the needs of the enterprise.
Consider how many of the great minds throughout history who devoted most of their true genius to creating weapons of war. Even in the 20th century, the intellectual prowess of Europe was concentrated on bombs, aircraft, and the technology of mass death. Look how far we progressed in a short amount of time when the leading scientific minds in America came together in the space program mandate initiated by President Kennedy. Simultaneously, on the other side of the globe, the prodigies of the USSR were also pushing their own extra-terrestrial goals, in heavily shrouded and guarded secrecy.
In the past few hundred years, many of the greatest minds have been focused on two opposing goals---one group on weapons to kill, the other, on medicines to heal. Imagine all of those dreamers working together, for a common purpose.
Consider how many of the great minds throughout history who devoted most of their true genius to creating weapons of war. Even in the 20th century, the intellectual prowess of Europe was concentrated on bombs, aircraft, and the technology of mass death. Look how far we progressed in a short amount of time when the leading scientific minds in America came together in the space program mandate initiated by President Kennedy. Simultaneously, on the other side of the globe, the prodigies of the USSR were also pushing their own extra-terrestrial goals, in heavily shrouded and guarded secrecy.
In the past few hundred years, many of the greatest minds have been focused on two opposing goals---one group on weapons to kill, the other, on medicines to heal. Imagine all of those dreamers working together, for a common purpose.
No sickness. The amount of any nation's gross national product as well as government expenditure related to medical care is staggering. And not only the financial aspects of health issues, but the toll on people is incalculable. Add to that how much time and effort is spent by some of the brightest scientists in the world, who are working on discovering cures rather than discovering solutions to the great mysteries of the Universe about us. Consider even one man, Stephen Hawking, revered as the greatest living theoretical physicist, yet sadly debilitated by a cruel and progressive malady.
Think about this---mankind went from riding horses to walking on the Moon in less than 100 years, in that same time frame we went from interpersonal communication to international global communication. In less than 50 years we went from a slide rules to supercomputers. In less than a few years we went from exploratory surgery to non-invasive medical imaging, revealing every structure inside of a living being with the clarity of pure vision.
TRACES REMAIN
And all of this in a world where SIN has taken it's toll, where man has fallen, and lost much of his original potential and promise. Even in this sin-cursed world, where will we be (technology-wise) in the next 10 years, 50 years, 500 years? Surely FTL travel (Faster Than Light) will be possible. Surely we will gain the technology to make a hostile and uninhabitable planet habitable. As of now, we are almost able to make the incredible reality of cheap nuclear fusion energy----so where will we be energy-wise in the distant or even not-so-distant future?
Now, think back to a world without sin. Surely we would have achieved the level of technology where we are today, many thousands of years ago in the past. Without death, distraction, competition, or any language barriers inhibiting progress, mankind would have achieved 21st century knowledge many, many centuries before. Newton, Oppenheimer, Einstein, and all of the great mathematical and philosophical minds of ancient Greece would be able to collaborate.
It is not unrealistic to conjecture that we would have Faster Than Light travel, nuclear fusion, the ability to manipulate the laws of nature, to transform matter and energy into materials with properties hitherto unknown, to synthesize artificial life, in short, to have dominion over the "works of His hands."
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
The surface area of our amazing Earth is almost exactly 200 million square miles, of which, about 60 million square miles is land. For the sake of argument, let's assume that ratio was the same in the original creation. Granted, 60 million square miles is a tremendous amount of land, but it will only hold a finite number of people. Even granting a very generous plot of land of over one hundred square yards per person, this still yields an impressive figure of roughly 20 billion people that could be easily supported on the Earth.
But, in a sinless world of no death, no sickness, no infant mortality...we would, without divine intervention and control (which are entirely possible and practical) mankind would have "outgrown" this Earth in 5 or 6 thousand years, quite possibly.
Perhaps, early on, man would have devoted technological efforts to discover ways to inhabit the vast regions of the oceans, or to even build layers of civilization, stacked vertically (skyscrapers), which certainly would have increased the possible total supportable population, perhaps even doubling or even tripling it.
But, eventually, mankind would have run out of space.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Some would offer that we would have then built giant floating metropolises in space, enormous centers of culture, knowledge, art, and science. But even then, we still would need more room. The Moon would have been renovated, perhaps, and that would hold for awhile, but the need for more room would continue to come.
Man would eventually have to set out for the stars. Leaving the cozy and familiar home of this inhabited solar system, human population growth, matched with genius technological progress would, no doubt, lead us to take more and more dominion. Planet after planet, galaxy after galaxy, super cluster after super cluster would be visited and colonized by man.
According to Romans chapter 8, since man was given dominion over the entire Universe, when man sinned against God and fell, that the Creator cursed all of creation. Nothing in all the physical Universe apparently was left untouched by this blemish caused by our pride and rebellion. All that was supposed to be "under our feet" has, in some sense, turned hostile to us.
ATOM AND EVE
It is not too far of a theological stretch to imagine that a pre-sin Universe had habitable planets. The Creator's original plan was for us to have dominion over ALL of His physical creation. Even if there were not any habitable planets (outside of Earth), our technology would eventually reach the level of the "Genesis Device" of Star Trek fame...a contraption that could make the uninhabitable, habitable. We have done this to some degree on the Earth, surely futuristic technology would allow much, much more.
Since all elements, from Oxygen to Gold, from Hydrogen to Californium, all use the same ingredients of protons, neutrons, and electrons, the high-tech possibilities of elemental synthesis cannot be that far off, even now. The ability to make elements and then to design molecules would be passe in this sinless dominion. There would be no lack of perfect air to breathe, water to drink, or materials to build, as the secrets of atomic synthesis would be the stuff of elementary education (no pun intended).
DIGITAL DOMINION
It is estimated that we will have a computer than can match the reasoning power of the human mind within two decades. Imagine if we had reached that level about 500 years ago, or 1000 years ago...imagine where we would be now. Just as God created us in His image, we will soon be able to have our own creations that we will, undoubtedly, make in our image. Within 50 years it is estimated that we will have a supercomputer that will exceed the total processing power of the entire human race...now imagine that about 1000 years ago.
Scientists have observed, since about the 1920's, that the Universe is expanding, with all galaxies racing away from each other at apparently increasing speeds. As we consider the UDT (Universal Dominion Theory) this fits in perfectly, as the Universe would need to expand as the population would continue to grow throughout all eternity.
MAKING SENSE OUT OF BABEL
In Genesis 11, there is a familiar account, an account so familiar that we often race over it in our studies. Instead of parsing it, line by line, word by word, we read it like a story, catching merely the obvious surface gems. But there are better and richer treasures, just below the surface. Genesis 11 contains the account of the Tower of Babel. God had commanded mankind to spread out and fill the Earth after the flood, but, in our rebellion, man refused.
The scriptures record that the people, under a strong leader, decided to build a city and a tower---and it is interesting what the goal of that tower was (and perhaps what it represents). They said: "Let us build a tower whose top is in the Heavens..." Notice, inside of man is that lingering but degraded memory of our original intent and purpose. We had been given dominion by the Lord over the physical creation, the stars were put into our very hearts, so to speak, and the Tower of Babel is a physical manifestation of manifest destiny lost.
Then, it is equally interesting what the Lord says in response to man's industry. The Lord says: "“Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them."
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
The surface area of our amazing Earth is almost exactly 200 million square miles, of which, about 60 million square miles is land. For the sake of argument, let's assume that ratio was the same in the original creation. Granted, 60 million square miles is a tremendous amount of land, but it will only hold a finite number of people. Even granting a very generous plot of land of over one hundred square yards per person, this still yields an impressive figure of roughly 20 billion people that could be easily supported on the Earth.
But, in a sinless world of no death, no sickness, no infant mortality...we would, without divine intervention and control (which are entirely possible and practical) mankind would have "outgrown" this Earth in 5 or 6 thousand years, quite possibly.
Perhaps, early on, man would have devoted technological efforts to discover ways to inhabit the vast regions of the oceans, or to even build layers of civilization, stacked vertically (skyscrapers), which certainly would have increased the possible total supportable population, perhaps even doubling or even tripling it.
But, eventually, mankind would have run out of space.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Some would offer that we would have then built giant floating metropolises in space, enormous centers of culture, knowledge, art, and science. But even then, we still would need more room. The Moon would have been renovated, perhaps, and that would hold for awhile, but the need for more room would continue to come.
Man would eventually have to set out for the stars. Leaving the cozy and familiar home of this inhabited solar system, human population growth, matched with genius technological progress would, no doubt, lead us to take more and more dominion. Planet after planet, galaxy after galaxy, super cluster after super cluster would be visited and colonized by man.
According to Romans chapter 8, since man was given dominion over the entire Universe, when man sinned against God and fell, that the Creator cursed all of creation. Nothing in all the physical Universe apparently was left untouched by this blemish caused by our pride and rebellion. All that was supposed to be "under our feet" has, in some sense, turned hostile to us.
ATOM AND EVE
It is not too far of a theological stretch to imagine that a pre-sin Universe had habitable planets. The Creator's original plan was for us to have dominion over ALL of His physical creation. Even if there were not any habitable planets (outside of Earth), our technology would eventually reach the level of the "Genesis Device" of Star Trek fame...a contraption that could make the uninhabitable, habitable. We have done this to some degree on the Earth, surely futuristic technology would allow much, much more.
Since all elements, from Oxygen to Gold, from Hydrogen to Californium, all use the same ingredients of protons, neutrons, and electrons, the high-tech possibilities of elemental synthesis cannot be that far off, even now. The ability to make elements and then to design molecules would be passe in this sinless dominion. There would be no lack of perfect air to breathe, water to drink, or materials to build, as the secrets of atomic synthesis would be the stuff of elementary education (no pun intended).
DIGITAL DOMINION
It is estimated that we will have a computer than can match the reasoning power of the human mind within two decades. Imagine if we had reached that level about 500 years ago, or 1000 years ago...imagine where we would be now. Just as God created us in His image, we will soon be able to have our own creations that we will, undoubtedly, make in our image. Within 50 years it is estimated that we will have a supercomputer that will exceed the total processing power of the entire human race...now imagine that about 1000 years ago.
Scientists have observed, since about the 1920's, that the Universe is expanding, with all galaxies racing away from each other at apparently increasing speeds. As we consider the UDT (Universal Dominion Theory) this fits in perfectly, as the Universe would need to expand as the population would continue to grow throughout all eternity.
MAKING SENSE OUT OF BABEL
In Genesis 11, there is a familiar account, an account so familiar that we often race over it in our studies. Instead of parsing it, line by line, word by word, we read it like a story, catching merely the obvious surface gems. But there are better and richer treasures, just below the surface. Genesis 11 contains the account of the Tower of Babel. God had commanded mankind to spread out and fill the Earth after the flood, but, in our rebellion, man refused.
The scriptures record that the people, under a strong leader, decided to build a city and a tower---and it is interesting what the goal of that tower was (and perhaps what it represents). They said: "Let us build a tower whose top is in the Heavens..." Notice, inside of man is that lingering but degraded memory of our original intent and purpose. We had been given dominion by the Lord over the physical creation, the stars were put into our very hearts, so to speak, and the Tower of Babel is a physical manifestation of manifest destiny lost.
Then, it is equally interesting what the Lord says in response to man's industry. The Lord says: "“Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them."
THE BEST IS YET TO COME
Amazing. God has told us that nothing that we propose to do (in this physical Universe) will be impossible, more or less. Even in our sinful state, the image of God we all bear still maintains tremendous promise and potential. To slow down our rebellious progress, the Lord divided the languages, which quickly divided mankind, which soon divided into nations across the divided continents.
As we look up at night into the near infinitude of the borderless lands of the cosmos, our hearts long for that final frontier. Those inexplicable emotions are but whispers, even echoes perhaps, of a time and possibilities forgotten, and of galactic paradise lost.
But, the journey may well begin again, one day, as we read in the scriptures of that time when the Lord creates "the New Heavens, and the New Earth." Now that's really something to think about.
