A group of Christian students took a field trip to visit a star lab. The school district’s director of science had set up the lab. It was a large bubble that the students could crawl into, and a series of lighted cylinders projected the stars of the Northern Hemisphere onto the ceiling of the bubble.
Before the students crawled inside, the science director explained why the study of the stars is so interesting. He explained: “The sheer size of the universe fascinates us. Our galaxy alone contains billions of stars, and scientists think there are billions of galaxies with countless billions of stars in each one.”
The Christians smiled at each other upon hearing those astonishing numbers. Later one said, “Isn’t there a verse that says that God calls all the stars by name?”
“Yes,” the others agreed, “and the Bible simply says, ‘He made the stars also,’ as though it was no great thing for God to make so many billions of stars!”
The science director continued, “Of course, one of the most fascinating parts about astronomy is the subject of extraterrestrial beings. The possibilities of life being somewhere out there are so high that we know there must be life there.”
And then he made a surprising statement: “You have to laugh at science fiction films because they have extraterrestrial beings coming to little old ladies or children. We know if there are any out there, they will appear to someone important.”
Some of the Christians in the room were almost bursting by this time. How they would have liked to interrupt this man to tell him that, yes, there is indeed “Life” beyond this earth! In contrast to those who are searching the vast regions of outer space, we know that the source of life itself is in heaven and it is God. He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to earth! Jesus told us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)). He came all the way from God’s home in heaven to this world.
And, sir, they were thinking, He did appear to a little old lady! Her name was Anna and she was 84 years old! She saw the Lord Jesus as He was brought into the temple as a tiny baby, and then she went out and told others that the Redeemer had come!
And children? Did He come to them too? You know He did! He even took infants up in His arms and blessed them.
What about the important men of those days? Jesus did not appear to Augustus Caesar, nor did He come to the governor, Pontius Pilate, or to King Herod. God did send an angel to tell some poor shepherds who were staying by their flocks during the night. But He did not send angels to the kings or governors of this world. The Lord Jesus Himself said, “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Matthew 11:2525At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. (Matthew 11:25)).
The science director also talked about those creatures he is expecting to find. “We hope those aliens will communicate with us.” Many other scientists have said similar things. The United States has spent billions of dollars on various space expeditions to search for life in the universe. Some say they hope that this life, when they find it, will be able to help with earth’s problems.
But this “Life” has already communicated to us by His Word, the Bible. He has told us all that we need to know about the beginning of the world, about the end of the world, and all the problems in between. The Bible, God’s communication to us, says that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)).
The science director finished his comments by saying, “We know that in a billion years it will be impossible for there to be life on earth. We don’t know where people will have gone, but they won’t be here.”
And it won’t be for just a few billion years! “So shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Where will you be?
ML-08/20/1995