FCP-09-THE UNIVERSE.

THE UNIVERSE.

Today, with the aid of satellites, complex telescopes on the earth and in space, together with space probes and incredible technology, we have seen much of our galaxy, walked on the surface of the moon, photographed and even examined the surface of Mars and each day it seems we have almost endless opportunity to learn more and more each day about the immensity and wonder of the universe of which we are a part but, the danger is that, when one considers how apparently insignificant our tiny planet, the earth is, one is apt to question the meaning of it all, lose faith and wonder how God could possibly be interested in this tiny speck of matter.

However being one of many, like yourself, who cannot rest without some satisfactory answer to this question, I sought to learn as much I as could about this immense system which every day opens up new and fascinating avenues for man to explore. The enormous size of some of our neighboring planets alone is enough to stagger the imagination. The Sun, 1,300,000 times larger than our earth.

Arcturus, a super-giant, 25,000 times greater than the Sun. And at distances away from us which have to be calculated in light years to comprehend them at all and it is almost beyond us to understand the speeds at which the light from them travel. But what I wish to draw your attention to is this.

It is widely acknowledged that this multitude of mathematical combinations point to a planned planet which has, besides this, thousands of contributing factors built into it to maintain life, as we know it for, without them in and around the earth, life upon it would be impossible, but, God is a perfect mathematician.

Around the earth is a filter, called the ozone, the piercing of which some years ago caused consternation among us all. Science has no scientific explanation how it came to be there but they do know that this alone protects all life on earth from the harmful rays from space.

One of the great unsolved mysteries of the earth and the universe is the mystery of gravitation. All the stars, planets, and satellites are accurately balanced between two laws, gravity and inertia, and just how these two mighty but unseen forces can act across vast distances remains a complete mystery.

Both the Bible and Science tell us that the earth was once covered by water before Creation, Genesis 1:9 and it is estimated that, if the land were leveled over the whole earth, the water would cover it to a depth of one and a half miles or almost 3 Kilometers. But it is only the fact that this tremendous amount of water is here that makes life possible, not only because of the teeming life within it, but because it generates rain, influences our climate, and our weather and contains the vital elements of our atmosphere also.

Each year earth makes a journey of almost 600 million miles around the Sun.

Saturn, the planet with the spectacular rings which the space probe examined and moved through some years ago has nine moons, one travelling in the opposite direction to the others.

Uranus has five moons all revolving backwards.

Neptune two moons, which circle it in opposite directions.

Strangest of all. Jupiter which has twelve moons, because Numbers 8, 9, 11, , 12 travel backwards, and all the others forward.

Science has no positive answers to why this is so.

It is generally agreed among astronomers that the only planet in our solar system which has the remotest possibility of life, (that is true animal or vegetable life), is Mars and that is most unlikely because of the lack of oxygen and both extreme heat and extreme cold. The earth is 93,000,000 miles from the sun and Mars even further at 142,000,000 miles and when Mars was closest to the earth, continuous observation led the Director of the McDonald Observatory, Dr. Gerard P. Kuiper to report, "Human life on Mars is entirely out of the question, because of extreme cold and lack of oxygen." The fact, cannot be over emphasized, that all the vital elements of life in accurate portions combine to make life on earth, not only possible, but prolific. The enormous quantity of water and the oxygen, both absolutely essential for life, appear to be unique to earth and, apart from design for a purpose, there is no reason for:--

These are a few facts for which science has no explanation. And ... Did the Atom just happen?

Just as the most powerful of telescopes probing into the infinities of space reveal wonders beyond description, so too does the electron microscope open up a world of teeming millions of living things, minute beyond human conception, and reveal worlds beyond our imagination. The term, ’miniature solar system,’ well describes the Atom and, as we journey into this intricate and finely balanced ’power house’ we find the seal of God is surely revealed to us again.

More and more is being discovered about atoms, almost daily of course but, for us, the atom is an immense system of cohesive forces of tremendous, energy, pent-up as though waiting to be released, and so powerful is this energy that it is estimated that the atoms in just one kilogram of matter contain enough power to run all the generating plants in the USA for a month or more.

All matter is made up of atoms, approximately one three hundred million of an inch in diameter, yet within this minute space is a whirling ’solar system’. The central nucleus is about 10,000 times smaller still! The electrons revolve about the nucleus and the nucleus and the electrons hold together because of the electrical attraction between them.

Electrons emerge from matter under special conditions and have a definite mass of their own.

They also have a negative electric charge, a magnetic moment, and an intrinsic rotary motion, (spin), and all electrons are the same, no matter where they come from. No one has ever subdivided an electron or obtained an electric charge smaller than on one electron and this electronic charge is therefore used as the basic unit of charge in atomic physics. The nucleus consists of two types of ’fundamental particles’. the positive charged proton and the electrically neutral neutron and these two are nearly equal in mass, (about 1,800 times that of an electron), and they also have magnetic moment and ’spin’. The proton charge is equal to the electron charge but opposite in sign. The potential in this system is almost beyond comprehension and this is but an introduction to the mighty atom!

It is an interesting fact that, in the seventeenth century, it was almost universally accepted by all scientists that all Creation was the work of a Supreme Being and their greatest joy was in searching out the marvels of Creation and, with the coming of the telescope and microscope, this view was strengthened and firmly held by that great scientist, Sir Isaac Newton. It waned somewhat in the eighteenth century but by the nineteenth it became more established than ever. The Royal Society of London stood firm on this foundation and great men of science reveled in seeking out design in Creation until the middle of the nineteenth Century when a set-back occurred largely through religious fanatics. This opened the way for men like Darwin, Haeckel, Huxley, and others who delighted in the opposite view and their publications, which replaced Creation with ’blind chance’, was almost universally accepted and has been undoubtedly one of the greatest barriers to the acceptance of the Christian Faith.

It is undeniably true that the increase in knowledge over the past century has surpassed man’s wildest dreams but how many realize that this, in itself, is a fulfillment of prophecy?

Daniel 12:4 has this reference to the times we live in.

’Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased.’

Two outstanding things of our day. How sad for wisdom has, in turn decreased.

However, even this is a fulfillment of prophecy. One which speaks of the ’last days’, as one can read in the Word of God.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 has this. ’This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.’