2001-10-30 - Martians

Jeremiah 33:22 As the host of heaven cannot be counted, and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.

On October 30, 1938, 63 years ago today, Orson Wells gave a radio performance of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, which caused panic all around the country. His performance was so convincing that listeners actually believed that we were being invaded from Mars. It is still one of the most profound moments in radio history.

There are lots of various views on whether there is life on other planets. I can't say one way or the other because I can't find, in the Bible, much discussion about the topic. It is fine to speculate, but speculation is about all we can do in this area. We do know some things about heaven, however.

We know that Christ descended from Heaven to come for His earthly ministry, John 3:13. Christ has now ascended back to Heaven, Hebrews 9:11, 12, Ephesians 1:20. We know that the Christian's true home is Heaven, Philippians 3:20. It appears from Luke 15:7 that those who have left earth and gone to Heaven actually have an interest in what goes on here on earth. "I tell you that in the same way, there will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." Lastly, we know that heaven and earth will pass away and be replaced by a new heaven and a new earth, 2 Peter 3:13. A great book on heaven is Richard Baxter's The Saints' Everlasting Rest.

In regard to whether there is life on other planets, we do know some about the angelic hosts that exist in heaven. We know that there are angels and at least four archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. We know of the Cherubim and Seraphim. There are so many references to angels throughout Scripture that it would be beyond the scope here to compose a list. We see in the shepherds experience in Luke 2:8-20, that there was host of angels, which they saw. It is even implied in Psalm 34:7 that there are angels that protect particular people, "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them."

There is much more that could be said, but let it suffice that there clearly is life outside of earth. This does not mean little green men or some, "Third Rock From the Sun," concept that there are aliens living among us. Scripture talks about heavenly beings that are glorious, not cultures of aliens on Jupiter, Saturn, or Mars. However, Scripture does not seem to exclude the possibility of this either. It is simply silent on the topic.

We need to be so careful not to get caught up in earthiness. There is so much more out there that is greater and better. "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." James 4:14 It is sometimes enjoyable to speculate on what is out there, but this is not our focus here. Even if Martians were to come down this evening, our task would still be to live for Christ and serve Him faithfully. May God give us grace to continue today to strive towards the goal of holiness before God.

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

tim@cfdevotionals.org
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