Understanding the Question

What we really mean when we ask that question is, is there any evidence that intelligent living creatures similar to ourselves, are at present alive on any other planets in the universe,

The outright answer to the question is no, but what we can discuss is the likelihood of there being living creatures similar to ourselves on other planets.

Popular Ideas

Some persons argue that the universe is so vast, that surely there must be other planets like our own planet in the universe. This argument is like an ant on an ink-blot assuming that the whole carpet is blue because the ink-blot is blue. There is no evidence to support this claim but it must be admitted that the possibility does exist. But it is the next assumption that produces the problem. It is assumed that if a planet exists similar to our own then there must be living creatures resident on it.

Most Ideas Based on the Evolutions Theory

This is an evolutionary assumption. It is assumed that if the right conditions exist, life will appear spontaneously and evolve upwards. There is no evidence to support this belief, nevertheless it is such a fervent belief on the part of evolutionists that they are spending millions of dollars using radio telescopes in an attempt to make contact with intelligent creatures that they believe exist.

One of the problems with the evolutionary approach is that, because they believe that life must naturally appear under the right conditions, they are inclined to accept that if they find any of the chemistry associated with life then this proves that life exists at that place. This is easily shown to be false.

At present all living creatures are subject to death. When a creature dies all the chemistry is there but the life is gone. What they need to know is what the life force is, and what happened to it when the creature died. I say that because they assume that if the chemistry of life is there then life will automatically appear. So why did it disappear when all the chemistry was already present.

The Better Approach

A better approach would be to combine Bible Knowledge with Scientific knowledge.

Scientists tell us that our universe is expanding. The light from the stars and galaxies can be broken down into the colors of the rainbow by passing them through a prism. The different colors identify the different frequencies of the light. A shift to the red end in the spectrum indicates that the light source is moving away from the observer’s position. From this it is known that the universe is expanding.

The result of these investigations is the Big Bang theory. This theory assumes that sometime in the distant past the universe was compressed into a dot and exploded. These new cosmological theories are all based on the fact of the expansion of the universe, but this is a far as science can go. The principle of cause and effect demands that there has to be first cause. That is why we can confidently assert that science has proved the existence of God. There are also other supporting factors to consider.

Stars are huge atomic furnaces that at present are turning matter into energy. If the universe was eternal then the stars would have consumed all the material in the universe and the universe would be dead. To understand this principle we can use the illustration of the bucket with a hole in it.

If you arrive at a deserted place in the desert and find a bucket with a hole in it standing on a drum with water pouring out of the hole, this tells us something. Someone must have filled the bucket recently. An empty bucket would prove nothing but the fact that the water was still running out of the bucket proves that the process had a beginning. Likewise the fact that the process of turning matter into energy is at present ongoing, proves that the process had a beginning. If it was eternal then all the matter would have been consumed and the universe would be dead. Nor only that, but just as in our illustration of the bucket with a hole in it, we assumed that someone filled the bucket, so we must assume that someone must have created the original matter that comprised the universe . As the creation of the universe, required a decision it could only have been accomplihsed by an inteligent being.

Now once we have God in the picture we need to take his purposes into account. And this we can only find from the Bible.

The Harmlony of Science with the Bible

In this way science harmonizes with the Bible. The Bible indicates that the earth is special. God designed it with all the necessary means to provide for living creatures to live full and happy lives. Likewise science shows that the earth is very special when we consider what is really necessary for intelligent life to exist. Illustria Media have produced a dvd known as the “the privileged planet” and the Watchtower Society has produced a dvd entitled “The wonders of creation revealed.” These dvds show that God created the planet earth for a special purpose so that earth’s life forms would not only live but they would enjoy life on earth and have plenty of opportunity for research.

Now if it is God’s purpose to have intelligent life elsewhere in the universe then there is no doubt that there must be similar planets elsewhere in the universe, because it is scientifically known that the necessary specifications for life relate to our planet earth, However we would have to know God’s purpose in this regard to make a positive statement. What we need to do is to consider what God’s purposes are with regard to our earth and the life on it to as to arrive at a more accurate assessment.

God’s Purpose for Earth

When God created the earth and out man upon it he stated specifically what is purpose for mankind was to be.

(Genesis 1:26) . . .And God went on to say: “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and the domestic animals and all the earth and every moving animal that is moving upon the earth.. . .

(Genesis 1:27-31) . . .And God proceeded to create the man in his image, in God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. ²⁸ Further, God blessed them and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.” ²⁹ And God went on to say: “Here I have given to YOU all vegetation bearing seed which is on the surface of the whole earth and every tree on which there is the fruit of a tree bearing seed. To YOU let it serve as food. ³⁰ And to every wild beast of the earth and to every flying creature of the heavens and to everything moving upon the earth in which there is life as a soul I have given all green vegetation for food.” And it came to be so. ³¹ After that God saw everything he had made and, look! [it was] very good. And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, a sixth day.

According to the foregoing scripture God created man capable of reflecting God’s qualities. These were to be exercised in the same way that God runs the universe. So in a sense man was appointed as a caretaker of the earth and its resources.

After creating the man and explaining what his responsibilities were, God planted a garden and put the man into it. This gave the man a good start.

(Genesis 2:7-9) . . .And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul. ⁸ Further, Jehovah God planted a garden in E´den, toward the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹ Thus Jehovah God made to grow out of the ground every tree desirable to one’s sight and good for food and also the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.

The Bible writer writing after the event notes that God also put the tree of life and tree of knowledge of good and bad in the garden. As such both trees were symbolic and only to be eaten subject to God’s approval, This shows that man was not immortal, but was dependent on God’s provisions.

(Genesis 2:15-17) . . .And Jehovah God proceeded to take the man and settle him in the garden of E´den to cultivate it and to take care of it. ¹⁶ And Jehovah God also laid this command upon the man: “From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. ¹⁷ But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.”

We should not conclude that because Jehovah mentioned that they could eat from every tree that this included the tree of life. This is made sure because Jehovah prevented them from eating its fruitage after they sinned. The events in the scriptures do not necessarily appear to have been chronologically arranged.

When Jehovah created the woman we see that she was made from a part of man’s physical body. This ensures that the entire human race came from Adam/s body, and also that both the man and the woman had the same DNA. This meant that the entire human race came from Adam’s DNA.

(Genesis 2:18) . . .And Jehovah God went on to say: “It is not good for the man to continue by himself. I am going to make a helper for him, as a complement of him.. . .

(Genesis 2:21-22) . . .Hence Jehovah God had a deep sleep fall upon the man and, while he was sleeping, he took one of his ribs and then closed up the flesh over its place. ²² And Jehovah God proceeded to build the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman and to bring her to the man.

Genesis 2:23) . . .Then the man said: “This is at last bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh. This one will be called Woman, Because from man this one was taken. . .

Rebellion Arises

The Bible shows that rebellion broke out at this time in the universe. The rebellion was started by a rebellious spirit son that God named Satan, which means adversary and Devil, which means slanderer. The book of Revelation at chapter 12: 9 identifies the serpent as Satan the Devil. The account shows us first hand how this wicked spirit son rebelled against his father by accusing God of lying and selfishly withholding information from Adam and Eve that could have benefited them.

(Genesis 3:1-5) . . .Now the serpent proved to be the most cautious of all the wild beasts of the field that Jehovah God had made. So it began to say to the woman: “Is it really so that God said YOU must not eat from every tree of the garden?” ² At this the woman said to the serpent: “Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat. ³ But as for [eating] of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘YOU must not eat from it, no, YOU must not touch it that YOU do not die.’” ⁴ At this the serpent said to the woman: “YOU positively will not die. ⁵ For God knows that in the very day of YOUR eating from it YOUR eyes are bound to be opened and YOU are bound to be like God, KNOWING good and bad.”

The point to remember is that when God warned Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge pf good and bad, Adam knew what was good and bad. So the tree represented God’s right to decide for us what was good and bad. Certainly God was not going to maintain any creature indefinitely if that creature would not accept God’s right to decide what was good and bad for them.

Adam knew and understood what that meant.

According to the principals of headship that God had instituted the woman had no right to run ahead and not consult her husband on an important matter like this

(1 Timothy 2:11-14) . . .Let a woman learn in silence with full submissiveness. ¹² I do not permit a woman to teach, or to exercise authority over a man, but to be in silence. ¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve. ¹⁴ Also, Adam was not deceived, but the woman was thoroughly deceived and came to be in transgression.

(Genesis 3:6-7) . . .Consequently the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was something to be longed for to the eyes, yes, the tree was desirable to look upon. So she began taking of its fruit and eating it. Afterward she gave some also to her husband when with her and he began eating it. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them became opened and they began to realize that they were naked. Hence they sewed fig leaves together and made loin coverings for themselves. . .

In what way were their eyes opened? By their personal experience of sin. It brought a new enlightenment regarding their bodies. They were ashamed of their private parts that would be the instruments of procreation and now could only produce imperfect sinful creatures like themselves. Guilt and shame were not the kind of emotions that perfect humans had been designed to experience. As far as God was concerned they could no longer be trusted and so he expelled them to go their own way. They had chosen independence from God’s ways in favor of dependence on Satan’s ways. They had chosen another God for themselves. God permitted this because he intended proving to the entire universe both spiritual and material that only his way could work out to the ultimate happiness of his subjects. This would lay down a legal precedent so that any future rebellion in the universe need not be tolerated. From now on, humans would blunder about as they tried to follow a course that would lead to happiness. They would only have their own inclinations and Satan’s direction and God knew that this would all lead to failure. The history of mankind has shown that God was right.

(Genesis 3:22-24) . . .And Jehovah God went on to say: “Here the man has become like one of us in knowing good and bad, and now in order that he may not put his hand out and actually take [fruit] also from the tree of life and eat and live to time indefinite,—” ²³ With that Jehovah God put him out of the garden of E´den to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. ²⁴ And so he drove the man out and posted at the east of the garden of E´den the cherubs and the flaming blade of a sword that was turning itself continually to guard the way to the tree of life.

The Reasonable View

Now this account had to be taken into account if we consider the subject as to whether there is intelligent life on other planets. Without being dogmatic it seems that the creation of earth and life on earth appears to be the beginning of God’s creative activity as to the creation of material life.

This is a reasonable assumption because God proceeded in a logical sequence with his creation of the universe, earth and its subsequent progress to supporting life. Therefore it is also logical to understand that if he had created life on the other planets the very same issue of rebellion could have also arisen there.  Surely it was better, to first deal with the earth and settle whatever issues arose here, thus providing a legal precedent for handling any rebellion that might occur if he decided to create life on other planets. Furthermore, it is also possible that he might choose to use humans to progressively populate any other planets under his guidance. So we have all these possibilities but we still do not know what he actually intends doing because his word has concentrated exclusively on his purposes to have this earth a paradise with perfect humans living in happiness on it.

So our answer to the question of whether there is intelligent life on other planets is simply this.

Because of the foregoing it seems most likely that at the present time, life does not exist on other planets. However we can not be dogmatic about this, but if we are going to let God decide what is good and bad for us it may be wisest to wait for him to accomplish his purposes for the earth. It maybe at that stage he may reveal to us his purposes for any inhabitable planets that may exist in the billions of galaxies that form the universe.

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