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Our Incredible World
Introduction:
Dr. Jason Lisle wrote: “When the Voyager I spacecraft
reached the edge of our solar system in 1990, it turned its
camera around and photographed Earth. From such a
tremendous distance, the Earth appears as a tiny
bluish-white grain of sand lost in an ocean of black. This
famous image of Earth is named the Pale Blue Dot. From a
secular perspective, that is all Earth is – a tiny bit of
rock and water in a vast and meaningless universe of
chance. But in the Christian worldview, this pale blue dot
is the most important planet in the universe.
We will now look at a few of
the incredible designs we see in our world, so that life can
exist.
Body:
I.
The Milky Way Galaxy
·
Our planet Earth is
located in the Milky Way galaxy. If the galaxy were larger
or smaller, life could not exist within it.
·
If our galaxy were
of a different type [different shape], life could not exist.
·
Our galaxy is
located at the right spot for life to exist.
·
If the sun was
closer or farther away from the center of the Milky Way,
life could not exist. We see incredible design in our
galaxy. (Psalm
19:1-6, Psalm 148:3-6)
II.
The Earth (Psalm
24:1-2)
·
The Earth has a
large natural satellite – the moon. It is over ¼ the size
of Earth in diameter. No other planet has a moon this large
in proportion to the size of the planet. The moon aids life
on Earth by causing tides. Tides are important because they
keep the oceans from becoming stagnant and they also help
clean the shorelines. It also provides light at night. (Genesis
1:16)
·
Over 70% of the
Earth’s surface is covered with water. Water is essential
for all known life forms. No other known planet has this
abundance of water. The Earth orbits the sun at just the
right distance to have liquid water. If closer to the sun,
it would have all vaporized because Earth would be too hot.
If further away from the sun, water would have turned to
ice. It revolves around the sun at just the right distance.
·
The Earth’s
atmosphere has a protective layer of ozone that partially
blocks ultraviolet radiation. This radiation can be very
damaging to human tissue. But some UV radiation is
necessary for life. Earth also has a strong magnetic field
that deflects harmful solar and stellar radiation [Van Allen
radiation shield]. But if the magnetic field was too
strong, the electromagnetic storms would be too severe.
·
The Earth is tilted
on its axis at an angle of about 23½ degrees. This is
important, because it accounts for the different seasons.
If the Earth were tilted less, there would be a much smaller
habitable area. If tilted more, the plant-growing seasons
would be greatly reduced. Also, if The Earth’s rotation
period [now about 24 hours] was longer, the temperature
extremes would be too great for life. If shorter, winds of
500 mph would be common.
Conclusion:
We have seen that the Earth is
uniquely designed for life. Secular scientists have written
in the book Rare Earth that all of this was
due to “good luck and chance.” God chose to spend five of
the six days of creation working on the Earth, making it
just right. Our planet is the one God chose to send His son
in human form to die for us and to then be raised. This
truly is an incredible world!
Bobby
Stafford
November 10, 2013
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