Transcript hopepurposedestiny

hope, purpose,
& destiny
presented by mark ritter
based on a true story by hugh ross
intro
• science in the hands of
Men Without God can
be wielded like a
Hammer of Despair
• science as a tool in
the hands of godly
men can build a
House of Hope
2
a brief history
old geocentric pic
• since time
immemorial, western
man has seen his
world as the center
of everything
• no enviable position,
though, being at the
bottom of the
universe
• never the less, it did
seem that we were
there, unmoved, at
the center
3
• over 400 years ago
Nicolaus
Copernicus revived
an ancient Greek idea
that the sun - not
Earth - was at the
center of it all
• led, illogically, to a
worldview that maybe
we weren’t so special
after all
4
galaxy cluster
• in the last century it
was discovered that
not even the sun was
central; we all were off
in some corner of just
one galaxy of billions
• for some, this shoved
us - philosophically-
further from any
special status at
all
5
whatever.
• a Mediocrity Principle
developed which asserted
man is not special in any way
and resides in no place
unique
• human-like origin and
development has likely been
duplicated billions of other
places…
6
• meanwhile others elsewhere were
painting quite a different picture …
7
evidence for
things unseen
• in the past 40+ years
another view has
emerged of the cosmos
and our place in it
davinci man pic
• called the anthropic
principle, it asserts
that the universe
appears designed for
the sake of human life!
8
• taking the last hundred+ years of astro &
physics & bio research, adherents to the AP
say that for humans and our civilization to
even exist requires the planet, the
solar system, the galaxy - the
universe! - to behave, perfectly, and
in unison!
9
• i.e. a preponderance of physical
evidence points to humanity
as the central theme of
the cosmos!
• not in a pride-filled way, but a
very humbling one
• any evidence? boy howdy!
• the following are just a dozen+ of
a hundred+…
10
• the ultrathin
outer layer
of our planet
- the crust is just the
perfect
thickness…
• any thicker, it
doesn’t move,
and we end up
with no
continents, just
oceans
• any thinner, we
have continuous
destructive
earthquakes and
volcanic activity 12
• our mass is just enough to keep this
thin layer of gases above us.
• any more mass ( more gravity)
means a heavier, more destructive
atmosphere with more deadly gases
staying here
• less mass (less gravity)
and we can’t hold onto oxygen and
other life-support gases
• our atmosphere is 20% oxygen
• any less?
humans aren’t here
• any more?
everything burns a
lot faster, and our
bodies age quicker
14
• the thin invisible ozone layer
keeps us alive by absorbing
nasty radiation from space
• less ozone
and we roast in uv light
from the sun
• any more
and we don’t get
enough of the sun’s
life-giving energy
through to the
surface
• carbon dioxide in our atmosphere
acts like a blanket and keeps us warm
• any less,
we freeze,
plants choke
• any more,
we fry in a
runaway
greenhouse
effect
• lightning strikes once a second
on this planet
• more often?
too many fires
• less often?
not enough
nitrogen would
get “fixed”
into a form
useful
for life
• the Moon has slowed us,
kept us steady,
given us tides,
stabilized our orbit
• without it,
life could
not exist
• its whole creation story
is a thing of amazing
wonder in itself…
creation of moon
• very early on a Marssized planet struck
“Earth1” at exactly the
right angle and velocity to
shear off our crust, give
us a thicker core and
more radioactive material,
and provide us with a lifesustaining Moon
19
Venus, closer to the sun, has...
an atmosphere so heavy with
carbon dioxide it’s like being
under a kilometer of water
a surface temp around 900°F
a cloud cover of sulfuric acid
no water
not a shopping mall in sight
• Mars, smaller & farther out,
has almost no atmosphere or plate
tectonics, and its water reservoirs
are essentially frozen, so there is
no life-giving water cycle
• Jupiter and Saturn are at the
perfect distance to:
leave our sensitive orbit alone, but
protect us from nasty, earthbound
comets and asteroids...
• our sun is the perfect
age,
mass,
brightness,
& generation
for life
• anything else, we’re not
here
23
• the faint sun paradox says that
through an amazingly complex list of
“coincidences,” the sun increased in
luminosity at the same rate the
greenhouse gases were removed
from our atmosphere so Earth could
maintain a life-friendly constant temp
for 4 billion years
24
• our sun is a bachelor, a single star.
most stars have at least one other
companion.
• of course, having no star
means a bad day, but…
• if the sun had a buddy,
our orbit would destabilize
and we would not be here.
• our sun wasn’t born in a cluster, near
other big and destructive
stars like these four here in the Orion
Nebula, the Trapezium Cluster
26
• this bright star in the Trapezium is
clearing away planet-making material
from its siblings
• no planet-making material,
no planets.
• no planets, no TV.
• no TV, no life.
27
• as to the stellar explosions
called supernovae:
• closer to us?
life is exterminated
• farther?
not enough local
planet-building debris
• more frequent?
life goes away
• more infrequent?
no planets
• we live on the only street in our galaxy
which allows life, about 2/3 out...
• closer to the nucleus,
we get supernovaed,
radiated to death,
and thrown out of
a stable orbit
by other stars
• farther,
no planet-building material
• we live in the perfect type of
galaxy for life, too, - the spiral.
30
• and on and on and on…
• the more astronomers learn about the
universe and the requirements of our
existence, the more severe the
limitations they find governing the
structure and development of the
universe to accommodate those
requirements
31
the obvious conclusion
• as early as the 1980s,
physicists like Paul
Davies concluded
“evidence for design
of the universe and of
earth for human life
could rightly be
described as
overwhelming”
32
• Copernicus was right - sorta
• we are not at the center of
anything but that’s part of
what makes us special
• our unique position exactly
right here right now is
miraculous
• we are special…
to Someone
33
the plot thickens
• Brandon Carter,
a British
mathematician,
presented a
unique inequity -
the anthropic
principle
inequality…
34
the plot thickens
• Brandon Carter,
a British
mathematician,
presented a
unique inequity -
the anthropic
principle
inequality…
35
• the universe spends ~14 billion years
“preparing” itself for humans who can
survive no more than a couple million
years at best!
• and not just humans here on Earth any conceivable intelligent life
anywhere in the universe!
36
slow motion instant replay analysis
• ~10 Gy to form stable planetary
system just to support primitive life
• ~4 Gy more just to fashion a planet in
that system richly layered in
biodeposits for civilized intelligent life
• but! these perfect conditions that took
so long to form and work together so
unbelievably well will soon vanish!…
37
• doomsday
events:
• the Sun
brightening
• days getting
longer
• tectonics
slowing
• atmosphere
changing,
and!…
38
• probable
supernova
• climatic flip flops
• socio/environmental
upheaval
• accumulating
genetic mutations
• bottom line: we’re
doomed
39
• some thought we could escape these
phenomena by escaping Earth
altogether, taking a sample of human
civilization with us
• but now even their hopes have been
dashed…
40
e x p a n d i n g worries
• one of the parameters of the AP says
the universe is expanding at exactly
(I mean exactly) the perfect rate
• any faster - no life
any slower - no life
• but the universe appears to be
expanding quicker and quicker it’s accelerating!
• so what? so this…
• astrophysicists
Lawrence Krauss
and Glenn Starkman
analyzed
consequences of an
accelerating
expanding universe
• and saw what they
think is bathwater
with our baby…
42
5 cosmic dooms!
• with accelerating expansion they
predict these fabulous prizes!…
 our cosmic window shrinks!
 star formation ceases!
 heat flow diminishes!
 metabolism ceases!
 physical consciousness ends!!!
43
the humanist manifesto
• but their paper betrays their humancentric hopelessness by placing us
in an existence
1) limited to this universe and
2) without God
• seeing life as doomed, they write…
44
…ultimately we will need to
abandon our bodies entirely.
45
We still have many billions of
years to design new physical
incarnations to which we will
transfer our conscious selves.
46
A point would come when organisms
would be… forced to reduce complexity
- to dumb down. Before long, they
could no longer be regarded as
intelligent.”
47
Is there any hope for
eternal life?
48
Eternity would become a prison,
rather than an endlessly receding
horizon of creativity and
exploration.
49
• is this what it’s
come to? despite
all the AP
evidence for
design, is life
just doomed?
• is the end of the universe
the end of us?
50
• their despair betrays two fatal flaws:
their presumption that our hope
and destiny lie in this
universe & without God
but is there something
beyond our cosmos?
51
end of part 1
52
• the anthropic principle
asserts that humans
are the reason for this
universe
• but some, limited to the
realm of nature and
ignoring the AP
implications, look to the
future and see Nothing
• are they right? is this all
there is?
part 2
53
the God connection
• the Bible is our key to seeing the Big
Picture here
• it establishes that God created the
universe, fixed its laws, stretched the
heavens, and will do away with it all(!),
• but that He has also established
dimensions beyond
54
the God connection
• where does it say all that and to what
purpose???
• first we’ll look here, then we’ll look
beyond…
55
cosmic singularity beginning
• In the beginning, God created the
heavens and the earth…
Genesis 1:1
Genesis 2:4
Isaiah 40:26
Isaiah 45:18
Col. 1:15-17
Genesis 2:3
Psalm 148:5
Isaiah 42:5
John 1:3
Hebrews 11:3
cosmic singularity beginning
• Lift up your eyes to the heavens:
Who created all these?…
Genesis 1:1
Genesis 2:4
Isaiah 40:26
Isaiah 45:18
Col. 1:15-17
Genesis 2:3
Psalm 148:5
Isaiah 42:5
John 1:3
Hebrews 11:3
cosmic singularity beginning
• By faith we understand that the
universe was formed at God’s
command, so that what is seen is not
made out of that what was visible…
Genesis 1:1
Genesis 2:4
Isaiah 40:26
Isaiah 45:18
Col. 1:15-17
Genesis 2:3
Psalm 148:5
Isaiah 42:5
John 1:3
Hebrews 11:3
cosmic singularity beginning
• Let them praise the name of the
Lord; for he commanded and they
were created.
Genesis 1:1
Genesis 2:4
Isaiah 40:26
Isaiah 45:18
Col. 1:15-17
Genesis 2:3
Psalm 148:5
Isaiah 42:5
John 1:3
Hebrews 11:3
stretching the heavens
• He alone stretches out the
heavens…
Job 9:8
Psalm 104:2
Zech. 12:1
Isaiah 40:22
Isaiah 42:5
Jer. 51:15
Isaiah 44:24
Isaiah 45:12
Jer. 10:12
Isaiah 48:13
Isaiah 51:13
stretching the heavens
• My own hand stretched out the
heavens; I marshalled their starry
hosts.
Job 9:8
Psalm 104:2
Zech. 12:1
Isaiah 40:22
Isaiah 42:5
Jer. 51:15
Isaiah 44:24
Isaiah 45:12
Jer. 10:12
Isaiah 48:13
Isaiah 51:13
fixed physical laws
• … I have… established my
covenant with day and night and
the fixed laws of heaven and
earth…
Jeremiah 33:25
Genesis 2:5-6
Romans 8:18-23
Ecclesiastes 1:3-15
Genesis 1 & 3
Revelation 21:1-22:5
fixed physical laws
• For the creation was subjected to
frustration… by the will of the one
who subjected it… will be liberated
from its bondage of decay…
Jeremiah 33:25
Genesis 2:5-6
Romans 8:18-23
Ecclesiastes 1:3-15
Genesis 1 & 3
Revelation 21:1-22:5
scripture summary
•
•
•
•
all these verses imply:
God started it all from nothing
God stretches out the heavens
God established its laws…
God is in control of our physical realm
• but is there a spiritual connection to
these physical phenomena?
64
spiritual purpose to physical laws
• help turn us from evil! like a sin
repellant
more sin  more pain
more sin  more work
65
• examples:
abusing tools  less productivity & longevity
abusing family  less productivity & longevity
abusing body  less productivity & longevity
66
why limits on our time?
• uni-dimensional!
irreversible!
unstoppable!
• bad people can only
exist at one time
• none can go back
and make things
worse, etc.
• none can prolong
evil deeds, etc.
67
our playpen of space & time
• limits how many we can
harm:
time limits our human
contacts
space separates us from
others
• these are the best physics
to limit evil in this life - it’s
almost… almost…
Godlike!
68
• but wait! there’s more! they’re not just
a prevention, they’re also a
blessing…
69
best time and place
• right here right now in the whole history
of the universe we have these fabulous
prizes…
 maximum cosmic window
 best possible observatory
 best possible home
 best possible physics
 most to be conscious of!
70
no surprise mini-summary
• it’s as if the entire physical universe
and its laws were made so we could
have maximum enjoyment of this
planet and escape maximum
consequences of the Fall at this
very time and place
71
above and beyond
• but what about our
destiny?
• are Krauss and
Starkman right? is this
all there is?
• is the universe just
God’s playground?
• is He about finished
playing with His toys?
72
another dimension, to go
• if heaven is our
destiny and
heaven is in this
universe, things
look grim
• heaven must be
beyond!
73
intro to extra-D
• through the work
of many smart
cookies it has
been established
that there are 10+
dimensions of
space and time!
74
the flat family
• subtracting just one
D from our
universe, we can
get a glimpse into
the extra D and its
effects
• intro to Flatman
and his universe
75
the extradimension connection
1. how do extra dimensions help us in
our faith in God and the Bible?
and…
2. how does it help us understand
our destiny?
76
examples of extraD
•
•
•
•
the first creation
burning bush
inscription of 10 Comm
NT examples (appearing and eating,
Philip’s free ride, transfiguration)
• “since the beginning of time”
• the Prophets prophesying
• etc., etc., etc.
77
lo, I am with you always
• His proximity while
here and “away”
• how can He go
away, yet remain?
78
pray w/o ceasing
• which prayer is
God listening to
here?
• all, via
simultaneous,
multi-timedimension
attention!
79
before the foundations
• how can He know us from before time?
• intro the Sphere of Influence
• He has the complete view of
everything - now!
• thus, He has knowledge and
perspective to time everything perfectly
(= no coincidences)
80
3 in 1
• how can God be
three persons in
one?
• dunno! but the extra
dimensions
available make it
possible if not fully
comprehensible
81
fully man, fully God
• Incarnation
demands
accepting the
limitations of
this creation;
extraD provide
insight
82
His sacrifice
• 6 hrs suffering = no
big deal? beg to
differ!
• eternal suffering the
Biggest Deal - ever
• in extraD He can
suffer eternal
punishment for
every single human
83
• extra dimensions explain our past and
present
• and they are the foundation
of our future and destiny
84
two creation model
creation #1
cosmos & Earth prepared
Adam & Eve placed in Eden
humans tested by evil
evil conquered by Christ
all lead, finally, to…
85
creation #2
• a new creation prepared for
redeemed humans
• God permanently removes evil
• God places redeemed humans in
new creation
what’s it like???
86
second creation
• it’s a deliverance from paradise!
• first creation annihilated
• no thermodynamics, gravity, or
electromagnetism like here
• no darkness
87
second creation
• enormous habitat
• different dimensionality
• unimaginable splendor, joy, beauty, and
peace
• relational space-time limits lifted
• pleasure limits lifted, and best of all…
• no lima beans!!!
• more days? more weeks of creation???
88
the new body
• not subject to our laws
• will give us ultimate nuclear family
• what we can accomplish is beyond
comprehension
89
summary
• science has given us tools of insight into
the workings of God - here and beyond
• the worldview of Men Without God
predictably leads to despair despite the
overwhelming evidence to support the
existence of the God of the Bible…
90
conclusion
despite the despair of those men, there is
hope for our future
but it’s not here
91
Krauss and Starkman:
“Eternity would become a prison, rather
than an endlessly receding horizon of
creativity and exploration.”
92
Christ and Godlymen:
“Eternity will be freedom from a prison;
an endlessly receding horizon of
creativity and exploration.”
93
No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no man has conceived
what God has prepared
for those who love him.
94