Many people from around the world have looked into the Grand Canyon with amazement. The depth, width, color, and rock features of the canyon can take a person’s breath away if they have never seen such a thing. With its images in mind, the typical explanations that are typically remembered site billions of years and uniform steady processes. So man, in this view, is but a bump in the road as these things continue. But what if this is not true?
God and his Word would disagree with this world view. The beauty of the canyon is truly astounding, but the explanation is in catastrophe–the flood of Noah and the related events that upended the surface of the earth, radically disrupted climate for a short period, and created some unique terrain that is considered beautiful today. It is beautiful but also a stark reminder of the causal factors: our propensity for sin and violence that so hastily developed following the fall of Adam and Eve but was not permitted to continue at that level because God intervened.
The heavens are similar: they are in a state of decay with massive and nearly incalculable releases of energy as the universe shows signs of decay and we get to observe an occasional death of a star (a super nova). While the heavens declare the glory of God, they are also subject with the rest of creation to the results of sin and death. And this part of creation, like the earthly part, groans and will groan until God brings an end to the matter. In the meantime, they continue to be a magnificent sight to see, a most dramatic time piece, and a pointer to the One who created them.
In the summer from the Northern Hemisphere we get to see the area near the center of our local galaxy. In this area are the largest number of observable and colorful nebula. But the galactic center is also tumultuous. Some of those same beautiful objects are likely remnants of stellar explosions, but they yield, like the Grand Canyon, most impressive features.
One popular object to see and one of the most photographed in the last 50 years is the Trifid Nebula or M20. The sketch below was developed in my backyard during an observing period in July 2011. With an 8 inch telescope, a good night, and good eyes an observer can just begin to make out the divisions in the stellar cloud. With astro video tools and a 12.5 inch telescope, I can see the dark lanes quite clearly as well as the color in this stellar gem.
To see more information on the universe from a Biblical point of view, go to www.creation.com and do a search on stars, the origin of the universe, stellar decay, or similar subjects. To see a general book on the subject, we include “The Stars and Their Purpose” by Werner Gitt in the observing kits we deliver to needy groups. To see a more abbreviated treatment of the stars, go to here and to read about and register to download (at no cost) “Astronomical Observing from a Biblical View”, which is the course we use to train teachers to teach students how to observe the heavens. Chapter 3 and Addendum 1 provide a summary of the Biblical approach to the heavens and key Bible references. If you like DVD learning, we recommend the DVD, “God of Wonders” by Eternal Productions that treats creation in general.
