‘Space, the final frontier.’ So began the opening line of Star Trek which ran for three seasons from 1966-69. The starship Enterprise was on a five-year mission: ‘to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.’ When we think of space, we may think of outer space. And when we think of time, we may think of years. The Enterprise on its five-year mission in space speaks of the two things, i.e., time and space.
Space and time can be measured on earth by
length, breadth, and height, providing a three-dimensional view of space. And a
clock and a calendar can do the same for time. However, a souped-up starship
Enterprise travelling through outer space at the speed of light and above
causes the average mind to boggle. What happens to time and space when their
laws seem to be altered or even denied? We’ll leave that one with Einstein and Hawking
and their ilk! However, there is One who is above and beyond time and space,
One who transcends everything in creation.
The Creator, i.e., the Triune God, is
Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient. Time and space, therefore, are
creatures of the Creator’s creating, and, as such, one would expect to see as
it were His fingerprints all over everything His hands have made, including time
and space. For, “The heavens [space] declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim
the work of His hands. Day after day [time] they pour forth speech; night after
night they reveal knowledge” Psalm 19:1-2. Notice the word “knowledge”. The
word “science” is derived for the Latin for knowledge.
The Star Trek series were works of fiction, science-fiction.
However, each episode was based on knowledge, i.e., science or scientific
knowledge. God, for His own glory, has designed space to reveal knowledge to
human beings, i.e., creatures that He created in His own image. Therefore, it
would be a mistake to omit Him from any scientific equation. Yet, that is what
many scientists do! That is why the Enterprise was seeking ‘out new life and
new civilizations’ in outer space! The presupposition is that if life forms
spontaneously formed on the planet earth, then it must be the same on other
planets in outer space. This, of course, is faulty reasoning because it removes
God and the knowledge (science) He has revealed in His creation and, more
particularly, in His Word. If there are any technologically advanced (or other)
beings on any other planets, then God is their Creator as He is ours. Thus,
there are two types of science: that which presupposes God and that which does
not.
Time and space are revelation of God. ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’ Genesis 1:1. Time began in the beginning when the eternal God created it along with space, into which He placed created matter, which includes stars and planets. There are scientific laws because God is the original Law giver. Science-fiction shows such as Star Trek bend and even break these laws. However, this is not to say that we should not test and explore God’s laws, even in entertaining ways. But let us do it to His glory!
‘Thus says the LORD: “If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season…”’ Jeremiah 33:20. God has covenanted with time, and also reveals Himself in space. Therefore, glorify Him in time and in space as we ‘boldly go where no man has gone before.'
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