The Astronomy of the Bible; or, God Among the Stars -6
Thomas De Witt Talmage (1832 – 1902)
He who builds His layers in the sky, And has founded His strata in the earth; Who calls for the waters of the sea, And pours them out on the face of the earth— The LORD is His name (Amos 9:6).
It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, And hath founded his troop in the earth; He that calleth for the waters of the sea, And poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name (Amos 9:6 KJV, emphasis added).
From Last Post: I believe [other worlds] it is all occupied or will be occupied by intelligent beings. God will not fill them with brutes.
Yea, the inhabitants of those worlds have capacity of locomotion like ours, for they would not have had such spacious opportunity for movement if they had not powers of motion. Yea, they have sight, else why the light; and hearing, else how get on with necessary language, and how clear themselves from advancing perils. Yea, as God made our human race in His own image, He probably made the inhabitants of other worlds in His own image; in other words, it is as near demonstration as I care to have it, that while the inhabitants of other worlds have adaptations of bodily structure to the particular climate in which they dwell, there is yet similarity of mental and spiritual characteristics among all the inhabitants of the universe of God; and, made in His image, they are made wonderfully alike.
Now, what should be the practical result of this discussion founded on Scripture and common-sense? It is first of all to enlarge our ideas of God, and so intensify our admiration and worship. Under such consideration, how much more graphic the Bible question which seems to roll back the sleeve of the Almighty and say: “Have you an arm like God?” (Job 40:9). The contemplation also encourages us with the thought that if God made all these worlds and populated them, it will not be very much of an undertaking for Him to make our little world over again, and reconstruct the character of its populations as by grace they are to be reconstructed.
What a monstrosity of criminal indifference that the majority of Christian people listen not to the voices of other worlds, although the Book says, “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1), and, again, “The works of the LORD are great, Studied by all who have pleasure in them” (Psalm 111:2). How much have you sought them out? You have been satisfying yourself with some things about Christ, but have you noticed that Paul calls you to consider Christ as the Creator of other worlds, “through whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:2)? It is time you Christians start on a world hunt. That is the chief reason why God makes the night, that you may see other worlds. Go out to-night and look up at the great clock of the heavens. Listen to the silvery chime of the midnight sky. See that your children and grandchildren mount the heavens with telescope, leaping from the ascending of light to the ascending of light.
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 