Life on other planets

[Klapas]

I've been told that SDAs believe that there is life on other planets. I've been researching the topic but all I can find is EGW had a vision of life on other planets.

Please tell me, is there life on other planets and if so are they also sinners and did Christ die for their sins?

Please don't give me your opinion as opinions are just opinions. What is the Churches teachings on this subject?

Thank you.

[John317]

Yes, Seventh-day Adventists believe there's life on other planets somewhere in God's universe. However, we don't believe they are on planets that fallen human beings will be able to visit. The planets that have life on them are inhabited by unfallen creatures. This earth is the only place in God's entire universe where rebellion exists.

This is not an official teaching of the church, but it is the teaching of Ellen G. White, whom the church accepts as a prophet of God because we've found her to pass the Bible's tests of a genuine prophet.

Ellen White wrote the following, in which she speaks of other planets:

Quote:

In November, 1846, I attended, with my husband, a meeting at Topsham, Maine, at which Elder Joseph Bates was present. He did not then fully believe that my visions were of God. That meeting was a season of much interest. The Spirit of God rested upon me; I was wrapped in a vision of God's glory, and for the first time had a view of other planets. After I came out of vision, I related what I had seen. Elder Bates then asked if I had studied astronomy. I told him I had no recollection of ever looking into an astronomy. Then he said, "This is of the Lord." His countenance shone with the light of heaven, and he exhorted the church with power. {CET 88.2}

Regarding his attitude toward the visions, Elder Bates made the following statement: {CET 88.3}

"Although I could see nothing in them that militated against the word, yet I felt alarmed and tried exceedingly, and for a long time unwilling to believe that it was anything more than what was produced by a protracted debilitated state of her body. {CET 88.4}

"I therefore sought opportunities in the presence of others, when her mind seemed freed from excitement (out of meeting), to question and cross-question her, and her friends which accompanied her, especially her elder sister, to get if possible at the truth. During the number of visits she has made to New Bedford and Fairhaven since, while at our meetings, I have seen her in vision a number of times, and also in Topsham, Maine; and those who were present during some of those exciting scenes know well with what interest and intensity I listened to every word, and watched every move to detect deception or mesmeric influence. And I thank God for the opportunity I have had with others to witness these things. I can now confidently speak for myself. I believe the work is of God, and is given to comfort and strengthen His 'scattered, torn, and peeled people,' since the closing up of our work . . . in October, 1844." {CET 88.5}

[Klapas]

Thank you for your quick reply John.

Firstly there is no mention of life on these planets that in your quote but if there are in other verses, will these innocent lifeforms suffer at the end times for our sins when GOD destroys his creation?

Matthew 24:29

 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Won't they die when the stars fall from heaven?

[Klapas]

PS. I hope I'm not coming accross aggressive.

I am not well educated and find it difficult to put my thoughts to pen (keyboard )

[BobRyan]

I've been told that SDAs believe that there is life on other planets. I've been researching the topic but all I can find is EGW had a vision of life on other planets.

Please tell me, is there life on other planets and if so are they also sinners and did Christ die for their sins?

Please don't give me your opinion as opinions are just opinions. What is the Churches teachings on this subject?

Thank you.

Yes life on other planets.

Heb 1:1-5 - God made "the worlds" through Jesus Christ.

And Ellen White tells us in a number of places about life on other planets - as information given to her in vision. Including the account in Story of Redemption where Lucifer calculated that the other worlds would fall if the Angels in heaven could be led to fall.

But we have no "church doctrine" stating "There is life on other planets". We know it is true because the Bible tells us about it - and so also did God reveal that to Ellen White.

No sin on the other planets. Ellen White was taken to one or two and told by the people that live there that they never did what Adam and Eve did - eat from the forbidden tree.

Thus we have a "key bit of information" that informs us in these last days that all this nonsense about UFOs -- is merely more demonic deception.

in Christ,

Bob

[John317]

Thank you for your quick reply John.

Firstly there is no mention of life on these planets that in your quote

Yes, I will post some other quotes from her writings.

Originally Posted By: Klapas

but if there are in other verses, will these innocent lifeforms suffer at the end times for our sins when GOD destroys his creation?

God won't destroy anyone or anything that is unfallen. The Bible shows that God will destroy sin and unrepentant sinners.

Quote:

Matthew 24:29

 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Won't they die when the stars fall from heaven?

Stars and planets are two different things.

The stars spoken of are not the planets on which there is life.

Hope this helps.

[John317]

PS. I hope I'm not coming accross aggressive.

I am not well educated and find it difficult to put my thoughts to pen (keyboard )

No, you aren't. You're doing great! Thanks for coming on the Forum.

[Amelia]

Quote:

[Thus we have a "key bit of information" that informs us in these last days that all this nonsense about UFOs -- is merely more demonic deception.

Bob, thanks for mentioning that. I was going to add that beings living on a sinless world would hardly want to visit a planet falling apart at the seams.

Welcome Klapas

[BobRyan]

Thank you for your quick reply John.

Firstly there is no mention of life on these planets that in your quote but if there are in other verses, will these innocent lifeforms suffer at the end times for our sins when GOD destroys his creation?

Matthew 24:29

 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Won't they die when the stars fall from heaven?

Stars - are far distant suns and galaxies.

The term "falling star" does not mean that suns from other solar systems will be crashing into us.

It means that little bits of rock are going to enter our atmosphere and light up.

The darkened sun and the moon turned to blood -- both are like the "falling stars" comment. They refer to what a viewer would see who is standing on earth. Darkness that does not let the light of the sun in -- and coloring to the light of the moon - turning it blood red.

in Christ,

Bob

[John317]

Thank you for your quick reply John.

Firstly there is no mention of life on these planets that in your quote ....

Here's one passage in which Ellen G. White speaks of life on other planets:

Quote:

The Lord has given me a view of other worlds. Wings were given me, and an angel attended me from the city to a place that was bright and glorious. The grass of the place was living green, and the birds there warbled a sweet song. The inhabitants of the place were of all sizes; they were noble, majestic, and lovely. They bore the express image of Jesus, and their countenances beamed with holy joy, expressive of the freedom and happiness of the place. I asked one of them why they were so much more lovely than those on the earth. The reply was, "We have lived in strict obedience to the commandments of God, and have not fallen by disobedience, like those on the earth." {CET 97.3}

Then I saw two trees. One looked much like the tree of life in the city. The fruit of both looked beautiful, but of one they could not eat. They had power to eat of both, but were forbidden to eat of one. Then my attending angel said to me, "None in this place have tasted of the forbidden tree; but if they should eat, they would fall." {CET 98.1}

Then I was taken to a world which had seven moons. There I saw good old Enoch, who had been translated. On his right arm he bore a glorious palm, and on each leaf was written "Victory." Around his head was a dazzling white wreath, and leaves on the wreath, and in the middle of each leaf was written "Purity," and around the wreath were stones of various colors, that shone brighter than the stars, and cast a reflection upon the letters and magnified them. On the back part of his head was a bow that confined the wreath, and upon the bow was written "Holiness." Above the wreath was a lovely crown that shone brighter than the sun. I asked him if this was the place he was taken to from the earth. He said, "It is not; the city is my home, and I have come to visit this place." He moved about the place as if perfectly at home. I begged of my attending angel to let me remain in that place. I could not bear the thought of coming back to this dark world again. Then the angel said, "You must go back, and if you are faithful, you, with the 144,000, shall have the privilege of visiting all the worlds and viewing the handiwork of God." {CET 98.2}

[Klapas]

Wow! Thanx guys! A forum with answers. Who would have believed it?

The reason I'm asking these questions is because I was told by my SDA friend' brother that Christ and other sons of GOD who rule over these planets get together and report to GOD regularly. Something like a general meeting to discuss their planets events.

Is this a belief or a myth?

[BobRyan]

Job chapter 1 - the "sons of God" come together and meet with God.

By that the text is not talking about "other Sons of God like Jesus".

Jesus is THE Son of God -- more precisely "God the Son".

It is Jesus that is being challenged in Job 1.

It is Jesus who sits "as God at that table".

All the others - are those who are given dominion of some world. Should have been Adam sitting there in Lucifer's chair - but Adam handed the keys over to Lucifer.

Thus in Matt 4 - in the temptation of Christ - Lucifer says "this world is mine and I give it to whomever I will".

And in 2Cor 10:4 Lucifer is called "the god of this world".

in Christ,

Bob

[John317]

Great reply, Bob. :-)

[Klapas]

So is Jesus "in charge" of every planet and it's occupants or are there others?

[John317]

Consider this:

We know that God's existence is without beginning and that God is not merely sitting doing nothing. He is a God of love, which means He loves creating intelligent beings to give His love to and to be loved by.

This world and the life on it has not been around very long, compared to how long God has existed.

Does anyone seriously think that God waited until only some thousands of years ago before He created a world with intelligent life on it?

I don't think so.

[Klapas]

God created time for us. There is no time in GODS domain. Time is another dimension created by GOD. It varies with altitude and other stuff that my small mind can not comprehend. Atomic clocks at different altitudes have variations that can be calculated.

My question was does Christ rule over these planets?

[John317]

We know from the Bible that God through Christ created all the planets, including, of course, the planets where there's life.

Since there's only One God, we know that there's no other God who can be in charge of those other planets. We can be absolutely certain that only Christ rules there.

They are learning from us the heavy, tragic cost of sin.

[Klapas]

If not for the writings of Ellen White, would you have come to the belief that there is life on other planets from the bible?

In other words, what I'm trying to say is; are you making the Bible fit your doctrine/beliefs?

Does the Bible come first or Ellens visions?

If you have deduced solely from the Bible that sinless life exists on other planets and Ellen White confirms this, then that would be OK. But I don't believe the opposite can be right.

[Amelia]

Quote:

Does the Bible come first or Ellens visions?

The bible first. And right now I can't find a verse for you because I'm at odds with the estates new beta site for searching her writings. o-0

[12tribes]

Notice these two verses in Genesis

Genesis 1:1

(1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 2:1

(1) Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

Notice that one says heaven the other says heavens

Genesis 1:6-8

(6) And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

(7) And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

(8) And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Since the firmament is heaven then the heavens must be referring to more than one created world and this earth was the last to be created

[John317]

If not for the writings of Ellen White, would you have come to the belief that there is life on other planets from the bible?

There's nothing in the Bible that contradicts the concept of life on other planets. However, there are many details in Ellen White's visions that we certainly would not have known if it hadn't been for the visions that God revealed to her.

The Bible is completely silent about Enoch after he was translated. Ellen White is our only source for any knowledge about his being on a different planet.

I have no idea what I would believe without the writings of Ellen White. That's like asking what I would believe without the Bible. No way to know.

There are other Bible-believing, non-SDA Christians who accept the concept of intelligent beings on other planets.

It certainly fits with what we know of God in the Bible: Since God created the earth in the last 10 thousand years or more, does anyone think it's likely that during the previous trillion+ years, God made no intelligent beings elsewhere in the universe?

[Klapas]

Notice these two verses in Genesis

Genesis 1:1

(1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 2:1

(1) Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

...........

Oops! Can't use that one. I'm Greek. In Genesis 1 the good book says "ouranos" (singular) and in Genesis 2 it says "ouranos" (singular).

KJV is and English translation.

Does someone speak Hebrew who can look up these verses?

[12tribes]

The creation was now complete. "The heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them." "And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good." Eden bloomed on earth. Adam and Eve had free access to the tree of life. No taint of sin or shadow of death marred the fair creation. "The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." Job 38:7. {PP 47.1}

[John317]

I'm Greek. In Genesis 1 the good book says "ouranos" (singular) and in Genesis 2 it says "ouranos" (singular).

KJV is and English translation.

Does someone speak Hebrew who can look up these verses?

You read the koine Greek?

How about the Septuagint?

The Hebrew at Gen. 1: 1 and 2: 1 show that the same Hebrew word is used in both instances, meaning "heavens" (plural). Both read "the heavens."

It is Strong's #8064, shamayim. It can mean the sky or where God dwells. It can also refer to where the sun, moon and stars are located.

[John317]

I'm Greek. In Genesis 1 the good book says "ouranos" (singular) and in Genesis 2 it says "ouranos" (singular).

What is it in the LXX?

It gives ton ouranon in Gen. 1: 1 and ho ouranos in Gen. 2: 1.

So they didn't translate the Hebrew literally.

You must not be reading the Septuagint but modern Greek.