The Bible, Star Trek, and Aliens

Last Thursday, our family finally saw the latest Star Trek movie.  As a child, the Star Trek series was one of my favorite shows.  Growing up, I didn’t miss an episode, a movie, or any spin-off of the original series. I enjoyed it so much that on our honeymoon, ten years ago, my husband and I stayed in the Las Vegas North Hilton which was hosting the “Star Trek Experience.” We actually won the trip and were really excited about seeing the Star Trek exhibits.  Believe it or not, we actually paid money to enter the Star Trek simulator ride.  As part of the show, we entered the transporter room and the crew beamed us somewhere and back.  Even though it was a simulation, my arms tingled with goose bumps, as I heard the whining sounds of the transporter beam,  and everything went black.  I know I can achieve the same effect at home by flicking open my cell phone, asking Scotty to “beam me up” while my husband turns the lights off and on….. but I’m a geek and I enjoyed the experience in Las Vegas.  While we were there, we dined on hamBORGers and Romulan ale in Quark’s Bar & Restaurant.  One of my favorite honeymoon pictures is the one that my husband took of me and a big Klingon that strolled by our table.  So, being such a fan of the show, I really wanted to see the latest movie in a theatre with stadium seating and Dolby surround sound.

After the movie, I have been thinking about why I seem to buy the existence of aliens and life on other planets without much trouble.  I know that my fascination and excitement comes from the maker of the universe, God.  In the book of Job, the writer says “He (God) is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south” (Job 9:9.)  All of our high-powered telescopes, space stations, and spacecraft are trying to get a closer look at what God created from the beginning.  The first verse in the Bible says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1).  Since God created all of this, I’ve always known that he can do anything he wanted, which might include other beings on other planets.  So, I don’t stress about it and I just enjoy imagining more about him and his infinite power.

Even if we can’t prove that there are other intelligent beings on other planets, we must consider what the Lord told us about Heaven and angels.  In Hebrews 1:13-14, angels are “ministering spirits” to those who have received salvation.  Angels are true spiritual beings and not humans.  The Bible mentions angels many, many times.  In Revelation 5:11, it says that angels were created in massive numbers.  “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.”  That’s real life in another world, God’s heaven.

Whether there is life on other planets, I don’t know.  I’m not trying to prove or convince anyone that there is, but I just enjoy thinking about God’s possibilities.  Star Trek is really fun and the “strange new worlds” that they explore always make me excited for the wonderful world that our Lord has prepared for his followers.  My good friend, Randy, once sent me an email that said BIBLE stood for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.  I love that thought!!   I also love exploring the world that the Lord has for me and I use my Instruction Manual, his Word, the Bible to do that.  Crack it open sometime.  It’s a lot better than any other entertainment you can find on this Earth.

“Thy heavens, the work of the Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou has ordained…Thou dost make him [man] to rule over the works of Thy hands, Thou has put all things under his feet” (Psalms 8:3,6).

“And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage” (Deuteronomy 4:19).