They want to know what's 'out there'; what's beyond our world and universe's beyond? Are there other world systems with beings of equal, superior and/or inferior intelligence? What are they like? Dangerous? Friendly? Just as curious about us?...
Maybe there are. Only our Creator God knows. Maybe it also seems like a narrow focus then to only concentrate on our own "patch" of cosmos.
It is certainly intriguing to cogitate on and stretch our minds to their outer limits to exploring space in our imaginations, space ships and shuttles or with mega-telescopes! Yet, to where and to whom did our Creator God come? Where was His focus?
It was to us! We 'earthlings' had Almighty God, come to earth at our beck and call: for us; for our benefit!
Doesn't that rock your launching pad!?
He wanted to commune with us, here on earth. Commune and have relationship with us.
"God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16 KJV)
It was to us He demonstrated His love and the lengths of sacrifice to which He would go for those of us human creatures He'd created.
One could argue...maybe He did the same for "the other worlds" too. Maybe. Take note that the John 3:16 verse says, "the world", not "a world" or "our world". "The" implies only one of it's kind like "the sun," or "the earth".
Despite that and the magnitude of outer space, do not ignore or avoid God our Maker Who did come to us. This we know for sure.
"...Immanuel...God with us" (Matthew 1:23 NIV)
God is truly amazing in all He created. Totally amazing. The vastness of it all is massively incomprehensible. Yet in all of that see His handiwork.
Our own world system is so immense the apostle John chronicles the following about the Creator, Who made it all, in John 21:24-25. He writes, Jesus had done so many things during His years of ministry on earth that he supposed that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written" about it all (John 21:25 NIV).
That was just about what Jesus had done while on Earth. Think about all of the holistic creation. Think of all the textbooks, scientific journals, magazines (such as National Geographic), encyclopedias, the internet which gorges on such knowledge, etc--there is no limit, no end to it all. More and more of nature is being discovered and recorded, even, what would it be, about 4000-5000 years later, since the beginning of the time of Earth's creation...you get the picture.
Truly awesome. Truly breathtaking. The wonderful wonders of our world. No one wants it destroyed.
Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda who wrote the book What Buddhists Believe avows Gautama Buddha taught that a,
"...beginning and an ending of the universe is inconceivable" (Page 386).
They do not believe any such thing happens only that it gets renewed section by section in a never ending ongoing process. God has nothing to do with it either as there is no God--so they believe, therefore He can neither create nor destroy.
Nevertheless, as deliberated in Burning Quest - Part 53, there was a beginning and there will be an end, and one must prepare for it. The world has been in decline and decay since The Fall of mankind. The good news is that there will be a new heaven and earth. The warning is: Be Prepared.
Accept salvation through Jesus Christ.
If you say there is a god, Buddhists then ask the legitimate question,
"...Why can't this god use that same power (of creating) to influence people...to wipe out all immoral practices" (Page 386)?
The answer is, because of free will. God didn't create robots. He gave people the ability to choose. A person either chooses from a willing heart to accept the existence of God Who is, Who creates, and with whom each and every human being needs to acknowledge and accept His gift of salvation. This would in turn help people to choose morally right choices with the help of God's Holy Spirit and guidance from God's Word, the Bible.
The end of Time is coming (refer again to Part 53). The end of the world is coming.
It is true this world we are in (and any other world system if they exist) is impermanent right along with our own bodies.
It is our spirit and soul that will live on forever. They do not get transferred to another body that will decline, decay and die, but to our very own imperishable body in time to come (1 Corinthians 15:53-55). This new, improved, imperishable body is equal to the task of living forever in God's new heaven and earth which will also then be imperishable; permanent.
Those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ will enjoy that and Christ's presence forever and ever, to never ever more experience suffering or tears.
The bad news is, that those who are not followers of Jesus Christ will go to the permanent place called Hell which, do take note, was NOT originally prepared for human kind, rather for the devil and his minions. Please read this in all solemnity. Matthew 25:41 (KJV).
"Then shall He say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
Due to Adam and Eve's Fall (the first man and woman; see Genesis 2 and 3) there has been a curse on the people and the earth ever since. "The wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23; see also Romans 3:23).
If God is so loving and caring why would He let that curse, death, and Hell-going, happen? People have the freedom to choose. God gives multiple chances during a person's lifetime to learn and decide about these things. Free will, remember.
There's the example of Pharoah (Exodus 1-14) way back when. Moses, on behalf of Israel, asked to go into the desert, a three day journey, to worship God. Pharoah said, "NO" and kept saying, "No!" God brought many plagues upon Pharoah, but still he would not relent, rather he hardened his heart. He made his determined decision. God gave him so many chances to choose to do what was right.
I speculate that if Pharoah had said, "OK" (and perhaps even that he'd like to go along) there would have been an epically happier story for him and his Egyptians.
You will discover, however, that he lost his firstborn son and he, himself, drowned along with his mighty army and champion war horses. Exceedingly tragic all round (Psalm 136:10-15).
Whether or not there are other worlds and creatures out there, or how much knowledge one can glean, Buddhists come back to their main point, that knowing all about such worlds, will not,
"...ultimately free mankind from the pain of existence" (Page 387),
...and the only "cure" is to apply one's time, energy and mind, to,
"...conquering the mind and destroying the illusion of self" (Page 387).
From the perspective of the follower of Jesus Christ, and of God Himself, of great crucial importance is the choosing of ones' eternal "world" to come; be it Heaven or Hell. Those are all the "other world systems" we absolutely need to know about and choose wisely for, for our own personal end of Time on Earth time.
OH that you all would be so very curious about that!
~ERC 2019~
This song "He's Everything to Me" written by Ralph Carmichael comes to mind again.
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