How do you change you avatar here? I've been trying to figure it out, but to no avail. Send me a private message as it's off topic.
On topic, I've never bought into the idea that this Earth is the first of God's creations. I believe there have been many Earths and many creations. If one looks at the many galaxies in the Universe, it boggles the mind. But what if one went to the edge of the Universe, to the edge of where it was expanding? And what if one saw many billions of other Universes, each expanding from a central hub?
While studying ancient writings in college, I was amazed at how much the early Christians and Hebrews knew about the heavens. And one writer made a profound statement to the effect of: "Everything is a system in the midst of like systems." I say "profound" because it appears to be a potentially true observation. For every atom, there are other atoms; for every molecule there are other molecules. For every planet there are other planets, for every solar system another solar system. The same is true of galaxies and perhaps...Universes? What if God's creations really are Eternal? And what if the hosts of Heaven really are innumerable? What if beings were resurrected on other worlds and also were engaged in the creation process?
It's impossible for me to comprehend the stars and worlds in this galaxy, but the Hubble telescope trained in on what was previously thought to be "dark" patches in space...and astrophysicists were amazed to discover billions of other worlds in millions of other heretofore invisible galaxies! And they sit around stunned at the size of the Universe. As far as I know, they've never considered other Universes -- sister Universes to our own. I remember when Stephen Hawkings wrote that while black holes were theoretically possible, that he would be surprised if they actually existed. Now we know there are billions of black holes. One sun in the center of our galaxy is 200 million times the mass of our sun. And there are huge black holes that also are millions of times the mass of our sun. Not only that, the same thing is true for every galaxy that we've observed.
As for the Earth, it's exactly the right distance from the sun. If it were any closer or further in its orbit it would be too cold or too hot. If the moon were not orbiting the Earth, our orbit would not be stabilized and our equator would constantly change and seasons would not be constant. Incidentally, our moon is not part of the Earth nor does it appear to come from our solar system, but came from somewhere else. Add all these things together and I believe one can see the hand of God in our existence.
One can come to whatever conclusion one wishes, but the prophets could see the hand of God in all of God's creations. Atheists fail to see the same wonder in these things, but it's there. In my own mind, if there were no God, there would not be a single particle in existence. When these particles not only exist, but all act in an orderly fashion, I'm convinced there is a God.
Just my two cents. I think God has far greater plans for mankind than to eternally exist in some crummy garden. How long would it take to get bored with such a setup?? I think man's resurrection will be after the manner of Christ's. He was able to go through closed doors, ceilings and be seen in incredible glory. What if we could travel from star to star with but a thought? What if we could find the answer to a question just by thinking about it? Imagine the vast amounts of knowledge that could be ours. I think man's destiny far outstrips his puny imgaination. I don't think anyone would be happy having eternal family reunions. Remember GROUNDHOG DAY? How would you like to spend eternity doing the same thing?
Not me!
