Billions of habitable planets in our galaxy?

“A European team said on Wednesday [March 28] that about 40 percent of red dwarf stars—the most common type in the Milky Way—have a so-called “super-Earth” planet orbiting in a habitable zone that would allow water to flow on the surface.” This could equate to tens of billions of planets! However, these same researchers also caution that “…the rocky worlds spinning around red dwarfs are not necessarily cosy places for alien forms of life. Because red dwarfs are much cooler than the sun, any planets with liquid water will need to be orbiting much closer to the star than the Earth is from the Sun. That may mean they are bathed in damaging X-ray and ultraviolet radiation” (Reuters, March 28, 2012).

The Bible states that the Earth is where God is now working and will one day serve as the location for His galactic throne (Revelation 5:10, 21:1-3). So there is currently NO “other life out there.” However, the great God, through His son, DID create all of the heavens (Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:15-16). God did not create the universe because He was bored, but rather, like everything else He created, He did so with a purpose.

Will the universe be inhabited one day? What will become of these “rocky worlds” that could possibly sustain life if they had the right type of atmosphere? What will be the ultimate responsibility of the saints?

For more information on this exciting topic, review our free booklet Your Ultimate Destiny.