Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

Where is God’s heaven? Robert Jastrow thought he knew. And who was Robert Jastrow, you may ask? He was one of the world’s best‑known scientists, with outstanding credentials. He was the founding director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the director of the Mount Wilson Institute, and the author of God and the Astronomers. He was also the author of a disturbing book entitled, Until the Sun Dies.

Dr. Jastrow believed that the evidence for God is all around, and current theories about the nature of the universe point to His existence; but he said that most scientists do not like the notion of God’s existence and are distressed when they are confronted with it. However, he believed that it cannot be denied nor avoided. He said that the evidence for creation points to a single creative act taking place by a force of unimaginable power. And here is why he believed this.

Scientists know that galaxies are moving away from us at a tremendous rate of speed. The farther out they are the faster they go, even pushing the speed of light. The only explanation, Jastrow believed, is a gigantic explosion, which he believed was caused by God. In his book he said that most scientists contend for a closed universe. In other words, they believe that there is an endless recreating, and that creation is merely part of the cycle which never ends.

Jastrow did not believe that. He contended that God was the force that started the whole ball of earth spinning. If enough mass were out in space, then it is conceivable that the theory of continuous creation might be plausible; but, according to Jastrow, there just is not enough mass out there. “Rather than grapple with the implications,” he said, “they try to ignore it.” Continuing, the scientist said, “It is an interesting psychological fact…in effect, we have proven the existence of God, if you do not watch your language. A layman would put it that way, and I like to put it that way because it is humbling. It exposes certain weaknesses in the structure. And out of those weaknesses, as was always the case, come great new advances.”

Robert Jastrow, a man with a brilliant academic background, was saying an old thing in a new way. David, the shepherd boy‑‑amateur astronomer of Israel‑‑said it 3,000 years ago: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1). The farther we probe into space, the more data is revealed pointing to the creative act of God mentioned by Moses in the Book of Genesis. In fact, some alarming discoveries have come to light in recent years, such as the black holes of space, where time actually stops, that lead thoughtful men to conclude there is an awful lot that we do not know.

It is conceivable that at the point where time and space seem to stop the actual throne room of God’s heaven may be found. Who knows, but grasping a small measure of the vastness of space and the finiteness of man leads me to conclude that God has revealed to us something of His glory and His concern for us through the pages of the Bible that we would never know otherwise. Taking God at His Word, based on the certainty of what God has already revealed, is the only rational way to go. The Bible never attempts to prove God’s existence. It begins simply by stating, “In the beginning, God…” When time shall have written a finish to life as we know it now, we can still say, “And in the conclusion…God.” For He knows neither age nor weariness.

Resource reading: Psalm 19.