Part 1: The World of Prehistory
Part 2: Has Earth Already Had an “End Time”? Cataclysm of the Great Flood
Part 3: Transition from One Environment to Another
Part 4: How Well Does Evolution Theory Agree with Scientific Principles and Discoveries?
Part 5: How Old Is the Natural World?
Part 6: Conclusion
Part 6: CONCLUSION
6-A: What is Permanent?
6-B: What does it Mean to Have a Definite Starting Point for History?
6-C: Closing Remarks
6-A: What Is Permanent?
After learning about the different indicators, pointing to how the Earth itself may be much younger than we think, it becomes evident that our earthly home is not a permanent dwelling. And as Earth is only a temporary dwelling, so our bodies also are but temporary dwellings for our spirits, our souls.
What then is lasting and eternal? It is the unseen world which endures forever, including that of our spirits. Some call this the “spirit world”, and sometimes we catch glimpses of it in dreams, visions, or other kinds of spiritual experiences; some call this unseen world the “celestial sphere”, or the “heavenly realm”. To our human nature that doesn’t sound very solid; our natural sense tend to view Earth and the visible realm as the only permanent, solid, stable features of existence.
Occasionally, we do get a taste of the temporary nature of our environment, such as in earthquake events when we are quickly jolted out of that feeling of stability. Or, when gazing into the cosmos, its enormous size helps us to realize the infinite, unfathomable nature of the Creator, so far beyond this tiny planet on which we dwell.
Since we’re trying to be scientific here, we could call this unseen world the “5th dimension”. In order for anything to exist in the physical realm, it must occupy space (the 3 dimensions called length, width, and depth) and time (the 4th dimension). These are known as space has ; and time is the 4th dimension. The 5th dimension exists beyond space and time and is not subject to the laws of the physical universe.
And that is the dimension that our souls enter into at the time of the death of our physical bodies. People who have temporarily “died” and then been revived have often reported having unusual experiences while they were “dead”: floating above their bodies, able to go through walls, meeting beautiful angels, catching glimpses of heaven, and so on. The fact is, they were anything but dead, and their lives were continuing on in that spirit world that exists for the most part beyond the reach of our physical senses.
Knowing about these realities – that there is life after this life – should encourage us to live our present lives in a way that is pleasing to God so that we will be well prepared for our future lives in the hereafter
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