The Hubble Deep Field Ultra Image

By Alexander Carpenter

In 2003, the Hubble Space Telescope stared, for a little over 11 days at a rather unremarkable section of sky.  The results were humbling on a universal scale.
The Deep Field/Ultra Deep field images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope represent the farthest we’ve ever seen into the universe. Looking at these images, one cannot help but be humbled by what they mean. At a glance, they show us how tiny humanity is in comparison to the size of the universe.
As an Adventist these huge numbers – the size of the known universe, the number of galaxies – help me to understand how long periods of time and space exist. If the Hebrew scriptures didn’t mention six days, where would the weigh of evidence lie? Everything is possible in almost limitless space and time – thus the miracle remains that we can reflect on and create ever evolving models for understanding the divine Word with us.
And I worry: what’s more destructive to the future generations of Adventism? a faith that stiff-arms very established contradictory evidence of long space and times (not just out there, the earth is a part of the universe too), or one that sees the Sabbath created for us. Not proved by lists of texts, but proved true in our experience each week in communion (community/union) with God.

 
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