As a musician, I love the fact that the works of Bach and Mozart are available in outer space.

That’s not all. When the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecrafts were launched in 1977, both came equipped with a wildly varied playlist—a golden “record” (the medium on which sound was recorded back then) that included a sampling of human musical achievement. In addition to three works of J.S. Bach and one of Mozart’s, humanity chose to adorn this interstellar jukebox with two works of Beethoven, a work of Stravinsky, plus Louis Armstrong, Chuck Berry and an array of folk music from Azerbaijan to Zaire. The record also includes other Earth audio—greetings in 55 languages, sounds of nature, and even an eeg of the brainwaves of a scientist on the crew.

Hurtling through space at speeds upwards of 40,000 miles per hour, Voyager 1 reached interstellar space in August 2012, and Voyager 2 did in November 2018. As of 2023, about 46 years later after their launch, Voyager 1 is the probe in first place, nearly 15 billion miles away.

Though the primary mission of this $865 million project was to explore Jupiter and Saturn, its accompanying audio time capsule had but one intent: To introduce planet Earth and its inhabitants to any extraterrestrial life that might come into contact with Voyager (of course, presuming aliens could play a record at 16 2/3 revolutions per minute).

It was a fascinating idea and one given widespread credence. For example, project director Carl Sagan wanted to include a Beatles song on the playlist, but the record company declined for copyright reasons. After all, how can you be ensured royalties light years away when E.T. is enjoying “Here Comes the Sun” for free?

The Voyager probes are only a small representation of man’s desire to find intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Missions to Mars have served a similar function. Countless billions have also been spent in monitoring and sending messages into the heavens with this exact purpose in mind.

Is there life out there—“intelligent” or not? Do aliens exist? Can we know?

Evolution Vs. Creation

Interconnected with this question is that of life’s very origins and the existence of a Creator.

See, if life on Earth evolved over a laborious yet fortuitous process taking billions of years, then this process most certainly took place elsewhere in the universe. That’s what Sagan himself believed—suggesting there were thousands of civilizations spread light years apart through our galaxy alone. The search for life is partly a search for validation of evolutionary theory. Yet, no evidence can be found.

The supposition that other life forms would have evolved over time presupposes that the planets on which this occurred were suitable for sustaining life, and yet the known universe remains uninhabitable as far as physical life goes.

What evolutionary dogma denies is the fundamental law of biogenesis: that life can only come from life. But the fact that there is life on Earth must make us question where this life came from. And we can prove what that source of life is: It is the Creator God. If you have not already, please request and read our free booklets Does God Exist? and The Proof of the Bible.

When you understand that God is an always-existent Creator and the source of all life, questions about the cosmos and our place in it become a lot clearer. He not only reveals the life forms He has created, but the purpose of that life. He has also revealed His designs and intents for the universe beyond our atmosphere.

Since God is the source of life, He would have to author any life that exists in the universe. Actually, His inspired Word reveals what He has done so far with the universe, and what His plans are for outer space.

Super Intelligent Life

Yes, there is intelligent life out there!

Despite man’s best efforts to communicate with potential extraterrestrial life—to send and receive messages—messages have been sent from the intelligent life occupying a spiritual dimension. Man was equipped with the ability to communicate with His Creator, and His Creator has communicated with him. Some of these life forms have visited Earth, and these activities have been recorded in the Bible!

The first verse of the Bible shows that “God created the heaven [actually a plural Hebrew word, so heavens] and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Hebrews 1:10 confirms this. Psalm 8:3 calls this all the work of God’s fingers.

Another verse ascribing creation to God (Job 38:4) shows that God did create other intelligent life forms before the material universe—that they were, in fact, witnesses to Earth’s creation. These were angelic spirit beings.

The second verse of the Bible describes an interesting situation: “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).

Isaiah 45:18 reveals that God did not create Earth this way, and the Hebrew grammar of Genesis 1:2 indicates that the Earth became this way. Romans 8:19-23 reveal the same for the entire universe (the Revised Standard Version has slightly more understandable English).

The universe was put into the “bondage of corruption” sometime between the first two verses of the Bible. This is revealed elsewhere in the Bible as being caused by an angelic rebellion.

The remainder of Genesis 1 show God as rectifying the decay on planet Earth and preparing it for human life—and for animal life over which man would have dominion.

Planting the Heavens

The Bible reveals that no such process existed anywhere else. It also reveals that God has plans for the other planets. Isaiah 45:18 fully reads: “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.”

Just as He formed Earth to be inhabited, the same is true of the heavens! Isaiah 51:16 shows God’s intent to “plant the heavens.” But as Romans 8 shows—describing the decay currently extant in the cosmos—this has not yet happened.

The amazing thing is that God intends man to be involved in that process! Psalm 115:16 says: “The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.” Man was given dominion of this planet, but God will eventually give us more than the Earth.

Hebrews 2:8 reveals that God will “put all things in subjection under his feet,” though the same verse shows this has “not yet” happened (see also Revelation 21:8). Upon achieving their incredible human potential, human beings will be given authority above the mighty angels (verse 5).

Romans 8:21 reveals the time order to God’s restitution of the universe! It “shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” God has an indescribably incredible plan for human life. Until this is fulfilled, the “whole creation groaneth in pain together till now” (verse 23).

The potential of human life is to be born as sons of God, at which point we will inherit all things (Revelation 21:8). Then we will plant the heavens—imparting life to an incomprehensibly enormous amount of real estate. The Bible describes the potential here as endless (Isaiah 9:7).

For more on how humanity’s future intersects with the purpose of the cosmos, please request a free copy of Our Awesome Universe Potential.