By GFI board member, Mark Woita
Recently, on April 6, 2026, the four U.S. Artemis II astronauts flew around the backside of the Earth’s Moon! The first flyby in over 50 years!
For them, the time from “Earthset” to “Earthrise” was about forty minutes, during which the astronauts could not see, nor communicate with, their home planet, the Earth.
How eerie those forty minutes must have been.
There was enough light for them to view the back side of the Moon, which they described as a “dark matte gray sphere”.
Now imagine them looking out in any other direction. Seeing nothing but the vastness and emptiness of space. And to their highly scientific and advanced knowledge, there was NO known life anywhere else they looked … and for billions of light years beyond! No other life. Only darkness and vastness. And a lifeless Moon.
Then. Then! Earthrise!!
Imagine moving past the back side of the Moon, and seeing the Earth slowly rising over the horizon of the Moon! Imagine!
That planet Earth … so beautiful! So full of color! And so full of life! Home! Loved ones!
And so absolutely different from the rest of known space. If fact, the opposite of all the rest of space! So full of life and beauty!
But how can this be??!!
HOW can one little planet exist so differently … so opposite of all the others?! Of all of space?!
Ponder how there is no … NO … other life existing anywhere that we know of in our practically infinite universe.
Only on Earth.
Only on a planet “finely tuned” to support life.
I would think such a view of the Earth from space would cause any human to ponder how this Earth, and the life on it, came into existence.
For anyone to postulate that this extremely complex and unique planet, and its life, came into existence through random mutations (evolution) seems preposterous.
I would think any observer of the Earth from space would minimally become a theist … that there must be some intelligent designer of this planet Earth … and the universe.
The very first verse in the Bible gives us perhaps the best explanation: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth.” Genesis 1:1
The Apostle Paul explains further in Colossians 1:16: “For by Him [Christ] all things were created, both in the heavens and on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers of authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him.”
A thousand years before Paul, Israel’s King David wrote, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the Moon and the stars which Thou has ordained, what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? Yet Thou has made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty!” Psalm 8:3-5
Paul describes what humans’ reaction will ultimately be: “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him (Christ), and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on Earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11
“When I consider the heavens ….” -King David. Me. You.
Maranatha! Come quickly Lord Jesus!
Mark Woita
GFI Board Chairman