Ascension (3)

End of the Sun

Any of the devastating scenarios above, while undoubtedly terrible for life, are just a fraction as bad as future Earth's ultimate fate. Gamma-ray burst or not, in about a billion years, most life on Earth will eventually die anyway due to a lack of oxygen. That’s according to a different study published in March in the journal Nature Geoscience.

The researchers suggest that our oxygen-rich atmosphere is not a permanent feature of the planet. Instead, in about a billion years, solar activity will cause atmospheric oxygen to plummet back down to the level it was at before the Great Oxidation Event. To determine this, the authors combined climate models and biogeochemistry models to simulate what will happen to the atmosphere as the Sun ages and puts out more energy.

They found that, eventually, Earth reaches a point where atmospheric carbon dioxide breaks down. At that point, oxygen-producing plants and organisms that rely on photosynthesis will die out. Our planet won’t have enough lifeforms to sustain the oxygen-rich atmosphere humans and other animals require.

The precise timing of when that starts and how long it takes — the deoxygenation process could take as few as 10,000 years — depends on a broad range of factors. But, in the end, the authors say this cataclysm is an unavoidable one for the planet.

Luckily, humanity still has another billion years to figure out other plans.

Ephesians Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesian Believers / 1:15–23

1:21 Far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Christ’s ultimate authority, his lordship, will be far above any other. The “above” indicates superiority. Paul explained that all the rulers, authorities, powers, and dominions in heaven and on earth, of both the visible and invisible world (physical government and spiritual forces), come under the authority of Christ himself. Paul listed titles and names, adding even a generic phrase (and every title that can be given) to clarify that whatever power exists not only in the present age but also in the one to come will be under Christ’s authority. Some have seen in these words hierarchies of angel princes. Others have seen parallels to the spiritual enemies of Christians—law, sin, the flesh, and death. Paul listed these because of people’s belief that the world was inhabited by powers and beings that worked against humanity. Christ has no equal and no rival. He is supreme over all other beings. These words ought to encourage believers, because the higher the honor of Christ, the Head, the higher the honor of his people.

Ephesians Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesian Believers / 1:15–23

ENTROPY

Entropy is the law of the universe. The sun will burn out, the rain forest is vanishing, species become extinct by the thousands every year, and your car falls apart by the mile. Everything wears out, falls down, disintegrates. Many people think that if there is nothing more to life than what we can see, touch, taste, and experience, the best we can do is try to enjoy the ride while it lasts because there’s a nasty crash at the end. But Ephesians 1:21 teaches that there is hope. Instead of the world just fizzling out, we are heading toward a definite conclusion where Christ is Lord and God will make all things right. Christians are called to proclaim truth to a world that embraces falsehood, light to a world that dwells in darkness, and hope to a world that has given in to despair. Entropy is the law of the universe, but Christ is Lord over the universe. Rely on his all-sufficient power for your daily needs.