The Answerer

Thanks for the question, I like it. Since 1991, I have become very interested in the Milky Way with its 400,000,000,000 stars. In 1991 'they' said was 100,000,000,000. In 2005 I heard on the radio that it was 400b. What? I phoned up the Perth Observatory to check. "Yes, the evidence says it is 400b." And that is just in our ordinary galaxy called The Milky Way. Sad to say that our sun is just an ordinary sized star in the top corner of our galaxy, and will only last another 66 million years (or was it 2 billion?). Heck, that's not very long! The nearest star to ours is Alpha Centauri and that is 94,700,266,000,000, km away from us. Phew! That's a long walk. Who, or whatever made our galaxy, the making of Mars and 13 other planets would be a simple 'after hours job'. Mars is about 50 million km away and the sun is 125 million km away from us. There are 5,000 to 100,000 galaxies in the universe, and still counting. I believe that the one true God made it all. King David wrote: "He counts the stars and calls them all by name." (Psalm 139:4). How, I cannot imagine. "Thanks God." It's beautiful. This is not a question but a very helpful 'Power statement' from Mr Zig Ziglar. " You're where you are, you're what you are because of what has gone into your mind. You can change where you are, you can change what you are, by changing what goes into your mind." (Zig Ziglar, Perth 1984) Think about it! A lovely girl in my Scripture class wrote some years ago: "Your mind is not a rubbish tip - so don't put garbage into it." One-hundred percent good sense! Ask yourself: "Is what I put into my mind, doing me good or is some of it plain filth and I would be better without it?" May you be where God can bless your future life and keep your mind on the best things and learn much about Jesus and The Creation.

It is fairly normal for a child to expect to see God. And many children have seen His angels, but mostly they are not believed. Most mums and dads are too busy to ask the little child to tell them more about what they saw, because they do not believe it could happen. An older Grandma or Grandpa may stop and listen to the story. Jesus said of children: "Beware that you don't look down upon a single one of these little children. For I tell you that in heaven their angels have constant access to my Father." (Matt. 18:10). This is a comment in a Bible I have: Our concern for children must parallel God's treatment of them. Certain angels are assigned to watch over children and they have direct access to God. These words ring out sharply in cultures where children are taken lightly, ignored, or aborted. If their angels have constant access to God, the least we can do is to allow children to approach us easily in spite of our far-too-busy schedules." (Life Application Bible page 53) Tindale House Publishers, USA 1987. So you may not see God, but be assured children are very special to Jesus. God is not normally seen. Only Moses did and that was a special time for all in receiving God's law. Suppose somebody did and took a photo. Money hungry 'Groan-ups' would have His face on breakfast cereal, cool drink bottles, etc. Greedy people cannot be trusted to be 'good'. They just can't.

God doesn't – people do. Did you know that every day 25,000 children under five years old die from easily prevented sickness or hunger? And 1,500,000,000 people go to bed hungry every night, while 1,500,000,000 in 'The West' are sick from eating too much food. A very sad fact of life is that money and power (over other people) rules, OK? When all the dust, lies and disputes are settled it is money, and resources like oil, gold, copper, or other minerals that are important. What has this got to do with people starving? People get in the way of greed. If people get in the way they must be shifted; sometimes to other lands, refugee camps - and in some cases killed. Some people are quite without mercy or pity for others and kill them. God must get pretty sad - and maybe angry to watch it all. There is another side too. Many countries do not have an elected government. Australia has but it too has faults. In some countries an Army General may gather around him a large group of armed soldiers or Militia and 'Rule From the End of a Gun' and terrorise its people to do as they are told. Now, these dictators spend much money on their war machines and flashy cars. So...not much money left for schools, hospitals and imported food if it is needed.

First, it is not for me to say - I am not your judge. But if you get to be grown up and do not believe in God - would you really expect God to say: "You MUST come into heaven." No! He will not. So you will be where God is not, with other people who do not believe in Him. I reckon that would not be very nice. So, be smart - let God in and enjoy all the good things He has in store for those who love Him. Do please note that God, early in the Bible, punished ‘grown–ups’ for not trusting Him and said: “All those twenty (20) years and over will not see the promised land.” God meant those under 20 were not considered old enough to choose to deliberately ignore God. So those under 20 years of age are considered a ‘child’ by God’s thinking and will go to heaven. Those over 20 are able to choose not to believe in God, will go to where God is not.

I know the answer is 'Yes'. When I was younger and thought I knew everything. I was going to my car to drive to my church where there was to be a 'World Day of Prayer.' All churches in my area were to have a meeting of interested persons to pray for the world. On my way to the car I was thinking, "How can we all pray together? The Catholics bring their Rosary Beads; the Anglicans bring their Book of Prayer and what if the Charismatics pray in 'tongues' (unknown languages) it will be strange? I was thinking 'We Baptists are the best and the right way.' A voice interrupted my thoughts saying : "What makes you think you are better than them?" Oops! I was being proud and feeling superior? Yes, lesson learnt. And King David wrote: "Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely O Lord." (Psalm 139:4). David, Goliath's killer, was very close to God.