In the middle of April, astronomers announced the discovery of a planet very like the Earth.  It’s called Kepler-186f.   Not the most romantic of names, but we can forgive that.  It’s named after the telescope that discovered it.

It circles around its star, a red dwarf that is cooler than our sun, and is about 32.5 million miles away.  By contrast, the Earth orbits 93 million miles from the Sun.  But it works out because of temperature of the star.  Kepler-186f is about 1.1 times the size of the Earth.

Now, scientists don’t really know that this planet has an atmosphere that will sustain life. But it could.  And we don’t know if it has water on it.  But it could.   And frankly, we don’t even know if it’s still there.  The Empire’s Death Star could have blown it up.  What we see is what it looked like in 1524, seven years after the Protestant Reformation got started.  Things could change in the 490 years it took for these images to arrive here.

But for all that, scientists are excited. We can count 800 planets out there in space, but this is the first one with Earth-like qualities.  "This is an historic discovery of the first truly Earth-size planet found in the habitable zone around its star," Geoff Marcy, an astronomer at the University of California, Berkeley, said. "This is the best case for a habitable planet yet found. The results are absolutely rock-solid. The planet itself may not be, but I'd bet my house on it. In any case, it's a gem."

I seem to recall a Star Trek episode where Captain Kirk, Spock, and the crew of the Enterprise landed on a planet like earth.  So like Earth that the place was inhabited by Nazis.  It posed a bit of a problem.  But Kepler-186f won’t be like that.  I can guarantee it.

C. S. Lewis called Earth “the quarantined planet.”  And he was right.  This planet has a sickness and there is no way that the one who created it is going to let Earth infect the rest of the Universe.  The sickness is called sin.  We are uniquely a planet that is in rebellion against the God who made it.   Evidence?  Just look at the constant warfare, the cruelty, the tears and the sorrows that afflict the inhabitants of Earth.  And look how the loving God is hated by so many.

What we have playing out here is a demonstration for all the rest of the Universe to observe.  A Petrie dish example that shows how sinful sin is.  We are not normal.  We are the aberration.

No matter how hard you or I may try, we cannot rid ourselves of the sin that coils within our hearts.  But this planet is also the place where the God of the Universe intervened to put an end to sin.

God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ.  He died—the only truly good human who has ever lived--brutally executed on a Roman cross about 30 AD.  The word is that he paid for the sins of sinners like us.  And then he rose from the dead.  He offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who will trust in him as their savior.

So you and I are not going to get off this planet anytime soon—at least not alive.   Kepler-186f is safe for the time being.  But the apostle John was able to see the future.  He said, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away.” (Revelation 21:1)  He was looking at the time when God will call off the struggle on this planet.  Put it to an end.   And restore the planet to its original magnificence.  Peopled with perfect citizens whom Christ has bought and paid for with his own life. 

And then the quarantine will be lifted. 

Dr. Rick Perrin is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and Chairman of the Board of World Reformed Fellowship..  He writes a weekly blog called ReTHINK which may be accessed at www.rethinkingnews.wordpress.com. He may be contacted directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..