The Lord's Science in the New Millennium

by John P. Pratt

Reprinted from Meridian Magazine (18 Feb 2000).
©2000 by John P. Pratt. All rights Reserved.

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What will be discovered in the next 50 years?

Lagoon Nebula (Hubble Space Telescope)

In the December 1999 issue of Scientific American, prominent scientists wrote a series of articles predicting what is likely to be discovered in the next fifty years. Yet, Sir John Maddox, in the lead article, admits looking into the future is risky business. Science will probably be preoccupied with questions we don't have the wit yet to ask, he notes. For comparison, he points out that scientists at the beginning of the 20th century were making their predictions of the next hundred years. Looking back now, he concludes that their best guesses were mostly a "catalog of ignornace." They were totally shocked by theories of relativity and quantum mechanics. They didn't foresee the unravelling of the structure of DNA, couldn't dream that most homes would have computing machines. "The most important discoveries of the next 50 years are likely to be ones of which we cannot now even conceive," said Maddox. In fact, "There is no way of telling which small stone overturned in the next 50 years will lead to a whole new world of science."

The scriptures agree that there will be surprises."which no man knew." When the Lord comes again, "he shall reveal all things," things that hurl us into new worlds of understanding we cannot even approach right now. They are:

Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof­

Things most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven. (D&C 101:33-34).

Compare some of the topics the scientists made prophecies about with the prophecies of God as revealed in scripture. Each topic below represents a separate article in the magazine.

Unified Physics. Scientific American discusses the possibility that it will be shown that all the forces in nature are really different manifestations of the same underlying force. It is known that light, electricity and magnetism, as well as matter, chemical energy and heat are all fundamentally the same. Recently, progress has been made in unifying the theory of nuclear forces within the atom with that of electromagnetic forces. But the force of gravity has remained stubbornly isolated from the flock of forces. One article in Scientific American speculates that we may soon see the unifying of the last two separate theories of physics: quantum field theory and general relativity (gravity).

Tthe Lord has gone far beyond the wildest dreams of most scientists in his revelations concerning the unification of all of his forces. He has told us there is an all-pervading "light of Christ" which is the source, not only of all of the above forces, but also of many others. For starters, we are told that "whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ." (D&C 84:45). Thus, light, which is the common denominator of all of the forces of the Unified Field Theory, is also the same as "truth" and "spirit," neither of which science has even discovered yet. But there's more: "And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit." (D&C 84:46). So apparently our conscience also employs that same light.

That our mind's eye uses this same kind of light is explicitly stated along with several new dimensions of the light of Christ:

"And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;

"The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things. (D&C 88:11-13)

Various Manifestations of Light
Discovered by Science	Not Yet Discovered
Light	Truth
Electricity	Spirit
Magnetism	Conscience
Matter	Inspiration
Nuclear Forces	Giver of Life to All Things
Gravity (predicted)	The Governing Law Itself

Elsewhere, the oneness of matter and spirit is also explicitly stated, "There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes." (D&C 131:7). The current progress of science can be summarized in the following table.

Our Universe's Birth. Scientific American predicts that we'll soon understand much more about the origin of our universe. That prediction is supported by the Lord's revelation quoted above that all things will be revealed about the creation. But the article focuses on the "Big Bang" theory now in vogue, which may well be totally unlike what really happened. It is more likely that when we learn how our universe was created, we may be in for some big surprises indeed.

Deciphering the Code of Life. Big advances are predicted in understanding the instructions encoded in the genes of all life. These codes are like computer programs which have been embedded in every cell to instruct each being on how to grow and live. When computer programmers study the code of competitors to try to discover how it works, it is called "reverse engineering." As man reverse engineers the marvelous code written by the Creator, he is bound to learn more of the secrets of life. One major difference is that computer programmers never think that code writes itself.

Genetics or Environment? The end of the longstanding debate about whether genetics or environment determines our actions is predicted for the next fifty years. But the entire debate has overlooked that revealed fact that we come into this world with a spirit that lived long before we were born. Surely it brings many traits from the preexistence. And what about the genetic makeup of our spirit bodies? After all, spirit matter is essentially the same as normal matter, so we probably have spiritual DNA also. When science discovers the reality of the spirit, many of these kinds of debates could become much more interesting. The debate may only end when the Lord reveals how it really was done.

Human Impact on Climate. Scientific American states that "human beings are far from inconsequential when it comes to the health of the planet" and predicts great strides in understanding the relation of man to the earth. Note that the sentence speaks of the "health" of the earth, as if it were alive. Many scientists are now concluding that the earth may very well be alive, because it responds to changes just as a living organism would do. But the Lord has long since revealed that the earth not only is alive, but obeys his laws:

"And again, verily I say unto you, the earth abideth the law of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and transgresseth not the law­

"Wherefore, it shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is quickened, and the righteous shall inherit it." (D&C 88:25-26)

Human Longevity. The next fifty years could well see a remarkable increase in human longevity. Referring to "the postponement of human aging," Scientific American concludes that "in 2050 it may be a reality that gives headaches to Congress and high spirits to the middle-aged."

Again, here is a specific scientific prediction which the Lord has explicitly prophesied as typical of the Millennium:

"In that day an infant shall not die until he is old; and his life shall be as the age of a tree" (D&C 101:30)

"There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old ... for as the days of a tree are the days of my people" (Isaiah 65:20-22)

President Brigham Young explained that part of the reason for the coming increased longevity of man would come from a more prudent diet, eating less and slowly, and getting more rest. Perhaps now it is time to actually begin to follow his advice, which has been largely ignored.

This is the duty of the human family ... to improve our minds and bodies by observing the laws of life, so that the longevity of the human family may begin to return. By and by, according to the Scriptures, the days of a man shall be like the days of a tree. But in those days people will not eat and drink as they do now ...

You get up in the morning and have your cup of tea, your fried ham, your cold beef and mince pies, and everything you can possibly cram into the stomach, until you surfeit the system and lay the foundation for disease and earthly death.

... if they desire long life and good health, they must, after sufficient exertion, allow the body to rest before it is entirely exhausted. When exhausted, some argue that they need stimulants ... to goad on the lagging powers to greater exertions. But instead of these kind of stimulants they should ... rest. Work less, wear less, eat less, and we shall be a great deal wiser, healthier, and wealthier people than by taking the course we now do. It is difficult to find anything more healthy to drink than good cold water..."

... they will begin to live out their days, not only a hundred years, but, by and by, hundreds of years on the earth. Do you think they will stuff themselves then with tea and coffee, and ... beef, pork, mutton, sweet meats, and pastry, morning, noon and night? No; you will find they will live as our first parents did, on fruits and on a little simple food, and they will never overload the stomach.

A thorough reformation is needed in regard to our eating and drinking ... If the people were willing to receive the true knowledge from heaven in regard to their diet they would cease eating swine's flesh.... But we can eat fish, ... eggs ... [and] fruit of every variety ... Fish is as healthy a food as we can eat, if we except vegetables and fruit, and with them will become a very wholesome diet.

The Americans, as a nation, are killing themselves with their vices and high living. As much as a man ought to eat in half an hour they swallow in three minutes, gulping down their food like the canine quadruped under the table....

If the days of man are to begin to return, we must cease all extravagant living. When men live to the age of a tree, their food will be fruit.... live upon vegetables, etc., not many generations will pass away before the days of man will again return. But it will take generations to eradicate entirely the influences of deleterious substances. (Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 186-190)

"How the Brain Creates the Mind." "Philosophers, neuroscientists and laypeople have long wondered how the conscious mind comes to be. A more complete understanding of the workings of the brain ought to lead to an eventual solution" claims Scientific American. These words betray the complete ignorance of mainstream science of the preexistence of the human spirit and mind. It may be rewritten in fifty years to read "How the Mind creates the Brain." There is mounting scientific evidence from the current great outpouring of descriptions of "near death" experiences that the spirit does indeed live on after death, complete with mind and memory. Moreover, there is mounting evidence that it lived before birth, as witnessed by a growing body of testimonies of those who have seen the spirits of their yet-to-be-born children.

"Is There Life Elsewhere in the Universe?" The article with this title begins, "The answer is: nobody knows." This presumptuous "nobody knows" phrase is a commonly used by experts in various scholarly disciplines, and it is invariably wrong. There is always Someone who knows. In this case, the Lord has long since answered this question in the affirmative:

"That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God." (D&C 76:24)

But someone has noticed. Again, our prophets have pointed out over a century ago that, far from rivalling our intelligence as the article predicts, "they possess no intelligence." President John Taylor declared:

None of these things possess intelligence, nor the principles of life within themselves, neither can they impart, nor perpetuate it to others; they are merely machines, to be acted upon by man, and without man they cease to exist; when one is worn out, or broken, another must be made at the same toil and labour; possessing not the principles of life, they cannot impart their likeness; whereas man, beasts, fish, fowl, and all the animate works of God can. Man's works in comparison with God's, are like comparing a child's wooden horse to the beautiful creature God has made, or rather his penny whistle to the music of heaven, or the larger boy's billiards to the motions of the planetary system. They possess no intelligence, no powers, no reflection, no agency. (The Government of God, ch. 9)

Thus, our prophets have prophesied most of these advances well over a century before scientists have discovered them. It is truly a blessing to have living prophets to lead us who are so far ahead of their time. Their words will pass the test of time, because truth will ultimately prevail in science as well as in religion.