How do we react to a flood? Of course, it would depend on which type of flood we are talking about. I refer again to the flood of electromagnetic radiation arriving at earth’s doorstep each moment of our lives. The more we understand it, the more it appears God has ordered all things for the existence and benefit of man. Consider the flood of natural radiation ever present since the beginning.
The matter in our universe generates a constant stream of electromagnetic radiation: gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, microwaves, and radio waves. In nature, these radiations rain down on our planet from multiple objects in our surroundings, our solar system, and the distant universe.
Most invisible short-wave, high energy radiation from outer space--gamma rays, x-rays, and ultraviolet--is filtered out by our atmosphere before reaching us. For that, we are thankful. We are shielded from potentially dangerous radiation. But this radiation is visible to cameras on space vehicles orbiting outside our atmosphere. We are able, therefore, to use such information to help us gain detailed knowledge of our universe--its structure, its function, and its origin.
Lower energy, longer wave radiation such as visible light, infrared, microwaves, and radio waves, penetrate our delicate atmospheric barrier. What a treasure trove of beauty, fascination, and life sustaining energy comes with it! We observe our beautiful sun, moon, and stars by visible light with our naked eye. We also use visible light telescopes to reveal countless additional stars, galaxies, and nebulae. Visible light and short wave infrared are easily transmitted from the sun through our atmosphere, and then absorbed or reflected by objects on earth. Finally, we see images around us and bask in the reflected warmth produced by long wave infrared. Earth temperature is maintained at a life-sustaining level.
Longer than light waves, microwaves bombard earth from every direction in outer space. These microwaves (cosmic microwave background radiation--CMBR) are left-over relics from the incredible Big Bang creation event. What about naturally-produced radio waves? Planet Jupiter, the Sun, and other bodies emit radiation in various radio frequencies. To be sure, these radio signals do not produce music or speech, but are merely “noise,” because they are not generated by intelligent beings.
Electromagnetic waves are part of God’s creative design features enabling man to develop and sustain our modern civilization. Scientists have discovered how to harness them in ways unimaginable a few centuries ago. Electromagnetic waves, however, were plentiful in the environment long before man’s birth on this planet.
