On January 24, 2025, Rudiger Koch plans to emerge from his “home”. If he succeeds in staying inside his dwelling that long, he will have set a new record for continuously living in an underwater fixed habitat. The old record is 100 days; his aim is to live underwater for 120 days.
Koch, a 59-year-old aerospace engineer, admits that his task is not too tough. The custom-made capsule that he currently calls home provides him with most modern amenities. The 322-square-foot pod is located in the Caribbean Sea just off the coast of Panama and is about 36 feet below the surface. Videos of his experience show that his life is mostly normal during this period.
An organization called Ocean Builders is behind the experiment, and they say Koch’s feat is “a powerful testament to human ingenuity, resilience, and the boundless possibilities of sustainable ocean living.” Their long-term vision is to provide undersea dwellings for people without harming the environment, a future where such a lifestyle “becomes a possibility for all.”
Personally, I might sign up for a day or two in such a dwelling, but I don’t believe I would relish it for longer periods. I’m a land-dwelling creature, and underwater living is out of my element.
Based on information God has revealed in the Bible, I’m already living out of my element. Though my entire life has been on Planet Earth, God tells me that my life will extend beyond physical life here. There’s more to come in a place very different from this physical existence.
John testified to this truth in 1 John 3:2: “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” John was speaking of Jesus in that verse, and how Christian followers will be transformed to become like Jesus – the Jesus who was glorified after His resurrection, and who ascended back into heaven. That’s a very different existence!
Paul agreed with this vision of our future: “So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:54). This agrees with what Jesus said in Matthew 22:30: “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.” We’ll be like “angels of God”? There’s an exciting thought!
Rudiger Koch knows he will emerge from the sea on January 24 (if all goes according to plan), and his element will return to normal. You and I don’t know the dates when we will emerge from this life. If we have been baptized into Christ (Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27), though, we know that we’ll enter into a habitat from which we will never return. In fact, we won’t desire to return. We will know by experience the beatitude found in Revelation 14:13: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” Here’s the truth: While I live in the flesh, I’m out of my element. But one day …
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2024, Timothy D. Hall
