Copyright by James Carlson
What is the Universe? Recall that In the Beginning that God Created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1-3
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And with His Word, Let there be Light, God created the universe. The etymology of the word ‘universe’ is broken down into two Latin words: ‘uni’ or ‘one’ and ‘versus’ or ‘word’. The Word of God, Let there be Light, was the ‘one-word’ from which God created the ‘uni-verse.’ How often we fail to recognize that God is the author of the universe.
We find in the record of Genesis the first-person witness of God of the first week of creation. Mankind was not there until Adam was formed from the red clay of the earth; so this was not the witness of man but of God Himself (him being a pronoun with neutral gender). So, the witness we have of the creation of the universe is solely that of the solar system we live in; God limited the scope of His witness to man to the immediate neighborhood we live in.
Discovery of Galaxies
The discovery of galaxies began about 100 years ago with the use of improved telescopes. Criticisms of the Biblical record followed, asking why there were no direct reference to galaxies in the Bible. However, these criticisms are met with equal justice against the Nebular Hypothesis, which attempted an alternate explanation of the origin of our solar system. The philosophical science that forms a basis of the Nebular Hypothesis, also failed to predict the existence of galaxies as its focus was to present an alternate to the biblical perspective.
Immanuel Kant in the 18th century presented his idea of the Nebular Hypothesis but had no idea of anything remotely similar to what we know as galaxies today. The modern theory of the solar evolution was applied only to the supposed formation of stars and planets; it has only recently been used to explain the supposed formation of galaxies and stars throughout the universe. So, the criticisms against the Bible are no different than those applied to modern philosophical science, which were developed as an alternate view to the biblical record.
The Big Bang
The Big Bang theory is another example of modern philosophical science that seeks to explain how the universe began (cosmogony) and attempts to tell us how the universe operates (cosmology). This idea of philosophical (or speculative) science has long been presented in public education as fact, attempting to explain how the universe was created (or how it evolved). This stems from early cosmology/cosmogony speculating on the origins of our universe from other than a biblical perspective.
The idea of the Big Bang stems from an early 20th century astrophysicist, Georges Lemaitre, who believed a primordial atom exploded, which led to the formation of the entire universe. As he called it a big explosion it was later called a Big Bang by Frederick Hoyle who was mocking Lemaitre.
Lemaitre (and later Hubble) based their thinking on the red shift of galaxies as observed by more modern telescopes. The idea that these galaxies were moving stems from observations of the spectrum of visible light shifting to the red band (galaxies moving away from the earth) or to the blue band (galaxies moving closer to the earth). The universe was said to be in ‘recession’ as these galaxies were moving at a constant rate of velocity. And this recession was said to be the result of the Big Bang.
However, recent observations of type 1A supernovae in the late 20th century shed more light on the motion of galaxies as it was determined that galaxies are accelerating in their relative motion to the earth. As explosions or similar phenomena have a limited duration in accelerating matter, that duration does not continue past an initial impulse. So, a bang could not explain the continued expansion of the universe (movement of galaxies) at a continuously accelerating rate.
According to the principle of linear impulse and momentum (integrate both sides of F=ma and rearrange) initial momentum (mv1) plus an impulse (limited duration) is equal to a final momentum (mv2). The v in mv1 and mv2 is for velocity, which has a constant rate of change for velocity. Acceleration has a changing rate of velocity, so the idea of a Big Bang is no longer established on empirical observations or data. As the early idea of a Big Bang was predicated on the movement of galaxies at a constant velocity, we now know that galaxies are moving away at an accelerating rate; so, the original foundation for the Big Bang no longer exists - it is null and void. Yet scientists cling to it like Linus’ Blanket.
The idea of a Big Bang from a primordial atom is similar to that of the Bible where the earth was the first object of creation (without form and void) in the beginning. However, as the Big Bang explodes this philosophical atom, the earth in the record of Genesis was not destroyed. Instead, the universe was created when God said, Let there be Light. On the first day of Creation, as God’s Spirit moved over the earth (Genesis 1:2), God created the Light (next to the earth) and the light filled the universe according to His Word.
Empirical Evidence
Even Distribution of Galaxies Centered upon the Earth
2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey team, ref. 11
Recently, Dr. John Harnett published his book, Updated: Starlight Time and the New Physics, in which he presents some interesting information about the structure of galaxies in our universe. As noted above with the Word of God, “Let there be Light,” being spoken by God near the earth, we find in visual surveys of the universe the even distribution of many galaxies centered upon the earth itself. If as the Bible says, God spoke light into darkness to create the universe, it would make sense that this light would begin in the region of space where the earth is. From the slide presented above, we see that this is indeed the case. Dr. Barnett concludes,
If these maps are correct, they indicate that the universe is isotropic but no homogeneous. Therefore, the evidence would seem to indicate that the cosmological principle is wrong. That means that the universe has a unique center. And we are somewhere near that center.
We must be cautious about using science as a means of verifying God’s Word as His Word is established upon nothing other than the merit of His own person. But we have what may amount to a witness of the early days of creation when the light God spoken into the void of space expanded into the universe to form the galaxies, stars, planets, etc. that we now see.
Speculative Thesis
The Big Bang and the introduction of Light into the void both have an original mass and an energetic moment. But where there are similarities, there are also differences between them. Whereas the mass in the speculative thesis of the Big Bang was destroyed to form the universe, the mass in the biblical record of creation was not destroyed; God created the original mass of earth and water and then spoke Light into darkness. As well, with a big ‘bang’ comes an energetic moment as does the introduction of light into the void. The similarities of an energetic moment are enough to add speculation as to the origin of the universe.
So, keeping in mind this is an exercise of speculation (as is all of cosmogony and cosmology), we can ponder the moment energy entered the void from God’s Word, from which the universe was created. As God spoke into existence the Light of Creation, we may find that this energy entering the void travelled much faster than it does today. While the current speed of light is a constant, it has been proven that it can travel faster than it does now. This then provides a foundation for further speculation.
And as quantum/particle physics eventually divides matter into mass units of m = E/c2 (rearrange E = m*c2), we may find that as light originally flooded the dark void, the physical universe became the product of the speed of light (c) slowing down. Instead of dividing matter into ever smaller units of measure until the unit of measure is no longer mass based but energy based, the slowing of the speed of light to present levels may have precipitated mass into the universe as the light slowed down (similar to the idea of ‘inflation’ but not exactly the same). Again, as God spoke light into the darkness, what we now see may have been created in reverse order to quantum/particle physics when this light slowed down. Today, mass and energy can no longer be created or destroyed (Law of the Conservation of Energy); it can be only changed from one form to the other.
Summary
God did not create order from disorder. This is a myth that persists even in Christian circles today. Instead, God spoke light into the darkness and created the universe. There is empirical evidence to support this and a speculative thesis to help explain it. But even if we didn’t have this information, we would still know by faith in God’s Word that God Created the universe by the power of His Word.
Hebrew 11:3
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
There are some who believe that as stars were made from dust and then from star dust we were made; but we know that we are created by light, not the stuff of stars.
Jesus is the Light of Creation and the Light of Life.
John1:1-4
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Invite Jesus into your heart.
God of Creation, the same God who created me, please create in me a new heart. Please forgive me of my sins, which I admit I have committed against you. Forgive me based upon the good work of Jesus on the Cross. By your Spirit, shine the light of your truth into my heart. Make me what you want me to be. I surrender my life to you. And thank you for giving me a new life by the Light of Jesus Christ. Amen
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