THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE
By Jon Quinn
FOUR MILLION TONS PER SECOND! No, that's not a commercial for Weight-Watchers; that's how much of the sun's mass has been consumed constantly for as long as there have been people to be warmed by it. And similar rates of entropy are occurring throughout the universe on every star. The sun will die out. Science calls it "heat-death", and if things are left as they are long enough, the universe will experience it. The last ember will die and the last molecule will stop its movement and there will be eternal, cold silence. The Bible also confirms that the universe is "wearing out"; "Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thy hands; They will perish, but Thou remainest; And they will all become old as a garment...But Thou art the same, And Thy years will not come to an end" (HEBREWS 1:10-12).
For any mechanism, whether it be a watch or the universe, to wind down it must first be wound up. This means that the universe had a beginning. This has caused scientists to search for the cause of the universe's beginning. Many scientists of the past and present, including many of the greatest ones, find that their investigations give evidence of an Intelligent Planner. NO OTHER THEORY OF ORIGINS TO DATE GIVES A SATISFACTORY REASON AS TO WHY THE UNIVERSE EXISTS AT ALL!
SOME THEORIES THAT SIMPLY DO NOT WORK
"Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of God for an image in the form of corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures" (ROMANS 1:22,23).
There are several theories that are being advanced by many scientists that are seeking to exchange the glory of God with something else. Consider these theories yourself as to whether they are adequate explanations as to the origin of the universe or not:
1) The Nebular Theory; The universe began with a swirling cloud of matter. Little whirlpools issued from the cloud and formed galaxies over eons of time.
The Problem; Where did the cloud come from? This theory does not tell how the universe originated unless it tells how the cloud came to be.
2) The Big Bang Theory; The universe began with a tremendous explosion that sent matter hurling outwards at tremendous speeds. This matter gradually formed the galaxies.
The Problem; For there to be any explosion, there has to be something there to explode. If nothing existed before the "big bang", then there would never have been any "bang" at all; not even a small "pop!".
3) The Steady State Theory; The universe never had a beginning at all. Matter is eternal and just keeps changing form forever.
The Problem; Violates the natural laws of motion and entropy. It is observable that things are running down all over our universe. Energy is constantly being expended which can never be reclaimed. Incidentally, in all fairness, most scientists today have rejected this theory although it was not so long ago a very popular way to deny the existence of God.
A WORKABLE THEORY
"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which were visible". (HEBREWS 11:3).
The point of this passage is that God created the universe from nothing. He did not take pre-existing materials and construct the universe out of them. The book of Genesis records that He spoke things into being; "And God said, 'Let there be...". Speaking of Christ, the second member of the Godhead, the Scriptures say; "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth..." (COLOSSIANS 1:16).
But doesn't that leave us with the same problem as the earlier theories? Where did God come from?
No, that is not a problem. In fact, it is the solution! First, God is spirit and therefore is not subject to natural laws such as entropy. While physical things are temporary, spiritual things are eternal-lasting. God is timeless and always existing. In contrasting God with the physical universe which is "wearing out" the Bible states that "Thou art the same, and Thy years will not come to an end" (HEBREWS 1:12). God will never cease to be!
Secondly, God is "from everlasting to everlasting" (PSALM 90:2). There never has been a time when He did not exist. In fact, before time itself began, God was there. There is no time in the future or past that God does not exist. "I am the Alpha and the Omega', says the Lord God, 'Who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (REVELATION 1:8). God had no beginning!
It is the nature of the physical universe and its natural laws that declare that the origin of these things cannot be physical nor governed by these natural laws. Thus we turn to the Supernatural; to God as the Creator of these things. As the Lord pointedly asks every man or woman who pridefully disdain His being or creative power; "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" (JOB 38:4).
"IN THE BEGINNING GOD..."
"O Lord, it is Thou who didst make the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them" (ACTS 4:24).
I'd like to share with you the words of one of my college professors, edited by myself for the sake of space.
"Although I am a scientist, my faith is in God. My faith is based on and in the Word of God. I believe that in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth...Let me consider with you some evidence that I interpret as giving support to the theory of special creation." Dr. Douglas Burgess then proceeded to show the delicate balance and conditions which must be maintained in order for life to exist, not only on a planet wide scale but down to the simplest cell. It all points to the truthfulness of the statement; "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (GENESIS 1:1).
