It has well been said that, “it takes more faith to believe the universe ‘just happened,’ than to believe God created it.”
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”—Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth”, or “When God began to create the heavens and the earth”—Genesis 1:1 NLT margin
Our Milky Way Galaxy has at least 100 billion stars, possibly 200 to 400 billion or several trillion, and is spinning at the incredible speed of 490,000 miles per hour. But even at that super speed, it takes 200 million years to make just one rotation. If one could travel at the speed of light, it would take 100,000 years to cross it. The average distance between stars is estimated at about 36 trillion miles. There are estimated to be about two hundred billion total galaxies in the universe that are more or less similar to ours, some of which are much larger than the Milky Way galaxy.read more
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…. Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light…. Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for festivals and for days and years.They will be lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth.’ And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to have dominion over the day and the lesser light to have dominion over the night—as well as the stars. God placed them in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth, to dominate the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:1,3,14-18 CSB)read more
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”—Genesis 1:1
In our article about the expansion of the universe, we showed how some basic scientific facts about the universe point to the existence of God. This article examines even more scientific concepts about the universe and we will see how they relate to the Creator.
Existence of Elements Essential for Life
When two helium nuclei collide, they fuse together and produce the fleeting, unstable beryllium. An additional collision with a single helium nucleus, and carbon is created. Without these very unlikely “lucky accidents” constantly occurring carbon would not exist, and neither would we.
“For the Lord is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. ‘I am the LORD,’ he says, ‘and there is no other.'” (Isaiah 45:18 NLT)
The Fine-tuned Universe
A proton is 1,836 times heavier than an electron. If this difference was any greater or lesser, it would not be possible for life to exist in the universe.
“The laws of science, as we know them at present, contain many fundamental numbers, like the size of the electric charge of the electron and the ratio of the masses of the proton and the electron. … The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life.” – Stephen Hawking
In 1961, physicist Robert H. Dicke said that certain forces in physics, such as gravity and electromagnetism, must be perfectly fine-tuned for life to exist anywhere in the Universe. Fred Hoyle also argued for a fine-tuned Universe in his 1984 book “Intelligent Universe.” He compares “the chance of obtaining even a single functioning protein by chance combination of amino acids to a star system full of blind men solving Rubik’s Cube simultaneously.”
“In you is the source of life, by your light we see the light.” (Psalm 36:9 NJB) The Bible refers to Almighty God as “the source of life.”
Fine-tuning of the Force Strengths to Permit Life
The constants governing the four fundamental forces of physics are finely-tuned to support life.
Strong nuclear force is important for the existence of stable atoms beyond hydrogen. If the strong force were 50% weaker, no elements used by life would exist because protons couldn’t be held together in the nucleus.
Electromagnetic force is responsible for chemistry and plays a critical role in stellar fusion which powers life. The electromagnetic force needs to be much weaker than the strong nuclear force for atoms to be stable – so that the radius of the electron orbit is much larger than the radius of the nucleus.
Weak nuclear force controls proton-proton fusion, a reaction 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 times slower than the nuclear reaction based on the strong nuclear force. Without this, essentially all the matter in the universe would have been burned to helium before the first galaxies were formed. Because the weak nuclear force is so much weaker than the strong nuclear force, a star can burn its hydrogen gently for billions of years instead of blowing up like a bomb.
Gravitational force: the strength of gravity is about 40 orders of magnitude weaker than the strong nuclear force. Based on this expectation that gravity can vary up to strong nuclear force strength, the level of fine-tuning required for life is pretty remarkable:
If gravity is weaker by 1 in 10 raised to the 36th power, stars are unstable to degeneracy pressure (for small stars) or unstable to radiative pressure just expelling huge chunks of the star (for larger stars).
If gravity is stronger by 1 in 10 raised to the 40th power, the universe is dominated by black holes not stars.
If gravity is weaker by 1 in 10 raised to the 30th power, the largest planet that would avoid crushing effects of gravity on any large-brained creatures would have a radius of about 50 meters – which is not a good candidate for an ecosystem and the development/sustenance of intelligent life.
Bible critics claim there is no evidence in support of Genesis 1:1. Some atheists deny the universe had a beginning. Is there any evidence in support of Genesis 1:1?
“. . . when the universe was created”—USA =&0=&
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”—Genesis 1:1
Some atheists deny not only the Bible, but also science, by claiming that the universe did not have a beginning. Their denial of proven science shows the depths to they will go to avoid any possibility of God’s existence, and creation.
An article in USA Today entitled “Signal Received from Far Reaches of Early Universe” reports:
An artist’s rendering shows how the first stars might have looked. — N.R. FULLER/NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
For the first time, astronomers have detected a signal from stars emerging in the early universe some 14 billion years ago.
They may also have detected mysterious “dark matter” at work.
Using a radio antenna not much bigger than a refrigerator, astronomers discovered that primordial suns began to shine about 180 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe was created.
“Finding this minuscule signal has opened a new window on the early universe,” said astronomer Judd Bowman of Arizona State University, the lead author of a study published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed British journal Nature.read more
Science & Bible Agree: Expanding Universe Had Early Beginning
If the universe is expanding, it had a beginning. The Bible tells us what happened in the beginning, and why.
In the last 100 years, science has discovered that the universe is expanding. However, the men who wrote the Bible spoke of this concept when it was written about 2,500–3,500 years ago. But many people believe the Bible and science contradict one another, primarily because of the unscriptural assertions of “Young-Earth Creationism” (the earth and the universe were created in six 24-hour days about 6,000). Is this really so? Let’s examine some basic scientific concepts about the universe, and see how they compare to what the Bible says.
First Law of Thermodynamics – E = MC2
The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can be transformed from one form to another, but can be neither created nor destroyed. Matter and energy are interchangeable (E=mc2).
Now, keeping these things in mind, let’s consider a few verses from the Bible:
“Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (Isaiah 40:26 NIV)
“Our Lord and God, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because You have created all things, and because of Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:11 CSB)
“By faith we understand that the universe was created by God’s command, so that what is seen has been made from things that are not visible.” (Hebrews 11:3 CSB)
This is exactly what God did when he transferred some of his energy into the matter making up the universe. It is also proves that Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. Both science and the Bible now agree that the universe had a beginning.
Second Law of Thermodynamics
The second law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy for an isolated system can never decrease over time. “Entropy” is a measure of unusable energy within a closed or isolated system (the universe for example). As usable energy decreases and unusable energy increases, “entropy” increases. Entropy is also a gauge of randomness or chaos within a closed system. As usable energy is irretrievably lost, disorganization, randomness and chaos increase. This means that anything left to itself, including the universe, will become less organized or disorganized over time.
Fact 1: The universe began in a highly ordered state.
Fact 2: The universe remains highly ordered/organized.
Thus, we can infer that God both created, and maintains, the universe.
The universe would have become somewhat less organized over time, had God not created it from the beginning and maintained it through its estimated 12 to 15 billion year existence. In contradiction to “Young Earth Creationism”, which asserts that the universe is only 6,000 to 10,000 years old, the Bible is in complete agreement with science that the universe is billions of years old. The following scriptures give Biblical testimony to the fact that God not only created the universe in the beginning, but he also continues to maintain it in a highly ordered state.
“Through him [Jesus] God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.” (Colossians 1:16-17 NLT)
“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.” (Psalm 19:1-4 NLT)
“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (Romans 1:20 NLT)
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust…. Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing. With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? … He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in…. ‘To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One…. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” (Isaiah 40:12-15, 17-18, 22, 25, 28 NIV)
Almighty God, the Creator, who has existed “from eternity” (Psalm 90:2 NAB), and exists outside, and independent of, the universe. He transformed some of his “great power,” or energy (Isaiah 40:26 NIV), into matter, when he suddenly brought the universe into existence, in what has been called by science the “Big Bang”.
“Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge? … The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power.” (Job 37:16, 23 NIV) Only someone “who has perfect knowledge” could create the universe and all that is in it.
“Do you know the laws of the universe? Can you use them to regulate the earth?” (Job 38:33 NLT). “Laws” do not just happen. They are made by lawmakers. “The LORD [Yahweh] is our lawmaker” (Isaiah 33:22 NIV).
The Universe had a Beginning
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 CSB) The Big Bang is the description of how the universe began. Science agrees with the Bible that the universe had a beginning.
The Universe is Expanding
Early in the twentieth century, astronomer Edwin Hubble found that galaxies are moving away from each other. This discovery led him to believe that the universe is expanding. Hubble’s discovery was upsetting to many scientists of his time, because if the universe is expanding, then – at some time in the distant past – the universe had a beginning. And if the universe had a beginning, it would confirm what the Bible had said all along. Albert Einstein said the whole idea “irritated” him, although later in life he accepted the idea that the universe had a beginning. Arthur Eddington, a British mathematician and astronomer, said that he hoped a “loophole” could be found to avoid the implication that the universe had a Creator.
But the writers of the Bible knew that God had “stretched out the heavens” long before the expanding universe theory was proposed by Hubble and other scientists in the last 100 years, and has been confirmed by scientific evidence. The prophets of the Bible had already revealed this in the Scriptures:
“He alone stretches out the heavens.” (Job 9:8 NIV)
“He stretches out the heavens like a tent.” (Psalm 104:2 NIV)
“He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.” (Isaiah 40:22 NIV)
“The Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out.” (Isaiah 42:5 NIV)
“I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens.” (Isaiah 44:24 NIV)
“It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.” (Isaiah 45:12 NIV)
“My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together.” (Isaiah 48:13 NIV)
“You forget the Lord your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor?” (Isaiah 51:13 NIV)
“But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.” (Jeremiah 10:12 NIV)
“He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.” (Jeremiah 51:15 NIV)
“The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person.” (Zechariah 12:1 NIV)
As we can see, the Bible has said all along what science has just recently [in the last 100 years] discovered, that is, that the universe is “stretched out”, or expanding. Astronomers, in the last 25 years, have discovered that the universe is expanding at exactly the critical rate, the perfect balance between expansion and contraction, so that the universe will go expanding forever. This is what we would expect from someone whose
On Monday, June 21, 1999, the Tallahassee Democrat published a newspaper article entitled: “Universe is expanding rapidly, at ever increasing rate.” A scan of the article can be view below:
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This discovery surprised scientists back in 1998. Being generally agnostic or atheistic, they don’t much like this. Why? Because as Stephen Hawking said, it has “religious overtones and implications.” Why? Because, as he said, the universe is confirmed to be “expanding at the critical rate.” That is, not only to continue expanding at an ever increasing rate, but at just exactly the precise rate to go on expanding forever. There is no way this could happen by accident, or without a guiding hand – in other words, by a “Creator” (Isaiah 42:5).
This is exactly what the Bible said: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
The ever-expanding universe means that it had a “beginning” (Genesis 1:1).. There are no other options left. A beginning to the universe means the universe must have had a Creator, since the First Law of Thermodynamics says that something can’t come from nothing (E=MC2). The Second Law of Thermodynamics says that anything left to itself becomes less organized over time. The perfect rate of expansion of the universe gives evidence the universe is being maintained. Scientists do not like this fact at all. Why? Because this is exactly what the Bible has said all along, and proves atheism false! How can we so sure about who, or what, maintains the universe?
“He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.” (Job 9:8NIV; HCSB)
“Stretches” is in the present tense, indicating an ongoing action. God maintains the universe.
“The LORD . . . stretches out the heavens like a tent” (Psalm 104:2 NIV). “Spreading out the sky like a canopy” (Psalm 104:2 NIV). “Stretches out”/“Spreading out” is in the present tense.
“God is enthroned above the circle of the earth; its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth and spreads them out like a tent to live in.” (Isaiah 40:22 HCSB)
“Stretches out the heavens” is present tense. God is the one who maintains the universe!
“This is what God, Yahweh, says—
who created the heavens and stretched them out, read more
How the Universe can expand if there is no extra space
On February 13, 2017, BBC published an article entitled “How the Universe can expand if there is no extra space.” The article can be viewed here.
As God asked Job 3,500 years ago: “Have you grasped the celestial laws?” (Job 38:33 NJB)
We know much more today than Job did then, but our answer would also be: “not really.”
However, the Bible does enlighten us far beyond science, although we appreciate good science.
“Yahweh, my God, how great you are! … You stretch out the heaven like a tent.” (Psalm 104:1-2 NJB)
“God is enthroned above the circle of the earth; its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth and spreads them out like a tent to live in.” (Is 40:22-42 HCSB)
“This is what God, Yahweh, says— who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk on it—” (Isaiah 42:5 HCSB)
“This is what the Lord, your Redeemer who formed you from the womb, says:
I am Yahweh, who made everything; who stretched out the heavens by Myself; who alone spread out the earth;” (Isaiah 44:24 HCSB)
“I made the earth, and created man on it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.” (Isaiah 45:12 HCSB)
Over 2,700 years ago, the Bible said God “stretched out” the universe.
“By faith we understand that the universe was formed by God’s command, so that the visible came forth from the invisible.” (Heb 11:2 REB)read more
There is a new MSN article that says that the universe is slowly dying as old stars fade faster than new ones are born. The article can be read here.
These discoveries serve to prove the Bible as being right when it says the universe had a beginning (Genesis 1:1). The obvious reason that stars are not being formed at the same rate as in the past is that the universe had to be kick-started from zero or nothing to a full-blown universe in a relatively short time – by the standards of the universe, that is.
This is similar to, in some ways, your starting your vehicle from a standstill and quickly accelerating to top highway speeds, for example. Obviously, much less gasoline is used to maintain a highway speed as opposed to attaining highway speed from a standstill. The rate of star formation while slowing down is still taking place, that is the key point.
The Bible seems to possibly allude to this at Psalm 102:25-26 and Hebrews 1:10-12 where it says that ‘the heavens would wear out like a garment, but they will be changed’ or replaced as by new star formation. Scientists admit there is much they have yet to learn about all this. But the MSN article shows that the universe is being expanded at an ever-increasing rate.
Other studies have shown this expansion rate is just perfect so that the universe would expand and therefore stay in existence forever. Since this universe is flying away from itself in all directions, it may be that the rate of star formation is not slowing down as much as this headline indicates.
Scientists have been forced by their own discoveries to admit that the universe started off in a highly-ordered state and remains in a highly-ordered state. This could not be accidental, as that would violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics, namely, that anything left to itself becomes less ordered over time. The universe has to have been maintained by God since it is not less ordered after 14 billion years.
To sum up, these discoveries serve to support and strengthen the Bible’s authenticity.
It has well been said that, “it takes more faith to believe the universe ‘just happened,’ than to believe God created it.”
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