Genesis and the Big Bang (Part 2)

(Gen 1:1), “God…”  “As the study of events following the Big Bang is extended mathematically to earlier times (using the Lambda-CDM concordance model), the size of the universe shrinks toward zero and, inversely, the temperatures and density increase toward infinity…This condition of infinities is referred to as a singularity and singularities cannot be treated by conventional mathematics…The conditions of time zero elude us…Although there is a theoretical solution in the world of physics to this problem of the beginning in terms that are perceivable by humans, there is no solution.” [1]  Just as any value divided by zero is “indeterminate”, so also are the properties of the universe where infinite matter is contained in a volume approaching a size of zero, i.e., a singularity.  “Infinity cannot be dealt with quantitatively and so cosmologists cannot describe the conditions of our absolute origin in real terms.” [2]

Scripture defines God as the “singularity”, the force behind creation, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:3), and “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him.” (Col 1:16).  The universe came into existence by: The Word of God (John 1:1-3), and was ordained by the Will of God, (Rev 4:11).  God existed before the creation, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together,” (Col 1:17).  Other verses often referenced include: (Prov 8:22-31)(John 17:24)(Eph 1:4)(2 Tim 1:9)(Titus 1:2)(1 Pet 1:20)(Rev 4:11).

A few scientists still hold to a position that the universe is an oscillating system where the effects of gravity slow down the expansion and ultimately cause the universe to contract to a point where the Big Bang will be repeated in the future.  This position is a steady-state form of the Big Bang where the universe always existed, and therefore, does not require a creator.  To date (2015), scientists have not identified sufficient mass in the universe or other forces to promote a contraction.  In 2011, the Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded to Saul Perlmutter, Brian Schmidt, and Adam Riess, “for the (1998) discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe.”  Rather than slowing, the expansion of the universe is accelerating.  That finding caught the scientific community by surprise.  If there is a beginning, the cosmos was initiated by a causal Agent operating beyond space and time.  According to Dr. Gerald L Schroeder,

“A Big Bang followed by an unending expansion of the universe tells us that there was a beginning and that, at a minimum, there is a place for a Beginner.” [3]

(Gen 1:1), “…created...”  The Hebrew word used at the beginning of Genesis for “created” is “bara” (Gen 1:2, 2:4)(Psa 148:5)(Isa 40:26), which is understood as bringing something new into existence out of nothing.  The word only occurs four times in scripture.  While man is capable of creating from materials that already exist, only God is capable of bringing into existence a creation from nothing, as the Hebrew writer stated, “The worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible,” (Heb 11:3).  The Bible stands alone in declaring that God created the universe out of nothing and that space and time only come into existence at the time of creation.

“By contrast, those sacred books with no clear connection to the Bible claim that a god, gods, or forces created the cosmos within space and time, which, they say, have always existed.  The Bible stands apart in declaring that space and time are not eternal but rather, suddenly came into being by an act of God, a Being completely independent from – that is, transcendent to or outside of -- space, time, matter, and energy.  The importance of this unique doctrine cannot be overstated.  It sets biblical revelation apart from all other so-called revelatory writings.” [4]

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[1] Genesis and the Big Bang, Dr. Gerald L. Schroeder, Ph.D., 1990 Edition, page 66

[2] Genesis and the Big Bang, Dr. Gerald L. Schroeder, Ph.D., 1990 Edition, page 63

[3] Genesis and the Big Bang, Dr. Gerald L. Schroeder, Ph.D., 1990 Edition, page 79

[4] Genesis and the Big Bang, Dr. Gerald L. Schroeder, Ph.D., 1990 Edition, page 28

Genesis and the Big Bang (Part 1)

THE BIG BANG THEORY OF CREATION

The “Big Bang” theory has come to exist in our generation as the predominate theory for the creation of the universe.  The first direct scientific evidence for the Big Bang dates back to 1916 when Albert Einstein noted that his equations of general relativity predicted an expanding universe, as opposed to the prevailing theory of a steady state universe.  Even Einstein did not initially accept the implications of his equation, so he introduced a “cosmological constant”, a fudge factor, to prevent his equation from converging to a finite beginning of the universe.

In 1929, Edwin Hubble observed that the velocities of galaxies result from a general expansion of the universe.  In 1946, George Gamow calculated that nothing less than the universe expanding from a near infinitely hot condition could account for the present abundance of elements.  In 1965, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson observed the background radiation predicted as a remnant from the energy at the origin of the universe that was not converted to matter.  At present, the Big Bang is the “Standard Model”, the generally accepted theory for the creation of the universe. The Big Bang theory, and many of its supporting details, were described in Genesis over 3500 years ago, long before science theorized and modern technology demonstrated.  In the words of Dr. Gerald L. Schroeder, Ph.D (MIT), an Orthodox Jewish physicist and author of Genesis and the Big Bang,  

“It is remarkable that the theistic description, which was developed millennia before, and therefore in isolation from the current scientific description, so closely matches the broad perception of current cosmology and paleontology.  It is not that theology responded to modern scientific discovers.  Theology presents a fixed view of the universe.  Science, through its progressively improved understanding of the world, has come to agree with theology.” [1]

“In 1992, science historian Frederic Burnham commented that belief in God is ‘more respectable today’ among scientist than at any time in the last hundred years.” [2]

(Gen 1:1), “In the beginning…”  The book of Genesis goes out on a limb to postulate a radical idea; the universe had a beginning and a finite age.  “No other ‘holy book’ makes such a claim on its own.  The concept appears elsewhere only in those books that borrow from the Bible, such as the Quran and the Mormon writings.” [3]

Scripture took this position over 3500 years ago, long before the advent of modern technology capable of supporting or countering this position.  One thousand years later, Aristotle and the Greek held universe to be eternal without beginning and end.  At the beginning of the 20^th century, the position of most scientists mirrored that of the Greeks; the universe had no beginning, but eternally existed in a steady state condition.  Forces that could be observed in the universe, such as gravitational and electromagnetic forces, were constant and could be used to explain the past and predict the future.

By the beginning of the 21^th century, most scientists have come to accept the “Standard Model”, which supports a beginning and a finite age of the universe.  Under the Standard Model, the universe did not adhere to the observed laws of the universe at the very beginning, for some infinitely small amount of time, perhaps 1 x 10^-35 seconds.  After this initial period of time, the current observable laws of the universe came into effect.  

More to come - Scott

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[1] Genesis and the Big Bang, Dr. Gerald L. Schroeder, Ph.D., 1990 Edition, page 160

[2] Navigating Genesis, Dr. Hugh Ross, 2014 Edition, page 17

[3] Navigating Genesis, Dr. Hugh Ross, 2014 Edition, page 27

All Israel Will Be Saved (Part 4 of 3)

  

This is a supplement to a previous post in January 2015, entitled, “All Israel Will Be Saved?”  The blog was addressing the question, of why the Patriarchs are consistently referred to as “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Matt 22:32), and not “Abraham, Isaac, and Israel” the names given by God to each man.  Over the weekend I stumbled onto three references in scripture where God is called “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.”  Chronologically, the first time is found in a prayer of David around the time Solomon was made king over Israel,

“O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, preserve this forever in the intentions of the heart of Your people and direct their heart to you,” (1 Chron 29:18). 

The next time is found in a prayer of Elijah after he build the altar next to the prophets of Baal and was preparing to call down fire from heaven,

“O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word,”

(1 Kings 18:36). 

Immediately after Elijah’s prayer, God sent down fire from heaven to consume the offering.  The final time was when King Hezekiah restored the temple worship and called all of the people to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover saying,

“O sons of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and are left from the hand of the kings of Assyria,”

(2 Chon 30:6).

It is fascinating that all these references have Messianic connections.  Elijah is the prophet that prepares the way of the LORD, as John the Baptist did in the first century.  Jesus is a descendant of David Who will reign on the throne of David, and Hezekiah is a king that called the nation to repent.  Some initially thought Hezekiah could be the Messiah, but he ultimately became a type of the Messiah calling the nation to repentance, which saved the nation from the Assyrians.

These passages seem to foretell of a future time when the nation comes to believe in Jesus as Messiah, a time when “All Israel will be saved,” (Rom 11:26).  At that time, the Patriarchs may then be referred to as “Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.” 

As discussed in the previous blogs, “Israel” is the name used in scripture for the believing remnant, while “Jacob” is often associated with unbelief.  Israel is the name given to Jacob after he struggles with and comes to know God, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed,” (Gen 32:28, NASB).  The NIV translates the verse this way, “…you have striven with God and with humans and have overcome.”

The NIV use of the word “overcome” brings to mind the use of the term “overcome” in reference to each of the seven churches of Revelation, “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God,” (Rev 2:7-Ephesus, 2:11-Smyrna, 2:17-Pergmum, 2:26-Tyatira, 3:5-Sardis, 3:12-Philadelphia, 3:21-Laodicea).  These references in Revelation seem to allude to the words in Genesis, when Jacob acquired the name Israel.  Like Jacob, believers who overcome become part of the believing remnant of Israel, and “All Israel will be saved.”

--Scott