Outside of Time – The Realm of God
I
am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make
known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I
say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. NIV Isaiah 46:9-10
Science has theorized that time as we
know it – second-to-second, minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour – has no concrete
meaning in the continuum of our universe.
The length of seconds, minutes and hours varies according to the gravity
of the area in which time measurements take place as well as the speed of the
mass with which the measurement is associated.
This theory has been proven by
repeatable experiments.
God is a being that exists outside of
time. His very name exhibits that
status: “I AM” is His name. To make it
understandable to we who exist within time its meaning includes “I was”, “I am”
and “I will be”. It is a name that
proclaims eternal existence.
Such a description is outside the
realm of true human understanding. As
the wise man Solomon wrote:
I have seen the burden God has
laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set
eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from
beginning to end. NIV Ecclesiastes 3:10-11
We have the concept of “eternal” or
“eternity” in our language yet I suggest that no person existing in the realm
of time can comprehend its true meaning.
We are born, we live for a very short
time in the context of the universe and then we die. That we can understand clearly, especially as
we grow older.
God, as described in the Bible, is
eternal. He existed before this universe
came into being (however old it is) and He will still exist if this universe comes
to an end. Yet this very description
relies on the concept of “time” (beginnings and endings) and those terms and
that description are not relevant to God.
How then are we supposed to relate to
a being that we cannot comprehend? How
can we know that we are relevant to God? If He created us, for what purpose did
He do so?
Imagining God
How good is your imagination? Can you imagine things you’ve never seen –
things outside your experience?
Most of us have no problem creating in
our minds scenes and events that are composed of things, people and events that
we’ve seen before. We can imagine these
things in different locations, actions and outcomes that have never happened.
Many novelists create stories
containing composites of things, people and events and if they are good
writers, they can make these stories “believable”. We have no trouble imagining those things
because they are closely related to what we know to be true.
Science fiction writers carry our
imaginations to even higher levels by extrapolating what we know to be true
into what “might happen” – if what we know to be true leads to other
developments. So long as their theories
and ideas don’t conflict directly with what we know to be true we can “suspend
disbelief” and contemplate the possibilities of beings, things and events that
have little or nothing to do with reality.
Such science fiction has proven to be
prophetic – predicting the future – and yet when reality overtakes the prophecy
it often proves to be short sighted. By
the early 1970’s science fiction writers had predicted almost everything about
man landing on the moon. The major thing
no one predicted was the televised picture of that first moon footprint being
seen by billions of people back on the earth.
Science fiction writer Arthur C.
Clarke described geo-stationary communication satellites (satellites that
remain in the same position over the earth by matching their orbital speed to
the earth’s rotation) in 1945 but he predicted the date of their deployment to
be 1995. The first such satellites were
in orbit in the 1970’s. It is upon such
satellites that we depend for our worldwide communications today.
The point is that our imagination is
somewhat limited by our experience and knowledge.
Today’s scientists use their imagination
to explain the origin of our universe, the world on which we live and the
origin of human beings. Their
imagination is limited by the extent of their experience and knowledge and from
this we get their theories like the “big bang” origin of the universe and their
guesses of the time in which that event happened.
Their imagination concerning the
origin of our universe fails to provide answers to two important
questions. What happened before the “big bang” and what caused that event? There is no consensus among today’s
scientists and few will even offer answers to those questions.
The reason for the lack of answers is
that most scientists refuse to, or are unable to imagine God.
Albert Einstein theorized that time
and space are related – the concept is called the space-time continuum – with
there being the observable three dimensions (length, width and height) plus
time as the “fourth dimension” and all four relative to each other in
mathematical models much too complex for most of us to understand.
What should be understood is that
“time” is a human concept – an idea – and not strictly measurable in the same
fashion as the other dimensions because of the relativity of all four
dimensions.
As the wise man Solomon wrote, we can state the concept of “eternal
life” but we can never truly understand it.
What if the cause of the “big bang” is a being
that exists completely outside those four dimensions and completely beyond the
scope of our experience and knowledge?
Can you imagine that being?
A better question is, “How do we explain our ultimate origin
without including God?”
Scientific progress has shown us the
existence of DNA – the building block of all life forms – and though no one
truly understand how DNA functions (other than superficially), it’s obvious
that nothing works without “life”.
Where does life come from? What is life?
It apparently involves chemical and electro-chemical actions and
reactions but we cannot identify the energy that stimulates those actions and
reactions nor can we identify its source nor has it been created in a
laboratory. I do not believe that life
will ever be created by man because only God can create life.
Scientific progress allows us to
create vehicles capable of leaving the earth’s surface and travel with amazing
accuracy to other planets, to comets and even to the sun in our solar
system. All of this is based on certain
laws – gravity, inertia, etc. Why do these laws exist? What is their origin?
Though we cannot truly “see” anything
outside our solar system in spite of the great advances in technology, optics
and computer enhancement, most scientists assume that the rest of the universe
operates by those same laws. Scientific
theory and logic posit that our universe extends to billions of light years (a
light year is the distance light travels in one year at approximately 186,000
miles per second).
Many scientists today believe (no one
truly knows) that our universe size
and continued expansion are the result of a “big bang”. There was a “singularity” – a “point” that
existed – that contained everything that exists in our universe. No honest scientist will attempt to explain
that singularity – it just existed.
From the web site http://www.big-bang-theory.com/, here is a concise description of the big
bang theory:
According to the
standard theory, our universe sprang into existence as "singularity"
around 13.7 billion years ago. What is a "singularity" and where does
it come from? Well, to be honest, we don't know for sure. Singularities are
zones which defy our current understanding of physics. They are thought to
exist at the core of "black holes." Black holes are areas of intense
gravitational pressure. The pressure is thought to be so intense that finite
matter is actually squished into infinite density (a mathematical concept which
truly boggles the mind). These zones of infinite density are called
"singularities." Our universe is thought to have begun as an
infinitesimally small, infinitely hot, infinitely dense, something - a
singularity. Where did it come from? We don't know. Why did it appear? We don't
know.
After its initial appearance, it apparently inflated (the "Big
Bang"), expanded and cooled, going from very, very small and very, very
hot, to the size and temperature of our current universe. It continues to
expand and cool to this day and we are inside of it: incredible creatures
living on a unique planet, circling a beautiful star clustered together with
several hundred billion other stars in a galaxy soaring through the cosmos, all
of which is inside of an expanding universe that began as an infinitesimal
singularity which appeared out of nowhere for reasons unknown. This is the Big
Bang theory.
Computer
enhanced images of other galaxies and stars from the Hubble space telescope
Like most honest scientific writing,
this article admits that no scientist has any real explanation for what existed
before the big bang and no idea of
the origin or composition of the “singularity” at the center of this theory.
At some time that singularity
“exploded” and our universe came into being.
Scientists will not try to explain the cause of that explosion. The
laws of our universe came into being during that explosion – gravity, space and
time all resulted from that explosion.
Over the 14 billion years – the commonly accepted scientific guess at
the age of the universe – since that explosion, galaxies formed, stars formed,
planets formed and cooled and some claim that by sheer chance, life came into
existence on a small planet near a 10th rate star in a relatively
small galaxy.
The ultimate scientific answer to
“Where did this come from?” is “We don’t know.”
If something caused that explosion, does it not make sense to
postulate that thing’s existence is outside
of time? The “singularity” itself is said to be so dense and hot that
the laws of physics and time itself could not exist
within the singularity. For something to cause that explosion, it
must be immune to the laws of the physics of our universe, including the
concept of time.
That something existed outside of time yet it provided the energy or at
least the impetus to cause the singularity to explode and form our
universe. It was only after the
explosion that time within our universe began.
What was or is that thing? The answer is God!
In the beginning
[of time] God created the heavens and the earth. NIV Genesis 1:1
Here’s where one must use imagination;
this is also the ultimate origin of “faith”.
The Bible explains faith:
Now faith is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. KJV Hebrews 11:1
By faith we understand that the
universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out
of what was visible. NIV Hebrews 11:3
“What is seen was not made out of what
was visible.” How did the author of the
book of Hebrews written 2,000 years ago come up with that concept? It was not until 1905 that Albert Einstein
revolutionized the world with his theory E
= MC2 – the theory that matter and energy are just
different forms of the same thing.
Except as light perceived by our eyes and heat perceived by our sense of
touch, energy is not visible; matter is visible if we are close enough to it.
For some people, including me, the
answer to “Where did this come from?” is God.
God, in this context, is a being that
exists outside the space-time continuum; God is the being of infinite power
that formed the space-time continuum, and (adhering to the concept of the “big
bang”) created the “singularity”, caused it to explode and expand with the
physical laws of the universe created at the same time. God is the creator of matter; God is the
“energy” that caused the explosion; God is the “lawgiver” who created those
physical laws.
It is in this area that we are most
likely to reach the limits of our imagination.
We tend to be limited in our ability to comprehend God because of His
existence outside of time. The tendency
to anthropomorphize God comes into play.
“To anthropomorphize” is to assign
human characteristics to non-human beings.
We do this with pets and all sorts of animals and even with non-living
objects.
We expect – at times – that God will
intervene “supernaturally”, that is, that He will violate the laws of this
universe He created and cause things to happen.
Since God exists outside of time; because He “knows the end from the
beginning”, such supernatural intervention is never necessary for Him to achieve His will because of His power and
might and His existence outside of time.
Since He created all that exists He
was/is capable of setting in motion the actions and the reactions of this
universe and our world to produce any desired effect at any moment in time.
He certainly could intervene supernaturally but our concept that such
intervention would ever be necessary
is a perfect example of anthropomorphizing.
In conjunction with understanding what
this means – His existence outside of time – we now have a means to understand
how He can hear and could have heard the individual prayers of every human
being who has ever lived or who is alive today.
It also explains why Jesus said:
But I tell
you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment
for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be
acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." NIV Matthew 12:36-37
To think that God might be too “busy”
to pay any attention to what we do with our lives – what we do with the gifts
He has given us and whether we strive to achieve the potential He created
within each of us – is another example of anthropomorphizing. He knows the very innermost thoughts of our
minds and our intentions and though He allows us free will to do what we
please, He knows exactly what kind of person we are; He knows our character,
our weakness and our strengths. He knows
us better that we can ever know
ourselves.
For those of us who believe in God,
these concepts should never be far from our conscious minds.
This is, of course, not something that
can be proved by science yet today’s
scientific writing is filled with descriptions and theories of “multiple
dimensions” of existence. To mesh these scientific theories with the concept of
God, one only needs to posit the existence of a “spiritual” plane of existence.
Within this spiritual plane, time has
no meaning; the laws of our physical universe do not apply; it is from the
infinite energy and power of this
spiritual plane that the matter and energy that permeate our universe
originated and – more importantly – is sustained.
This, in my humble opinion, is the
best possible explanation for the origin of our universe: it was created by
God.
That belief is based upon “faith” but
the origin of that faith comes not from imagination or trying to answer the
ultimate question, “Where did that come from?” but from our very human nature
and the answer to this question: “Why does life exist and what is its purpose?”
If life has no meaning; if life itself
is just an accident; if self-awareness and human intellect is only the result
of chemical and electrochemical reactions; if there is no purpose to my
personal existence; then truly there is no meaning to anything and searching
for answers is completely useless.
As Solomon, the wise King of Israel
wrote 3,000 years ago:
I, the Teacher, was king over
Israel in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all
that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! I have
seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a
chasing after the wind. NIV Ecclesiastes 1:12-14
Each human being is born with a natural curiosity
– a desire to learn and understand how things work. This eventually leads many to the question
“What is the purpose of the existence of man?”
The ubiquitous nature of religion –
from the earliest histories and myths of mankind – is evidence that man eventually
comes to believe in a power – an ultimate source – that transcends physical
nature. Over the thousands of years of
existence of humanity there is no record or myth of any culture that did not
contain some type of religion.
Some of these have been simplistic
with that ultimate source of power being attributed to the sun or “the heavens”
(the visible universe outside the earth) but most eventually posit some
variation of the spirit plane or world.
Those who would try to use the Bible
or other religious writing as a concrete, realistic history very soon run into
problems of common sense and logic as well as the findings of direct
observation, geology and archeology.
However, if one interpolates from the
physical laws of the universe to the spiritual laws contained in the Bible,
there is a logical connection to the “lawgiver” – God – and if those spiritual
laws are conducive to our continued existence as a species or good for
humanity, such spiritual laws have credence.
All religions other than those derived
from the Bible have one fatal flaw in common: they all offer excuses for
mankind to avoid self-improvement. Only
the Bible offers a standard for self-improvement that is inviolable.
This standard is most concisely
contained in the Ten Commandments.
First, we must recognize the existence of God and honor Him as our
creator. Second, we must follow the
standards given in dealing with our fellow man.
These commandments are quite simple and yet their meaning – if expanded
properly and extrapolated into our thought processes as well as our actions
have proven to be the most successful social system ever devised.
Conclusion
Science offers no ultimate answers;
each new answer generates another question to be answered for a time at least,
“I don’t know.” Individuals, communities
and nations that attempt to base their mores and standards upon pure science
eventually descend into nihilism because – by definition – there are no
ultimate truths or standards to guide their behavior.
Faith offers ultimate answers;
furthermore faith based upon the teaching of the Bible generates good people,
families, societies and nations.
Science is limited to the intelligence
of man; faith is dependent upon intelligence that transcends the intelligence
of man.
The psyche of mankind is designed to
seek ultimate authority; when mankind attempts to function as that ultimate
authority, the very worst traits of humanity come to the fore.
Here is the Bible statement upon these
things:
[In the teachings of the Bible] righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that
is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will
live by faith."
The wrath of God is being
revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who
suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is
plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of
the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have
been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are
without excuse.
For
although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to
him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of
the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals
and reptiles. NIV Romans 1:17-23
By carefully observing the world and the universe around me; by
examining my own thought processes and reading and listening to conclusions
other people have reached throughout human history and comparing them to my
own; by searching for answers in all venues without prejudice as to the source
of knowledge; I have reached these conclusions:
God exists. God created the
universe and all that is in it. For
reasons that I don’t claim to understand fully, God created man and has a
purpose for his existence. All of the
answers I have found to the truly important things in my personal life and in
my relationship to God, my family, my community and my nation have come from my
study of the Bible and my contemplation of God and His existence outside of
time.
In
the future, no matter where science may take us, what man thinks he has
learned, or how far we may travel in space, I believe we’ll eventually come to
understand that God has
already been there and is
there with us in His creation.