History of the Universe

Mankind has long wondered about the age of the Universe—when did it begin and when will it end? Atheists think they have the answer—it has always been here; and it did not require a Creator to explain its presence. However, scientists testify that the Universe began about 13.8 billion years ago. They believe that the sun is about 4.5 billion years old; and that it is now in the process of burning up all its hydrogen. It will eventually begin to burn its helium and become a red giant, then a white dwarf star, then a black dwarf; and then, finally burn out—a process that will take about 5 billion more years. All the rest of the stars will eventually burn out, too.

So…from the scientific viewpoint, the Universe had a beginning and will have an end. Things that have a beginning and an end are not eternal. The Universe had a cause! The Universe came from someplace.

Let’s look at what we know for certain about our Universe. There are two immutable facts about the Universe—the two laws of thermodynamics:

1.   First Law of Thermodynamics—Energy cannot be either  created or destroyed.

2.  Second Law of Thermodynamics—All energy systems are running down, i.e., they are gravitating to lower energy levels.

In a closed system, energy can be changed into matter, but only with the input of more energy. For instance, under the influence of the sun’s rays, the energy in our closed system, i.e., the earth, can be changed into wood. Therefore, matter is just another form of energy where it is temporarily stored. When wood burns,that energy will be released; it will turn into useless heat, which will eventually radiate out into empty space. But…it will never disappear completely. Thus, we can see both the 1^st and the 2^nd laws of thermodynamics in action.

The Earth is also a closed system. We can see that the universe depends on two principles: Conservation (of energy) and disintegration (i.e., it runs down to lower forms of energy). The only way for complexity in the Universe to increase is if an outside source of energy impinges upon it. Complexity will not increase spontaneously unless it disobeys the 2^nd law. But…in our experience we see opposite forces working,  e.g., innovation  (new ideas, the opposite of conservation) and integration (the opposite of disintegration). These opposite forces could only be manifested if someone or something injects outside energy. Guess who that might be!

Other manifestations of God’s intervention in our Universe are morality and art. These qualities have absolutely no survival qualities about them. They cannot be accounted for by evolution.

Many scientific ideas have been put forward to explain the origin and operation of the universe. Those ideas are mulitplied upon one another in a bewildering blur of changing theoretical alternatives. It is beyond the reach of any inquiring mind to grasp all the various permutations and variations of scientific ideas in order to understand the universe in that scientific context. Bench experimenters, psychologists, philosophers, biologists, chemists, physicists—all have had their say in explaining the universe. None have been able to put it all together in  a comprehensive and believable way.

I have found that many thinkers who look for an answer to the origin of the universe cleave closely to the simplest explanation possible; and I think they come closer to the ultimate answer than these sophisticated scientists. I believe the right approach is likely the simplest approach. I think the answer is that God is the uncaused causer who puts outside energy into closed systems!

The explanation given above is attractive to me because it preserves the two laws of thermodynamics while, at the same time, it allows God to be identified as the outside injector of energy into physical, closed systems.

God did it!!