God is eternal. He has no beginning and no end. He has always been. As the Creator of the heavens and the earth, he is outside of creation. He is not bound by the physical laws and constants that govern the universe because he created them. In the same way that a potter is not part of the clay that he molds, God exists apart from our four dimensional experience. However, he is able to enter our dimension as he did when he incarnated as the man Jesus Christ, he has authorized angels to enter our dimension at times and Satan along with his angels were cast down to earth and continually interject into human affairs.
God is infinite and our finite minds cannot fathom him. Albert Einstein realized that the universe is expanding therefore it must be finite and if it is finite it had to have a beginning. Einstein proved mathematically that we exist in a four dimensional universe, with these dimensions being the three spatial dimensions of our environment and the fourth dimension being time (general theory of relativity). This has been confirmed mathematically over 14 different ways to nineteen decimal places and is well established.
Dr. Chuck Missler explains how through the study of gravitational time dilation scientists know that time varies depending upon elevation because of the difference in gravity. Additionally, time varies depending upon the direction of travel. This was illustrated when two aircraft were sent around the world in opposite directions in 1971. The plane travelling eastward lost 0.059 microseconds while the plane travelling westward gained 0.273 microseconds, due to relative motion, precisely what Einstein’s theory predicted.
To illustrate this hypothetically, if we had twin astronauts and sent one on a return trip to the nearest star to the earth (Alpha Centauri) which is 4.5 light years away, at half the speed of light, it would take nine years to get there and nine years to come back. This eighteen years, as measured by a clock on earth however, is not the same as the elapsed time on the clock aboard the spaceship, which will show that the trip took fifteen years and seven months. What this means is that when the astronaut returns to earth he will be two years and five months younger than his twin brother.
If the rocket ship could travel at near the speed of light, the round trip would take nine years but the on board clock would only elapse thirty-three days. What this demonstrates is that time is a physical property. Time can vary with acceleration, mass, and gravity in the same way that other physical properties vary.
We think of time as being linear. When we place time on a graph we see it expressed as a line with the left representing the beginning and the right end representing the end of the specified time period. So when we conceptualize eternity we envision the same line with lots of time represented. However, this is incorrect because time is not linear. We visualize a timeline with the past on the left, the present in the middle and the future to the right but because God is outside of time, he can see all three points on the continuum at the same time.
This can be illustrated by envisioning a parade. From a vantage point on the curb, halfway along the parade route, we can see the floats and marching bands as they approach, pass by and as they disappear as they turn the corner to our right. The parade appears to us as a sequence of events. God sees this same parade from five thousand feet above the ground and from his vantage point he can see the marshalling area where the parade starts, the mid-point, where you are and the end point where the parade concludes, all simultaneously.
Because God is outside of space, matter and time he is not restricted by them, therefore he knows the end at the same time as the beginning. He can then convey prophecies through his prophets that predict future events and authenticate his word in a unique way that is his signature of truth. This insight prompted Peter to write, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” 2 Peter 3:8.
The Hebrew sage Nachmanides in the 12th century wrote that based on the Hebrew text of Genesis 1, he concluded that the universe has ten dimensions of which four were knowable and the other six were unknowable. Indeed, scientists are searching for six more dimensions in which they believe there are other universes which are either parallel to ours or are explained by the Calabi-Yau manifold. What is known as the string theory, postulates through mathematics, the existence of other dimensions, which we may be interacting without being cognizant of it.
Scientist Dr. Michio Kaku is the co-creator of string field theory, a branch of string theory. He says, “The very purpose of physics is to find an equation… which will allow us to unify all of the forces of nature and allow us to read the mind of God.” According to his experiments with subatomic particles that move faster than light, he has concluded that humans live in a matrix, a universe governed by laws and principles not determined by chance but by an unknown force. These tiny particles act like vibrating strings in a symphony, resonating through the different dimensions of the universe. Thus, it is conceivable to mathematically express the fact that God exists and governs everything.
Today we have calorimetric electron telescopes that allow us to observe electrons and gamma rays in space, electron microscopes with resolutions of one ten-millionth of a millimeter, electro-magnetic particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, with a 27 – kilometer ring of superconducting magnets, inside of which two high energy particle beams travel in opposite directions at close to the speed of light before they are made to collide.
In quantum mechanics, the tiniest particles are studied and the profound discoveries have been both complex and often hard to accept by researchers since they don’t always obey the laws of nature. For example, experiments detected a single beryllium atom in two slightly different locations at once and found that certain pairs of particles can somehow influence each other even if they are miles apart. Rather than leading to conclusions that attempt to deny the existence of God, quantum mechanics offers an intriguing look at the deepest details of God’s creation.
Scientists have tried to bridge the gap between quantum mechanics and Einstein’s theory of relativity mathematically with a factor they call the cosmological constant. Problems surface when the calculations don’t match observable factors in the universe such as the fact that the universe seems to be expanding at an accelerating rate. Because the force driving the galaxies apart is a mystery to scientists they have labeled it dark energy.
Lucas Lombriser, an assistant professor of theoretical physics at the University of Geneva in Switzerland explains that, “The cosmological constant (dark energy) currently constitutes about 70% of the energy content of our universe, which is what we can infer from the accelerated expansion that our universe is currently undergoing. Yet there seems to be something fundamental that we are missing in how we understand the cosmos.” The undisclosed source of dark energy is the power of God.
What we perceive to be real is determined primarily by our senses. However, our senses can be fooled by optical illusions for example. Science cannot begin to attempt to hypothesize the spiritual dimensions of the universe. It cannot prove or disprove the spiritual realms or the existence of God. He is not subject to rational analysis and he makes a distinct proposition through biblical revelations that humanity cannot ignore. We may not be able to conceptualize him but we must seek to comprehend him.
