February 3th, 2024
Dear Friend,
Good morning!
Recently, a question came up, and I have asked permission to answer it here.
The question is, “What existed before Genesis 1:1?”
The clues we find will answer the greater question of whether Scripture can hold up to the observation based reasoning of science.
Let’s begin with what the Bible states:
- Before the beginning, there was God and God alone. His existence is a spiritual one because God is a Spirit.
John 4:24 – “God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in Truth.”
- God’s Spirit is invisible and eternal – with no beginning or end.
1 Timothy 1:17 – “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
- While God is invisible, His Spirit is the power to raise dead things to life.
Romans 8:11 – “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit that lives in you.”
So far, we know the Creator is an invisible, eternal, and powerful Spirit.
Testimonies
The problem is that we can’t go back to witness the beginning for ourselves. We can only form theories based on biblical testimony and scientific evidence.
Note: The word “theory” evolved from two ancient words – theos (God) and ore (Light of God meaning “to see the Light of God” or knowledge).
- Biblical Testimony: The book of Genesis and the Gospel of John testify about the beginning of the universe and the origin of life.
- Scientific Theories: The Big Bang Theory and The Theory of Evolution are based on observable evidence.
At first, it seems like the Bible and Science are at odds, but both belong to God. The Bible is the testimony of the spiritual realm (heaven), and the other is the evidence of the physical universe (earth). Both heaven and earth were created in the beginning in the same set of events.
Biblical Evidence
The thing about written testimony is you can only write one word in one sentence at a time.
- The sentences could suggest a sequence – this happened, and then that happened.
- Or the sentences could mean when this happened, that happened simultaneously.
Genesis 1:1 - “In the beginning, God created the Heavens (invisible) and the Earth (visible).”
The Bible credits God, who cannot be seen or observed, with creating the material universe.
Scientific Evidence
Matter is anything that takes up space and can be weighed.
- Our universe is made of matter.
- Matter cannot be created or destroyed but can be converted into energy and vice versa.
- A massive amount of energy is needed to create a universe like ours.
The Oldest Story
Our universe, past to present, is entirely observable because of light and the speed of light. Light takes a set (a trustworthy constant) amount of time to reach our eyes. Therefore, the further any light has traveled to reach us, the deeper into the past we are peering.
The oldest part of the universe is telling a story:
- In the beginning, there was nothing.
- Then, matter expanded very rapidly from that point of nothingness.
- A vast cloud of very hot dust and gas formed.
- The first molecule (HeH+) formed in that cloud and did two things.
- It cooled things enough and started a chain reaction.
- From that first molecule, other molecules formed, and the cloud condensed into suns, moons, planets, and other bodies.
Again, none of the above could happen without energy. Energy converts into matter, and vice-versa. So, where did the energy for the rapid expansion of matter come from?
Einstein
A scientist named Einstein formed a theory about how much energy it would take to create our universe from nothing. He wrote his theory in the form of a mathematical equation.
E = MC²
Energy (of Light) = Mass (of matter) x (Constant of the Speed of Light)²
Since energy and mass are interchangeable, the mass of matter increasing = the energy of light divided by twice the constant of speed of light or M = E/C².
And Einstein was right. Only recently, scientists observed two light particles creating matter when they collided.
Can the Bible even hold a candle to this scientific evidence?
Moses
God spoke to Moses about the beginning, and this is what Moses wrote:
Genesis 1:1-3 - “In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth. And the earth was without form, and empty; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, And God said, “Let there be light”: and there was light.”
Biblical equation 1: God the Father (Spirit) speaking + God’s Spirit moving = the light of the Beginning.
John
Just as Moses spoke to God (Invisible) in the beginning, John (one of Jesus’ 12 disciples) spoke to Jesus (Visible God) and wrote:
John 1:1-4 - “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him, all things were made; without Him, nothing was made that has been made. 4 In Him was life, and that life was the Light of all Mankind.”
Biblical equation 2: God + The Word (God) = The Beginning of life (Light of all Mankind).
John also gave us another clue:
God (Spirit) = Light
1 John 1:5 - “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is Light; in Him there is no darkness at all.”
Added to that, another scripture confirms that this Spirit is one of power.
Spirit = Light = Power
2 Timothy 1:7 - "For God has not given us the Spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
Two Equations in One
If we combine old and new, invisible and visible, past and present testimonies, we get a new equation.
Final Equation: God (the Spirit of Power) x The Word (God) = The Light of Life of all Mankind.
Within or Without?
John 1:1 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Without God in the equation, the beginning of our universe is a random event with an equally random purpose.
With God, the beginning of the universe becomes a planned and much-anticipated event, like the birth of a child. Observing the oldest parts of the universe becomes a grand adventure of seeing the invisible hand of God.
Romans 1:20 – “For the invisible things of God — both His eternal power and divine nature— are clearly seen, being understood since the creation of the world in the things that are made, so that they are without excuse.”
And, the greatest testimony of God’s hand in creation is Mankind (both Spirit and matter).
An A-B-C Story
This last piece of archeological history may just be a coincidence, but it is still pretty cool.
The first known alphabet (used by the oldest texts, including the book of Genesis) seems to tell the story of Creation, letter by letter (with the meaning of each letter).
Aleph (A) – (Chief in the beginning, in time and place) – to translate from past to present, present to past, heaven to earth, earth to heaven, to connect and invert, to love.
"Who will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself."
Bet (B) – (house) – in, inside, heart, Father and Son.
"I and the Father are one."
Gimel (C/G) – (weapon) – a rich man running to help a poor man (Kinsman Redeemer).
"A rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven…but with God all things are possible."
Dalet (D) – (door) – the poor man raised, blessed, and established.
"The entrance of Your Word gives Light."
Heh/Hey (H) – (breath) – “Look!” “Behold!” Divine breath, revelation, light.
"I Am the Light of the World."
Vav – (V/O/U) – (hook, promise) – Man, a divine connection between heaven and earth.
"He is the image of the Invisible God, firstborn over all creation."
That means, the first light in Genesis 1, just like the Light of the World in John 1, was not a thing. It was a Person.
God is The LORD of Heaven and Earth.
LORD (yehovah) – the Existing One Who Causes All Things To Exist.
If only God was in the beginning, when He spoke, He answered His own command and made a covenant with Himself for the universe and life to begin to exist.
Hebrews 6:13 - "For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in His own name..."
The First Light
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was Light (ore).
(Remember: Hebrew is written from right to left).
The Light was the first to appear (become visible) in the beginning.
Colossians 1:14-16 – “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him."
We Are Here
And that’s the how of why we are here.
How we continue to exist presents another set of evidence we’ll look at in answering the question: “Is the Theory of Evolution and Divergence compatible with a gospel for all people?”
That’s next week, but for today, look again at the first letter of the oldest alphabet.
Aleph means – to translate from past to present, present to past, heaven to earth, earth to heaven, to connect and invert, to love.
Here is the most important substitution for the God variable.
God (Spirit, Power, Light, Life) = Love
1 John 4:8 – “He that doesn’t love doesn’t know God; for God is Love.”
Love (eternal) is who God is, and that is why He created us – to love us and be loved by us.
There is nothing accidental or random about that.
You are Loved because you are here. You are here because you are Loved.
John 15:13 "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."
Believe, and be loved.
Believing Him,
Monisha
