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Some time ago I read an interesting opinion piece by New York Times writer Brian Greene entitled "Darkness on the Edge of the Universe". This article concerned the fact that over the past decade or so, through precise observations of distant supernovae, astronomers have apparently confirmed that not only is our Universe expanding, but it appears that distant galaxies are also moving away from each other, and away from our region of space, at an increasingly accelerated rate of speed.

As Greene's article points out, the belief in an expanding Universe, as opposed to a fixed, static Universe, received substantial support during the 1920's due to astronomical discoveries which were made by famous American astronomer Edwin Hubble. As you may surmise, it is in honor of this man that the Hubble Space Telescope is named. Hubble also has a lunar crater named after him, as well as other posthumous honors.

At this point, I must mention noted theoretical physicist Albert Einstein. It is the year 1917. While through his now-famous General Theory of Relativity, Einstein realized that both space and time bend, twist and warp, that physical space both expands and contracts, and that the size of the Universe changes over time, this simply was not acceptable to him. Neither were such notions supported by the prevailing wisdom of that era, which likewise promoted the belief in a static, unchanging Universe. In fact, to give you a greater understanding of scientific thought at that time, consider that the prevailing belief of that time was that the entire Universe consisted of the Milky Way Galaxy, and nothing more. This was not even a century ago. I am again reminded of the following verse that is found in the Book of Daniel:

"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."


While the previous verse may be referring to understanding and knowledge concerning God's prophetic Word, no one can deny that human knowledge has also increased dramatically in the areas of science and technology, as I discuss in the article "Science and Technology: The Forbidden Knowledge?".

But to continue, in order to substantiate and strengthen the belief that the Universe was fixed and unchanging, Einstein set about to rework his General Theory of Relatively. Stated another way, Einstein wanted to use his mastery of the fields of mathematics and physics to push forward his own mistaken theories, rather than simply accept what his own equations were plainly telling him concerning the true nature of the Universe.

In the end, the result was that he proposed a new concept: the existence of antigravity, and an invisible energy which fills Outer Space, which he referred to as the "cosmological constant". By readjusting his equations, Einstein posited that the gravity waves which are created by physical bodies in the Universe -- such as stars, planets, nebulae, etc. -- pull on other objects, while the antigravity waves that are theoretically produced by the invisible "dark energy" push objects away. In simple terms, what Einstein was proposing was an invisible tug-of-war in the Universe, in which both teams -- gravity and antigravity -- were of equal strength, or at least balanced in such a way, that they resulted in a static, unchanging Universe. This is exactly what he wanted to believe. But it was dead wrong, as further evidence would soon reveal.

As history records, it was only about a decade later in 1927, while conducting research concerning the degree of redshift in the light spectra of certain distant galaxies on the newly constructed 100-inch Hooker telescope at the Mount Wilson Observatory, that astronomer Edwin Hubble realized that the Universe is expanding. In fact, only a few years earlier, as a result of studying variable stars in some distant nebulae, Hubble arrived at the conclusion that what he thought were nebulae within our own galaxy -- the Andromeda Nebula, for example -- were in reality entire galaxies located outside of our own galaxy. Hubble, together with fellow astronomer Milton Humason, eventually formulated what has become known as Hubble's Law. It states that the greater the distance is between any two galaxies, the greater their relative speed of separation is as well.

Edwin Hubble's discoveries and announcements during the mid to late 1920s, of course, left Albert Einstein embarrassed. While Einstein could try to manipulate his own equations in order to make them say what he wanted them to say, mounting scientific evidence was quickly revealing the flaws in his own thinking, and he was soon forced to withdraw his theory concerning the "cosmological constant" from the discussion arena. In fact, such was Einstein's embarrassment, that upon learning of Hubble's discoveries, he stated that trying to adjust his equations in order to prove a static Universe was "the biggest blunder of my life". But this was not Einstein's only blunder. Please consider reading my article entitled "Albert Einstein and God".

While modern astronomers, physicists, etc., continue to grapple with the deep mysteries of our Universe -- such as black holes, quasars, pulsars, dark energy, dark matter and antigravity -- I propose that there is a much simpler answer which has been available to us all for literally thousands of years. That answer is revealed to us in such Scriptures as the following:

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."


"And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:"


"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands . . . For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."


"For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen."


"But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."


"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:"


"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: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."


"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;"


"For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."


"For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God."


"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."


"For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:"


"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."


In short, as the previous verses reveal, I believe that all things were created by, and continue to exist by, the Power and Will of God. Rather than point to gravity, antigravity, dark energy, etc., as the "invisible glue" of the Universe, we simply need to acknowledge the existence of the One who made all things out of nothing at all, merely by His Divine Word and Will, and for His own pleasure no less. The Bible tells us that He merely spoke the word, and it was done.

As I have mentioned before, there is nothing wrong with being curious. It is a part of our human nature. In fact, I view it as a wonderful thing, because curiosity motivates us to study, conduct research, learn and grow. In my particular case, the many articles and series which I have written over the years, are in large part a result of my own personal curiosity and desire to understand the ways of God and things that pertain to the Scriptures. My personal curiosity has motivated me to investigate and study a wide variety of topics and issues, in order to hopefully arrive at the truth, which I now gladly share with you, my readers.

At the same time, we must also demonstrate humility, and recognize that there are certain things in this life, and in the Universe, which we simply are not meant to understand; at least not for the time being. In fact, some things are simply beyond our capability to understand with our human minds; and other things, God has purposely hidden from us, for His own reasons. Thus, we find verses in the Holy Bible such as the following:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."


"Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number."


"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!"


Concerning the notion of an accelerated expansion of our Universe, the writer of the article in question theorizes that if this acceleration continues at its current pace, or at an even faster rate of speed, billions of years from now, the inhabitants of the planet Earth may look up into the night sky and only find utter darkness, because other stars and galaxies will have moved so far away from our region of the Universe, that even their light won't be able to travel back to us. Upon reading this, it occurred to me that even the concept of the Universe rapidly expanding may possibly be hinted at by the following verses that are found in the Book of Revelation:

"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them."


"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."


So, what we see then, is that once again, modern science may only be verifying what the Bible has told us for almost two thousand years now. God's Word clearly informs us that not only does the Lord have intentions to dispose of the current Earth and heavens, but He also intends to create a new Earth and new heavens. God is in fact going to make all things new as we see by this verse:

"And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."


It is interesting to note that the previous verse from the Book of Revelation states that "the earth and the heaven fled away". The verb "flee" suggests that they will move away with haste, and that is exactly what astronomers are now suggesting when they say that galaxies are moving away at an accelerated pace.

So we must wonder: Why would entire galaxies move away from us at an accelerated pace? While we can simply accept man's wisdom, and his theoretical explanations of antigravity and dark energy, is it possible that God, who sees past, present and future as one, has foreordained these events, because He has planned some great event which will occur in our corner of the Universe, which will so astound those who behold it, that it will leave them utterly speechless? Is it possible that God is clearing the region, and preparing a place for what we might refer to as Big Bang II when He will make all things new? A profound question indeed, and one which I obviously cannot answer.

In the meantime, and until that day arrives, each time that you look up into the night sky and behold the beauty of the heavens, please remember the following verse, and give honor to whom honor is truly due:

"[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.] The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."


True indeed! I personally cannot help but marvel when I look at the beauty of the night sky. It is a constant reminder of our Heavenly Father, and the great Power that He possesses. With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. I trust that you have enjoyed it, and that you have blessed by it in some way. And remember; there is nothing like God's Word; absolutely nothing! Study it, and you will grow wise beyond your years.

If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you would take the time to click on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thank you so very much! May God bless you abundantly!

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Albert Einstein and God
Is Science Better Than the Bible?
Science and Technology: The Forbidden Knowledge?
Keeping Things in Proper Perspective: ET, Where Are You?
Adaptation, EVILution and the Six Days of Genesis
Alien Intervention, Raelians, Pyramids and Nazca Geoglyphs
Alien Life, Extrasolar Planets and Universal Atonement
Comet Elenin, Hercolubus, Nibiru, and Planet X
Comet Hale-Bopp, Chernobyl and the Death Star Wormwood
The Dinosaur Dilemma and Modern Science
The Nibiru Planet X Wormwood Controversy

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Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.