Is the universe expanding?

Answer

Virtually all scientists affirm that the universe is expanding. The issue that concerns many Christians is whether an expanding universe aligns with creationism or the Big Bang theory. The response is that it supports both! Furthermore, the expansion of the universe is not only referenced in the Bible once but multiple times. Despite science only confirming less than a century ago that the universe is expanding, the authors of the Bible included this concept in the Scriptures almost 3,000 years ago.

An expanding universe does not contradict the biblical creation story. The vast majority of scientists argue that matter is not eternal—meaning that matter did not exist before the Big Bang. In reality, the prevailing theory suggests that nothing existed before the Big Bang, including time and space. At the instant of the Big Bang—the moment of creation—time, space, and matter all began.

Many Christians perceive a conflict between science and the Bible that does not actually exist. Elements of the Big Bang theory can indeed complement the creation narrative in Genesis. For a long time, numerous scientists viewed the universe as infinite and everlasting. If the universe has no beginning or end, then there is no basis for a god to create. This perspective aligned perfectly with the beliefs of atheistic scientists.

However, in the early twentieth century, astronomer Edwin Hubble (the namesake of the Hubble telescope) observed that galaxies are moving away from each other, indicating the expansion of the universe. His theory became known as “Hubble’s Law” or the “Law of the Expanding Universe.” The movement of galaxies away from each other implies that they were once closer together. The implications of Hubble’s discovery unsettled many scientists. If the universe is presently expanding, then at some point in the distant past, the universe had a beginning.

Many scientists were opposed to the notion of a universe

Some struggled with the concept of the universe having a beginning. Albert Einstein expressed his irritation with the idea, although he later acknowledged accepting the notion that the universe had a start. In a 1931 letter, Arthur Eddington, a prominent British astronomer and mathematician of his time, wrote that the idea of a beginning was repugnant to him. He stated, “I simply do not believe that the present order of things started off with a bang. The expanding Universe is preposterous, incredible. It leaves me cold.” Eddington later expressed his hope that a “loophole” could be discovered to avoid the implication of a supernatural Creator. Despite efforts to evade the truth, the heavens continue to proclaim the glory of God «The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork.», (Psalm 19:1).

The prevailing theory today regarding the origin of the universe is the Big Bang theory. This theory posits that the universe is expanding and had a beginning. The Bible references the beginning of the universe in Genesis 1 and also mentions an expanding universe in various passages:

Isaiah 42:5 – “This is what God the LORD says—the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out . . .”

Isaiah 44:24 – ” . . . I am the LORD, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens . . .”

Isaiah 45:12 – “My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.”

Jeremiah 10:12 – “God . . . stretched out the heavens by his understanding.”

Jeremiah 51:15 – “He founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.”

The prophets of the Bible understood that God had “stretched out the heavens,” a description that remarkably aligns with the theory of an expanding universe. What was once viewed as a metaphorical and poetic expression now bears a striking resemblance to scientific theories.Out to be more literal than ever thought, according to modern science. The Word of God, inspired by God, continues to amaze.

The Bible and science both agree that matter has not always existed. Scientists have no explanation for how the universe began if neither time nor space nor matter existed prior to the Big Bang. But Christians know that God created everything and that He created the universe ex nihilo (out of nothing). The Creator, existing before the moment of creation, must be immaterial and beyond time and space. In other words, the only possibility for our existence is the existence of an eternal Being who created everything and “flipped the switch” in the instant of the Big Bang/creation. In that moment, time, space, and matter were all created. But, once again, it’s in the Bible. In fact, it’s in the very first verse: “In the beginning [TIME] God created the heavens [SPACE] and the earth [MATTER]” «In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. », (Genesis 1:1).