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Slide 1: ==== ==== "A Universe From Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather than Nothing", Preorder.. http://tinyurl.com/725m7af ==== ==== Have you ever wondered why we're here on this little speck of dust we call Earth? Consider this: In all of the known universe, throughout all of the untold billions and trillions of galaxies, there is only one planet which we know of, which can support life: planet Earth. Is that a mere accident, or an on-purpose? Our solar system is so huge that it's unfathomable, but it's just a tiny speck in the galaxy we call the Milky Way, which is our tiny little corner of what appears to be an infinite universe. The more powerful telescopes we develop, the further we see. Billions of light years away, we see galaxies, super novae, gaseous formations, you name it. To put this in perspective, to travel a distance of one light year, you would have to go 186,000 miles per SECOND, for a WHOLE YEAR, nonstop. But we've only begun to scratch the surface of a universe which, for all we know, goes on forever. Quoting from Wikipedia: The Milky Way Galaxy is about 80-100 thousand light years in diameter, about 3,000 light years in thickness, and about 250-300 thousand light years in circumference. It is composed of 200 to 400 billion stars (exact number not yet known). As a guide to the relative physical scale of the Milky Way, if the galaxy were reduced to 130 km (80 mi) in diameter, the solar system would be a mere 2 mm (0.08 in) in width. The Milky Way is just a little galaxy, in which our solar system is found. Our Sun is one of those "200 to 400 billion stars". It is believed that Earth is the only planet in the entire universe that can support life. Is this an accident? I challenge you to think this through very carefully. Is it possible that this entire, limitless universe could come from a single point of infinitely small size, as the "big bang" theory asserts? I assert that it takes more blind faith to believe that, than to believe that this universe, and everything in it, was created by an all-powerful, all-caring, infinite Creator whose purposes are higher than our own. Yes, the universe may have originated as an infinitely small point in space. But let's qualify that assessment. In the natural world, we observe that nothing comes from nothing, and things that were, also become nothing. In other words, the universe is running down. When it came into being, the universe was endowed with a certain amount of energy, and as that energy is expended, things degrade into what scientists call "entropy". Entropy is simply the natural decay of valuable energy and material into worthless waste. We see this in our universe, as stars burn out, black holes collapse on themselves, and so on.
Slide 2: There must be an infinite source of energy in order to be able to cause something to come from nothing, right? After all, how would it be possible to cram an apparently infinite (or finite, if you prefer) universe into an infinitely small point in space, as the "big bang" theory asserts? Let's assume the universe has a finite (measurable) size. The "big bang" theory asserts that the universe began as an infinitely small point in space, "exploded" into what it is today, and is still expanding at an ever-decreasing rate. Well, let's think the math through. Let's say you have an object the size of a pin head. How much energy would it take to cram it into an infinitely small point in space? The answer: an infinite amount of energy. I'm no genius, but I get this. I hope you do too, because most third-graders can grasp the concept of infinity, if it is explained properly. Infinity is one divided by zero. No matter how many zeros you add together, they'll never equal one. So if the universe started as an infinitely small point in space, as asserted by the "big bang" theory, then it would have taken an infinite amount of energy to cram all of that matter into that infinitely small point in space. Once you achieve infinity with regard to energy, you can do anything. It takes the same amount of energy to jam an object the size of a pin head into an infinitely small point in space, as it does to jam an infinitely large universe into the same point: an infinite amount of energy. So, how did it happen? Scientists, to whom I credit much blind faith, believe it just "happened". They offer no explanation as to how or why, just that it happened. To any clear-thinking person, there has to be a reason. The conclusion: for matter to exist at all, there had to be an origin of that matter. Something or someone who has existed for all eternity. Some continual power that (who) has been around forever, and will continue to be around forever, and is the source of all things. Time to meet God. Let's crack open our Bibles. Bible, you say? What's That? It's that book that sits on your bookshelf and collects dust. More accurately, it's God's love letter to mankind. His instruction book for how to live life to the fullest. If you don't have a Bible, here's a great way to get one for free online: http://www.e-sword.net I prefer the New King James version because it's written in reasonably modern English, and is pretty accurate with regard to translation. Unfortunately, because NKJV is copyrighted as of 1982, it will be at least 50 years before the copyright expires, so the free Bible program above will not include the NKJV translation. The second most accurate translation is the King James Version, which was translated in the 1600s, so there are no copyrights on it. It is included in the E-Sword package, but you have to wade through 17th-century English to read it. Take heart, it's not that bad. I've spent the majority of my life reading KJV, so it's no biggie. Okay, so we're going to start at the beginning. The first book of the Old Testament: Genesis. Why is it called Old Testament? That's an exercise I leave to you. In fact, I challenge you to learn the difference between the Old and New Testaments (or more accurately, Covenants). Hint: a Covenant is an Agreement. Did you know that God made two different Agreements with mankind? Did you know that the New Covenant does away with the Old Covenant? Well, then why even read the Old Testament chapters? One word answer: History. If you don't understand the beginning, you won't understand the end. Genesis 1:1: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Really? Are you sure it didn't explode from some infinite point in space? Take some time to think
Slide 3: about this. If you've been through the public school system, or in any secular university in the past 50 years, you've probably had a different story crammed down your throat. Well, I'm here to tell you that it takes more faith to believe what the "educated elite" would have you believe, than what the Bible says. Pure, simple, innocent and true. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Who is God? Well, let's put it together. Let's give science a resonable benefit and say that the entire universe exploded into being from this infinitely small point in space. By the way, how can one conceive of an infinitely small point in space? If something is infinitely small, does it even exist? The answer: no. Use your Bible program. The word for "created" is the Hebrew word "Berah", which when translated to English, means "made from nothing". In other words, if we were to measure the universe scientifically, everything would indicate that the universe came into being from nothing. If something as infinitely huge as the universe came into being from nothing, then there has to have been some cause to make it come into being. There can't be something where there had previously been nothing, unless someone or some power put it there. Again, "created" ("Berah" in Hebrew) in Genesis 1:1, means "made from nothing". Can you make something from nothing? I'm a software developer. One could argue, in a shallow way, that I make something from nothing every day. I write software -- computer instructions that tell a computer how to produce certain results based on input. But in reality, this is not producing something from nothing. I have to breathe air, eat food, drink liquid and sleep indoors (ok, the last one is by preference) in order to continue to exist. As I expend the energy that is produced by the resulting chemical processes that keep my physical body alive, the universe moves closer toward that state of entropy that scientists talk about, where there is no more energy to expend (or all energy has degraded into an un-harnessable, unusable state), life ceases to exist, and the entire universe has wound down. So the answer is simple, right? You can't make something from nothing. We all require energy to continue to live, and energy comes from various sources, all of which require sacrificing a portion of the universe's energy which can never be reclaimed. The universe is a physical machine which was put into motion and endowed with great energy by a great Creator God. So in order to be honest, we must credit God with our very existence, including the very air we breathe, food we eat, water we drink, and everything we enjoy. When we understand this, there is cause for great thankfulness. God created this entire universe for us to enjoy, because He loves us. Isaiah 40:12 tells us that God measured the entire universe with the span of His hand (the distance between the thumb and forefinger). There IS a God, and He loves each and every one of us, and knows each of us personally. In fact, He knows each one of us better than we know ourselves. He created each of us as a unique, wonderful person to share in fellowship with Him. Our strengths and weaknesses, everything that we are, all come from Him. We are each created by Him, and are special to Him. If you want to know Him more deeply, continue to visit this site. God willing, I will be posting more Bible studies over the upcoming months. In the mean time, meditate on Genesis 1:1: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He created the entire universe for our enjoyment, and He desires a close, intimate relationship
Slide 4: with each and every human being on this Earth. You are deeply loved by Him, and nothing you can do will change that. If this article has sparked your interest, I suggest that you read Does God Exist - Six Reasons to Believe that God is Really There, which goes deeper than I have gone. This article may be freely republished without special permission, as long as the following copyright and links are maintained: Copyright (c) 2008 Ronald B. Cemer, all rights reserved worldwide. http://www.cemer.com http://www.roncemer.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ronald_Cemer ==== ==== "A Universe From Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather than Nothing", Preorder.. http://tinyurl.com/725m7af ==== ====