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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
Our finite minds find it hard to comprehend that before the universe was created, God existed alone. We know from John 1:1 that Jesus also existed: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was w...
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Pastor Paz
It would be exceedingly presumptuous to speak for God, on things we have not been instructed in or taught, and it has been intentionally withheld. He is Creator, Almighty, Omniscient, Omnipotent, Holy, Magnificent, and All wise... We are not told. That is the answer. Since we are told that "not all who say Lord, Lord... shall make it", the ones who do make it, will find out, but for now, let us be careful not to allow our pride, and our need to satisfy flesh, cause us to speak about things for which we are not qualified, authorized, or told about. Certainly He did not sit around twiddling thumbs, as we are told it is contrary to His nature... He dislikes laziness, slothfulness, mediocrity, etc.... He is a builder, a Master of everything, and anything... If He thought we needed to know, as it pertained to salvation, or was in any way relevant, He would have provided that for us in His word. However, since we have His word, and we still demonstrate an inability to find peace with one another, (denominations, religions, etc), or agree on written and explained doctrines, agree with and love one another, it seems that even in not telling us, there is a purpose in His doings, and design. There are just some things we will have to wait to find out about. However, while you are waiting, work. Preach, teach, make disciples, baptize believers, love one another and serve Him.... When you get to heaven, you can ask Him whatever you want.... if you wont already know the answer when you arrive.....
Vin Smith
...Obviously, we cannot understand God's esoteric knowledge. Proverbs 25:2 ESV tells us, "...It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out." Yet, will we remain in the dark forever? NO! "For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light." (Luke 8:17) ESV Here is what I believe--and it seems to be Biblical... God--our triune God--would never have bobbed around in nothingness, with nothing more to do than carry on a three-way conversation. What could possibly have occupied Him--Them? Surrounded by nothingness! It is almost as absurd to think that God existed in a vacuum as it is to think that life started from primordial ooze without a Creator! Sometimes it takes the notions of scientists--perhaps agnostic or atheist men and women of science! To help us think about our glorious God! Astronomers estimate there are about 100 thousand million stars in the Milky Way alone. Outside that, there are millions upon millions of other galaxies also! Do you think God created those humanly numberless heavenly bodies merely as a tableau for Adam and Even to gaze at during the evening hours? Quite absurd! Not to mention that Adam and Eve--even with their superior vision--could not have seen star systems in other galaxies! Now, let's follow along the trail of logical thinking, taking the premise that God NEVER existed in a vacuum, amongst emptiness, without a purposeful existence. It just isn't so... He created numberless angels... Uncountable stars. How about our own galaxy? It stands to reason that He created the Milky Way during Creation week. Other galaxies were undoubtedly created as need be--when other worlds--unfallen worlds--were created. I believe that all of creation is witnessing life being played out on this fallen planet. It is a performance demonstration for the entire limitless universe that emphasizes and underscores the single most important reality of existence: Free will! God is not a tyrant--even though Lucifer claimed thus. What was the purpose God's statement to Adam? "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:15-17) ESV I believe that every other world created by our spectacular God went through the same test. And they--the unfallen worlds--all passed. We didn't. We failed. God then sent His only begotten Son... "...God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) KJV Was God alone for an infinite number of years? Not at all. Is there a limit to the number of stars and planetary systems in the universe? Very likely there is not. Are there other worlds with beings created in God's image? It stands to reason. What does all of this mean? It means that God is infinitely more than mankind can possibly comprehend. It means that any individual is hopelessly mistaken who would turn their back on a God with no limits, who has offered eternal life for the mere acceptance! I have vowed in the past to spend eternity studying my Lord and Savior! That will be my joy--forever and ever!
Vincent Mercado
Supporter
This is a very deep question. But we have to start with a premise - God created everything that isn't him. Did God create the heavens? Yes. Did God create clouds? Yes. Did God create space? Yes. Did God create time? Yes. Well, "before" is a time word. So there is not such thing as "before creation" because creation is the start of time.
joyce whaley
Who really knows, Duet 29:29 states that “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law”. Who knows, perhaps there are worlds or other places that the Lord is manning. Perhaps there is life on other planets (invisible) with celestial and terrestrial bodies. However I cannot image God just sitting on a throne for whoever knows how long doing nothing, I just can’t.
Salem Markus Purba
Well, the universe, means the heavens and earth (Genesis 1:1) and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters before He created the universe. (Genesis 1:2). God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent (Psalm 139:1-24) so, if we want more explanation/answer to this question (i.e.who, what, when,where, why and how), we have to humble ourselves under God's mighty hand, as David said:"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain" (Psalm 139:6). The closer relationship we have with God, the more knowledge of God's secret revealed to us.
Casper Mcconnell
Before the Universe was made, God was Being. That means being always in the present. And being in love, communicating, creative thinking among the Trinity of infinite Persons. God always is. God was never just a before or after Presence. He is now in our future and in our past, no less than He is at this moment. Just imagine watching the 4th of July parade. It arrives, passes, then leaves. We are stuck in time passing us. Now imagine you are in a helicopter. You can see the parade from beginning to end. You are at the beginning and the end of it all at the same time. God is Present before dawn, during start and parade's end all at the same time and still present after the day has ended. He created time and space. God doesn't live inside time or space. He can enter it as Jesus did and leave it but does not be confined by it. This universe begins and ends in God's imagination. He imagined us and then spoke us into being. He wanted us to be thinking loving creative Persons like Himself, He created us into time and space. That is only four Dimensions... length breadth height and time. There are many more dimensions which quantum scientists are discovering, layers of reality that are deeper and more real than what we can yet see. Schoolboy physics reveals that the atoms we are made of are mostly empty spaces between electric charges. Unto cosmic dust our body shall return. But the reality of knowing God who loves us and being in Him is far more solid than this physical world we know and love more. God has unlimited dimensions to Him, more solid than rock and more real than the Earth
Ben Zickefoose
Here are a few things to consider about what God was doing before the creation of the universe. God and His wisdom existed. 1 Cor 2:7 "No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began". God promised the hope of eternal life. Titus 1:1 "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time". Jesus existed with glory. John 17:5 "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began". Jesus (the Word) was with God in the beginning. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". Jesus was chosen to be the sacrifice. 1 Peter 1:19-20 "but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake". God chose us to be holy and blameless. Ephesians 1:4 "For he chose us (His church, BHZ) in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight". God’s grace was given us in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:8-9 "God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time". God dealt with angels. Luke 10:18 'He (Jesus) replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.... “' See also: Isaiah 14:12 These Bible references help me to know that God was busy in His heaven before He created the universe. He was working with heavenly beings. With His wisdom, He was at work planning the creation of this universe and preparing for our redemption through His Son, Jesus, the Christ. As I understand Scripture, God’s plan for the redemption of human-kind was kept hidden (a mystery) from those in the heavenly realms until the establishment of His church when it would be made known what was accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. I can imagine the angels and all heavenly beings wondering: what is God doing, how is He going to deal with the sin problem of His creation? The answer: it was through His Son, Christ Jesus our Lord and His church. The Apostle Paul wrote: Ephesians 3:8-12 "Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence". Please understand, I do not think that my comments are all that God could have been doing before the creation of the universe. Consider the suggestions from the contributors above.
David Armstrong
What was God doing before He created the Universe? Question: Is there a "before"? With God there is no beginning (That's why Richard Dawkins gets it all wrong when he says, "Then who created God?" Foolish question.) With God there is no beginning and no end. God is the ever present "I Am." We earthlings are caught up in time but with God there is no time. The Lord Jesus drew back the curtain of secrecy for us every now and then when he said, "I and the Father are one." " I saw Satan fall as lighting from heaven." " Moses looked forward to my day." And his sudden appearance in the upper room with his resurrected body. We think in terms of time as 24 hours in the day ONLY BECAUSE WE LIVE ON THIS EARTH. When God created the heavens and the earth, the first day, He was not on the earth, so how long was that day? The sun (and the moon) that give us today our 24 hours were created only on the fourth day. We might ask a similar question about our dear friends in Christ who have died. What are they doing? Sitting on a cloud with a harp? Oh no. Are they active, serving the Lord? I am sure they are. Are they feasting at the table? Quite likely. Are they worshipping in His presence? Surely! "Absent from the body, present with the Lord." But are they doing all these things 24 hours of the day? The fact is they are no longer tied to our time zone. They are free from time. "For time shall be no more." The only way the scripture can make us understand is to say they are "asleep in Christ." No beginning, No end. God is! How mind blowing is that! And, for those who love Him, we shall be "forever with Him." Waw! Think on these things, it will fill you with awe at what an wonderful God we have. Have a blessed day! Dave Armstrong.
Lynn Willis
Like any of us can really answer this question...WAIT! I trust that God gave us all the information we need to understand Him in scripture... the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters before He created the universe. (Genesis 1:2). So He was hovering. I wonder if He was thinking to Himself... 'No one should ever be alone...' Blessings.
John Guttridge
This is a rather dangerous question, because as soon as we consider what was "before" Creation, aggressive atheists will immediately come back with justifiable criticism and absurd questions like "who created God then". The simple truth is that there was no "before" Creation. Both Christianity and Einsteinian relativity have shown that even space and time itself was created at the moment of Creation, (or the Big Bang if you wish to call iit that). God exists outside of time and space and, according to scripture, always has done. Therefore to ask a question "what did God do before Creation" is as meaningless as saying "Which letter comes before A in the alphabet?" Being outside of time and space, God could create time and space. He exists now, has always existed and always will, simultaneously.
Donald Short
God exists outside of time, space, and matter, which are all labels on what WE see. Where He exists is not something we can answer outside of John's vision in Revelation and Paul's description of the "third heaven." But, we are not qualified to describe where the Elohim exist as "nothing." Where our eternal lives will reside certainly has substance so it is somewhat presumptuous to have someone to say "nothing" existed before God spoke our dimension into existence. A new Heaven and a new Earth after everything here will be done away with are promises God has made for us to reside with Him in Glory forever.
Justin Hale
"The message of the true proverb has happened to them, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22). I believe that this proverb accurately describes our decaying cosmos, which is mathematically certain to be headed for a fiery oblivion, (2 Peter 3:10-12), but which I also believe will collapse on itself and do it all over again for all eternity. Scientists call this the 'Big Bounce' theory and it involves something they call 'quantum superimposition.' Before I continue, let me assure you that 'capturing every thought' submitted by human beings and 'subjecting it to Christ' through Biblical reinterpretation is not only Biblical, but a Biblical requirement of all Christians. So if I don't work on 'capturing and reinterpreting' these scientific concepts to remove all divine defamation from them, some other brother or sister in Christ certainly will as the Holy Spirit reminds them of this multi-generational and ongoing shared divine project that we are ALL obligated to participate in: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the tearing down of strongholds, as we tear down speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). EVERY THOUGHT captive to the obedience of Christ. That is the divine directive. Yahweh GOD was, is now, and ever will be in His own original and far superior cosmos. That cosmos is NOT decaying or on 'repeat mode.' This one is, because it is a place of eternal judgment for evil beings who are trapped inside of it forever. We are here because we are evil beings too. However, unlike the beings for whom this place was actually constructed, (Matthew 25:41), we now have the option to leave because we decided to be evil only after being tricked by those beings. This is our second chance through the 'Last Adam,' (1 Corinthians 15:45), the Lord Jesus Christ and we may join Him in His own cosmos by agreeing to be part of the new 'Eve' as His Bride the Holy Church, (Ephesians 5:25-32). In GOD's perfect cosmos, His own energetic essence acts the way physical light does here, (1 John 1:5, Revelation 21:23). In this decaying cosmos, light is what keeps us bound inside time. In GOD's perfect cosmos, He is what secures us within what He calls His 'third heaven.' It is into this perfect and eternal cosmos that we are escorted upon physical death here. Yahweh GOD's cosmos is so filled with energy, that it would take all of the energy in our decaying cosmos applied to a single form of propulsion just to travel at the speeds necessary to enter His cosmos. Science now even has the actual math required after trying to devise ways to travel at speeds greater than the speed of light. The real world isn't like 'Star Trek.' Unless GOD decides to free us, we are NOT going anywhere. No way, no how. So what was, is and will God be doing? His cosmos has endless and infinite variety and energy. There are aspects of it so marvelous that even our deepest unconscious psyche can't imagine them, (1 Corinthians 2:9). People who have glimpsed these marvels and return here have absolutely no way to verbalize their experiences or even express them artistically, (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). That is where God was and what He was doing before the 'beginning' of this age. There were many previous ages too. We have only been given details about three. The one just prior to this one, our current age and the soon arriving one. As 'ages' pass, Yahweh is always in the same 'place' of infinite possibilities and endless energy enjoying Himself in myriad unimaginable ways. Interestingly, that is basically what 'quantum superimposition' describes, only it leaves the 'God' part out. Let's put Him back in. Since He always has been and will be, whether we like it or not.
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