WHAT WAS GOD DOING BEFORE HE MADE THE WORLD?
The first verse of Scripture tells us that God created
the heavens and the earth.
But what God was
doing before He brought the universe into existence.
The famous atheist of
the 19th century, Robert Ingersoll wrote:
"If God created the
universe, there was a time when he commenced to create. Back of that
commencement there must have been an eternity. In that eternity what was this
God doing? He certainly did not think. There was nothing to think about. He did
not remember. Nothing had ever happened. What did he do? Can you imagine
anything more absurd that an infinite intelligence in infinite nothing wasting
an eternity?"
Robert Ingersoll, Some Mistakes of Moses
The famous
fifth-century A.D. Christian teacher Augustine had two answers to this
question.
One of them humorous
and the other one serious.
The humorous answer
was that God was spending His time preparing hell for people who ask question
like this.
14. Behold, I answer
to him who asks, “What was God doing before He made heaven and earth?” I answer not, as a
certain person is reported to have done facetiously (avoiding the pressure of
the question), “He was preparing hell,” saith he, “for those who pry into
mysteries.” It is one thing to perceive, another to laugh,—these things I
answer not.
Chapter XII.—What God
Did Before the Creation of the World , The Confessions and Letters of St.
Augustine, with a Sketch of his Life and Work
The serious answer
was that God didn't have any time on His hands, since there was no time before
time was created.
Time begun with
creation.
Before creation,
there was no time.
And there was no time
for God to have on His hands.
The world did not
begin by a creation in time but by a creation of time.
15. But if the roving
thought of any one should wander through the images of bygone time, and wonder
that Thou, the God Almighty, and All-creating, and All-sustaining, the
Architect of heaven and earth, didst for innumerable ages refrain from so great
a work before Thou wouldst make it, let him awake and consider that he wonders
at false things. For
whence could innumerable ages pass by which Thou didst not make, since Thou art
the Author and Creator of all ages? Or what times should those be which were
not made by Thee? Or how should they pass by if they had not been? Since,
therefore, Thou art the Creator of all times, if any time was before Thou
madest heaven and earth, why is it said that Thou didst refrain from working?
For that very time Thou madest, nor could times pass by before Thou madest
times. But if before heaven and earth there was no time, why
is it asked, What didst Thou then? For there was
no “then” when time was not.
Chapter XIII.—Before
the Times Created by God, Times Were Not, The Confessions and Letters of St.
Augustine, with a Sketch of his Life and Work
This brings us
another question:
If there was no time
before time begun, what was there?
Eternity.
God is eternal, and
the only thing prior to time was eternity.
The question also
implies that an infinitely perfect being like God could get bored.
Boredom is a sign of
imperfection and dissatisfaction.
God is perfect and
perfectly satisfied.
There is no way God
could be bored, even if He had long time periods in His hands.
An infinitely
creative mind can always find something interesting to do.
Only finite minds run
out of interesting thing and get bored.
Christian God also
has three persons who are in perfect fellowship.
There is no way such
being could get bored or lonely.
There is always
someone to talk to, someone of perfect understanding, love, and companionship.
Boredom is impossible
for someone like this.
But we can know
something of what God did before He created the Universe and the world from the
Bible:
Father, I desire that
they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My
glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the
world.
John 17:24
He definitely loved,
even before He made the world.
Just as He chose us
in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before Him in love.
Ephesians 1:4
He thought about us,
even before He made the world.
In hope of eternal
life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
Titus 1:2
And He promised us
the eternal life, even before the time begun.
This is Good God Questions Monday. A series dedicated to those good, and difficult, questions about God, universe, life, sin, Christ, love, and everything related.
Why is it so important to answer questions about God?
“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect”
1 Peter 3:15
Even little children can ask tough question, but there are good answers for all of them. The Bible exhorts us to find them and give them.
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
Colossians 4:6
This post is based on the book “How Made God? And Answer To Over 100 Other Tough Questions Of Faith” by Ravi Zacharias and Norman Geisler.
The First Monday we wondered:
The Second Monday we wondered:
The Third Monday we wondered:
HOW CAN GOD MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING?
The Fourth Monday we wondered:
WHAT WAS GOD DOING BEFORE HE MADE THE WORLD?
The Fifth Monday we wondered:
HOW CAN THERE BE THREE PERSONS IN ONE GOD?
The sixth Monday we wondered:
HOW CAN A GOOD GOD SEND PEOPLE TO HELL?
The seventh Monday we wondered:
HOW CAN GOD BE BOTH LOVING AND JUST?
HOW CAN GOD BE BOTH LOVING AND JUST?
