Light of the Heavens
Cont’d from page 1
Bill Bryson gives a simple explanation of Einstein’s formula
E=mc2 in his “A Short History of Nearly Everything,”
2004, pp.121-2:
…E in the equation stands for energy, m for
mass and c2 for the speed of light squared….Mass and energy
have an equivalence. They are two forms of the same thing: energy
is liberated matter; matter is energy waiting to happen. Since
c2 (the speed of light times itself) is a truly enormous number,
what the equation is saying is that there is a huge amount—a
really huge amount—of energy bound up in every material
thing.
If we accept this concept as valid, then all matter is essentially
“compressed energy.” The horrific explosion of a relatively
tiny atomic bomb just begins to demonstrate how much energy. Bryson
goes on to tell us that even the most efficient nuclear bomb we
have constructed to date releases less than one percent of the energy
it potentially could.
But where did the energy come from in the first place?
Is not God the Light of the heavens and the earth? And is He not
also the Creator? He not only created all things, but also created
the material from which they are constructed, that which we call
matter.
Can we say that in binding energy into matter God created matter
from His own energy, since He is the Light, the only source? If
so, not only is He the Creator of everything in existence, in a
very deep sense all matter is of God. Everything in existence derives
from Him. |
It follows that He is Omnipresent, for
every particle of the material that makes up our physical reality
is created of His energy. Indeed, He is very dramatically closer
to us than our jugular vein (50:16), for the very material of our
own bodies arises from Him!
It seems ironic that, at least in the west, we make such a sharp
distinction between the spiritual and the material. If indeed matter
does derive from God’s energy then the spiritual and the physical
are far more intertwined than we have ever imagined. In fact, they
are totally intertwined.
Note that if all matter is of God, it does not follow that God
is in any way limited by matter. In other words, God is not the
sum total of the physical universe, as some have postulated. Rather
the Quran tells us that the seven universes “are folded within
His right hand” (39:67), demonstrating that He is much greater
than anything we can even begin to imagine.
Let us go back to the thought of God as the doer of everything.
If indeed everything physical comes from God’s energy, then
it follows that since everything done in the physical world is done
by means of physical matter, it is done by/with God’s bound
energy. The very arm that throws a ball is made up of matter that
is of God’s energy. Thus it is more His arm than our own!
Looking at things from this perspective changes our point of view.
Suddenly God’s omnipotence and omnipresence stop being philosophical
constructs and become very real. God is doing everything and is
everywhere. And His omniscience then follows, for if He is everywhere
and intimately involved in all matter, everything going on with
that matter is knowable to
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Him. The very synapses of our brains,
and thus our thoughts, are more known to Him than even to us (20:7).
Moreover, we know that when God created the human He blew into
him from His own spirit:
He shaped him and blew into him from His spirit.
And He gave you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brains; rarely
are you thankful. (32:9)
Having God’s spirit within us and being constructed of His
bound energy may seem to make us pretty special. But we do not want
to follow Satan who bragged that he was created from fire, while
we were created from clay (38:76). It is not how we were created,
who our families or friends are; it is not how smart we are or how
beautiful that matters. God tells us that our value to Him comes
only through our worship (25:77), and that the best among us is
the most righteous (49:13). He has totally leveled the playing field.
All of us have an equal chance of being the most righteous. It is
our choice to what degree we recognize His absolute sovereignty.
In my own personal life thinking of everything around me as being
constructed of God’s energy has helped. It has made God very
immediate and real. It has enlarged my awareness of Him, His omnipotence
and His constant presence and absolute control:
God is the One who holds the heavens and the earth,
lest they vanish. If anyone else is to hold them, they will most
certainly vanish. He is Clement, Forgiving. (35:41)
Praise God!
Lisa
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