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 | 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 |