Someone very close to me constantly fights with the question: “is the universe eternal?”
Which, to me, is a weird thing to wonder. To me it’s obvious. I’d say it is not. One could argue that I am a religious person and that is why I think this way.
However I can also logically explain this way of thinking.
‘What defines a universe?’ I asked him.
He said ‘Space, time and matter’.
So, I continued asking him the following;
‘ what is space without time and matter?’
‘…Nothing’ he said
‘What is time without space and matter?’
‘Nothing…’
‘What is matter without space and time?’
‘Nothing’
‘What is space and time without matter? What is time and matter without space? What is space and matter without time?’
‘Yeah, nothing’
‘Then what is the universe without one of its core components that define it?’ I continued
He replied ‘nothing’ but I could see he was still confused as to where I am going with this.
So, here’s the thing.
If we try to define eternality, it means something without beginning or end. Something that is eternal, cannot change form, as it wouldn’t make it eternal. It cannot be influenced by anything, if it could then it would not be eternal. Something that is eternal does not need to depend on the existence of something else, cause then it would not be eternal.
As we had discussed before, space, time and matter all depend on eachother. Without one or the other they could not “be”
So, how can the universe be eternal when it is depended on the existence of another ‘thing’?
(Yes, space and time are also ‘things’ because they depend on eachother and on matter to be ‘something’.)
The universe is not static. It’s dynamic. It’s like the human body. Made out of millions of different ‘matter’ which all rely on one another to function properly.
The fact that the universe requires the existence of matter, it means that the universe can cease in existence. As every ‘thing’ does eventually. There is not a ‘thing’ that anyone can name that does not cease in existence. Because even if one believes that the universe is eternal, they contradict the big bang theory. The big bang theory is supposed to be ‘the beginning’ of this universe. Therefor the universe came to “be” and something that is ‘eternal’ cannot come to be. It is there and stays there.
Time, which is a philosophically debated subject, is what is needed for things to ‘live’ and ‘die’. But without there being any space, there cannot be any matter. When there is no matter, there is nothing even in space and time.
So, we learn now that even time is not eternal. It is depended on the existence of ‘things’.
How do these things come to existence? People love to use the very lazy “infinite x” answer. It’s such a lazy answer because infinity is a concept that makes no logical sense when attributed to space, time and matter. Because if we consider something infinite, just as eternal, it means it never had a beginning or end because you cannot add up or substract from infinite.
But surely there should be something that is eternal and infinite that causes the existence of space, time and matter???
Well, yeah. There is.
There is only One who is eternal and the only One who can have the concept of infinity attributed to Him and it would make sense.
The Creator who creates but was not created. The First and the Last. The One we cannot ever understand or comprehend because we are merely humans with limited knowledge and capabilities. We are creations of the One that has the power to create the most perfect formula for existence and hence also life. One we cannot ever imitate or manipulate no matter how hard we try.
‘So, is the universe eternal?’
No.
‘Can we claim the universe exists by pure coincidence?’
No. Coincidences do not depend on other components to happen. That defeats the definitions of a coincidence hence making it an illogical statement.
‘Was there ever a true “beginning”?’
Yes. But only for those within space, time and matter.
‘Can anything live outside of space, time and matter? ‘
Only the one who does not depend on space, time or matter to exist. Which can only be the One that caused/created space, time and matter.
‘How can you be so sure?’
Because there is no sound argument against the fact that space, time and matter are dependent. One cannot exist without the other. Yet they cannot be eternal because of this flaw. Matter is not eternal. It is not singular. It is changing forms and any and all matter can cease in existence.
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