What does the Bible say about expanding galaxies? Does the Bible mention anything about how the universe is expanding? Did God create the universe by stretching it out? What does the Bible say?
Why Are the Galaxies Moving Away From Each Other?
Some scientific evidence suggests most galaxies are moving away from each other. Notice I said “most,” because sometimes galaxies actually collide (and the only collisions I know about are when objects are racing towards each other, not away). These collisions are due to the gravitational attraction between two proximal galaxies.
So why are some galaxies moving away from each other? The most obvious explanation is that the universe itself is expanding. Since the universe is expanding, it makes sense that the objects within an expanding universe may expand with it. Since galaxies are embedded in the fabric of the universe, they too tend to move in motions of general expansion (moving away
Expanding Universe
from each other). Energy, gravity, and all of these factors come into play with the rate of expansion, potential for collisions, and so forth.
What Does the Bible Say About an Expanding Universe & Galaxies Moving Away From Each Other?
The Bible is not a science book, but a love letter from God to His creation. It is concerned with “why” we are here, and not so much the “how” processes involved. That is why it is great we have science. Science explains the “how” and God explains the “why.” With that being said, the Bible does not attempt to make strict scientific verses regarding scientific principles. You won’t find a verse that says, “Thou sayist the Lord: The universe is expanding at X rate and this is a scientific truth you must understand.”
Even so, the Bible does actually have several verses which indicate an expansion and expanding universe. This is fascinating because for a long time scientists believe the universe was static (and uncreated). Scientists now believe that not only is the universe expanding, but it had a fundamental creation point (where the laws of physics would have broken down into a singularity).
Bible Verses About Expanding Universe
There are many verses in the Bible that suggests God “stretched out” the heavens (universe). Here are some scriptures:
Genesis 1:6-7: And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
This passage indicates a firmament (or expanse). This “expanse” is what we know of as the universe itself (which is also called heaven, space, etc.).
Notice that God doesn’t say for this expanse to be fixed or finite. He simply calls for an expanse, and continues to create other things. Below is another verse by Isaiah:
he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof [are] as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
– Isaiah 40:22
This verse in Isaiah shows again God actually spreading something out. It says he “stretcheth out the heavens.” Heaven in this context is talking of space and the expanse of the universe. Not the spiritual realm where God is attributed to dwell. It is interesting how he not only says that God “spreadeth” out the heavens, but he also uses the imagery of a tent (or curtain). Even today, scientists continue to use similar examples such as an expanding balloon.
Here is another verse by Job:
Hast thou with him spread out the sky, [which is] strong, [and] as a molten looking glass?
Job 37:18
Again, we continue to see this expression (in both literal and poetic books of the Bible) which seem to indicate an expansion, and an expanding or “spreading out” of the universe.
Again, this is repeated by Jeremiah:
He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.
Jeremiah 10:12
So we can see several verses by several of the Bible prophets and writers that God indeed has created an expanding universe. Again, the word “heaven, sky, expanse,” and so forth are all talking of the area we now call space (or the universe).
Why Would God Create An Expanding Universe?
So why would God bother creating an expanding universe as opposed to a static universe? That is for God to know, and for us to only speculate.
Many astronomers and scientists have commented that if indeed the universe was static, the gravitational pull among the galaxies could be rather nasty, and the most likely outcome would be eventual collapse (among other things).
So while we can speculate as to why the universe is expanding, we should be happy it is, and place our trust in God’s wisdom.