What was it like before creation? What did it look like, feel like, etc.?

Yahoo! I love that question because the answer goes all the way back to the very first book of the Bible in the Old Testament and describes exactly what it was like before creation in the first two verses ever written! Genesis 1:1-2 says:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

Whoa! That sounds kinda creepy and scary, doesn’t it? And yet, let’s look a little closer at what the Bible says just in these two verses. It starts, “In the beginning…” which tells us that this is literally the starting point of time as we know it! Then it says, “...God created…” The English word “created” is from the Greek word, “bara.” It is a verb used exclusively for God because it describes a full miracle. No man could ever attain the powers inherent in this word. So, by  an all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God, something absolutely new was brought into existence – the heavens and the earth.

Next we see that the earth was formless and empty and that darkness was over the surface of the deep. BUT, we also see that the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. So, even though it sounds kinda scary, God was there! By the way, I find it fascinating that the earth was initially covered in water.

From that point on, God starts doing something absolutely incredible. He literally speaks the rest of creation into being. He creates light, he creates morning and evening, he creates the sky, then dry ground and vegetation. Next, he creates the sun, the moon and the stars. And finally, on the fifth and sixth days, God creates sea life, birds, animals and, lastly, man.

The best part is, God saw all that He had created and saw that it was very good and He blessed it all! He had created the perfect world. Amazing, isn’t it?

If God was made somehow, could he have been made from the planets somehow or the universe?

Well, that’s a very interesting question! Unfortunately, in order to answer it, we have to make an assumption that God was somehow created. And, we know, through Scripture, that God is not a created being. God has always been here, is here now, and will be here forever. In fact, God created the Earth and the Heavens and the universe and the planets.

I know that seems hard to understand. Many Biblical scholars have tried for years to try and answer or explain it in a way that makes some sort of sense to us. But, there are just some things that go beyond explanation … things that only God, the Father, knows. And, this is where faith comes in.

There are just some things in the Bible that we must accept as truth even if we can’t completely understand it or explain it. And we accept them based on a faith that God is who He says He is and has the ability to do the improbable. I mean … how do we explain that the Earth is exactly the right distance from the sun so that we either don’t burn up or that we don’t freeze up? How do we explain the tilt and the rotation of the earth is just right and that one rotation equals one day and one night? How do explain why you and I breathe air but fish breathe water? How do we explain how a holy and perfect God can come to earth as Jesus and live among us in this sinful world and then go willingly to the cross and die for us so that we could live forever?

There are so many other examples of God’s greatness that we just can’t explain but we know them to be true.

So, could He have been made from the planets or the universe? Absolutely not.

Is God really next to you all the time?

Awesome question. Here we go … First of all, God is spirit only. (Read Nicodemus’ “Apple Box” questions in John 3 and Jesus’ response to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:24). There is nothing physical about spirit. You cannot touch, hear, smell, see, or taste spirit. Spirit has no shape, size, and weight, no color, flavor, odor, or texture. This makes God impossible to detect through our senses!

Let’s talk for a second about the space “next to you.” All space (the space right next to you, and all the space in the deepest reaches of the universe) was created by God, and God is not a part of anything that he created (read Genesis 2:1, John 1:3, Hebrews 11:3, and Revelation 4:11).

So now let’s imagine we are traveling through space in a space ship and we’re searching for God somewhere out there in space. Would we find him? The answer is no, right? Would we find him in deep space or in a galaxy far, far away? The answer is also no. Would we find him in space right next to us? The answer is still no. We won’t physically find God because God is not physically in his creation, nor can we physically sense him.

Some world religions believe that God is in everything. This is called “pantheism.” (The word pantheism comes from the original Greek root word “pan,” which means “all,” and “theism,” which means “of God.”) If God is in everything, then he would be in a soda can, and in an automobile engine, and in your hair – and this is not the case. If you comb your hair, you are not running a comb through God! That may seem obvious, but it is very important to understand that God is separate from his creation and he is not a part of that creation.

God is not physically out in deep space somewhere, and God is not physically right next to you. Since God is not physically in space at all, some people say, “Well, he’s in my heart.” Physically, though, he’s not in our hearts either, just like he’s not in your hair. Physically, you cannot put God in any one location. So when we say that we are only looking at the physical answer.

Now, here comes the “Yes, God is next to you” part of the answer. And this is the best part!!

First, knowing that God is entirely spirit (and not knowable by physical senses) will help us understand how God is next to us. Here is the truth about God: Spiritually, God is always at your side; God watches you constantly; God never misses a single thing; and God is always, always with you (read Leviticus 26:2; Deuteronomy 31:8; Job 9:10-11; Psalm 119:151; Psalm 139:1-18, 23-24; Psalm 145:18; Matthew 28:20b; 1 Peter 3:12). This is very, very awesome!

God did not just create you and then leave you alone, and God will not leave you when the going gets tough. God loved you completely and perfectly before you were born, he loved you when you took your first steps, he loved you when you when you first got mad, he loved you every day that you had “a bad hair day!” God was with you all those days, and all the days to come, no matter what! (read Psalm 23:4; Proverbs 3:23-26).

God is spirit and he is absolutely next to you all the time and available for you.