An Uncreated, Unchanging Universe
Are all present things a mere extension of what always was? Can the universe have always existed, more or less in the present form, unchanging in its average aspects? Many processes in nature are cyclical and some are renewed periodically. The writer of Ecclesiastes made his own study of the nature of things, and concluded that everything at present seems cyclic. He expressed his ideas this way:
1 The words of the Teacher [Or leader of the assembly; also in verses 2 and 12], son of David, king of Jerusalem: 2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” 3 What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. 6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. 7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. 8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. 11 There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:1–14).
Notice that the writer does not take responsibility for the attitude of the man called the Teacher. The writer of Ecclesiastes merely reports the Teacher’s words. The Teacher at first concluded from the cyclic nature of things that it was impossible for him to make any lasting improvement in human affairs even with sound teaching. This explains the Teacher’s tone of depression in the beginning of the book, his idea that everything is meaningless. Later the Teacher reaches different conclusions. Without going into those conclusions, let’s pause to consider what things would be like if everything in nature were cyclic.
The Teacher’s ideas may seem clear to those who are limited to the observations of a lifetime, or even to those who add what they can find out from history. But there is more evidence to take into account. Many processes seem endless on the Earth, but what about the Earth itself? Is the Earth eternal? There is nothing new under the sun, but is the Sun eternal? The words the earth remains forever clearly refer to the Earth’s future, not its past. Could the Earth have existed always, or is it merely ancient? Let’s examine the scientific evidence.
The Teacher’s ideas may seem clear to those who are limited to the observations of a lifetime, or even to those who add what they can find out from history. But there is more evidence to take into account. Many processes seem endless on the Earth, but what about the Earth itself? Is the Earth eternal? There is nothing new under the sun, but is the Sun eternal? The words the earth remains forever clearly refer to the Earth’s future, not its past. Could the Earth have existed always, or is it merely ancient? Let’s examine the scientific evidence.
