As a Christian, do you believe in multiple dimensions? Said more succinctly, did Jesus create a universe with dimensions outside of the one we live in?
At first glance, it might seem like one of those Star Trek questions that belongs to a world of fantasy and illusion. But in reality, it is a profound question that points back to our faith.
In years gone by, I’ve asked several Christians this question, not enough to call it an official survey. Some said: yes, others: no, others were indifferent, that is to say, what difference does it make? I’m saved.
Still, others perceived it as “sinful” and “disrespectful” to the pure teachings of God to ask a question of this nature. I believe the last group (really two people) was most troubling to my spirit. They were taught incorrectly, or never really learned the difference between reverence and fear. What they were really saying without knowing it was that God did these incredible, unfathomable things and then told us about it in His Holy Scripture. He even gave us an interpreter, the Holy Spirit, to make sure we understood these great works. But the people in the last group were actually afraid He might get angry if we pursued the truth about these incredible things God did … snooping around in areas of confusion and wives tales.
I wrote the The Blood Tears Of Jesus for a number of reasons. But one critical reason was to liberate people in this group from their fears. My heart went out to them, the same kind of people who still believe if God wanted us on the moon, He would’ve put us there.
No one has all of the answers. Who really knows the mind of God? Some of His mighty works are unsearchable. But as God reveals Himself to us more and more, we should realize He WANTS us to know Him, so that we might trust Him and have complete faith in Him.
We should also know there’s work involved. This knowledge is not just scattered out there in some green, glistening, sun-baked field, Easter eggs, waiting to be plucked up with unsoiled hands and dropped into a tidy little basket. God has commanded us to: Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
My motto is pray, ask questions, dig and dig some more.
Back to our question … Did Jesus create a universe with dimensions outside of the one we live in?
There is a long answer and a short answer. Here’s the short answer: If you are a Christian and believe in the Bible, you SHOULD believe in multiple dimensions. Long before Einstein’s General Relativity or Michio Kaku’s String Theory came along, the Bible informed us that in this universe, multiple dimensions do exist.
Let’s break the long answer down into smaller pieces.
Jesus, the Son of God, created all things. (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:1-3)
He, alone, spoke it into existence … “Nihilo”means out of nothing.
(Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Hebrews 11:3)
(For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. Colossians 1:16).
Herein lies a hidden wisdom that should be amplified. The writer is saying don’t think that Jesus created the universe by refashioning or reshaping invisible things that already existed. The words He spoke brought forth a whole new creation, things that did not exist before. Even more intriguing is the number of times He used the word divide or separate. This word is not simply talking about putting space between things. There is a “profound” inference in the story of creation that deals with the firmament of water above the earth which is in a totally different dimension. That’s another fascinating story for another time.
My question then becomes where was he when he did this? Both, the Bible and particle physics demonstrate that God must have existed in dimensions of space and time outside the universe to which He spoke into being. The Bible goes on to say the universe [our universe] cannot contain Him (Behold, heaven and the highest heavens cannot contain Thee… (1 Kings 8:27)
There are many Bible verses that point to God activity prior to the creation of this universe and the time continuum that governs it. It’s pretty clear God was operating in a dimension separate from and prior to our own universe. Time, as we know it, wasn’t even around.
(This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time (2 Timothy 1:9)
(To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:25)
(He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 1 Peter 1:20)
Here’s the easiest way to look at it. Time is a dimension. God explicitly tells us that he exists outside of time in a dimension call “Eternity” where there is no time.
(For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isaiah 57:15)
There is an important precept here we should understand; so let’s be careful not to minimize it. Eternity is not just a very long stack of extended time capsules or units of time. We measure time in different ways … using the movement of the celestial bodies, the spin of the earth and its orbit around the sun, units of light years, atomic and sundial clocks. Babylonian records of observations of heavenly events to measure time date back to 1,600 BCE. The list goes on. But in eternity where God is, time does not exist. God lives in a dimension outside of time in which He can compress or expand our time (stop the sun for Joshua) based on His sovereign will.
The Bible offers many examples of both people and Angels walking in from another dimension. One of the most spectacular examples is Jesus Christ, Himself, walking through a locked door.
(That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! John 20:19-20)
Another example is Elisha praying that God will show his servant the invisible dimension in which the horses and chariots of fire are encamped around them.
(And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17)
We can conclude there are other dimensions besides our own. But how many are there?
Most theologians believe everything in the Kingdom of God comes to us in dimensions, levels, measures, stages and phases. In Ephesians 3:18 Paul refers to four different dimensions, though we believe there are more … May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height. Remarkably, as far back as the 12th century, a renown Jewish Rabbi named Nachmonides concluded from his studies of the Book of Genesis, there were 10 different dimensions in our universe. Now, thousands of years later, respected String Theorists seem to agree.
No one knows for sure. The point is when Christians talk about the “Spiritual Realm”, they should know what they are professing to believe. The existence of multiple dimensions is not just a Star Trek thing. Glory be to God, it’s a Bible thing too.
Did you miss question #4 on the countdown? Go here: