The Spirit of Hope
The Hebrew word, אוֹר “Or” means uncreated light–I believe that it is the creative love of God, that was-that is-that is to come. Our hope in Him is the essence of the unseen.
Hope cannot be measured–it is the foundation in the essence of the consciousness, or mind of Christ. This is the love that “Holds everything together.” In fact, it is a scientific fact that there is an essence in the universe that cannot be understood but has volume–my personal theory is that this is Jesus Christ.
For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[a] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God (Romans 8:19-27).
I often go back to the beginning of the Word–God spoke, “Let there be light.” I believe God spoke “an igniting light” into being–the creative essence of Life. I, in fact, believe all things contain something of the one who created–including the rocks on the ground that cry out for salvation–perhaps a rock’s cry is to be a precious gem–to be loved, validated, and accepted. I believe that the essence of Hope is to move beyond the ordinary and become whom God created us to be in His purpose.
“One of the keywords in the Colossians passage the Greek word sunistemi which means “to stand together,” “to be compacted together,” “to cohere,” “to be constituted with.” In Colossians 1:15–17, we read that Jesus Christ created all things that are in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
This passage can be applied to the structure of the atom, for example. The nucleus of every atom is held together by what physicists call “weak” and “strong” forces.
[Physicists today are familiar with four basic forces in the natural world: gravity and electrical forces, plus a “strong” and a “weak” nuclear force. The first two forces decrease in strength inversely with the square of the distance between two objects; the latter two forces act only at very short ranges.]
The nucleus of the atom contains positively charged and neutral particles to use a simplistic model. Mutual electrostatic repulsion between the like-positive protons would drive the nucleus apart if it were not for the “strong force” which binds the nucleus together.
There is thus an active force imposed on the universe, which actively holds the very atoms of the material world together moment by moment, day by day, century by century.
Similarly, accelerated electrons circling the nucleus should quickly radiate all their energy away and fall into the nucleus unless there exists an invisible energy source to counteract this.”
An article in “Tomorrow’s World” (Originally Published: 06th March 2012) says this:
“‘Only recently have astrophysicists been able to offer a substantial hypothesis as to what it is that holds the universe together and keeps it from flying apart. Yet you do not have to be a physicist to know the simple answer!’
Astrophysicists look into the heavens and capture images and data with various scientific instruments. They know that the total mass of all matter is not enough to provide the gravity needed to keep everything in the universe from flying apart. They are left to ponder the question, “What is it that is holding the universe together?”
International teams of astronomers scan stars and galaxies that are unimaginable distances away. Using modern instruments and means of detection, they have detected a mysterious cosmic force and have hypothesized that it may be the answer to the question. They call it “dark matter.”
At the same time, the physics of the astrophysical realm is at odds with that of atomic physics. Albert Einstein spent the latter part of his life seeking a unified field theory that would describe nature’s forces and elementary particles in a unified way. Physicists know that the separate physics theories and the equations for both are incompatible. The equations do not work when the two are brought together. Thus the need for a unifying theory that harmonizes the incredibly small with the incredibly large.
The answer did not come in Einstein’s day, nor has it yet come in our day. But today there is a theory that seeks to unify the physics principles of both the cosmic and molecular levels. It is called superstring theory.
The superstring theory is an advancement toward a unified theory. The theory redefines some of science’s existing concepts of time and space. With this, science’s understanding of light, gravity, black holes, dark matter and the dimensions of the universe is increasing. At the same time, science is gaining a greater understanding of the forces, properties and behaviors of subatomic particles such as protons, neutrons, electrons, quarks, neutrinos, positrons, muons, photons, bosons, and gluons, along with an as yet undetected or unconfirmed particle called the “graviton.”
All of these particles have a force or power. Some are weak and some are strong, as they either attract or repel one another. Yet, somehow, they are so perfectly balanced that neither tiny molecules nor giant galaxies fly apart. Instead, they remain harmoniously spinning and intact. Why this is so is what is not yet understood. String theory may hold an answer.
String theory says that everything consists of combinations of vibrating strands or loops which appear as the various subatomic particles having differing mass and force, depending on the frequency of vibration. Of course, the debate continues along with the continued study of this theory. And already there is an extension of string theory, named M-theory, which seeks to unify the various string theories. And there are small but growing numbers of theoretical physicists who are becoming dissatisfied with string theory altogether and are looking to other theories for the explanation that has long eluded them.
The Bible, by contrast, offers a very simple answer to the question of what holds everything together. In Colossians 1:15–17, we read that Jesus Christ created all things that are in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. Quite simply, “in Him, all things consist.” The Darby translation phrases it that “all things subsist together by him.”
Indeed, even while scientists continue to explore the mathematical and physical principles behind the workings of the universe, Christians can see the “big picture.” The entire universe, from the largest galaxy down to the smallest subatomic particle, subsists—continues to exist and receive what is necessary for it to function as intended—through Jesus Christ. “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever’ (Romans 11:36).” http://www.tomorrowsworld.org/commentary/what-holds-the-universe-together
So, the Consciousness of God in Jesus Christ is real–can be seen in the sciences–Who created the universe? Does is make sense to our small finite minds? Yes, we can know God more and more each day! However, we cannot be like God–He is in a category unique to His nature, ways, power, and authority. Just like in the Psalms we read how the universe and the skies reflect the nature of God. I believe Hope behaves like the mystery of what or who holds the universe together. Hope is not an “it” however. Hope is in the person of Jesus Christ who holds the universe together just like He holds our lives together through our faith in Him. “Faith substantiates the things hoped for.” Faith gives substance to what we believe in aligning our will with the will of God–its a done deal when we place our hope in Jesus. “The author and finisher of our Faith.” Jesus wrote our story at the foundation of the world and He finished it on the cross. May we embrace the nature of Hope as holding our lives together in His perfect will forever just like He holds the universe together and everything ever created.