1. 1. In Natural Laws
Have you ever looked up at the stars on a clear, moonless night and asked yourself, "Where did this
universe come from"? Some people believe that the material universe has always existed that
everything is made of matter-- that matter is all there is. This philosophy is called "Materialism," (not
to be confused with the desire for material wealth). This philosophy leaves no room for God.
The Bible, however, declares that the material universe had a beginning: "In the beginning, God
created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). The Bible also declares that the material universe
will come to an end: "The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire"
(2 Peter 3:10).
Which of these world views is correct? Is the material universe eternal? Or did God create everything
according to a plan?
The First Law of Thermodynamics
Materialists usually refer to the First Law of Thermodynamics to support their belief that the universe
is eternal. The term "thermodynamics" comes from two Greek words: "thermos" meaning "heat," and
"dynamos" meaning "force" or "energy."
The First Law of Thermodynamics states that, in a closed system such as our universe, energy can
neither be created nor destroyed. Not one calorie of energy ceases to exist. It merely changes from
usable to unusable form. The quantity (total amount) of energy in the universe remains the same.
Materialists point to the First Law of Thermodynamics as proof that the universe is eternal. They
reason that if energy can neither be created nor destroyed, the universe must have existed forever.
It was not created.
But the First Law of Thermodynamics does not say the universe is eternal. It simply says that energy
is being conserved. As far as we can observe, the actual amount of energy in the universe is not
changing.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics
If the energy level in the universe remains the same, why do we humans run out of energy? Why do
we get tired? Why do we need to eat several meals a day and sleep at night to keep going? Why do
our flashlight batteries run out of energy and die? Why does the fire go out in the fireplace?

2. The answer to these questions is found in the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Albert Einstein, one
of the greatest scientists of the twentieth century, described the Second Law of Thermodynamics as
the "premier law of all sciences."
The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that, in a closed system (a closed system is one that is
not influenced by outside forces), everything is moving toward a state of disorder. Even though the
quantity of energy in the universe is always the same, the quality of energy is being degraded. The
amount of usable energy is decreasing. It is being used up.
Our universe is moving from a state of order to a state of disorder. This tendency toward disorder
and loss of usable energy is called "entropy." Entropy always moves toward disorder, never in the
opposite direction.
Suppose, for example, a woman goes to the beauty shop and gets her hair styled. Then, she works
in a factory for a year without washing or combing her hair. At the end of the year, what will her hair
look like? Her hair will have moved from a state of order to a state of disorder.
We can observe the Second Law of Thermodynamics at work in our world. Metal rusts. Meat rots.
Milk sours. Heat cools. The human body grows old and dies. If you leave a car out in the weather
without starting the engine or inflating the tires, what will it look like after twenty years?
We can also observe this law at work in the heavens. Inside the stars, billions of tons of hydrogen
are being consumed every second. According to scientists, our sun is half way through its life cycle.
Half of its original hydrogen has been burned up.
The Sun
The sun is a huge furnace made up of its own fuel. With the passing of every second, 661 million
tons of its hydrogen atoms fuse (bond together) forming 657 million tons of helium. Hydrogen is the
fuel. Helium is the ash. This fusion releases four million tons of energy in the form of electromagnetic
radiation which provides heat and light for the earth.
The sun is slowly burning up its fuel supply. Eventually, the sun and all the stars in the universe will
experience a "heat death." Their fires will die out because there will be nothing left to burn.
Suppose you see a man holding a burning candle and you ask him, "How long has that candle been
burning?" And he replies, "Forever." What would you think? You probably would laugh. The very
thought of a candle burning forever is absurd.
The sun and the stars are like giant candles. They are burning up their fuel. If the universe were
eternal, the stars would have burned their hydrogen supplies long ago. They would be heat dead.
The universe would be in total darkness and without heat.

3. The Second Law of Thermodynamics proves that the universe is not eternal.
Radioactive Materials
Another example of the Second Law of Thermodynamics at work is seen in radioactive materials.
Radioactive materials such as uranium are losing their energy by radiation. When uranium loses its
energy, it becomes lead. If the universe were eternal, there would be no uranium left. All of it would
have turned to lead. In fact, if the universe were eternal, there would be no radioactive material of
any kind.
The universe is not eternal. It had a beginning, just as the Bible says.
The Law of Biogenesis
There is another well-known law of science that supports the Biblical account of creation. It is the
Law of Biogenesis, meaning "the beginning of life." This law states that life comes from living things.
Life does not come from lifeless matter.
Scientists have tried for centuries to generate life out of lifeless material, but these scientists have
always failed. There is no such thing as "spontaneous generation." Life does not arise from lifeless
matter. Life comes from living things. Ultimately, life comes from a living God.
Conclusion
The philosophy of Materialism says that the universe is eternal. The Second Law of
Thermodynamics says that the universe is not eternal. Therefore, Materialism is unscientific. It is an
out-of-date nineteenth-century philosophy. Materialism is a myth.
The universe had a beginning. The Law of Entropy declares that the energy/matter in the universe is
degenerating, not evolving. Mindless matter does not create order. Only intelligence can create
order. According to the Bible, God is the supreme intelligence who is responsible for the order found
in the universe.
How did the universe come into being? The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy/matter
can neither be created nor destroyed within our universe. That means that the universe was created
by a power outside itself. The Bible calls him God.
Most scientists now believe that the universe began with a "bang." They also agree that whatever
begins to exist has a cause. The universe had a beginning. Therefore, the universe has a cause.
The Bible calls him God.
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).

4. "God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the
heavens by his understanding." (Jeremiah 10:12).
"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth"
(Psalm 33:6).
"By faith, we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was
not made out of what was visible" (Hebrews 11:3). God created the universe out of nothing.
It is more reasonable to believe that an all-powerful, eternal, intelligent God created the universe
than to believe the universe created itself.
How could anything create itself?