What if I told you the world is holding a secret? Now we all know indeed, the world still holds many wonderful secrets waiting breathlessly to be discovered and I for one cannot wait. But what if the world is hiding the biggest secret of all on purpose? And what if this secret is so big that the only way it could possibly be concealed would be to keep covering it up with half-truths and distractions gradually and consistently for a period of well over five hundred years?
Now hypothetically, let me ask you this (especially any of you super genius types out there). How good could technology get in billions of years? How about in 14.6 billion years? Would it be safe to say that it would most assuredly go beyond the realm of our wildest imagination? Interestingly there is an article in the April of 2021 issue of Scientific American entitled: “Confirmed! We Live in a Simulation.” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/confirmed-we-live-in-a-simulation/ The theory that we may be living in some sort of advanced simulation has been hotly debated since the 1970’s by formidable intellects in science and philosophy but the most logical explanation seems to have been intentionally and completely ignored. Could pride be to blame? Maybe it is cognitive dissonance or perhaps even a supernatural darkening of the intellect. I say this because the most popular book in history (a book which is thousands of years old) offers substantial support for this very premise.
If we do live in some kind of spectacular simulation I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out who’s running it. I mean what did you think “So God created man in his own image” meant?(Genesis 1:27, emphasis added) And this: “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” (Hebrews 11:3, emphasis added) And this: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1-4, emphasis added) Why do we automatically assume the Holy Bible conflicts with modern science and therefore must be allegorical or even false? Wouldn’t it be something if the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth ultimately prove to be more scientific than much of Science itself?
After all, we were warned “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;”(Proverbs 3:5, emphasis added) yet as a people have we not pridefully rejected the Lord or formed Him in our own image while completely leaning on our own vanity driven understanding? Is it possible we have been conducting widespread scientific experimentation on the hardscape used from age to age for God’s wondrous simulation(s) and drawing erroneous conclusions from faulty premises? After all, atoms make up 100% of the universe but consist of 99% empty space. Quantum particles behave differently when not under observation; in fact we now know human consciousness plays a significant role in quantum mechanics but scientists don’t know why. And now, thanks to Fouad Khan’s article in Scientific American we clearly see that the speed of light fits all necessary criteria to serve as the processor speed in a giant simulation. Yet we have used man’s scientific findings, often heavily laden with conjecture to conveniently refute the foundational truth of scripture. What would any of our prehistoric findings amount to if we are in fact, as Science is indicating, “living in a simulation?” What would it mean in relation to weather and climate?
Even now, thermal imaging technology is uncovering what appears to be thousands of civilizations that fit nowhere into our historical timeline as we understand it. I love The History Channel’s “Ancient Aliens” but is there another plausible explanation? Could ancient megaliths like the Great Pyramid of Giza be part of the hardscape for this simulation or physical evidence of previous simulations with various parameters all conducted by God, the one and only, who says, “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done.”(Isaiah 46:9-10) Please investigate scientific research on the mysteries of the Great Pyramid and you will find startling facts in the dimensions alone, which contain a 1:43,200 scale exact representation of the key dimensions of the earth – the polar radius and the equatorial circumference. Within the pyramid itself is a wide path leading down to a pit and a narrow path of 153 steps leading up to the “King’s Chamber:” “So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them.” (John 21:11) As far as the earth’s age is concerned, why wouldn’t our Creator reuse existing organic material when creating his simulations? If we look at the systems abounding on the earth we see absolutely everything that is not man made is recycled over and over and over in the circle of life. No one is “greener” than God; God just doesn’t use enormous natural systems beyond human control to attempt to subjugate, defraud and enslave us – or worse! The following passage comes from a man whom God gifted with unparalleled wisdom: “Is there any thing whereof it may be said, ‘See, this is new?’ It hath been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.”(Ecclesiastes 1:10-11) Could an “age” be the length of a given simulation, designed and orchestrated by the Creator of that simulation and everything in it, including you and me? Is this simulation wiped clean by cataclysmic events every twelve thousand years or so? Tick-tock…he’s not called the “Lord of Hosts” for nothing. “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”(2 Peter 3:8)
Is it beyond the realm of possibility that what we consider reality itself is more accurately described as God’s stunning simulation, with the inexhaustible power source – the source of all life and breath – being God Himself? Perhaps this simulation is a molecular/quantum particular, carbon based, fully regenerative simulation – infinitely superior to anything we could ever hope to create digitally, but do we really think our ‘technology’ has become sophisticated in a few thousand years as compared to God’s 13.9 billion years plus? And let us not forget he started with a perfect intellect. Why would we believe digital technology to be anything more than macaroni art or scribbles on a cave wall when compared to God’s technology? After all God is ageless and beyond compare literally possessing all knowledge and wisdom.
More likely digital technology is a convenient vehicle for the original enemy of truth to gain some level of omniscience and omnipresence while simultaneously promoting idolatry like never before. Perhaps he intends to use it to enslave us all.
Do you want to see God’s technology? If the brilliance of a Supernova or a caterpillar metamorphosing into a butterfly doesn’t convince you, how about the lymphatic system? How about any given sunrise or sunset or human DNA? Think about these things conceptually. We take so much for granted but imagine coming up with the notion for each of these things out of nothing. Imagine conceiving the idea for a multitude of species of flora and fauna and then creating each ingenious example in regenerative and profound detail with utmost care from nothing but love and your divine will. Imagine coming up with the biological, functional mechanism for the sneeze! Imagine creating the concept of “ecosystem” and then making it happen with beauty, excitement and depth. Yet none of these things, however impressive are God’s greatest creation.
If you want to see God’s greatest creation, you need go no further than the closest mirror. But it’s not exactly what we see in the mirror…it’s what we do not see…what cannot be seen that elevates the creative genius right off any known scale. Our ability to love or hate, to experience joy or sadness, the ability to learn, to create music or literature or artwork, to suffer, to empathize, to sacrifice …we cannot see any of these things yet we know they exist. Surely these are some of the most real aspects of our entire earthly experience because these things determine who we become. What other creature exhibits meta cognition, the ability to think about one’s thoughts and then subsequently change behavior in radical ways; to literally reprogram our own brains?
All these things set us apart from the animal kingdom but they are not in and of themselves the reason we are God’s greatest creation. The real reason you are God’s greatest creation is because the only aspects of this entire experience which are not temporary in nature are God’s words, “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away”(Matthew 24:35) and the human soul. Like God himself our souls have been designed and gifted with an eternal nature, a divine nature; God not only sees and loves us as we are but sees our nearly unlimited potential as well. Our thoughts and actions, our heart posture and relationship with God and others determines the health of our souls. We can elevate these toward the selfless, good and life affirming or we can allow our thoughts and actions to be influenced by the current ruler of this temporary world, thereby gravitating towards self-absorption, internal angst, slavery and death: devolution (devil-ution?) to the lowest common denominator. IQ scores have been dropping steadily now for decades and we are told authoritatively, “environmental factors” may be to blame. If “those who are wise in their own conceit” (Job 37:24) point to the environment of incessant distraction, fear, narcissism, greed, self-indulgence, divisiveness, anxiety and confusion – coupled with a life devoid of any higher purpose or meaning – then “yes,” I agree.
So know this: To God, you are far more precious than any amount of gold, platinum, precious gems or cryptocurrency. You are more deeply and purely loved by God right this second than by anyone who loves you, has ever loved you or could ever love you in your lifetime…times a million. A beautiful soul can love and be loved by God and others joyfully for all eternity. This is what God wants for you. Despite appearances, everything else in this world is temporary; everything else can and will be wiped away like a giant Etch A Sketch: “Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:4-5, circa 700 BC) Does this not practically shout: “Don’t look now children, but you are living in a simulation!”
As in our own rudimentary digital simulations, the administrator (God Himself) can modify any and all parameters at will. In addition nothing happens secretly in this world that cannot be illuminated and displayed for all to see at any moment God so chooses. “For there is nothing hidden, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light.”(Mark 4:22) This is His show…His story…”History.” While we are patting ourselves on the back for our digital cave art God is likely eclipsing Rembrandt’s masterworks at every turn, billions of times a day. The physical, visible portion of this world could potentially be but the smallest tip of a dazzlingly beautiful iceberg.
And here’s the kicker…how long do you think it took our Almighty, eternal, ever loving and merciful God to construct what we know as our universe and everything in it, a nearly infinite number of systems and subsystems, mind-boggling complexity far beyond the understanding of even our most brilliant minds? I think it took Him exactly 6-days, “and on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done.”(Genesis 2:2) And who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor? “But the universe is billions of years old!” you may say. And if I use clay that is millions of years old to create a cereal bowl today, does that make my creation millions of years old? Hardly. If I use recycled material from computers built fifty years ago to create a state of the art system today, that system is not fifty years old, but new. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1) may not be referring to the beginning of time and space as we know it, but could be a much more literal account of how this particular simulation was started by Him. Any number of scientific ‘unknowns’ would be explained or contextualized by this revelation, especially in relation to quantum theory plus let’s be honest – it is significantly less intellectually reckless than believing ridiculously improbable, lottery-dwarfing odds allowed all this to happen randomly through a daisy chain of cosmic accidents. I mean really, have you seen nature? How many things in your life when left wholly unattended end up breathtakingly beautiful? The other planets in our solar system?… now those look unattended. Our planet brims with order and intentionality for one reason and one reason alone – by the grace of God who lovingly tends it like his personal garden every millisecond of every day and will surely do so exponentially if we but extend the invitation by turning to him and embracing his radical way of selfless, transcendent love through our own free will.
Given this premise, not only is God real but as many learned theologians already surmise, He is much more real than this world and almost everything in it – after all which is more real, the eternal or the temporal? Not only is He awesome in the very essence of the word but He is far more, far beyond anything we can even hope to fathom because this temporary world is but a short preview, a mere glimpse of His astounding creativity, His unmatched generosity, His inconceivable power and sheer capability which is quite literally Infinite; as is His love for each and every one of us.
Oddly enough one of the main arguments given by those scientists opposing “simulation theory” is that the universe is far too complex, meaning creation has too many seemingly innocuous components which would take an inordinate amount of time for anyone to “program” and therefore, why bother? For example, why would anyone go to the trouble of creating a sea slug which can actually regenerate a whole new body including a new heart, after its head is severed? Well, it would certainly take us an inordinate amount of time (like forever) but we need to get over ourselves! C.S. Lewis tells us “God is not in space, but space is in God“ which includes the space-time continuum, though personally I’ll tell you why I think God creates a marvel like this: aside from His inherent goodness and providential medical ramifications, He does it because He and He alone – CAN.
A few additional aspects of the Simulation Theory I find compelling:
A script in computer programming is a “program or sequence of instructions that is interpreted or carried out by another program rather than by the computer processor.” The suffix “ure” denotes an act or process. Scripture is one of the most powerful ways to change our internal programming on the deepest level imaginable and leads to the desire to share the beautiful and transformative nature of scripture with others.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.”(John 1:14) The language used here is mind-blowing to me considering it was written almost two thousand years ago; how might we explain this concept today? Remember: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
The crucial question we should ask ourselves is not whether or not this is necessarily true; I am quite sure God is far beyond all human understanding. The question we need to ask ourselves is whether it is possible…or maybe even likely. And let us never forget: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”(Matthew 19:26)