The Physical Realm Is Not "Real"

As you read this section, keep in mind that the New Testament is not merely a history book, it's meant to change us to become more and more like Jesus. When we read any passages in the New Testament, our goal should be to discern what God wants us to believe and do so that we can be obedient to Him.

Every day of our lives we see physical objects all around us, as well as forces acting on those objects. We're taught that physical matter is usually either solid, liquid, or gas, and that matter is made of molecules, which are made of atoms, which are made of subatomic particles. Gravity has an influence on physical objects, and there are forces such as the electromagnetic force, centrifugal force, friction, etc., that also have influences on physical objects. We see and experience the natural laws of physics (or the laws of nature) all day, every day, in the physical realm in which we live.

But none of that is actually true. Physical reality does not actually exist; it is not real.

First, notice that in dozens of passages throughout the entire Bible (using poetic imagery and other non-scientific language), we're told over and over and over that God not only created this universe and everything in it, but that He is constantly doing what we think of as the laws of nature. Here are some examples:

"This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food...Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found." (Genesis 2:4-20)

"The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today - to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul - then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the LORD's anger will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the LORD is giving you." (Deuteronomy 11:10-17)

"However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:...The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish. The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. The LORD will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed." (Deuteronomy 28:15-24)

"Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."" (1 Kings 17:1)

"After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land."" (1 Kings 18:1)

"But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. He provides rain for the earth; he sends water on the countryside." (Job 5:8-10)

"How great is God - beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion? See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea. This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance. He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark. His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach." (Job 36:26-33)

"Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth. He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth. After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice. When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back. God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.' So that everyone he has made may know his work, he stops all people from their labor. The animals take cover; they remain in their dens. The tempest comes out from its chamber, the cold from the driving winds. The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen. He loads the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through them. At his direction they swirl around over the face of the whole earth to do whatever he commands them. He brings the clouds to punish people, or to water his earth and show his love. Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God's wonders. Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge? You who swelter in your clothes when the land lies hushed under the south wind, can you join him in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze?" (Job 37:2-18)

"Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: "Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone - while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'? Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment. The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken. Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years! Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen? Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion's belt? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God's dominion over the earth? Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, 'Here we are'? Who gives the ibis wisdom or gives the rooster understanding? Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together? Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket? Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?"" (Job 38:1-41)

"You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy. You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing." (Psalms 65:5-13)

"When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm." (Psalms 75:3)

"The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth. He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate - bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts. The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the junipers. The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the hyrax. He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens. Then people go out to their work, to their labor until evening. How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number - living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works - he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke." (Psalms 104:2-32)

"The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses." (Psalms 135:6-7)

"Sing to the LORD with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp. He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. Extol the LORD, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion. He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you. He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat. He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast? He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow." (Psalms 147:7-18)

"Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for at his command they were created, and he established them for ever and ever - he issued a decree that will never pass away. Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding" (Psalms 148:4-8)

"He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows." (Isaiah 30:23)

"This is what the LORD says - he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants." (Isaiah 44:2-3)

"Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last. My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together." (Isaiah 48:12-13)

"But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath. Tell them this: 'These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.' But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses." (Jeremiah 10:10-13)

"Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, LORD our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this." (Jeremiah 14:22)

"He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses." (Jeremiah 51:15-16)

"I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety. I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations." (Ezekiel 34:25-29)

"Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before." (Joel 2:23)

""I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. "I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. "Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, destroying them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. "I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. "I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. "Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God." He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth - the LORD God Almighty is his name." (Amos 4:6-13)

"The Lord, the LORD Almighty - he touches the earth and it melts, and all who live in it mourn; the whole land rises like the Nile, then sinks like the river of Egypt; he builds his lofty palace in the heavens and sets its foundation on the earth; he calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land - the LORD is his name." (Amos 9:5-6)

"Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone." (Zechariah 10:1)

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you - you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them." (Matthew 6:25-32)

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31)

"For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." (Romans 11:36)

"yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live." (1 Corinthians 8:6)

"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)

"Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." (James 5:17-18)

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." (Revelation 4:11)

So in dozens of passages throughout the entire Bible (using poetic imagery and other non-scientific language), we're told over and over and over that God not only created this universe and everything in it, but that He is constantly doing what we think of as the laws of nature.

It would be easy to assume that ancient people wrongly believed that all of those "natural" events were done by God, but remember that all Scripture is "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16-17), which essentially means that all Scripture says what God wanted it to say, and notice that in many of the above passages we see God Himself saying that He has done and will do those things.

As we can clearly see, one consistent theme throughout the entire Bible is that the so-called "laws of nature" or "natural laws of physics" are actually being done by God, every moment of every day from the beginning of the universe.

This fact is confirmed even more strongly in these two passages:

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 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. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:15-17)

"but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." (Hebrews 1:2-3)

The above passages specifically tell us that Jesus created everything in the universe, and that in Him all things in the universe are being held together, and that He is constantly sustaining all things in the universe. In order to fully understand what the human authors meant in the original Greek in the above two passages, look closely at these quotes from numerous Bible scholars:

"And he is before all things, and in him all things consist.
Again, here is an astounding coincidence of thought with that of the author of Hebrews. See my Commentary under Hebrews 1:3. Not only did Jesus Christ create the universe, he sustains, upholds, and supports it!" (Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible, Colossians 1:17, emphasis added)

"And by him all things subsist - Or are sustained; see the notes at Hebrews 1:3. The meaning is, that they are kept in the present state; their existence, order, and arrangement are continued by his power. If unsupported by him, they would fall into disorder, or sink back to nothing." (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible, Colossians 1:17, emphasis added)

"All things were created by him, and for him. He places angels in subjection to Christ, that they may not obscure his glory, for four reasons: In the first place, because they were created by him; secondly, because their creation ought to be viewed as having a relation to him, as their legitimate end; thirdly, because he himself existed always, prior to their creation; fourthly, because he sustains them by his power, and upholds them in their condition." (Calvin's Commentary on the Bible, Colossians 1:17, emphasis added)

"and by him all things consist: This clause tells us that just as Jesus created all things, they are still held together by His power. "Consist" means "to hold together" (Thayer 605). If there are spirit powers, which Paul does not deny, they are there at Jesus' will. So, too, does the physical world hold together at His command. This phrase is comparable to "upholding all things by the word of his power" in Hebrews 1:3." (Contending for the Faith, Colossians 1:17, emphasis added)

"Christ is the sustainer of creation ("hold together," Colossians 1:17 b). Christ is the Person who preserves and maintains the existence of what He has created.
"He is the principle of cohesion in the universe. He impresses upon creation that unity and solidarity which makes it a cosmos instead of a chaos." [Note: Lightfoot, p. 154.]
"Every law of science and of nature is, in fact, an expression of the thought of God. It is by these laws, and therefore by the mind of God, that the universe hangs together, and does not disintegrate in chaos." [Note: Barclay, p. 144.]" (Dr. Constable's Expository Notes, Colossians 1:17, emphasis added)

"(iv) Paul uses the strange phrase: "In him all things hold together." This means that not only is the Son the agent of creation in the beginning and the [goal] of creation in the end, but between the beginning and the end, during time as we know it, it is he who holds the world together. That is to say, all the laws by which this world is order and not chaos are an expression of the mind of the Son. The law of gravity and the rest, the laws by which the universe hangs together, are not only scientific laws but also divine.
So, then, the Son is the beginning of creation, and the end of creation, and the power who holds creation together, the Creator, the Sustainer, and the Final Goal of the world." (Barclay's Daily Study Bible, Colossians 1:17, emphasis added)

"and by him all things consist; he upholds all things by the word of his power; the heavens have their stability and continuance from him; the pillars of the earth are bore up by him, otherwise that and the inhabitants of it would be dissolved; the angels in heaven are confirmed in their estate by him, and have their standing and security in him; the elector God are in his hands, and are his peculiar care and charge, and therefore shall never perish; yea, all mankind live and move, and have their being in him; the whole frame of nature would burst asunder and break in pieces, was it not held together by him; every created being has its support from him, and its consistence in him; and all the affairs of Providence relating to all creatures are governed, directed, and managed by him, in conjunction with the Father and the blessed Spirit." (John Gill's Exposition of the Bible, Colossians 1:17, emphasis added)

"In this majestic verse we have another great mystery revealed to us. Not only did Jesus make the world but he actually sustains it by his powerful word (cf. Hebrews 1:3). Just think of that! The sun came up this morning because of the word of God. The tides come in because of the word and our hearts beat because of the word. This information fairly defeats the doctrine of Deism which claims that God made the world but left it to run on its own. We can see how clearly Paul's teaching here utterly demolishes the Gnostics. We should also add that this verse demolishes the extremely popular and pervasive Darwinian and Secular Humanistic worldviews of today.
The Lord Jesus is intimately concerned with every aspect of his world. He does not deal with it long-distance through some imaginary emanations. He helps the rose open its petals. He helps the baby take its first breath. Yet, he is before all things. In him everything holds together. We can say with all certainty that if the word of God should be withdrawn from this universe for a moment it would simply disintegrate." (Light of Israel Bible Commentary, Colossians 1:17, emphasis added)

"(5.) By him all things consist. They not only subsist in their beings, but consist in their order and dependences. He not only created them all at first, but it is by the word of his power that they are still upheld, Hebrews 1:3. The whole creation is kept together by the power of the Son of God, and made to consist in its proper frame. It is preserved from disbanding and running into confusion." (Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible, Colossians 1:17, emphasis added)

"There is more said even here to maintain the full glory of Christ. All things were created by Him, no doubt; but they were created for Him also not by Him for the Father. They were created by Him, and for Him, equally with the Father. And as if this were not enough, we are farther told that He is before all things, and by (ἐν) Him all things consist. He is the upholder of all creation, so that the very universe of God subsists in virtue of Him. Without Him all sinks at once into dissolution." (Kelly Commentary on Books of the Bible, Colossians 1:17, emphasis added)

"It implies sustaining, but also movement. It deals with a burden, not as a dead weight, but as in continual movement; as Weiss puts it, "with the all in all its changes and transformations throughout the aeons." It is concerned, not only with sustaining the weight of the universe, but also with maintaining its coherence and carrying on its development. What is said of God, Col 1:17, is here said or implied of Christ: τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν all things (collectively, the universe) consist or maintain their coherence in him. So the Logos is called by Philo the bond (δεσμὸς) of the universe; but the maintenance of the coherence implies the guidance and propulsion of all the parts to a definite end. All things (τὰ πάντα) collectively considered; the universe; all things in their unity." (Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament, Hebrews 1:3, emphasis added)

"Upholding means "bearing" or "carrying," referring to movement and progress toward a final end. The Son not only created the universe by His powerful word but also maintains and directs its course. He is the Governor of the universe. The laws of nature are His laws, and they operate at His command." (Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary, Hebrews 1:3, emphasis added)

"And upholding all things by the word of his power - That is, by his powerful word, or command. The phrase "word of his power" is a Hebraism, and means his efficient command. There could not be a more distinct ascription of divinity to the Son of God than this. He upholds or sustains all things - that is, the universe. It is not merely the earth; not only its rocks, mountains, seas, animals and human beings, but it is the universe - all distant worlds. How can he do this who is not God?...There can be no higher idea of omnipotence than to say that he upholds all things by his word; and assuredly he who can "hold up" this vast universe so that it does not sink into anarchy or into nothing, must be God." (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible, Hebrews 1:3, emphasis added)

"Upholding all things by the word of his power - This is an astonishing description of the infinitely energetic and all pervading power of God. He spake, and all things were created; he speaks, and all things are sustained. The Jewish writers frequently express the perfection of the Divine nature by the phrases, He bears all things, both above and below; He carries all his creatures; He bears his world; He bears all worlds by his power. The Hebrews, to whom this epistle was written, would, from this and other circumstances, fully understand that the apostle believed Jesus Christ to be truly and properly God." (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible, Hebrews 1:3, emphasis added)

"Jesus Christ is the exact expression of the divine nature. All things were created by him, are controlled by him, and one day will return to him as his rightful possession" (Bridgeway Bible Commentary, Hebrews 1:3, emphasis added)

""Upholding all things by the word of his power" makes Christ to be the sustaining force of the cosmos itself, again reminding one of Paul's declaration in Colossians 1:16-17, "He is before all things, and in him all things consist." This credential undergirds Christ's throne by right of maintenance and support. One who is the sole support and source of every power within his creatures and creations has every right to rule over them and to expect true love and submission to his will. Perhaps a word is in order regarding the manner of Christ's upholding all things. It is "by the word of his power," hence spiritual by nature; and that spirituality is evident from the very makeup of material things themselves...Again, from Dr. Cothran,
Our logical and inescapable conclusion is not only that creation occurred, but that it was brought about according to the plan and will of a Person endowed with supreme intelligence and knowledge (omniscience), and the power to bring it about and keep it running according to plan (omnipotence), always and everywhere throughout the universe (omnipresence). Ibid.
Thus, there is a recognizable need for the "upholding" of all things by a word of power, a need supplied by our Lord, who, as that "word of power," is rightful king of all creation. The only logical reason that can be given as to why an electron travels at the speed of light for a thousand years (or a billion) is that Christ has commanded it; and the same is true of suns and galaxies." (Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible, Hebrews 1:3, emphasis added)

"And upholding (or bearing) all things, etc. To uphold or to bear here means to preserve or to continue all that is created in its own state; for he intimates that all things would instantly come to nothing, were they not sustained by his power." (Calvin's Commentary on the Bible, Hebrews 1:3, emphasis added)

"and upholding all things by the word of his power: "Upholding" (phero) literally means "foundation" (Dean Alford's Greek Testament 524), "preserver" (Thayer 650), or "supporting" (Bloomfield 468). The words "all things" refer to the universe. Jesus, the Son of God, has all power; and His power is manifested by His word. Jesus is not only the creator but also the foundation, the sustainer, of the universe. By His powerful command, Jesus causes the universe to function as it does. The universe would not continue to exist if it were not that Jesus maintains it. When Jesus speaks, whatever He wants done is done; it may be to calm the winds, to raise the dead, to heal the lame, to forgive sin, or it may involve the creation of the world. Nature and science obey His words. The phrase "upholding all things by the word of his power" presents an astounding portrayal of the infinitely energetic and all encompassing power of God. The "power" (dunamis) mentioned here refers to Jesus' "inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth" (Thayer 159). When Jesus speaks, nature obeys; that is, He speaks and the rains begin; He speaks and the rains cease, just as when He speaks the winds obey...
The "word of his power" refers to the active and powerful word of Jesus that upholds and sustains the universe. "The word is that in which the Son's power manifests itself" (Vincent 384). The word of the Lord upholds or supports, or is the pillar of, all things." (Contending for the Faith, Hebrews 1:3, emphasis added)

"(iv) The sustaining power belongs to Jesus. These early Christians had a tremendous grip of the doctrine of providence. They did not think of God as creating the world and then leaving it to itself. Somehow and somewhere they saw a power that was carrying the world and each life on to a destined end." (Barclay's Daily Study Bible, Hebrews 1:3, emphasis added)

"The word "upholding" (Hebrews 1:3) does not mean "holding up," as though the universe is a burden on the back of Jesus like Atlas is pictured holding up the world. But it means He is the God of Creation and providence who guides the universe on its course." (Gann's Commentary on the Bible, Hebrews 1:3, emphasis added)

"And upholding all things by the word of his power; the Syriac version renders it, "by the power of his word", to the same sense, only inverting the words. The Targumist on 2 Chronicles 2:6 uses a phrase very much like this, of God, whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain; because, adds he, סביל כלא בדרע גבורתיה, "he bears", or "sustains all things by the arm of his power"; and the words are to be understood not of the Father, upholding all things by his essential and powerful Word, his Son; but of the Son himself, who upholds all creatures he has made; bears up the pillars of the universe; preserves every creature in its being, and supports it, and supplies it with the necessaries of life; rules and governs all, and providentially orders and disposes of all things in the world, and that by his all powerful will; which makes it manifest, that he is truly and properly God, and a very fit person to be a priest" (John Gill's Exposition of the Bible, Hebrews 1:3, emphasis added)

"The sun comes up because of the word of God. The tides come in because of his word and our hearts beat because of it. Without the word of God our universe and world would simply disintegrate. All this clearly disputes the doctrine of Deism, that idea that God made the world and left it to run somehow on its own." (Light of Israel Bible Commentary, Hebrews 1:3, emphasis added)

"[2.] By him God made the worlds, both visible and invisible, the heavens and the earth; not as an instrumental cause, but as his essential word and wisdom. By him he made the old creation, by him he makes the new creature, and by him he rules and governs both. [3.] He upholds all things by the word of his power: he keeps the world from dissolving." (Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible, Hebrews 1:3, emphasis added)

As numerous Greek scholars and Bible scholars point out, the Greek words that the human authors used in Colossians 1:15-17 and Hebrews 1:2-3 (above) mean that God is constantly doing what we think of as the laws of nature or the natural laws of physics. God did not create the universe and then allow it to run on its own, but instead He is continuously running the entire universe. Everything that we call molecules, atoms, subatomic particles, forces, etc., in the entire universe, they're all under God's complete control at all times, and He is constantly making them operate according to the rules that He had devised.

We've been taught that all of the matter in the universe is made from subatomic particles (or tiny vibrating strings that appear to be particles as string theory says). However, there's no such thing as particles (or tiny vibrating strings). There's no such thing as physical matter, or forces acting on physical matter, or dark matter, or dark energy. Those things are all God's power acting in ways that appear to be matter, energy, forces, and so on, and His power in the universe is constantly operating according to the rules that He had devised.

Physical reality does not actually exist; it is not real. It's all a continuous manifestation of God's power.

The human authors of the Bible didn't think in terms of subatomic particles and forces, and neither did their readers, so the Bible was written in terms that people could relate to. If you're one of the vast majority of Christians who never learned how to discern what God is telling them (see my article called How to Discern God's Guidance), then the only way for you to determine the truth of what's written here is by allowing God to confirm these things for you by doing a miracle (see my home page for the details).

The issue we're faced with is that even though physical reality does not actually exist, we experience it as if it's real. We experience pain, hunger, thirst, heat, cold, sicknesses, injuries, and all manner of calamities and pleasures in the "physical" world as if they're real. For us, they are "real" (which is why the title of this section has the word "Real" in quotes).

But when we understand that everything in the "physical" world is actually God's power continuously operating according the rules that He had devised (which we wrongly refer to as "the laws of nature"), then we can see what miracles are. When God chooses to alter the rules at a specific place and time, then something will happen that appears to violate "the laws of nature," and the Bible refers to those events as miracles, signs, and wonders. So even though miracles are surprising, shocking, and sometimes frightening to the witnesses, provoking awe and wonder, they're really just God slightly changing the rules of how His "physical particles" operate in a specific place and time. For example, in modern language we would say that Jesus teleported into a locked room in John 20:19, and did the same thing a week later in John 20:26, and that He levitated up to heaven in Acts 1:9, and probably levitated over the water in John 6:19. Those miracles are some of the numerous examples in the Bible where God slightly changed the rules of how His "physical particles" operate in a specific place and time.

Consider that since God made the rules, He's free to alter the rules whenever and wherever He chooses. For instance, just before Jesus left the earth and levitated up to heaven, He gave some rules to the entire Church, which pastors and Bible teachers refer to as the Great Commission:

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."" (Matthew 28:18-20)

In the above passage, Jesus gave a set of rules to the entire Church (i.e., all Christians), which includes going into all the world and preaching the Gospel to make new disciples. In the following passage, the apostle Paul and his companions were traveling throughout portions of the world, following the rules that Jesus gave us (above), but notice what happened:

"Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them." (Acts 16:6-10)

In the above passage, Paul and his companions had made plans for where they would go and preach the Gospel, following Jesus' rule of going into all the world and preaching the Gospel (Matthew 28:18-20, above). Yet three times in the above passage we see God changing the rule at specific places and times by not allowing them to preach the Gospel in certain places. Those are examples of the fact that since God makes the rules, He's free to alter the rules whenever and wherever He chooses.

And that's what miracles are. They're just God slightly changing the rules of how His "physical particles" operate in a specific place and time.

Notice that Colossians 1:15-17 and Hebrews 1:2-3 (above) both say that Jesus is the One who is constantly causing the "particles" and "forces" of the universe to operate according to God's laws. Yet for approximately 37 years, Jesus lived on earth as a human, bound by the so-called natural laws of physics, so how was He able to control all of the "particles" and "forces" of the universe during that time? He did it through the Holy Spirit, which is explained in scriptural detail in my article called Understanding Jesus - Part Three. Remember, God eternally exists in three divine Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. There's only one God, so where one is, they all are (see my article called The Trinity).

Jesus is 100% human and 100% God, both at the same time (see my article called Understanding Jesus - Part Three), so does that mean He still has a human body in heaven made up of "physical particles"? No. When Jesus died and was resurrected, at that point He had a glorified body (which is described in my article called What Will Happen after the Second Coming?). "Glorified" means that Jesus no longer has a mortal, "physical" body, but instead His body was transformed into an immortal, spiritual body. When He returns and resurrects every Christian, then our bodies will be transformed into immortal, spiritual bodies just like His as we can see in these passages:

"So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body." (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." (Philippians 3:20-21)

So Jesus now has a spiritual body in heaven, and one day every Christian will have a spiritual body in heaven.