Scientists supposedly have a “pretty good” idea of how the universe began, says Sarah Wells, writing on the Live Science website. “Thirteen and eight-tenths billion years ago,” the universe is believed to have begun with a tiny, dense point of something that rapidly expanded, a process that is continuing even today. But how the universe will end is being fiercely debated.
"In physics, we can only trust our ideas and theories when we gather the data that test them and confirm them," physics professor Nemanja Kaloper at the University of California, Davis, said. "[But] in cosmology that is notoriously difficult since the experiments are passive — we cannot recreate the universe to see how things go and improve the data sets at will."
Two leading theories regarding the death of the universe include the Big Freeze and the Big Crunch. Physics professor Henry Tye at Cornell U. thinks the cosmos will eventually freeze. "This is what is already happening right now," Tye said. "The universe's expansion will become faster and continue for 100 billion years, a trillion years or forever. There's no end point."
In the Big Freeze, energy would be diluted to the point that any activity, such as the burning of stars or the churning of black holes, would end. Physicists call this the “heat death of the universe.”
However, another view is that space would decay into negative energy, thus reversing the direction of the universe. "That would [mean] the Universe expands for a bit before reaching a max and then turns around," Antonio Padilla, a professor of physics at the University of Nottingham in the U.K., says. "Such a universe would end in a crunch."
The Big Crunch would in effect reverse the expansion of the universe. According to Tye, such a scenario could already be happening but would be largely undetectable because evidence of those changes would be erased.
Then there is the idea of a Big Bounce, in which the universe would begin with a rapid expansion (i.e. the Big Bang) but eventually would collapse that would lead to another Big Bang. As for which theory is correct, it's hard to say with total certainty, Padilla opined. Tye said cosmologists must work to improve their models of the universe including such features as dark energy and string theory.
Comments: Professor Nemanja Kaloper made perhaps the most coherent comments in this article by explaining how difficult it is to understand the past history of the cosmos because we cannot recreate the universe in order to see “how things go.” Professor Kaloper thus sounds a lot like creationists who point out how different historical science is from experimental or observational science because the scientific method cannot fully be used, making historical science difficult to study.
Ms. Wells greatly overstated the case when she said scientists have a “pretty good” idea of how the universe began. In using a search window to find articles about “problems with the Big Bang,” I found numerous examples, not even counting those from creationist sites, articles such as The Top 30 Problems with the Big Bang Theory, Top Ten Scientific Flaws In The Big Bang Theory, The Scientific Evidence Against The Big Bang, and many others.
And how much more difficult it is for secular scientists to see into the future! Regarding the difficulty of looking into the future, as cosmologists are trying to do, St. Paul writes, “Now we see indirectly using a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I was fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12.
God inspired some of the biblical writers to provide us with a limited but accurate vision of the future. St. Luke writes, “There will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places. There will be horrifying sights and great signs from heaven.” Luke 21:11.
St Peter writes, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will pass away with a roar, the elements will be dissolved as they burn with great heat, and the earth and what was done on it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be destroyed, what kind of people ought you to be, living in holiness and godliness, as you look forward to and hasten the coming of the day of God? That day will cause the heavens to be set on fire and destroyed, and the elements to melt as they burn with great heat. But according to his promise we look forward to new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” 2 Peter 3:10-13.
We can look forward with hope and confidence, knowing we are saved through faith in Christ Jesus. The Bible tells us so.
by Warren Krug
Reference: Sarah Wells, “When will the universe die?” Live Science [May 24, 2025]. (Public domain photo from Microsoft Bing.)
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QUESTION OF THE DAY
What’s the difference between hospice and palliative care?
Palliative care is intended to help patients improve the quality of their lives and to help them cope with their illnesses. Hospice provides comfort and support for people with a terminal illness for whom efforts to cure their illnesses have stopped.
Source: “Ask Dr. Lang,” Cleveland Clinic Men’s Health Advisor [May, 2023], page 8.
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