The Opposite of Time

What is the opposite of time? The opposite of light is darkness and the reverse of yes is no. You can say that time “stands still” as an attempt to articulate its opposing characteristic but that doesn’t describe an opposite. That’s merely a “neutral” position. I recently asked an astronomer, “What do scientists call the area outside the boundaries of the universe?” The answer was “there is no area outside the universe because there is no boundary.” The argument is that since it cannot be observed or measured, it simply cannot be. My little pea brain has much difficulty with this reasoning. I don’t doubt it is understandable by those with an E=MC2 conceptual capacity but for me it is out of intellectual reach. The universe is space/time/matter/energy. These are physical dimensions, measurable, observable and calculable. If that is true it qualifies as the major premise of the syllogism. The minor is “everything measurable, observable and calculable has limits.” The conclusion has to be “the universe is not limitless.” Ergo, how can there be no boundary to the universe.

It seems to be an axiom that the physical universe is expanding. The only debate is whether it is slowing down or continuing to speed up. Nevertheless, if it is expanding, it stands to reason it is larger now than it was. At one point in the history of the universe, the young body was just 300,000 years old. Today the estimate is 13.7 billion years, or so. As I understand “expanding,” that information tells me the universe is much larger today than it was in its youth. So, if the universe is not expanding into or displacing a boundary entity, how can the science of measuring, observing and calculating be trusted?

I know there are those who like to imagine the universe simply self-initiated somehow. This is a convenient proposal to dodge the question of God but just cannot seem to avoid it as the argument of First Cause will always interfere. Therefore, the answer to the initial question “What is the opposite of time?” must be “eternity.” Even for those who cannot bring themselves to accept God as a possibility, the shear limits of their own science demands an uncomfortable hypothesis. Then is when they begin to apply the principle of “limits” since they will argue, using as a premise, “since it cannot be measured or observed, it cannot be reliable.” That’s like saying for centuries that since we could not measure or observe neutrinos until 1956 they did not exist until then. This is not to say that we can observe and measure God (notwithstanding 2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15), but to ignore Him and His realm is not only self-imposed ignorance, it turns out to be sloppy science as well. Since the universe was spoken into existence by Him, He infused it with laws and principles that reflect His glory, there for all to observe, even to measure and calculate when the time is right.