This post is going to run deep and long. I will be trying to tie the quantum uniqueness into the Biblical worldview. It may be a head scratcher for some but hopefully if you hold on until the end it will mostly make sense. Recent trends in the exploration of the quantum world are bringing to light some strange new realities. Quantum entanglement, quantum tunneling and quantum teleportation all reveal that matter is effectively non-local. That is to say, quantum interactions occur instantaneously over arbitrarily long distances. Quantum entanglement proves that in the quantum world there is no such thing as "over here" and "over there." I will need to define a few things before moving forward.
In short Quantum Entanglement is… when two particles become deeply and inseparably linked, sharing a single physical state. Changing the state of one particle instantly changes the other, even if they are light-years apart. I suggest that this is possible way that God directly interacts with us in the Spirit. In particular the idea that John the Revelator is taken up in the Spirit in Revelation may also be an apropos example of this (Revelation 4:1-2).
In short Quantum Tunneling… is a phenomenon where a particle defies classical physics by passing directly through a solid barrier that it normally shouldn't have enough energy to cross. It essentially behaves like a wave, "bleeding" through the wall and appearing on the other side. I suggest that this is revealed in events following Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus is described as passing through his grave clothes in his resurrected body (John 20:6-7).
In short Quantum Teleportation… says you can move data, not matter instantly. It is a process where the exact quantum state (information) of a particle is transferred to another distant particle, using quantum entanglement. The original particle's state departs, and the particle appears at the destination, without the actual particle traveling through space. I believe this is what we saw when the disciples first saw Jesus after the Resurrection in multiple examples (Luke 24:36–43; John 20:19–23). There was something about Jesus spirit body that allowed him to do all the previous actions, quantum entanglement, tunneling and teleportation.
So…to surmise the first part, quantum non-locality is the phenomenon where entangled particles instantly influence each other's states across any distance, transcending the limits of space and the speed of light. From a biblical worldview, this mirrors the interconnectedness of a creation spoken into existence by the omnipresent Creator, Jesus Christ. It illustrates that the physical universe is fundamentally unified and sustained by a power that transcends physical boundaries, reflecting scriptures like Colossians 1:17, which states that, "in Him all things hold together,” and Hebrews 1:3 which tells us that, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”
What man has learned about the quantum level in the last century is that there is no mechanism in quantum mechanics which explains how particles "communicate" with each other superluminally or faster than light. The fact is, there is no superluminal communication; rather there is an extra-dimensional property called "non-locality" which implies that two sub-atomic particles separated by vast distances in space are actually "non-locally" joined together in another dimension. New experiments consistently prove that matter itself, at a quantum level, does not have a strictly "material" reality. It also has alternate reality characteristics. In the Bible I would stretch so far to say, it has spiritual or spirit implications. I suggest the subliminal ‘reality’ is in-fact Christ himself because the Bible tells us He is (Hebrews 1:3).
In these examples we see what the Biblical worldview has always alluded to and accepted. There is a veil between the world of matter and the spirit realm. There are two worlds revealed in the Bible. Jesus frequently talked about this world and the world above. He said to those who opposed Him:
“You are from below; I
am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”John 8:23
There is this material world and there is another world that is above and beyond this physical universe because it exists in a spiritual dimension. These two worlds are separated by an ethereal veil. Even a simple reading of the Bible shows that they are continuously intersecting yet they are two entirely separate worlds. Currently, one is the world constituted by matter and the other is constituted by spirit. At a later date these worlds will, in effect merge as all will have what Paul referred to as the spirit body or σῶμα πνευματικόν/ soma pneumatikon. Both those saved to Christ in eternity and those condemned in torment. How else can one be physically tormented without a body? They will be bodies that will have both the properties of matter/physicality and properties of the ethereal/Spirit. How else would Jesus have been able to materialize or appear in the Upper Room and also eat? Jesus’ spirit body is an example of the First Fruits of the Resurrection and a breach in the veil between worlds
When Jesus walked upon the earth he displayed the supernatural powers of the world above, which He identified as "heaven." Even when He was upon the earth He was still living in this other dimension called heaven. He said, "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven." (John 3:13) The Heavenly Man, Jesus Christ, displayed heaven on earth and revealed the Kingdom of Heaven everywhere He walked on earth. That is why heaven was where Jesus was. The Kingdom is where the King is/was. Where Jesus walked and performed miracles the effects of the entropy of the Fall of man in Genesis 3 were pushed back and ‘heaven’, the ‘kingdom’ bled through the veil into this world. Corruption and decay was pushed back or overturned completely.
The Gospels continually revealed the Spirit world breaking into our world. The Bible continuously refers to and mentions veils. I do not believe this is by accident. It is a "veil" that separates the things of heaven and earth. In the Bible, the "veil" primarily refers to the literal and theological curtain in the Tabernacle and Temple that separated humanity from the dwelling place of God (the Holy of Holies). It symbolizes the spiritual barrier between the physical, earthly realm and the supernatural, divine realm. It is no accident that the moment Jesus died, that veil is torn in the Temple. It is a literal and figurative symbol of the line of demarcation between the heavenly and the earthly being pulled down.
Matthew, Mark and Luke all record that at the exact moment that Jesus died on the cross the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom, prophetically symbolizing that through the atonement of Christ the way had been made for humanity to pass "through the veil" (Hebrews 10:20) into this supernatural world called heaven when we die. The only way to approach God’s presence fully is to die and leave this earth. Here we see the truth of Exodus when God tells Moses that, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live." The holiness of God presence prevents the regular physical human from being in front of God without damaging them. They need to change states and only death allows this change.
Elsewhere in the New Testament we encounter another interesting concept that appears to communicate a similar idea to a veil or a separation between the earthly and the spirit. It never actually makes a claim to a change in physical location or proximity though. It makes claim to perception, observation or a state of being. Paul talked about a "mirror" or a "looking glass." He said, "For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face." (1 Corinthians 13:12). In reality Paul is telling us that need to realize our knowledge is incomplete and puzzling. Paul picked up this idea again in 2 Corinthians 3:16 where he deliberately mentions a "veil" is removed when a person turns or more specifically focuses on God. The act of observing things of the heavenly realm changes the state of one’s perception. This sounds strangely akin to the phenomenon of Superposition in Quantum Mechanics that says that…
…observation changes reality because particles double as waves of probability. Before you look at a particle at the sub-atomic level, it exists in multiple possible states or locations at the exact same time. When a measurement or observation occurs, the system interacts with a physical instrument or fully physical realm. This interaction forces the broad wave of probabilities to collapse into a single, definite reality. Essentially, you cannot measure/observe a quantum system without physically disturbing it, meaning the act of looking directly alters the outcome to permanent reality.
Paul taught that whenever someone turns to Christ the veil is taken away and things become clearer or absolute, fixed or...determined. He also implies that when we die and reach our final state we will understand and see fully. Things will be fully realized. He then proceeded to teach that those who have turned to Christ are able to peer through the looking glass into heaven in order to behold the glory of God.
"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18.
The obvious conclusion is that God is on the other side of the veil. When we are faced with the overwhelming truths of Scripture and then compound them with the enigmas of non-locality, the existence of God and the supernatural intervention of God all over the Bible I believe a clear picture begins to form out of the dark mirror. We can move forward to theorize the relationship between these three fundamental realities of our supernaturally crafted universe. I propose that this invisible layer of quantum reality acts as some kind of interface between the presence and power of God (who exists in the spiritual realm) and the world of matter.
The non-local quantum world appears to be a kind of invisible, intermediate "buffer zone" between spirit and matter. It appears that the non-local quantum realm has been strategically crafted by God to be directly responsive to the influence and activity of the Spirit of God so these non-local quantum realities are capable of "materializing" into a localized spatial formation. Quantum realities are the building blocks of matter. This is an established scientific fact through experimentation but at their rudimentary levels they stop behaving as matter and become something more that is not tied or regulated by the rules of this universe/reality. It is tied to another.
One last note... I believe that we saw breaches in the quantum veil and it makes sense that this is what was being described in the Bible. I’ve already mentioned John in revelation 4 but there are even more pronounced examples. We saw examples of it primarily in two very specific episodes. Firstly, the stoning of Stephen when he sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
But Stephen, full of
the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing
at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of
Man standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55-57
We also see the breach between the earthly and the spirit in Jesus’ transfiguration.
Specifically, I focus on Luke’s account to draw out a contrast of the two realms revealed…
“Truly I tell you,
some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of
God. About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with
him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of
his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two
men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.” Luke
9:27-30
The word changed here in Greek is ἕτερον /heteron and it means that his face being observed was indeterminate or of an uncertain affinity…’ or of another kind’ or ‘classification’. That is why we say Jesus’ face was transfigured. Transfigured is closer to the truth of what happened than using the word changed. It implies his face was strange (not in a bad way). What were the disciples really seeing? Was the act of looking upon Christ altering their perception of Christ’s holy reality? I believe at the moment of the transfiguration reality around Christ altered and created a breach to the spirit realm. How else would Peter, James and John be able to see Moses and Elijah?
To conclude I will state that the quantum realm has brought us to the very edge of the world of the spirit. From a biblical perspective we understand "spirit" as a dimension beyond space and time. In the world of spirit all the attributes familiar to human existence suddenly change. Similarly, within the quantum world the rules of the game are not at all the same as the rules of the classical physical world we live in. Quantum weirdness is exemplified by realities that are entirely counterintuitive to the world in which we live. In the quantum world electrons can materialize as particles and dematerialize. At times even time itself has no meaning, just as it did for the prophets in the Bible when they were 'in the Spirit'.
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