The Multiverse and the Sovereignty of God

In a June 25, 2024, New Scientist article, Miriam Frankel suggests that scientists may be on the verge of proving the existence of other universes. The concept of a multiverse is not merely the stuff of TV shows and movies; it has been the subject of significant scientific and philosophical inquiry. While not an authoritative source, even a brief glance at the Wikipedia entry on the multiverse demonstrates the breadth of thought devoted to the topic.

The idea of infinitely branching universes—each separated by diverging realities like the limbs of an endless tree—is generally attributed to Hugh Everett in 1957, as an expansion of the Schrödinger’s Cat thought experiment rooted in earlier discussions by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen in 1935.

While Christians may enjoy imaginative stories for entertainment, we must recognize that many people take the concept of a multiverse quite seriously. For some, it represents part of an ongoing effort to explain the universe apart from the existence of an eternal Creator.

Popular culture, too, has embraced the multiverse. As Ben Schappig notes in a 2025 article on entertainment:

The idea of alternate realities isn’t new—myths, literature, and philosophy have long speculated about parallel worlds. But in recent years, the concept of the multiverse has exploded in popularity, becoming a dominant theme across blockbuster movies, streaming shows, video games, and even fan theories. The multiverse craze reflects our current cultural moment, one marked by uncertainty, possibility, and a craving for grand storytelling.

At its core, the multiverse appeals to a universal curiosity: what would life be like if we made different choices?

For Christians, however, the idea of a multiverse collides with a central biblical doctrine: the sovereignty of God. Indeed, it touches one of the most enduring theological questions in Christian thought—the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility.

The Sovereignty of God and the Multiverse

The doctrine of God’s sovereignty speaks against Everett’s idea of the multiverse.

In the biblical view, time and space are created by God, not products of chance. The physical and temporal dimensions of reality are governed by His divine hand. Scripture repeatedly affirms this truth. Jerry Bridges provides a helpful overview in chapters 2 and 3 of his classic work Trusting God.

At the same time, Scripture consistently affirms human responsibility. Consider Jesus’ words regarding Judas:

“He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. The Son of Man goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” (Matthew 26:23-24)

Jesus’ crucifixion unfolds according to God’s sovereign plan, yet Judas is held accountable for his choices. God is not the author of sin; we sin willingly (James 1:14).

These realities are difficult to reconcile from a human perspective, yet both are affirmed in Scripture. While divine sovereignty and human responsibility may seem paradoxical to us, they are perfectly coherent in the mind of God.

According to Scripture, the events of history have been foreseen and orchestrated by God to accomplish His divine will, culminating in the eternal future described in the closing chapters of Revelation. Therefore, alternate branches of reality do not exist as independent realities; rather, there is one unfolding history directed by an eternal, infinite, all-wise, and all-powerful God who is not bound by time or space.

The Multiverse in the Mind of God

In one sense, however, a form of “multiverse” could be said to exist—not in reality, but in the mind of God.

Long before Everett, theologians discussed a related concept known as middle knowledge: the idea that God knows not only what will happen, but also what would happen under any set of theoretically distinct volitional circumstances. As my seminary professor Warren Vanhetloo often said, “God knows all actualities as actualities and all possibilities as possibilities.”

God knows every “what if.”

From this perspective, it is as if God comprehends all possible histories and has sovereignly chosen one to bring into reality.

A Necessary Caveat

There is, however, one important caveat. It is conceivable that an infinite God could create more than one universe, and that Scripture reveals only what He has chosen to disclose to us about our own.

This idea, however, remains purely speculative and is not grounded in biblical teaching. Scripture gives no indication that other universes exist, though neither does it explicitly deny the possibility.

What we do know is that if anything beyond our universe exists, it would still be created and governed by the same eternal God revealed in Scripture. He alone is God, and there is no other.

Should Believers Speculate?

Should believers devote themselves to such speculation?

For Christians, these questions likely belong among the “secret things” that belong to God alone (Deuteronomy 29:29). Philosophers and physicists may pursue such inquiries, but they ultimately lead to questions that cannot be definitively answered.

Paul’s warning to the Colossians in chapter 2 verse 8 remains relevant:

“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men… and not according to Christ.”

Scripture directs our focus elsewhere—to knowing God. Paul describes this as his overriding purpose in Philippians 3:

“Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

David expresses the same priority in Psalm 19, which celebrates both general and special revelation and concludes with this prayer:

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

Our only goal is to please Him and fellowship with Him.

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8).

We cannot and should not become Athenian philosophers.

And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore, we want to know what these things mean.” For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

For believers, our command is to seek Him and not allow the values or philosophies of this world to distract us from that pursuit.

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