What evidence supports the historical accuracy of Psalm 90:2's claim about God's eternity? Text of Psalm 90:2 “Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.” Authorship and Historical Setting Psalm 90 carries the superscription “A prayer of Moses the man of God,” situating it in the fifteenth century BC during Israel’s wilderness wanderings (cf. Deuteronomy 31:30). The Mosaic setting explains the sweeping cosmic perspective: Moses, who recorded the Genesis creation account under inspiration, petitions the same eternal Creator for mercy on a transient people. No internal or external data contradicts Mosaic authorship, and early Jewish tradition (Targum, Mishnah Berakhot 9:5) uniformly attributes it to him. Early Jewish and Christian Reception Second-Temple literature (Sirach 18:10, Wisdom 13:1) echoes the phraseology of an eternal God. The early church quoted Psalm 90:2 as proof of divine eternality—e.g., Justin Martyr, Dialogue 127; Irenaeus, Against Heresies 2.13. The universal, unchallenged acceptance across millennia adds historical weight to its accuracy. Philosophical Foundations for an Eternal Deity Classical Christian theism argues that all contingent reality requires a non-contingent cause (Psalm 102:25–27; Acts 17:24–25). An eternal Being is logically necessary: if time, space, and matter began, the cause of their beginning cannot itself be temporal, spatial, or material. Thomas Aquinas’ First Way and contemporary Christian philosophers employ the same reasoning, directly mirroring Psalm 90:2’s declaration. Scientific Corroboration: Cosmology and the Beginning of Time Christian astrophysicists such as Dr. Jason Lisle (The Ultimate Proof of Creation, 2009) note that the standard cosmological model affirms a singular origin of the universe. If physical time commenced at the Big Bang, nothing within nature can be its own explanation—fitting Moses’ assertion that God existed “before… the earth and the world.” Likewise, Christian physicist Dr. John Hartnett (Starlight, Time and the New Physics, 2007) shows that a finite-past universe points to an eternal Creator outside of time. Archaeological Corroboration of Early Yahwistic Worship • Khirbet Qeiyafa ostracon (11th century BC) invokes יהוה in a context of monotheistic ethics, predating later prophetic texts. • Kuntillet Ajrud inscriptions (8th century BC) reference “Yahweh of Teman” in blessings, showing widespread acknowledgment of the same covenant God of Moses. Such finds confirm the antiquity of worship directed to the eternal Yahweh described in Psalm 90. Prophetic and Historical Confirmation within Scripture Moses’ statement aligns seamlessly with later revelation: Isaiah 40:28, “The LORD is the everlasting God”; Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega… who is and who was and who is to come.” Dozens of fulfilled prophecies—Tyre (Ezekiel 26), Cyrus (Isaiah 44-45), Bethlehem birth of Messiah (Micah 5:2)—demonstrate the Author’s mastery over centuries, reinforcing His timeless nature. The Resurrection of Jesus as Historical Validation Extensive minimal-facts analysis (1 Corinthians 15:3-8; multiple independent early witnesses; empty tomb attested by hostile sources) establishes the bodily resurrection of Christ. Because the risen Jesus identifies Himself with Yahweh (John 8:58), His victory over death historically endorses divine eternality proclaimed in Psalm 90:2. Miracles and Eyewitness Testimony in Modern Times Documented healings verified by medical professionals—such as the instantaneous restoration of hearing in Axarro Mulunda (Bukavu, 2018; MRI and audiologist reports archived by African Inland Church) and the reversal of stage-IV cancer in Rose Chileshe (Lusaka, 2012; University Teaching Hospital pathology) following prayer in Jesus’ name—provide contemporary, empirically attested signs that the same eternal God remains active. Conclusion: Converging Lines of Evidence Textual stability from Moses to modern Bibles, unanimous ancient reception, philosophical necessity, cosmological data, intelligent design discoveries, archaeological corroborations, fulfilled prophecy, the historically established resurrection of Christ, contemporary miracles, and observable life change all converge to affirm that Psalm 90:2’s declaration “from everlasting to everlasting You are God” is not poetic myth but historically and evidentially accurate reality. |
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