Post 1766 by usastandsunited asked Physicist whether he ever "wondered what came before the big bang".
The post by Physicist at post 1797 shows why time is not considered, i.e. space/time does not exist before the Big Bang.
The discussion proceeded away from the discussion of null to a discussion of science v. religion. I hope it'll get back on the subject of null!
To sum it up, time is part of the creation and not something in which the Creator exists.
Because science limits itself to the material, it goes no further than inception (i.e. Big Bang or multi-universe theory.) Religion on the other hand, has no such limitation.
Here's more on Teleology.
If the answer to both question is "yes," then either null = zero or it doesn't. I don't see how it helps you. The energy content of the universe calculates to about zero, so the actual net "free lunch" of the universe is about zero, however counterintuitive that may be.