*Before the beginning of time* cuts it.
Doesn’t science teach that space and time came into existence together?
There’s way more Scripture about different levels of *heavens*. It’s the name they used at the time. Just because it doesn’t fit with 21st century, English speaking America, doesn’t mean the words don’t mean the same thing.
They were speaking of what they could see and know. We’re not much better off except that we can see somewhat further, more of the same thing.
Man, you’re really stretching it. The phrase “before the beginning of time” is so allegorical. It means “always” much more than it means Big Bang theory.
Look, I grew up in a very religous family. I went to 16 years of private religiously-based schools before going on to graduate school. I know this stuff.
You are not going to be able to convince me that mainstream religion believed in an actual temporal beginning to the universe.
And even if you could, where was God before then? And what was he doing?