Is it possible that the universe could be eternal??...

[Jehanne]

For millennia, the first two verses of Genesis were thought to be only poetic. However, they are shown to be scientific in recent years. Verse 1 - The Universe has been determined to have a beginning (Ref: the space-time theorems) as shown conclusively by authors George Ellis, Roger Penrose, and Steven Hawking in the early 70’s that the 4 dimensions can be traced back to point of singularity (one dimension).

Genesis 1: 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.*
The Earth started as a water world that subsequently lost most of the water by the collision of Theia Mars-size planet that also formed the Moon from the shattered Earth/Theia material**.

Water requires the exchange of virtual photons to hold the hydrogen and oxygen atoms together. Genesis says photons were first created after water already existed.
Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
So no, the first two verses of Genesis are not scientific.  Fifty points from House Hufflepuff.

In all fairness to Genesis, virtual photons cannot be seen.