A variation on (1) would be:

The rules have always been present, either actualized or potentially, in what our friend Rev would probably call an eternal uncreated principle (God, GOD, He, She, It, or whatever tag grabs you).

In that case, not only is it irrelevant to science, it presents no scientific nor metaphysical conundrums regarding 'who' created what, how, when and why, nor about who created the creator. The prime principle just 'is', eternally, and all else 'is' because of it.


"Time is what prevents everything from happening at once" - John Wheeler