What I find quite fascinating about this Einsteinian model of the universe, and also quite amusing, is the nature of the 'Cosmological Constant', which Einstein added to his equations for General Relativity.
A huge problem with Isaac Newton's theory of gravity was how to provide a satisfactory explanation as to why the universe was not collapsing upon itself if every star and planet was subject to a force of gravitational attraction.
As I understand, Newton's only explanation was that 'God' prevented this from happening. Newton was very religious, although in an unorthodox way.
Einstein accepted this Newtonian view of a static universe and must have been very puzzled when his equations for General Relativity implied that the universe is expanding. To negate the effect of such an expansion he introduced a Cosmological Constant into his equations.
A few years later, in 1929, Edwin Hubble provided convincing evidence that the universe really is expanding, so Einstein removed his Cosmological Constant, the introduction of which he later described as the greatest blunder in his career, since his initial equations without the Constant were predicting that the universe should be expanding, which later proved to be true.
However, as a result of recent observations that imply the universe is expanding at an
accelerating rate, the Cosmological Constant has to be reintroduced, although with a different value. If Einstein were still alive, he could declare, "Hey! It wasn't my biggest blunder. I just got the value a bit wrong."