Appendix

Biblical Creation and Starlight

A Supposed Problem

For those who hold a literal Biblical view of creation in the first chapter of the Bible (Genesis), skeptics ask: "How can starlight reach Earth if the age of the universe is only about 6000 years old?" In their view, if the farthest stars are billions of light-years away (estimated at almost 14 billion light-years), then most starlight in the universe couldn't reach Earth in only a few thousand years.

For the uninformed, a light-year is not a measurement of time but of distance. It's the distance light travels through space in a year. So light from a star 13 billion light-years away takes 13 billion years to travel that distance. But if the universe is only about 6000 years old, how can we observe starlight so far away?

The real problem is a flaw in the reasoning of those asking this question. This flaw prevents them from seeing the surprisingly easy answer the Bible gives. We will show this answer in this article, but first this flaw must be addressed.

Worldview

The flaw comes from analyzing another viewpoint while holding to a differing worldview. A worldview is a person's underlying assumptions and beliefs about existence. We frame our understanding of life and meaning with the starting point of a worldview. We start with a worldview and then arrange all that we know within that framework.

Two major worldviews are Atheism and Theism. One view begins with the premise that no God exists. No Intelligent Being precedes the existence of the universe. Nor is there One who guides or directs anything. Theism, and specifically a Judaic/Christian theistic worldview, begins with God who then created the universe according to His sovereign will and purpose.

So a person who holds to atheism and then asks questions about the Bible's account of creation without taking into consideration the worldview of Theism will encounter what they consider nonsense. A question should start with, "IF the Bible's worldview is correct, what about this or that?"

The Issue from a Naturalistic Worldview

Those who hold an atheistic worldview claim naturalism as the guiding principle of science and the existence of the universe. All explanations of science must have a natural basis. They rule out the supernatural for everything. The Laws of Physics must be sought to explain the universe and its origins.

Those of a naturalistic worldview usually evaluate biblical claims against the findings of accepted science. They are at best tolerated only if they match the secular worldview. If a naturalistic explanation exists, there will be no loud outcry. But claims that require an outright miracle are rejected with scorn. This is why a literal six-day creation is rejected as nonsense: it would not be natural. And likewise, starlight reaching Earth in a young-earth creation scenario would not be natural.

But to truly understand a question about a literal Biblical account of creation, one needs to evaluate it through the Biblical worldview. Whether or not that worldview is accepted is another matter.

As a side note, the starlight issue also exists for those who hold to an old universe. This is called "the horizon problem." Even with almost 14 billion years, there would not have been enough time for an even heat distribution caused by all starlight reaching the expanses of the universe. But this article looks at the issue from the Bible's viewpoint.

The Issue from a Biblical Worldview

The Biblical worldview begins with the first four words of the Bible: "In the beginning God ..." Before a universe, before an earth, before mankind, before anything material, God existed. This worldview shows God as eternal, with no beginning, as existing apart from the material universe. God is outside of space/time. In the Bible, God is shown to be infinite, omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (in all places), without equal, and transcendent.

If one can accept the first four words of the Bible, then one can easily accept anything God does in the rest of the Bible. One cannot read the creation account without reading these first four words, "In the beginning God." If one accepts this, then the creation account can be accepted literally without issue. Even if one is an atheist, a person must acknowledge the rationality that if there exists the God of the Bible, then that God could do the miraculous events found in the Bible.

The first full sentence of the Bible is: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). The surprise here is that God was not finished with creation at this point. He could have been finished at the end of this first verse. He had the power to complete it instantly. What He accomplished by the end of day six, He could have done in this first verse. We could potentially have read, "And God said, 'Let there be the heavens and the earth,' and there were the heavens and the earth." To start with God, anything is possible. So the intriguing question is: why did God take six days to make the creation? He could have done it instantly. And in that instant, all starlight could be shining through the heavens.

The Bible's Answer

To read about a literal six-day creation while accepting the worldview of the pre-existence of Almighty God makes the issue of starlight almost moot. Only the injection of a naturalistic worldview creates a problem. If everything must have a naturalistic explanation, then every single event in the creation account is a problem. But the creation account starts with God's existence, and now every single event is seen as a miracle. Nothing is naturalistic. You don't get a working universe, the earth, and mankind in six days through naturalism. Nothing is natural about a fully developed atmosphere on day two. Nothing is natural about land with soil bearing fully mature plants and trees, with fruit, appearing out of the sea on day three. Nothing is natural about stars and heavenly bodies suddenly appearing in the heavens in a single day, day four. And so on through day six with fully mature birds, sea creatures, land animals, and mankind. All this would bear a natural witness to much time elapsing. But much time did not elapse. According to the Bible, God created it supernaturally in short order.

The Bible answers the starlight question in the first day's creation account. "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light" (Gen. 1:3). The answer is right in front of us, and on the very first day. It wasn't until the fourth day that God created the sun and stars, sources of light. But He didn't create light sources on day four and then wait for light to reach the earth. His purpose for those lights, "to give light on the earth," would not be fulfilled if He had to wait billions of years for that light to travel through the heavens. He created light on day one and then the sources several days later. One needs to understand only two words: "God" and "miracle." It is a miraculous work of God to cause light to strike the earth on day one of creation.

Now the creation of light on day one was not God's only work on the first day. But it was God's first work in redeeming a dark, chaotic situation. God began day one by creating the heavens and the earth, but Scripture says, "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2). God started by creating a world "without form, and void." Water covered the entire earth. There was only darkness. This was the point where a work of redemption started. This order matters, as we will see later. Darkness was the state of the world when God said, "Let there be light."

The light created on day one is not diffused light. It is directional light, shining through the heavens and striking the earth. This is because the light causes day and night on the earth. The Bible says, "And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day" (Gen. 1:4-5). This shows the earth is rotating as directional light hits it. On one side is day and on the other is night. The phrase "evening and morning" repeats for each day of creation, showing this light is a permanent condition. It is not a temporary light until the sun is created on day four. This is directional light shining through the heavens with no light sources created at this point. And the creation of the sun and stars on day four does not interrupt the cadence of evening and morning that begins on day one.

The sun is a star, so the light created on day one is starlight. Since day one is the only day in which light is said to be created, this implies all starlight was created on day one. The brightness of the daytime obscures the light from other stars, but it is present with the sun's light. God said, "Let there be light," without distinguishing whether it came from one star (the sun) or another.

So the answer to how starlight could reach the earth in a young universe is simple: God created it and made it reach the earth on the first day, before creating the stars themselves. Then the sun and stars became the sources of the light already shining through the heavens. The luminaries are called "lights," but their rays combined are called "light," as in verse 15 regarding the sun, moon, and stars: "and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth." The order of creation is not materially important since the entire six days entail a series of miracles. Only on day seven did God's work cease, and then He "rested." This is when He ceased the supernatural work of creation.

God's power to create everything else in the universe (and the universe itself!) includes the power to create light rays shining through the heavens without a source. This would be no more difficult than any of God's other acts. To deny God's existence and His supernatural work leaves only atheistic naturalism, which cannot explain the existence of the universe. True science gives us the Laws of Physics, including the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics. The First shows the universe could not have appeared out of nothing, for energy cannot be created. The Second shows the universe could not have existed eternally because entropy increases, and there would be no potential energy left by now. So Naturalism is ruled out as an explanation for the universe's existence. It must have a supernatural origin. Atheists depend on a miracle: the universe appearing out of nothing. They are depending on a miracle without a Miracle Maker. This is neither rational nor natural. At least the Biblical creationists testify to a Miracle Maker behind the miracle of the universe's creation. Only after the supernatural event of creation did God set the Laws of Physics in place to govern the material universe.

God's Ways

The Bible says this about God in the creation process: "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens" (Proverbs 3:19). God's design process was not arbitrary. God used wisdom and understanding in creating the way He did. The Bible personifies wisdom and says of God during the days of creation: "I was daily His delight" (Proverbs 8:30). Each day of creation, God delighted in the wisdom He used that day. If God's creative method is through wisdom, then mankind must search for understanding.

God says, "Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; ... 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.' " (Isaiah 55:7, 8-9). God had a reason and purpose behind His creative method. We must search this out before judging God's ways.

Before examining why God created the way He did, let's first look at His personal testimony and witness about it.

God's Testimony

People may have written the Bible, but God used them to do so. The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). But one section of Scripture was written directly by the hand of God. This is the Ten Commandments. God instructed Moses to cut two tablets of stone and bring them up on Mount Sinai. There God wrote on them with His own hand (Exodus 31:18, 34:1).

In the Ten Commandments, God gives a personal, handwritten, eyewitness testimony about the creation account. God was there, and testifies with His own writing regarding the Sabbath Day commandment: "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work ... For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" (Ex. 20:9-11). God directly correlates the six days of creation with the six-day workweek for mankind. As God worked for six days, so mankind is to work for six days. God's example is to be followed: as God did, so mankind is to do, as a reminder of God's work and rest.

It is also interesting to note that in these same Ten Commandments is the ninth: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Ex. 20:16). God forbids bearing false witness. He just bore witness as to the length of the creation. It was the same as the six-day workweek for His people. Then He forbids lying about one's testimony. These two things, God's handwritten creation witness and His command not to lie about one's witness, show the necessity of accepting the literal six-day creation account.

Whose testimony are we to trust: God, who was present during creation, or fallible mankind, who was not present and can only attempt to interpret his environment? God's word says, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man" (Psalm 118:8). Furthermore, Scripture shows sinful men suppress the truth: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools" (Rom. 1:18-22).

But it is God who is wise, so let's look at the wisdom of God in creating the way He did.

A Sign

As seen in the Ten Commandments, God tied together His six-day creation work and His seventh-day rest with His command to the nation of Israel to work six days and to rest every seventh day. Their seventh day of rest is called the Sabbath.

This is elaborated on later in the book of Exodus: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: "Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed" ' " (Exodus 31:12-17).

Of utmost consideration in this Exodus passage is that the Sabbath Day rest is a sign. This sign is based on God's six-day creation work and His seventh-day rest. A sign testifies of something. It is not an end in itself. The creation work itself is part of this sign. There is a message God wants to convey that transcends a description of how the universe began. God's creation work, God's rest, and the Sabbath Day rest are the sign that conveys the message. God says, "it is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever." What is the sign? God explains: "it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you."

Although God actually created the heavens and earth in six days, His intention while doing so was to create a sign. So each day was not arbitrary. Each day carries significance and conveys a message. The work of creation points to and testifies of another work. This is the work of redemption God did in creating a people and nation for Himself. The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ended up in slavery in Egypt. God redeemed them out of this bondage, brought them out of Egypt, and made them into the nation of Israel. As such, this is a sanctifying work. God separated them into their own people group, the Hebrews, and consecrated them to Himself as His special people and nation. The work was God's and not the people's. They were to rest in the work of God. Their rest was to testify that the work was God's: "that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you." God used the creation account, His seventh-day rest, and the Sabbath rest to convey this message.

But this sign has a secondary fulfillment, and not just a secondary fulfillment, but a primary one. God's work in creating the nation of Israel is itself a sign pointing to the redemption of mankind from a fallen state of sin and death. God's redemption of the Jewish people from Egypt points to His redemption of fallen mankind from a dark and lost world unto His eternal kingdom. Ultimately, the six-day creation work and God's seventh-day rest testify to the sanctifying work of Jesus Christ. For details on how the creation work, the work of Israel's creation, and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ are tied together, see Creation: The Foundation of the Gospel. For details on how the six-day work of creation is a sign, or type, of sanctification, see The Sanctifying Work of Christ.

Light on Day One

"Redemption" means to buy back something that was sold or lost. The Bible shows mankind was lost to sin, darkness, and the power and control of Satan through the sin of Adam and Eve. Scripture explains, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Rom. 5:12).

Since the creation is a sign that points to the redemption of mankind through the sanctifying work of Christ, God began the sign, a model, by creating the world in a state that represents spiritual death and darkness: "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2). This represents the spiritual state of those who are of a fallen world that is alienated from God.

Paul the Apostle, in writing to the Corinthians, refers to the dark state of the lost: "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them" (2 Cor. 4:3-4). Light from God is first required to know and understand the "gospel of the glory of Christ." Paul, in an earlier letter, had written, "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). The natural state of a person living in a fallen world that is alienated from God is to be dead to spiritual things. Paul contrasts this with those made spiritually alive: "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God" (1 Cor. 2:12). It takes a work of God, the Holy Spirit, to bring spiritual light.

The "Spirit of God" "hovering over the face of the waters" speaks of the Holy Spirit moving upon people. The Holy Spirit's first act in drawing a person out of spiritual darkness is to give them spiritual light. Therefore, day one of creation, a foreshadowing of the beginning of redemption, involves light. Paul the Apostle, in writing to the Corinthians, makes this correlation: "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). Paul refers to day one of creation, where God commanded, "Let there be light." But Paul then refers to spiritual light created in the dark heart of a fallen human being.

The Apostle John began his gospel account with these words, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:1-5).

Ultimately, as a parallel to day four of creation, Jesus Christ Himself is shown to be the source of light. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12). To understand what it means to follow Jesus and walk in His light, see here.