Jeremiah 51:15 “He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.”
When we consider the Bible and all that God has revealed and then consider Creation and all that man has observed, there often arises a conflagration of views.
Even among believers in Christ, there arise small fires of conflict as to how we interpret a Biblical timeline in light of the knowledge mankind has acquired. These conflicts are not new, from as early as people formed opinions about God and Creation, there have been a multitude of conclusions where people try to align what they think is true scientifically with what God has revealed intentionally.
Times of Conflict
In 1633 Galileo was charged with heresy by the church for teaching that the Earth orbits the Sun. From Galileo to textbook battles, the hasty conclusion is that science and Christianity are engaged in an endless debate, fundamentally opposed to each other.
Whether the conflict is from an assumed conclusion or through limited understanding, the church has always seemed to clash with a scientific approach. I believe that the two can work in harmony if the scientist would only begin his hypothesis based off a biblical premise.
There are many organizations dedicated to bringing a world view into light from a biblical narrative. Answersingenesis.org is one such organization that gives reasonable answers to old questions and helps alleviate conflicting thoughts of science and Creation.
I had a recent conversation regarding the fact that light from space would take millions of years to reach earth. If we can see light from stars across the cosmos, then the conclusion is that Creation must be much older than the Bible insinuates.
A recent article by Dr. Jason Lisle gives a good explanation for what we observe and why.
“Some Christians have proposed that God created the beams of light from distant stars already on their way to the earth. After all, Adam didn’t need any time to grow from a baby because he was made as an adult. Likewise, it is argued that the universe was made mature, and so perhaps the light was created in-transit. Of course, the universe was indeed made to function right from the first week, and many aspects of it were indeed created “mature.” The only problem with assuming that the light was created in-transit is that we see things happen in space. For example, we see stars change brightness and move. Sometimes we see stars explode. We see these things because their light has reached us.”
Dr. Lisle goes on to say…
“But if God created the light beams already on their way, then that means none of the events we see in space (beyond a distance of 6,000 light-years) actually happened. It would mean that those exploding stars never exploded or existed; God merely painted pictures of these fictional events. It seems uncharacteristic of God to make illusions like this. God made our eyes to accurately probe the real universe; so we can trust that the events that we see in space really happened.”
The problem with a general hypothesis is that many start with a premise of rejecting anything supernatural or Biblical, the tendency is to only support that which has been observed or proven. The issue Dr. Lisle has is that a supernatural event is hard to prove naturally and most of the universal origin arguments are still only speculative.
Cosmic Local Time
Exodus 20:11 “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.”
I believe the Bible to be true.
My experiences have shown me that everything the Bible claims to be true, have proven to be true in my own life as well.
If Moses was told by God that something was true, and Moses only transcribed that which he heard, then I believe that Moses was accurate in his reporting.
Astrophysicists have a much better understanding of mathematics and universal constants than I do. When someone reports a known fact, critics of that information can attempt to fit that information into whatever narrative they believe to be true. Creation scientists have had similar experiences with God as I have, so they likewise take the knowledge they have gained and apply it to other principles in Creation. Secular scientists reject the notion of God and conjure up elaborate theories in an attempt to replace the idea of God creating all that we see and know.
Creation scientists believe that God didn’t make up imaginary events in time. If we think it takes millions of years for light to reach earth, then everything we observe is either distant past events or illusions that God instituted into the framework of His Creation. The idea that Earth is in a gravitational well is a theory that carries with it a potential solution to what we observe today. As light travels from distant galaxies, cosmic local time wouldn’t change if the time frame continued at the same interval. Like an airplane traveling across different time zones and arriving at the exact same time as it left, so the theory concludes light and the events it represents happen simultaneously in time as well. As the light travels across the Universe, Einstein’s relativity says light doesn’t experience the passage of time, so the trip would be instantaneous.
Does the Lord give us a clue to this mystery in Isaiah?
Isaiah 42:5-9 “Thus says God the Lord,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
“I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
The ability of God to see beyond the present and understand the future is not only evident in the stars, but it is evident in His people. God wants to reveal the depth of HIs power and glory, He often uses His Creation to reveal that glory.
The Greatness of God
The righteousness of God was manifest in Jesus Christ. When trust in Christ as Savior is made evident through repentance, His righteousness is imparted to His people. As instant as light appeared in Creation, God transforms the repentant sinner into a saint through the redemption of Christ’s sacrifice. Jesus is light and the glory of God is manifest through Him. His people are now called to bear that light.
God’s purpose for His people is to be light in the darkness. To free those who are imprisoned by sin and deceived by the enemy by giving them the key to eternal life…Jesus is that Key.
There is only One who can set the stars in their place and declare the future through His Creation…The Lord God is His name.
The call goes forth to all—Repent and believe and you too can know this hope. You can partake of the mystery of God’s revelation as one of His people and your joy will be made complete by knowing Him, then your past will be only a dim reminder of who you used to be.
Jesus makes all things new, let Him renew you today.
U.T. 