God’s Proof (www.godsproof.com) Volume: 2 Issue: 1
How can we see stars millions of
light-years away in a universe that the Bible claims to be only a few thousand
years old?
Questions like this one can be devastating to a weaker brother or sister in Christ if no explanation is given. We need to remember that we are at war. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph 6:12) In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul exhorts us to put on the whole armor of God so that we may stand against the wiles of the devil. One of the pieces of that armor is truth (Eph 6:14).
Satan will continue to throw at us everything he’s got. He will use many tools in his arsenal to fight against the truth of God’s word. His weapons are nothing more than lies meant to pull us away from the truth and destroy our witness and fellowship with the Creator of all things. Like many of the topics we’ve discussed, the above question has become a stumbling block for many Christians. Remember that Satan doesn’t have to win us over, all he needs to do is plant seeds of doubt.
Once again the underlying issue to the question above is over the contradiction between the Bible’s clear indication of a young world versus that of a very old one purported by today’s leading evolutionary cosmologists. Evolutionists argue with convincing evidence that since the light is millions of light-years away, then the Bible’s claim to a young universe is nothing more that a myth; thereby undermining the infallibility of scripture. This ultimately leads people into questioning the inspiration of God’s word. In other words, “If this is false, then what about the rest?”
Some well-intended Christian scholars have compromised the word of God by inserting billions of years into the scriptures, which ultimately puts death and destruction before the appearance of Man. By doing so, what they have ultimately done is to destroy the work of Christ on the cross. It’s like a house of cards. You take a few out at the base and all the rest will come tumbling down. I won’t take the time here to discuss all of the implications of including billions of years; however; several of them have already been discussed in the previous Bulletin Brief, “Cain’s Wife”.
This discussion may seem insignificant on the surface. However, the smallest of weapons, when used in a subtle and precise manner, have been able to bring down the greatest of defenses. The knives and box-cutters used by the terrorist of 9/11 are a horrible reminder of what is possible when we are without our whole armor.
To begin, a light-year is the distance light travels in a year’s period of time. Without too much argument between creationists and evolutionists, it is believed by both that the stars we see in the night sky are several million light years away. Therefore the light we see now is a record of what happened several million years ago. And within that light we see galaxies colliding, stars exploding, and the universe expanding.
Some creationists and Christians have taken up the idea that God created the light in transit. However, to do so would mean that He created images within the light that never occurred (explosions, collisions, expansions, etc.) This would turn God into a deceiver, which of course goes completely against His nature.
To understand the issue more clearly we need to cover some of the fundamentals. The distance to the stars is not so much in question as is the speed and time required for the light to travel through space. Some have proposed that the speed of light was greater in the past than it is today. There is some supporting evidence for this theory, however it’s still quite controversial.
The last value to look at then is time. Einstein, with his theory of relativity, has been telling the world for decades that time is not a constant. Time is actually a physical property of God’s creation. We think of eternity as time extending in both directions without end, however, this is far from the truth.
Time has been shown experimentally to be a variable, and not a constant, depending upon the speed of an object and the gravitation field acting on that object. For example, in 1971 the Royal Observatory in Greenwich England had experimented with two aircraft carrying atomic clocks traveling at the same speed and altitude with one heading east and the other heading west. An atomic clock is accurate to better than 1 sec per one million years using the resonance of the cesium atom. The eastward flying aircraft lost .059 m sec as it flew faster relative to the rotation of the earth, while the westward flying aircraft gained 0.273 m sec as it flew slower relative the rotation of the earth.
When it comes to gravitation dilation, the atomic clock at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, CO is at 5400 ft ASL, while the one at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England is at 80 ft ASL. The NIST clock in Boulder ticks 5 microseconds (msec) faster per year than the clock in Greenwich. Both clocks are correct. Atomic clocks get faster by 10-16 per meter of elevation. Therefore, time changes with speed and gravitational strength.
If you’re familiar with the concept of a black hole, then you understand that the gravitational strength is so great that even light cannot escape. The matter within a black hole is so dense that a spoonful of matter can weight billions of tons. The point at which the light bends back in on itself is known as the event horizon. It is at this point that time stops completely. As more matter is drawn into the black hole the event horizon begins to grow larger. The time outside the event horizon and the time inside the event horizon are completely different. If you were inside the event horizon looking out, time would be accelerated on the other side of that horizon. If you were outside looking in, it would be moving extremely slow. Almost to the point of no observable change. Therefore time is relative based on your point of observation. Hence, the name for Einstein’s theory; “relativity”.
A black hole running in reverse is known as a white hole, or a white fountain. As matter streams outward the event horizon will shrink rather than expand. To those inside the horizon, time may only be a few days. However, to those outside, the time could be millions or billions of years. It would take a great deal of energy to run a black hole in reverse. Obviously nothing is too difficult for our Heavenly Father. The Bible supports this theory when it refers to the stretching out of the heavens (Isa 42:5,12; Jer 10:12). By the time God finished his work the event horizon would have reached the earth. Just in time for Adam to look up at the heavens and see the stars in the night sky.
If you’re interested in studying this topic you can pick up the book, Starlight and Time by creationist physicist Dr. Russell Humphreys (www.icr.org). Dr. Humphreys theory is only that; a theory. However, his proposal is in keeping with the infallibility of scripture and is in keeping with all the know laws of physics. His theory and many others put forth by creationists can hold their own against those of leading evolutionists.
Christians having nothing to fear when it comes to matters of science. Remember that God created the same physical universe that non-believers continually stumble over in their attempts to understand how it works. They love to look at creation, but refuse to look at the Creator.
When I started going to a Bible Study, I was only concerned about what I wanted to get out of the class. When I began teaching, I was concerned over what they would get out of the class. This information my not be relevant to you, but to somebody it is. Become all things to all men that you might win some to Christ (1 Cor 9:22).