Page 36 - Advanced Genesis - Creationism - Student Textbook

literal days are intended. The writer of Genesis was trying to guard in every way possible against any of
his readers deriving the notion of nonliteral days from his record.

The creation of light on Day 1 should include all visible and wave light energy. It is acceptable to assume
that this light included all electromagnetic, gravitational, nuclear forces along with the complete light
energy spectrum including ultraviolet light, visible light, and infrared light and so on.

With this completed, the physical universe had been created and energized and was ready for further
shaping and furnishing in preparation for man, whose dominion it would be.

This verse has caused many people to question the reliability with Scripture as we see God creating light
3 days before any objects in space to emit light. It does seem to create a problem and many theologians
have tried to create solutions but all of them have looked outside the Bible for a solution.

One theory is that the light on day one was actually the light in transit from the
light emitting objects in space that God would create on day 4. Since God is all
powerful and the creator of all things this idea seems to solve 2 problems, first,
where did the light on day 1 come from and second, how did light cross billions of
light-years of space in the short span of time that the Bible says the universe has
existed (approximate creation 4004 B.C.). However, after close scrutiny this causes a bigger theological
problem than it solves. If God created light in transit, then the events such as Super Novas that we can
observe today that are billions of light-years away did not really happen and God just put a picture in the
light stream that is of something that we see today but didn’t really occur. This has to do with the time it
has taken in light speed for the light from the event to reach us on earth. This would make God at the
worst a liar and the very best a trickster. Either way it would call into question our ability to trust our
God.

There is no need to create problems were they don’t exist. When we look closer and trust what we
know from scripture we can come to a conclusion that is defendable.

First, the sun, moon and stars are not needed for day and night. What are needed are light and a
rotating earth. On the first day of creation, God made light (Genesis 1:3). The phrase “evening and
morning” certainly implies a rotating earth. Thus, if we have light from one direction, and a spinning
earth, there can be day and night.

Where did the light come from? We are not told, but Genesis 1:3 certainly indicates it was a created
light to provide day and night until God made the sun on Day 4 to rule the day. The Bible proclaims God
is the Author of physical laws (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3). As such, God could have provided for a
source-less light until He made the sun, moon, and stars on Day Four. However, it more likely that God
ordained some other source of light at first.

Many have speculated that God Himself was that source, based upon Revelation 21:23 which tells us
that one day the sun will not be needed because the glory of God will be the light in the new heavenly
city, New Jerusalem.

Perhaps one reason God did it this way was to illustrate that the sun did not have the priority in the
creation that people have tended to give it. The sun did not give birth to the earth as evolutionary
theories postulate; the sun was God’s created tool to rule the day that God had made (Genesis 1:16).

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