The Investigation: The “Billions of Years” Optical Illusion
The most frequent weapon used against the Genesis account is the “Starlight Argument.” Critics claim that because the Andromeda Galaxy is 2.5 million light-years away, the universe must be at least that old for the light to reach our eyes. This is used to insert a “gap” or “evolutionary timeline” into the six-day creation.
Exhibit A: Creation with the Appearance of Age
When God created Adam, did He create an infant or a man? Adam was one day old, yet he had the “appearance” of a mature adult. When God created the trees, they were already bearing fruit (Genesis 1:12).
The “Forensic” truth is that God did not just create the stars; He created the pathway of light between them and the earth. He created a functioning, mature system.
Exhibit B: The “Stretching” of the Heavens
The Bible contains a specific scientific detail mentioned repeatedly that modern cosmology is only now “discovering”:
“It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth… that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.” (Isaiah 40:22, KJV)
This “stretching” (also found in Psalm 104:2 and Job 9:8) suggests that God expanded the fabric of space-time itself. If God stretched the heavens, the light reached its destination instantly by His command, not by millions of years of travel.
Exhibit C: The Speed of the Word
The Lie says: “Light is the constant, so time must be the variable.” The Truth says: “God is the constant, and light obeys His Word.”
In Genesis 1:3, God said, “Let there be light.” He did not say “Let there be a slow crawl of photons that will eventually reach the earth.” The light was there because the Creator commanded the finish line at the same time He commanded the starting point.
The Forensic Verdict
The “Starlight” argument is a materialist trap. It assumes that the laws of physics we observe today (the “maintenance” of the universe) are the same laws God used during the miracle of Creation. To believe in a young earth is to believe that God is a Master Craftsman who can deliver a finished product, not a cosmic observer waiting for His own creation to “catch up” to Him.