Vinnie Harned
How could the plants have survived until the creation of the Sun? It’s a question that evolutionists have asked creationists for some time. At first this may seem like a good question and put us on the defensive. But why exactly is this question challenging?
The issue is really only a problem when you start from a purely naturalistic perspective. In a world where nature is all there is, it would make sense that you’d need the Sun to form first in order to keep the earth stable and to give it light and heat for life to then be able to survive.
But the creation was a supernatural event, and the creationist perspective starts with the belief that there is a God who created and intervenes in the world.1The Bible says that God created light on day 1, so on day 3 there was already light. God could easily have supplied an alternate light source until day 4. Or as I believe; he was the energy source.
In Revelation chapter 21, we read about the new heavens and the new earth that will be created after the old earth has passed away. 2 In verse 23 it says “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it3: for the Glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” (KJV) So perhaps it was the glory of God that supplied the light and energy during the creation week.
There’s no way to be sure of this of course, but we can be sure that this “problem” is no problem for creationists. However, it becomes a big problem for those who try to compromise the Bible with the old age of the earth. If each day of creation was millions of years long, 4 how could the plants have survived from day 3 when they were created, through day 4 when the Sun, Moon, and stars were created, till day 5 when the pollinating insects were created?
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Footnotes:
- There are forms of beliefs in a creator that do not include personal intervention. But this is not what is meant by ‘creation’ in this article.
- 2 Peter 3:10
- Some say this means that the Sun and moon will be inexistent in the new creation. Rather it says there will be no need for them.
- A common belief known as the day-age theory where each day of creation lasts millions of years.
