Did God create light before the sun? How can there be light without the sun, since the sun is a the source of light on Earth? Did the Bible make a mistake?
Some people are skeptical of the creation story, and the Bible in general. People often like to point out “alleged” contradictions and difficulties, to try and “prove” God really doesn’t exist. People try to do this with every book in the Bible. But one section that is often used to try to disprove God is the book of Genesis. Genesis is the first book of the Bible, and people often attack the creation story.
How Did God Create Light, if He Had Not Yet Created the Sun or Stars? Doesn’t the Sun Give Light?
While this argument may contain some truth, it is very incorrect in it’s logic. Let me explain: Light comes from a particle called a “photon.” Photons are unique, in that they have properties of both a particle and a wave. That is unique because most things are either particles or waves. Photons have both properties.
In the story of Genesis, light is the first thing mentioned as being created in our universe.
And God said, “Let There Be Light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1: 3)
If you keep reading, you will see that “light” is created before the Earth, Sun, Moon, and Stars. So how is that so? If the sun or “stars” produce light, how was there light before God created those things? The answer is simple.
Light is simply “photons”. A photon is a particle of light. A lot of light means there are a lot of photons. The sun is our main source of light (photons) because it has extreme reactions of burning hot gasses constantly releases large quantities of photons. But just because the sun or other stars release photons, doesn’t mean they weren’t released before they were created.
The stars and sun are only a source of photons-and not the only source. Photons existed before the sun, stars, or anything else was here. When the Lord God says “Let there be…” matter and energy jump at His commands. God’s word is powerful. The Bible teaches that by the Word of God, the world was created:
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Hebrews 11:3
Even secular scientific evidence confirms that photons were likely created long before the stars, sun, or anything else. In Stephen Hawking’s bestselling book: A Briefer History of Time, he describes the first moments of the universe. In this, he talks about none other than PHOTONS! Here is what he states:
One second after the big bang, the universe would have expanded enough to bring its temperature down to about ten billion degrees Celsius. This is about a thousand times the temperature at the center of the sun, but temperatures as high as this are reached in H-bomb explosions. At this time, the universe would have contained mostly photons, electrons, and neutrinos, and their antiparticles, together with some protons and neutrons (70).
Right there, one of the most well-known scientists we have today clearly explains that the universe at the beginning (due to the high heat and rapid expansion) would have contained MOSTLY photons and a few other particles! Genius! How did the Bible know that? This is before the sun, moon, or even a galaxy was created!
So when the Bible says that God said, “Let there be light”—you better believe that there was light, and it was good.
And don’t worry whenever secular scientists disagree with the Bible. One day they’ll catch up in knowledge, and the Bible will have been proven to have been the ultimate source of truth all along.
The Bible says God created the Heavens and the Earth, and He did it in 6 days, and rested on the seventh.
Have you accepted Christ as your savior today? The Bible says we are all sinners, and we will be judged according to our sins. Christ died and paid the penalty for your sins, and the Bible teaches that if you place your trust and faith in Christ, you can receive forgiveness of your sins and inherit eternal life.