Stretching the Point!!!      Creationists and cosmologists have a conflict when it comes to the age of the universe.  Based on the speed of light and trigonometry, cosmologists believe that the universe is approximately 15 billion years old.  A literal interpretation of the Bible indicates that the creation is about 6,000 years old.  Those in the Hugh Ross camp of creationists try to reconcile this difference by assigning long ages for the days of creation.  Although Mr. Ross presents a convincing argument, he replaces what is clearly stated with heady assumptions.  CSA is not willing to travel that road, no matter how tempting it might be.  Consequently, we have found that what may seem like an obstacle to Bible-believing creationists is really the beginning of uncovering one of the most provocative scientific statements within the Genesis account. Since the 1950's, science has believed that the universe is expanding.   According to Albert Einstein, space and time are woven together into what he called the "space/time continuum".  He believed that if you change space, you change time.  Danny Faulkner, PhD. Astronomy stated, "General relativity tells us that time is not an absolute in this universe, but instead can run at different rates.  Indeed, general relativity demands that time passes at different rates at different locations in this universe."  Cosmology Monograph 2002.  In science this is called "time dilation" and it is real and it is well documented.  Atomic clocks at the Royal Observatory in England and at the National Bureau of Standards in Colorado literally tick at different rates.   Clocks in satellites had to be adjusted to accommodate for this difference.   What does all of this mean to those of us who believe Genesis?  Plenty!!!  In the 1950's science discovered the universe is expanding.  In the 1970's Dr. Alan Guth developed his theory of inflation that proposed a period of hyperinflation immediately after the Big Bang - meaning that everything expanded at a rate too fast to measure.  These may seem like advanced theories; however, they are just catching up to the 3500-year-old Genesis account, which states God expanded His creation on day two.  "And God said, 'Let there be an expanse between the waters...So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it... God called the expanse 'sky', Genesis 1:6-8. (Italics added for emphasis.)  Other verses that refer to expansion are Isa. 40:22; 42:5; 44:24; 51:13; Jer. 10:12; 51:15; Psa. 104:2; Zech. 12:1.  The expanse or stretching mentioned in these verses means God literally stretched or expanded creation.  We believe Einstein was right - when you stretch space, you stretch time.   Therefore, the stretching that occurred on day two would have resulted in time dilation. Dr. Guth also theorized that this expansion had to occur before the celestial bodies were formed.  The Bible tells us that God stretched out the sky on day two and created the celestial bodies on day four. Science is finally catching up with the Bible! So, how do we reconcile all of this?  God stretched time and space on day two.  He did this for a 24-hour period, which means that for one day He stretched space out for a distance of almost 15 billion light years.  Today we measure the space that has been stretched out and which is still expanding.   Imagine recording six hours of your favorite television program on a VCR tape.  Now you take this tape and put it into the world's fastest rewinder.   You push the button and in two seconds you rewind six hours of programming.  This is an example of how the passage of time can be affected by speed.  The space we observe today has been stretched at incomprehensible speeds, which simultaneously stretched and dilated time.   This warping of the time/space continuum dictates that time travels at different rates in different regions of space.  It is also allows us to see the light from stars 15 billion light years away from us in a creation that is only 6,000 years old.  Understanding God and time is one of the great challenges of the 21st century.  It provides the key that unlocks the mysteries of pre-destination, pre-ordination, election and free will.  CSA will devote more time to this subject in future newsletters. Permission to copy with proper acknowledgments is granted. This article was published by Creation Science Alive in February 2005.