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Answer
On the fourth day of creation, God created the sun, moon, stars, and other celestial bodies (Genesis 1:14-19). The quantity of entities God brought into existence on the fourth day is remarkable. Scientists currently estimate there are 2 trillion galaxies in the universe, each containing about 100 million stars. This would imply that the number of stars is approximately 10 to the 20th power (“How Many Stars Are in the Universe?” by Tia Ghose, Live Science online, updated 5/24/18, accessed 10/28/20).
Sun and moon: “And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night.’ . . . God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night” «And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: », (Genesis 1:14,16) «And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. », (Genesis 1:14,16). Along with the other “lights” God spoke into existence on the fourth day of creation, He placed the sun and moon in the “vault of the sky” as the two primary sources of light for Earth. The sun provides light and warmth to the earth during the day, while the moon reflects the sun’s light to brighten the night. Similar to the stars, the sun and moon also function as “signs to mark sacred times, and days and years” (verse 14).
Stars: “He also made the stars” «And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. », (Genesis 1:16). Such a simple statement, but such a vast creation. There are trillions of stars in the universe, and God has personally named them all (Isaiah 40:26; Psalm 147:4). Importantly, stars indicate seasons and time «And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: », (Genesis 1:14) and provide guidance for navigation. The stars also display God’s glory: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” «The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork. », (Psalm 19:1, ESV).
Heavenly bodies: Although Genesis 1 does not refer to other heavenly bodies specifically, the fourth day of creation also includes the many planets, nebulae, galaxies, and other entities present in the universe. From a human standpoint, the sheer number of planets and galaxies is breathtaking, but creating it all was an easy task for the Lord God «Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: », (Jeremiah 32:17).
On day four of creation, God continued His creative work. The creation of the sun, moon, stars, and other heavenly bodies distinguished day from night and separated light from darkness «and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. », (Genesis 1:18).God declared the sun, moon, and stars as “good” sources of light and ways to mark the passage of time. He divinely placed them for His glory (Genesis 1:18-19;Psalm 74:16).
