The Two Books

The Two Books

Each deed I’ve done is firmly writ,

Erased by neither tears nor wit,

It shames my heart and haunts my mind, 

to face the Judge of all mankind.

God’s book reveals my greed and lust;

My failing to be pure and just. 

The ledger opens, truth is known,

My every secret fault is shown. 

But then a second book appears,

To rescue me from all my fears;

His Book of Life names those He chose,

In love and mercy to enclose. 

My debt is paid through faith alone,

Inscribed as Christ’s, His very own;

From Satan’s hold He set me free

To glorify Him endlessly. 

Angels, Light, and the Absolute Now

There is currently an interesting debate between two creationist Ph.D. physicists, Dr. Jason Lisle and Dr. Phillip Dennis. It concerns the distant starlight problem: if the universe is less than 10,000 years old, how can we see stars billions of light-years away?

The Core of the Conflict

In Special Relativity, we can measure the two-way speed of light, but not the one-way speed. It is usually assumed that light is isotropic (the same speed c in all directions). This is known as the Einstein Synchrony Convention (ESC). Dr. Lisle notes that other assumptions are mathematically possible. One could, for instance, adopt a Geocentric Light-speed Model (GLM) where light travels extremely fast toward Earth (so light from the furthest galaxies reaches us within a day) and c/2 away from it. While this seems implausible, it is difficult, if not impossible, to disprove using material instruments. 

Lisle’s Anisotropic Synchrony Convention (ASC) takes this further, arguing that because the one-way speed cannot be measured by humans, a definite one-way speed simply does not exist.

To Lisle, the question of how long starlight took to reach us is physically "undefined." He affirms:

"Our inability to measure the one-way speed of light is not due to a lack of creativity on our part... Rather, it is due to the way God has constructed spacetime." (Lisle 2010, p. 203)

Dr. Dennis challenges Dr. Lisle's conventionalism, arguing that there must be an objective one-way speed of light, even if humans can't measure it. The debate ranges from intricacies in relativistic mathematics, interpretations of relativity, the nature of time, and God's relation to time. (See the Appendix below for an outline and references for this debate).

I have discussed my reservations about the ASC in a previous post, "Lightspeed, Convention, and Creation" (Bylogos Feb.9, 2019). Here I just want to note one additional consideration.

The Two-Angel Mirror Experiment

The "one-way problem" exists because material observers supposedly cannot transmit information faster than light to synchronize separate, distant clocks. However, this material constraint does not apply to non-material observers, such as angels.

The traditional view, defended by Thomas Aquinas, Herman Bavinck, and many others, is that since angels are spirits, not bound by the constraints of material objects, angels can change location virtually instantly. Likewise, they can also communicate instantly by a simple act of will.

Imagine a human on Earth (E) who fires a physical light signal at exactly 12:00 noon toward a mirror on a distant planet P 30 light-minutes away. The human records its return at exactly 1:00 PM.

Now introduce two spiritual observers: Angel E on Earth and Angel P on Planet P. At 12:00 noon, Angel E instantly communicates with Angel P via an intellectual handshake, synchronizing Angel P’s clock perfectly to Earth time. This intellectual synchronization bypasses photons entirely. As soon as the physical light beam strikes the glass mirror on planet P, Angel P is instructed to look at his clock and shout "Now!" across the cosmos. Angel E, standing on Earth, instantly notes the time of the shout.

When does Angel P shout "Now"? Consider three options:

• ESC (Isotropic): Light travels at the same speed c in both directions. Crossing the 30 light-minute distance takes exactly 30 minutes. Angel P shouts "Now!" at 12:30 PM, and Angel E registers the shout at 12:30 PM.
• GLM (Geocentric): Light travels outward at half-speed (c/2) and returns inward instantly. Crossing the 30 light-minute distance takes the entire hour. Angel P shouts "Now!" at 1:00 PM, and Angel E registers the shout at 1:00 PM, exactly as the physical photon returns to the human sensor.
• ASC (Conventionalist): According to Lisle, there is no single actual one-way speed; it is physically "undefined" by God. Consequently, despite the planet being a known 30 light-minutes away, there is no specific when the light hits the mirror. Hence Angel P never shouts "Now" and Angel E never hears a "Now!"

The Ontological Collapse of ASC

This mirror scenario exposes a devastating ontological contradiction in the conventionalist framework. For the human observer on Earth, the light beam is a physical reality that undeniably hit the mirror at some point during that 1-hour interval to make the trip back.

Under ASC, however, because the one-way timeline is dismissed as a human linguistic choice rather than an objective reality, the reflection event has no real moment to inhabit. This leaves us with a stark paradox:

• The human sees the reflection return, knowing it physically struck the mirror.
• The angelic clock, anchored to a real, spiritual synchronization, finds an absolute temporal void where the reflection event should be.

If Lisle is right, the event is physically undefined, rendering it invisible to the angelic realm. We are left with a clear dilemma: either ASC is a mathematical fiction that masks real physical travel time, or angels are as blind to cosmic history as a piece of lead.

The Logic of the Absolute Now

This works because the angelic "intellectual sync" creates a privileged frame of reference that material objects cannot access. In standard relativity, we are forced to use "conventions" because light—a physical entity—takes time to bridge the gap.

However, when Angel E and Angel P share information instantly by a simple act of will, they establish a Universal Clock. They are no longer guessing or "defining" when "Now" occurs on the other end; they possess certain, shared knowledge of a single, objective timeline. By locking their clocks to this non-material handshake, the angels reveal that the "arrival time" of light at the mirror is not a linguistic choice, but a timed physical journey across a real distance. This restores an Absolute Now to the cosmos—a singular, objective history of events as seen by the Creator.

I have discovered that this 'Angelic Argument' was used as early as 1932 by the Lutheran philosopher of science Bernhard Bavink in his work The Natural Sciences (Ergebnisse und Probleme der Naturwissenschaften). Bavink used this thought experiment to argue for an 'Absolute Now' against the positivistic block universe of Einstein, which he felt reduced the objective flow of time to a mere human perspective.

 Conclusion

Ultimately, Lisle’s ASC relies on the presumed isolation of the observer—the idea that because no physical signal can currently be proven to bridge the gap instantly, we are left with a temporal "no-man's land" where we are free to invent our own rules. It is a model built entirely on the technological and material limitations of the fallible human observer.

However, if we grant the existence of a spiritual realm—as both Catholic and Reformed traditions do—that perceived isolation is reclaimed. The Angelic Handshake suggests that the "convention" of light speed is a human heuristic, not a cosmic law. By appealing to an observer who is not "blinded" by the light-limit, we find that:

• Relativity limits human knowledge, not reality: The difficulty in measuring the one-way speed of light is a logistical hurdle for man, not an ontological void in the universe.
• The "Absolute Now" is restored: If an angel can witness a star's birth or a mirror's reflection and communicate that event to Earth instantly, then the "Now" of the distant cosmic event and the "Now" of the Earth are the same moment in the eyes of the Creator.
• The speed of light is a physical journey: Rather than an "undefined" arrival, light is revealed as a traveler moving across a real distance over a real duration of time.

While the ASC remains a sophisticated mathematical tool for reconciling distant starlight with a young-earth chronology, the "Angelic Argument" reminds us that reality is not defined by what we are able to measure.

If we believe in a God who sees all things simultaneously and a heavenly host not bound by the "drag" of the material world, then we must conclude that the universe is anchored to an Absolute Now—one where the light-speed limit is an objective physical reality, not a linguistic choice.

----------------------------------------

Appendix: The Recent Exchange: Realism vs. Conventionalism

2010: Dr. Lisle published Anisotropic Synchrony Convention—A Solution to the Distant Starlight Problem (Answers Research Journal 3, 2010).

July 2024: Dr. Dennis published An Internal Contradiction of Lisle’s ASC Model (Answers research Journal 17, July 2024), arguing that ASC leads to physical inconsistencies.

August 2024: Lisle published A Refutation of Phillip Dennis's Claims Regarding Alleged Inconsistencies in ASC (Aug 2024, Biblical Science Institute). He argued that Dennis's critiques were circular, as they relied on equations that already assumed the standard "Equal-Speed" convention.

November 2024: Dennis responded with A Refutation of Lisle’s "Refutation" (ARJ 17, Nov.2024), doubling down on the idea that the ASC is a mathematical mask rather than a physical reality.

December 2025- August 2026: Lisle published an 11 part series of posts against Dennis. Refuting Phillip Dennis’s Errors in Physics, ASC, and Philosophy (Ongoing series, 2025–2026, Biblical Science Institute).

*****

How Math Really Works

Here's how math actually works in the real world, depending on who is doing the counting.

 Math in the Real World

1 + 1 = 2

God alone makes true 

1 + 1 = 1

Wedding vows begun

1 + 1 = 3

Life’s deep mystery

2 + 2 = 5

When woke tyrants thrive

1 + 1 = 10

AI rules all men

1 + 1 + 1 = 1

Triune glory spun.

----------------------------------------------------------

Notes:

• the "=" symbol is read as "is" to maintain the rhythmic meter. 

• 2 + 2 = 5:  A nod to Orwell’s 1984: the ultimate mark of postmodern society, where political power compels us to endorse what is plainly false.

• 1 + 1 = 10: Binary code, the language of computers, expresses everything in terms of only two digits: 0 and 1. In this system, "2" is expressed as "10." The cold math of a technocratic future that views people as digits rather than souls.

*****

Body, Mind, and Soul

 Crossfire

When you die, you're not going to be surprised, because you're going to be completely dead. Now if find myself aware after I'm dead, I'm going to be really surprised! But at least I'm going to go to hell, where I won't have all of those grinning preachers from Sunday morning listening.

Let me summarize my views on what modern evolutionary biology tells us loud and clear.... There are no gods, no purposes, and no goal-directed forces of any kind. There is no life after death. When I die, I am absolutely certain that I am going to be dead. That's the end of me.

Reformed Faith in Uganda

Last month (June 24-29) I taught a course on Apologetics at the Trinity Bible Institute in Kapchorwa, Uganda, for ITEM (International Theological Education Ministries).

My Three E-Books

I have just updated my book God and Cosmos: A Christian View of Time, Space, and the Universe. All three of my books are now available, free of charge, as e-books. To download the pdf files, just click on the links below.

Big Bang Christianity?

In an earlier post I noted the importance of cosmology in providing the background story for a worldview. I contended that, to make Christianity plausible, one must critique the current secular worldview, particularly its Big Bang cosmology, and present Christianity as comprehensive worldview with its own, Christ-centered, cosmology.

Unfortunately, many Christian scientists and theologians accept Big Bang cosmology as gospel truth, established beyond any reasonable scientific doubt. They believe that, to make Christianity plausible to our society, Christians should embrace Big Bang cosmology.

The Importance of Cosmology

Cosmology is the most important subject in the world.

Why? Because it is the story of the world: its origin, structure, purpose, and destiny. As people in that world, its story necessarily forms the background for our own personal story. It affects our deepest beliefs, values, and hopes.

Science, Space, and Time

What does science tell us about the nature of time and space? It is widely claimed that, in relativistic physics, space and time are intertwined in a four-dimensional space-time block universe, where all times co-exist eternally. This seems to challenge the common-sense presentist view of time, where only the present instant exists, moving from a no longer existing past to a yet-to-exist future. How well established is the block universe with its static time?

God, Creation, and Space

Some Christian apologists (e.g., William Lane Craig, Hugh Ross) contend that it is scientifically proven that the physical universe began from an infinitely dense point of space (the so-called Big Bang singularity), which marked the creation also of space and time. They contend that, if space and time did not exist before creation, then the universe must have been created by a cause transcending space and time, which they equate with God.

God, Creation, and Time

Did time exist before the creation of the world? Many Christians believe that time was created along with the physical universe, and that there was no time "before" creation. Is this feasible?

Does the Bible Use Phenomenal Language?

Does the Bible speak about reality or only about appearances? Sometimes, to avoid conflict with alleged scientific facts, it is claimed that the Bible uses phenomenal (or phenomenological) language, describing things as they appear from our human, earth-bound perspective rather than being factually correct in a more scientific sense.

Canadian Reformed MPs Approve Pro-LGBT Bill C-4

How many Canadian Members of Parliament, or Senators, are willing to stand up for Christian values against the pro-homosexual agenda? NONE. Not a one. Not even the Canadian Reformed MPs Arnold Viersen and Tako van Popta!

What is the Genuine Reformed View of Science?

Numerous writers claim to defend a “Reformed” view of science (for example, [1], [2], [3], [4]). Reformed theology is grounded in a high view of Scripture. Yet, allegedly Reformed scholars often embrace aspects of mainstream science (e.g., evolution, an ancient earth, etc.) that require a re-interpretation of the Biblical text (e.g. a non-literal reading of Gen. 1-11). This raises the question: What should characterize a genuinely Reformed view of science?  

 

The Absurdity of a Solid Dome

 According to many Bible scholars, people of the Ancient Near East (ANE) believed that the sky was a fixed solid dome - in which the Sun, moon, and stars were embedded - supported by pillars, or mountains, at the ends of a flat earth. The Israelites are said to have shared this erroneous ANE cosmology, which is allegedly the underlying idea behind the "firmament" or “expanse” (raqia) of Genesis 1.

God and Necessary Truths

Christianity maintains that only God is self-existent. He is the sovereign Creator, who freely creates everything else. God exists necessarily, in that it is impossible for God not to exist, God's non-existence is inconceivable. The created universe, in contrast, is merely contingent, in that it could have been different, and need not have existed at all. But what about abstract objects, such as the laws of logic and math, which seem to be necessary truths? How do they relate to God? 

Review: In the Beginning

An important book, In the Beginning: Listening to Genesis 1 and 2 (2021, Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 371 pages) has just been published by Dr. Cornelis van Dam, emeritus professor of Old Testament at Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Ontario.

Why is There Something?

Why is there something? There could have been nothing - no physical objects or laws, no conscious beings, no thoughts, no universe at all. So, why is there something, rather than nothing? 

Useful Sites

Here are some sites that I find useful and check regularly. Please inform me of any dead links, or of any useful sites that should be added.

Finding Adam

The Dutch scholar Dr. Willem J. Ouweneel defends the traditional Biblical Adam, against attempts to combine Adam with human evolution, in his recent book Adam, Where Are You? —And Why This Matters: A Theological Evaluation of the Evolutionist Hermeneutic (Jordan Station, Canada: Paideia Press, 2018, 480 pages).