Give Light to the Earth!

Day 4, we are getting closer to the “good parts” as my kids used to say. As we discuss this day I will just insert the spiritual parallels I see into the discussion. Feel free to chime in…

Gen 1:14-15 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so.

First, let’s establish that Jesus is the sun in our parallel universe—spiritually speaking. Sounds like I am writing Sci-Fi, doesn’t it? As you read your Bible, you will find that God’s future universe is much better than the science fiction or fantasy universes that our modern writers conjure up, and it is REAL! Rev 21:22-23 “I did not see a temple in the city (New Jerusalem), because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” Also, as I mentioned in a previous post, Jesus is described on the Mt Transfiguration in Mat.17:2 in this manner: “His face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light”. Again, in Mal. 4:2 Jesus is referred to as the sun of righteousness.

Let us consider a few things we know about the sun; the sun is the center of our solar system. The energy of the sun supports all life on Earth and controls the climate, weather and most elements of our daily life. In the same manner, Jesus is the center of our lives and all elements of our life must revolve around Him. If we live in this relationship to Him, giving Him the authority and influence in our lives, He will control our weather too. We receive from Him all the energy we need to live and succeed in our world.

God creates specific lights (sun, moon and stars) to place into the atmosphere of the world He was creating for mankind. He indicates three purposes for these lights: to separated day and night, to serve as signs and indicate time periods. The Sun has authority over the day and the moon shines into the night. There will come a time that there is no longer night (check out Rev. 21:25) and we will not need our solar time telling system. We will step into an eternal system no longer controlled by time; one that basks in the brightness of the Glory of God. But, until that time… we must be the representatives of God (signs) in this world of darkness because time is marching on toward that eternal day.

Gen. 1:16 -19“God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day”.

We have already talked about the greatest Light: Jesus. Jesus GOVERNS the day: He is the ultimate authority in righteousness and has all power over the earth and over the spiritual forces in this world. Isa.9:6 tells us the “government will be on His shoulders”. Daniel described the future King and His kingdom in Dan.7:14 “He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” And finally, Jesus told us in Matt 28:18 "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

So, If Jesus is the Sun, what does the moon and stars represent in our spiritual parallel? Consider this known fact… the moon is not a source of light (as the sun is) but rather reflects the light of the sun onto the surface of the Earth. As disciples of Christ, we are also called to be lights to the world, as the moon reflects the light of the sun into the dark night. Romans 13:12 “So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light”. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount: Matt 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Note our light and the benefit of our light always will glorify God and bring the praise back to Him (not for ourselves). Jesus is the source of our Light, but we must be able to reflect His light into the darkness and govern the night! We need to be an influence, just as the moon is an influence on the tides of the earth. Our light (reflected from Jesus--the true source of spiritual Light) should dispel darkness and bring enough light into the world that others can see their way back to Jesus. Phil 2:15 Be children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe”. You may not be the primary influence for someone living in darkness (the moon of their life) but we should all be bright lights(stars) in the night, shining with the Light of God and being recognized as a child of God, even from a distance!

Jesus also invested His authority in His disciples. He expects us to learn to govern with His invested authority to influence our atmosphere with His righteousness. Col 2:9 -10 “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” Our government should affect all aspects of life, we are His representative at work, in our family life, as students, parents, business people, artists, in every aspect of human life. Am I using my influence and authority in all aspects of my life to further His Kingdom? Are you?

Dan 12:3 “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”



Growing into God's Plan

Gen 1:9-12 God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. (NIV)

God calls the waters together into seas; as God told Job ( 38:11) concerning the waters “this far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt”. He set the boundaries of the oceans and the land rose up. Verse 11 shows us that the land contained the seeds and brought forth that vegetation in the same growth process that we see today in our gardens. Of course the dirt in my garden produces a lot more weeds than useful produce! (Remember this fact when we discuss the spiritual parallels.)


Further, each seed brought forth the kind of plant it was designed to become and then produced seeds to bring forth another plant of the same type. The fruit of the trees also contains the seed for the next generation.

Now, let’s talk about GROWTH which is the next step God takes us through in our development as His child. We must grow into the person God wants us to be; part of that growth process is the ongoing purification that God starts when we first come to Him. Remember my mention of the weed seeds in the soil of my garden? We also have seeds of a “carnal nature” planted into our flesh; we have lots of weeding to do. Sometimes God pulls weeds out of our nature and sometimes He expects us to share the work in our own “garden”. I know I was always trying to get my kids to help weed our family garden when they were growing up!

Secondarily, God expects us to grow into productive useful vegetation in His Kingdom. Eph 4:15… speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. When God formed Adam from the dirt (Gen.2:7) He had already planted the seeds of His will and plans for his future into Adam. We also have the seeds of God’s plans planted into our earthen vessel. He has a plan and a design for us to grow into…Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. God has planted into you specific talents, abilities, and gifts to become a one of a kind “tree of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.” (see Is.61:3) God has created you to be a unique representation of Him in your business or job, in your relationships, in all aspects of your daily life. We should take stock of God’s plan for our life. What kind of tree are you, an oak, a fir, a flowering tree or maybe like me, a nut?

Finally, we must bring forth fruit. John 15:5 & 8 I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (NIV) God expects us to grow into productive, fruitful and successful lives. Think about this, what is the purpose of fruit from a tree? Fruit serves two purposes: first, people can pick that fruit and eat it and second, fruit is the method by which the tree reproduces. Our lives should benefit others; we must produce the fruit of the Spirit to share with the world (see Gal. 5:22). We should also be able to share with those around us all the benefits of a righteous life that God has added to our lives. We can share wisdom, knowledge, monetary blessings, healing, … the list is almost endless. Are you producing fruit that others can come and pick out of your life?

Now, how do we reproduce? Of course we know that all Christians are called to be living witnesses for Christ; as Paul says in 1 Cor 3: 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. Our life should attract others to God. God may also bring people into our lives that we are supposed to mentor—helping them grow into the same skills, talents, gifts and purposes which He has helped you develop. We may not be called to a “pulpit” ministry to help others, but we are all called to be examples of Christ to those around us. Others grow into their place in the Kingdom with the love, encouragement and examples of their brothers and sisters to help show them the way to become trees of righteousness for Jesus! Paul encourages Timothy to “set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Tim 4:12)


It is my desire that these blog posts will cause you to …” grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. “ (2 Peter 3:18)

And God Separated...

Before I move on to Day 2, I want to make a short (well, short is a relative word right?) note here concerning the period of time each “day” of creation may take. Scholars have long argued over the time period indicated as the evening and the morning—the first (or second, etc.) day. The idea that God’s creative days were actually 24 hour periods became popular after the publication of The Annals of the World, published in 1650. Today, most Jewish scholars and many Christian scholars believe that the physical time period is not a 24 hour solar day, but rather indeterminate time periods. The entire creation process is also referred to as a Day (singular time period) in Gen 2:4 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, (NKJV).

Further, the time period for Adam and Eve’s death was indicated as a day (same Hebrew word) in Gen 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (NKJV). We know that the entire process of their death took a long time (much longer than one solar day). Also, it seems reasonable to me that the days of creation are not to be determined as 24 hour periods of time, considering our solar method of time telling was not established until Day 4.** Either way, God’s miraculous, creative power is the most important aspect of the creation account (not how long He chose to accomplish each step)!


Onward Christian soldier…(if you know about my musical talents you will really appreciate that you cannot hear me singing this line as I am typing!)

Gen 1:6-9 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day. (NIV)

God called an “expanse” or atmosphere into existence in verse 6. This expanse separates two sets of waters. Have you ever thought about where all that water came from that poured out of the sky during the 40 day Flood? It is possible that our earth was encapsulated in a shroud of water vapor in our outer atmosphere. This would have created a “greenhouse” effect, moderating the climate over all the face of the earth. Further, it would have filtered out the radiation that affects our aging process. Just a thought…

As I mentioned in my last blog, I want to consider the spiritual parallels between God’s creation story and our own story of creation as Children of God. After God brings Light into our lives, He starts a process of separation in our life. He calls us to live as light and salt in the world (Mat. 5:13).  Concerning His disciples, Jesus prayed this prayer: John 17:15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Jesus asks God to keep us separate from sin and the atmosphere of the evil one. We are instructed to live in the midst of a crooked nation, but to keep our lives separate from sin, holy and consecrated to God (Phil.2:15).

Sometimes the process of purification in our lives will also create a separation from those in our atmosphere that are involved in sin. This enables us to grow stronger in our commitment to living a consecrated life. The “waters “ drawn up into the heavens also rain down into the atmosphere creating a cleansing effect. Just close your eyes and imaging the atmosphere after a spring rain when the sun comes out and shines…is there anything better, cleaner and more uplifting?   Eventually (as we are purified and strengthened by God’s Light) we will be able to bring the Light of God into the atmosphere of our family and friends that are living in the darkness.

**For in depth study on this subject check out Keil & Delizsch Commentary or The Creation Account Unsnagged by Paul Porter; copyright 2008 Xulon Press

Let there be LIGHT!

Light is the absence of darkness. Darkness is the original absolute state and light must be introduced to remove darkness. In the natural sense, you can’t bring in darkness, but rather you remove light. Okay, I know this seems to be “straining at a gnat”, but I am going somewhere with this (I think). In Genesis 1:2 we find darkness on the face of the deep, and in verse 2 God introduced light.

God does not indicate what the “source” of the light was (note our sun doesn’t make an appearance until Day 4). Throughout the rest of the Bible we see that the Lord is the everlasting light (Is.60:19); Jesus said “I am the light of the world” (Jn 8:12) and 1 John 1:5 says “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all”. We generally do not think of these references as a physical manifestation of light—we spiritualize it (well maybe you don’t, but I usually do).

However, let us look at Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration: Matt 17: 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Jesus is the Light of the world, and in this instance we see the physical manifestation of the His indwelling Light. Do you think that the Light that God called forth on Day One could actually be His Manifest Light, His presence on the Earth? Again in 1 Tim. 6:16 we are told that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Jesus) lives in unapproachable light. The eternal city needs no sun or moon because the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp thereof. (Re. 21:23). God is a being of light, maybe that is why the sci-fi writers like to depict the higher “evolved” creatures as beings of light.

God’s first creative move was to bring Light. No other processes needed to build a working world could happen until light was available. Light gives heat to sustain life , is essential in photosynthesis for growth, and enables all creatures to function. The earth and all that is in the earth absorbs the light. Are we absorbing God's light when we are in His presence?

If you will allow me a “preach” a little here—I want to show you a parallel between the story of the creation of the world and the process God takes us through to become a new creature in Him. When we are in chaos and darkness (the same condition on the earth before God started the process of Creation) the first element God brings is Light. We cannot come to God except we are drawn to Him through Jesus (Jn 14:6), the source of Light. We can’t see our condition in the dark; He must bring Light into our lives to show us our lost condition. His light creates an atmosphere in which we can LIVE, GROW and FUNCTION for Him. He fills us with His Light

Our light is veiled by our flesh, just as the light in Jesus (except on the Mt. Transfiguration) was veiled while He was on the earth. Did you, like me, sing “this little light of mine” in Sunday School? We begin with such a little light, but it should grow and become more evident as the process of transformation occurs in our life. Jesus was transfigured before men, He expects us to become transformed before men. A little girl once described another believer as “Jesus with skin on”. We are to be the vessel of His Light to the world, so they might see their way to Him.

Mt 5:14-16: You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”.



God Said... and I can Say too

Again,  I promised myself that I would not get "stuck" in one verse or idea... so I am forging ahead.  We will leave the prehistory of man in God's capable hands and move on into the story of man's creation.  The account of creation of course involves the earth, atmosphere, animals etc. but this world was created specifically as a dwelling place for God's favorite creation - mankind and more specifically the future Bride of Christ.  Now,  I know that some folks might want to argue about mankind being God's "favorite" (mankind is not always MY favorite creation!). 

But, I submit to you that at the end of the creation of humans God declared it was VERY good, whereas, all other creations were only declared good.  And,  mankind is the only one that was created after His Image!  I know your mother never had a favorite -- but God does, YOU are God's favorite!

Uh ohh...I am enticed by several "rabbit trails" I could take here, but I really want to think about two elements of the first Creative Day. ... The Word and The Light

Gen 1:3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.  First,  let's talk about the power of God Said.  Nothing occurred until God spoke... He was present and moving or brooding (as the Amplified Bible tells us in vs. 2) over the face of the deep; but nothing was created until He spoke.  What strikes me as important about this is that we are created in His Image and invested with His Authority (Gen 1:26). 

Follow me now...  Jesus is the Word and was the Creator

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (NIV)

Jesus tells us that all that He did we can do, and more also (Jn 14:12..anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these.);

He also tells us to be like Him  (Rom 8:29...  become conformed to the image of His Son...)

So,  We have access to CREATIVE POWER through our words... IF we are conformed to the image of His Son, IF we are functioning through the Spirit in faith. Jesus tells us that He did only that which he saw His father do... we can do what we see the Father and our older brother (Jesus) do.  We are ambassadors for Christ (2Cor.5:20)... He has invested his Authority in us (Col 2:10-11 you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.)

He does not tell us to beg in prayer, but rather to ask with true expectation and declare the will of God into our atmosphere, our sphere of influence and our own life. We may not see instantaneous results... does the Bible tell us how long from God's declaration and the evidence of light?  No, we might assume that it was immediate, but the Word does not tell us so.  Jesus spoke to the fig tree and walked away (see this story in Mark 11), expecting that his curse would be obeyed.  He did not stand for an hour praying against that tree.  He just went on about his business in Jerusalem. Now Matthew's version of this story says the fig tree immediately withered, but Mark indicates that they did not see the evidence of it until the next day. The disciples were amazed the next morning when they saw the proof of his authority-- the fig tree had withered from the roots.  When God said it, it was a done deal... but the rest of the party saw the evidence a little later down the road.  Sound familiar in your life?
 
Jesus is a living representation on God's Spoken Word...don't we need to become a living representation of God's Word and His plans and intention for us as His Child, His Ambassador to the lost world?  I guess I am suggesting that we need to know the will of God in our lives (we gain this through communion with Him in Prayer and Word); then we can ask, declare and go on about our daily lives with the expectation that we will also see the evidence of God's invested authority show up in our lives.

As Paul Harvey might say...stay tuned for page 2... The Light.  (I guess I just don't know how to make it short, do I?)  As always, I encourage all readers to comment and add your thoughts...



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I can’t believe how energized I am about this God Blog, couldn’t sleep for thinking about casting the Word of God into the ATMOSPHERE! The scripture in Eccl 11:1 kept coming to my mind… Cast your bread upon the waters; for after many days you will find it again. This principle in God’s Word really works; I expect to find a great exchange in this blogging process. Oh, I better not get started on this topic… as a friend of mine used to say “That will preach!”
Anyway, as in any walk, it is easy to get sidetracked and enjoy a stroll down a divergent path. But, I promised myself (and God) that I would try to stay on track and make some progress through the Old Testament. It is my hope to bring the valuable truths from the Old Testament into our New Testament lives and possibly impart some of my love for the Old Testament to the readers of these humble posts. So, back to the past…

I mentioned in my last post the possible event between verse 1 & 2 in Genesis chapter 1. Let’s examine the things we know.

1. Scientist have well documented a prehistoric world, replete with living creatures and an orderly system of existence that does not match to the world we see today. But, they have yet to build the road that will actually connect the two.

2. God’s Word is basically silent about that prehistoric world. He begins the Bible with a world that is without form and void (Gen.1:2)-remember this is a history of mankind, not a history of the world. God’s knowledge and thoughts are far above ours, and above our capacity to comprehend (see Is.55:8-11)—He is not telling us everything; He is telling us what we need to know. Just as a good parent will not try to explain all he knows to a child, but rather impart the information that is pertinent to the child’s current situation.

3. Our timing is not God’s timing. Remember the scripture in 2nd Peter—a day with the Lord is as a thousand with man? God is not limited to our time frames. He did not even create our system of time until the 4th creative day.
So, what happened to destroy the prehistoric world and leave a mass without form and void for God to use in the creation of our current world? Jesus, God the Son, tells us in Lu. 10:18 “I saw Satan fall like lightening from Heaven”. (read also: Is 14, Ezk 28:13-17, Rev. 12:7-10) I think this was the cataclysmic event that turned the world upside down, freezing dinosaurs and the world that existed into chaos. Our Redeeming God chose this same world to create the place that would “prove” His future Bride. Selah… (this is a Hebrew word often used in the Psalms that means pause and think upon that!)

Such a long post… sorry, I will try to keep it brief, but it is so hard to stop when I get started talking about the awesome Word of God! Your thoughts?

Stroll through the Old Testament... In the Beginning

I love the Old Testament, so it is my intention to walk through it Genesis to Malachi. This won't be a thourough study, just my thoughts and comments as I am reading through the Old Testament. Some verses are so rich that we must spend time contemplating them one by one, Others (the "begats" come to mind) seem to be less important to me. I welcome your thoughts and additions to my ramblings...

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning ... The Bible is the story of man and our relationship with God. In the beginning refers to man's beginning, the start of our history. Man is a creature of time and space, God is beyond time and space. God was, is and always will be-- He is not limited to time. He can move through time, back and forth. Can you stretch your mind around that? I can't, but I can understand that God is not restricted by time like we mere chunks of clay are. I think it is vital, when studying the Word of God, to remember that God is not limited to our methods, our ways of reasoning or our abilities or our time frames.

God created the heavens and the earth. This is a broad statement that Moses (writer of Genesis) later fills in with details about the step by step process. Note that it is a plural heavens and singular earth. Earth is the designated dwelling place for man, the heaven are divided in several sections, The dwelling place of God's Spirit, the celestial heavens and the general atmosphere of Earth.

What do you think, is God still pleased with all that He made? Verse 2 starts with a mass that is without form and void... I was taught that an event between verse 1 and 2 put the earth into the disarray that we see in verse 2. This could be the answer between the age of the dinosaurs and the age of human history. Seems to be that the "missing link" that some scientists would like to claim connect prehistoric history and the current history of man really is MISSING. God began a new creative process in verse 2.