Kamis, 04 April 2013

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE SIXTEEN: THE LINE OF KNOWLEDGE THROUGHOUT THE SCRIPTURES



We have seen that the Bible opens with two trees, the tree of life, which brings in life, and the tree of knowledge, which brings in knowledge. However, knowledge is a pretense, for the tree of knowledge actually is the tree of death and brings in death. Thus, from the very beginning of the Bible we see two lines which continue throughout the entire Bible. The first line is the line of life, beginning with the tree of life and continuing throughout the Scriptures until it ends at the city of New Jerusalem, where we also see the tree of life (Rev. 22:1-2, 14). The second line is the line of knowledge, beginning with the tree of knowledge and continuing throughout the Scriptures until it ends at the lake of fire. In this message we shall consider the line of knowledge throughout the Scriptures. In every book of the Bible we can see the knowledge that troubles, damages, kills, and destroys. Now we shall examine many cases of people who lived, worked, moved, and acted by knowledge, not by life.

 

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE FIFTEEN: THE LINE OF LIFE THROUGHOUT THE SCRIPTURES



In this message I have the burden to cover, as a parenthesis, the principle of the tree of life throughout the Scriptures. We have pointed out many times that almost everything in the first two chapters of Genesis has been sown there as a seed and that this seed grows gradually in the following books of the Bible, appearing as a crop in the New Testament and ripening as a harvest in the book of Revelation. This is a basic principle of the divine Word. God was very economical in writing the Bible, not wasting a single word. He used every word in a most economical way. Furthermore, God's revelation is consistent throughout the Scriptures. Therefore, whatever we find in the beginning of the Bible we also find throughout the Bible and at the end.
The record of the two trees in Genesis 2, the tree of life and the tree of knowledge, is not merely ancient history, for these two trees are still with us today. If we read the Bible carefully we will discover that throughout the Bible we have two lines—the line of the tree of life and the line of the tree of knowledge. We may refer to them in brief as the line of life and the line of knowledge. These two lines began at the book of Genesis and continue through the subsequent books of the Bible until they reach their destination. As we pointed out in message thirteen, the destination of the line of life will be the New Jerusalem, where the tree of life appears once again. The river of the water of life is also found in the New Jerusalem, for it flows throughout the entire city. Thus, the New Jerusalem, a city of living water, is the ultimate consummation of the line of the tree of life. The line of knowledge will conclude with the lake of fire, a vivid contrast to the city of New Jerusalem. The city is a city of living water; the lake is a lake of burning fire.
According to the revelation in the Bible, we see two streams proceeding out of the throne of God. One is the stream of living water, and the other is a stream of fire. The stream of living water is revealed in Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22. In Ezekiel living water issues out of the house of God; in Revelation 22 living water flows out of the throne of God. In Daniel 7:9-10 we see another stream, a stream of fire, flowing out of the throne of God. The living water is for reviving and watering, but the stream of fire is for judging. It courses in judgment throughout the universe. The river of water proceeds out of the throne of God and will flow all positive things into the New Jerusalem. The stream of fire issues out of the throne of God and will sweep all negative things into the lake of fire. In the beginning of the Bible we have the start of two lines, the line of life and the line of knowledge. At the end of the Bible we have two results, two consummations—the city of living water and the lake of burning fire.
Where are you and where are you going? Which line are you on? The line of life is certainly the right line, but the line of knowledge is the wrong line. As redeemed people we are surely on the right line, the line of life. However, it is possible that our walk and our work—that is, the way we live and work for God—might be on the wrong line. Although as persons we may be on the line of life, our walk and work may be on the line of knowledge. The Bible firstly warns people to stay away from the line of knowledge and remain on or return to the line of life. Once we are saved, we are eternally saved, and our salvation is eternally secure. Nevertheless, the Bible warns us concerning our daily walk and our work for the Lord. In Galatians Paul warns us to walk in the Spirit (5:16) and to sow to the Spirit (6:7-8). Otherwise, everything we do will be consumed by fire. In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul cautions us, the builders of the churches, to be careful to build with the proper materials. If we build the church with gold, silver, and precious stones, this work will continue unto the New Jerusalem, because the New Jerusalem is a city built with gold, pearl, and precious stones. On the other hand, Paul warns us that the wood, grass, and straw are only useful for burning (1 Cor. 3:12-15). Everything that is built with those materials will be swept by the stream of fire into the lake of fire. Thus, we must be careful about ourselves, our walk, and our work. We ourselves must stay on the right line, and our daily walk and work must also be on the right line. Then we and our work will enter the New Jerusalem. We need to be very clear about these two lines. In this message, I shall cover the line of life and in the following message the line of knowledge.
Many times I have been bothered by the fact that the tree of life appeared for a short while in Genesis 2 and that it was closed off from man at the end of Genesis 3. Apparently the tree of life has been closed to man; actually through the promised redemption it has been available throughout the ages for God's people to touch, enjoy, and experience. Now in a very simple way I want to give you many of the positive persons on this line of life. We do not begin with Adam, who was fallen and redeemed. We begin with Abel.

 

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE FOURTEEN: THE TWO TREES (2)



In the previous message we have seen that the tree of knowledge of good and evil signifies Satan, who has the power of death, the contents of which are all things apart from God and the nature and result of which are both death. Now we have to see what is the principle of this tree.

 

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE THIRTEEN: THE TWO TREES (1)



In the foregoing messages, we have covered God's eternal purpose and some of the points regarding God's way of fulfilling His purpose. God's way of accomplishing His purpose was firstly to create man as a vessel to contain Himself as life and then to place him in a garden before the tree of life, indicating that God's intention was for man to partake of the fruit of this tree. However, along with the tree of life, Genesis 2:9, 17 mention the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Therefore, we need to consider very carefully the significance of these two trees.

 

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE TWELVE: TRANSFORMATION FOR BUILDING IN THE FLOW OF LIFE



In this message I want to consider, as a parenthesis, the precious materials revealed in various portions of the Bible. Genesis 2:10-12 mentions three categories of these materials—gold, pearl, and onyx stone. Revelation 21 speaks of gold, pearl, and several varieties of precious stones (vv. 11-14, 18-21). If we read Exodus 28:6-21, we learn that onyx stones mounted in plaited settings of gold were placed upon the shoulders of the ephod and that twelve precious stones were set in gold on the breastplate worn by the high priest. Precious materials are also mentioned in 1 Corinthians 3:12. Paul says that we must take heed how we build the church, that we should build with gold, silver, and precious stones. Although Paul replaces pearl with silver, the other two substances remain the same. The Lord Jesus spoke of stones when He told Peter that he was a stone for the building of the church (Matt. 16:18). Then Peter, in his first Epistle, said that we all are living stones for the building of a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5).
We also need to pay attention to a very crucial word in the New Testament—transformation. This word is correctly translated from the Greek language in Romans 12:2, which says that we should be transformed by the renewing of our mind. However, the same Greek word is found in 2 Corinthians 3:18 where it is rendered by the King James Version "changed." According to the proper translation, it should read, "transformed into the same image." Thus, the Greek word for transformation is found at least twice in the New Testament. An English equivalent to the Greek is the term metabolic change. Transformation is not a mere outward change; it is an organic change, a metabolic change. Transformation means to change a substance from one form and element into another form and element. Precious stones are produced by such a process of transformation. This is the meaning of transformation.
Many Christians do not know that the Bible covers the matter of transformation. Therefore, this entire message will be devoted to it. In the previous messages we have seen the eternal purpose of God, which is to express Himself and to exercise His dominion through man. For the fulfillment of this purpose, God created man in a specific way as a vessel to contain God Himself as life. Thus, God created man with a human spirit that he might contact God, receive God, retain God, and assimilate God into his whole being. After creating man in this way, God placed him in a garden with the tree of life as the center. Near the tree of life was a river flowing with living water, and at the flow of this river were gold, pearl, and onyx stones. Genesis 2 presents such a vivid picture.
What does this picture signify? We know that the Bible is very economical: not one paragraph, sentence, or word is wasted. Every word is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16). Therefore, we must learn why God used nearly a whole chapter to portray a garden, a tree, a man, a river, and three precious materials. What does it all mean?
The Bible as a whole is God's revelation, and most of the seeds of this revelation were sown in Genesis 1 and 2. For example, God, man, and life are some seeds sown in Genesis 1 and developed throughout the whole Bible. The seeds sown in Genesis grow in the following books of the Bible, especially in the New Testament, producing a crop in the Epistles and a harvest in Revelation. Nearly everything sown in Genesis 1 and 2 is reaped as a great harvest in the book of Revelation.
Based upon this principle, let us attend to some of the items found in both Genesis and Revelation. In Genesis 2 we have the tree of life in the midst of the garden. Then we have a river which flows by the side of the tree and brings forth gold, pearl, and onyx stone. The setting for all of this is a garden, and a garden signifies the natural things created by God. In a garden we can see the growth of created things.
When we come to Revelation 21 and 22, we do not find a garden, but a city. A city is not created; it is built. In Genesis 2 we have creation; in Revelation 21 and 22 we have the building. In the city we also have the tree of life. Thus, the Bible begins and ends with life. Moreover, in the city we find a river of living water proceeding out of the throne of God. This corresponds to the river in the garden. Furthermore, in Revelation we find the three categories of precious materials, not in a natural state, but built into a city made with gold, pearl, and precious stones. Therefore, what was sown in Genesis as a seed is reaped in Revelation as the harvest. The growth of the seed and the development of the crop are found between Genesis and Revelation. This is not our human concept; it is the revelation of the divine Word found in the first and last chapters of the Bible.
In the beginning of the Bible we can see a garden. At the end of the Bible we see a city. Between the garden and the city a long process must transpire, and a great deal of work must be accomplished. Nevertheless, the seed sown in the garden becomes the harvest in the city. This seed includes the tree of life, a river of water, and the three precious materials. At the time of harvest in Revelation, the materials are no longer in a natural state, but become a building fitly joined together. The New Jerusalem is a building of gold, pearl, and precious stones.
If we read Revelation 21 and 22 carefully, we will see the entire city of New Jerusalem is a mountain of gold. It is not an edifice of clay. This golden mountain is also a golden city. Thus, the gold is the site, the ground for the building of the city. The precious stones are built into the wall of the New Jerusalem, and every gate in this wall is a large pearl. The site of the New Jerusalem is gold, the wall is composed of precious stones, and each of the twelve gates is a pearl. Therefore, this city is a composition of the precious materials found in a natural state in the garden. In Genesis the precious substances are lying in the garden; in Revelation they are built into a city.
This is not my interpretation. Between Genesis and Revelation we have 1 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul says that as a masterbuilder he laid the unique foundation, Jesus Christ, and that we all must take heed how we build upon it. What materials are we using in building up the church? Paul tells us to build with gold, silver, and precious stones. (Later we will see why he substituted silver for pearl.) By this we can see that not only the New Jerusalem is built with gold, pearl, and precious stones, but even the church in this age must be built with gold, silver, and precious stones, not with wood, grass, and straw. As we shall see, gold contrasts with wood, silver opposes grass, and precious stones are versus straw.
When I saw this as a young Christian, I was excited. I saw a garden in Genesis 2 with precious materials. I saw a city in Revelation built with these same materials. Between Genesis and Revelation I saw a church built with gold, silver, and precious stones. I saw that the church is a composition of all the redeemed people, and that this composition is a building. Who are the gold, silver, and stones? You and I. We, God's redeemed people, are the materials for His spiritual building.
In Old Testament times God also had a people, the children of Israel. The most prominent person among them was the high priest who represented them in the presence of God. Whenever he went into the presence of God on behalf of the people, he had to wear two shoulder plates and a breastplate. On the shoulder plates were two large pieces of onyx stone on which were engraved the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. On the breastplate was a beautiful setting of fine, inlaid gold, and within this setting were set twelve precious stones in four rows of three stones each. The twelve stones in the breastplate correspond to the number twelve in the New Jerusalem. The number twelve both in the city and on the breastplate is composed of four times three. For instance, the breastplate has four rows with three stones in a row, and the city has four sides with three gates on each side, giving a total number of twelve in both the breastplate and the city. Thus, the number of the stones on the breastplate of the high priest was the number of the New Jerusalem. Furthermore, on these twelve stones were engraved the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. In Revelation 21 we find the names of these twelve tribes on the twelve gates of the city. This is very significant.
Let us consider the meaning of this. In the New Testament we have a church built with gold, silver, and precious stones. In the Old Testament we have God's people composed with gold and precious stones to become a complete entity. In the eyes of God, the breastplate of the high priest was a part of the miniature of the coming New Jerusalem. Likewise, the church built with gold, silver, and precious stones is also a part of the miniature of the New Jerusalem. In the Old Testament we have Israel with twelve tribes. In the New Testament we have the church with twelve apostles. Hence, Israel plus the church equals the New Jerusalem. The names of the twelve tribes of Israel are on the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem, and the names of the twelve apostles of the church are on the twelve foundation stones of the city. This building covers the entire Bible from the beginning with a garden in Genesis to the conclusion with a city in Revelation. Between the garden and the city are two peoples, Israel and the church. Both Israel and the church have twelve names. Eventually, all of these have been transformed into gold, silver or pearl, and precious stones. Hence, the garden, the city, and the two peoples are all related to the three categories of precious materials.
In the Bible, between the garden and the city, there are not only the two peoples, Israel and the church, represented by gold and precious stones, built together as God's dwelling place, but there are also the life and the river enjoyed by these two peoples. Psalm 36:8-9 tells us that the children of Israel enjoyed the fountain of life and the river of pleasures in God. John 6 and 7 point out that the people in the church enjoy the bread of life and the rivers of living water. Hence, in the Bible there is the continued mention not only of the precious materials but also of the life and river mentioned at the beginning and at the end.
Why is pearl found in Genesis 2 and Revelation 21 and silver in 1 Corinthians 3? In 1 Corinthians 3 we have silver because in typology silver represents redemption. The meaning of redemption is to deal with sin. If there had been no sin, there would have been no need of redemption. In the garden of Genesis 2 there was no sin, and for eternity in the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21 sin will be banished. Sin came in from Genesis 3 and will be fully eliminated in Revelation 20. Thus, in neither Genesis 2 nor Revelation 21 do we find sin. Therefore, in these situations there is no need for redemption, for silver. The need there is not silver for redemption, but pearl for regeneration. Redemption is to take away sin; regeneration is to bring in the divine life. Silver stands for redemption between Genesis 2 and Revelation 21 because of the great problem of sin that necessitates redemption. In the present age we need silver.
With all of this as a background, we come to the subject of transformation. We have seen that God has a purpose, and for the fulfillment of His purpose He created man as a vessel to contain Him, making him with a human spirit. The Lord Jesus told the Samaritan woman that God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship in spirit (John 4:24). If we are going to worship God, we must use the proper organ. For example, we cannot drink water with our ears, but with our mouth. God is living water. If we want to drink Him as our living water, we must exercise our spirit to contact Him. When we exercise our spirit to contact God the Spirit, we are actually drinking of God as the living water (John 4:24, 14). Thus, God made man with a spirit to contact and worship Him.
God is life. God Himself is the tree of life. When He came in the flesh, He revealed Himself as life and as the life supply. Christ is the bread of life (John 6:35). Whatever we take into us as food will be assimilated into our being. This is very meaningful and significant. God is life to us in the form of food. We need to receive Him by eating Him. Once God enters into us, He becomes the flow of life within us. For proper eating we need food and drink. John 6 covers the bread of life for our eating, and John 7 covers the living water for our drinking. If we have food without water, it will be difficult for us to eat. How can we digest and assimilate our food without water? We need the flow of life. In Genesis 2 we have the tree of life for our food and the flowing river for our drink. Food comes first and drink follows. When we take in the Lord as our food, we will also have Him as the water flowing within us.

 

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE ELEVEN: GOD'S PROCEDURES TO FULFILL HIS PURPOSE (2)



In the past ten messages we have seen clearly from the holy Word that God's eternal purpose is to express Himself through man and to commit His authority to man that man may exercise His dominion on the earth. We have also seen that God's way to fulfill His purpose is by life. As the first step in the accomplishment of His purpose, God created mankind in a very specific way, forming them as vessels to contain Himself, not as instruments to work for Him. Romans 9 declares definitely that God made man out of clay as vessels of mercy unto honor and glory to contain God Himself. Thus, God created man with a special organ—the human spirit. We should never forget Zechariah 12:1 which says that God stretched forth the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him. In this universe three things are necessary for the fulfillment of God's purpose: the heavens, the earth, and the spirit of man. Our spirit is extremely important; it is just as vital for the accomplishment of God's purpose as are the heavens and the earth. Although the spirit of man is not spacious as the heavens or large as the earth, it is nevertheless the most crucial aspect of our being.
Job 32:8 says, "There is a spirit in man." Everyone knows that man has a heart, mind, will, and conscience, but few people realize that man has a spirit. By this we do not mean the Holy Spirit of God; we refer to the human spirit of man. We have such an organ created by God.
Consider the organs of our physical body: we have hearing organs, seeing organs, smelling, tasting, and touching organs. With my eyes I can see many different colors. If I were blind, I would be unable to substantiate the existence of these colors. Although colors would continue to exist, I would have no way to substantiate them, for a certain object can only be substantiated by the organ specifically designed for that purpose. As I am speaking, your ears substantiate the sound of my voice. If you had no ears, it would seem as if my voice did not exist. The same is true for our sense of smell. Although there may be a fragrant aroma in this room, we need the sense of smell to substantiate it.
God has not only created our physical organs, but also our psychological organs. How can we verify the existence of thought? We substantiate thought by the function of our mind. Likewise, by the emotional organ of joy in our soul, we can sense happiness. We substantiate the existence of thought and joy by the appropriate psychological organs in our soul.
In addition to our physical and psychological organs, God has created a spiritual organ—the human spirit. Although it is difficult to understand our spirit, we can know something about it through the function of our conscience. Although few people understand the human spirit, everybody knows the meaning of conscience. According to the Bible, the conscience is the main organ of our human spirit. Where is our conscience located? It is not easy to determine. In fact, it is also difficult to locate our emotion, mind, and heart. Actually, we have two hearts, a physical heart and a psychological heart. It is easy to locate our physical heart, but difficult to find our psychological heart. We cannot deny that we have such a heart, but we are unable to locate it. The same is true for our conscience. Although we are unable to locate it, we know it exists because it constantly accuses or excuses us. Our conscience continually protests against our reasoning and our emotions. For example, some young people in school are tempted to steal when they think of others as being rich and having everything and of themselves as poor. Thus, they decide to steal from others, making some flimsy excuse to justify their action. The mind agrees, the emotions approve, and the will decides. However, as the young person is about to steal something, his conscience protests, "Don't do this; it is not right." Even if he should ignore the feeling of his conscience and steal something, the voice of his conscience will condemn him for many days. This inner voice is not from the mind, emotion, or heart; it is from the conscience, and the conscience is the main part of our spirit.
Now we must relate this to a very important matter about God. What is God? God is a spiritual substance. In John 4:24 Jesus says that God is Spirit. This table next to me is made of wood; wood is its substance. Likewise, God is Spirit; the substance of the divine being of God is Spirit. The organ by which we can substantiate such a divine being is our human spirit. If we try to experience God without exercising our spirit, it will be like attempting to substantiate colors without exercising our sight. If we use the wrong organ, it is impossible to substantiate God. We praise God that in His creation He formed a spirit within us. Since we were made as vessels to contain God, we do need our spirit as the proper receiver.
The receiver in our physical body is our stomach. If we had a mouth without a stomach, it would be impossible to receive food for the supply of the whole body. The stomach is not only a receiver but also a digestive organ which assimilates food and dispenses it into the blood cells. Eventually, the substance of the digested and assimilated food becomes our very organic tissues. God has the intention of dispensing Himself into us. How can He do this? He does it by being food to us. The Lord Jesus Himself told us that He came as the bread of life (John 6:35). He also said, "He who eats Me shall also live because of Me" (John 6:57). This means that Jesus is not only our Savior, Redeemer, and life, but also our life supply. He is the bread of life. God desires to dispense Himself into us by being food for us to receive. What organ do we use to take God into us? Our human spirit.
We need to pray. Praying is not simply asking God to do things for us. This understanding of prayer is too shallow. Prayer is breathing. Whenever we pray, "O Father in heaven," or call, "O Lord Jesus," that is breathing. As we breathe, we take breath into us. Likewise, whenever we pray to God by exercising our spirit, we receive His divine being into our spirit. Within our spirit we contain Him and, in a sense, we assimilate Him and dispense His divine elements into our whole being. In this way God comes into us as life. As human beings, we were made by God in a very specific manner: we were made as vessels with a receiver, our human spirit. This was the first step God took to accomplish His purpose.

 

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE TEN: GOD'S PROCEDURES TO FULFILL HIS PURPOSE (1)



In the previous messages we have covered the first main point of the book of Genesis—the desire and purpose of God. This was revealed in Genesis 1:1—2:3. God's desire and purpose are to have a corporate man to express Him in His image and to represent Him with His authority. Now we must ask a question: how can man express God in His image and represent Him with His authority? This brings us to the second main point of this book.

 

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE NINE: GOD'S RESTORATION AND FURTHER CREATION (6) ULTIMATE CONSUMMATION



We continue with the subject of the ultimate consummation. As we have seen in the previous message, the first item of this consummation was God expressed and represented. That was the climax. Based upon this point, we will consider several other points.

 

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE EIGHT: GOD'S RESTORATION AND FURTHER CREATION (5) ULTIMATE CONSUMMATION



d. Ultimate Consummation


In this message we come to the ultimate consummation, the climax of Genesis 1. We need to recall the various steps in the process of God's restoration and further creation. The Spirit was brooding over the darkness and death. Light came, and there was a division between light and darkness. God made the expanse to divide the things above from the things beneath. Next God called the dry land out of the death waters. Out of the dry land the plant life was generated. After the plant life, the fourth-day lights came in to shine upon the earth. Then came the fish life, the bird life, the cattle life, the beast life, and all the creeping things. Eventually, God created man. Man is the climax of God's creation because man bears God's image. This is not a small thing.

 

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE SEVEN: GOD'S RESTORATION AND FURTHER CREATION (4) PURPOSE



We have seen that man is the center of God's creation and that the human life is the highest created life. We should never forget the nine items of life mentioned in Genesis chapter one: the grass, the herbs, the trees, the fish, the birds, the cattle, the beasts, the creeping things, and man. Man is the highest created life. According to the record of Genesis 1, when God reached the point of creating man, He held a conference. This conference among the Godhead was very impressive. God said, "Let us..." This is quite meaningful. The three Persons of the Godhead were needed for the creation of man. The subsequent books of the whole Bible develop the subject of the work of the Triune God upon man. God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." Then God said, "Let them." God did not say men; He said man. Man is a singular noun, but them is a plural pronoun. "Let us make man...let them..." Was there one God or many? Was there one man or many? Our God is One, but triune. Man is one, but corporate. Hallelujah! Never forget the two "lets" in Genesis 1:26. God said, "Let us" and God said, "let them." The word "us" reveals that the one God is triune; the word "them" reveals that the one man is corporate. The Triune God created a corporate man.

 

 

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE SIX: GOD'S RESTORATION AND FURTHER CREATION (3) PURPOSE



In this message we will consider the creation of the human life, the higher life with the highest consciousness. Since the last message was a parenthesis, we now continue our study with the process of God's restoration and further creation.

 

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE FIVE: THE FOURTH-DAY LIGHTS (A PARENTHESIS)



Before we study the creation of man, we need to consider, as a parenthesis, the matter of the fourth-day lights. In Genesis 1, it is recorded that on the first day of restoration God summoned the light. The first day was a day of light and that light may be called the first-day light. On the fourth day, God did something further regarding light. He made the light bearers—the sun, the moon, and the stars. The Bible does not tell us what kind of light was present on the first day, and there is no need for us to guess. The light of the first day was not very solid, strong, or definite. It was not given a specific designation; it was simply called "light." However, the lights of the fourth day—the sun, the moon, and the stars—were definite and solid, strong and available.
If we pay attention to the record of Genesis 1, we can see that God's restoration with His further creation was accomplished in six days. These six days were not for God's original creation. God's original creation was accomplished in Genesis chapter 1, verse 1. After creation, there was a great change which occurred somewhere in chapter 1, verse 2, and God came in to judge the universe. After that judgment, there was a long period of time. Then, God came in to restore and to have some further creation. This restoration with its further creation was accomplished in six days which may be divided into two sections: the first three days considered as the first section; the last three days considered as the second section. Each section begins with a day of light. The light of the first day was the first-day light; the lights of the fourth day were the fourth-day lights. On the first day, God called for the light. On the fourth day He restored the sun, the moon, and the stars. This is very meaningful.
These days of light mark the beginning of God's creation of life. According to the revelation of the whole Bible, light is for life. Once again, we see that God's creation is completely focused on life. All that God created and made was focused on life and was for life. Thus, there is the need for light. Light and life always go together. On the contrary, darkness and death always go together. Before God's restoration, darkness covered the death waters, meaning that darkness and death were one. Death is abstract and no one can see it. Therefore, the Bible uses water to signify death. The deep water of the ocean is a picture of death. Before God's restoration, there were only two things—darkness and death.
God is life and light, the exact opposite of death and darkness. The very God of light can never tolerate darkness, so He came to dispel it. Also, the God of life can never tolerate death, so He came in to swallow it up. When you read the Bible, don't take a scientific view—take God's view. If we read the Bible from God's point of view, every line will be full of light and life because the Bible is a record of the Divine Being who is light and life. The God of light and life came in to eliminate darkness and death.
On the first day, God commanded the light to come and light came. Then, God divided light from darkness. That division was a limitation to the darkness. The God of light seemed to say to the darkness, "Darkness, listen to Me. You have been prevailing for a time and you have filled the whole universe. Now, My light comes in to limit you. You can only prevail during the night. There is no room for you in the day. I limit you. I divide light from you. Never again can you occupy the whole universe. For at least half the time the universe must belong to Me." Hallelujah!
This was good; however, it was only half good. A certain amount of darkness remains. God is still working to eliminate this dark part until we arrive at Revelation 21 and 22 where there is the declaration, "night shall not be there" (21:25b). Hallelujah! One day there will be no more night.
God limited the darkness on the first day and, in the same principle, He limited the death waters on the third day. In Jeremiah 5:22 we read that God limited the death waters with sand, the smallest particles of rocks. God told the death waters, "This is your limitation. You cannot go beyond it." Thus, the dry land appeared, making a separation between the land and the sea. After the first day of God's restoring creation, it was half light and half darkness; after the third day, it was half land and half water. God is still working to eliminate the second half of the night and the second half of the death waters. In the new heavens and the new earth, there will be no more sea (Rev. 21:1); in the New Jerusalem, there will be no more night (Rev. 21:25b; 22:5). This means that both darkness and death will be completely eliminated.
Check with yourself. How much darkness do you have? How much death do you have? You need to answer to the Lord. If in your Christian life, you are constantly growing in the Lord's presence, one day you will be able to tell Satan, "Satan, I have no night. My day is twenty-four hours long. There is no death water with me. In my whole Christian life, everywhere, in every corner and on every avenue, there is dry land. There is no more sea." We all must be like this.
To be like this we need the fourth-day lights. The first-day light only eliminates half of our darkness and half of our death. The fourth-day lights will bring us to another world where there is no night and no sea.
All the truths in the Bible were sown as seeds in the book of Genesis, especially in the first chapter. Genesis 1:14-18 is a wonderful seed of the light revealed throughout the Bible. According to the principle of life, the fourth-day lights are not for generating life; they are for the growth of life. On the third day, perhaps at the last part of that day, after the Lord called out the dry land and the land emerged out of the death waters, life was generated. By that time there were light, air, and land—three elements necessary for generating life. After the dry land appeared, plant life was generated. Although God was not happy at the end of the second day—He did not say that it was good—He was surely happy at the end of the third day when He saw the light, the air, the dry land, and all the plant life. God saw the grass, the herbs, and the trees, and said that it was good. Before that time, there had been no created life on the earth.
Starting with the plant life, life was generated. But that was the lowest life, the life with the lowest consciousness, unable to walk, unable to talk, and unable to understand God. God may speak to a lily a thousand times, but the lily cannot respond to Him because the life of a lily is too low. Although life was present, it needed to grow. The fourth-day lights were needed for the growth of life. The first-day light was for generating life; the fourth-day lights were for the growth of life. On the fourth day the solid lights were prepared; no other work was done.
Many of you young people have received the first-day light, but I doubt very much whether you have entered into the fourth-day lights. The fourth-day lights are different from the first-day light. The first-day light was indefinite; the fourth-day lights are definite. Now we need to see what the sun, moon, and stars prefigure in typology.

 

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE FOUR: GOD'S RESTORATION AND FURTHER CREATION (2) PROCESS

In the last message we covered six points, including three comings and three separations. The Spirit came, the Word of God came, and the light came. As a result of this, there were three separations: light was separated from darkness; the waters above were separated from the waters below; and the dry land was separated from the death waters. By these three separations the dry land emerged out of the waters of death on the third day, the day of resurrection. The Lord Jesus is the dry land Who came out of the death water. He was resurrected that He might regenerate us.
In the Old Testament, the land typifies Christ as the generating source. This land was buried beneath the waters of death and appeared again on the third day. As the record of the Old Testament reveals, every kind of life was produced out of this land: the plant life, the animal life, and even the human life came out of the earth. Man was made from the dust of the earth. This typifies that every kind of life comes out of Christ.
After the fall of humanity and during the time of Noah, the land was once again covered by the waters of death (Gen. 7:17-24), signifying that man was severed from Christ. Humanity was severed from the enjoyment of the good land. After this, the land was recovered again (Gen. 8:13-17, 22). The land was recovered until the day of Babel when man fell even further and the whole human race rose up in rebellion against God (Gen. 11:1-9). Thus, God called out a race with Abraham as the father to enter into the high land, the good land of Canaan (Gen. 12:1, 5, 7). This good land also signifies Christ. Abraham was called out of Babel into the good land. We have been called out of rebellion into Christ, our good land (1 Cor. 1:9). Now this good land is ours, ready to produce life.

 

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE THREE: GOD'S RESTORATION AND FURTHER CREATION (1) PROCESS



As we have seen already, God's creation is fully covered in chapter 1, verse 1. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Also, Satan's rebellion is covered in the first half of verse 2. "And the earth became waste and empty; and darkness was upon the surface of the deep." In verse 2a, there are five main points: the fact that the earth became something different from what it was originally; the waste and the emptiness; the darkness and the deep. Keep these five items in mind. After the earth was judged due to Satan's rebellion, it became waste and empty.
Darkness is another indication of judgment. Exodus 10:21-22 and Revelation 16:10 show that darkness is a result of God's judgment. There was darkness when God exercised His judgment upon Pharaoh, and there will be darkness when He exercises His judgment over the antichrist. Thus, the darkness in Genesis 1:2a points to God's judgment.
In addition, we know that light accompanies life and that darkness always signifies death. Where life is, there is light; where death is, there is darkness. The reverse is also true: where there is death, there is darkness. Thus, the darkness in Genesis 1:2 also signifies that the earth was under a condition of death.
The word "deep" means the deep water. In the Bible, water has two meanings and symbolizes two different things, one positive and the other negative. In the positive sense, water always signifies something living. The flowing water brings life to people and quenches their thirst. In the negative sense, water signifies death. For instance, when we were baptized in water, that water represented death. Also, the waters of the Red Sea and the waters of the River Jordan both represent death. The water mentioned in Genesis 1:2 doesn't represent life, but indicates death. Therefore, we conclude that the earth was under death. The earth not only was waste, empty, and meaningless, but was filled with death and was under death. In the midst of this situation, God came in.

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE TWO: SATAN'S REBELLION AND CORRUPTION



2. Satan's Rebellion and Corruption


We come to the matter of Satan's rebellion and corruption. That we should now study this subject may come as a surprise. We have been considering God's creation and suddenly we turn to Satan's rebellion. What does this mean? We must approach this matter with a sober mind in order that we may be crystal clear.
Many good Christians think that Genesis 1:1 is the subject of the first two chapters of Genesis. They were taught that these two chapters are a record of God's creation, and that chapter 1, verse 1 is the subject. But if verse 1 is the subject, how can verse 2 start with "and"? "And" means that something is going on already, and then something else happens to follow it. "And" is a conjunction which combines two things: the first thing goes and the second thing comes. Even the grammar shows that verse 1 is not the subject, but part of the description. It describes the first event in a series. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and..." This means that after God created, something happened.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth became waste and empty." The Concordant Version of Genesis translates the verse this way: "Yet the earth became a chaos and vacant." The Concordant Version does not say "and"; it says "yet." "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Yet the earth became a chaos and vacant." A chaos is a mess. The earth became a chaos—waste and vacant. If you build some apartments and no one dwells in them, they are vacant. We may render this phrase as either "a chaos and vacant" or "waste and empty." Something happened between verse 1 and verse 2 which caused the earth to become waste and empty.

 

LIFE-STUDY OF GENESIS MESSAGE ONE GENESIS—THE GENERAL SKETCH AND CENTRAL THOUGHT

A WONDERFUL BOOK


The Bible is a wonderful book. It is "The Book" among all books! It took 1600 years to complete, starting with Moses, the greatest prophet of God, and ending with the Apostle John. It was confirmed 300 years later (397 A.D.) at a council held at Carthage in North Africa. Not long after that, the Bible was locked away from the people by the Catholic Church. For nearly a thousand years, from the 6th century through the 15th century, the Bible was locked up. History calls this period the Dark Age. Human society became dark because the Bible, containing all the divine light, was locked away from humanity.
Then, in the Reformation, God used Martin Luther to unlock the Bible. At the same time, printing was invented, allowing the Bible to be printed. Although the Bible was unlocked, it was not so open. Yet, we thank the Lord that during the past five centuries He has opened up His Word again and again through many great teachers. We stand on their shoulders and we are grateful to them. Yet, how we thank the Lord that today the Bible is so open to us, allowing us to have a rich life-study of the living Word.

Life-Study of Genesis CONTENTS

  1. Genesis—the General Sketch and Central Thought
  2. Satan's Rebellion and Corruption
  3. God's Restoration and Further Creation (1) — Process
  4. God's Restoration and Further Creation (2) — Process
  5. The Fourth-Day Lights (A Parenthesis)
  6. God's Restoration and Further Creation (3) — Purpose
  7. God's Restoration and Further Creation (4) — Purpose
  8. God's Restoration and Further Creation (5) — Ultimate Consummation
  9. God's Restoration and Further Creation (6) — Ultimate Consummation
  10. God's Procedures to Fulfill His Purpose (1)
  11. God's Procedures to Fulfill His Purpose (2)
  12. Transformation for Building in the Flow of Life
  13. The Two Trees (1)
  14. The Two Trees (2)
  15. The Line of Life Throughout the Scriptures
  16. The Line of Knowledge Throughout the Scriptures
  17. To Work God Into Man as Life
  18. The First Fall of Man
  19. God's Dealing with Man's First Fall (1)
  20. The Serpent, the Woman, and the Seed of the Woman
  21. God's Dealing with Man's First Fall (2)
  22. The Second Fall of Man (1)
  23. Cain and Abel
  24. The Second Fall of Man (2)
  25. The Second Fall of Man (3)
  26. The Way to Escape the Ultimate Issue of Man's Fall
  27. The Third Fall of Man
  28. The Way of Salvation from Man's Third Fall (1)
  29. The Life and Work that Changed the Age
  30. The Way of Salvation from Man's Third Fall (2)
  31. Saved Through Water
  32. Life in Resurrection (1)
  33. Life in Resurrection (2)
  34. Life in Resurrection (3)
  35. Life in Resurrection (4)
  36. The Fourth Fall of Man
  37. The Significance of God's Calling
  38. The Background and Origin of God's Calling and the Experience of the Called
  39. The Motive and Strength of Being Called
  40. The Progress in Answering God's Calling
  41. Living by Faith
  42. The Trial of the Called
  43. The Victory of the Called
  44. The Seed and the Land
  45. God's Covenant with Abraham
  46. The Allegory of the Two Women
  47. God's Covenant Confirmed with Circumcision
  48. The Unveiling of the the Divine Title and the Changing of Human Names for the Fulfilling of God's Purpose
  49. Circumcision for the Fulfillment of God's Purpose
  50. Communion with God on the Human Level
  51. A Glorious Intercession
  52. A Defeated Righteous Man
  53. A Pillar of Salt
  54. The Seed by Incest
  55. The Hidden Weakness and a Shameful Intercession
  56. The Birth and Growth of Isaac
  57. The Offering of Isaac (1)
  58. The Offering of Isaac (2)
  59. The Death and Burial of Sarah
  60. The Marriage of Isaac—a Practical Living in Oneness with the Lord
  61. The Marriage of Isaac—a Type of Christ Marrying the Church
  62. Having No Maturity in Life
  63. Inheriting Grace
  64. Resting and Enjoying
  65. Having Natural Weakness as Abraham and Living in the Natural Life as Jacob
  66. Being Chosen
  67. Being Dealt With (1)
  68. Being Dealt With (2)
  69. Being Dealt With (3)
  70. Being Dealt With (4)
  71. Being Dealt With (5)
  72. Being Dealt With (6)
  73. Being Dealt With (7)
  74. Being Dealt With (8)
  75. Being Broken
  76. After Breaking
  77. A Bird's-Eye View of God's Building in the Scriptures
  78. Being Transformed (1)
  79. Being Transformed (2)
  80. Being Transformed (3)
  81. Being Transformed (4)
  82. Being Transformed (5)
  83. Being Transformed (6)
  84. Being Transformed (7)
  85. The Builder of the Pillars—the Skillful Hiram (1)
  86. The Builder of the Pillars—the Skillful Hiram (2)
  87. Being Transformed (8)
  88. The Way to be Perfected as a Pillar
  89. Being Transformed (9)
  90. Being Transformed (10)
  91. The Three Pillars and the One Tower in Jacob's Life
  92. The Process of Maturity (1)
  93. The Process of Maturity (2)
  94. The Manifestation of Maturity (1)
  95. Blessing
  96. The Shiftings of the Birthright in the Scripture
  97. The Manifestation of Maturity (2)
  98. The Manifestation of Maturity (3)
  99. The Manifestation of Maturity (4)
  100. The Spiritual Significance of the Blessing Prophesied Concerning Judah, Zebulun, and Issachar (1)
  101. The Spiritual Significance of the Blessing Prophesied Concerning Judah, Zebulun, and Issachar (2)
  102. The Manifestation of Maturity (5)
  103. The Spiritual Significance of Dan, Gad, Asher, and Naphtali
  104. The Manifestation of Maturity (6)
  105. The Spiritual Significance of Joseph and Benjamin (1)
  106. The Spiritual Significance of Joseph and Benjamin (2)
  107. The Spiritual Significance of Joseph and Benjamin (3)
  108. The Ultimate Consummation of God's Operation in the Bible
  109. The Manifestation of Maturity (7)
  110. The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (1)
  111. Joseph's Living Corresponding with His Vision
  112. The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (2)
  113. The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (3)
  114. The Secret of Joseph's Release and Exaltation
  115. The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (4)
  116. Joseph's Dealing with His Brothers
  117. The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (5)
  118. The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (6)
  119. The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (7)
  120. The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (8)