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.
3. God's Restoration and Further Creation— 1:2b—2:3
Genesis 1:2b does not refer to God's original creation—that was
completed with verse 1—but God's restoration. God was going to restore what had
been damaged, and was going to have some further creation. For instance, this
time God created man. Man was a being created by God, not a being restored by
God. Genesis 1:2b—2:25 is a portion of the divine Word showing us God's
restoration of the damaged universe, plus His further creation.
We need to read chapter 2, verse 4. "These are the
generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day
that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens." Most people pay little
attention to this verse; yet, it is very meaningful. It shows us both God's
original creation and God's restoration. The first half of the verse says, "...the
heavens and the earth when they were created..." Notice that the heavens
are mentioned first and then the earth, and that the verb used here is
"created." The second half of the verse says, "...in the day
that the Lord God made..." Here, the verb has been changed from
"created" to "made." As we have pointed out in the first
message, to create means to produce something out of nothing, and to make means
to work upon an existing substance in order to produce something else out of
it. We need to see that originally the heavens and the earth were created. Then
the second half of the verse says, "...in the day that the Lord God made
the earth and the heavens." Have you noticed the change in the sequence?
First, God created the heavens and the earth; then, He made the earth and the
heavens.
In Genesis 1:1 God created. "In the beginning God created
[firstly] the heavens and [then] the earth." Then, from verse 3 to the end
of chapter 1, the Lord made the earth and the heavens. "...the Lord made
the earth and the heavens" (Gen. 2:4b). If we read chapter 1 again, we can
see that on the third day the Lord recovered the earth. God did not create the
earth, for it was there already, submerged beneath the waters. So the Lord
recovered the earth on the third day. Also, on the fourth day, the Lord
recovered the sky, that is the heavens. Thus, in the restoration, it was not
the heavens and the earth; it was firstly the earth, and then the heavens. But
in the creation, it was firstly the heavens and then the earth. We can see both
of these things in Genesis 2:4.
As we have pointed out strongly in the first message, the first
two chapters of Genesis appear to be a record of God's creation, but the
underlying thought is completely a matter of life. This is why some people
consider that chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis are too simple, too brief, to be a
record of creation. We agree. As a record of God's creation, it is too simple.
But we know that the Bible is not a record of creation, neither a record of
history, nor a record of any stories. The Bible is completely a book of life.
The whole Bible is focused on life. If we read the first chapter of Genesis
carefully and have light from the Holy Spirit, we can realize that it is
absolutely a chapter of life. It was written from the point of view of life.
You may say that the word "life" is not found in this
chapter. This is true. Nevertheless, we can find many items pertaining to life.
When God recovered the earth on the third day, all kinds of plant life were
produced. Then came the animal life in the water, the animal life in the air,
the animal life on the earth, the human life, and ultimately the divine life in
chapter 2. Hallelujah! Life is the focus of these two chapters. From this
perspective, we can surely understand the record of Genesis 1.
a. Process
1) The Spirit Came—1:2b
God's original creation was damaged by Satan's rebellion and then
judged by God Himself. After God's judgment, there remained nothing except
darkness upon the surface of the deep water. This signifies a death condition.
In the midst of this death condition, the Bible suddenly says, "And the
Spirit of God was brooding upon the surface of the waters." Isn't this
wonderful? The Spirit was brooding. Hallelujah! "The Spirit was
brooding" as a hen broods over her eggs in order to produce little
chickens. When the Bible first says something about the Spirit, it doesn't say
"the power of the Spirit," "the might of the Spirit," but
it says that the "Spirit of God was brooding over the surface of the
waters." This means that He was preparing to generate life. We need to see
that the record of Genesis 1 is something related to life, to God's gospel, and
to spiritual things. For this we have a strong proof in 2 Corinthians 4:6. Paul
says, "God who said, Out of darkness light shall shine, is the One who
shined in our hearts for the illumination of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Christ." This certainly was a reference to chapter one of
Genesis. By this one verse, we can realize that everything recorded in Genesis
1 must be related to life, to God's shining, and to God's gospel. Based upon
this verse, we need to interpret everything according to life.
We need to recall our condition before we were saved. We were just
waste and empty, our lives were meaningless, and we were covered with darkness.
Within us was an abyss, a bottomless pit. And in this abyss was a swarm of
demons, driving us to lose our temper, to gamble, to go to the movies, and to
do many other evil things. We were waste and empty, yet full of darkness and
death.
But, hallelujah! One day, some living One began to hover over us,
to work within our heart, to brood upon the death and the deep within us. This
was not something psychological or ethical, but the living One working within
us, working so gently, lovingly, like a big hen brooding over the eggs in her
nest. This is the brooding and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord Jesus said (John 16:8-11) that when the Holy Spirit is
come, He will reprove, He will convince the world (meaning humanity) of sin
(related to Adam), of righteousness (related to Christ), and of judgment
(related to Satan). He will rebuke in a brooding way, in a very kind way, not
in a violent way. In the whole universe, there are only three persons—Adam,
Christ, and Satan. The Holy Spirit works within us, convincing us that we were
born in Adam and have nothing but sin, that we have no way to escape sin and
Adam's influence without believing in Christ. The Holy Spirit will brood within
us and speak to us, saying, "Look, Jesus died on the cross for you and He
has accomplished everything that is required by God. Now the real righteousness
is with Him. If you turn to Him and believe in Him, you will receive Him as
your righteousness. He has passed through incarnation, He has passed through
life on this earth, He has passed through crucifixion and resurrection. Now He
is accepted by God at His right hand. He is there as the proof that if you
believe on Him, you will be free of sin and obtain righteousness. If you don't
do this, you will go with Satan into God's judgment." By this brooding of
the Holy Spirit, you will be fully convinced and will say, "Lord Jesus, I
have nothing to say, but I thank You." By this, you are regenerated, you
are born again of the Spirit (John 3:6-7). Hallelujah!
The Spirit of God came. This coming of the Holy Spirit is the
first requirement for generating life. The Spirit came to brood over the waters
of death which submerged the earth, brooding that life might be generated.
2) The Word Came—1:3a
The Word of God came to bring in the light. This is the second
requirement for generating life. Verse 3 reads, "And God said..." God
spoke; that was the Word of God. To speak is not a small thing. Suppose I come
to the platform and remain silent, while you look at me and I look at you. What
is this? This is death. If I am a living person, I cannot just stand here and
be silent for an hour. As long as I am living, I must speak. When I speak, it
means that I am living, and that what I speak will be something living. God
spoke and the Word of God came to bring in the light. "And God said, Let
there be light." The divine Word always brings us light. Hallelujah!
Check with your own experience. First, the Spirit broods over you.
Then comes the speaking. Through that speaking, you receive a living Word and
that living Word enlightens you within. When God speaks, He commands the light
to shine out of darkness. "God who said, Out of darkness light shall
shine, is the One who shined in our hearts..." Hallelujah! God's speaking
brings in light.
The Lord Jesus said that whoever hears His Word and believes has
life (John 5:24). If we hear the Lord's Word and believe, we have life. James
1:18 tells us that God has brought us forth with His Word.
3) The Light Came—1:3
Now we come to the third requirement for generating life: the
light came to dispel the darkness that covered the waters of death. Praise the
Lord. This is really meaningful. I can testify that when I was saved, it was
exactly like this: firstly, the Spirit came; secondly, the Word of God came;
thirdly, the light came. I was enlightened within. Something was shining within
me. I believe that this was also your experience.
In addition to 2 Corinthians 4:6, we have John 1:4, 5, and 9.
"In the beginning was the Word...In Him was life, and the life was the
light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not
overcome it" (John 1:1, 4-5). Darkness can never overcome light. Light
always dispels darkness. When light comes, darkness must flee.
Who and what is light? Light is Christ, the living Word of God.
When Christ came as the real Light to shine in the darkness, the darkness could
not overcome Him. He is the real Light.
We should remember the three comings: the coming of the Spirit,
the coming of the Word, and the coming of Light. Following these comings, are
three separations, three divisions.
4) The Separation of Light from Darkness—1:4-5
The first separation was between light and darkness. This was the
fourth requirement for generating life. This separation was for the purpose of
discerning day from night, causing the light to be set apart. This is more
difficult to understand, but an illustration will make it clear.
Immediately after you were saved, you didn't have any discernment
and were unable to distinguish between light and darkness. After you were saved
awhile and had gone on with the Lord, gradually there was a separation within
you and you had the discernment to say, "This is light and that is
darkness. I will keep the light, but not the darkness." Before we were
saved, we had no day at all, only a night of twenty-four hours. We were
constantly in the night, a dark and cloudy night with no stars. But, praise the
Lord! From the day we were saved, something began to dawn like the morning.
This is the day.
Perhaps your first day was only four hours long, and then evening
came again. Regardless of how long it was, you had your first day. Praise the
Lord! After ten hours of night, you came to a meeting and in that meeting you
saw the dawn. It was another day and you shouted, "Hallelujah!" Then
you went to school or to work and evening came again. Don't be
disappointed—evening is a sign that morning will come. Also, when you are in
the morning, be prepared for the evening to come again. In Genesis 1:5, it
doesn't say morning and evening; it says evening and morning because we came
out of the night. "And evening and morning were the first day."
Praise the Lord!
With the young people the night is always longer, but with the old
folks the night is shorter. Because I am experienced, my spiritual day is
longer than yours. My spiritual day is nineteen hours and my spiritual night
only five hours. When we get into the New Jerusalem, there will be no night at
all (Rev. 21:25). You need to grow. Perhaps your day is just ten hours and your
night fourteen hours. You need to grow for your days to be longer and your
nights to be shorter.
We need the separation of day and night, the discernment between
light and darkness. In 2 Corinthians 6:14, Paul asks, "What fellowship has
light with darkness?" This word must also refer to Genesis 1. God has
separated light from darkness; so don't try to mix them. Light has nothing to
do with darkness. What kind of fellowship can light have with darkness? This
means that we are children of light and that we shouldn't be yoked or mingled
with the people living in darkness. We must maintain the separation. They are
children of darkness and we are children of light. We all must say, "What
communion can there be between light and darkness?" This is a real
separation. If we keep this requirement, we will have more light.
5) The Separation of Waters under the Expanse
from Waters above the Expanse—1:6-8
We proceed to the fifth requirement for generating life:
separating the waters of death by making an expanse. The waters which are above
the expanse must be divided from the waters which are under the expanse. To
divide light from darkness is rather objective; to divide the waters above the
expanse from the waters under the expanse is more subjective. We need the
second separation—dividing the heavenly things from the earthly things (Col.
3:1-3). The waters under the expanse represent the earthly things, while the
waters above the expanse represent heavenly things. Some things may not be
dark, but they are earthly, not heavenly.
Suppose, as I am speaking, I wear a cowboy hat, cowboy outfit, and
boots. That is not something dark, but it is earthly. Suppose I wear a wide
necktie, eight inches wide, colored with green, red, blue, purple, and bright
yellow. If I were to wear this, it would prove that I am lacking the expanse.
What is this expanse? The expanse is simply the atmosphere, the
air surrounding the earth. Without the atmosphere no life could ever be
generated upon the earth. There is no life on the moon because there is no
expanse around the moon. God created the expanse surrounding the earth so that
the earth may produce life. After being saved, we not only have the light
within us, but also the air, the expanse. Something has come into us to
separate the heavenly things from the earthly things, the things above which
are acceptable to God from the things below which are not acceptable to Him.
What is this? This is the dividing work of the cross. After we have been saved
and have gone on with the Lord, we will experience the cross. The cross
divides. It divides the natural things from the spiritual things, it divides
the holy things from the common things, and it divides the heavenly things from
the earthly things. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the living Word can separate us
to such an extent that our soul is divided from our spirit. I may say or do
something good; yet that good word or deed does not have its source in the
spirit, but in the soul. Morally speaking, ethically speaking, or humanly
speaking, there is nothing wrong. But spiritually speaking, the source is not
of God, not of the heavens. It is not of the spirit, but of the soul, of the
earth. Thus, we need a further division: not only a separation between light
and darkness, but also a discernment between the spirit (the things above) and
the soul (the things beneath).
Have you ever noticed in Genesis 1 that on every day, except the
second, after God had accomplished something He looked at it and it was good.
But on the second day there is no such record. Genesis doesn't say that God saw
the waters and the air and said that they were good. Why? Because the air is
full of fallen angels and the waters full of demons. Remember that the demons
have their dwelling place in the waters. On the second day, there was something
which really was not good: in the air were the fallen angels and in the waters
were the demons. We must realize that whatever is of us, even once the cross
has divided it, is nevertheless not good. Whatever is of us is not good. God
cannot say that it is good.
6) The Separation of the Earth from the Waters—1:9-10
After the second day, we have the third day—the day of
resurrection. On the third day, the day of resurrection, the dry land appeared
under the expanse for generating life. This is the sixth requirement for
generating life. In the whole Bible, the sea represents death and the earth
represents Christ Himself. The Bible tells us that, eventually, after God has
worked through many generations, the sea will be eliminated. After Satan's
rebellion and God's judgment of the original creation, there was nearly nothing
except waters. Then, God came in to restore by the brooding Spirit, the living
Word, and the dividing light. On the second day, the expanse divided the
waters, and on the third day God gathered the waters together under the expanse
that the dry land might appear for producing life. This means that God had been
working on the waters, seeking to confine and limit them. In Jeremiah 5:22 we
are told that God drew a line to limit the sea. Today, God is still working to
eliminate the sea because in it there are demons. The sea represents something
demonic, something devilish. Eventually, when God's work is completed, there
will be no more sea. In the new heavens and new earth there is only land, no
sea (Rev. 21:1). The sea representing a main part of Satan's kingdom has been
eliminated. Praise the Lord!
The dry land appeared in order to produce life, to generate life.
On the third day, Christ came out of death. Christ came out of death in
resurrection just to generate life. Hallelujah!
Although you may be saved, the darkness within has not been
cleared up, the waters have not been divided and confined, and the things of
death have not been limited. As you are going on with the Lord, the waters of
death within you will gradually be confined, limited, and eliminated. Within
you, the dry land will rise up. That is Christ. That is Christ in resurrection.
First Peter 1:3 tells us that we have been regenerated by the resurrection of
Christ. Without the resurrected Christ, there is no possibility for any life to
be generated.
The land was separated from the waters. The land signifies life
and the waters signify death. To divide the land from the waters means to separate
life from death.
As we grow in the Lord, we learn how to discern light from
darkness, separate heavenly things from earthly things, and divide life from
death. In my speaking I may have nothing dark and nothing earthly; yet I speak
without life. I am devoid of life. My speaking is genuine and proper, with
nothing of darkness and nothing worldly, but nevertheless is full of death. So,
I must pray, "Lord Jesus, drive away all the death waters within me that
the dry land may appear to produce life." In my speaking there should be
nothing of darkness, nothing of this earth, and nothing of death. Within my
speaking there must be the dry land that produces life.
In your family life, there may be nothing of darkness, nothing
worldly, but also nothing of life. When someone comes into your home, he cannot
see anything dark or worldly; neither can he see anything living. All that he
can see there is death. But I hope that when I come to see you, I will see that
everything is full of life. Christ, the dry land, is appearing in your home.
Christ is manifested, producing life in your home.
On the dry land there is no darkness and no waters of death. We
just have the dry land filled with every kind of life. So, I say once again
that what is revealed to us in Genesis is completely a matter of life.
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