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.
Kamis, 04 April 2013
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
- Genesis—the General Sketch and Central Thought
- Satan's Rebellion and Corruption
- God's Restoration and Further Creation (1) — Process
- God's Restoration and Further Creation (2) — Process
- The Fourth-Day Lights (A Parenthesis)
- God's Restoration and Further Creation (3) — Purpose
- God's Restoration and Further Creation (4) — Purpose
- God's Restoration and Further Creation (5) — Ultimate Consummation
- God's Restoration and Further Creation (6) — Ultimate Consummation
- God's Procedures to Fulfill His Purpose (1)
- God's Procedures to Fulfill His Purpose (2)
- Transformation for Building in the Flow of Life
- The Two Trees (1)
- The Two Trees (2)
- The Line of Life Throughout the Scriptures
- The Line of Knowledge Throughout the Scriptures
- To Work God Into Man as Life
- The First Fall of Man
- God's Dealing with Man's First Fall (1)
- The Serpent, the Woman, and the Seed of the Woman
- God's Dealing with Man's First Fall (2)
- The Second Fall of Man (1)
- Cain and Abel
- The Second Fall of Man (2)
- The Second Fall of Man (3)
- The Way to Escape the Ultimate Issue of Man's Fall
- The Third Fall of Man
- The Way of Salvation from Man's Third Fall (1)
- The Life and Work that Changed the Age
- The Way of Salvation from Man's Third Fall (2)
- Saved Through Water
- Life in Resurrection (1)
- Life in Resurrection (2)
- Life in Resurrection (3)
- Life in Resurrection (4)
- The Fourth Fall of Man
- The Significance of God's Calling
- The Background and Origin of God's Calling and the Experience of the Called
- The Motive and Strength of Being Called
- The Progress in Answering God's Calling
- Living by Faith
- The Trial of the Called
- The Victory of the Called
- The Seed and the Land
- God's Covenant with Abraham
- The Allegory of the Two Women
- God's Covenant Confirmed with Circumcision
- The Unveiling of the the Divine Title and the Changing of Human Names for the Fulfilling of God's Purpose
- Circumcision for the Fulfillment of God's Purpose
- Communion with God on the Human Level
- A Glorious Intercession
- A Defeated Righteous Man
- A Pillar of Salt
- The Seed by Incest
- The Hidden Weakness and a Shameful Intercession
- The Birth and Growth of Isaac
- The Offering of Isaac (1)
- The Offering of Isaac (2)
- The Death and Burial of Sarah
- The Marriage of Isaac—a Practical Living in Oneness with the Lord
- The Marriage of Isaac—a Type of Christ Marrying the Church
- Having No Maturity in Life
- Inheriting Grace
- Resting and Enjoying
- Having Natural Weakness as Abraham and Living in the Natural Life as Jacob
- Being Chosen
- Being Dealt With (1)
- Being Dealt With (2)
- Being Dealt With (3)
- Being Dealt With (4)
- Being Dealt With (5)
- Being Dealt With (6)
- Being Dealt With (7)
- Being Dealt With (8)
- Being Broken
- After Breaking
- A Bird's-Eye View of God's Building in the Scriptures
- Being Transformed (1)
- Being Transformed (2)
- Being Transformed (3)
- Being Transformed (4)
- Being Transformed (5)
- Being Transformed (6)
- Being Transformed (7)
- The Builder of the Pillars—the Skillful Hiram (1)
- The Builder of the Pillars—the Skillful Hiram (2)
- Being Transformed (8)
- The Way to be Perfected as a Pillar
- Being Transformed (9)
- Being Transformed (10)
- The Three Pillars and the One Tower in Jacob's Life
- The Process of Maturity (1)
- The Process of Maturity (2)
- The Manifestation of Maturity (1)
- Blessing
- The Shiftings of the Birthright in the Scripture
- The Manifestation of Maturity (2)
- The Manifestation of Maturity (3)
- The Manifestation of Maturity (4)
- The Spiritual Significance of the Blessing Prophesied Concerning Judah, Zebulun, and Issachar (1)
- The Spiritual Significance of the Blessing Prophesied Concerning Judah, Zebulun, and Issachar (2)
- The Manifestation of Maturity (5)
- The Spiritual Significance of Dan, Gad, Asher, and Naphtali
- The Manifestation of Maturity (6)
- The Spiritual Significance of Joseph and Benjamin (1)
- The Spiritual Significance of Joseph and Benjamin (2)
- The Spiritual Significance of Joseph and Benjamin (3)
- The Ultimate Consummation of God's Operation in the Bible
- The Manifestation of Maturity (7)
- The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (1)
- Joseph's Living Corresponding with His Vision
- The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (2)
- The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (3)
- The Secret of Joseph's Release and Exaltation
- The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (4)
- Joseph's Dealing with His Brothers
- The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (5)
- The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (6)
- The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (7)
- The Reigning Aspect of the Matured Israel (8)
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