Let There Be Light! The First Day of Creation

 

Among people, there are some who casually think that on the first day of creation, God made both “light” and “darkness.” However, if we read the passage above carefully, we can know that He made only the light. When the earth was waste and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, God made light by His word, and thereby “divided” the light from the darkness.

 

And this light was not light that came from the sun, the moon, or the stars. This is because those were not made until the fourth day.

 

Genesis 1:16-19 “16And God made the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth, 18and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.”

 

In other words, even though there were no sun, moon, or stars, light came to exist on the first day. How could such a thing be possible?

 

It is because God is light. Because God is light, light can exist even without the sun, the moon, or the stars.

 

Revelation 21:23 “And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb.”

 

Revelation 22:5 “And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light...”

 

As these passages testify, even without the sun, the moon, or a lamp, light can exist because God Himself is the light and the lamp. God said by His word, “Let there be light.” That is, the word of God became light. This is testified in John 1 as follows.

 

John 1:1-13 “1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... 3All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not... 9There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not...”

 

Amen. Truly, it is so. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and He is the true Light. This testifies of Jesus Christ. Through the prophet Malachi, the Lord Jesus who would come later was described as “the sun of righteousness.”

 

Malachi 4:2 “But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings; and ye shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall.”

 

As this passage says, those who fear the name of God will receive healing and freedom through Jesus, who is the sun of righteousness (Luke 4:18-19). Also, through the prophet Isaiah, God prophesied that a great light would later come and shine upon those who dwell in darkness and in the land of the shadow of death.

 

Isaiah 9:1-2 “1But there shall be no gloom to her that was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time hath he made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”

 

Just as with the prophecy spoken through the prophet Malachi, this word spoken through the prophet Isaiah was also fulfilled personally by Jesus.

 

Matthew 4:13-17 “13and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali: 14that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, 15The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, Toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, 16The people that sat in darkness saw a great light, And to them that sat in the region and shadow of death, To them did light spring up. 17From that time began Jesus to preach, and to say, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

 

Thus, Jesus is God, the sun of righteousness, and the true Light. And Jesus came when darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness covered the peoples.

 

Isaiah 60:2-3 “2For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3And nations shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.”

 

The reason is as follows:

 

John 12:46 “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me may not abide in the darkness.”

 

Just as this passage says, He came as light in a time of darkness in order to keep us from abiding in darkness. In the beginning, God commanded, “Let there be light,” and caused light to exist on the earth where only darkness had existed, thereby dividing the darkness by the light. In other words, He granted us the grace by which we may receive life.

 

John 8:12 “Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

 

Therefore, we must believe in this light, now come out of darkness into the light, and belong to the light.

 

John 3:19-21 “19And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. 20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved. 21But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in God.”

 

John 12:35-36 “35Jesus therefore said unto them, Yet a little while is the light among you. Walk while ye have the light, that darkness overtake you not: he that walketh in the darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. 36While ye have the light, believe on the light, that ye may become sons of light....”

 

As these passages testify, this world is divided into light and darkness. Therefore, now we must not be those who walk in darkness, not knowing where they are going. Rather, we must believe in the light, become sons of light, and receive life.

 

Since Jesus, who will come to this earth a second time, will also come in the night as before, we must all the more belong to the light. We must walk becomingly as in the day, and live not for the flesh, but “for Jesus.”

 

Romans 13:11-14 “11And this, knowing the season, that already it is time for you to awake out of sleep: for now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed. 12The night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13Let us walk becomingly, as in the day; not in revelling and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy. 14But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”

 

1 Thessalonians 5:1-8 “1But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you. 2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape... 5for ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness; 6so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober. 7For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that are drunken are drunken in the night. 8But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.”

 

As Jesus taught us through the parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1-10), when Jesus comes again to this earth, we must not let our lamps go out, but must keep the light burning to the end. This is because, as we have seen above, there is no darkness, that is, no night at all, in the New Jerusalem, the kingdom of heaven which Jesus has prepared for us. That is why the darkness, or night, that exists in Genesis 1 no longer exists in Revelation 21 and 22.

 

Revelation 21:25 “And the gates thereof shall in no wise be shut by day, for there shall be no night there.”

Revelation 22:5 “And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun...”

 

Therefore, now we must not compromise with darkness to the end. Rather, in this dark world, we must all become children of light who live as “you who fear the name of Jesus,” that is, as the light of the world (Matt. 5:14-16).

 

Ephesians 5:8-9 “8for ye were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord: walk as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth).”

 

Philippians 2:14-16 “14Do all things without murmurings and questionings: 15that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world, 16holding forth the word of life; that I may have whereof to glory in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain neither labor in vain.”

 

Amen.