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Christ is the key to all truth. If the Bible does not have Christ, it is a dead book. Without Christ, we cannot understand the Bible. If we examine the places in the Bible that are difficult to explain or understand with a view to Christ and put Him into them, we will receive extraordinary light. In fact, the Bible has one Man as the center; without this Man we do not know what the Bible is talking about. This Man is the Lord Jesus Christ. He Himself said, "You search the Scriptures,...and it is these that testify concerning Me" (John 5:39). Again He said, "In the roll of the book it is written concerning Me" (Heb. 10:7). The Bible is God's written Word, and Christ is God's living Word. The written Word is to testify the living Word. The living Word is to fulfill the written Word. Even as we read about the Lord Jesus in Matthew, we can also read about Him in Genesis.
We have seen in the preceding chapter that the physical creation merely expresses the spiritual creation. Now we want to see the procedures taken by God in His physical creation and how these correspond to Christ's work in the spiritual creation. God's creating work is actually done by the Lord Jesus since "all things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not one thing came into being which has come into being" (John 1:3). "Because in Him all things were created" (Col. 1:16). We want to see now how Christ in the physical creation and Christ in the spiritual creation correspond. May we be delivered from all conjectures and only manifest the Christ of whom God has clearly written in His book. Since God uses the physical creation to signify the spiritual re-creation, it is reasonable for us to find out how these two creations correspond in the hand of Christ.
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). All of God's works are perfect; all that has passed through the hand of the Almighty is without any blemish of sin, wrinkle of oldness, or any other sickness. All of God's works are like Himself, beautiful and perfectly good. The things which newly emerged from the hand of the Ruler of the universe, the unique Potter, were sparklingly fresh and glorious! God considered this original state of mankind to be "very good."
Nevertheless, good things always come with many trials, and this state did not last long. After learning that God created a perfect heaven and earth, we immediately heard a tragic story: "The earth became without form, and void" (v. 2, Heb.). The record in this verse is different when compared with the preceding one! The earth which God created changed! Between these two verses, an extraordinary catastrophe must have occurred and the beautiful earth became without form and empty. Sin came in! The angels fell! This section of history was so grievous that God did not want to record it directly. Mankind also sinned and fell to a low state.
"Darkness was upon the face of the deep" (v. 2). This is a portrait of the fallen. Darkness covers the face of the deep! Spiritually, morally, mentally, and behaviorally, darkness blinds the whole of mankind; all are born of the flesh! The authority of darkness, which is the power of Satan, comes upon sinners in the world, depriving them of freedom and subjecting all of them to his rule. In the deep, men invent, produce, and boast of their culture and wisdom; but Satan just causes darkness to cover the face of the deep so that there is no illumination of God! Yet men still say to themselves that twentieth century civilization is unprecedented! Actually, it is still under the authority of Satan.
Under these circumstances, there is no hope that men can be saved. God is not indebted to man, except that He entered into a covenant with men that He had to fulfill, obligating Himself to send His Son to save the world. If He executed His judgment and caused the entire world to perish eternally, this would still be very righteous. However, He has immense grace, a grace that is boundless, exceedingly great, and beyond man's expectation. He prepared salvation to save the world. Just as He recovered the physical creation in six days, God also redeemed sinful humans in Christ's redemption, typified in the six days, to accomplish His spiritual creation. We want to go one step further in our meditation. What a joy to speak more of Christ and think more of Christ! May we silently praise and worship this wonderful Savior for His wonderful work of salvation.
I.The work of the first day signifies the birth of the Lord Jesus. On the first day God created light, and the light shone in the darkness. The face of the deep of the world was originally covered with darkness, but light came! This was the first time light and darkness met. There was never such a state on this earth; this was the first time light came to the dark world. Clearly this typifies the birth of the Lord Jesus. When John spoke about the birth of the Lord Jesus and the incarnation of the Word, he said, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it," and "This was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man" (John 1:5, 9). John clearly likened the birth of the Lord Jesus to light shining in darkness. When Zachariah spoke about the birth of the Lord Jesus, he also said, "Because of the merciful compassions of our God, in which the rising sun will visit us from on high" (Luke 1:78). Even the Lord Jesus Himself also compared His birth to the light shining into the world. He said, "For God did...send the Son into the world...the light has come into the world" (John 3:17, 19). These Scripture verses testify to us that God's work on the first day, calling light to shine into darkness, typifies the Lord Jesus becoming, at a later time, the true light to come into the world. Light came, yet what a pity that the world would not let Him shine upon them!
The work of the first day is the first step of the redemptive work. Without light coming into the world, God and man would never have the opportunity to meet. Without the Lord Jesus coming into the world, sinners would not be able to see God the Father, who is expressed by the only begotten Son. Now we can see how the work of the first day and the Lord Jesus' coming into the world are the same.
The shining of the light comes about through the work of the Holy Spirit. "And the Spirit of God brooded upon the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2, Heb.). The same principle is true with incarnation. The angel told Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore also the holy thing which is born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). The Son of the Most High was born of the Holy Spirit. However, the world does not receive this conception of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, light was called for on the first day. "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light" (Gen. 1:3). This we have said already: the Lord Jesus came to the world as light. Now let us look at another place in the Bible. When Simeon saw the Lord Jesus as a child, he said, "Now You release Your slave, Master, according to Your word, in peace; for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel" (Luke 2:29-32). Who wants to be enlightened by Him?
God declared that the light was good. "And God saw the light, that it was good" (Gen. 1:4). The first word which God spoke to our Lord Jesus Christ was, "This is My Son, the Beloved, in whom I have found My delight" (Matt. 3:17). Aside from His Son, no one can please the Father's heart because "those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8). One of the strange phenomena among sinful human beings today is the thought that their own behavior is perfectly satisfying to God and that the Lord Jesus is more or less like them! How blind is a man of the flesh! He cannot see the beauty of the Lord Jesus and thereby fall in love with Him! Nevertheless, God always considers that this Light is good. Blessed are those who have God's view! Light and darkness are separated. "God divided the light from the darkness" (Gen. 1:4). Here we see a wonderful harmony in the record of the Bible. The book of Hebrews says that the Lord Jesus is "a High Priest...holy, guileless, undefiled, separated from sinners and having become higher than the heavens" (7:26). How different this man is from ordinary people! He is willing to share our human nature, yet He does not have the root of sin like us. Light is separated from darkness; Christ is distinct from sinners. God gave light a name. "And God called the light Day" (Gen. 1:5). Likewise, the name of Christ was given by God. His name was not given by Joseph and Mary. When He was still in His mother's womb, the angel told Mary, "You shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). Before He was born, He had prophesied through the prophet, saying, "Jehovah has called me from the womb" (Isa. 49:1). He is Jesus; therefore, He is the Savior. Since the Savior has come, how do you treat Him? The world did not ask for a savior. Through His special grace, the Lord Himself came to the world and became a man. The Savior has come, and the light has shone. But who are those who will receive Him?
The Word becoming flesh is the first scene in the beginning of the redemptive work. In himself, man is extremely feeble and of the flesh. What is man? Man is just dust! Man is limited and bound; all of man's virtues (if there are any) have limitations which cannot be transcended. Man's thought, character, behavior, and ethics are completely from man; they can never be higher than this level. Weakness, degradation, and sin are man's common qualities. If there is any merit, it can never go beyond the human realm. However, if man remains man — weak, defeated, sinful — God will not be satisfied. God is perfect. He wants man to be perfect in character, morality, behavior, and thought, according to His own standard. Otherwise, God would never choose man for His companion, giving man eternal life and having man with Him in heaven. Unless man reaches God's level of perfection himself, he cannot receive these things. What hope does man have? It is very important that God became a man. The birth of Jesus is the mingling of divinity with humanity. The Lord Jesus is God, yet He became a man. Therefore, He is God and man; He is man as well as God. Originally there was a chasm separating God and man. God could not become man, nor could man become God. However, the Word became flesh when the Lord Jesus came to this earth. He is a floating pontoon bridge between God and man. God and man met in the Lord Jesus. Man did not become just God, neither did God become just man. The Lord Jesus expresses God, and He also represents man. He is the unique God, and He is also the unique Man. Because He is both God and man, God is able to give grace to man in Him. Because He is both man and God, man is able to draw near to God in Him. Now there are men on earth who are filled with divinity. Man has the possibility to receive God's life. God's life is able to enter into the spirit of man. Originally, it was impossible for God and man to be joined together; however, God and man have been joined in the Lord Jesus. From this point there is the possibility for God and man to be joined together. Incarnation is not the totality of the gospel. It is the very first step of salvation; this step proclaims the nature and issue of the coming salvation.
However, this is not the direct reason for incarnation. The reasons that the Son of God "Himself...partook of the same [blood and flesh]" are (1) "that through death He might destroy...the devil"; and (2) "release those [men]" (Heb. 2:14-15). All have sinned, and the wages of sin is death. The one who has the power of death is the devil. Sin leads man to death, and through death due to sin, the devil dominates man. Therefore, for God to save man, He had to solve the problem of the penalty of sin by destroying the power of death, which is under the command of the devil. The penalty of sin is death, but death requires a physical body. Thus, the Lord Jesus "partook of the same [blood and flesh]." Since He had a physical body, He was able to die and redeem man. Therefore, God had "a body...prepared" for Him "to do Your will, O God"; this will is "the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all...having offered one sacrifice for sins, sat down forever" (Heb. 10:5, 7, 10, 12). The devil had the power of death. Since no man could overcome death, Jesus obtained a human body, died, and also resurrected. He overcame all the power of the devil and destroyed him.
Man has sinned and should die. God cannot grant grace at the expense of righteousness, nor can He save man without punishing sin. God wants to save man, yet God also wants to punish sin. Therefore, He Himself became a man to bear the penalty of sin on man's behalf. Consequently, sin could be judged and man saved. If God had not become a man, this could never have been accomplished. Since sins are committed by man, the penalty should also be borne by man. God cannot die. But even if God could die for man, it would be an injustice because man committed sins, not God. This is why God had to become a man. Man, collectively speaking, has sinned. The "man Christ Jesus," the unique Man in whom the whole human race is included, has borne the penalty of sin; this is in compliance with the law. Man, the world, has sinned, and the Man, the Lord Jesus, has borne the penalty; this is exceedingly just. If the Lord Jesus is separated from man, then the death of the Lord Jesus cannot be counted as man having borne the penalty of sin. Although the Lord Jesus is God, He is truly a man, having been joined completely with the human race. Therefore, His death is man's death. He should not have died; therefore, His death is a substitutional death. This is what incarnation has accomplished.
Nevertheless, Christ must be God; otherwise, redemption is unjust. Because Christ is God, He is the One whom the world has offended; He has the right to accept the offense of the world and forgive them. If He is not God, then He is not the one being offended; rather, He is an innocent third party. When an innocent one dies for an offender, even though it may be gracious, it is an injustice to the innocent one. However, Christ is not the third party. He is directly involved. He is the one who is harmed; therefore, He has the power to forgive and endure the consequence of being harmed. He is God.
Incarnation does not constitute all of salvation. The accomplishment of salvation is due to crucifixion. Incarnation is the first step of salvation. If the Savior had never emptied Himself to become a man, He could never have died to save men. Bethlehem is the antecedent of Golgotha. Without Bethlehem, there can never be Golgotha. What wonderful grace that the Son of God would forsake Himself to become a man! What a great mystery that the Son of God would become flesh!
II.The work on the second day signifies the death of the Lord Jesus. In His work on the second day, God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. This firmament is our heaven. Originally, all the waters were gathered together in one place, and there was no distinction. Then the atmospheric heaven came and divided the waters under the heaven from the waters above the heaven. This atmospheric heaven is a clear type of the cross of the Lord Jesus. In the work of the second day, separation is a big item. This separation consists of two parts. In the first part, the firmament within the waters divided the waters. In the second part, the waters under the firmament were separated from the waters above the firmament. Is it not true that the cross is also composed of these two parts? When the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross, He cried, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). This was His separation from God. But the Bible also says that He was cut off from the land of the living. This speaks of His separation from man. The work on the second day is the most crucial part in the redemptive work. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. The world does not need just a shining example. Although light is good, it only exposes man's corruption and the real condition of his fall. The more light there is, the more a person is condemned. If Christ's birth had not been followed by redemption, His birth would have been the strongest basis for man's condemnation. If One was able to live a holy and righteous life, everyone else should be able to live the same way. If One could do it, everyone else should be able also. If One was able, yet the others were not, then the others would be without an excuse. If the birth of the Lord Jesus was all the work, His life would have condemned the whole world of their sins. If He had not died for man, and if the purpose of His birth had not been for redemption, it would have been better for Him never to have been born at all. His thoughts, words, behavior, and living were far beyond anyone's reach. Every aspect of His being was enough to condemn man of his sin. He was a man, and you are a man. If He could do it, why not you? The veil in the Holy Place may be beautiful and glorious, yet this same veil separates the Holy Place and keeps man from the Holy of Holies and God. Only a rent veil can offer man a way to come before God. A living Jesus would have driven everyone away from the presence of God, while a dead Jesus can bring all the sinners to the Holy of Holies. "Who Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree"; "Christ also has suffered once for sins, the Righteous on behalf of the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God" (1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18). As long as He was alive, no one could be joined to God.
Now we want to consider how the cross of the Lord Jesus matches the work of the second day. God did not make the firmament all at once. First God decided, then He carried it out. Verse 6 says, "Let there be a firmament." This speaks of God's decision ahead of time. Then in verse 7, we see that "God made the firmament." This was God's carrying out His decision. Before the cross was ever erected on Golgotha, God had foreordained the matter. The cross is very similar to the firmament here. The death of the Lord Jesus was not a misadventure; it was no accident; it was foreordained. "Who was foreknown before the foundation of the world but has been manifested in the last of times for your sake" (1 Pet. 1:20). He was "the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). The death of the Lord Jesus, like the work of the second day, was carried out first through a decision, then an execution.
The firmament was put in the midst of the waters. In the Bible water represents the world. We can see this clearly when we study Revelation 17:15. Water represents the world and the kingdoms of the world. In the same way the cross was lifted up in the midst of man and for man. "Where they crucified Him, and with Him two others, on this side and that, and Jesus in the middle" (John 19:18). Strictly speaking, Golgotha can be considered the center of the world. The Lord Jesus died in the midst of humanity for the purpose of saving men.
The firmament separated the waters. The cross of the Lord Jesus separated the people of the world. When He was crucified, His cross forever separated the two thieves. One went to Paradise, and the other went to Hades. Throughout their lives, the two had been sinning together. But during their last few minutes, one received the substitutional death of the cross of the Lord Jesus, and the other refused to accept. There was a separation of heaven and hell! This separation lasts forever. His cross separated the two thieves then, and in the same way it separates the whole world today. Actually, this separation does not happen only today. Throughout history His cross has separated all the people in the world into two kinds: the saved ones and perishing ones. "For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Cor. 1:18). The cross divides salvation and perdition for man. The separation of perishing ones and the saved ones is based on nothing other than their attitude toward the cross. Only the firmament can separate the waters that are above from the waters that are beneath. In the same way only the cross can divide perishing ones and saved ones.
Furthermore, the firmament separates the waters that are above from the waters that are beneath so that the waters above cannot come down. The firmament stands in the middle. It prevents the waters above from coming down and mixing with the waters beneath, which would make them once again without form and void, and return them to the desolate condition of God's judgment. We have seen from Revelation 17 that the waters on the earth are a type of the worldly people. The waters above, however, typify something else. At the time of Noah the world fell into sin, and God judged it. He sent the rain and opened up the window of heaven, pouring down the waters from above. From this we see that the waters above are a type of the wrath, punishment, and judgment of God. If this is true, it is not hard to find the meaning of the firmament. The firmament holds back the waters above so that they will not come down to the waters beneath. It stands between the waters above and the waters beneath. This is the work of the cross. When the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross, He stood in our place and bore our sins. He was our covering. The judgment, punishment, and wrath of God should have fallen upon and desolated us, making us the "deep." However, the Lord Jesus stood between us and God's wrath. When He was crucified on the cross, He allowed God's wrath to fall on Him and not on us. According to God's ordination, the wrath of God should abide upon us (John 3:36). But He has established Him as the bearer of our sins. "Jehovah has caused the iniquity of us all / To fall on Him" (Isa. 53:6). Thank the Lord for the firmament in the heaven that separates the waters above from the waters beneath! Thank the Lord for the cross of the Lord Jesus which separates the world from the wrath of God! Yet He has borne what we should have borne ourselves. This is salvation. This is the gospel. If the waters above are not separated from the waters beneath, the world would forever perish under water. If the Lord Jesus had not borne God's wrath on behalf of man, the world would forever be in desolation and hopelessness. This is the substitutional work of the cross.
The firmament was created by God. The decision was made by God, and the creation was also accomplished by God. Superficially, the Lord Jesus was crucified by the Jews and killed by the Gentiles. It seems that His life was taken by men. According to the Bible, however, He was not killed because He said that no one could take His life away from Him. His death was the judgment of God upon Him for all the sins of the sinners. "But Jehovah was pleased to crush Him, to afflict Him with grief. / When He makes Himself an offering for sin" (Isa. 53:10). The cross was God's direct work. It was not men who ill-treated Him. The Bible says, "This man, delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you, through the hand of lawless men, nailed to a cross and killed" (Acts 2:23).
Among the six days of God's work, He considered that His work during all the other days was good. This was the only day when God did not say that what He had made was good. What God has not said is as meaningful as what He has said. The work on the second day was God's dealing with sin on the cross. God's wrath was manifested on the righteous One for the purpose of releasing the unrighteous ones. It was there that God made the sinless One sin for us and caused Him to suffer the punishment for sinners. It is very meaningful that He did not say that it was good. God takes no pleasure in judging sin. He loves to give grace; He does not like to judge.
The deliverance of the cross is the basis of salvation. Without the substitution of the cross, Christ's birth is in vain. The whole world has sinned, and the wages of sin is death. Unless there is a Savior who will die on the sinner's behalf, no one will escape the judgment he deserves. If there had been only the birth of Christ, it would have been completely useless in saving sinners. What man lacks is a sin-bearing Savior, not a holy teacher. Only a vicarious Savior can deliver sinners from their sins. If there is no vicarious death, even resurrection will be useless, because without death there can be no resurrection and no need for resurrection. All the facts of salvation are based on the work of this day. If the waters had not been separated, there would have been no possibility for the land to appear. Even the shining of the light on the previous day would have been in vain. We should pay attention to this matter and never forget that the Lord Jesus died on the cross for us.
III.The work on the third day signifies the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. In His work on the third day God caused the waters under the heaven to be gathered together unto one place, made the dry land to appear, and caused the earth to bring forth grass, herbs, and trees. Originally the earth was covered by the deep waters; there was no sign of life, nor any life at all. The earth was buried deep under the judging water of God. Except for darkness, there was nothing else. Other than the billowing of filthy waves, there was not a shadow of land. Since the earth itself had disappeared, there was no earthly life. Then God began His own work. First, He caused the land to emerge out of the water. Second, He caused life to appear on the earth. The work on this day is clearly a type of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
The words "the third day" are sufficient enough to prove that the work on this day is a type of resurrection. First Corinthians 15:4 says, "He has been raised on the third day." There are many places in the Scripture where the third day and resurrection are linked together. This is true not only in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament as well. Three days after the Passover, there is the feast for offering the firstfruits of the harvest. This refers clearly to Christ's resurrection three days after His death. In First Corinthians 15 there is a peculiar phrase, "He has been raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (v. 4). The resurrection of the Lord Jesus on the third day was prophesied in the Scriptures, that is, in the Old Testament. Where can we find the third day? We do not have to look at all the places in the Old Testament. In Genesis 1, at the beginning of the Bible, we find the first "third day." We cannot help but consider this as a type of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Not only is the numerical designation, "the third day," a type, but the work of the third day is also a proof to resurrection. The earth was once buried under the water. Verse 9 says, "Let the dry land appear." Formerly the earth was under the water; then it rose above the water. This is resurrection. The earth rose out of the tomb of the water. Once it was covered by water. Then it rose above the water and became higher than the water. This is a beautiful picture of resurrection. We can see this picture clearly at the time of baptism. When a man is baptized, his whole being is immersed into the water, and then he comes out of the water. Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12 tell us that baptism by immersion into the water is a symbol of death, burial, and resurrection. Hence, the land coming out of the water is a type of resurrection out of death and burial.
Isaiah 57:20 tells us that water represents sins. "But the wicked are like the tossed sea, / For it cannot be calm, / And its waters toss up mire and mud." The land buried under the water is like the Lord Jesus buried in the tomb. The land did not remain under water forever. On the third day it rose from the water. This situation is like the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Romans 6 clearly tells us about the relationship between the Lord Jesus' resurrection and sin. "For the death which He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life which He lives, He lives to God" (v. 10). And, "knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more; death lords it over Him no more" (v. 9). As the land came out of the water, the resurrection of Christ disassociates Him from sin.
The work on the third day had two levels. Not only did the land come out of the water, but it also bore new life. This speaks of resurrection. Verse 11 tells us that the land brought forth all kinds of grass, herbs, and fruit-bearing trees. Formerly there was no life on the earth. On this day, however, life began to appear. Formerly death reigned. Now life came. God did not create life on the second day, or cause things to grow on the land on the fourth day. On this day, the third day, God created life. Romans 6:4 tells us that "we have been buried therefore with Him through baptism into His death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life." Without resurrection there would be no new life. New life comes after resurrection. Before the land emerged out of the water, no life could grow on the earth. There must first be the separation from the water before there can be the growth. There must first be resurrection before there can be life. After resurrection, life will surely follow. Without new life, resurrection is empty. Saints who pay attention to their spiritual progress should note this fact.
In the second level of the third day's work, the most important matter is the fruit. This is the natural result of resurrection. The goal of resurrection is to bear fruit. Otherwise, why did the land come out of the water? The land came out for the purpose of bearing fruit. The Bible is not silent concerning the relationship between resurrection and fruit-bearing. Romans 6:22 says, "But now, having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification." How can we be freed from sin? We are freed by identifying with the Lord in His death, burial, and resurrection. This is what Genesis 1:11-13 tells us. The result of this resurrection is fruit unto sanctification. Hence, fruit-bearing is the sure result of resurrection. This is not the only place that tells us this. Romans 7:4 also says, "You also have been made dead to the law through the body of Christ so that you might be joined to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit to God." Without death, there is no resurrection and there is no fruit. The fruits that are for God come solely from dying and resurrecting with the Lord Jesus. The only fruit that counts before God is the fruit based on the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. In God's eyes anything that has not passed through death and resurrection is of the old creation. It is condemned by Him and is not qualified to bear fruit.
The work on this day is resurrection. Incarnation is important, and crucifixion is also important. But without resurrection, the gospel would be an incomplete gospel. The goal of incarnation is crucifixion. The result of crucifixion is resurrection. Resurrection means that God has accepted the salvation accomplished by the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. Romans 4:25 says that Jesus was delivered for our offenses. This means that the Lord Jesus died to bear our sins. When He died, He bore the punishment of our sins, and we were forgiven. Furthermore, He "was raised for our justification." Forgiveness is on the negative side: it shows that we have sinned and that God has forgiven us. Justification is on the positive side: it shows that we are sinless, that God has declared us sinless, and that we are justified. We can become sinless because the work on the negative side has been thoroughly accomplished and all our sins have been forgiven and cleansed. Based on the death of the Lord Jesus and our having been forgiven, God justifies us. Justification is given to us through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. His death has accomplished salvation through the forgiveness of our sins. Now through His resurrection, God has declared us sinless and justified us. Resurrection establishes a new relationship for us with God. Because of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, we are placed in a new position before God. Death and resurrection are linked together. In the same way forgiveness and justification are linked together. The Lord's resurrection signifies that God has accepted and acknowledged His death. Our justification proves that we are forgiven by God. Because of the death of the Lord Jesus, a Christian should realize in his spirit that his sins have been borne by the Lord, that his sins have been forgiven, and that they have been judged and punished in the Lord Jesus. All this is on the negative side. Through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the saints should realize in their spirit that they are not just forgiven sinners who should cringe nervously before God, but that they are beloved children of God. Resurrection means that every former thing has died. Everything sinful and of the self has been buried in the grave; they can never be found. They are forever gone. Everything is completely new. For this reason, we should not just be forgiven saints, merely satisfied with our sins being forgiven. Rather, we should be justified Christians, daily acknowledging the fact that God has reckoned us righteous before Him, not through any righteousness of our own, but through our new position afforded through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Daily we should believe that we are accepted in Christ and that God has accepted us in the same way that He has accepted Christ. Just as God is satisfied and pleased with Christ, He has similarly accepted us through our relationship with Christ in His death and resurrection.
IV.The work on the fourth day signifies the ascension of the Lord Jesus. On the fourth day God's work made the luminaries. He made the sun, moon, and stars. The work of the previous day was on earth. The work on this day was in heaven. The emphasis on this day is on heavenly things. The sun, the moon, and the stars are all heavenly things. God made the luminaries for several purposes. First, they "give light upon the earth" (Gen. 1:17). Darkness is the ordinary condition of the world, and light is the special condition of the world. Ordinarily the world is dark. This is why light has to shine. Otherwise, the world would sink into a long night. Second, the luminaries are to "rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness." They are not only for shining, but for ruling. The work on this day is a type of the ascension of the Lord Jesus.
All the works on this day were in heaven. This was unlike the first day, when the light was in the world. Although the light on first day was shining on the earth, the luminaries on the fourth day were in heaven. The light which comes to earth now has its source in heaven. This is ascension. The Lord Jesus, who came down from heaven, has now been taken away from the world again.
Malachi 4:2 tells us that Christ is the Sun of righteousness. Revelation 12:1 tells us that Christ is the Sun. Psalm 19:5-6 says the same thing. In reading the Bible, we find the teaching that the sun is a type of Christ. We do not see it in the world, but in heaven. He has ascended to heaven for us and has appeared before God as our Mediator and Priest.
The work of this day signifies not only Christ, but His people as well, because the moon is a type of the church and the stars are a type of individual Christians. Based on the Lord's death and resurrection, the Lord has gained people to His own name. This is why we see the moon and the stars in the presence of the Lord. The moon does not have any light by itself; it merely reflects the light of the sun. In the same way the church does not have any light of its own; it merely reflects the light of Christ. Presently the believers "shine as luminaries in the world" (Phil. 2:15); they are like the stars. We have covered this point before and will not cover too much about it now.
The two things that we have to do now correspond to what we mentioned earlier. First, we have to reflect the light of Christ in this morally dark night. Second, we have to rule over the power of darkness with the light of our words and deeds. When the millennium comes, we will truly be kings and rule over all things.
The ascension of Christ concludes His work on earth. His ascension is based on His death and resurrection. The meaning of His resurrection is the victory over everything that belongs to Satan's kingdom. Ephesians 1:20-21 says, "Which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named." We know that these things refer to Satan and his subjects. The Lord Jesus' ascension means that God has given Him a position that is higher than all the powers of Satan. His position in heaven is a Satan-overcoming position. Satan is under His feet; he has no chance to defeat Him because Jesus is now the Lord over all and has become the Head of all things.
Philippians 2:8-11 says that Christ passed through "the death of a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." In His ascension the Lord Jesus received the highest place, a place that Satan and his evil spirits cannot touch. They also have to acknowledge the Lord Jesus as Lord and King. This kind of position is very crucial. If the Lord Jesus had not ascended, the effect of His death and resurrection on earth would have been affected. It is right for the Lord Himself to lead His people to this heavenly position. On the one hand, His people can shine for Him, and on the other hand, overcome the power of darkness that confronts them. This is what Ephesians 2:6 tells us. As the light of the sun overcomes darkness, the heavenly position of the Lord Jesus overcomes the devil's power of darkness. As the moon and the stars accompany the sun in the sky, Christians remain with the Lord Jesus in heaven.
V.The work on the fifth day signifies the Lord Jesus as the Lord of life. In His work on the fifth day, God created many kinds of aquatic lives and birds. In the previous four days, God prepared the heaven and the earth as the habitation for the living creatures. Until this day there were no living creatures in the water and in the air. Although plants were included in the work of the third day, there was no trace of animals. The aquatic creatures were able to live in the water because God prepared the water on the first day. The birds were able to fly in the air because God prepared the air on the second day. Both birds and aquatic creatures have life. The only difference lies in their outward shape. The God-created birds and aquatic creatures are distinct from each other in man's eyes; they are clearly different. However, they possess the same life. They are only different in the outward shell of their life. Hence, the work of the fifth day is for life to take form. Some take their form in the water, while others take their form in the air. The work on this day is a type of the Lord Jesus as the life-giving Lord.
Life cannot create itself. All lives are created by God. God is the Creator of all life. No matter what outward form this life takes, it comes from God. After the Lord Jesus resurrected and ascended, His work has been to dispense life to people, so that those with His life may have it more abundantly. His ascension, typified by the work of the previous day, is for the purpose of becoming life to the saints. We can see this from Colossians 3:1-4: "If therefore you were raised together with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God." This speaks of resurrection and ascension. Following ascension, the Scripture continues, "Your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ our life..." From this we see that the work of Christ after ascension is to be our life, a life hidden in God.
The birds and the aquatic creatures are a type of the people in the world. Now we want to see how the birds and aquatic creatures correspond in significance to the life of the Christian.
Life is given by the Lord Jesus. The Lord has now ascended to heaven. His goal is for His saints to express His life in a practical way before He comes back. If a life does not have an outward form, that life cannot exist on this earth or have any experience on earth. Although outward form does not mean much, without such a form, there will be no way for life to be expressed. For this reason it is indispensable for life to "take form." The Lord Jesus wants His saints to work out a practical expression of the life which is derived from His death and resurrection on the earth. They have received life through the Lord's death and resurrection. Positionally, they have received a heavenly place. What they lack is a form on earth that expresses the Lord's life. This is the meaning of the work on this day.
The Lord Jesus is now training His disciples to take form on earth. As the birds express their life through their outward forms and as aquatic creatures express their life through their outward forms, the Lord Jesus desires that His saints express Him with a definite form on earth. The Lord desires His saints, wherever they are, to express His life through their forms. This life is the same life. But in their outward forms, there is a difference between birds and aquatic creatures. Birds and aquatic creatures receive the same life. But their forms are different. Hence, there are different expressions of the same inward life. All the life that the saints receive comes from the Lord Jesus; there was no difference in the beginning. However, because of differences in the saints' character, they express the Lord's life in different ways. We see this clearly in the parable of the sower. Although the same kind of seed is sown, although the life within the seed is the same, and although the fields are all good, eventually, some bear thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold. Everyone receives the same life from the Lord. There are different expressions to this life because the "outlets" of this life are different.
Hence, in the work of this day the Lord Jesus charges His saints to prove His life on earth and express His life through their character. This is very crucial. Unless we express the heavenly life practically on earth, the life, which we obtained through regeneration and is derived from the Lord's death, resurrection, and ascension, will not be firmly joined to us.
Life by itself cannot have any experience. The most important thing is to have outward form. A bird's life experiences the bird's living through the bird's outward form. For a saint to practically receive the Lord's life and express this life on earth is a kind of training. The experience of the birds and the aquatic creatures begins from the day that the life within them makes them a bird or an aquatic creature. From that day the birds and the aquatic creatures are able to live out their living and acquire experience. This relates to the training of the saints. The work of the Lord Jesus now is to train His saints in life. Before this training comes about, however, the saints must first be joined to the Lord's life.
VI.The work on the sixth day signifies the coming again of the Lord Jesus and His kingship. In the work on the sixth day God created Adam in His own image and charged Adam to rule over the whole earth. Five days of work had passed. All the things on earth were ready. All the objects in heaven were also set. The food and dwelling that man needed were all prepared one after another. Then God created man. The most important point in the creation of man is that he is created in the image of God. Man on earth is a representative of God. Man is God's expression. This relates to the Lord Jesus' coming again.
The Lord Jesus is the last Adam and the second Man. The first Adam was a type of Him. The first Adam was created in the image of God. Here we see a type of the coming of the Lord Jesus. When the Lord Jesus comes back, His Body, which is His church, will also be consummated. His whole church will become His image at the time He comes back. First John 3:2 says, "If He is manifested, we will be like Him." When the Lord Jesus appears again, His church will be fully like Him. Just as Adam was created in the image of God, the Body of the last Adam, the church, will also be fully like God when the Lord comes back. The Lord's second coming will cause every saint to take up His image, the image of a glorious body given by Him.
On the sixth day Eve was created as a counterpart of Adam. Eve is a type of the church. When the Lord Jesus comes back again, the church will be consummated and will be offered to Christ as His counterpart. She will rule with Christ over the world. Eve was created on the sixth day. The church will be consummated at the time the Lord comes back. The church will also become the Lord's counterpart when the Lord comes back. The creation of Adam and Eve on the sixth day is a clear reference to the events at the second coming of the Lord Jesus.
God not only created Adam and Eve; He made them to rule over the created world. All authority was committed to them. God does not rule over the world directly. Rather, He has committed the authority to rule over the world to Adam. When the Lord Jesus comes back again, He will set up the millennial kingdom on earth to rule over the whole world. Just as the creation of Adam in the preceding paragraph relates to the Lord's coming, the commissioning of Adam to rule over the world relates to His kingship. In the millennium God will hand over all authority to Christ and cause Him to rule. Philippians 2:9 says, "Therefore also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name." There are many other Scriptures that speak of God giving authority to Christ to be the King over all things and to rule over all things in the millennium.
Adam shared all his authority with Eve. Although it was Adam who directly ruled over the world, Eve helped Adam in being the ruler. When the Lord Jesus is King in the millennium, He will exercise His kingship. Yet the Bible repeatedly tells us that Christians are the Lord Jesus' Eve and that they will reign with Him and share in His glory. He will rule over all things, and in the same way, Christians will share in ruling over the world. Although there may be a difference of five or ten cities, our reigning with Him is an immutable fact.
The birth, death, resurrection, ascension, and life-giving of the Lord Jesus are the crucial elements in His work. If this is all that there is to His work, and if there is no second coming or reigning with Him, a Christian can only have hope in this age and will be poorer than all other men. The saints suffer today in the world. They will enjoy their blessing in the future in heaven! Heaven may be good, but it can never make up for the sufferings experienced by the saints in the world today. Consequently, the Lord Jesus must come back again to this world. In this world He was harassed, despised, persecuted, and crucified. In this world He will receive His glory in the future. It will not be on another planet in the heavens. When Christians suffer with the Lord today, they are suffering in the world. In the future they will also receive glory in the world. This is why the Lord Jesus' coming and His kingship are necessary for Himself and His saints.
