♣ Fourth day (vv. 14-19)
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, *and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. *God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. *God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, *to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. *And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
God creates a greater light and a lesser light in the expanse, and lets them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years. God lets the greater light (the sun) govern the day, and the lesser light (the moon) govern the night. He also creates stars and sets them in the expanse to govern the day and the night, and separates light from darkness.
Let us examine some problems we are facing in Genesis 1.
God creates the sky on the second day and the earth on the third day. In Revelation 21, it says the new heaven and earth created, was made known after the first heaven and earth disappeared. In light of this content in Rv 21, let us examine what the sky (the surface of the deep) and the waters are on the first day.
The light appears on the first day, but there is no sun, moon, or stars in the expanse created on the second day. The grass, vegetation, and the trees created on the third day, can only exist through the light of the first day. Since the evening and morning repeat three times, bringing the third day, God calls each of them the first, second, and the third days.
If these are referring to the light, day, and night of the natural world, what are the sun (the greater light), moon (the lesser light), and stars on the fourth day? How come the seasons, days, and years start to be marked from the fourth day? Does this mean that there are two Suns in the sky? On top of these questions, why is the sky located in the middle of the waters?
Having considered such problems, if the creation of Gn 1 is understood as the creation of the physical world, it is illogical and makes absolutely no sense. Only when it is viewed as the spiritual creation of God’s world, can it be taken logically.
Now, let us understand the creation on the fourth day.
God finds one pastor (light) when the heaven and earth (the first heaven and earth) of one generation becomes chaotic and dark (first day). God establishes his tabernacle, the sky (the expanse) through that pastor (second day). By having God’s tabernacle established, people of the world (the water below or the sea) are distinguished from the dry ground (God’s people), which are revealed to the world. Through these people of God, God lets good vegetation grow from the land (fourth day). This good vegetation also represents God’s saints. This is the creation that occurred both in the times of Adam and Noah.
On the fourth day, God structures the throne of the kingdom of heaven—the sun, moon, and stars—through the saints who are previously gathered. From this time, the seasons, days, and years of God’s kingdom can be marked and counted. However, the beginning of the creation starts from the first day. This kingdom of God comes to govern the heaven and earth, day and night.
♣ Fifth day (vv. 20-23)
And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky. *So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. *God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth. *And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
God let the water teem with living creatures and let birds fly above the earth, across the expanse of the sky. God also creates different kinds of fish and birds and blesses them. God commands them to be fruitful and increase in number in the seas and on the earth. Jesus compares birds to spirits, and fish to people. This means, therefore, that God enables his people to prosper and spread out through the world.
♣ Sixth day (vv. 24-31)
And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so … *So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. *God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground … *And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
God creates livestock, creatures that move along the ground, wild animals, and man. The Bible says that Moses built what he saw in heaven here on earth. If you look at Rv 4, it shows the images of the four living creatures in the spiritual heaven— the lion, ox, eagle, and man. The fact that God creates the livestock, wild animals, creatures that move along the ground, and man on earth, shows how he creates them according to what is done in heaven. Thus, the sixth day explains that God builds the structure of the four living creatures, the heavenly army on earth, according to the structure of the four living creatures in heaven.
Furthermore, God creates man in his own image and likeness. If one desires to resemble God’s image and likeness, and if he desires to become a person with the same nature as God’s, then he must be born again of God’s word and the holy spirit (Jn 3:5; 1 Pt 1:23).
God commands the man he created to be fruitful, increase in number, subdue the earth, and rule over the fish of the sea, birds of the air, and every living creature on earth. God also grants man every seed-bearing plant and every tree that has fruit with seed in it for his food. Through these blessings, the man becomes the lord of all creation and the heir to receive God’s inheritance. This is the creation on the sixth day.
God is the Lord of all creation. God creates his world (initial creation), but when that world becomes corrupt, he re-creates another world (re-creation). The creation during Moses’ time occurred after the times of Adam and Noah.
God figuratively uses the creation of the physical world to explain the spiritual creation. The reason why God uses metaphors and figurative language, to refer to the spiritual creation, is because it contains the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. God spoke to Moses, and Moses recorded what he had heard from God in Gn 1. Even in Gn 1, there are hidden things according to Ps 78. Jesus explained these hidden things through the parables at the first coming (Mt 13:34-35), and promised to let them be revealed at an appointed time (Jn 16:25).
The same content as Gn 1 can be seen in the Old and New Testaments, as well as the epistles. God creates a new world when the previous world comes to an end, due to its corruption. The work of creation takes place according to the logical order expressed in Gn 1, regardless of which generation. The physical sky and earth, however, remain forever.
God creates the new heaven and new earth in Rv 21. The same chapter makes known the first heaven and first earth cease to exist. Neither of these heavens and earths are the literal ones of the natural world, nor does the disappearing of the sun, moon, and stars refer to the literal ones of the natural world disappearing.
When this article says, the spiritual creation, it refers to the re-formation of God’s kingdom through the people who are born again spiritually. It is only when one completely understands and knows the entire book of the Bible, which records the true will of God, that he will also be able to clearly understand Gn 1.
Source: Healing All Nations
