Just Me & My Puzzle: Part Two
March 12, 2022 1:28 PM
Averine Pennington
3-11-22
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Okay, I’m going to go out on a limb right away and ask you a question. Have you ever wondered about the sequence of creation? In Genesis 1:3-5, God said,
“Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”
The firmament which God called Heaven was not created until the second day. The dry land which God called Earth and the gathering of the waters which He called Seas, along with the grass, herb yielding seeds, and tree yielding fruit appeared on the third day. It was not until the fourth day that the sun, moon, and stars were created and placed in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth. So how was there Day & Night on the first day when the sun and moon were not yet in the heavens? This has always been puzzling to me, and since it relates very much to the other 5 puzzle pieces we looked at in Part One, I just want to take a closer look at it. Hence, I will refer to this as:
Puzzle Piece #6: What was the Light in Gen. 1:3? It cannot be the same lights (sun, moon, & stars) made to give light upon the earth as that was not ‘spoken into being’ until the 4th day.
This question begs a closer look so let’s start at the beginning and see WHAT WAS before there was Light. Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” That first verse reveals a lot! WOW! We know our GOD WAS (eternal existence) and He is The Creator. This verse is also a prologue, an introduction, a synopsis, an overview. What follows will give more details to the storyline. This precious book, God’s Word, is not only the instruction manual for mankind, but it is also HIS STORY! It chronicles events throughout the annals of time from eternity past to eternity future. Can you even imagine being Moses, and God entrusting you with the task of recording these revelations for future generations?
Next, Gen. 1:2 – “And the EARTH WAS without form and void; and DARKNESS WAS upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters
Okay, so far, we have three things that existed before the Light of Gen. 1:3 – GOD WAS, EARTH WAS, DARKNESS WAS. Let’s take those one at a time and see what clues we may find.
GOD WAS:
We established that God was ‘in the beginning.’ God spoke this Light into existence, so God already WAS. Also, His Spirit already WAS (vs. 2 darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters). We do not specifically see the 3rd person of the Godhead, but we know from the Gospel of John that HE WAS there also. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same WAS in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1-3) Then, in John 1:14-18, the identity of the Word is revealed: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John (the Baptist) bare witness of Him and cried, saying, This was He of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before Me. And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” From these scriptures we can confirm that the 3rd person of the Godhead, the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, was indeed present in the beginning. The fact that God SAID, “Let there be Light” is evidence that The WORD WAS also in the beginning.
EARTH WAS:
At this point, we are not told much about the earth except that it was without form and void. To have a better picture in our minds we will look at the definitions of those two words: #1) FORM-n. – the essential nature of a thing OR the shape & structure of something as distinguished from its matter; the component of a thing that determines its kind; orderly method of arrangement; manner of coordinating substance, pattern, structural elements. #2) VOID-n. – empty, not occupied, vacant, not inhabited, deserted, containing nothing, vacuum, the quality or state of being without something. From the evidence presented, the earth at that time was just an ‘empty mass of matter’ with no order to its substance. However, this does bring up another question which I hope will be answered as we go along. I will label this:
Puzzle Piece # 7: Where did the earth that was ‘without form & void’ come from?
DARKNESS WAS:
Now because I know that scripture interprets scripture, just as I used the gospel of John to establish that Jesus Christ is ‘the Word’ and was in the beginning with God . . . and knowing that scripture is based ‘precept upon precept’ (Is. 28:10) . . . and having studied scripture throughout my lifetime, I know darkness has more than one meaning. Yes, it means ‘without light’ which is true of the state of the earth in the beginning, but it is also indicative of being ‘without God.’ That state of being is usually associated with wickedness, unrighteousness, ungodliness . . . and all things EVIL. I would like to propose that this ‘DARKNESS THAT WAS’ has a double-meaning. At this point, our primary goal is PP#6 regarding the Light. By taking this approach, I believe we can unravel some of the other confusing aspects of the creation account.
Let’s examine the available clues from Gen. 1:3-5 about the Light in question (PP#6):
Clue #1) God SPOKE the Light into existence
Clue #2) God saw the Light that it was GOOD.
Clue #3) God DIVIDED the Light from the darkness. (Other translations use the word SEPARATED.)
Clue #4) God called the Light Day, and the darkness He called Night.
Clue #5) And the evening and the morning were the FIRST day.
I’m not sure if there is any significance to this observation, but in my KJV Bible, the words Day & Night are capitalized (as if a proper name), whereas, the word ‘day’ denoting the time frame between evening and morning is not capitalized. Also, looking at the lights (luminaries – sun, moon, & stars) in vs. 14, the words day & night are not capitalized.
Please keep these clues in mind as we look now at the creation of man. Perhaps we will better understand God’s blueprint for mankind. This study may be a little lengthy so I’ll include only a few verses regarding man’s creation. (Any emphasis in the text is mine.)
Puzzle Piece #8: What exactly is the IMAGE and LIKENESS of God?
Gen. 1:26-28 – “And God said, Let US make man in OUR IMAGE, after OUR LIKENESS: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He Him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” This all happened on the sixth day of creation.
[Note: The US in the above scriptures refers to all 3 persons of the Godhead, known also as the Triune God or ‘The TRINITY’ (discussed earlier) – God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit.]
Gen. 2:1-3 contains the conclusion of creation, “Thus the heavens and the earth were FINISHED, and ALL THE HOST OF THEM. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.”
[We know the division of God’s Word into chapters/verses was man’s later attempt to make it easier to understand and reference. These 3 verses (in my humble opinion) should have been included as the conclusion of chapter 1 instead of the introduction to chapter 2.]
Puzzle Piece #9: What does FINISHED really mean?
These three verses (Gen. 2:1-3) are very intriguing and beg for further study, hence, I am pulling it aside. There is definitely something hidden here. If it means what I feel the Holy Spirit is revealing to me, it will certainly answer a lot of my questions. For example: how did my granddaughter, barely old enough to talk, know that Jesus ‘SMELLS LIKE RAIN?’ (See post of that title, 7-13-20). I am led to understand this has something to do with TIME from God’s perspective, the beginning to the end; PREDESTINATION, and being chosen in Him ‘before the foundation of the world.’ If ALL THE HOST of heaven and earth were FINISHED on the seventh day, THAT WOULD INCLUDE US! . . . everyone/everything/ever created/ever lived/ever will live in heaven or earth – past, present & future! GOD RESTED FROM ALL HIS WORK! Are we not the work of His hands? Though PP#9 connects to PP#8, I will try to cover this puzzle piece in greater depth in a separate post with scriptures that are even now bombarding my mind. This rabbit trail must be for another day as I truly want to keep my focus at the present on PPs #6, #7, #8 & #10.
The rest of Genesis 2 is basically a re-telling of creation with a bit more detail. Vs. 7-9: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the BREATH OF LIFE; and man became a LIVING SOUL. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the TREE OF LIFE also in the midst of the garden, and the TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL.” Let’s skip down to vs. 15-17: “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
The remainder of chapter 2 tells how the beasts of the field were formed and brought before Adam to be named. It also explains how the Lord God recognized that it was not good for Adam to be alone, so He made Adam fall into a deep sleep, removed one of Adam’s ribs, and from that rib, the Lord God made Woman, and brought her to the man. vs. 25: “And they were both naked the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” (I’ll throw this in for free . . . this twosome, male and female, were the first husband and wife . . . the pattern established by God for the institution of marriage).
In Genesis chapter 3, we read about the fall of man . . . how Eve was beguiled by the serpent to eat fruit from the forbidden tree and ‘gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.’ Now catch vs. 7: “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons (coverings). Skip now to Gen. 21-24: “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and NOW, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a FLAMING SWORD which turned every way, to KEEP THE WAY OF THE TREE OF LIFE.”
Puzzle Piece #10: How do the 2 trees . . . Tree of Life and Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil . . . both mentioned as being in the ‘midst of the garden’ fit into the big picture? And what changed after the disobedience (sin) of Adam and Eve to make them realize they were naked?
Folks, I may have bitten off more than I can chew, but here is what I see when I look closer at these puzzle pieces. Some of this I am just seeing for the first time. I’m not going to be methodical about this, but just tell you in story form my hypothesis and how I came to my conclusions. Our primary goal with Part Two is to answer the question, ‘What was the Light created on Day 1 of creation.” While researching this PP#6, I believe we will also answer other related questions (PPs #7, #8, & #10). All of these are interconnected to the 5 pieces discussed in Part One.
In the beginning of the creation of earth and the firmament above it, we know that all 3 persons of the Godhead were present and accounted for . . . God the Father, God the Son (the Word), and God the Holy Spirit. We discussed what the earth that was before the Light looked like and that darkness, both physical and spiritual was present. If you are reading this and are a student of God’s Word, you are aware that there is more than one heaven. Paul spoke of the ‘third heaven’ in 2 Cor. 12:2. It stands to reason there would be a ‘second heaven’ which I believe to be the dwelling place and domain of the forces of darkness. In Gen. 1:2, the darkness is described as being ‘upon the face of the deep’ which gives the impression of ‘hovering above.’ Satan is referred to as the Prince of the Power of THE AIR, and you can find an example of this ‘heavenly space’ in Daniel 10. The angel Gabriel was delayed from getting to Daniel speedily because he was forced to contend with the ‘principality of Persia.’ Gabriel had to call on the Archangel Michael to assist him through this area. You can also see in Ephesians 6:12 that we ourselves are warned that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but our enemies are principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places.
It is not recorded in the Genesis creation account that angels were created at that time. Yet we know from scriptures that angels existed with God in His dwelling place. Therefore, we can theorize that at some point in eternity past other creations occurred which included all the angels. Could this have possibly been WHEN the earth that was ‘without form and void’ was initially created (PP#7)? The fall of Lucifer and one-third of the angels who rebelled with him most likely occurred prior to the Genesis account. The probability exists that after this group of fallen angels were cast out of heaven, they were sent to earth. What better place for them to be banished than a desolate mass of matter without form and void? Thus, we find the darkness, both PHYSICAL and SPIRITUAL, as recorded in Gen. 1:2.
Lucifer’s fall from his place with God in heaven was caused by pride. I have always understood and been taught that Lucifer wanted to exalt himself ABOVE God. But look what the scripture says was Lucifer’s ultimate desire in Isaiah 14:14, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be LIKE the most High.” Who do we know really was created to be ‘LIKE’ the most High? (See Gen. 1:26) Lucifer was one of the higher-up angels who would have probably been given foreknowledge of God’s plan. The fact that God desired a people of His own, made in His image and likeness, was incomprehensible. Whose position was Lucifer really after?
It was never God’s intention for man to eat from the TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. That’s why he warned Adam about it. It was a stern warning! If you eat of it, you shall surely die! Yes, God knew about good and evil. He created all things, even evil. “There is none beside Me. I AM the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things (Is. 45:6b-7).” We don’t have to know God’s motives or try to reason why He does things the way He does. He is God! It’s easy for us in our ‘fallen state’ to blame God for putting that forbidden tree in the garden in the first place. But who are we to tell our Maker how we should be fashioned. He is the Potter, we are the clay. Our destiny is in His hands. “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it: He created it not in vain [NOT WITHOUT PURPOSE], He formed it to be inhabited; I am the Lord; and there is none else (Is. 45:18).
Once Satan found himself cast out of heaven, he determined to destroy what he knew God loved. He didn’t wait long to show up on the scene and cause havoc. We find him in the garden of Eden as early as Gen. 3:1. Disguised in the form of a serpent, He masterfully used his cunning deception to beguile Eve. “Ye shall NOT surely die” (Satan just called God a liar . . . he is the father of lies. – John 8:44): For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Don’t you know Satan was aware of the consequences of rebellion against God? He was so jealous of God’s creation. They held the place that he felt should rightfully be his. If he couldn’t have it, neither would they!
Now, Adam and Eve could eat freely of any of the other trees, including the TREE OF LIFE. As long as they were allowed to partake of the TREE OF LIFE, they were eternal beings. They walked with God in His presence. I could be wrong, but I think the reason they did not know they were naked is because their bodies were not as ours are today. While eating of the TREE OF LIFE, they were immortal beings. In that uncorrupted state, their appearance was ‘the image & likeness of God.’ They most probably glowed from being in the glory of God’s presence. One bite of the forbidden fruit and it was ‘lights-out!’ Their bodies were corrupted by sin. We can only imagine their shock of looking upon themselves and seeing their change in appearance. They were naked because their raiment of God’s glory had departed (see PP#10).
“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. And the Lord God said, Behold the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the TREE OF LIFE, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So, he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a FLAMING SWORD which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life (Gen. 3:21-24).”
As I typed those scriptures, I heard in my spirit, “dead men walking.” That is what we all are if we do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. We are just like Adam and Eve were on that day (see Part One). They were spiritually dead, though their physical bodies continued to live on until their appointed time to return to the dust from whence they came. They could no longer partake of the TREE OF LIFE and live forever. It was a sad, sad day for all of God’s creation.
You may be wondering why I emphasized the last phrase of Gen. 3:24. I want you think about that phrase and how it relates to our primary puzzle piece. I’m going to tell you NOW the answer to our question: What was the Light in Gen. 1:3? The is NOT conjecture . . . it is TRUTH REVEALED!
THE LIGHT was God’s provision, because of His great love for us, to keep THE WAY of the TREE OF LIFE. In the beginning . . . BEFORE the foundation of the world, BEFORE anything else that was made was made . . . on the FIRST day . . . Our God thought of us above all! What a great God we serve! His infinite LOVE is beyond all comprehension! Our God is omniscient, all knowing, from eternity past to eternity future. Have you guessed the answer?
That LIGHT is JESUS! The Word made flesh!
Before the beginning of time, God looked into the future and by HIS SPOKEN WORD, which will not return to Him void, He set into motion His plan of salvation for every soul to find their way back to Him.
I have shared in past posts how God is revealing more of Himself to me through the parables. They are not earthly messages with a heavenly meaning. THEY ARE OUR REALITY! Never before has the Parable of the Prodigal Son been more revealing. It perfectly portrays the creation story of mankind, their departure from a beautiful HOME and a wonderful LIFE prepared just for them. But most of all, it reveals the heart of a loving Father . . . long-suffering, waiting patiently for His Children to COME BACK HOME! It is the picture of REPENTANCE and RESTORATION . . . “bring forth the BEST ROBE and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again (born-again): he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.” Read the full story in Luke 15:11-32. You will find it all there . . . the raiment back on . . . the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Wow! That was PROPER NAMES! Did you ever realize YOU are mentioned by name in Gen. 1:5? God called His children by NAME. Those who find THE WAY (the narrow way) are GOING HOME! We are the DAY! Hallelujah!
But there are others of His creation, known from the foundation of the earth, that are called by another name. Those who do not return by THE WAY provided are separated from those who are the Day. But worse than that . . . they will remain SEPARATED from the Father who loves them . . . the Lord God Himself . . . The ONE who breathed life into their nostrils and made them into a Living Soul. They will never again walk in the garden with Him in the cool of the evening . . . they will NEVER AGAIN partake of the TREE OF LIFE. (Read 2 Thess. 1:7-10, Rev. 2:16 for a look at their fate). This group also has been given a name. God called the darkness NIGHT!
Thank You, Abba Father! I am so overwhelmed by Your love for me! Thank You for once again providing an Ark . . . not for me only, but for all who will come to the Light. You are such a good, good Father. Yes, Your Light is very GOOD. The time has now come for those who walk in Your Light to be separate from those who walk in darkness. You are even NOW dividing the DAY from the NIGHT. Oh, dear Lord, may Your Holy Spirit fill us to overflowing with Your presence. May our lives reflect Your glory. Restore us to Your Image and Your Likeness. May we once again come into Your Garden and partake of Your TREE OF LIFE and live forever.
Beloved, please read the scriptures. They are not support for this message. They ARE THE MESSAGE that our Heavenly Father wanted me to write to you. The very best one is at the very end, spoken by the Father Himself through His prophet Isaiah.
John 8:12 – “Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I AM the LIGHT OF THE WORLD: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the LIGHT OF LIFE.”
John 14:6 – “Jesus saith unto him, I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”
2 Cor. 4:6 – “FOR GOD, WHO COMMANDED THE LIGHT TO SHINE OUT OF DARKNESS, hath shined in our hearts, to give light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Eph. 5:8 – “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord, WALK AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT.”
1 Thess. 5:4-5 – “But ye brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the CHILDREN OF LIGHT and the CHILDREN OF THE DAY: we are not of the Night , nor of darkness.”
Col. 1:12-13 – “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet [fit] to be PARTAKERS of the inheritance of the SAINTS IN LIGHT: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son:
Rom. 13:11-13a – “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for NOW IS OUR SALVATION NEARER than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us PUT ON THE ARMOUR OF LIGHT. Let us walk honestly as in the DAY.”
Rev. 22:14 – “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the TREE OF LIFE, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
John 12:35-36a – “Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is THE LIGHT with you. Walk while you have THE LIGHT, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have THE LIGHT, BELIEVE IN THE LIGHT, that ye may be CHILDREN OF LIGHT. . .”
I will sign off now. I hope this revelation has blessed you as much as it has blessed me. I do not believe I will ever be the same after this study that the Lord has brought me through. It has been life-changing. My prayer is that God will use it to change the life of others also. All glory and honor and praise to The Living God . . . THE CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH . . . for He has provided for us THE WAY back home to Him.
Yours for the Harvest,
Averine
As promised,
A Word from Our Heavenly Father
“Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together:
who hath declared this from ancient times? Who hath told it from that time?
Have not I the Lord: and there is no God else beside Me; a just God and a Saviour;
there is none beside Me. Look unto Me, and be ye saved; all the ends of the earth:
for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by Myself,
the Word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, . . .”
(Isaiah 45:21-23a)
