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Title |
Lecture on Genesis Ver.2(22) - Lecture on Genesis Ver.2 (22) |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Genesis 1:2 |
Date |
2010-01-29 |
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Scripture
Genesis 1:2 [2] The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is 22nd lecture on Genesis. With this lecture, we begin Genesis 1:2.
It says, "The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." This verse contains both spiritual and fleshly meanings. It explains what happened in the spiritual realm before the Creation, and at the same time, it explains what happened in the world of flesh. Let me explain its spiritual meaning first. In the beginning, it says, "The earth was formless." Spiritually, "the earth" refers to the world of darkness that Lucifer governs. In addition, "the earth" in the bible also spiritually refers to the Lower Grave which is a part of Hell where Lucifer rules. On the other hand, "sky" spiritually refers to the world of light or "heaven" that God governs.
When God created the earth, He created it so that people would be able to feel the spiritual realm through the fleshly earth and heaven. What comes to mind when you think of the place "under the earth?" You may think of a place that is dark and gloomy, and burning magma. When you see a volcano erupt and lava flow from the volcano, you may be reminded of the lake of fire and the lake of sulfur in Hell. In ways like this, God lets you realize what the world of darkness is like through the fleshly earth. Then, what about the sky that is opposite to the earth? The blue sky is bright, clear, and beautiful. Even those who don't believe in God feel an unknown sense of awe when they see the blue sky. There is a saying for those who act lawlessly that says, "Act with fear knowing that Heaven's gaze is upon you!" Moreover, most people have a vague longing for something when they gaze at the sky. For this, Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has made everything appropriate in its time He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end." God put longing for heaven, which is home of origin for everyone, into the heart of people. Since the sky spiritually relates to heaven, that's why a sense of yearning arises in the hearts of people when they gaze into the sky. Likewise, everything in the earth that God created has spiritual meanings. Now, what does it mean that the earth was formless? Earlier, I said "the earth" spiritually refers to the world of darkness that Lucifer governs.
Therefore, when it says "the earth was formless," it means the order of the spiritual realm was temporarily in state of confusion due to the rebellion of Lucifer. Lucifer was originally an archangel that served God the Father. However, in order to be lifted higher than God, she craftily gathered her forces. Lucifer and the company that followed her strayed from their positions that God had assigned to them. In other words, by breaking the order that God had set, they brought chaos to the spiritual realm. God used the expression, "the earth was formless" to describe this situation.
Now, the verse continues to say, "the earth was void," and it shows the status of God the Father's heart. God the Father had given the best of His love to Lucifer, and so when she betrayed Him, He was hurt so much in His heart. God's heart felt a sense of a void as if His heart had been emptied out. Even though God the Father foreknew that Lucifer would do so, when it actually happened, He was so hurt in His heart.
From the beginning of this church, I too have also experienced many betrayals. God Father has always told me in advance who would betray me. Then, I did all I could possibly do so that they could change their course. I treated them more warmly with love, and helped them realize and possess true faith, so that they might not depart from the way of life. When the time came, however, it was done the way God said. They brought this and that trouble, did many things that cannot be understood, and eventually left the church.
Even though God the Father told me in advance and so I knew it beforehand, when I was betrayed by those I loved, I was still hurt so much in my heart. I felt not only a void in my heart, but I also mourned with my burning heart for the souls for a very long time. That's why when God said He felt void in His heart because of the rebellion of Lucifer, I could understand what His words meant just a little bit. So, let me summarize this; "the earth was formless and void" refers to the chaos caused by Lucifer and the forces of darkness, and the void of God the Father's heart However, the rebellion of Lucifer was soon suppressed. God confined Lucifer and evil spirits into the Abyss, which is deepest part of Hell. Of course, Lucifer and some evil spirits were released for the period of Human Cultivation. But still, most of the evil spirits have been confined in the Abyss, and the evil spirits that were temporarily released will soon be re-confined after the process of human cultivation is complete. And God described the status of the forces of the darkness being confined in the Abyss as "darkness was over the surface of the deep." By confining all the forces of darkness into the Abyss, God the Father repressed the chaos of the spiritual realm. And the spiritual world regained peace. The latter half of Genesis 1:2, "the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters," is referring to the circumstances of God subjugating and restoring the calm to everything. In this one verse, Genesis 1:2, is contained the status of spiritual realm from the moment of Lucifer's rebellion to its aftermath. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I said earlier that this verse describes what happened in the spiritual realm as well as what took place in the world of the flesh. After the rebellion of Lucifer was suppressed and the peace of spiritual realm was regained, God created the earth for the human cultivation when the time came. By the way, when God the Father created the earth in t he beginning, the earth was not like the earth as of today. In the beginning, the crust and atmosphere of the earth was unstable. Geological movements such as crustal disturbances and volcanic eruptions were actively taking place. All kinds of complex actions were also taking place in the atmosphere continually. Referring to this unstable status of the earth, the bible says, "the earth was formless and void." This corresponds to scientific theories to some degree. Scientists also surmise that there were active crustal movements on the surface of the earth and that there were various chemical activities in the atmosphere in the early phase of the earth. Scientists say that it was the process that the earth was forming after it was created after the "big bang." The fact is, however, that it was not by the big bang." It was the process of God's creation of the earth. Then, what does it spiritual mean when it says, "darkness was over the surface of the deep"? When the earth was created, there was no sun, no moon, no stars in this galaxy. And thus, the earth was surrounded by the darkness, and God describes it as "darkness was over the surface of the deep." Then, why did God the Almighty not create the earth perfectly from the beginning, but let the earth go through all these processes? There are two reasons for this. The first is that God Himself followed the order of the world of the flesh, (the system of physical Law). The first heaven where the earth is located is the fleshly physical space, and thus He created the earth according to the order of the flesh. When people construct a building on the ground, the build doesn't have the complete shape from the beginning. The foundation work alone takes quite a long time. If the ground is weak, people should lay the foundation firm enough to support the completed building. The higher and bigger the building is, the longer it takes to lay the foundation. After laying the foundation, they put up the frameworks with steel or other materials, and construct it floor by floor. Even when they build a small house, the work of laying its foundation and putting up its frameworks is a must. They cannot build a complete house from the beginning over night. This is the (physical) order of the fleshly world.
Even though God the Father is almighty, when He created the earth, He started with laying its foundation according to the physical order of the fleshly world. In Job 38:4, God says, "I laid the foundation of the earth." Hebrews 1:10 also says, "YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH, AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS." When God created the earth in the beginning, He went through the process of laying its foundation along with active crustal movements and various reactions in the atmosphere. Through the process, the earth came to have the ground and the air; the proper environment for human beings. Likewise, the works of God's creation began and proceeded in perfect order from the beginning. How precise was the order of the Creation during the 6 days Almighty God could have created all these things at once.
But He didn't do so. He created according to the order. In other words, He first created the earth and the sky which are zero dimensional, and then He created plants which are of the 1st dimension, animals which are of the 2nd dimension, and human beings of 3rd dimension. I will give you a detailed explanation on this 6 Day Creation. When God the Almighty created the earth, He laid its foundation, and it was the way of expressing His love for mankind. Imagine that you are building your own house. The house is where you and your beloved family are about to live. You have enough money, and good workers to build the house. If you give them the order, the workers are able to build it by themselves. Would you like to say to them, "Ok, now get the house built quickly!"? Even if it takes a long time and requires much work, you will check every detail personally. You will never consider it bothersome or difficult, but you will rather be happy to do it. Why? It is the house where you will live with your beloved family for many long years. Our God the Father also created this earth with this kind of heart. This earth is the base ground for souls to be cultivated to become true children of God the Father. That's why God earnestly laid the foundation of the earth and created the sky over a long period of time. He didn't create the earth overnight.
According to the order of the fleshly world, He let the process of crustal movements take place and laid the foundation of the earth, and had the atmosphere develop and circulate through various stages to create the most proper environment. After laying the foundation of the earth, God filled the earth with all the necessary things and He did it with earnest. Of course, it is also like the heart of the head of the family who constructs a house for his family. Just constructing a house itself is not the end. "What kind of color and pattern should the wallpaper have? What kind of carpet should I use? What kind of furniture should I put in this room? How should I decorate the living room and the room for my child?" He will check every corner of the house, and decorate the house to make it fit his heart's desire. With a heart of a parent, God the Father also filled the earth with things that are necessary for the human beings. As if a parent harbors an entire house in his heart and filled it with necessary things, God put the entire earth into His heart and accomplished the works of Creation. This process is described in the latter part of tonight's verse, as "the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." At this time, God Himself came down to the earth. While moving over the earth, He looked for what was necessary for the earth, and how He would decorate it. By the way, from the fact that "God was moving over the surface of the waters," we can see the earth was covered with waters back then. After God laid the foundation of the earth, He covered the entire earth with waters. Therefore, before the "Six Days of Creation," the earth was completely covered beneath the waters. We can find it in Genesis 1:9. It says, "Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so." Before the third day, there was no dry land that appeared on the earth. 2 Peter 3:5 says, "by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water." This verse also says "the earth was formed out of water." Simply put, the earth was originally under the water, and it came out of the water later. Then, where did the water that covered the entire earth come from? The water was not newly created at this time. It was the water of life that flowed from the throne of God. The water of life that originates from the throne of God flows through New Jerusalem and the third heavenly kingdom to Paradise. It then returns back to the throne of God. All the animals and plants of heaven receive the power of God from this water of life, and it maintains the life. It was this water of life that God covered the earth with when He created the earth. He put the water of life as well on earth which is the fleshly world as He put it in the spiritual realm. Now, what was the reason God covered the entire earth with the water of life like this? It was to create an environment on earth so that all the life forms including human beings could survive in it. There is no other planet in the solar system that has plenty of water like the earth has. In the second half of year 2009, NASA announced that water or ice was also found on Venus or in the moon. However, it doesn't mean that there is a sea or lake on Venus or on the moon. It just means that there was found a little bit of moisture in the ground. In other words, there is no other planet found that has a good amount of water to keep any living beings alive. God let the water of life flow into the earth and created the basic environment the living things could survive in. The look of the earth that was covered with the water of life was like a baby kept in amniotic fluid in its mother's body. Thanks to this amniotic fluid that covers the baby, the baby can be protected from any external shocks or infections. The amniotic fluid also helps to keep the body temperature of the baby constant. While covered with this amniotic fluid, the baby is provided with nutrients from its mother through the umbilical cord until it comes to have a complete look of a man. And when the time comes, it comes out to the world. By the same token, during the period when the earth was covered with the water of life, the basic environment for living things to live in was created.
Dear brothers and sisters. We should understand the heart and will of God at this point. With what kind of heart did God put the water of life that originates from the throne of God onto the earth? All the living things including human beings cannot survive without water. And this water is given by God. Therefore, we should realize that human beings can never survive away from God.
The souls that have turned away from God will eventually fall into eternal death. However, those who are in God can receive eternal life even if their life on earth is finished. The fact is that when He covered the earth with the water of life it was God's desire for all the souls to be able to receive eternal life. Another thing in point, the water of life is so pure and clean. The water that originally covered the earth was also pure and clean. God the Father wants all the souls to have a heart like this water of life after going through human cultivation. He wants us to become true children with a blameless and spotless heart that is as pure and clear as the water of life. Fleshly speaking, water cleanses all the dirty things. Water is essential for all the living things to sustain and maintain life. End here 1/29
The word of God, which is spiritual water, is also essential for us to keep our spiritual life, and it plays the role of cleansing the dirty and filthy sins from us. And so, Jesus said in John 4:14, "but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." And Hebrews 10:22 also says, "let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." When we clean our hearts with this "pure water" - the word of God -, we can have "a sincere heart in full assurance of faith." God the Father wants every soul to receive a true life from the spiritual water, which is word of God, and to clean his heart. That's why God covered the earth with the water of life that flowed from the throne of God. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. In this lecture, I explain the processes through which God created this earth, laid its foundation according to the physical order of the flesh, and covered it with the water of life. Nobody watched God manage all these processes of Creation. But then, how was it possible for Moses, who was the author of Genesis, to make records of all these things? It was possible because God Himself explained it to him. God was always with Moses, and showed countless evidences to him. By considering the Ten Plagues that Moses manifested before the eyes of Pharaoh, for example, you can see that God was with Moses. God even said to Moses in Exodus 7:1, "See, I (God) make you (Moses) as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. Since the evidence is clear that God was with Moses, we believe that this Book of Genesis that Moses recorded is also the word of God and that it is true. God Himself, who was with Moses, is also with this church and He has manifested countless signs and wonders. And He explained this work of Genesis in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, you should believe that this Genesis Lecture is true and nothing but the truth. Upcoming Genesis Lectures will introduce what modern science hasn't been able to explain or solve. Some things may be contrary and opposition to existing scientific theories or even common sense. Even if they are, I hope that you will believe that this Genesis Lecture is true. You should, because there are many sings and wonders that can prove this word is true. God's power of creation far surpasses the limit of human being's knowledge. God managed the works of creation with immeasurable wisdom and power that go beyond the knowledge and capability of man. God the Creator couldn't accomplish the works of creation within the limited knowledge of a man in order to make him understand. As a mere creature, man is not in a position of making judgments whether the works of Creation by God were right or wrong. However, he should revere from the depth of his heart God the Creator who perfectly completed the enormous works of Creation. I will introduce some of the evidences which prove that this earth was created under the precise plan of God. I urge you to make bread of this Genesis Lecture well every week. Only then can you understand the succeeding lectures, and arm yourself with the word of God. I hope that you will not only store this lecture as knowledge, but also understand with impression the heart of God the Father who did all the works of Creation. May you maintain deeper communication with God while walking with God all the time, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray!
[Amen!] |
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