God owns day and night

As we said in the previous blog (What did Darwin think about Genesis 1?) God claimed ownership of what He created.  The New Testament proclaims that Jesus is the Creator in at least four places. ¹  So we want to ask Him, ‘Jesus, what do You say about the creation of day and night?’

#  Day/light and night/darkness is physical and spiritual.

• The sun, moon and stars were created to keep day and night in a continual cycle.  One orbit of the earth on its own axis = a day.  One orbit of the moon around the earth = a month.  One orbit of the earth around the sun = a year.
• The Trinity decided on the length of days, nights and years through the ‘work’ of the sun, moon and stars.
• Yet light and darkness is also a picture of salvation.  When the Holy Spirit hovered over the dark waters and God commanded ‘Let there be light’ it illustrates how some one turns from slavery under the devil, to become a child of God.   Colossians 1:13 explains, ‘For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption the forgiveness of sins.’

#  History without dates (according to the time keepers) is not history at all.

The time keepers are the basis of history.  That is why God/Jesus created the expanse of the sky and filled it with the sun, moon and stars – to keep times.

• Scripture is very clear, “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….  God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night….  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.’ ²  Bold ours.
• Twice it says the role of the sun and moon is to ‘separate’ light and darkness or day and night.  Thrice it says the purpose of the sun and moon is to ‘govern’ day and night.

#  The Bible teaches theology (knowledge of God) in the context of history.

1. Since the timekeepers were created for the purpose of time keeping, we find very specific dates in the Old Testament.  It gives the ages of the patriarchs, when events happened, et cetera.  It is logical that historical people and events should be linked to times.
2. Since the sun and moon and stars were created by Jesus, they are at His disposal to use to accomplish what God intends.  Look at these striking examples of how miracles are in a sense ‘natural’ to Him, since nature is under His control:

• When the Pharaoh would not free the Israelite slaves, after God warned him, one of the plagues was three days of absolute darkness over Egypt.  Yet the Israelites had light where they lived. ³
• When Jesus was on the Cross there was a specific sign from God: ‘From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.’ ⁴  It does not say there was darkness over the whole world.
• The book of Revelation tells us about events at the end of this age.  The kingdom of darkness will be completely destroyed and God’s Kingdom of light will be established eternally on earth. ‘The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. a third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.’ ⁵
• Another example is, ‘The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness.’ ⁶

#  There will not be time keepers in eternity.

God’s plan with day/night and timekeepers is temporal.  In the age to come, on the new heavens and earth, there will be no need for the sun or moon. ⁷  We will not need time.  It will be an uninterrupted eternal feast of joy and happiness in the presence of our glorious Lord Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit.

#  Conclusion

What is Jesus’ message to us in the 21st century?  Even if it feels as if you are in the dark, be of good cheer.  Light will surely come for you again.  Have faith in the God of day and night.  He will not let you down.  Nothing is impossible for God.

Next blog

As the Creator of the timekeepers, Jesus should be able to give us first hand information about the age of the earth.  Will His answer differ from what we hear all the time that the earth is 4,5 billion years old?

References

1. John 1:3, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:16, Hebrew 1:2
2. Genesis 1:14-18
3. Exodus 10:21-23
4. Matthew 27:45
5. Revelation 8:12
6. Revelation 16:10
7. Revelation 21:23; 22:5