Before Creation
The Bible begins by stating, “In the beginning…” This starts the story of the natural world as we know it. The heavens and the earth are created, but then in verse 2, of Genesis 1, it seems to be interrupted by another scene, that of abyss, void and darkness. Before creation, God is, and He is Light. What the Lord creates is perfect and reflects His nature. So something must have happened between verse 1 and 2. This has been a topic of discussion among theologians for years. Some talk of a pre-adamic race which resulted in the origin of demons. Some say this was the era of the dinosaurs with the ice age destruction of life. I tend to believe that this scene was the result of the fall of Satan and his angels. They were cast out of heaven to the earth and thus brought confusion, darkness and an emptiness into existence.
If this is the right interpretation of this phenomena, then the earth needed to be re-created. In verse 3, we see the first act of God in restoring the heavens and earth to their divine purpose. God said, “Let there be light.” This was the first day, (or phase), in putting creation back in order. This act of separating Light from darkness was not the creation of the natural light, giving by the stars, moon and sun, because they were created on the fourth day, but rather a spiritual separation, or, in other words, sanctification. Boundaries were established for the darkness so that the light could rule.
I see this pattern of creation working still today in our lives. Before a new creation can occur, there must be a separation from sin and the destruction caused by it. Just as Satan’s sin destroyed God’s original plan and needed to be re-created, so man’s sin destroyed God’s plan for man and he needed to be re-born. The first step of the new birth is repentance. This is the “Let there be light” separation from darkness. Light and darkness don’t mix. They are distinct and separated. Without repentance there is no belief and thus no salvation. Faith is not a result of the mental acceptance of truth, but rather of a change in direction and mindset.
After repentance, then God can begin creating all His “good” stuff in our lives. You must leave to be able to enter. You must let go to be able to lay hold. When we walk away from the darkness into the Light, then we can experience what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. This is when God says: “It is good!”
Scriptures to meditate on: John 1.1; Romans 12.1-2; II Cor. 5.17; Acts 2.38; 3.19; I Peter 2.9.