Out of the vast unimaginable magnificence with God before time, came time itself. Simultaneously as the Cosmic Clock’s pendulum began its first swing, an angelic chorus sang and all the sons of God shouted for joy.
It was the beginning and the heavens and the earth were created.
Where there was nothing but God, now there was an innumerable host of witness and worshipers. In the midst of the vast expanse, a void orb now waited for her creator as He opened the chamber of the seas and they rushed forth as if they had issued from a womb.
Swaddling the deep with a garment of thick darkness, the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Then, God spoke.
“Let there be light.”
And there was light.
In the midst of the deep darkness, glorious, transforming waves of silent energy blazed at attention before omnipotence Himself.
God saw it, judged it to be good, divided it from darkness and named them both.
God called the light, “Day,” and the darkness he called, “Night.”
And the evening and the morning were the first day.
For five more days this, the first liturgy, unfolded like the germinating seeds of omniscience Himself. God spoke his will, divided what he had already made into something new, gave it a new name and judged it to be “good.”
From evening to morning and from darkness to light, the perfect obedience of all matter brought an exponential complexity and beauty as it divided and multiplied like a developing child moments after conception. At the end of each day, God judged each new creation and said it was “good.”
In their turn came forth the clouds and the sky, the land and the seas, the grass and the trees and all the heavenly lights.
Next, from the sea, came the great whales, fishes and birds. And on the sixth day, from the earth, he brought forth all manner of beasts, cattle and creeping things.
In the midst of this day, God spoke to himself.
“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.”
From the dust of the earth God formed the first earthly King and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.
For Adam, for that is what God named him, he planted a garden eastward in Eden. Having given him the whole earth and all that was therein to rule, he offered him a starting point where he could begin his work. As he did this, he let Adam know he could eat freely of any of the trees of the garden except one, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. If he ate from this tree, he would surely die.
For the first time in His work God judged that something was “not good.” Adam was alone. God said he would make a help meet suitable for him.
God brought the animals to the garden for Adam to name and while he was doing this it became evident that something was not as it would be. He was not quite finished with the work he began six days earlier. There was more to do.
God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam. While he was sleeping God completed the creation of man himself. As God had done before with the other parts of creation, Adam would have to be divided. God took Adam’s rib from his side and brought forth the final and most beautiful piece of His creation, the very image of God. Male and female, two yet one joined in the mystery of unity able to divide and multiply.
Now, everything had a place and everything was in its place.
Looking at the whole of his completed work for the first time, in perfect order, God judged it to be “Very Good.”
O to see again the beauty of holiness realized, with God speaking and everything responding in perfect obedience.
And all would have continued in this blissful state had not Eve, for that is what Adam later named the woman, chosen to do the one thing Adam was told she must not do. From her deception by the serpent and Adam’s subsequent disobedience, sin entered the world and began an instant world-wide destruction of all that was lovely. As the created order took on disorder and disobedience the devolution of perfection began. Where there was only life and beauty now the stench of death.
Nakedness and shame now covered the royal robes of their innocence. With sin and death came the curse of God. The woman’s work of bearing children would now be exceedingly painful and her place at her husband’s side no longer a comfort but a goad. As Adam had rebelled against God now the ground itself made for Adam’s rule would rebel against him. He was no longer the ruler but the ruled. He was out of his garden and angels made to minister to him held flaming swords between him and the Tree of Life lest he live forever dying.
Keeping with the pattern He set in the first six days, God would take his last creation, man, divide him again to make a new creation to heal the world and restore the Kingdom to its rightful place.
As Adam had been divided into a new creation, so the second Adam, Jesus Christ, would sleep the sleep of death brought on by Adam’s sin, God would pierce open his side and make a glorious bride.
This new creation would now divide and multiply and fill the earth once again with the glory of the Lord.
As the sons of God we are to walk in the light understanding obedience is better than sacrifice. Hearing God’s words we joyfully respond.
Every man loving his neighbor as himself is the reordering of a world where death reigns.
As we, though faith, become doers of God’s word and not hearers only we see our citizenship to be other than in the world of disobedience and death. As we love our brothers and obey God’s commands we know that we have passed from death unto to life and have been translated from darkness and disorder into His Kingdom of marvelous light. Now we with confidence can not only come boldly before the throne of grace to obtain mercy for our sins, but we can once again walk with God every day in the garden called the Newness of Life.