Revelation 13:8 - NASB
8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
Have you ever considered that God has revealed His whole plan for salvation on the Bible’s first few pages? Sure, it’s slightly disguised with the use of symbols. But once you see what the symbols represent, it can become amazingly clear! For instance, everywhere –from Genesis to Revelation– that you find the word “light”, try substituting “eternal life” and everywhere you find “darkness” substitute “absence of life.”
The Holy Spirit had been traveling back and forth over the dark water-covered earth –in a worried, hand-wringing manner (that’s what hovering describes). The earth is representative of man, both individually and collectively. Here on the first day we see man after the fall. He is lost in darkness; without meaning and purpose to his life; and without hope. Then the “Light of Men” (Jesus) shines to all.
Although the subject of the second day appears to be the creation of water in the seas and the water in the heavens, it’s really about the tremendous separation between the two. The ultimate separation for anyone is being separated from our source of life: God. And that is exactly what Jesus did for us: He took our separation –our death– so that we did not have to suffer the “second death” as He did.
Man can exist on the seas for a time; but he can only stay there for extended periods when he’s in a boat (Noah and the ark might come to mind here). It’s on dry ground that man was created to live. That’s where his provisions are found: Fresh water and most foods. The picture here is the emergence of the great land mass from within the seas. In its fullness, this is a representation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The same imagery is used when Jesus paralleled His resurrection with Jonah brought up from the deep and spit out onto land by the great fish.
The sources of physical light were created on the fourth day. It seems to make that first day’s light all the more important; it was required for the plant life created on the third day. There were three types of sources for light: The sun, moon and stars. And there are many passages indicating that each of them represents a part of the trinity.
The fifth day focuses on two types of creatures: Birds and sea creatures. The two types represent good and evil. Birds are above and their wings maneuver them on the winds. Sea creatures are below. Like so many of God’s metaphors, “above” and “below” give insight to what He has to say in the Bible. Here are a few more contrasts about above and below.
Another set of beings was created on the fifth day –before man came along. These animals are representative of the encounters mankind will have in his lifetime: Livestock (easy and predictable circumstances); the ones that move along the ground (those that appear to be small and sneak up on us); and wild beasts (the ones that attack viciously).
God finished His work. He finished doing everything needed for our salvation –restoring us to eternal life –returning us to His presence. And there’s nothing we can add to it! Our life is to be spent trusting Him for all things and telling others about that life which is only possible through His Son Jesus.
An interesting item is that according to Genesis, the first thing created was light. Revelation 13:8 says that the Lamb of God was slain from the creation of the world. The Light (life) and the Lamb (payment for what caused death) were both provided in the very beginning. Why not? Payment for sin, as well as, eternal life came through the one person Jesus Christ.
The second day wasn’t a good day. Every other day was good. Why not this one? Simple. It was the day that the one and only Son of God took on the sins of the whole world. He was utterly sinful. He became sin for us. He and His Father had to part.
The seventh day never ended; the others did, but not the Sabbath. We are invited to enter it and rest eternally from trying to please God. The only way to please Him is to trust in Him!