By Him & For Him
19-Jun-08
In anticipation of a visit to the Creation Museum (www.creationmuseum.org), I was reading through Genesis 1 & God brought to mind a passage from Colossians:
“He (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.” – Col. 1.15-16
As I approached Genesis 1, an alarm was going off in my mind because I began to sense the complacency & comfortableness from having read that chapter several times before. Realizing that God’s Word is living & active (Heb 4.12) & able to continually teach me – no matter how many times I read it, I felt compelled to pray for a fresh perspective on Genesis 1 & that’s when the Spirit brought to mind the Colossians passage. “All things were created by Him and for Him…”
Then I began to think about the Trinity’s involvement in creation, especially that of Jesus, who is the “Him” in Colossians. Consider this: Jesus had in mind all of the following things as He intentionally created each one with purpose on each day of the creation week…
Day 1 – Light: Jesus would explain Himself as the light of the world & instruct His followers to reflect His light to others. He will be the lamp of the eternal Jerusalem.
Day 2– Sky: The sky would be filled with heavenly hosts to announce the arrival of Christ to the shepherds. The heavens would open up as the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at His baptism. The sky would be darkened at His crucifixion. He would ascend through the clouds to be seated at the Father’s right hand & will one day come back on the clouds.
Day 3 – Land & Seas: Jesus would come to dwell & walk upon the land He created. Mountains would host tempting, teaching & transfiguring. He would sail & walk upon the seas & would calm them in an object lesson.
Vegetation: In His infant form, Christ would rest in straw. Papyrus would grow to make the scrolled Scriptures He would script, read & fulfill. A vine would teach about abiding & produce wine for remembrance. A fig tree would be withered. A garden would be prayed in & betrayed in. Trees would produce wood for furniture He would craft, money changing tables He would upset, a fire to warm a denier, a rod He’d be struck with & rugged timbers of the cross He would die on.
Day 4 – Sun, Moon & Stars: The heavenly bodies would circle through time until the exact point when Christ would enter His world. A star would guide wise men to Him. The heavenly bodies would continue in step until the appointed time of His death where their light would cease for 3 hours. They will continue to mark off time until the timeless Christ returns at an unknown time to end time where they will no longer be needed & cease to exist.
Day 5 – Fish & Birds: Jesus would use fish to feed multitudes, deliver tax money, abundantly fill nets & feed hungry fishermen on a beach. He would use birds to teach a lesson about worrying.
Day 6 – Animals: Christ would fulfill what animals to be sacrificed would only symbolize. Flocks would witness His birth announcement to be brought by heavenly hosts. Sheep, He would use to teach His flock. A colt would carry Him to His last supper on earth.
Man: A sinless Christ would become a man & die for mankind who would all sin against Him so that some would live twice & forever. For those He would create, re-create, indwell, forgive, restore, move, sanctify, resurrect, & glorify to be the body of His bride.
Day 7 – Rest: Christ will give rest.
Furthermore, Genesis 1.2 tells us the earth was initially “formless & void”. For the first 2.5 days, God added form to the heavens & earth created in the beginning. In the middle of the third day, He started filling it. This is similar to the revelation of theology in the Bible. In the Old Testament, doctrines of truth form an outline. In the New Testament, Christ comes & fills any void of that doctrine by embodying truth. On the third day after His death, Christ’s body took a new form as He left a void in the tomb. Ever since, He has filled His people with His Spirit & transformed them. One day, He will reform them to fill heaven.
“All things were created by Him and for Him.”
“He (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.” – Col. 1.15-16
As I approached Genesis 1, an alarm was going off in my mind because I began to sense the complacency & comfortableness from having read that chapter several times before. Realizing that God’s Word is living & active (Heb 4.12) & able to continually teach me – no matter how many times I read it, I felt compelled to pray for a fresh perspective on Genesis 1 & that’s when the Spirit brought to mind the Colossians passage. “All things were created by Him and for Him…”
Then I began to think about the Trinity’s involvement in creation, especially that of Jesus, who is the “Him” in Colossians. Consider this: Jesus had in mind all of the following things as He intentionally created each one with purpose on each day of the creation week…
Day 1 – Light: Jesus would explain Himself as the light of the world & instruct His followers to reflect His light to others. He will be the lamp of the eternal Jerusalem.
Day 2– Sky: The sky would be filled with heavenly hosts to announce the arrival of Christ to the shepherds. The heavens would open up as the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at His baptism. The sky would be darkened at His crucifixion. He would ascend through the clouds to be seated at the Father’s right hand & will one day come back on the clouds.
Day 3 – Land & Seas: Jesus would come to dwell & walk upon the land He created. Mountains would host tempting, teaching & transfiguring. He would sail & walk upon the seas & would calm them in an object lesson.
Vegetation: In His infant form, Christ would rest in straw. Papyrus would grow to make the scrolled Scriptures He would script, read & fulfill. A vine would teach about abiding & produce wine for remembrance. A fig tree would be withered. A garden would be prayed in & betrayed in. Trees would produce wood for furniture He would craft, money changing tables He would upset, a fire to warm a denier, a rod He’d be struck with & rugged timbers of the cross He would die on.
Day 4 – Sun, Moon & Stars: The heavenly bodies would circle through time until the exact point when Christ would enter His world. A star would guide wise men to Him. The heavenly bodies would continue in step until the appointed time of His death where their light would cease for 3 hours. They will continue to mark off time until the timeless Christ returns at an unknown time to end time where they will no longer be needed & cease to exist.
Day 5 – Fish & Birds: Jesus would use fish to feed multitudes, deliver tax money, abundantly fill nets & feed hungry fishermen on a beach. He would use birds to teach a lesson about worrying.
Day 6 – Animals: Christ would fulfill what animals to be sacrificed would only symbolize. Flocks would witness His birth announcement to be brought by heavenly hosts. Sheep, He would use to teach His flock. A colt would carry Him to His last supper on earth.
Man: A sinless Christ would become a man & die for mankind who would all sin against Him so that some would live twice & forever. For those He would create, re-create, indwell, forgive, restore, move, sanctify, resurrect, & glorify to be the body of His bride.
Day 7 – Rest: Christ will give rest.
Furthermore, Genesis 1.2 tells us the earth was initially “formless & void”. For the first 2.5 days, God added form to the heavens & earth created in the beginning. In the middle of the third day, He started filling it. This is similar to the revelation of theology in the Bible. In the Old Testament, doctrines of truth form an outline. In the New Testament, Christ comes & fills any void of that doctrine by embodying truth. On the third day after His death, Christ’s body took a new form as He left a void in the tomb. Ever since, He has filled His people with His Spirit & transformed them. One day, He will reform them to fill heaven.
“All things were created by Him and for Him.”