3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.. ⁴And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. Gen. 1:3-4.

All things of heaven and earth were first created in Jesus Christ. They were created in the One who is the Beginning. After that foundation was laid, darkness rolled over the deep. The day the woman believed the lie and ate the forbidden fruit, darkness swept over her understanding, then over the man’s who was with her, and finally over humanity’s, and to insure there was no communion between light and darkness, God placed cherubim and a flaming sword at the east of Eden. He divided the light from the darkness.

Moreover, by receiving the serpent’s lie, the woman rejected God’s word and believed He was a liar. What else could she have believed? For if she had believed God to be true, she would have known the serpent was the liar and would have never heeded his beckoning call. If she had truly believed the warning God gave, and for her to disregard it, she would have had a death wish, and her transgression would have been counted as a murder-suicide, which I do not see as being her motive in eating the fruit. Therefore, the fact stands, for her to believe that she would be as God and never die, as the serpent enticed and traduced her to believe, she would have had to disbelieve what God told her; namely, "in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

The woman, which is typical of the soul, had not learned that it is impossible for God to lie... Heb. 6:18. Not only is it contrary to His very nature — it is impossible, because every word which proceeds from His mouth comes to pass Isa. 55:11. That’s how powerful and creative it is. Therefore, if He says it, it happens. His every utterance becomes a reality. On the other hand, If you or I prophesy, even if we end it with, "Thus saith the Lord," and it does not come to pass — God did not speak, and we lied. Hmm... Not dissimilar to the first prophecy of the serpent.

Notwithstanding, the woman could not believe the truth and an opposing lie at the same time. That, my friends, is an impossibility. She, consequently, believed the lie and died. And in dying, darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people; but praise God, that dark cloud of death would not remain forever over that which God created in the Beginning: ²For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. ³And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Isa. 60:2-3. Moreover, ¹⁶The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up Matt. 4:16. ¹²Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12. And ¹²Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: Col. 1:12-13. What a contrast — the first man, which includes the woman, was the darkness of the world, while the Last man, which includes the woman, is the light of the world. And the two shall have no communion together.

It is easily understood that darkness is the absence of light, and to have light is to have understanding. For instance: ¹⁰⁵Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path Psa. 119:105^{. 130}The entrance of thy words gives light; it gives understanding unto the simple. Psa. 119:130. ¹⁴⁴...give me understanding, and I shall live. Psa. 119:144. Even outside the scope of the Bible, it means the same. When a person says, "I see the light," or "It finally dawned on me," the indication is that understanding came. When someone is said to be in the dark, it means that he or she has no understanding about a matter.

When we peer more deeply than the surface of the natural world and see beyond the seed of Genesis 1:3, we can see that when God said, "Let there be light," and there was light, understanding came to the dark world of mankind. Prior to His opening words, the earth was totally void of understanding. There was no lamp to light the way. Blindness to the truth covered the earth. There was no understanding. Darkness reigned. Death ruled. And mankind languished. With such a plight, there is little wonder why the psalmist cried out, "Give me understanding, and I shall live." In answer to his plea, God shed abroad His ultimate understanding and said, "Let there be Jesus" and there was Jesus. The Light of Understanding came into the world.

Since darkness is ignorance, or the absence of understanding, how would this void be fixed? We know Jesus is the answer; but are there other ways? For instance, since we are created in the image of God, do you suppose we can say, "Let there be light," and will there be light? Or perhaps we can declare that darkness does not exist, that it is merely an illusion of sleeping people, and the illusion will vanish in the presence of positive faith. Neither of the two will remove the lack of understanding from the first Adam. Outside of Christ, it is not for "man" to tell the light to shine. He is incapable of it. It is when God, who is Light, says "Let there be light" that light shines and understanding dawns upon darkened minds. And nor will blind ignorance be dispelled by believing that darkness does not exist. If we, perchance, could understand God’s mysteries by simply commanding the light to shine, or by believing darkness did not exist, we might vault ourselves into the regal light of understanding, the same premise could be applied to all ignorance in every man and woman worldwide.

For example, I have always had an interest in the mysteries of the universe, of the great wonders contained in its infinite vastness. I have been intrigued by time and eternity, and by the speed of light and how it blazes silently through the endless reaches of distant galaxies, and beyond, ever streaking beyond the imagination of my finite mind. I have pondered these awesome wonders; but, for the most part, the window to that understanding has been locked to me. I can see, as we all do, fragments of this great physical creation of our infinite God, and some of that which I see I can say that I understand. I am not in the dark about a few things; but the light I have is such a minuscule amount of the whole that I realize I am practically blind to what is there. I reside in virtual darkness. I am ignorant of so much.

If it is in man to bring forth light in himself by declaring it to be, I could say "Let there be light," or "Let there be understanding" and I would understand these unfathomable secrets. But we know this is not the key which unlocks mysteries. God could say, "Let there be light," and it would be so; for He has always been light and the light which He is proceeds from Him at His bidding; but from the realm of darkness it cannot be done. Before I can say, "Let there be light," and for light to appear, I must be light. Moreover, if I am light and I bring forth that which I am — the light is not meant for me. It is for those dwelling in darkness. Therefore, I cannot command the light to shine and have the mysteries of the universe suddenly dawn upon my ignorance. Before I understand anything about such deep things, someone who has understanding will have to enlighten me to those mysteries. And I seriously doubt that my ignorance of God’s ever expanding creation is only an illusion. It is a simple lack. It is the inability to grasp the complete sum of all things.

I believe all the mysteries of God were once known by you and me, by the stars of heaven when they sang together, and when the sons of God shouted for joy at the laying down of the earth’s foundation. I believe all things can be known by the anointing which abides in us, as indicated in 1 John 2:20. And I also believe that — ¹²For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Cor. 13:12. As long as we have the dust of our natural minds to contend with, we will be kept, to a large degree, in the dark. By the very nature of dust, it will prevent us from seeing or remembering those things which caused us to shout a long time ago. King Solomon knew something of this veil when he wrote: ¹¹...He hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. Eccl. 3:11. As long as we have the veil of the world set in our hearts, we will not find out the work that God makes from the Beginning (of Christ) to the End (of Christ). As surely as God set the cherubim in the veil of humanity’s mind, to keep those of the first Adam from the tree of life, so has He set the covering cherub of the world in every heart.

Creatures who are relevant to time do not have a special pass or key to unlock that which abides in the secrets of the Beginning and the End. They do not hold a carte blanche to God’s chambers of holiness wherein is found all the riches of knowledge, understanding, wisdom, counsel and might; for God has set the world in their hearts, and the world will remain firmly set until the light of the sure word of prophecy rises as the Day Star and replaces that dark covering.

Although we may understand a few things of this simple truth, it is still beyond the range of our human reasoning. Regardless of how we believe, work, sweat, stretch, groan and moan — it is outside the reach of our carnal fingers. Try as we may, our dark minds cannot remove darkness. Presumptuous thoughts have no power over reality. They may create a temporary facade; but they can’t change that which is real. It is impossible to acquire understanding on one’s own merits by implementing mortal brilliance. Let us ³⁵Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. Luke 11:35. And ²³...If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! Matt. 6:23. Only when a sure word of prophecy is spoken over our dark waters will we be enlightened. Only then will we be blessed with the understanding of the deep things of God.

J. Preston Eby, no doubt, had more than a small measure of understanding when he illumined our minds with the following from Part 22 of his series, From The Candlestick To The Throne:

"Jesus never confessed a sin. This is absolutely astonishing! It is axiomatic in the spiritual realm that the holiest of men have been those who were most conscious of their sin and guilt. Job was brought to absolute desperation when God appeared to him. Isaiah abhorred himself when he saw the living God, and said, ‘I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips’ (Isa. 6:5). Peter said, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man’ (Lk. 5:8). And Paul said, ‘This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief’ (I Tim. 1:15). Jesus confessed no sin for one simple reason: unlike any one of us He had none! He is the perfect man, the pattern and prototype of every son of God who is being conformed into His image!

"Further, Jesus never bothered to explain any of His frequent ambiguous conduct. When word was brought to Jesus that Lazarus, His good friend, was sick, what did He do? Did He rush to his side to help him? No, He remained right where He was for three days, while Lazarus grew sicker and sicker and died. Then belatedly, He appeared and His appearance evoked from the broken heart of Lazarus’ sister these reproachful and heart-rending words: ‘Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died!’ No explanation. No apology. Not a word! ‘Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?’ And then those immortal words before the tomb: ‘Lazarus — come forth!’ Jesus just allowed time and the unfolding plan of God to justify all that He did. He had no motive to gain the sympathy, understanding, or adulation of men. Jesus was asleep in the back of a boat in the midst of a storm with waves breaking over the railings, filling the ship. ‘Master, carest Thou not that we perish?’ cried the distressed disciples. No word of explanation, just the command, ‘Peace! Be still!’ and the waves ceased their raging.

"Jesus never asked and never permitted prayer for Himself. You may recall the time in Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion. He gathered together His apostles and asked them to pray. But note well, my friends, His words! ‘Watch and pray (for yourselves) that YE enter not into temptation.’ Why did He not ask for our prayers? Why did He never permit anyone to pray for Him? Why did He not even pray with His disciples? Why did He always go off to pray alone? Very simply — He did not need anyone’s prayers! He did not need them and He did not want them. Why? Because this Jesus of Nazareth is THE PERFECT MAN, MAN IN THE IMAGE OF GOD! As the Father hath life in Himself, so has He given to the Son to have life in Himself. It is a deep mystery, beyond the comprehension of babes in Christ, but all these attributes of Jesus are the marks of sonship, the sign of the Son of man, the evidences of spiritual maturity, the very destiny of every elect saint who grows up unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ!

"Can you imagine Jesus, on the road to Samaria, sitting down on a rock by the wayside, calling to Peter, James, and John, saying, ‘Boys, I want you to come over here and pray for me. I really need to be ministered to today, I need help, I need your strength. Ever since we left Galilee the old devil has really been after me. This depression has hit me, and I want you to lay your hands on me and rebuke this thing. It started last week when the Father showed me that someone is going to betray me. I’ve been so upset ever since, Satan wants to use that to beat me over the head. Some other things have been bothering me lately, and this head cold isn’t helping any. If I don’t get the victory soon, I won’t be able to minister in Samaria, but I know it’s just the devil fighting me!’ Do you think those disciples ever had to encourage Jesus, lay hands on Him, counsel Him, pray for Him, or minister to Him? Jesus said, ‘The SON OF MAN came not to be ministered to, but to minister…’ Ah, there is the reality of the Son of man who is the Son of God! He did not come to receive life, but to give life! He had life in Himself even as the Father had life in Himself. Within that life, yea, that indwelling life, was every element of faith, victory, righteousness, wisdom, knowledge, and power He could ever need! If He needed courage, the courage was in the life! If He needed strength, the strength was in the life! If He needed wisdom, the wisdom was in the life! If He needed power, the power was in the life! This is a nature and a life that is not dependent upon anything without, for it is self-existent life requiring no sustenance; it is not derived from another, does not draw from anything, is abundant, unchanging, inexhaustible, all-sufficient life! This is the life of sonship, this is the stature of the son of man, man in the image of God! This is the goal of all who are appointed of the Father to be conformed to the image of the Son, to reign with Christ in the kingdom of God! How could anything less than this reign with Christ upon His throne!

"Let me present to you this glorious company of overcomers, the new creation man, the perfect man, the ideal man, the many-membered son of man in the midst of the candlesticks, even those who have life in themselves. These are they who have discovered the river of life flowing from deep within their own beings, life full, abundant, and triumphant! They are never discouraged by any situation, nor upset by any circumstance. They are constant — not up one day and down the next. You do not find them standing in prayer lines. They are always encouraging others, but never seem to need encouragement themselves. They continually pray for others, but never seem to have prayer requests of their own. They minister to many, but do not stop to be ministered to. They are not offended by what others say and do. They love and forgive and esteem everyone. They speak the best of all men, for they know the value of all men is Christ, for He is the Saviour of them all. They are not depressed or burdened. They are not fearful, worried, or confused. They are not upset or angry with anyone. They don’t quit when the going gets rough. They do not tell you how the devil has been fighting them, in fact, they don’t talk about the devil at all, for the dragon has been cast out of the heaven where they dwell! They don’t talk about their problems. They do not wear sad or sorrowful countenances, regardless how dark things seem. The word of Christ dwells in them richly. They have been given a new song, even praise unto their God! They glorify God in all things, for they know that He is in control. They walk daily in wisdom and understanding, in confidence and faith, in conscious awareness of the Father’s plan and will; they always have the victory, are always positive, ever rejoicing in the Lord! They walk tall and strong. They walk straight. They are constant. They press forward toward the goal, rejoicing in expectation of the glory of God!

"How can one minister deliverance to another if he is bound himself? How can one furnish encouragement if he is himself discouraged? How can one impart joy when he is sad? How can one supply faith when he is fearful? How can one lift another when he is himself bogged down in the slough of despondency? How can peace be bestowed by a soul filled with anguish? How can righteousness be communicated by one with an evil heart? How can victory be given by the defeated? How can strength be ministered by the weak? Oh! The world so desperately needs NEW CREATION MEN! All creation groans for the manifestation of the SONS OF GOD! You will not see many of these kind of people in the candlesticks, but if you look carefully, you will see them arising in the midst of the candlesticks!

"How totally inadequate do our words become in the light of truth of such wonder as this! Jesus is the prototype of what God intends man to be. He is God’s finished product, God’s ideal man. What a man! Sinless man. Perfect man. Diseaseless man. Unlimited man. Deathless man. Anointed man. Crowned man. God-man. What a specimen! There is nothing ordinary about our Christ. Everything about Him is superlative. His perfection is far beyond all question. Yet He was a man. What infinite strength out of incredible weakness! Jesus is man par excellence living and walking in the Kingdom of Heaven! He came to earth and walked among men in their realm, but at the same time walked in the realm of the heavens of God’s Spirit. He was a spiritual and heavenly man who walked among earth-bound men. He had dominion over them. They planted their smartest lawyers and most learned theologians in the crowd and tried to trip Jesus up — He made fools of them. They tried to throw Him over a cliff and destroy Him — He just walked through their midst and went His way. Never man spake as this heavenly man spake! Never man lived as this man lived! Never man did the mighty works that He did!" – End Quote. Ah, how small and dim we appear in His presence; but His presence causes us to shine, and shine, my friends, we shall; for His light has come to us. At the moment in a measure, this is sure, but it has come, and we have heard a word in due season, a more sure word of prophecy. He is setting eternity in our hearts, and with understanding we can speak the word of prophecy which will be a light shining in a dark place, and it will shine brighter until the Day dawns and the Day Star rises in every heart. From within, from the One who possesses us and from the One we possess, from whom we are One — we shine into hurting lives, and with understanding they too will live. Until we have the marks of sonship emblazoned in our lives, however, let us not proclaim that which is not understood. Everything is beautiful in His time, and when His time dawns, the word of God will pierce the gross darkness of carnal minds everywhere. With the command, "Let there be light," men will see and live. For like our Lord, we have life. The life we have is Jesus, and it is His life we have to give.

We give life and understanding to as many as have been given to us. Let us rejoice in knowing that ²²Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it... Prov. 16:22. We also rejoice at hearing God say, "Let there be light"; for Light is beginning to shine over the face of our waters. There may be some who are still ¹⁸Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart Eph. 4:18; but ²⁰...we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 1 John 5:20 !

To be continued...

Elwin R. Roach        

In The Beginning Directory
 

Home | Misc. Links