I. In the Beginning
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
At the very beginning we find darkness. We find chaos. We find void – or emptiness. We find shapelessness. These are all descriptions of emotions and feelings that every human being on the planet has felt at one time or another. We’ve all felt as though there is no form to life. We’ve all felt as though we’re empty and purposeless. We know what it is to feel in a state of chaos. In fact, I would submit that the most chaotic that we feel is not when we’re busiest, but when darkness is upon the face of the deep. In the moments when life slows down and seems surreal because of heartbreak or suffering – in that we find the most chaos.
We spend the rest of the chapter seeing how God created order and light. When the universe was empty, God filled it. When the world was formless, He shaped it. God brought order into the creation, and day after day He brings more order out of the chaos. But we don’t see God eliminating the darkness. Why is that?
Before I get into that point, I want to search a little deeper in what God does do. We find in Revelation 21-22 that there is no darkness. God was not unknowing when He made this world. If it is in God’s plan and intention now (or at least in Revelation 21) to have no darkness, then I must believe that it was God’s original plan. What we find that God does do in response to the darkness is that He set up rulers over the darkness.
On day four, it is written that God “made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.” Why this wording of rule? Do the sun and moon rule over the darkness? Genesis 1 seems to indicate yes. They were made for the intention of giving light to the world, and to hold back the darkness. This does not tell us why God allowed the darkness to stay, but it does show us that God had intention of withholding it.
I don’t know, and this is merely speculation, but it also seems to indicate in the Psalms that the angels of God were created to rule over God’s creation. Psalm 82 is a great example of this – the whole Psalm is dedicated to speaking to these “rulers” that are greater than men, but will be judged as men. Is it possible that God created the angels to guard over the darkness? Did God possibly make the angels to co-rule with Him over the earth and to bring forth righteousness and justice in the land?
This of course brings us to the pivotal point of the plot. Where did Satan come from? Did God create Satan – and thus create evil? When we examine the Kingdom of God, we are describing something that is quite different than anything we see around us. We are surrounded by darkness, violence, and terror. How do you perceive something that is quite contrary to that which you see all around you?
Clothed in Darkness
In Genesis 1:2, we find a bit of Hebrew poetry. The Spirit of God is being cross-compared with the darkness. Because the word for “deep” and the word for “waters” are being likened to one another, the word for darkness and the word for Spirit are being likened to one another. That is not to say that they are synonymous. The author is saying something about God. His Spirit has some sort of a positive relation to darkness.
This quick hint that is very subtle gives us a bit of a tip off. Why did God not completely purge heaven and earth of the darkness? We find various Scriptures that might help us to understand. In Exodus 20, Moses draw’s near to the “thick darkness” where God was. This is reiterated in Deuteronomy 4 and 5. 2 Samuel 22:12 states that God made thick darkness, dark waters, and thick clouds His pavilion. The Lord speaks to Solomon in 1 Kings 8:12 and says that He will dwell in the thick darkness.
God seems to be found in the thick darkness – specifically when the name YHWH is used. So why would God keep the darkness at the beginning? Is it possible that God created humanity pure, but even that purity and innocence cold not protect Adam from the glory and the light that God is? At the end of the Bible, we find that the people of the city of God are in the midst of the light of God, but there are a people outside of that city that are being ruled over (check the last part of Revelation 22:5).
Is it possible that even with purity we cannot see God and live? Does it take something more substantial than purity? What I’m getting at is that maybe it was a mercy of God to allow the darkness to continue for a season. Adam needed to take of the fruit of the tree of life before he could see God and live. In the next chapter we’ll explore what that tree of life symbolizes. For now, we’ll leave the idea with whatever that tree bore, the life that it offered was the only thing that could cause Adam to see God face-to-face.
If this were true, then God would need to clothe Himself in darkness. He would need to cover Himself as mercy so He could walk with Adam in the Garden. There would come a day when God could dwell with mankind and not need to disguise himself or cover His majesty. The Scripture shows this to be heaven.
If we desire to know why God would not just make us so that we could behold Him, then we lack understanding of His essential character. It is and always has been the pattern of God (even from Genesis 1) to bring forth from a lesser glory into the greater glory. This is why resurrection is so crucial to the Christian faith. It is not about the first state of something that we should pay attention to. We ought to pay attention to the details of how God chooses. He chooses the weak and foolish to confound the wise. He takes the thing in darkness and chaos and starts bringing light and order into it. This is the pattern set up from the beginning – who are we to challenge God?
Adam was made from the dust of the earth. He was made pure – undefiled. Corruption was brought into Him from deception. The very darkness that was intended for Adam’s good was thus used as a power to destroy the relationship between God and man. This point is pivotal. Adam was created undefiled, but that purity and innocence was not enough to see God. Adam needed something else – something greater than innocence and human righteousness – to see God as He is.
The reason I belabor this point is because Adam was not intended from the beginning to remain in that condition. God made Adam pure. That is true. But God intended that Adam would be more than pure. God intended Adam to experience the fullness of His self. We can know that because we can read the end of the Bible to see humanity and God coexisting together. We can see the ultimate intention that there would be no darkness. It isn’t necessary any longer. People can behold the Lord as He is.
So when we look at Adam, we should not see him as something that we should go back to being. Rather, we ought to view him as corruptible. He was corrupted. But there is a glory that God is bringing into humanity that would make them incorruptible. Where darkness at one point had opportunity to defile mankind and bring sin, there is coming the time where darkness has no power and sin is nonexistent. We have not attained to that glory, but just because we have not attained to it now does not mean it was not intended by God at the beginning.
But if I understand anything from Scripture it is that God intends to work with humanity. It is very possible that God had intentions to work with His creation in driving back and expelling the darkness. The ultimate intention was for all of His creation to work together – led by humanity as co-rulers with God – to expel the creation of darkness. But still, there needed to be something to happen to that humanity. It is not that Adam was fallen. It is that no created thing can behold God and survive. The whole of creation would need to be made into something more glorious. And that doesn’t happen because God simply remakes it. That only comes about by a certain kind of cleansing.
The whole of Scripture (and especially eschatology) seems to speak of this climax where a final tribulation breaks forth and darkness is given full reign to rule. In this time of calamity, the saints are purged like never before. Even with the darkness having full sway, God somehow is able to use that darkness to bring about purity and righteousness in the creation that would cause all things to be new. It is after the 1000-year reign of Christ, the war of Gog and Magog, and the judgment seat that we find the new heaven and new earth. These are not things that seem to be somewhere else.
The new heaven and new earth seem to indicate more of a cleansing of this heaven and earth. Darkness has passed away. Because it has passed away, the whole of creation is not the same as it was before. That in its self is a total change. All of creation wars against the darkness in the final tribulation. Revelation seems to indicate this. The sun scorches people, the moon turns red, the stars collaborate together to strike the earth, there are earthquakes and hailstones the size of cars, at one point it seems like a super volcano erupts, and even the people are crying out to the rocks to protect them.
The end of the age is concluded by a massive onslaught of creation and the righteous – working hand-in-hand together – to expel the darkness and cleanse the world from evil. If this is how it ends, then it was God’s intention from the beginning. The violence and wickedness might or might not have been what God intended. That isn’t the point of discussion. However darkness would choose to react is outside the question. We cannot know such things.
From whence evil?
This is an age-old question. Many skeptics have used it as reason to doubt. Many theologians have used it to believe. The question of evil and suffering are very difficult subjects to navigate through. We need to be very precise in our wording and very cautious to not say something that is heretical or blasphemous. God did not create evil. He did not create the devil. From that which is absolutely pure, no evil can come.
But this, of course, sparks the long asked question? From where did evil come? Who did create the devil? I would like to attempt to clarify a little bit. God created Lucifer. The name itself means light bearer. He created the angel. This is made clear in both Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. But God looked at His creation on day 6 and said it was very good. Just when did Lucifer fall? We see in the book of Job that the angels rejoiced at the laying of the foundations of the earth. That took place on the third day. So before the third day, God must have created the angels.
God rested on the seventh day. There is no way that we can say that Lucifer fell on the seventh day. If that were true, then God wouldn’t have rested. Genesis chapter 2 is a reiteration of the sixth day. So when we reach chapter 3, we are now reading of some time not announced. It is possible that Adam lived in the Garden for 100 years before taking of that fruit. He was 130 when he bore Seth. We don’t know how old Cain was when Seth was born, and we don’t know how old Cain and Abel were when Abel died.
I say this to make the point that we really can’t give conclusive answers to when Satan tempted the woman. The best we know is that it was probably within that window of after day 7 and before Adam was 100. I have a theory on how it happened. It doesn’t necessarily tell us when. God created out of darkness, but did not eliminate the darkness. When there was void (emptiness), He filled; when there was chaos, He created order. But darkness continued. I’ve already ventured into this thought a little bit.
God set up lights to govern the darkness. The sun was to govern the day, and the moon was to govern the night. We see in Isaiah 24 that they are ashamed and confounded at the end of the age. They allowed the darkness to continue to creep in and overtake God’s creation. I speak of light and darkness as though they have personality. I don’t believe this is mere personification. I think that words escape us on this description. We are left groping for proper language.
I don’t think that the physical light and physical darkness is what is being expressed here. When I read the writings of John, I am captivated by the usage of these words. I don’t think they simply mean physical light and physical darkness. John’s gospel gives to both light and darkness personality. Darkness has a power to blind and to cause people to stumble. Light has power to set free and to release from the blindness and stupor that the darkness has brought.
Jesus is called the light of the world. John refers to Jesus at the very beginning of his gospel as the light; “the true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” In Jesus was life, and that life was the light of men. This life that is the light of men shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. Do you see what I mean by John personifying light and dark? It is almost as if these are actually two different powers of two different kingdoms.
And here is where I think the answer lies. I can’t help but wonder if maybe Lucifer saw the darkness and was captivated by it. Something about the darkness might have enticed him, and he allowed it to overtake him. The power of darkness that was being governed over and held at bay now became the force by which Lucifer tried to establish himself as the Most High.
In this we have much that needs to be discerned. Is there a difference between sin and darkness? Sin has a power. It is more than an action. There is something about sin that actually binds and blinds humanity. We cannot get free from its grip. To stop performing actions that God calls abominable is not enough to make it to heaven. Our righteousness is not enough. There is still something within mankind that is not up to par. I think this is especially true after the fall. In Adam we all die.
The power of Satan is the darkness itself. It is by this darkness that he blinds us. What it is about darkness that causes humanity to be in a stupor, I don’t exactly know. Sin is only a side effect of this. I don’t mean to make it less than what it is. As abhorrent as sin is, the real fight is against darkness itself. To fight against that darkness is to fight against everything that is opposed to God. God originally used darkness as a cloak. It was originally permitted for a season.
What is it about the darkness that God was willing to allow to remain? I think that before it was harnessed for evil to go against God, the darkness was a symbol of mystery. It was something of the unknown. God allowed the darkness to remain because darkness hides. It cloaks. There are certain things that have not been revealed yet. The apostle Paul speaks of mysteries that were not before known until revealed in his time. Two of these would be the mystery of Christ and the mystery of the Church.
The mystery of Christ is stated as thus: the savior of the world had to come as priest and king, and had to come as sacrifice and ruler. Atonement had to be made. This is what many of the Jews miss. This is what many Christians even miss. It says in Daniel 7 that Messiah comes in the clouds. It says in Zechariah 9 that Messiah comes on a donkey. Which is it? Does He come in the clouds or on a donkey? The answer is both. Hosea 6:3 says that the Messiah would come like the former and latter rains – like the spring and fall harvests.
His coming would be twice. In between would be an entity associated with Israel but outside Israel called the Church. Paul mentions a mystery yet to be revealed called the man of sin. This is known in Revelation as the beast or the Antichrist. The darkness originally had a sense of mystery and cloaking, but that does not mean that there was evil contained within it. What Satan did was took that mystery and cloaking and held it over the man and woman. He proclaimed as one who has secret knowledge that the woman knew nothing of.
When the serpent went to the woman, he did not tell her to eat the fruit. Not one time did the serpent tell her that she should take and eat of the fruit. He was much more crafty than that. The serpent started by asking a question that denies God’s innate goodness. Is God really after our best interest? Does He truly want our success in the highest sense of the word? Does God, as a Father, so love us that if He withholds information from us it is for our good, and never for our downfall? This is what the serpent attacks.
He came along and started to speak words that challenged whether God really does desire our benefit. Because God has hidden this knowledge from you, how can you be sure that He isn’t holding more from you? How can you be sure that He isn’t withholding something that is essential to you?
This is the way the serpent twists and mocks. He took the darkness – the mystery and the unknown – and he used it to then confuse and deceive the woman. Thus, the darkness, though it was originally intended for good, was forced to perform something wicked. The darkness was for our benefit. That mystery and the hidden knowledge was for our good. If it was essential that mankind would determine for self what is good and what is evil, then the fruit of this tree would not have been forbidden. However, our morality and our knowledge of right and wrong do not come from our own perception. It comes from something deeper than what we think.
Our morality as Christians is to come from God and God alone. The Father instructs, the Son reveals, and the Spirit enforces. It is contained within all three parts of God that we find morality. No one is greater than the other, and we cannot say that morality comes from one part alone. It is neither in Christ alone, nor by the Spirit alone. I make this point only to display how far we are from this. Even in our Christianity we have taken of the knowledge of good and evil.
We’ll dive further into this topic in the next chapter. For now we end with a reasonable conclusion. God had created all things good. God had kept the darkness at bay by having the two great lights to govern it. Satan then took that darkness and yielded it for evil. Something in the darkness must have enticed him and consumed him with pride and envy. So, by manipulating the very creation that God had made, the devil brought in evil. Mankind’s fall was not contained only in humanity. It was a cosmic fall because it brought darkness into all aspects of creation. That which was at the first made to dwell in light has been now cast into darkness.