We ask in Jesus' name. - The work of the fourth day has much in common with that of the first day, which, indeed it continues and completes. When the church becomes more important than its Lord, then the light of the sun is blocked out and all is in darkness. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. We read in the Olivet Discourse and in other places in Scripture that the gospel is first to be preached unto all the earth "and then," the Lord says, "the end shall come," (Matthew 24:14). Genesis 1:14 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] Genesis 1:14, NIV: "And God said, 'Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years," Genesis 1:14, ESV: "And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. That is the major purpose of the church in the world. Update: A private revelation leads me in Awe of God Update 2: Jesus Christ is Lord. Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 1:14-19 previous - next - text - summary - Genesis - BM Home - Full Page. There have been other times like this. There is that strange occurrence called Joshua's long day, recorded in the book of Joshua, when the sun stood still and the moon stayed its course for about the length of a full day. Job 3:9 Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day: Let them be for signs--i.e., marks, means of knowing. It is not so much the question of How, but really the question is, Why did these happen. He was not the first of the Reformers for there were others before him, such as John Huss of Bohemia, and others. He also made the stars. In the events of this fourth day, recorded in the first chapter of Genesis, Verses 14-19, we have the key to the ultimate meaning of such phenomena as an eclipse of the moon: And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years, and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth." We know also that the rotation of the earth is what determines the length of the day. As you think this through you can see what a beautiful picture this is. The answer is: reflecting the truth, the light that comes from God. Genesis 1:14, Genesis 1:15. I would like to ask you, "Were you able to interpret the message of that eclipse? but "Why?" Genesis Signs is New Mexico's ONLY 3M preferred vehicle wrap installation facility. They are not inevitable in the pattern of nature. These bodies are provided for signs and for seasons. Lights. Yet it is obviously true that the sun makes the day, and separates the day from the darkness. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. The knowledge of that is helpful in answering the question that is plaguing many today, "What is the purpose of the church?" So the church loses its light when earthly values and earthly aims obscure the face of Jesus Christ. It announced the birth of the greatest person ever born in the history of our globe. "What are we supposed to be doing in this world?" And through the Bible there runs a repeated refrain, beginning in the early books and running through into the New Testament, which says there is coming a day when the greatest event the world will ever know, the return of Jesus Christ to earth, will be heralded by the darkening of the sun and the moon turning to blood. And the third and sixth day deal with the land and its life, animal and plant life. AC 30. Other planets have entirely different lengths of days. Then, as suggested here, the heavenly bodies are also for special signs. On Tuesday night of this past week our area experienced an eclipse of the moon. This may be taken as qualifying what follows, and would then mean, Let them be means for distinguishing seasons, days, and years; but more probably it refers to the signs of the zodiac, which anciently played so important a part, not merely in astronomy, but in matters of daily life. We learn in the New Testament that the Lord Jesus Christ shines in his fullness only for those whom Paul calls, "the children of the day" (1 Thessalonians 5:5b KJV), i.e., only believers in Christ. If it be true that Day 4 occurs at the same time as Day 1, then we have a remarkable accord with some of the proposals of science. Is it not interesting, when you turn to the Bible, that the people of God determine the onrush of human events and how long those events last? The apostle writes to the Ephesians and says, "You must no longer live like the Gentiles live, in the darkness of their minds," (Ephesians 4:17). 14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." Write it upon our hearts that we will not forget. Update 3: 42 24 God said something was going to happen and in 2020 something happen Update 4: Jesus Christ is Lord. But this is only for those who have come to know him, who have become children of the day and not of the night. There is some evidence that the moon was made later than the earth. There is no other way to explain what happened in 18th century England in the days of John and Charles Wesley, when England was saved from the terrible riots, violence, and destruction that the French experienced in the French Revolution, except to note that the Evangelical Awakening broke out in England at that same time. He "made" the sun and the moon, the greater light and the lesser light, and he placed them in the firmament (in the sky), that they might perform certain functions. But he did not. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. Let them mark off the seasons, days, and years. The same terms are used as those describing the other things God did. We can study events in ancient history because the eclipses have been recorded. ... Let them be for signs It must be remembered, that Moses does not speak with philosophical acuteness on occult mysteries, but relates those things which are everywhere observed, even by the uncultivated, and which are in common use. What does the Bible really say about Astrology. There have been several solutions suggested for this difficulty: There are those who feel that the sun and the moon were actually made on the first day but they did not shine directly upon the earth until the fourth day; that something obscured their light -- heavy clouds, perhaps, or some other cosmic phenomenon -- and on this fourth day this obscuration is taken away; they are permitted to shine directly upon the earth, and certain functions are assigned to them by the Creator. and upon whom doth not his light arise? You must begin to live in the light. Isn't this talking about astrological signs? How am I failing to reflect the light of God in my life, in my home, in my family, in my situation? We must walk as those who understand what life is about, reflecting truth for the world to see, that there may be some light in the darkness in which they live. RayStedman.org/permissions. Website © 2021 by Ray Stedman Ministries. This is highly significant, for three is the number standing for the essence of Deity -- the Trinity, the Three-in-one, the very essence of God -- and that number is stamped upon the created world. The events are confusing if you read it that way. For instance, this explains without any difficulty or forcing, the source of light on Day 1. Deuteronômio 4:19 Tudo isso para que, ao levantardes vossos olhos em direção ao céu e observardes o sol, a lua, as estrelas e todos os demais corpos celestes, não vos deixeis seduzir por esses astros para adorá-los e a eles servir! Second, they exist to measure the process of time, "for days and for years." despite the fact that we continually bring these questions into this passage. Third, they are designed to mark significant events; they are "for signs and for seasons." Many people cannot understand Revelation because they try to read it chronologically. says the Scriptures. The answer to the question, "Why did God make the sun and moon and stars?" No one knows what determines the velocity of the earth, what strange force hurls us through space at about 1100 miles per minute. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. For permission to use this content, please review God, in a sense, hides himself in his people. It is in the moral darkness of this age that the church is to shine, reflecting the light of God. Here, in Chapter 1, the number three is repeated many times. Relevance. In fact, there are some scientists (and I think there is some Biblical evidence for this as well) who theorize that the moon was made from the earth; that it was torn from the earth and the area that is now the Pacific Ocean was once filled with the material that now makes up the moon. As the Reformation came into being, the Renaissance was born. Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. That is why the Lord says of us, "You are the light of the world. Since, in many cases, one is dependent upon the other, this is in exact accord with what the fossil record reveals and what science has discovered. Et cela fut ainsi.… Genèse 1 14 Dieu dit: Qu'il y ait des luminaires dans l'étendue du ciel, pour séparer le jour d'avec la nuit; que ce soient des signes pour marquer les époques, les jours et les années; 15 et qu'ils servent de luminaires dans l'étendue du ciel, pour éclairer la terre. This is the invariable record of history. Why do we have them? They separate the day from the night. It is particularly difficult to imagine how plant life could develop upon the earth before the sun was shining in the sky. Consider two other translations of Genesis 1:14: NIV: And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, REV: God said, "Let there be lights in the vault of the heavens to separate day from night, and let them serve as signs both for festivals and for seasons and years." When that happens, the light of the church goes into eclipse.