Light Of The World

In the beginning, when the original creation became without form and void in judgement to Lucifer's rebellion, God spoke light. He said "Become Light!", or in the Hebrew "יהי-אור" (Ye Hi Or!).

Genesis 1:3

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

English translations and traditional teachings say "Let there be light!". While it's not wrong to say that, it can be a little misleading from what the original words really meant. There is a hidden message in those words that can only be seen in the Hebrew.

God's name is YAHWEH (יהוה), the covenant-keeping God. Where it says LORD (capital letters) in the English Bible, it says YAHWEH in the Hebrew. The Jews today, in their reverence to God, calls Him Adonai or HaShem (The Name). But for us who belong to Christ and are Abraham's seed, not only we call Him YAHWEH, but also ABBA, which means "Father".

So when God said "Become Light" or "Ye Hi Or!" (יהי-אור),In essence, He is saying: "Jesus, become Light!". This is that hidden message that was lost in the English translations.

The Name Jesus in the Hebrew is ישוע (Yeshua) which means YE saves (YE is a shortened from of YAHWEH).

Hebrew reads from right to left. So when reading in English, start with "And said.."

So when the original creation became without form and void (Genesis 1:2), YAHWEH called on YESHUA to become light, and indeed YESHUA became light!

It is also noteworthy to see that it was only after God made Jesus the Light that He proceeded on to restore everything in the Creation. As the Gospel of John proclaims: 

John 1:3

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

And also in Colossians:

Colossians 1:16-17

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Many years passed, YAHWEH came in the flesh as Jesus. He then declared this openly in John 8:12  saying "I am the Light of the world". 

What can we learn from this?

In our lives, when everything else is falling apart, when the world seems dark and all that's left are ruins, it is the perfect time to call upon that Great Light named Jesus. Surely, He is able to turn things around for our good (Romans 8:28). This we know that whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).

He will not nag at us for causing ourselves the trouble that we are in. But in love, He will deliver  and supply us the wisdom to keep us from falling into the same mud over and over again.

To the believers, He will not be a Judge but a Savior. What He will do is carry us, place us on top of His strong shoulders, and rejoice! This is Jesus, our Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His flock. 

Going back to the story of Creation in Genesis 1:3, traditional teachings also tell us that the light that God created on the first day was the sun. However, the Bible is crystal clear in telling us that the sun, the moon, and the stars were all created on the fourth day.

Genesis 1:14-19

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then 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. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

From the verses above, we see that the "greater light to rule the day " (which is obviously the sun) and the "lesser light to rule the night" (the moon) were all created on Day 4. So clearly, that particular light in Day 1 was not the sun, but the SON!

Why is this so important?

The world today is in the midst of chaos and darkness once again. People call black white, and white black. Deception is widespread and many nations are gradually erasing the name of God - by pointing people back to themselves, or by introducing another 'god'.

In the midst of all these darkness, it is important to know that True Light can only be found in Christ, and not in any other source, may it be natural or man-made. Christ is the answer to everything and the supply to every lack.

As Bible prophecy continues to roll, we understand that the world will not get better. Satan's deception to the nations of the world will go on and many will depart from the faith. However, this is the time when the church and Israel will get brighter and brighter and the glory of the Lord will be upon them both.

As Isaiah 60:1-3 says it:

Arise, shine;

For your light has come!

And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,

And deep darkness the people;

But the Lord will arise over you,

And His glory will be seen upon you.

The Gentiles shall come to your light,

And kings to the brightness of your rising.

The darker the world gets, the brighter the Church and Israel will shine. The more the world persecutes the Church and Israel, the more they both flourish, prosper, and grow! Where the light of Christ has shone, no one can ever put to darkness as He draws a clear distinction between what is His and what is of the world.

We are not saying that we rejoice when the world gets darker. However, the world, having turned away from the True Light, seems to be rejoicing that finally, it is able to do so. The glory of Christ is just too bright that the world would rather hide and live in the darkness so that Christ's light wont pierce into their eyes.

Whatever happens in the days to come, this we are assured of: that the light of Jesus Christ will continue to envelope His people until He snatches us away before the start of the Tribulation. Until then, our eyes are affixed on Him. 

Maranatha! 

About the Author

Jenno Marco Misa is the co-founder of Bethavi and is one of the writers of this website. He is largely influenced by the teachings of Joseph Prince, Ideal Baldoni, and Amir Tsarfati. As a Bible student, He believes that the centrality of Jesus Christ  is the key in rightly dividing the Word of truth. He strongly believes that people can only be justified by faith and not by works. 

For comments, reactions, and discussions, you may e-mail him at bethavibs@gmail.com.sg.

The Truth About The Flood

Did giants really exist in the past or are they just a figment of somebody else's imagination? If so, how were they born and when? How were they terminated?

The Bible testifies that indeed, giants did exist and walked on earth during the antediluvian period (the time between Adam's Fall and the Flood).

These creatures were the offsprings of the fallen angels who had sexual relations with the women on earth (Genesis 6:4). They were a race of half-fallen angel and half-human beings.

The demonic power that was behind all these was Satan who wanted to corrupt the human race so that the Promised Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ, would not be born as a human.

The corruption was so severe that there were only 8 pure human beings left. They were Noah and his wife, his 3 sons, and their 3 wives.

It was during these times that God commanded Noah to build and ark so that he and his family can live and preserve the human race.

Inorder to wipe out this demonic widespread of half-fallen angel and half-human beings, God sent the flood. The flood was not just a righteous judgement but also a means to preserve the human race through which the Lord Jesus Christ will one day be born.

Not many understand this but the flood was actually sent inorder to preserve the human race because if it had been totally corrupted, Jesus Christ will not be born, and there wont be any hope of redemption anymore.

The flood totally destroyed everything including all the giants. However, they came back again, not immediately though.

Since God promised Noah that He will never again flood the earth, Satan had a second wave of these giants and they were the Canaanites.

This time, God formed a nation that never existed before, the nation of Israel. And one of their duties was to make sure that they wipe out these giants. If you could recall, David faced off one of these creatures in the person of Goliath.

So the next time you think about the flood, don't just think of it as a judgement. Think of it as God's faithfulness in carrying out His redemptive plan of salvation so that mankind can be restored back to where he was and to what He originally made him to be.