Light source for the first three days of Creation: In
the middle of the week, after three "day" cycles of "evenings
and mornings" God created the Sun and the Moon. This should raise
an immediate question in your minds? What was the light source for the
first three days of Creation? The Bible does not tell us. But it should
not be difficult to imagine. Would it not have been God Himself? And,
since we are told that God did not create the world alone ("Let
us make man..." Genesis 1:26), His Son must have been right
there with Him! "All things were made through Him [Christ], and
without Him was not any thing made that was made" John 1:3. Therefore,
for the first three days of Creation, the Father and Son were the first
(and true) light sources for the Earth. It is from this basic assumption
that we present the following study. That is, that the Sun and Moon
are natural, meaningful Creation "types" of the Father and
Son.
Sun-Moon natural phenomenon
Solar eclipse. In a total solar
eclipse, when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, the Moon
perfectly fits inside the Sun and all you see is the Sun's corona. (It
is technically safe to view only the "total phase"
of a total eclipse with the unaided eye and without protection, however
this is a dangerous practice since this only lasts a few minutes
and looking directly at the Sun at any other time can lead to permanent
eye damage or blindness.) A solar eclipse is only viewable from a small
region or "track" running over the Earth when it occurs. Typically,
the umbra (or central track) is 100–160 km wide, while the penumbral
diameter (or the region outside the central track) is in excess of 6400
km. In an annular
eclipse the Moon fits inside the Sun but appears smaller than the
Sun and, so, a very bright rim, or annulus, surrounds the dark
disk of the Moon. The longest possible duration of the "total
phase" of a solar eclipse is close to seven minutes and a half,
and this occurs for a point close to the equator. Here is a YouTube
video of a Total
Solar Eclipse on July 11, 1991.
Lunar eclipse. A lunar
eclipse is when the Moon passes directly behind the Earth into its
umbra (shadow). Unlike the solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse can be viewed
anywhere in the night side of the Earth and lasts for a few hours. Also
unlike a solar eclipse, it is safe to view a lunar eclipse without eye
protection. The red color of the lunar eclipse comes from the refraction
of sunlight by the Earth's atmosphere into the cone overshadowing the
Moon. The "red" color being of long wavelength is least refracted.
The maximum duration from the start and end of the partial phases of
a total lunar eclipse is approximately three and a half hours. The length
of the total eclipse (when the Moon is red in color) can be from a few
minutes to over an hour and a half (see Lunar
Eclipses For Beginners).
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enabled to view this video.
Color of the Sun. The true color of the Sun is white
(see The
Color Of The Sun: Revelation). It is only when light from the Sun
passes through the Earth's atmosphere and filters out blue that we see
a yellow Sun (see Blue
Sky). At Sunrise
and Sunset
the Sun will appear closer to orange and red in color due to the atmosphere
filtering out both the blue and green components. Sunsets are
typically more brilliant in color due to there being more particles
in the evening air.
Color of the Moon. The Moon and the clouds generally
reflect the full color spectrum of the Sun, which is "white"
in color (see Colors
of Clouds).
Solar Year (and the seasons). A solar year is the orbital
period of the Earth moving around the Sun. It is approximately 365.25
days. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the cycle
of the seasons—Spring, Summer, Autumn (or Fall), and Winter.When
viewed from the Earth, the Sun's path across the Sky is highest during
the Summer
solstice (generally, June 21) and lowest in the Winter solstice
(generally, December 21). The Equinoxes
are the midpoint between these two extremes and occur twice a year (generally
March 20 and September 22), generally the time for farming (i.e. seedtime
and harvest). The promise made to Noah after the Flood was that, "While
the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter,
day and night, shall not cease" Genesis 8:22.
Lunar Months. The Moon orbits around the Earth a little
over 12 times a year (i.e. there is an eleven-day difference between
twelve lunar months and one solar year). During a single lunar month,
the Moon reflects the Sun's light in lunar
phases.
Father-Son parallels
There are numerous parallels between the Sun-Moon characteristics and
the Father-Son relationship:
Creation week. The Sun and Moon were created in the midst
of the week—i.e. on the fourth day. There is Biblical significance
in dividing the week exactly into two 3-1/2 day periods.
Sacrifice to cease. "...and in the midst of the
week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease"
Daniel 9:27. Daniel's prophecy points to Christ's death occurring
in the middle of the last week of this prophecy.
Days of Elijah. "...the heaven was shut up three
years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land"
Luke 4:25. Famine - no rain. No Spirit of God. The Spirit of God will
be withdrawn in the last days.
Little horn of Daniel 7. "...and they shall be
given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time"
Daniel 7:25.
Holy city tread under foot. "...and the holy
city shall they tread under foot forty and two months" Revelation
11:2.
Two witnesses. "And I will grant authority to
my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in
sackcloth" Revelation 11:3.
Two witnesses killed then resurrected. "But after
the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them,
and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who
saw them" Revelation 11:11.
Woman nourished in the wilderness. "and the woman
fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in
which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days" Revelation 12:6
(see also verse 14).
Tithe distribution in the 4th and 7th years. (See
Deuteronomy 26:12-15.) On the eve of Passover of the fourth and seventh
years, one would have to rid himself of all tithes and priestly gifts.
This unusual mitzvah performed only twice every seven years. It is
called "Viduy Maaser" - literally, 'Tithing Confession.'
But this is not a confession in the usual sense. The individual goes
to Jerusalem and publicly declares that he has fulfilled all obligations
regarding terumot and ma'aserot, the various tithes of produce distributed
to the kohanim, the Levites, and the poor. The Torah commands us to
take inventory twice in seven years to assure we have distributed
all the maaser, other gifts and taxes that are required of us. See
Septennial
Torah Cycle.
Moon rules the night. "...the people dwelling in
darkness have seen a great light" Matthew 4:16.
Night and darkness represents Sin. "I have come
into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain
in darkness" John 12:46.
Night time is overcome by the light of the Moon. "The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it"
John 1:5.
Moon reflects the Sun's light. "He [Christ] is
the radiance of the glory of God" Hebrews 1:3.
Moon "rules" the night. The Son of God now
rules the Earth. "For he [Christ] must reign until he has put
all his enemies under his feet" 1 Corinthians 15:25. Also, "The
Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son"
John 5:22.
Night turns to Day. Christ turns over the kingdom
to the Father at the end of time. "Then comes the end, when he
[Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every
rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has
put all his enemies under his feet" 1 Corinthians 15:24-25.
Night will be no more. In the Earth made new, type
means anti-type. That is, there will be no need for a Sun or Moon
when the literal Father and Son come to dwell with Man. "And
the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory
of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb" Revelation 21:23.
"And night will be no more. They will need no light of
lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign
forever and ever." Revelation 22:5.
Sun rules the day. "The Mighty One, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting"
Psalm 50:1.
Morning light. "But the path of the righteous
is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until
full day" Proverbs 4:18.
Day light. "For you are all children of light,
children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness"
1 Thessalonians 5:5.
Noon. The preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles
began in earnest with the vision and subsequent conversion of Paul
on his way to Damascus.This occurred at noon. "As I [Paul] was
on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from
heaven suddenly shone around me" Acts 22:6.
Sunset. The sunset is generally more colorful than
sunrise, so the end of Earth's history when the Earth is made new
will be more glorious than its beginning. "For from the rising
of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations"
Malachi 1:11.
Eclipses. The two great signs in the heavens
are that of solar and lunar eclipses, since they are the two great natural
wonders of the Sun and Moon. These two signs are in relation to
one another and the Earth. They are either performed by them both on
the Earth (solar eclipse), or they are a result of the Earth's involvement
(lunar eclipse). They speak of the two great events with respect to
humanity: The Plan of Redemption (lunar eclipse) and the Day of Judgment
(solar eclipse).
Justice is the foundation of His throne, and the fruit of His love.
It had been Satan's purpose to divorce mercy from truth and justice.
He sought to prove that the righteousness of God's law is an enemy
to peace. But Christ shows that in God's plan they are indissolubly
joined together; the one cannot exist without the other. "Mercy
and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each
other." Psalm 85:10. By His life and His death, Christ proved
that God's justice did not destroy His mercy, but that sin could be
forgiven, and that the law is righteous, and can be perfectly obeyed.
Satan's charges were refuted. God had given man unmistakable evidence
of His love. {Desire of Ages 762}
Christ's death on the cross. Christ's death on the
cross had two aspects—one was physical and the other spiritual.
Christ died for our sins so that we would not have to die the second
death."Over such the second death has no power" Revelation
20:6. These are typified by the natural phenomenon that occurred while
Christ was on the cross. There was a period of light during
the first half of his crucifixion and a period of darknees in
the last half. "And it was the third hour when they crucified
him" Mark 15:25. "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness
over all the land until the ninth hour" Matthew 27:45. The first
half of Christ's sacrifice could be represented by a lunar eclipse—i.e.
a "red" Moon. The second half of Christ's sacrifice could
be represented by a solar eclipse—i.e. a "black" Moon.
"...for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out
for many for the forgiveness of sins" Mathew 26:28.
The color "red". The color "red"
comes from the Hebrew word adom. The Hebrew word adama (ground,
soil, earth, land) derives from adom. Adam (i.e. meaning "to
be red") is also connected to adom. The first Adam was
"red" or ruddy in color; the second Adam shed His red blood.
Red is often associated with sin and impurity. "Come now, let
us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool" Isaiah 1:18.
Final judgment. A total solar eclipse is a sign
of judgment. Darkness is synonymous with judgment. "That
day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness
and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds
and thick darkness" Zephaniah 1:15.
Oneness. A total solar eclipse illustrates the oneness
of the Father and His Son. "I and the Father are one" John
10:30. The Moon fits perfectly inside the Sun in a total solar eclipse.
The Father greater than the Son. An annular eclipse
can represent the Father being greater than the Son. "My
Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all..." John
10:29. "...for the Father is greater than I" John 14:28.
Color of the Sun. The predominate color of the Sun is
yellow, with shades of orange/red near sunrises and sunsets. The true
color of the Sun (from high altitude or in outer space) is white. The
Sky is generally blue and the Moon and clouds white.
Law (blue). The Father is the source of the law
when He wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger (Deuteronomy
9:10). The "blue" color of the Sky is representative of
the law (i.e. traditional Judaism in the Talmud teaches that
the stone tablets were made of blue sapphire stone, see Tablets
of Stone)
Love (yellow). The Father is the source of love
in that, "God so loved the world that He gave His
only Son..." (John 3:16). The "yellow" color of the
Sun is representative of love (see Gold
and Silver).
Holiness (white). The color "white" predominates
in visions of the Father by the prophets, "As I looked, thrones
were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was
white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne
was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire." Daniel 7:9.
And, "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated
on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was
found for them" Revelation 20:11. "...and day and night
they never cease to say, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!'" Revelation 4:8.
Final Judgment (orange/red). "And when the thousand
years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come
out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth,
Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the
sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth
and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire
came down from God out of heaven and consumed them..." Revelation
20:7-9
Color of the Moon. The color "white" includes
all the wavelengths of the visible spectrum of the Sun (see White).
In the Bible it is representative of the Bread from Heaven, Righteousness,
and Purity:
Manna. The Manna or "bread from heaven" (John
6:31) during the Exodus was white in color, "Now the house of
Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white,
and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey" Exodus 16:31.
White garments - righteous deeds. The fine linen worn by
the saints in Heaven is white in color and representative of righteousness.
"It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright
and pure—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints"
Revelation 19:8. "And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen,
white and pure, were following him on white horses" Revelation
19:14. "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb" Revelation 7:14.
Purity. "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" Psalm 51:7. "Come
now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like
crimson, they shall become like wool" Isaiah 1:18.
Seasons ["appointed times"] of the Year. The
Hebrew word translated "seasons" in Genesis 1:14 is the word
mo'edim (plural for mo'ed) and has other important meanings.
It could also be translated as "appointed times" or "set
feasts". Both the Sun and Moon determine these "appointed
times," where the Moon precisely determines the time for the principal
Jewish Feasts. "He made the moon to mark the seasons [appointed
times]" Psalm 104:19. The root word mo'ed in the Strong's
Hebrew Dictionary is #4150 and has the following definition:
mo`ed, mo-ade'; properly an appointment, i.e. a fixed time
or season; specifically a festival; by implication, an assembly
the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand)
appointed (sign, time), (place of, solemn) assembly, congregation,
(set, solemn) feast, (appointed, due) season, synagogue, (set) time
(appointed).
The word mo'ed is found throughout the description of the Jewish
Feasts in Leviticus 23. The seven Jewish Feasts were ordained by the
Father at the giving of the Law. These feasts were celebrated yearly
near the Spring and Fall equinoxes—three feasts were celebrated
at the beginning of Spring (Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits),
one (Pentecost) in the late Spring (i.e. 50 days after First Fruits),
and three in the Fall (Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles).
All seven of the Jewish Feasts were associated with periods of either
seedtime or harvest. Even the day of Pentecost which ocurred sometime
in May or June is near the end of the grain harvest. Pentecost was also
called "the Feast of Harvest" (Exodus 23:16). See Prophecy
of the Seven Jewish Feasts for a prophetic interpretation of the
Jewish Feasts from which the following diagram was taken.
Passover and Tabernacles. Both Passover and Tabernacles
were initiated on Full Moons. Passover was celebrated indoors and
Tabernacles outdoors. Both feasts initiated a weeklong celebration.
Passover began the week of Unleavened Bread, while Tabernacles lasted
a week from its beginning. Passover represents the Father and Son's
redemptive work at its beginning, and Tabernacles represents the Father
and Son's completion of that work in the Earth made new (Revelation
21:3).
First Fruits. This feast represents the Son's resurrection
from the dead by the Father.
Pentecost. This feast represents the outpouring of
the Father's Spirit through Christ at Pentecost and the commencement
of the Christian Era.
Trumpets and Day of Atonement. These feasts point
to the Judgment to be given by the Son and Father (Revelation 20:11-15).
Lunar Months. The 12 lunar months in the year have Biblical
significance as follows:
The meaning of 12 in the Bible. The number 12 speaks to authority
and "rule" in the Bible. There were 12 tribes of
Israel. There were 12 apostles. There are 12 foundation stones for
the New Jerusalem ("with the names of the 12 apostles of the
Lamb" Revelation 21:14) and 12 gates (with the names of the 12
tribes of Israel).
Phases of the Moon. The Jewish Feast days were determined
by phases of the Moon during the year. "Blow the trumpet at the
new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day" Psalm 81:3. Passover
and Tabernacles were on Full Moons. The Feast of Trumpets was on a
New Moon.
Biblical year 5774 (2013-2014). The Biblical year 5774 (Tishri
1) begins September 5, 2013 with the Feast of Trumpets. Day of Atonement
is September 14, 2013 and Feast of Tabernacles begins September 19,
2013.
A
Time for Judgment. A Rabbi's interpretation of solar and lunar
eclipses, with emphasis on the four coming lunar eclipses.
Miscellaneous notes
From darkness to light. In the Bible, the setting Sun begins
a new Day, the first visible sighting of the crescent New Moon begins
a new Month, and the New Year begins in the Spring.
Einstein's Eclipse. During 1919's epic eclipse, in which
the sun vanished for six minutes and 51 seconds, scientists measured
the bending of light from the stars as they passed near the sun. The
findings confirmed Einstein's theory of general relativity, which
describes gravity as a warping of space-time.
Festivals
in Genesis 1:14. This PDF article presents a case for translating
mo'edim in Genesis 1:14 as "festivals" or "festivals
and seasons."
Times of the day in the New Testament. The New Testament
generally grouped the hours of Day Time into the third hour (sunrise
to 9am), sixth hour (9am to 12pm), and ninth hour (12pm
to 3pm). There is no mention of the twelfth hour in the New
Testament. However, there is mention of the 11th hour (see
Matthew 20:6, 9), which suggests the time shortly before sundown.
John differs from the other Gospels and is believed to have used Roman
time. To learn about how John differs, see When
was Jesus crucified? (Mark 15:25 and John 19:14) - Explained!
Night Watches. The Jewish people initially divided the
night hours into three watches: beginning, middle, and morning (see
Lamentations 2:19; Judges 7:19; Exodus 14:24; 1 Samuel 11:11). But
after the Roman occupation began in 63 BC, the Roman night watch division
was adopted by the Jews. It is divided into four "watches":
first watch (sundown to 9pm), second watch (9pm to midnight), third
watch (midnight to 3am), and fourth watch (3am to sunrise). (See TorahCalendar
to see live Jerusalem time as shown below.)
The
Passover Sacrifice Was Slaughtered Within the Grandest Afternoon -
Not During Twilight or Dusk. The final (of the two daily lambs)
died within the grandest afternoon and was to be eaten that evening
("rest"). Adam on the sixth day of Creation was put into
"a deep sleep," presumably in the afternoon, for the making
of (Heb. "built") Eve (Genesis 2:21). Figuratively, Adam
died in the afternoon for the making of Eve. In this regard, Adam
is a type of Christ.
"He [God] made [Heb. banah] into a woman" Genesis
2:22. The translation renders the Hebrew verb pronounced banah
as made in English. While this is not a bad or incorrect translation,
it fails to bring out the primary meaning of banah, which is
to build, build up, rebuild, or construct. The word refers in Gen.
11:4 to the building of a city, in Gen.33:17 to the building of a
house, and in 1 Kings 3:1 to the building of the temple of Lord on
earth (see Strong's # 1129). A better translation would be, "He
built up and made into a woman..." Eve, a type of the church,
was built out of the very substance of Adam, a type of Christ, just
as the church, which is God's house, God's building, and ultimately
God's holy city for eternity, has Jesus Christ Himself as her foundation
(1 Cor.3:11), cornerstone (Eph.2:20), and top-stone (Zech.4:7)-in
short, Christ is all in all for God's building (Eph.1:23; Col.3:11).
See The
Value of Multiple Translations. And version 23, "And the
man said, 'This [zot] time it is bone of my bones and
flesh of my flesh: this [zot] one shall be called Woman
because this [zot] was taken out of Man'"
Signs in the Heavens. "And there will be signs in sun
and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity
because of the roaring of the sea and the waves" Luke 21:25.
"Sun of Righteousness". This expression is found over 1,000 tims in the EGW writings but is nowhere found in the Bible. EGW meant it to refer to Jesus Christ. So where could this expression have come from? One possibility is that the phrase was derived from the King James Version of Hebrews 1:8 which reads, "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." This verse combines the word "righteousness" with the Father referring to Christ as "God." This phrase would then be consistent with "God" being associated with the Sun.
