"IN THE BEGINNING GOD ..."
“IN THE BEGINNING GOD ...”
Genesis 1: 1 - 13; Revelation 22: 14 - 21
I feel encouraged, beloved brethren, having a sense that it is my privilege and distinction to read and speak from the Scriptures at this time, beginning with the book of Genesis and connecting it with the book of Revelation. I should just like to link up these scriptures as dealing with the whole time-scene, we might say. They link up the whole Bible; and what a privilege it is to have the Bible!
The book of Genesis begins the Scriptures and brings in man, which is a great matter. Indeed, it is one of the most immense matters that could be mentioned, because God and man are brought together. We have come to a time when men are very active, and in which they are ready to say great things, and to advance great things, and to do great things. But we are here tonight to do something; and I am thankful to have the opportunity of saying something in regard to the Scriptures. The word that I seek to speak is about the very beginning. We are told, in John’s gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. But in Genesis it says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. I am thinking about God. What a marvellous thing that we have to do with God! We have expressed in creation the majesty of God, the greatness of God, the glory of God and the patience of God. All this enters into the beginning of the book of Genesis. And I might say that it carries right through to the end of the book of Revelation.
And so the word is: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. I am encouraged to begin with the beginning and to say that it is God with whom we have to do, and that it is such a God.
[p. 401] We know God! That is one of the greatest things that anyone can bring forward — that he knows God, and that God is his God.
But the passage goes on to say, “And the earth was waste and empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters”. Notice that the blessed Spirit of God is here. The Spirit is God, and He was hovering. And then, “God said, Let there be light. And there was light”. God has His way; whatever men may say or do or think. God has His way! His way is good; His way is right, “The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring the soul”, Psalm 19: 7. And so I would seek, in humility of mind, to consider the great facts of what God did in the beginning and what He will do in the end. We are at the end of things in this dispensation. If we do not know it we should know it, and our children should be taught so that they may know what God is doing for men. He began with creation. He began with this great matter and He will finish with it in the sense that His glory will be displayed in relation to it.
But we are told that “the earth was waste and empty”. Things had happened that were very objectionable and at this point there was no encouragement at all; all was waste and emptiness. But the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters, and God said, “Let there be light. And there was light”. The goodness of God comes in immediately. His goodness, His majesty and His power are in mind. And the Spirit of God is seen as free. No one can hinder God, “Thou canst be hindered in no thought of thine”. Job 42: 2. And so God said, Let there be light. And there was light. And God saw that it was good.
And then the next thing is that God divided between the light and the darkness. God is doing things to better them for man. And He called the [p. 402] light Day, and the darkness He called Night. Day is mentioned first, for God had days in mind; “There was evening, and there was morning — the first day”. That is to say, God was dealing with things in His own way and His own time and with His own latitude and grace and patience. So that there was the evening, when we go to bed; and the morning, when we get up and do things.
And then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it be a division between waters and waters”. God is doing things His own way, and they are His own things, and He is calling them by the names He uses. And so He made the expanse. And He called the expanse Heavens. God was doing the speaking, and it must be done. And so we have the glorious creation of old. And, of course, man was created. We here this afternoon are part of the creation and God is blessing us; I am sure it is so, “And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was so”. Notice that when God spoke, it says, “It was so”. There is no use contending with God, for He is going to have His way! And we thank Him for it! God has rights in what He is doing and all that He is doing is good. And then we have the grass and the herbs and the trees yielding fruit. And God saw that it was good, “And there was evening, and there was morning — a third day”. Now we have come on to the idea of the power of resurrection in the third day. That is a great matter to reach — resurrection!
Now I will just touch on the passage in Revelation 22. Verse 14 says, “Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have right to the tree of life, and that they should go in by the gates into the city”. Now God has a right to do that. He is giving men life! And it is that they may have right to the [p. 403] tree of life. God is asserting that, and it must be so. “Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loves and makes a lie”. God is going to deal with all that, and we had better seek to deal with it, too. And then the Lord comes in with this word: “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify these things to you in the assemblies. I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come”. Now that is the conclusion of what I have to say. “The Spirit and the bride say, Come”. It is not alone the Holy Spirit, but “the Spirit and the bride say, Come”. And then, “Let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come; he that will, let him take the water of life freely”. Everything is there in liberality and freedom. And so we can glorify God together in our place of nearness and in faith as we wait for the Lord to come.
I just present these thoughts to you in the name of the Lord.