The First Day – Creation of Light from Darkness

Light & Darkness in the First Creation

The pre-creative state of Genesis 1:2 was described as “the deep” (tĕhowm) that was covered with darkness (choshek). A dark covering over the bottomless depths establishes the initial unformed state before God’s Spirit moved. God’s first cosmic act was the creation of light (‘owr) :

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” Genesis 1

The light was separated from the darkness, “forming” the cosmos into “day” and “night” establishing an orderly time-keeping system. God’s first act of creation also plays a significant role in the new creation envisioned by John in Revelation:

²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. Revelation 21          

⁵ There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. Revelation 22

Like the first creation, light is central to the last creation. In both cases, the light is provided by God but in the latter, its source is ‘the glory of God’ envisioned in Christ as “its lamp”. Also significant, there will no longer be darkness or night. There is no need for sun or moon as timekeepers nor does John envision a transition between day and night. John sees a city that is perpetually lit with the glory of God and His Christ. The lack of darkness and the discontinuance of the light/darkness, day/night cycle supports that John envisions the consummation of the new creation as the attainment of eternal-Sabbath. God’s redemptive plan is complete and He and His creation can now spend eternity at rest without need for further redemptive work.

John’s words flag that He views God’s redemption as a new creation, evident in parallels with words used in the Genesis 1 narrative. Importantly, light in the final creation is not the physical light of cosmic orbs. For John, light in the new creation symbolizes the glory of God and His Christ attesting that the final creation is not physical but spiritual.

When tracing occurrences of light and darkness in Scripture, a pattern emerges. Darkness (choshek) is employed in Exodus 10:21, where Yahweh gives Moses explicit instructions to “stretch out your hand toward the sky so that choshek spreads over Egypt”. Three days of total darkness followed but Exodus 10:23b states “yet the Israelites had ‘owr in the places where they lived.” That Moses records a separation of darkness from light in Egypt provides a flag denoting Yahweh’s intent to establish a new creation after the model of the first creation. Yahweh is creating a new people for Himself, the Israelites. The motif of separating light from darkness recurs in Exodus 14 where Yahweh protected His people from attack of the Egyptians using the cloud and pillar of fire:

¹⁹ Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, ²⁰ coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

The twofold occurrence of light separating darkness during Israel’s formative beginnings increases our confidence that Moses views Israel’s separation from Egypt as a new creation – the creation of Israel. Darkness is also seen in Deuteronomy 4:11 and 5:23 in relation to Israel’s Sinai-encounter with Yahweh where the mountain is described as shrouded in darkness. The prohibition against anyone or any animal setting foot of the mountain hints that “darkness” has the deeper meaning of death (i.e. separation from God), a claim supported by other Old Testament passages:

¹³ If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in darkness. (Job 17)

⁸ Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. (Micah 7)

⁸ but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness. Nahum 1

Isaiah employs darkness and light imagery to distinguish good from evil (Isaiah 5:20), spiritual blindness from understanding (Isaiah 29:18) and restoration of God’s people from their sins:

⁶ “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, ⁷  to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. Isaiah 42 (see also Isaiah 49:8-9)

Isaiah seems to be pointing to the elimination of spiritual blindness (darkness) and appearance of spiritual understanding (light) with the coming of the Servant of the Lord. It suggests he understands the coming of the Messiah to bring a new creation which also restores God’s presence among His people, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn” Isaiah 60:1-2. Restoration to God is viewed as new life that follows the darkness (spiritual death) of separation from God. Isaiah’s testimony is likely the basis for John’s vision of God and Christ as the light of the new Jerusalem, flagging redemption’s completion with restoration of God’s eternal dwelling with men as light and life.

Isaiah seems to borrow language from Genesis 1 but speaks of the coming Messiah bringing His people from spiritual darkness to light, from spiritual death to spiritual life. He also seems to link back to Genesis 1 with a veiled parallel to the rising of the sun, “the Lord rises upon you” that breaks the “thick darkness” of the pre-dawn night.  

The great light of Christ seems contrasted with apocalyptic prophecies of the Day of the Lord that speak of darkness (choshek) to warn the earth and heavens will return to the primeval state of darkness prior to the Lord’s creation of light: “In that day they will roar over it like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks at the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the sun will be darkened by the clouds.” (Isaiah 5:30; see also Joel 2:1-2, 31; Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:15).

Amos closely draws from Genesis 1, describing the Day of the Lord as darkness adding “not light” to further emphasize the scale of devastation that parallels the pre-creative darkness. The darkness of Genesis 1:2 had as its only antidote the light of God and it would seem that during the Day of the Lord, the only antidote for the terribly pervasive spiritual darkness will be the glorious light of Christ with the “dawn”/consummation of His Kingdom at His Parousia.

The prophetic contrasts between the prophesied Messianic light and prophesied darkness of the Day of the Lord seems intended to reveal that a final new creation would come in Christ that would also bring destruction of the first creation which was irreparable due to the destructive consequences of sin. The prophets chose the creation language of light and darkness to signal fundamental changes in creation would occur. Their present creation would pass away in destruction, displaced by a new but better creation. But the new final creation would not be like the current physical creation one can see with their eyes. What the final creation would be, would await the coming of Christ and His testimony.

Light and Darkness in the New Creation

The Scriptures presented suggest the present cosmos pre-figures the creation of the final cosmos. The Genesis 1 creation-narrative not only seems to prefigure the final creation, but it serves as a prophetic picture of God’s redemptive plan for His fallen creation. Sin, introduced shortly after creation, required a countermeasure from beyond the current creation to rectify and restore creation to God. The countermeasure is wrought in the Messiah, the central figure of the scriptural drama. Per the prophets, He is the light-bringer (Isaiah 42:6-7), the source of all spiritual light of understanding and from Him alone springs eternal spiritual life with God (Isaiah 9:2). That a great light has dawned in the land of darkness recalls creation-language, pointing toward the Messiah as the initiator of the new creation.

These verses set the expectation that the coming of the Messiah would be presented as light illumining the darkness, initiating a new creation. Such is the presentation of John, imbued with creation language, opening with a description of Christ as “the Word”, “life” and “light”. He describes Jesus’ coming as light piercing the darkness, evincing creation language:

⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1 (cf. Matthew 4:16; Luke 1:79; 2:32)

¹² When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8 (cf. John 9:5; 12:46)[1]

These proclamations establish that Jesus’ first coming marked a new creation, a new heaven and a new earth (see Figure 1). Notably, at Christ’s crucifixion, the Gospels attest that three hours of darkness shrouded the land at noon (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44), signaling the destruction of the old creation had begun in inauguration. The destruction of the old cosmos was also signaled in the earthquake (Matthew 27:51). [2]

Figure 1

Given that light separated the darkness in the first creation, and light separated the Israelites from the darkness of the Egyptians during Israel’s creation, one would expect similar language in the new creation and creation of the church. These contrasts between light and darkness are prevalent throughout the New Testament. Christ warned His followers not to let the light put within them become darkness (Matthew 6:23; Luke 11:34-35). [3] They were to be lights to the Gentiles (Acts 13:47; 26:18), working to save them from eternal judgment described as darkness (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30; John 3:19). We who were once darkness now are light (Ephesians 5:8), transformed by God’s creative power in us and we are not to unequally yoke ourselves with unbelievers for light has no communion with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14; cf. Ephesians 5:7). The contrasts emphasize the redemptive mission of the church showing forth the glory of God through righteous living.

Relevance to Christians Today

The study strengthens the claim that the message of Scripture is fundamentally redemptive. Later authors envisioned God’s redemptive plan as a new creation, employing light and darkness in ways that echoed creation. Importantly, the language of Israel’s beginnings also recalls creation. It hints of more “creation” events that relate to God’s redemptive plan such as the church. It likely also explains why Israel’s promised future deliverance from the nations was viewed as a new creation in which Israel was envisioned resurrected (see Ezekiel 37). This knowledge will assist Bible students with grasping some of the more puzzling passages in Scripture.

Consider Isaiah 66:22, prophesying a new creation as part of the Messiah’s work to restore Israel, “’As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,’ declares the Lord, ‘so will your name and descendants endure.'” Both the new creation and Israel will be eternal (enduring), signaling redemption accomplished. The disciples recognized that the prophets spoke of the glory of this restoration as light piercing the darkness and were thus justified in envisioning Christ’s coming as the promised new creation. Jesus, as source of all spiritual light has already inaugurated the promised new creation. 2 Corinthians 4:6 states, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ”, borrowing Genesis 1 creation language. Paul affirms the new creation is already here in the church’s creation!

The prophets similarly understood that the Messiah’s coming (the Day of the Lord) would bring cosmic dissolution to the first creation. The disciples were careful to preserve critical details in Christ’s crucifixion as affirming evidence that the dissolution of the cosmos had begun in Christ’s atoning sacrifice. The final realization of God’s new creation and final realization of cosmic dissolution await Christ’s parousia. The interim age would provide opportunity to repent, proselytize and serve as priests in the new creation, securing salvation of the nations. Thus, the prior creation and age in which man was assigned a priestly role foreshadowed our true priestly role in the new creation. Our purpose in Christ is redemptive, envisioned as a new creation. It emphasizes the critical role of the church, the Israel of God, in priestly mediation to the nations, leading them in the path of righteousness.

As light is true spiritual life, darkness is spiritual death, envisioned by Christ as eternal separation from God (Matthew 25:30). Jesus’ words confirm that darkness is a picture of eternal punishment for unrighteousness. Having been brought from darkness to light, we must not return to the deeds of darkness nor participate with those whose deeds are done in darkness. It is a rejection of God’s redemption and new creation.

Most important, Christ has invested in us the light and life of His Spirit. As Christ brought spiritual light into the world and light into His church, we are to be lights in the world and to the world. We are children of light (John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5), children of Christ granted true life – eternal life (2 Timothy 1:10), secured by Christ, who is immortal and lives in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16). We are to be like Him in Whom is no darkness (1 John 1:5). It is accomplished by casting off the works of darkness and putting on the armor of light (Romans 13:12; cf. 1 Peter 2:9). Success in bringing the nations to Christ requires testimony and righteous living. It is how the light of God’s eternal glory is seen in us. That glory increases throughout our world as those in darkness are brought into the light of Christ. As priests in God’s kingdom, we have been entrusted with partnering with Christ in the realization of His redemptive program. May we work tirelessly to realize this grand goal.

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[1] The light of Christ was visibly seen in the transfiguration where again, the reference to Christ’s face shining as the sun also recalls creation language (Matthew 17:2).

[2] That the new heaven and new earth did not immediately displace the old creation shows that the new heaven and new earth were inaugurated in Christ’s first coming and progressing toward their consummation when everything shall be put under the feet of Jesus. Conversely, while the new heaven and new earth are emergent and progressing toward their consummation, the present heaven and earth have in effect, already been delivered a judicial death blow. Their destruction is also emergent with Christ’s first coming and regressing toward the consummation of their total destruction commensurate with Christ’s Parousia.

[3] Christ’s warning may seem cryptic. Yet Isaiah 5:20 warns against those who put darkness for light and light for darkness, calling evil good and good evil. It may well be a warning against Pharisaic thinking. They had been given “light” of revelation regarding God’s redemptive plan yet condemned themselves in their opposition to the true light Jesus Christ.