Jesus - The Light of the World from Genesis to Revelation

I believe that every word of scripture is prophetic.  I know this sounds a bit outrageous at first glance, but, upon studying the Bible and looking into its many layers (many of which I am probably not yet aware), I have come to the conclusion that this is so. Five years ago I didn't understand the Hebrew language as well as I do today;  understanding Hebrew and ancient Jewish customs reveals some of the prophetic layers in the scriptures.  Fifteen years ago I did not know about the Bible codes - the Hebrew text of the Bible reveals mathematical designs and codes so complex that they couldn't possible be produced by a human.  These messages were not revealed until the advent of super-computers which could detect the intricate messages within the literal  message of the scripture.  ALL of this points to Messiah!

 The very beginning of Genesis says,  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.  And God said, 'Let there be light', and there was light."  (Genesis 1:1-3)

So, God created the world through the Spoken Word.  John 1:1 - 5 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.  In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."  Thus, God existed, and with Him was the Messiah - Jesus - the Word - the Light of the World.  God spoke the Word and created everything that was created. And the Holy Spirit hovered over the surface of the deep throughout this creation.  And, what was the first thing created?  Light.




" When Jesus spake 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 8:12)

And, finally,  "I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  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 21:22,23)

GENESIS 3:16

     " To the woman He said, 'I will greatly increase your pain in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.  Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.' "  (NIV)

     Adam and Eve had sinned;  they had disobeyed.  They had not heeded God's warning that to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would result in death.  When faced with temptation each of them made the wrong decision.
     You see, God created us with the ability to make choices.  Otherwise we would be hollow and incomplete - not human.  We learn from making decisions, good and bad, throughout our lives. Disobedience (like eating the forbidden fruit)  is sin.  In fact, it's probably the most frequent sin of mankind.  Somehow, we are often willing to listen to voices other than  the Good Shepherd's, resulting in disobedience to God's word. Sigh.  But, when we recognize and confess our sins God is always there, willing to forgive us, restore our relationship with Him, and help us try not to make the same mistake again.
     Not only did Adam and Eve disobey God, they also tried to hide from Him.  I remember hearing this story as a child and thinking how silly they were to try to hide from God... After all, God knows and sees eveything, right?  Well, then, why do we today try to hide from God through the misuse of drugs, alcohol, materialism, or _____________________? (You fill in the blank.)
     When confronted by God no one in the Garden of Eden was willing to take responsibility for what happened.  Adam blamed Eve.  And Eve blamed the serpent.  Owning up to what we have done isn't usually easy, but it's the right thing to do.  God already knows; don't try to put the blame on someone else or on circumstances.  Confess your sins and ask Him for forgiveness.  Receive God's forgiveness.  Then, move on!
     Okay.  We can easily be forgiven, but sometimes there IS punishment for sin. There ARE consequences for our actions.  (Reminds me, somehow,  of Newton's  third law of motion:  "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.")  In reading through the remainder of the book of Genesis, we find many examples of life's poor choices and their resulting consequences.  Those stories are there for a purpose - to give us examples of what NOT to do, how NOT to act, what NOT to say...  As we read in the Bible, we might feel that some of the punishments seem a bit harsh.  But, we need to remember that God is Holy, totally Righteous,  a completely moral Being. We make our choices, and, if we choose sin, He chooses the consequences.  We don't necessarily understand because all we see is the life we are living.  But, He sees the larger picture called eternity.
     So... when you are tempted, if that little voice in the back of your mind says, "Don't do that",
 DON'T DO IT!

"After The Fall"  My  watercolor collage of Eve and the serpent - after the sin of disobedience.
She doesn't look very happy, does she?