God Himself, the Unique I

Now let us begin to read the following scriptures from the Bible.

1. God Uses Words to Create All Things

Gen 1:3–5 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Gen 1:6–7 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

Gen 1:9–11 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth: and it was so.

Gen 1:14–15 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light on the earth: and it was so.

Gen 1:20–21 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that has life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Gen 1:24–25 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creeps on the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

On the First Day, the Day and Night of Mankind Are Born and Stand Fast Thanks to the Authority of God

Let us look at the first passage: “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day” (Gen 1:3–5). This passage describes God’s first act at the beginning of creation, and the first day that God passed in which there was an evening and a morning. But it was an extraordinary day: God began to prepare the light for all things, and, furthermore, divided the light from the darkness. On this day, God began to speak, and His words and authority existed side-by-side. His authority began to show forth among all things, and His power spread among all things as a result of His words. From this day onward, all things were formed and stood fast because of the words of God, the authority of God, and the power of God, and they began to function thanks to the words of God, the authority of God, and the power of God. When God said the words “Let there be light,” so there was light. God did not embark upon any enterprise; the light had appeared as a result of His words. This was the light that God called day, and which man still depends on for his existence today. By God’s command, its substance and value have never changed, and it has never disappeared. Its existence shows forth the authority and power of God, and proclaims the existence of the Creator, and it confirms, over and over, the identity and status of the Creator. It is not intangible, or illusory, but is a real light that can be seen by man. From that time onward, in this empty world in which “the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep,” there was produced the first material thing. This thing came from the words of the mouth of God, and appeared in the first act of the creation of all things because of the authority and utterances of God. Soon after, God ordered the light and the darkness to separate…. Everything changed and was completed because of the words of God…. God called this light “Day,” and the darkness He called “Night.” From that time, the first evening and the first morning were produced in the world God intended to create, and God said that this was the first day. This day was the first day of the Creator’s creation of all things, and was the beginning of the creation of all things, and was the first time that the authority and power of the Creator had been shown forth in this world that He had created.

Through these words, man is able to behold the authority of God, and the authority of God’s words, and the power of God. Because only God is possessed of such power, and so only God has such authority, and because God is possessed of such authority, and so only God has such power. Could any man or object possess such authority and power as this? Is there an answer in your hearts? Apart from God, does any created or non-created being possess such authority? Have you ever seen an example of such a thing in any other books or publications? Is there any record that someone created the heavens and earth and all things? It does not appear in any other books or records; these are, of course, the only authoritative and powerful words about God’s magnificent creation of the world, which are recorded in the Bible, and these words speak for the unique authority of God, and the unique identity of God. Can such authority and power be said to symbolize the unique identity of God? Can they be said to be possessed by God, and God alone? Without a doubt, only God Himself possesses such authority and power! This authority and power cannot be possessed or replaced by any created or non-created being! Is this one of the characteristics of the unique God Himself? Have you witnessed it? These words quickly and clearly allow people to understand the fact that God is possessed of unique authority, and unique power, and He is possessed of supreme identity and status. From the fellowship above, can you say that the God you believe in is the unique God Himself?

On the Second Day, God’s Authority Arranges the Waters, and Makes the Firmament, and a Space for the Most Basic Human Survival Appears

Let us read the second passage of the Bible: “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so” (Gen 1:6–7). What changes occurred after God said “Let there be a firmament in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters”? In the Scriptures it says: “And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament.” What was the result after God had spoken and done this? The answer lies in the last part of the passage: “and it was so.”

These two short sentences record a magnificent event, and describe a wonderful scene—the tremendous undertaking in which God governed the waters, and created a space in which man could exist …

In this picture, the waters and the firmament appear before the eyes of God in an instant, and they are divided by the authority of God’s words, and separated into an above and below in the manner appointed by God. Which is to say, the firmament created by God not only covered the waters below, but also supported the waters above…. In this, man cannot help but stare, dumbfounded, and gasp in admiration at the splendor of the scene in which the Creator transferred the waters, and commanded the waters, and created the firmament, and at the might of His authority. Through the words of God, and the power of God, and the authority of God, God achieved another great feat. Is this not the might of the Creator’s authority? Let us use the scriptures to explain the deeds of God: God spoke His words, and because of these words of God there was a firmament in the middle of the waters. At the same time, a tremendous change occurred in this space because of these words of God, and it was not change in an ordinary sense, but a kind of substitution in which nothing became something. It was born of the thoughts of the Creator, and became something from nothing because of the words spoken by the Creator, and, furthermore, from this point onward it would exist and stand fast, for the sake of the Creator, and would shift, change, and renew in accordance with the thoughts of the Creator. This passage describes the second act of the Creator in His creation of the whole world. It was another expression of the authority and power of the Creator, and was another pioneering undertaking by the Creator. This day was the second day that the Creator had passed since the foundation of the world, and it was another wonderful day for Him: He walked amongst the light, He brought the firmament, He arranged and governed the waters, and His deeds, His authority, and His power were put to work in the new day …

Was there firmament in the middle of the waters before God spoke His words? Of course not! And what about after God said “Let there be a firmament in the middle of the waters”? The things intended by God appeared; there was firmament in the middle of the waters, and the waters separated because God said “Let it divide the waters from the waters.” In this way, following the words of God, two new objects, two newly-born things appeared among all things as a result of the authority and power of God. And how do you feel about the appearance of these two new things? Do you feel the greatness of the Creator’s power? Do you feel the unique and extraordinary force of the Creator? The greatness of such force and power is due to the authority of God, and this authority is a representation of God Himself, and a unique characteristic of God Himself.

Did this passage give you another profound sense of the uniqueness of God? But this is far from enough; the authority and power of the Creator go far beyond this. His uniqueness is not merely because He is possessed of a substance unlike that of any creature, but also because His authority and power are extraordinary, limitless, superlative to all, and stand above all, and, moreover, because His authority and what He has and is can create life, and produce miracles, and can create each and every spectacular and extraordinary minute and second, and at the same time, He is able to govern the life that He creates, and hold sovereignty over the miracles and each and every minute and second that He creates.

On the Third Day, the Words of God Give Birth to the Earth and the Seas, and the Authority of God Causes the World to Brim With Life

Next let us read the first sentence of Genesis 1:9–11: “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear.” What changes occurred after God simply said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear”? And what was there in this space apart from the light and the firmament? In the Scriptures, it is written: “And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas: and God saw that it was good.” Which is to say, there was now land and seas in this space, and the land and seas were separated. The appearance of these new things followed the commandment from the mouth of God, “and it was so.” Does the Scripture describe God busying about while He was doing this? Does it describe Him engaging in physical labor? So, how was all this done by God? How did God cause these new things to be produced? Self-evidently, God used words to achieve all of this, to create the entirety of this.

In the three passages above, we have learned of the occurrence of three great events. These three great events appeared, and were brought into being, through the words of God, and it is because of His words that, one after the other, they appeared before the eyes of God. Thus it can be seen that “God speaks, and it will be accomplished; He commands, and it will stand fast” are not hollow words. This substance of God is confirmed the instant that His thoughts are conceived, and when God opens His mouth to speak, His substance is fully reflected.

Let us continue to the final sentence of this passage: “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth: and it was so.” While God was speaking, all these things came into being following the thoughts of God, and in an instant, an assortment of delicate little life forms were unsteadily poking their heads up through the soil, and before they had even shaken the bits of dirt from their bodies they were eagerly waving to each other in greeting, nodding and smiling to the world. They thanked the Creator for the life that He bestowed upon them, and announced to the world that they were a part of all things, and that they would each devote their lives to showing forth the authority of the Creator. As the words of God were spoken, the land became lush and green, all sorts of herbs that could be enjoyed by man sprang forth and broke from the ground, and the mountains and plains became thickly populated by trees and forests…. This barren world, in which there had not been any trace of life, was rapidly covered by a profusion of grass, herbs and trees and overflowing with greenery…. The fragrance of grass and the aroma of the soil spread through the air, and an array of plants began to breathe in tandem with the circulation of the air, and began the process of growing. At the same time, thanks to the words of God and following the thoughts of God, all the plants began the perpetual life cycles in which they grow, blossom, bear fruit, and multiply. They began to strictly adhere to their respective life courses, and began to perform their respective roles among all things…. They were all born, and lived, because of the words of the Creator. They would receive the unceasing provision and nourishment of the Creator, and would always tenaciously survive in every corner of the land in order to show forth the authority and power of the Creator, and they would always show forth the life force bestowed upon them by the Creator …

The life of the Creator is extraordinary, His thoughts are extraordinary, and His authority is extraordinary, and so, when His words were uttered, the final result was “and it was so.” Clearly, God does not need to work with His hands when He acts; He merely uses His thoughts to command, and His words to order, and in this way things are achieved. On this day, God gathered the waters together to one place, and let the dry land appear, after which God caused grass to sprout forth from the land, and there grew the herbs yielding seeds, and trees bearing fruit, and God classed them each according to kind, and caused each to contain its own seed. All this was realized according to the thoughts of God and the commands of the words of God, and each appeared, one after the other, in this new world.

When He had yet to commence His work, God already had a picture of what He intended to achieve in His mind, and when God set about achieving these things, which was also when God opened His mouth to speak of the content of this picture, changes in all things began to occur thanks to the authority and power of God. Irrespective of how God did it, or exerted His authority, all was achieved step by step according to God’s plan and because of the words of God, and step by step changes occurred between heaven and earth thanks to the words and authority of God. All of these changes and occurrences showed forth the Creator’s authority, and the extraordinariness and greatness of the power of the Creator’s life. His thoughts are not simple ideas, or an empty picture, but an authority possessed of vitality and extraordinary energy, and they are the power to cause all things to change, recover, renew, and perish. And because of this, all things function because of His thoughts, and, at the same time, are achieved because of the words from His mouth….

Before all things appeared, in the thoughts of God a complete plan had long ago been formed, and a new world had long ago been achieved. Although on the third day there appeared all sorts of plants on the land, God had no reason to halt the steps of His creation of this world; He intended to continue to speak His words, to continue to achieve the creation of every new thing. He would speak, would issue His commands, and would exert His authority and show forth His power, and He prepared everything that He had planned to prepare for all the things and the mankind that He intended to create….

On the Fourth Day, the Seasons, Days, and Years of Mankind Come Into Being as God Exerts His Authority Once Again

The Creator used His words to accomplish His plan, and in this way He passed the first three days of His plan. During these three days, God was not seen to busy about, or to exhaust Himself; on the contrary, He passed a wonderful first three days of His plan, and achieved the great undertaking of the world’s radical transformation. A brand-new world appeared before His eyes, and, piece by piece, the beautiful picture that had been sealed within His thoughts was finally revealed in the words of God. The appearance of each new thing was like the birth of a newborn baby, and the Creator took pleasure in the picture that had once been in His thoughts, but which had now been brought to life. At this time, His heart gained a sliver of satisfaction, but His plan had only just begun. In the blink of an eye, a new day had arrived—and what was the next page in the Creator’s plan? What did He say? And how did He exert His authority? And, at the same time, what new things came into this new world? Following the guidance of the Creator, our gaze falls on the fourth day of God’s creation of all things, a day which was yet another new beginning. Of course, for the Creator, it was undoubtedly another wonderful day, and another day of the utmost importance for the mankind of today. It was, of course, a day of inestimable value. How was it wonderful, how was it so important, and how was it of inestimable value? Let us first listen to the words spoken by the Creator….

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light on the earth” (Gen 1:14–15). This was another exertion of God’s authority that was shown forth by creatures following His creation of dry land and the plants within it. For God, such an act was equally easy, because God has such power; God is as good as His word, and His word shall be accomplished. God ordered lights to appear in the heaven, and these lights not only shone in the sky and upon the earth, but also served as signs for day and night, for seasons, days, and years. In this way, as God spoke His words, every act that God wished to achieve was fulfilled according to God’s meaning and in the manner appointed by God.

The lights in the heaven are matter in the sky that can radiate light; they can illuminate the sky, and can illuminate the land and seas. They revolve according to the rhythm and frequency commanded by God, and light up different time periods upon land, and in this way revolution cycles of the lights cause day and night to be produced in the east and west of the land, and they are not only signs for night and day, but through these different cycles they also mark the feasts and various special days of mankind. They are the perfect complement and accompaniment to the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—issued forth by God, together with which the lights harmoniously serve as regular and accurate marks for the lunar terms, days, and years of mankind. Although it was only after the advent of farming that mankind began to understand and encounter the separation of lunar terms, days, and years caused by the lights created by God, in fact the lunar terms, days, and years that man understands today began to be produced long ago on the fourth day of God’s creation of all things, and so too did the interchanging cycles of spring, summer, autumn, and winter experienced by man begin long ago on the fourth day of God’s creation of all things. The lights created by God enabled man to regularly, precisely, and clearly differentiate between night and day, and count the days, and clearly keep track of the lunar terms and years. (The day of the full moon was the completion of one month, and from this man knew that the illumination of lights began a new cycle; the day of the half moon was the completion of one half of a month, which told man that a new lunar term began, from which it could be inferred how many days and nights were in a lunar term, how many lunar terms were in a season, and how many seasons were in a year, and all was regularly displayed.) And so, man could easily keep track of the lunar terms, days, and years marked by the revolutions of the lights. From this point onward, mankind and all things unconsciously lived amongst the orderly interchange of night and day and alternations of the seasons produced by the revolutions of the lights. This was the significance of the Creator’s creation of the lights on the fourth day. Similarly, the aims and significance of this action of the Creator were still inseparable from His authority and power. And so, the lights made by God and the value that they would soon bring to man were another masterstroke in the exertion of the Creator’s authority.

In this new world, in which mankind had yet to make an appearance, the Creator had prepared evening and morning, the firmament, land and seas, grass, herb and various types of trees, and the lights, seasons, days, and years for the new life that He would soon create. The authority and power of the Creator were expressed in each new thing that He created, and His words and accomplishments occurred simultaneously, without the slightest discrepancy, and without the slightest interval. The appearance and birth of all these new things were proof of the authority and power of the Creator: He is as good as His word, and His word shall be accomplished, and that which is accomplished lasts forever. This fact has never changed: so it was in the past, so it is today, and so it will be for all eternity. When you look once more at those words of scripture, do they feel fresh to you? Have you seen new content, and made new discoveries? That is because the deeds of the Creator have stirred your hearts, and guided the direction of your knowledge of His authority and power, and opened the door to your understanding of the Creator, and His deeds and authority have bestowed life upon these words. And so in these words man has seen a real, vivid expression of the Creator’s authority, and truly witnessed the supremacy of the Creator, and beheld the extraordinariness of the authority and power of the Creator.

The Creator’s authority and power produce miracle after miracle, and He attracts man’s attention, and man cannot help but stare transfixed at the astounding deeds born from the exertion of His authority. His phenomenal power brings delight after delight, and man is left dazzled and overjoyed, and he gasps in admiration, is awestruck, and cheers; what’s more, man is visibly moved, and there is produced in him respect, reverence, and attachment. The authority and deeds of the Creator have a great impact upon the spirit of man, and cleanse the spirit of man, and, moreover, sate the spirit of man. Every one of His thoughts, every one of His utterances, and every revelation of His authority is a masterpiece among all things, and is a great undertaking most worthy of the created mankind’s deep understanding and knowledge. When we count every creature born from the words of the Creator, our spirits are drawn to the wonder of God’s power, and we find ourselves following the footprints of the Creator to the next day: the fifth day of God’s creation of all things.