God’s Authority (I) Part Two

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 heart, 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.

Let us continue reading the Scripture passage by passage, as we take a look at more of the Creator’s deeds.

On the Fifth Day, Life of Varied and Diverse Forms Exhibits the Authority of the Creator in Different Ways

Scripture says, “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 1:20-21). Scripture clearly tells us that, on this day, God made the creatures in the waters and the birds of the air, which is to say that He created the various fish and birds, and classed them each according to kind. In this way, the earth, the skies, and the waters were enriched by God’s creation….

As God’s words were spoken, fresh new life, each with a different form, instantly came alive amidst the words of the Creator. They came into the world jostling for position, jumping, frolicking for joy…. Fish of all shapes and sizes swam through the water, shellfish of all kinds grew out of the sands, scaled, shelled, and spineless creatures hurriedly grew forth in different forms, whether great or small, long or short. So too did various kinds of seaweed begin to briskly grow, swaying to the motion of the various aquatic life, undulating, urging the stagnant waters, as if to say to them: Shake a leg! Bring your friends! For you’ll never be alone again! From the moment that the various living creatures created by God appeared in the water, each fresh new life brought vitality to waters that had been quiescent for so long, and ushered in a new era…. From that point onward, they nestled against each other, and kept each other’s company, and conferred no distinction upon each other. The water existed for the creatures within it, nourishing each life that resided within its embrace, and every life existed for the sake of the water because of its nourishment. Each conferred life upon the other, and at the same time, each, in the same way, bore testament to the miraculousness and greatness of the Creator’s creation, and to the unsurpassable power of the Creator’s authority….

As the sea was no longer silent, so too did life begin to fill the skies. One by one, birds, big and small, flew up into the sky from the ground. Unlike the creatures of the sea, they had wings and feathers covering their slim and graceful figures. They fluttered their wings, proudly and haughtily displaying their gorgeous coat of feathers and their special functions and skills bestowed upon them by the Creator. They soared freely, and skillfully shuttled between heaven and earth, across grasslands and forests…. They were the darlings of the air, they were the darlings of all things. They would soon become the tie between heaven and earth, and would pass on the messages to all things…. They sang, they joyfully swooped about, they brought cheers, laughter, and vibrancy to this once empty world…. They used their clear, melodious singing, used the words within their hearts to praise the Creator for the life bestowed upon them. They cheerfully danced to display the perfection and miraculousness of the Creator’s creation, and would devote their whole lives to bearing testament to the authority of the Creator through the special life that He had bestowed upon them….

Regardless of whether they were in the water, or of the skies, by the command of the Creator, this plethora of living things existed in the different configurations of life, and by the command of the Creator, they gathered together according to their respective species—and this law, this rule, was unalterable by any creatures. Never did they dare to go beyond the bounds set forth for them by the Creator, nor were they able to. As ordained by the Creator, they lived and multiplied, and strictly adhered to the life course and laws set for them by the Creator, and consciously abided by His unspoken commands and the heavenly edicts and precepts that He gave them, all the way up to today. They conversed with the Creator in their own special way, and came to appreciate the meaning of the Creator, and obeyed His commands. None ever transgressed the authority of the Creator, and His sovereignty and command over them was exerted within His thoughts; no words were issued forth, but the authority that was unique to the Creator controlled all the things in silence that possessed no language function, and which differed from mankind. The exertion of His authority in this special way compelled man to gain a new knowledge, and make a new interpretation, of the Creator’s unique authority. Here, I must tell you that on this new day, the exertion of the Creator’s authority demonstrated once more the uniqueness of the Creator.

Next, let us take a look at the last sentence of this passage of scripture: “God saw that it was good.” What do you think this means? Here, we get a glimpse of God’s emotions. God watched all things that He had created come into being and stand fast because of His words, and gradually begin to change. At this time, was God satisfied with the various things that He had made with His words, and the various acts that He had achieved? The answer is that “God saw that it was good.” What do you see here? What does it represent that “God saw that it was good”? What does it symbolize? It means that God had the power and wisdom to accomplish that which He had planned and prescribed, to accomplish the goals that He had set out to accomplish. When God had completed each task, did He feel regret? The answer is still that “God saw that it was good.” In other words, not only did He feel no regret, but was instead satisfied. What does it mean that He felt no regret? It tells us that God’s plan is perfect, that His power and wisdom are perfect, and that it is only by His authority that such perfection can be accomplished. When man performs a task, can he, like God, see that it is good? Can everything that man does accomplish perfection? Can man complete something once and for all eternity? Just as man says, “nothing’s perfect, only better,” nothing that man does can attain perfection. When God saw that all that He had done and achieved was good, everything made by God was set by His words, which is to say that, when “God saw that it was good,” all that He had made assumed a permanent form, was classed according to type, and was given a fixed position, purpose, and function, once and for all eternity. Moreover, their role among all things, and the journey that they must take during God’s management of all things, had already been ordained by God, and were immutable. This was the heavenly law given by the Creator to all things.

“God saw that it was good,” these simple, underappreciated words, so often ignored, are the words of the heavenly law and heavenly edict given to all creatures by God. They are another embodiment of the Creator’s authority, one that is more practical, and more profound. Through His words, the Creator was not only able to gain all that He set out to gain, and achieve all that He set out to achieve, but could also control in His hands all that He had created, and rule all things that He had made under His authority, and, furthermore, all was systematic and regular. All things also lived and died by His word and, moreover, by His authority they existed amidst the law that He had set forth, and none was exempt! This law began at the very instant that “God saw that it was good,” and it shall exist, continue, and function for the sake of God’s plan of management right up until the day that it is repealed by the Creator! The unique authority of the Creator was manifested not only in His ability to create all things and command all things to come into being, but also in His ability to govern and hold sovereignty over all things, and bestow the life and vitality upon all things, and, moreover, in His ability to cause, once and for all eternity, all things that He would create in His plan to appear and exist in the world made by Him in a perfect shape, and a perfect life structure, and a perfect role. So too was it manifested in the way that the thoughts of the Creator were not subject to any constraints, were not limited by time, space, or geography. Like His authority, the unique identity of the Creator shall remain unchanged from everlasting to everlasting. His authority shall always be a representation and symbol of His unique identity, and His authority shall forever exist side-by-side with His identity!

On the Sixth Day, the Creator Speaks, and Each Kind of Living Creature in His Mind Makes Its Appearance, One After Another

Imperceptibly, the Creator’s work of making all things had continued for five days, immediately following which the Creator welcomed the sixth day of His creation of all things. This day was another new beginning, and another extraordinary day. What, then, was the Creator’s plan on the eve of this new day? What new creatures would He produce, would He create? Listen, that is the voice of the Creator….

“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” (Gen 1:24-25). What living creatures does this include? The Scriptures say: cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind. Which is to say that, on this day there were not only all sorts of living creatures upon the earth, but they were all classified according to kind, and, likewise, “God saw that it was good.”

As during the previous five days, with the same tone, on the sixth day the Creator ordered the birth of the living creatures that He desired, and that they appeared upon the earth, each according to their kind. When the Creator exerts His authority, none of His words are spoken in vain, and so, on the sixth day, each living creature that He had intended to create appeared at the appointed time. As the Creator said “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind,” the earth was at once filled with life, and upon the land there suddenly emerged the breath of all sorts of living creatures…. In the grassy green wilderness, stout cows, swishing their tails to and fro, appeared one after the other, bleating sheep gathered themselves into herds, and neighing horses began to gallop…. In an instant, the vast expanses of silent grassland exploded with life…. The appearance of these various livestock was a beautiful sight upon the tranquil grassland, and brought with it boundless vitality…. They would be the companions of the grasslands, and the masters of the grasslands, each mutually dependent on the other; so too would they become the guardians and keepers of these lands, which would be their permanent habitat, and which would provide them with all they needed, a source of eternal nourishment for their existence….

On the same day that these various livestock came into being, by the Creator’s word, a plethora of insects also appeared, one after the other. Even though they were the smallest of the living things among all creatures, their life force was still the miraculous creation of the Creator, and they did not arrive too late…. Some fluttered their little wings, while others slowly crawled; some hopped and bounced, others staggered; some barreled forward, while others quickly retreated; some moved sideways, others hopped high and low…. All were busy trying to find homes for themselves: Some pushed their way into the grass, some set about burrowing holes in the ground, some flew up into the trees, hidden in the forests…. Though small in size, they were unwilling to endure the torment of an empty stomach, and after finding their own homes, they rushed to seek food to feed themselves. Some climbed upon the grass to eat its tender blades, some grabbed mouthfuls of dirt and fed it to their stomachs, eating with much gusto and pleasure (for them, even dirt is a tasty treat); some were hidden in the forests, but they did not stop to rest, as the sap within the glossy dark green leaves provided a succulent meal…. After they were satiated, still the insects did not cease their activity; though small in stature, they were possessed of tremendous energy and limitless exuberance, and so of all creatures, they are the most active, and the most industrious. They were never lazy, and never indulged in rest. Once satiated, still they toiled about their labors for the sake of their future, busying themselves and rushing about for their tomorrows, for their survival…. They softly hummed ballads of various melodies and rhythms to encourage and urge themselves on. They also added joy to the grass, trees, and every inch of soil, making each day, and each year, unique…. With their own languages and with their own ways, they passed on information to all the living things upon the land. And using their own special life course, they marked all things, upon which they left traces…. They were on intimate terms with the soil, the grass, and the forests, and they brought vigor and vitality to the soil, the grass, and the forests, and brought the exhortations and greetings of the Creator to all living things….

The Creator’s gaze swept across all things that He had created, and at this moment His eyes paused upon the forests and mountains, His mind turning. As His words were uttered forth, in the dense forests, and upon the mountains, there appeared a type of creatures unlike any that had come before: They were the “wild animals” spoken by the mouth of God. Long overdue, they shook their heads and swished their tails, each with their own unique face. Some had furry coats, some were armored, some bared fangs, some wore grins, some were long-necked, some short-tailed, some wild-eyed, some with a timid gaze, some bent over to eat grass, some with blood about their mouths, some bouncing along on two legs, some pacing about on four hooves, some looking into the distance atop trees, some lying in wait in the forests, some searching for caves to rest, some running and frolicking upon the plains, some prowling through the forests…; some were roaring, some howling, some barking, some crying…; some were soprano, some were baritone, some were full-throated, some were clear and melodious…; some were grim, some were pretty, some were disgusting, some were adorable, some were frightening, some were charmingly naive…. One by one, they each came forth. See how they puffed about, free-spirited, idly indifferent to each other, not bothering to spare a glance for one another…. Each bearing the particular life bestowed upon them by the Creator, and their own wildness, and brutishness, they appeared in the forests and upon the mountains. Contemptuous of all, so completely imperious—who made them the true masters of the mountains and forests? From the moment that their appearance was ordained by the Creator, they “laid claim” to the forests, and “laid claim” to the mountains, for the Creator had already sealed their boundaries and determined the scope of their existence. Only they were true lords of the mountains and forests, and that’s why they were so wild, and so contemptuous. They were called “wild animals” purely because, of all creatures, they were the ones which were truly wild, brutish, and untamable. They could not be tamed, so they could not be reared, and could not live in harmony with mankind or labor on behalf of mankind. It was because they could not be reared, could not work for mankind, that they had to live at a distance from mankind, and could not be approached by man. And it was because that they lived at a distance from mankind, and could not be approached by man, that they were able to fulfill the responsibility bestowed upon them by the Creator: guarding the mountains and the forests. Their wildness protected the mountains and guarded the forests, and was the best protection and assurance of their existence and propagation. At the same time, their wildness maintained and ensured the balance among all things. Their arrival brought support and anchorage to the mountains and forests; their arrival injected boundless vigor and vitality to the still and empty mountains and forests. From this point onward, the mountains and forests became their permanent habitat, and they would never lose their home, for the mountains and forests appeared and existed for them, and the wild animals would fulfill their duty, and do everything they could, to guard them. So, too, would the wild animals strictly abide by the exhortations of the Creator to hold on to their territory, and continue to use their beastly nature to maintain the balance of all things established by the Creator, and show forth the authority and power of the Creator!

Under the Authority of the Creator, All Things Are Perfect

All things created by God, including those which could move and those which could not, such as birds and fish, such as trees and flowers, and including the livestock, insects, and wild animals made on the sixth day—they were all good with God, and, furthermore, in the eyes of God, these things, in accordance with His plan, had all attained the acme of perfection, and had reached the standards that God wished to achieve. Step by step, the Creator did the work He intended to do according to His plan. One after the other, the things He intended to create appeared, and the appearance of each was a reflection of the Creator’s authority, and a crystallization of His authority, and because of these crystallizations, all creatures could not help but be thankful for the grace of the Creator, and the provision of the Creator. As the miraculous deeds of God manifested themselves, this world swelled, piece by piece, with all of the things created by God, and it changed from chaos and darkness into clarity and brightness, from deathly stillness to liveliness and limitless vitality. Among all things of creation, from the great to the small, from the small to the microscopic, there was none which was not created by the authority and power of the Creator, and there was a unique and inherent necessity and value to the existence of each creature. Regardless of the differences in their shape and structure, they had but to be made by the Creator to exist under the authority of the Creator. Sometimes people will see an insect, one which is very ugly, and they will say, “That insect is so horrible, there’s no way such an ugly thing could have been made by God—there’s no way He would create something so ugly.” What a foolish view! What they should say is, “Though this insect is so ugly, it was made by God, and so it must have its own unique purpose.” In the thoughts of God, He intended to give each and every appearance, and all sorts of functions and uses, to the various living things He created, and so none of the things God made were cut from the same mold. From their exterior to their internal composition, from their living habits to the location that they occupy—each is different. Cows have the appearance of cows, donkeys have the appearance of donkeys, deer have the appearance of deer, and elephants have the appearance of elephants. Can you say which is the best looking, and which is the ugliest? Can you say which is the most useful, and the existence of which is the least necessary? Some people like the way elephants look, but no one uses elephants to plant fields; some people like the way lions and tigers look, for their appearance is the most impressive amongst all things, but can you keep them as pets? In short, when it comes to all things, man should defer to the authority of the Creator, which is to say, defer to the order appointed by the Creator to all things; this is the wisest attitude. Only an attitude of searching for, and obedience to, the original intentions of the Creator is the true acceptance and certainty of the authority of the Creator. It is good with God, so what reason does man have to find fault?

Thus, all things under the authority of the Creator shall play a new symphony for the sovereignty of the Creator, shall commence a brilliant prelude for His work of the new day, and at this moment the Creator shall also open a new page in the work of His management! According to the law of the shoots of spring, ripening of summer, autumn’s harvest, and winter’s storage appointed by the Creator, all things shall echo with the Creator’s plan of management, and they shall welcome their own new day, new beginning, and new life course, and they shall soon reproduce in endless succession in order to welcome each day under the sovereignty of the Creator’s authority….

None of the Created and Non-created Beings Can Replace the Identity of the Creator

From when He commenced the creation of all things, the power of God began to be expressed, and began to be revealed, for God used words to create all things. Regardless of in what manner He created them, regardless of why He created them, all things came into being and stood fast and existed because of the words of God, and this is the unique authority of the Creator. In the time before mankind appeared in the world, the Creator used His power and authority to create all things for mankind, and employed His unique methods to prepare a suitable living environment for mankind. All that He did was in preparation for mankind, who would soon receive His breath. Which is to say, in the time before mankind was created, the authority of God was shown forth in all creatures different from mankind, in things as great as the heavens, the lights, the seas, and the land, and in those as small as animals and birds, as well as in all sorts of insects and microorganisms, including various bacteria invisible to the naked eye. Each was given life by the words of the Creator, and each proliferated because of the words of the Creator, and each lived under the sovereignty of the Creator because of the words of the Creator. Although they did not receive the breath of the Creator, they still showed forth the life and vitality bestowed upon them by the Creator through their different forms and structures; although they did not receive the ability to speak given to mankind by the Creator, they each received a way of expressing their life that was bestowed upon them by the Creator, and which differed from the language of man. The authority of the Creator not only gives the vitality of life to seemingly static material objects, so that they will never disappear, but, moreover, gives the instinct to reproduce and multiply to every living being, so that they will never vanish, and so that, generation after generation, they will pass on the laws and principles of survival endowed to them by the Creator. The manner in which the Creator exerts His authority does not rigidly adhere to a macro or micro viewpoint, and is not limited to any form; He is able to command the operations of the universe, and hold sovereignty over the life and death of all things, and, moreover, is able to maneuver all things so that they serve Him; He can manage all the workings of the mountains, rivers, and lakes, and rule all things within them, and, what’s more, is able to provide that which is needed by all things. This is the manifestation of the unique authority of the Creator amongst all things besides mankind. Such a manifestation is not just for a lifetime, and shall never cease, or rest, and cannot be altered or damaged by any person or thing, nor can it be added to or reduced by any person or thing—for none can replace the identity of the Creator, and, therefore, the authority of the Creator cannot be replaced by any created being, and is unattainable by any non-created being. Take God’s messengers and angels for example. They do not possess the power of God, much less do they possess the authority of the Creator, and the reason why they do not have the power and authority of God is because they are not possessed of the substance of the Creator. The non-created beings, such as God’s messengers and angels, although they can do some things on behalf of God, they cannot represent God. Although they possess some power not possessed by man, they do not possess the authority of God, they do not possess the authority of God to create all things, and command all things, and hold sovereignty over all things. And so the uniqueness of God cannot be replaced by any non-created being, and, similarly, the authority and power of God cannot be replaced by any non-created being. In the Bible, have you read of any messenger of God that created all things? And why did God not dispatch any of His messengers or angels to create all things? Because they did not possess the authority of God, and so they did not possess the ability to exert the authority of God. Just like all creatures, they are all under the sovereignty of the Creator, and under the authority of the Creator, and so, in the same way, the Creator is also their God, and is also their Sovereign. Among each and every one of them—whether they be noble or lowly, of great or minor power—there is not one which can surpass the authority of the Creator, and so among them, there is not one which can replace the identity of the Creator. They shall never be called God, and shall never be able to become the Creator. These are immutable truths and facts!

Through the fellowship above, can we assert the following: only the Creator and Ruler of all things, He who is possessed of the unique authority and the unique power, can be called the unique God Himself? At this point, you may feel that such a question is too profound. You are, for the moment, incapable of understanding it, and cannot perceive the essence within, and so at the moment you feel that it is difficult to answer. In that case, I shall continue with My fellowship. Next, I will allow you to behold the actual deeds of many aspects of the authority and power owned by God alone, and thus I will allow you to truly understand, appreciate, and know the uniqueness of God, and what is meant by the unique authority of God.