Audio Download

The Six Days of Creation: Physical Acts and Spiritual Meanings – Day 7

[Study Aired May 27, 2025]

God’s creative week unfolds like a rising symphony that crescendos in rest. Before we step into the sanctified stillness of the seventh day, it is fitting to trace the six day overture that prepares the way for that Sabbath glory.

On Day 1 God’s first word pierced the primordial darkness: “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:3–4). This was no borrowed sunlight, for the luminaries were yet to be formed; it was the very radiance of the Word who “lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9). As at the dawn of the new birth, the Spirit still shines “in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). Light separated from darkness announces the enduring conflict—and ultimate triumph—of truth over ignorance and life over death.

On Day 2 the Almighty stretched out the firmament, dividing the waters below from the waters above (Genesis 1:6–8). The expanse called Heaven witnesses both distance and design: a holy boundary that proclaims God’s transcendence even while hinting at the future reconciliation of “all things … in heaven, and … on earth” in Christ (Ephesians 1:10). The heaven earth divide sets the stage for the One who will rend that veil and open a living way between God and humanity.

Day 3 brings resurrection imagery to the surface. At His command the seas gather, and dry land emerges; earth, once submerged, now stands firm (Genesis 1:9–10). Instantly it sprouts “grass, herb yielding seed … and the fruit tree” (vv. 11–12)—life rising from a watery grave. Scripture later interprets such third day deliverances: “After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up” (Hosea 6:2). The land’s first harvest prefigures the Firstfruits: “except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die … it bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12:24).

The newly formed realms now receive rulers on Day 4. God appoints the greater and lesser lights and scatters the stars (Genesis 1:14–18). These serve as clocks for seasons and as signs that point beyond themselves. The sun sketches the “Sun of righteousness” who rises “with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:2); the moon reflects borrowed brilliance like the church that “shines as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15); the stars trace the promise that Abraham’s seed will be innumerable. Yet even these luminaries are temporary, for in the age to come “there shall be no night there … for the Lord God giveth them light” (Revelation 22:5).

On Day 5 life teems in realms once empty. The seas swarm with fish and the skies echo with birdsong (Genesis 1:20–22). God’s first spoken blessing— “Be fruitful, and multiply”—falls on creatures that picture hidden and heavenly things. Fishermen apostles will later “catch men” (Matthew 4:19), drawing a multitude from the restless nations, while the Spirit descends “like a dove” to remain upon the Son. Even the great sea creatures, formidable though they seem, exist under the same sovereign Word that will one day summon the birds (spirits) to feast in the victory of the Lamb.

Day 6 crowns the week with land animals and—supremely—man. “Let us make man in our image … and let them have dominion” (Genesis 1:26–28). Formed of dust but animated by divine breath, humanity is earthy and mortal by design, destined to be conformed to the image of the Second Man, the Lord from heaven (1 Corinthians 15:49). Dominion entrusted to Adam foreshadows the rule of the Last Adam, who alone fulfills Psalm 8: “Thou hast crowned him with glory and honour.” Under His headship, the blessing to “be fruitful and multiply” becomes a spiritual multiplication of a royal priesthood that will reign in the ages to come.

Thus the six days reveal a purposeful pattern: God forms (Days 1–3) and then fills (Days 4–6). He separates only to unite on higher ground. He blesses life to overflow, all in anticipation of a rest that is more than cessation—a fellowship where Creator and creation dwell together. With the stage fully set, the narrative now invites us to behold Day 7: the Sabbath of God, the pledge of the new creation in Christ, and the consummation toward which every preceding day has pointed.

From Creation to New Creation: Christ the Fulfillment of All Things

(Genesis 2:1–3) “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

When God rested on the seventh day, He sanctified it as holy. This Sabbath rest did not imply fatigue, for “the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary” (Isaiah 40:28), but it marked the completion and satisfaction of His creative work. The heavens and the earth, formed and filled over six days, now stood as a harmonious temple—ordered for His glory and prepared for communion with His image-bearing creation. The seventh day thus foreshadowed more than the cessation of labor; it pointed to divine fellowship, peace, and the fullness of God’s presence dwelling with man.

Yet this holy rest was soon broken. Sin was revealed through Adam’s disobedience, and the creation that had been declared “very good” (Genesis 1:31) fell under bondage and curse. “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:16–19)

The Sabbath was disrupted; man was driven from the garden, and the ground itself was cursed for his sake. Still, God’s purpose had not failed. In the midst of judgment, a promise was given—a Seed would come through the woman, who would crush the serpent’s head: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15).

That promise, embedded in the sixth day’s theme of dominion and conflict, launched the long unfolding story of redemption. Yet from the beginning, mankind’s love toward God faded, and the longing for communion was soon replaced by fear, hiding, and rebellion. Jesus later rebuked the church at Ephesus with the same indictment: “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” (Revelation 2:4). This pattern of forsaking God’s fellowship after His gracious acts of creation and redemption has echoed throughout human history.

From that moment forward, the entire biblical narrative moves toward a new creation—a restoration of God’s Sabbath rest through the work of the promised Redeemer. The prophets saw this hope from afar, declaring, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17). This new creation would reverse the curse: death would lose its sting, sorrow would flee away, and “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). These visions looked beyond the Eden of the flesh to a greater paradise—not merely restored, but glorified in righteousness.

How would this come to pass? Through Christ. The New Testament reveals that Jesus is the one who inaugurates this new creation. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed (passing) away; behold, all things are become (becoming) new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Just as the Spirit moved over the dark waters at the dawn of the first creation (Genesis 1:2), so now the Spirit breathes new life into those joined to Christ. By faith, believers are spiritually reborn—made part of this new creation even now. Yet the fullness remains future: we await the day when all things will be made new: “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” (Revelation 21:3–5)

The Book of Revelation, especially chapters 21–22, deliberately mirrors Genesis 1–2 to show the consummation of God’s plan. John writes, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1). No more sea—that detail signals that the primordial chaos and separation (Day 2’s divided waters, and perhaps the source of the beastly empires rising from the sea in Revelation 13) are gone. There is perfect peace and unity between God and mankind; no barrier, no turbulence of evil.

“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven… And I heard a great voice… Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 21:2–3). Here we see the reversal of Day 2’s separation: Heaven (the dwelling of God) descends to Earth; the two are married (“as a bride adorned for her husband,” vs 2). The Heavenly Council and the human family are united under one Head—Christ (Ephesians 1:10). “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:” God dwells openly with humanity—the very thing hinted at when God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:8) and promised in Immanuel (“God with us”). This fulfills the Immanuel principle that resounds through Scripture: “I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Revelation 21:23–25 continues: “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it… And there shall be no night there.” This transcends the light of Days 1 and 4: the eternal light of God’s glory in Christ replaces the need for created lights. Just as light existed before the sun on Day 1, so in the new creation, God’s light renders the sun secondary. There is no more night—the division of light and dark from Day 1 is overcome by an everlasting Day. Jesus, the Lamb, is the Lamp of the New Jerusalem—a direct declaration that Christ Himself is the eternal Light toward which the first day pointed. All nations walk in His light, fulfilling the original purpose of the luminaries: to give light upon the earth and guide mankind. And since there is no night of sorrow, evil, or separation, those symbolic “darknesses” are gone forever.

Revelation 22:1–2 then presents a scene that echoes Day 3 (land and plant life) and Eden: “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” In Eden, there was one river branching to four; here a single river of life flows from God’s throne, watering the City. The Tree of Life, barred to man after sin entered the world (Genesis 3:22–24), now freely yields fruit year-round, accessible to all—its leaves heal the nations. This completes the promise of Day 3’s life-giving potential. The earth is fruitful in an ultimate sense—not merely producing food, but eternal sustenance.

The “twelve manner of fruits” is deeply significant. In Scripture, twelve signifies foundation—twelve tribes of Israel, twelve apostles of the Lamb, and twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:12,14). Here, the number reveals that God’s provision in the new creation is built upon a perfect and unshakable foundation. The continual yield—fruit each month—declares eternal sufficiency and order. What once was cursed— “cursed is the ground for thy sake” (Genesis 3:17)—is now reversed: “there shall be no more curse” (Revelation 22:3). Instead of thorns, there is healing; instead of death, life flows. This healing for the nations springs from the foundational work of Christ—the Lamb who is both the root and the vine, the source and sustainer of the new creation (John 15:1; 1 Corinthians 3:11).

Then Revelation 22:3–5 says, “but the throne of God and the Lamb is there; and His servants shall serve Him: and they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there… and they shall reign for ever and ever.” Here we have the fulfillment of Day 6’s image and dominion. God’s servants (the new man) finally see His face – the ultimate fellowship, as in Eden man walked with God, now we behold Him with unveiled glory. His name on our foreheads implies we perfectly bear His image (name represents character/identity/way of life). We belong to Him entirely, reflecting Him visibly – a mark of ownership and likeness. And “they shall reign forever” – the dominion given to Adam, lost, then foreshadowed by fallible kings, now fully realized as all God’s elect share in Christ’s kingship over a new creation. “They shall reign” fulfills the intent of “let them have dominion” (Genesis 1:26). We reign under God and the Lamb, not independently – thus in perfect righteousness and peace.

This leads us into the fulfillment of Psalm 8’s vision—man crowned with glory and honor—ultimately realized in the saints through the One who is both Lamb and King. “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour” (Psalm 8:4–5). This vision does not speak of Adam as perfect, but of mankind as a creation intentionally made subject to vanity—not yet conformed to the image of Christ, which is the true mark (Romans 8:20, 29). Adam was created of the dust, a natural man, and as such bore the image of the earthy (1 Corinthians 15:45–49). But the glory and honor spoken of in Psalm 8 is fulfilled only in Christ—the second man, the Lord from heaven. As Hebrews affirms: “But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Hebrews 2:6–9).

It is Christ—not the first Adam—who attains the dominion, glory, and honor for which man was created. In Him, the saints are being renewed into the true image of God, and through Him, the Psalm 8 promise finds its completion.

Notice also, (Revelation 22:3) “His servants shall serve (latreuo, worship-serve) Him”. In Eden, Adam’s role was to “tend and keep” the garden (Genesis 2:15), terms that also mean to serve and guard (later used for Levites serving in the sanctuary). That was an act of worship and obedience. Now, in the new creation, we serve God directly, unhindered by sin. Our service is priestly and kingly – as Revelation 22 brings together imagery of priesthood (seeing His face, His name on foreheads like a high priest’s crown) and kingship (reigning). This is the ultimate royal priesthood, exactly what God intended the end to be by making man in His image and breathing His Spirit into him on Day 6.

The Lamb at the center of the throne (Revelation 7:17) reveals how the new creation was secured—through Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection. He is repeatedly identified as the Lamb in Revelation 21–22, emphasizing that the eternal glory of the new heaven and earth is rooted in His atoning work.

As the Second Adam, Christ not only fulfills humanity’s original calling but also removes the barrier of sin that the expanse on Day 2 symbolized—restoring full communion between heaven and earth. After His resurrection, He revealed the wounds of crucifixion to Thomas (John 20:27) and the other disciples—not because such marks are eternal, but to confirm His identity to those still walking by sight.

The spiritual body, however, is not marked by wounds. “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 15:50), and “the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). The new creation is spiritual, incorruptible, and undefiled; the glorified Christ is not known by scars but by His life-giving Spirit.

Just as Eve was formed from Adam’s side while he slept, so the Church—the Bride of the Lamb—was born from the pierced side of Christ. “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water” (John 19:34). These elements signify atonement and spiritual rebirth. From His offering comes a new creation, and from His love comes a people conformed to His spiritual image. The Lamb gave Himself, and through Him, the communal Bride is brought forth—pure, without blemish, and joined to Him in glory.

So, in Christ we see all six days converge and transcend: He is the Light (Day 1) in whom there is no darkness; He opened Heaven for us (Day 2) and gives us the Spirit as the heavenly dove; He is the source of living water and the bread of life (Day 3’s fruits) and the seed that died to bear much fruit; He is the Sun of righteousness and Morning Star (Day 4’s lights) who rules the day of grace; He calls and sends fishers of men and likens the Spirit to a dove (Day 5) and He is the perfect Image of God, the new Man (Day 6) who fulfills our destiny and subdues all enemies, making us a kingdom of priests and kings. After accomplishing all this in His first coming and ongoing mediation, He will return to consummate the new creation.

At the end of Revelation, Jesus says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 21:6, 22:13). That is, He is the A to Z of God’s plan – present at creation’s beginning, active through redemption, and reigning in the future. “Alpha” recalls “In the beginning, God…” (Genesis 1:1) where we know from John 1 the Word (Christ) was with God. “Omega” points to the end of the story, where Christ declares “It is done” (Revelation 21:6) – echoing both “It is finished” on the cross and the completion of creation. Christ is also called “the firstborn of every creature” (Colossians 1:15) and “the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18), indicating His preeminence in the first creation and His founding of the new creation via resurrection.

The new creation is often described in terms of renewal and fulfillment—not as a return to an original state of perfection, but as the completion of what was begun in the first creation. Peter preached of “the times of restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21), pointing to God’s unfolding plan to restore order and purpose according to His will. Jesus referred to “the regeneration [palingenesia, G3824], when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory” (Matthew 19:28). The term palingenesia literally means “Genesis again,” indicating not a reversal of failure but the restarting of God’s creative work on a spiritual plane. Paul described creation as groaning and travailing in pain, not because it was ruined by an unexpected fall, but because it was subjected to vanity by God’s design (Romans 8:20), waiting to be “delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). The revealing of the sons of God (Romans 8:19)—the glorification of believers in Christ—is the moment when this deliverance occurs. Creation, having been made subject to vanity for their sake, will no longer be needed. Its groaning will cease, not because it is renewed, but because it is replaced by the spiritual reality it was meant to shadow.

This ties directly back to Day 6, where man was created from the dust—earthy, natural, and mortal by divine intent—yet appointed to have dominion. Adam was not created in a perfect state; rather, he was never yet conformed to the image of Christ, who is the true and final mark. As it is written, “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:47). The goal was never to perfect the natural, but to bring forth the spiritual through it. Thus, when man is fully conformed to the image of the Son (Romans 8:29), the purpose of the natural creation is fulfilled and ended. The six days of creation, then, are not a project paused by sin, but a divine pattern progressing toward spiritual completion in Christ.

These promises and visions find confirmation in the earthly ministry of Jesus, whose miracles were not mere wonders, but foretastes of the new creation. He gave sight to the blind (light overcoming darkness—Day 1), calmed the storm (authority over the firmament and sea—Day 2), multiplied bread and fish (abundance from the earth and sea—Days 3 and 5), walked on water (mastery over the deep—Days 5 and 6), cast out demons (separation of light from darkness—Day 1), and raised the dead (life from the ground—Day 3). These were not random demonstrations of power but intentional signs—each revealing aspects of the new creation. As John’s Gospel affirms, these were “signs” (John 2:11; 20:30), glimpses of the coming spiritual reality in which Christ’s works are no longer exceptional acts but the very order of existence.

Finally, the Sabbath rest that God entered on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2–3) is fulfilled in the eternal rest of the new creation. Hebrews 4 explains that God’s promise of entering His rest still stands – and that those who believe in Christ do enter that rest (Hebrews 4:3,9-10). The weekly Sabbath was a shadow; Christ gives the true rest (Matthew 11:28). In Revelation 21–22, we see humanity at rest – not inactivity, but restful service (no toil with thorns, no pain or tears). It’s the repose of perfect fulfillment. The Lord’s Day (the first day of the week when Christ rose) has become the emblem of new creation rest (the practice of worship on Sunday represents, the “eighth day” or “first day” symbolizing a new genesis). And at the very end we have an everlasting Sabbath in God’s presence. As Augustine put it, “There we shall rest and see, see and love, love and praise. This is what shall be in the end without end.”

In the new heaven and new earth, all six days find their purpose accomplished and perfected in Christ:

• Day 1 (Light) – “the Lamb is the light thereof”; “no night”; God is all in all.

• Day 2 (Heaven/Earth divided) – “no more sea”; heaven and earth united; God with men.

• Day 3 (Land and plants) – “no more curse”; Tree of Life yields fruit continually; living water flows; life eternal.

• Day 4 (Luminaries) – “no need of sun or moon”; Christ’s glory illumines; we shine like stars forever (Daniel 12:3).

• Day 5 (Fish and birds) – This day introduced life that moves through the sea and sky—realms once associated with chaos and separation. In the new creation, these domains no longer threaten, divide, or devour. Instead, they are brought into harmony under Christ’s dominion. As Psalm 150:6 declares, “Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD,” and Revelation envisions that fulfilled: “every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea… heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory… be unto him that sitteth upon the throne” (Revelation 5:13). The fish—symbolic of the nations gathered through the gospel net (Matthew 13:47–49)—represent the completed mission of the “fishers of men.” The birds, often associated with messages from heaven or spiritual elevation, reflect the new creation’s praise ascending to God. The “sea” that is said to be “no more” in Revelation 21:1 signifies not the destruction of marine life, but the end of chaos, danger, and separation. In the renewed order, creation’s praise is no longer disrupted. Every realm—sea, air, and land—now breathes out worship to the Lamb.

• Day 6 (Man in God’s image, dominion) – “they shall see His face; His name on foreheads” (perfect image); “they shall reign forever” (perfect dominion under God). The redeemed are a “bride adorned for her husband” (the male-female union finds ultimate expression in Christ and Church). The serpent is crushed and renewed (Revelation 20:10), so man’s victory is complete. God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28) is now fulfilled in a spiritual way: through Christ, God has gathered an innumerable family of believers from every tribe and nation—the Church—just as Jacob foretold when he blessed Ephraim, saying his descendants would become “a multitude of nations” (Genesis 48:19).

• And all of this is secured by Jesus, the Alpha and Omega. Creation’s goal was not merely a perfect earth with innocent humans, but a glorified “earth” with redeemed sons and daughters of God united to Him in love through Christ. The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8) was always central in God’s plan, not an afterthought. Thus, the six days of creation point forward to six aspects of new creation completed by Christ, and the seventh day – God’s rest – points to the eternal sabbath we will enjoy in His presence.

Standing at the threshold of this promised new world, we echo Scripture’s closing prayer: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). For He is the One through whom “the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). Yet our hope rests on a single, unshakable truth—Christ’s bodily resurrection—because “if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen … and your faith is vain” (1 Corinthians 15:13–14, 17). “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:19–20). “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive … Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming. Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; … for He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:22–26). And when “all things shall be subdued unto Him … God [will] be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).

The six days of creation, so majestic in themselves, ultimately serve to magnify Jesus Christ—the Word by whom all was made, the Light who shines in darkness, the Second Adam who restores glory, the Lamb who redeems creation, and the King of kings who reigns forever. From the first “Let there be light” to the triumphant cry “It is done,” all things cohere in Him (Colossians 1:17). In Christ, the original creation finds its fulfillment and the doorway into a new creation that will never fall. “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever” (Revelation 5:13). Amen.