Light Before the Sun?

How is it that God makes light reveal itself on Day 1, yet the sun doesn’t come around until Day 4? Seems like God would need to make the sun first, and then He could turn the sun on to bring forth the light. 

Interestingly, it’s been said that the light of Day 1 was strictly a spiritual light, whereas the light of Day 4 was physical light. Adam and Eve––when they were created––walked in both of these. They saw the spiritual and physical equally; to their eyes, both were obvious. However, when sin entered the picture, something happened. Either the spiritual light withdrew or man became blind to it. Either way, the Rabbis say that God is reserving the spiritual light for the righteous in the world to come. 
           
In the meantime, He takes the spiritual light (of Day 1) and encapsulates it into His Word. As it says, “His Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105). And then, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Of course, “He is the light of the world” (John 8:12). And He tells those who follow Him that “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). So you see, the light of Day 1 is still here; it’s just packaged differently. It’s not something we perceive our eyes, but with the eyes of our heart. The light remains available to us, but available only through faith in Him. By faith, we perceive the light of Day 1 during this present darkness. 

A day is coming, though, when the world will be repaired, and the light of Day 1 and the light of Day 4 will again be seen together, and as obviously as Adam and Eve first experienced it. It is said in the Bible’s very last chapter, “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light” (Revelation 22:5). 

YHVH and the Number 26

“God said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations’” (Exodus 3:15).

When reading the Old Testament, you may come across the word “LORD” printed in capital letters. This is because many versions of the Bible make no attempt to translate the most holy and sacred name of God: יהוה (yod - hei - vav - hei) (YHVH). Four letters long, it is sometimes referred to as the Tetragrammaton, a Greek word meaning “the sign of the four [letters].” Depending on what circle you’re in, you may hear these letters pronounced Yahweh or Jehovah––but understand, both are attempts to pronounce the same four Hebrew letters that constitute God’s personal name as revealed to Moses at the burning bush. 

In Jewish circles, “the name YHVH is considered so holy that the Jews dare not speak it. Whenever the Torah is being read aloud and the name of YHVH is encountered, the word Adonai (“Lord”) or Hashem (“The Name”) is substituted in order to avoid uttering this holy name. Also when copying Torah scrolls, a scribe exercises the utmost caution when printing God’s name. Before printing the letters, he says aloud, “I am about to write the name of God in honor of His holy name.” If a king should address him as he writes the name of God, he is not permitted to pause for a reply, but must first complete the printing of these four letters. And, should a scribe make the slightest error in printing God’s name, he is forbidden to correct his mistake. The entire sheet of parchment must be replaced” (Grant Luton, In His Own Words, pg. 4). 

Something fascinating about God’s holy name is revealed when we convert the letters (yod - hei - vav - hei) to numbers. As we know, the Hebrew alphabet is alphanumeric. Every letter doubles as a number. Below are the first ten letters and their numeric equivalence:

If you do the math, the Tetragrammaton adds up to 26. 

י  +  ה  +  ו  +  ה

5  +  6  +  5  + 10  =  26

In connection, we find that a cube has 26 identical features:

Features of a Cube:

 12  Identical Edges

  8  Identical Corners

  6  Identical Surfaces

_________________________

 26  Features

This shape with 26 features is relevant if we take into account God’s dwelling place in the past, present, and future. In the past, He dwelt in the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies was a perfect cube. In the future, He will dwell in the new Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem is a perfect cube. And right now, in the present moment, He dwells within us. Who are we? He calls us the salt of the earth. The salt crystal happens to be the only cube found in nature. 

Past: “Then he prepared an inner sanctuary within the house in order to place there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height” (1 Kings 6:19-20). 

Present: “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13).

Future: “The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long” (Revelation 21:16).