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with grave clothes." The result was that "many of the Jews [who] … had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on Him."
The miracle was twofold. Firstly, He reversed the corruption and restored the flesh, and secondly, He, 'the Originator of Life', again imparted life to His friend Lazarus. John doesn't actually call the great acts of healing carried out by Christ, 'miracles': instead, he calls them 'signs', for 'signs' point and inform. These 'signs' all pointed and informed who He really was: none other than the Creator and Sustainer of all things, now come in flesh, dwelling with His creatures for those brief few years.
On Day Six, before the creation of Adam, God created all land creatures. When the Lord was tempted of the Devil, we find Him in the wilderness "with the wild beasts" (Mark l:13). Why didn't they attack Him? Why didn't they seize Him as prey? Impossible! - for He is the Creator in the midst of His creatures, and as such they are, and must be, subject to Him. When He made His approach into Jerusalem, just one week before His death, He entered the city to the fickle, welcoming cries of the people, riding a colt upon which 'never man sat'. Why didn't the colt buck and rear in an attempt to rid itself of its first burden? Well this untamed and untrained creature must yield, as the King of all creation sits upon its back. It could not be otherwise!
7. Six days and God's work was finished. "And God saw every thing that He had made, and behold it was very good" - Genesis 1:31. "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day ...." (2:2).
The Scriptures inform us that the Lord Jesus had come down from heaven to carry out the Father's will, and on the eve prior to His death He lifted up His eyes to heaven and prayed: "I have glorified Thee on the earth, I have FINISHED THE WORK which Thou gayest Me to do" - John 17:4.
The next day, after spending six hours on the cross and just moments before His death, He cried with a loud, triumphant voice, "It is FINISHED" It was the work of REDEMPTION that was now complete, never to be repeated again. Christ had died for sins, once and for all. His blood had been shed for the "remission" of sins and He appeals to all today, sinners of the deepest dye, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you REST" - Matthew 11:28 NASV. This rest is exclusively for the believer; those who stand on no merit of their own, but in simple faith, hide and REST behind the blood of the Lamb. This REST, presently enjoyed in part, will be fully enjoyed in a coming day.
(continued on Creation 6)
Mirror on Creation
It was the wisest of all the Kings of Judah, King Solomon, who, at the dedication of the Temple, asked, "Will God indeed dwell on the earth?" He had no idea that centuries later his question would be answered in the affirmative, when the virgin Mary gave birth to the One she named Jesus ('God our Saviour'). When the Jews said, "We know where this man is from" (John 7:27 NASV), they made a grave error, an error that countless millions make today. They had no idea who He really was! They saw Him as just another man of history, someone whose origin could be traced back to Bethlehem. However, they really had no excuse for their blindness, as His innumerable miracles testified clearly to His true identity (John 15:24); the Eternal One, the Sustainer and Upholder of the whole Universe: He who "was found in fashion as a Man" (Phil. 2:8), that He might die to secure salvation for those of His creatures who would trust in Him. This being so, it demands the willing response of worship! "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in
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