Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate 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 expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so.
 

       And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; 

       He made the stars also. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,

       and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

       And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day (Genesis 1:14-19).
 

 

The sun is the power which makes all life possible on the earth. Therefore, it is often used in Scripture to represent Jesus, who is likewise the source of all life as we read in Colossians 1:16-17: "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." The Lord Jesus was with the Father before the foundation of the world, and was the Creator of the world as we see in John 1:1-4,10:

 
 

       In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

       He was in the beginning with God.

       All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

       In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

       He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
 

 

Jesus is not only the One through whom all things were made, He is everything that the Father loves. In every thing created, He was looking for the likeness of His Son. He is looking for His Son in us. To know Him is to know the Father and have eternal life. Just as the sun is the source of our physical life, and life on earth would perish instantly if the sun went dark, so Jesus is the source of all life. Even those who do not know Him cannot live a moment without Him.

 

The moon represents the church, which is not the source of light, but reflects the light of the sun. Just as the moon rules the night, the church age has been a dark time for mankind. Yet in spite of all of her flaws and mistakes, the church has given light to the nations. Just as the gravitational pull of the moon controls the tides, the church has had enough pull over the nations to be a great influence on the events in this age. However, she is not the Light, and can never rule over the nations until the Light Himself returns. The church's purpose in this age is to give enough light to those who will use it to make it through the night.

 

Stars in Scripture often represent messengers. The Lord explained that the seven stars which He held in His hand represented the angels of the seven churches (see Revelation 1:20). The Greek word translated "angel" is aggelos (ang'-el-os), which literally means a "messenger." This word sometimes denoted angelic messengers, but often represented a person, especially apostles who were the special messengers of the New Testament. This is generally understood to be the meaning of these "stars" in Revelation, because the words given to the seven churches were to be delivered to the "angel" of each church (see Revelation 1:11-20). Because angelic messengers did not need to have such words delivered to them in writing, these "stars" have always been considered the leaders of each of these churches.

 

As stars are used for navigation at night, the Lord has been faithful to send His messengers to the world to help men navigate through the darkness. Messengers have come and helped steer the course of history, but we must always keep in mind that all men are "lesser lights," as we always seek to walk in the greater light of Christ. When the sun rises, the stars disappear. Likewise, when the Lord returns in His glory we will not be so impressed by any man, even the greatest spiritual leaders. However, while there is still darkness, we need those who have been sent with a little light to help us through the times. It is right that we honor our spiritual leaders, knowing that they have been sent to help us stay on course. When the Son arises and the day dawns with the full light of Christ, we will not need spiritual leaders, but until that time we certainly do.