THE BORN-AGAIN EARTH

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The story of Earth and Man mirrors one another. What happened to Earth will also happen to Man since Man was taken from Earth. What Man will do to Earth, he is also doing it to himself since he is made out of it. And what the Lord did to restore Earth in Genesis 1 is the same work He desires to accomplish in Man—He restores, renews, and brings life back to what has been destroyed.

We know that Heaven and Earth were originally created by God in perfect condition, as stated in Genesis 1:1. The prehistoric Earth—home to dinosaurs and ancient creatures—reveals that the planet was once a thriving, well-ordered habitation long before Adam was formed. But something catastrophic occurred between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. Heaven remained untouched, yet Earth became “…without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” The once-perfect Earth was suddenly destroyed, along with all its inhabitants.

The cause of this destruction traces back to Lucifer and the one-third of angels who rebelled against God (Jude 1:6). After leaving Heaven, they seized Earth as their domain. In their pride, they attempted to ascend again and conquer Heaven, but they were defeated (Revelation 12:7–8). Cast down permanently to Earth and barred forever from Heaven (Revelation 12:8–12), they unleashed devastation upon the planet. Their rebellion turned a once-perfect world into a desolate sphere—formless, empty, and engulfed in darkness.

But then, in Genesis 1:2, we can read:

“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

God did not leave Earth being in darkness, without form and void forever. His Spirit moved upon it. And this is now the start of how God will born-again (restore) Earth. From this point forward, God would spend the next six days rebuilding, reshaping, and refilling the Earth. Though He could have recreated everything in an instant, He chose to do it in stages. The question is: Why six days?

The answer is found in the pattern of our own Stages of Spiritual Development. Through the six-day restoration of Earth, God reveals the six stages of spiritual maturity every believer must pass through after being born-again. These six days are not merely historical—they are prophetic. They foreshadow the very process by which God restores Man.

Just as Earth was originally created in a good and perfect state, Man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). And just as Earth was ruined through the rebellion of Satan and his angels, Man was also ruined by Original Sin and is in need of restoration. With this understanding, we can now look at how God restored the Earth in Genesis 1 after its destruction in Genesis 1:2—for the same pattern reveals how the Lord restores us from the Fall.

Gen. 1:2 “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Before we examine the six-day restoration of Earth, we must first understand the initial and essential work God performed before His restoration began: the Brooding of His Spirit.

Earth was incapable of healing itself. Darkness covered it completely, and without God’s intervention, it would have remained chaotic, empty, and lifeless. The very first act of restoration was God brooding over the Earth—hovering, covering, and surrounding it with His presence. This moment is crucial, for it is the precursor to Earth being born-again. As Genesis 1:2b declares:

“The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

After Earth was destroyed, the Spirit of God “moved” upon it. The word “moved” in this verse came from the Hebrew word “râchaph” which means “to hover, to brood.” To hover unto something means “to cast a shade or shadow to that something” while “to brood” is what the birds are doing to their eggs or hatchlings, that is, they sit or cover their eggs or hatchlings to incubate them.

Before God can revive (born-again) Earth in Genesis 1:3, He needs to brood it first. This is the foremost requirement before He can born-again something.

This is also what happens to us before we are born again. Because of the Fall, Man—once created in a good and perfect state—became “without form and void,” spiritually empty and engulfed in darkness. Just as Earth lost its purpose and became inhabitable, Man also lost his original purpose and became spiritually lifeless. Darkness covered him inwardly, just as it covered the ruined Earth.

But God does not leave us in that condition. He broods over us, just as He brooded over the Earth. At this stage, you are not yet born-again, yet you begin to sense God’s presence surrounding you. You feel a warmth you cannot explain—like a mother eagle brooding over her eggs. The eggs are not yet hatched, but the brooding prepares them for life. In the same way, God draws you closer to His Word. You become exposed to spiritual things. His presence becomes unmistakable. His Spirit has not yet taken residence within you, but it is already moving around you, filling your environment and touching your heart.

This brooding mirrors how the Spirit worked during the Old Testament. The Spirit of God could fill the saints, but did not yet indwell them permanently. It surrounded them, empowered them, and guided them—but could depart at any moment (Psa. 51:11). Only after the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ did the Spirit gain the legal right to indwell Man permanently. Now, through Christ, we can truly be born again.

Just as God did not abandon the old Earth, He does not abandon the fallen Man. He broods over him—the one who has become formless and empty—preparing him for transformation.

Only after this brooding did the six-day restoration of Earth begin. In the same way, this divine brooding marks the beginning of Man’s own journey toward full spiritual restoration—his “six thousand years” of perfection being completed under the hand of God.

Earth’s complete restoration was done in six days. It also reveals six major stages that God will accomplish in us for our complete redemption. This is our journey of separation, being fruitful, complete submission and finally, being perfected by the Lord.

DAY 1: EARTH WAS BORN-AGAIN

Gen. 1:3 “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”

After brooding over the Earth, the very first thing God did was to give light into it. This was not sunlight, starlight, or light from any created heavenly body, for the sun, moon, and stars were restored only on the fourth day (Genesis 1:14–19). This was a different kind of light—the light that comes directly from God Himself, the light that imparts life. As John 1:4–5 declares:

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

By introducing this light that gives life, Earth was born-again. And that light was introduce to Earth by God speaking the Word. The restoration of Earth started by God giving His Word, and it will also end by God giving His Word. The old Earth became a new Earth and it is now a new creation.

Just like the Earth, after we have experienced the brooding of the Spirit in our lives, God will then give us His Word. This is what the Bible called: The Quickening of our Spirit.

Eph. 3:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”

Our spirits were dead, but His Word quickened us. And we were Born-again. Just like the Earth, we were made alive. This is the time when the Spirit of God dwells in our spirit. It is the time that God indwelt man. Remember that we have nothing to do with us being born-again. It is solely the doings of our Lord through His Word. Just like the Earth, we were dead and cannot do anything. And just like the Earth also, we were quickened. As what the Lord Jesus told us in John 6:63:

“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

The Word that quickened us, is actually the Spirit of God that give us Life. When you hear the Word, and you receive It, that’s also the time that It dwells in your spirit. That’s the time that the Spirit of God dwells in you. And the first thing It will do is to be a light, just like what it did to Earth.

2 Cor. 4:6 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

After we have received this Light, It then separated us from darkness (Heb. 4:12). Without separation, no spiritual fruit can be produced. People who were born-again have now two distinctions in their lives: Day and Night

Gen. 1:4-5 “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”

Before we were born again, there was only one side to us—Night. We lived in constant darkness. We walked in sin without conviction, spiritually dead and unaware. But when God introduced His Light into our lives, a new side emerged—Day. This is why every born-again believer experiences an inner conflict: Day, representing the Spirit now alive within us, and Night, representing the old nature of the flesh. These two are in continuous opposition because they cannot mix (Galatians 5:17).

Just as God separated the light from the darkness, He also separates the Spirit from the flesh in us. Without this separation, spiritual fruit cannot grow. As the Earth was “born again,” so is Man born again. The Earth became new, and Man becomes a new creation.

Before salvation, we felt no resistance to sin because nothing within us opposed it. But after the Spirit of God indwells us, Someone now convicts, corrects, and calls us away from sin. This inner struggle is the evidence of spiritual life — two natures fighting within us.

Yet even after being born again, we begin as spiritual infants—weak, vulnerable, and easily swayed. Our spirit must grow stronger than the flesh, and the only way to strengthen it is through the Word of God, for His Word is the food of the Spirit (John 6:63). Only by continually feeding on His Word can we mature and move forward to the next stage of spiritual growth.

DAY 2: SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD

Gen. 1:6-8 “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.”

The next stage is the creation of the firmament to separate the waters above from the waters below. This firmament (or atmosphere) was called “heaven” – a space that is in between the waters on Earth and the waters that surrounds the Earth in the outer space.

In the Bible, “water” always symbolies the world, as indicated in Revelation 17:15:

“And he saith unto me, the waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”

When applied to our spiritual progression, Day Two represents our separation from the world. This is the second stage of growth. After being born again, we must turn away from sin—and the only way to do this is by separating ourselves from the world, which is under the influence of Satan (1 John 5:19). The firmament symbolizes a space God creates between us and worldly influences. It is called “heaven” because it becomes a place of rest—a spiritual atmosphere where we are no longer dominated by the world’s pull.

We all experience this struggle daily. Even after salvation, remnants of our old habits and worldly attitudes try to pull us back. The firmament represents that spiritual space where God teaches us to resist these influences.

Interestingly, Day Two is the only day of creation in which God does not say, “It was good.” This is because separation, though essential, is often painful. It represents the tension, the wrestling, and the internal warfare believers face as they begin cutting away old behaviors and influences. This stage reflects those who are sincere in their faith but still battling the residues of their former life.

DAY 3: FOUNDATION, GROWTH AND MATURITY

Gen. 1:9-13 “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.”

After you are separated from the world, the Lord will take you to spiritual maturity. The spiritual meaning of the events that happened on day 3 is divided into to 3 stages: Foundation, Growth and Maturity.

A. Foundation: Land appears

After separation from the world (waters) in day 2, the “gathering of waters” and emerging of land in Day 3 signifies you have now a clear understanding between the world and the Word. The Word now become your foundation that gives you the stable ground (land) to walk to (Psalm 40:2). You can no longer be tossed to and fro by the waves of the world. You are founded on the Truth.

B. Growth: Plants Began to Sprout

As we remain walking on this firm ground, this is also the time that land could already sustain life. Grasses, herbs with seeds and fruit bearing trees began to grow in our lives. Your life becomes a source of multiplication, like seeds that grow. Then we mature.

C. Maturity: You Produce Fruits

Hidden within this third stage are the Three Levels of Maturity:

Grass: Represents early growth or simple faith. This is where evidence of life is already seen in you.
Herbs with seed: Represents the reproduction stage, where your faith starts influencing others. The Lord starts to use you to His ministry and to influence others.
Fruit trees with seed: You mature. You are used to feed others. Not only you are used by God to His ministry, the fruit of the Spirit is also clearly seen in you.

The phrase “whose seed was in itself, after his kind” means that you will influence other Christians too, producing faith the same as you.

DAY 4: BEING A LIGHT OF THIS WORLD

Gen. 1:14-19 “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 upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”

The fourth day marks the restoration of the lights in the heavens. Their purpose was to shine upon the Earth—one as the greater light and one as the lesser. The greater light, the Sun, was appointed to rule the day, while the lesser light, the Moon, was set to rule the night.

In the same way, once we reach spiritual maturity, the Lord desires to use us as lights in this world. Spiritually, the Sun represents Christ, the true Light of the world (John 8:12; Hebrews 1:1–3), the source from whom all light and life originate. The Moon, on the other hand, symbolizes the Church—believers who do not possess light of their own but reflect the light they receive from Christ (Matthew 5:14–16). Just as the Moon shines into the darkness of night, God wants us to reflect His light into the darkness of this world. He intends for you to shine, to illuminate, and to reveal His presence on Earth.

Now, unlike the Sun, the Moon has four different phases which symbolize the 4 different aspects of the Church being the light of this world:

1. New Moon

2. First Quarter Moon

3. Full Moon

4. Third Quarter Moon

New Moon happens when only little light or no light at all is reflected by the Moon to the Earth. This symbolize of us exposing little portion of our lives to Christ, that in return, we can also give little light to this world. During the First and the Third Quarter Moon, only half of the Moon are exposed to the Sun. And this is why only half of it also can reflect its light on Earth. These are the born-again believers who are still torn between the world and the Lord. They still cannot completely surrender their lives to God. Only half of it.

But during Full Moon, the Moon is fully exposed to the Sun and that’s why it is also fully reflects to the Earth the light that it gets from the Sun! This is the phase when the optimum purpose of the Moon, which is to give its full light to the Earth, is fulfilled. We should remember that the amount of light we can give to the world depends on the amount of ourselves we expose to Christ. How much of ourselves are exposed to Christ? Is it full? Half? One third? One fourth? Or None? Only those who can give their lives to the Lord fully are the ones that are optimally used by God to be a light to this world.

Aside from the four phases of the Moon there is also the Eclipse.

ECLIPSES represent spiritual deviations:

Lunar Eclipse: This happens when the Earth comes in between the Sun and the Moon. The light of the Sun that should be reflected by the Moon is block by the Earth which is the reason why the Moon is invisible during this phenomenon. It can’t get any light from the sun. Spiritually speaking, this symbolized the Church placing the world before God. The Church can’t reflect the light from the Son because It is overtaken by the things of the world. Worldliness is proving to be an effective blocker in today’s Laodicean Church.

Solar Eclipse: This happens when the Moon gets in between the Earth and the Sun. The Sun’s light is blotted out for the part of the Earth that is under the Moon’s shadow. This eclipse happens spiritually when the Church or the believers start placing themselves in the position that the Son alone should be. The church has replaced Christ in the eyes of the people on Earth. People follow human leaders and not the Word of God. People start following their Pastors, Pope, Prophets and other spiritual leaders instead of the Word. The person or minister asserting itself as the ultimate authority, blotting out the light of the Sun (Christ).This is a subtle reminder of how spiritual pride, like Lucifer’s encouragement of one-third of the angels to rebel, can obscure divine truth.

As children of the Light, we need to be a Full Moon – fully reflecting the light of our Lord in our lives so that we can be an effective light of this world.

DAY 5: THE SURRENDERED LIFE

Once you have been used by the Lord to be a light of this world, He will then take you to the next stage, the Surrendered Life.

Gen. 1:20-23 “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath 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 moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.”

On the fifth day, God created the living creatures of the seas and the birds of the air.

Fish and birds are unique in that they can travel great distances, moving freely across vast spaces. Spiritually, this stage represents a life fully led by the Spirit of God—a surrendered life. It speaks of allowing God to guide us wherever He chooses, whether near or far, familiar or unknown. It is the stage where we release control and let Him direct our steps.

After being born again and indwelt by His Spirit, God desires more than our salvation—He desires our surrender. Only a surrendered life can be fully used by Him for His purposes.

Romans 6:13 states:

“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

We must offer all our members as instruments of God. The word “instruments” here comes from the Greek word “hop’lon,” meaning “armor, instrument, or weapon.” We are God’s weapon on Earth—His sword, His spear, and His arrow in the battle against darkness.

This Earth has been conquered by Satan’s kingdom, and the people of this world are under his control. However, our Lord desires to use us to reclaim this kingdom and to advance the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth (Mat. 6:10). Yet, we can only be an effective weapon of God if we are a surrendered weapon—a weapon that yields to His Will. This is what the Lord’s wants for us on this stage.

Remember this: We can only surrender our life to God if we surrender our soul. The soul is the heart of man (Mat. 9:4). It is where the throne of man is located. If we surrender that throne to our Lord, then He can take over our soul. He can take over us. The process of surrendering our soul to God is called Sanctification.

After the quickening of our spirit, the next step is the Sanctification of our Soul. The word “sanctification” comes from the Latin word “sanctus,” which literally means “to set apart for use or purpose.” Thus, our Lord sanctifies us by setting us apart and using us for His purpose. He wanted you be like the fishes of the sea and the birds of the air that are free to travel great distances so that He can use you fully. The purpose of man is to be indwelt by the Lord and to surrender our life to God. Every time we allow God to use us, is also the time we are being sanctified.

Consider the example of a cup. The purpose of a cup is to hold water so that we can drink from it. Every time we use that cup for drinking, we are sanctifying it because it fulfills its intended purpose. However, if we use that cup for something else, such as hammering a nail, we are not sanctifying it—instead, we are destroying it. A cup is not sanctified when it is used for something other than its intended purpose.

The same principle applies to us. If we do not allow the Lord to use us, or if we use our lives for purposes other than what we were created for, then we are not sanctified. We will be destroyed. The goal of our Lord is to take over our soul, and He can only do this through sanctification—by gradually using us for His purpose. Our role is simply to cooperate and surrender to Him. Absolute surrender to our Lord is the key to becoming a candidate for Glorification. Do not hold anything back from God. Give your all to Him so that He can glorify you. Let the act of surrender sweep through every interest, plan, power, and possession of your being.

DAY 6: GLORIFIED STATE

On the sixth day, God created land animals and finally, Man in His own image.

Gen. 1:24-31 “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 creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

The 6th day is divided into two parts: the creation of land animals and the creation of Man.

A. Creation of Land Animals

Remember that the progression of God’s creation moves from the simple to the increasingly complex, each stage reflecting greater purpose and design. This also symbolizes the development of the human soul. Although animals do not possess a spirit, they do have a soul—and the land animals created on the sixth day display a higher level of complexity than the fish and birds created earlier.

Spiritually, this points to emotional maturity and mastery over one’s desires. Just as the beasts of the field represent a more advanced soul, this stage symbolizes the believer whose soul has matured and is now fully governed by the spirit. After surrendering your life to God, He completely takes over your inner being. Your spirit now rules over your soul, directing your desires, emotions, and decisions according to God’s will.

At this point, you are fully sanctified—your soul is fully restored and aligned with the Spirit of God.

B. Creation of Man

Man is the ultimate creation of God. He is the only creation who has both the spirit and the flesh. In our spiritual growth, Man here symbolized our perfect state – the Glorified state, where the fusion of our Spirit and Flesh will happen. This is the highest spiritual maturity that we can ever achieve.

This is our state where all aspects of man – spirit, body and soul – are completely controlled by God. We will become what God meant for us for us in the beginning. This is the ultimate peak of the stages of our spiritual development – the perfect state.

SUMMARY

Day	Spiritual Stage	Description
Day 1	Born-Again	God releases His life-giving Light (His Word) into a person’s spirit. They are quickened, reborn, and separated from darkness. The new nature (Day) is now in conflict with the old nature (Night).
Day 2	Separation from the World	God creates a “firmament” symbolizing spiritual separation. The believer must be separated from worldly influences to stop living in sin. Separation is necessary but often painful.
Day 3	Foundation, Growth and Maturity	God establishes spiritual “land,” meaning a foundation on the Word. Growth begins (grass), then influence (herbs), and finally maturity (fruit trees). Believers begin producing fruit and affecting others in faith.
Day 4	Becoming a Light of the World	Like the sun and moon, believers reflect Christ’s light. The amount of light one gives depends on how much of themselves they expose to Christ. Eclipse illustrations show how worldliness or spiritual pride blocks God’s light.
Day 5	The Surrendered Life	Birds and fish symbolize believers who fully yield to God’s leading. This stage is about sanctification—offering oneself as God’s instrument and allowing Him to use every part of one’s life and soul.
Day 6	Glorified State	God creates land animals (symbolizing a matured soul) and finally Man (symbolizing Glorified state). This is when spirit, soul, and body are fully united and governed by God—perfected and restored to His original intention.

CONCLUSION

The story of the Born-again Earth and the story of Man are deeply intertwined. What God accomplished in the six days of re-creating the fallen Earth is the same work He desires to completely restore man from its original purpose. Each day of Genesis reflects a spiritual stage—beginning with the brooding of His Spirit, followed by rebirth, separation, growth, illumination, surrender, and ultimately, perfection.

This journey reminds us that spiritual maturity is not a single event but a progression. It is separation from what destroys us, growth in what sustains us, shining as a bearer of His light, surrendering our will to His, and ultimately becoming the person God created us to be—fully restored, fully governed by His Spirit, fully reflecting His image.

In the end, the restored Earth becomes a mirror of the restored Man. And just as God looked upon His finished creation and called it “very good,” He desires to look upon our lives—redeemed, matured, and surrendered—and declare the same. The six days of restoration are not merely a historical record; they are a divine roadmap for every believer. A reminder that God never leaves anything in darkness, and that the same God who restored a ruined Earth is still restoring us today.

May the Lord continue to reveal to us His truth is my prayer.