George H. Warnock — Creation
b2 — Evening and Morning
Nature as Manifestation of the Word of God
In Chapter 1, Warnock argues that nature is not an autonomous given but a direct manifestation of God’s Word:
“After all, we must expect this to be so, for Nature is but a manifestation of the Word of God. There was a time when men had no Word but the Word of Nature, and it was such a clear revelation of the mind and character of God that the apostle was able to say, ‘The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse’ (Rom. 1:20).”
(Warnock, “Evening and Morning,” Ch. 1 — Unfolding Revelation)
Interpretation: Warnock treats creation as a first medium of revelation prior to Scripture. Nature is not merely analogy or illustration but literally “a manifestation of the Word of God,” grounded in Rom. 1:20.
Creation Cycles: Heavenly Bodies, Sun, Wind, and Rivers
Immediately following the above passage, Warnock cites Gen. 1:13 on the function of the celestial bodies:
“The heavenly bodies are for ‘lights’ as well as ‘for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years’ (Gen. 1:13). There are orbits of Truth. There are seasons of Truth. There are days of Truth.”
(Warnock, “Evening and Morning,” Ch. 1 — Unfolding Revelation)
He then offers an extended citation from Eccl. 1:4-7:
“One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full: unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again” (Eccl. 1:4-7).”
(Warnock, “Evening and Morning,” Ch. 1 — Unfolding Revelation)
Interpretation: Warnock uses the creation cycles (sun, wind, rivers) as a structural model for his theology of “orbits of Truth.” The circular patterns in nature are for him direct expressions of God’s eternal truth and purpose.
Evening and Morning: God’s Creational Order as Theological Principle
In Chapter 3, Warnock returns to the creational order of Gen. 1 to substantiate his central thesis:
“According to the book of Genesis (and we have discovered that we must continually go back to the Genesis to discover God’s order) ‘the evening and the morning’ constitute God’s full day, and not ‘the morning and the evening.‘”
(Warnock, “Evening and Morning,” Ch. 3 — The Day Is At Hand)
He connects this to the daily cycle of the sun and the growth of trees:
“With every setting of the sun and rising of the same, there is a NEW THING accomplished in the earth. There is a new measure of growth transmitted to the trees and shrubs and plants of the earth. Day after day, and year after year, there is a continual participation in the life of the sun, and a growing unto maturity.”
(Warnock, “Evening and Morning,” Ch. 3 — The Day Is At Hand)
As a concrete illustration he cites the General Sherman Sequoia in Sequoia National Park: “There it stood when Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees, perhaps a little sapling. […] It witnessed winter and summer, over and over again. But it survived, and grew.”
(Warnock, “Evening and Morning,” Ch. 3 — The Day Is At Hand)
Interpretation: The evening-morning pattern of Gen. 1 functions for Warnock not merely as chronology but as theology: God always works through darkness toward light. This has direct implications for his understanding of the new creation and the church.
Gen. 8:22: Sustenance and Providence through the Seasons
In Chapter 4, Warnock cites Gen. 8:22 as the foundation for God’s faithful sustenance through creation:
“For He hath said, ‘While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease’ (Gen. 8:22).”
(Warnock, “Evening and Morning,” Ch. 4 — Come, O South Wind)
This citation appears in the context of his discussion of the north wind (cold, stripped bare) as divine preparation for the south wind (fruitful, full). Warnock connects it explicitly to Song. 4:16:
“Therefore the songwriter says, ‘Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out’ (Song 4:16). Notice the order once again: first the north wind, and then the south. First the cold, then the heat. First the snow, then the warm rains of spring.”
(Warnock, “Evening and Morning,” Ch. 4 — Come, O South Wind)
Interpretation: Gen. 8:22 functions in Warnock as a promise of God’s continuous sustenance of the earth. The seasons are not arbitrary but “periods of Divine provision.” Every winter is “a PROMISE. Each winter is a promise of springtime and life.”
Snow, Rivers, and God’s Word: Providence through Nature
In Chapter 5, Warnock cites Isa. 55:10-11 to draw a parallel between the hydrological cycle and the Word of God:
“God said, ‘As the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, so shall My word be’ (Isa. 55:10, 11).”
(Warnock, “Evening and Morning,” Ch. 5 — The River of God)
This is prefaced by a description of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park as the source of three great rivers: “Huge glaciers many miles across, and up to 2500 feet in thickness keep replenishing these rivers with their endless supply of ice and snow, as they melt in the sunlight, and are replenished with a new supply in every winter season.”
(Warnock, “Evening and Morning,” Ch. 5 — The River of God)
Interpretation: Warnock links the hydrological cycle of Eccl. 1:7 — rivers flowing to the sea and returning — to the operation of God’s Word. Creation illustrates God’s providence not merely analogically but as its direct manifestation (see also Ch. 1).
God’s Order in Creation: Darkness before Light, Chaos before Order
In Chapter 4, Warnock articulates a series of creational polarities that he regards as divine order:
“God’s order is first darkness, then light. First chaos, then order. First barrenness, then fruitfulness. First weakness, then power. First death, then life.”
(Warnock, “Evening and Morning,” Ch. 4 — Come, O South Wind)
He connects this explicitly to Ps. 147:16-17:
“‘He giveth snow like wool; he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?’ (Psa. 147:16, 17). It is the blowing of the north wind. But it is still the Word of God. The north wind bringing the snow and ice was because of ‘his commandment upon the earth.’ But it was not intended to destroy, but to prepare…”
(Warnock, “Evening and Morning,” Ch. 4 — Come, O South Wind)
Interpretation: For Warnock, the harsh elements of creation (frost, ice, cold) are subject to God’s command (“his commandment upon the earth”). Divine providence encompasses the negative moments of the creation cycle — not as evil, but as preparation for further fruitfulness.