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As we study together in
this article about light and darkness, I hope the Holy Spirit will use it to
liberate you just a little more through our Lord Jesus Christ. I want the Holy
Spirit to take whatever truth you find herein and use it to release you into the
true freedom of God’s love, light and life, for John 8:32-36 informs us
genuine freedom is found only by knowing and experiencing the source of truth
which is Jesus Christ.
Let’s jump right into our
study of light and darkness. To do so, we will first learn what science and the
Bible teach us about the origin of light and darkness. Frankly, as to the
origin of both, modern physics teaches us absolutely nothing of a
concrete or conclusive nature; scientists simply cannot give any plausible
explanation about where and how light and darkness originated. No, science
cannot tell us much about the origin of light and darkness; all their
attempts to do so must be considered as purely speculative theory thus far in
scientific endeavor. On the other hand, even though science discloses nothing
about the origin of light and darkness, we can learn much from science about the
properties, action, "composition", speed, and effects of light and
darkness.
As is so often the case in
dealing with natural phenomena, we must turn to the Bible for a definitive
statement about the origins of light and darkness. For example, we read in
Daniel 2:22 that light dwells with God. That is to say, light is part of the
essence of God. It is part of His person, makeup, and nature. It is embodied in
him. God is light. (I John 1:5) All natural light (including the entire
range of the spectrum, both visible and invisible) and all spiritual light
or illumination are outrayings of God’s own being. Light has its origin in,
and emanates and radiates from God. From the brightest star in the universe to
the tail of the tiniest firefly—all light originates with God.
Psalm 104:2 teaches
that God is clothed with light. I Timothy 6:16 tells us that God lives in
light (not that he lives in the focus or beam of an external light as an actor
before a spotlight, but that he "inhabits" light); and, finally, James
1:17 sums up the matter of the origin of light by stating cogently that
God is the Father of all that gives light. Also, we must not overlook the
classic statements of the origin of light at the time of creation as found in
the first chapter of Genesis and in Isaiah 45:6 and 7.
Now let’s briefly examine
the nature of light and a definition of light. The simplest
definition of light is that it is radiant energy, luminous energy, or a
"force" which illuminates that with which it comes in contact. Light
is the basic life-giving source throughout the universe. By the marvelous
chemical process of photosynthesis, light "creates" life by converting
radiant energy to chemical energy. Later, we shall discuss in more detail
"spiritual" as well as natural photosynthesis.
Light is generalized
throughout the universe and where there is no light there is darkness, intense
cold, and generally chaotic conditions. Light "curbs" darkness and
since both are forces or energies, there is a conflict between the two
throughout the universe. Light by its curbing and limiting power is inherently
stronger than darkness. Various spectrums, degrees, and types of light possess
healing qualities—such as vitamin D in sunshine, the soothing, healing
qualities of infra-red light, or the awesome power of the laser light as used in
modern medical and surgical techniques. Of course, I have been speaking thus far
of natural light; the reader who has had his spiritual eyes opened will have
already begun to see some awesome implications of spiritual light, too, however.
By simple definition,
spiritual light possesses in the spiritual realm the same illuminating and
healing powers as natural light in the material realm. Much more will be said
about that later in this article.
Darkness—which is also a
created phenomena as we read in Isaiah 45:6 and 7—is simply the absence of
light or a force which interferes with the radiation of light. In the presence
of darkness (ranging from twilight to total darkness) there is cold, chaos, and
little or no life, because the process of photosynthesis is rendered
inoperative. Spiritual darkness is for one to be lacking in spiritual
illumination, to be lacking in the experiential knowledge of God which can be
had only by personally accepting and appropriating to oneself the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ on one’s behalf. The Bible uses the expression "kingdom of
darkness" to illustrate the milieu and lifestyle of those who have not been
born anew into God’s kingdom of light. Here you should take a few moments to
read and ponder Colossians 1:12 and 13 and John 3:3-8 in the light of
this study about light and darkness.
Thus far in discussing the
origin and nature of light my thoughts have been largely introductory. Let’s
hasten on to the major theme of this article.
Until the appearance of the
Lord Jesus Christ in human flesh as the only begotten Son of God, the brightest
"light" the world had yet seen up to that point in history was Adam.
Adam was a glorious, scintillating, shining being arrayed in light. This was
Adam in his perfection and innocence before his fall. Adam was literally clothed
in light before his transgression in the garden; he was a spectacular being, beyond
human languages to describe.
The artistic
representations we see in religious books and magazines picture Adam in the
garden before the fall as a kind of "Charles Atlas" or Tarzan-like
Superman. These drawings and pictures fall far short of what Adam was really
like—clothed in a garment of light that literally shone as the noonday sun,
scintillating with all the colors of the spectrum as he walked and talked in
unbroken fellowship with him who is the Father of Lights. Only the last Adam as
John saw Him in Revelation 1:14-16 can compare with, yes, and surpass in
glory, the first Adam as he was before the entrance of sin into the experience
of humankind. Only the cleansing blood of the last Adam can restore fallen man
to that awesome place of fellowship with the Father of Lights that Adam once
knew. How very far we see humanity has really fallen when we behold with our
spiritual eyes what Adam was like before his fall.
The next great man of light
to appear on this planet was Moses. But how dim was his light compared to that
of Adam. His relative dimness compared to Adam’s brightness certainly shows
the ravages of sin upon the human race in just a few hundreds of years. We all
know—or should know—the story of Moses’ testings and trials as God molded
and shaped him into the great leader of God’s people for that generation—as
God shaped him into the forerunner of a greater Prophet who was yet to come.
We read in Exodus 34:29 that
when Moses descended from Mt. Sinai with the two tablets of stone—he had been
so close to the living God—that "the skin of his face shone and sent
forth beams of light by reason of his speaking with the Lord." The New
Testament commentary on this event (2 Corinthians 3:7) tells us that
Moses’ face shone with brilliance and glory. Yes, the light of God shining
from within Moses, much dimmer than that of Adam, shows us how far humanity had
fallen; and yet it is a prophetic picture—a foretaste—of that which is yet
to be.
Another human to have
within his being a portion of the light of God was John the Baptist. We read of
his light in John 5:35. Yet we do not see his light; he was merely called a light. Adam was
clothed in light; Moses’ face shone
with light; John was merely called a light. Do you see how sin in the
successive generations of humanity has slowly dimmed the actual light of God
shining forth from his children? We see the progressive—or should we say
regressive—ravages of sin down through the centuries. From being clothed in
light, to merely being called a light. 0 Lord God, how very far we have fallen.
Not only do we read of a
man who was clothed in light, of a man whose face shone with light, and of a man
who was called a light, but we also read of another race or species of created
beings who share these characteristics of light: Angels. However, since it is
not within the scope of this article to discuss these beings, I refer you to
only two biblical references as a starting point if you wish to pursue a further
study about angels: Matthew 28:3 and Revelation 10:1. The angels, too,
are clothed in light.
There is one light, of
course, which is the Light. I refer to Jesus Christ, and let’s now
study at length that wonderful light. One basic point at the outset: all of the
characteristics—and greater—regarding light that were a part of the first
Adam will, of course, be part of the person and nature of Jesus, the Head of an
entire new race of supernaturally created beings. Whatever the first Adam had,
the last Adam, Jesus, possesses in far greater measure.
Let us pause again to point
out that every time I refer to light in this article, I am referring to light in
the sense of actual, literal light as well as to spiritual light. Let us not
spiritualize away the actual, nor literalize away the spiritual.
We are all familiar with
the description of Jesus in the first chapter of John’s Gospel. It
seems clear that here the description of Jesus as the light of the world is
primarily spiritual; on the other hand, in the first chapter of the Revelation to John we read of Jesus as the actual literal out-raying of the light in
which God dwells.
Let us look at a few of the
verses in John 1. In verse 4 we read that Jesus, the light, is the life of all people. Could we say that through a process of
"spiritual photosynthesis" Jesus gives life to all humanity? If not
now, by the end of the ages of time? What profound depths of truth we still need
to have the Holy Spirit teach us about how Jesus gives life to all people.
In verse 5 we read that the light of Christ shines on in the darkness and
that the darkness cannot overpower that light. In verse 9 of John 1, we
read that the true light illumines every person who comes into the world.
Expert estimates inform us that since the creation of humanity there have been
from 70 to 80 billion people upon this planet of whom 7 billion are now living;
by what amazing process does Jesus illumine every person who comes into
the world?
Other references in
John’s gospel (8:12 and 12:46) tell us that Jesus is the light
of the world and that whoever follows him will not walk in darkness. Are you
walking in darkness, are there areas of your life that are yet dark? Are you
following him? If you are, there should be increasingly less and less darkness
in your life. What a test of true discipleship, of a true follower of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
We conclude this portion of
our study with Hebrews 1:3 where we read that the Lord Jesus Christ is
the sole expression of the glory of God; He is the light-being, the outraying of
the nature of Father God.
Let us now see that Jesus
is not only the light of the world in a spiritual sense, but that He is also the
only true light of the world in the sense of natural light. As the creator and
sustainer of the atomic structure of the entire universe as we read in
Colossians 1:16 and 17, he is the very First Principle, the First Cause,
the sustaining power by which all things adhere together, consist, and have
life. His actual being is the very outraying of all light in the universe as it
flows forth from the Father. His unveiled being is brighter than a thousand
suns, far surpassing the brilliance and splendor of countless galaxies. Let us
not limit the Lord Jesus Christ to his humanity—to a babe in a manger, to a
man of flesh and blood. He is far above all principalities and powers and has
"ascended" into the heavenlies. Yes, he is Man, but let us not forget
that he is also God, and that one of his characteristics is that he is light. We
have already seen just a dim glimpse of this in the first chapter of the
Revelation.
There are other Scriptures
that reveal this facet of Jesus’ nature and being. How often we have skimmed
over the amazing account of Jesus’ transfiguration on the mount in Luke
9:28-36 and Matthew 17:1-6. You recall the incident: Jesus, accompanied by
Peter, James, and John, went up on a high mountain. There, Moses and Elijah
appeared in vision and were talking with Jesus. As they talked, the veil of
flesh was momentarily stripped from the Lord Jesus Christ and the disciples
caught a fleeting glimpse of the true person of Jesus. The disciples saw his
face shining clear and bright like the sun, and his clothing became white as
light. This is
Jesus and he now is, as he really is, no longer veiled by his humanity. Mark 9:2
uses the word "transfigured" referring to Jesus’
"change" on the mount. That same word is found in 2 Corinthians 3:18 where we read of how
we are gradually being changed into the image of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Think of it—as he was on that mount, brilliant in
scintillating splendor, so shall we be one day, helping to illuminate the entire
universe with the outraying of Christ from within us. Did Peter, James, and John
realize that they were seeing what they would one day become? Do we realize what
God has in store for his twice-born children? Everything—and more—that the
first Adam lost, we shall regain as God the Holy Spirit transfigures—metamorphosizes—us
into the very image of his only begotten Son.
Peter, a short while after
Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into the heavenlies experienced just a
slight foretaste of this royal splendor in an interesting incident in the 5th
chapter of Acts. Do you recall how people kept bringing the sick to Peter that
perhaps by just his shadow falling upon them they might be healed?
Interestingly, in the original language the word here for "shadow" is
not a word meaning a dark spot cast by something in the path of the sun’s
light. No, it is a word meaning just the opposite of shadow. It means a shining
of divine energy, a radiance as of a beam of sunlight. So it was not Peter’s
shadow that healed; it was God’s healing light within him, an actual, tangible
light emanating out from within him that healed the people. Praise God for at
least this one New Testament glimpse into what God has in store for his children
as they are filled more and more with light of God, now veiled by the flesh.
In this present portion of
our article, we must not, of course, overlook the second most important light
ever to illuminate the spirits and minds of men: the written Word of God. But
again—as with the matter of angels—it is not within the scope of this
article to dwell at length upon such verses as Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 6:23, and
scores of others which declare the written Word of God to be a lamp unto our
feet and a light in the darkness. Entire libraries are filled with writing upon
this subject and our devoting so little space to it herein is certainly in no
way intended to minimize the fact that God’s written Word is, and always shall
be for the ages of time and eternity, a light to lighten men’s hearts and
minds to the truths of God and of his Christ.
And we would also be
derelict in our discussion of light if we neglected God’s people who are
"lights" to their generations—people such as Jeanne Guyon,
Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Moody, Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, Anne Graham Lotz, and
the like. Certainly such people of God as these have been and are lights of God
in a unique sense in their own generations.
Our entire discussion thus
far has been only preparatory and introductory to what shall now follow
throughout the rest of this article. Let us begin to personalize our subject of
light and now dwell at some length upon the real "meat" of that which
I really long to share with you. And that "meat" is to see how you and
I are involved in this matter of light, both natural and spiritual. We come now
to see where we fit into God’s plan to illumine the present darkness upon our
planet. While it is true we live in God’s Kingdom, it is also true there
remain pockets of darkness (some large, some small) throughout his Kingdom. Some
pockets of darkness might remain for ages to come yet, but they will grow
increasingly smaller as God’s light illumines more and more of his Kingdom.
Let me make a very simple
statement first, a statement so simple, yet very far reaching in its fullest
implications and ramifications. That statement is: I am the light of the world.
You are the light of the world. We are the light of the world.
Before you begin to say
"blasphemy" and "heresy", or ask "Who does he think he
is?" I invite you to turn in your Bible to Matthew 5:14 and read it
very carefully where Jesus said to his followers: "You are the light
of the world." Of whom is Jesus speaking when he proclaims "You are
the light of the world?" His followers. His disciples. You. Me. Yes, you
and I are the light of the world. Are you offended? Do you hasten to read into
Jesus’ simple statement something to explain it away? If so, you need a deep
work of the Spirit done in your life to teach you the basic truth of this simple
statement of Jesus’. I had been a twice-born follower of Jesus for almost 18
years before the raw and awesome truth of that simple statement took root in my
heart and mind.
If it hasn’t happened to
you yet, when the Holy Spirit really begins to reveal to you the simple truth of
this verse, an entirely new universe of God’s plans and purposes for
humankind—for you—will unfold in your spirit and mind. You will begin to see
and acknowledge before God a new humility in the face of his awesome plan for
the creation, redemption, and restoration of the universe. Do not shy away from
nor let the enemy rob you of the simple truth that you are the light of the
world.
A simple fact must be
understood and then you will see how it is so that you are the light of the
world. Only that part of you which is the direct outraying of God’s own nature
is involved when it is said that you are the light of the world. Only your spirit
is involved at this point in time, as we read in Proverbs 20:27 that
the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord. Now, it is the spiritual part of
your being which is the light of the world. After you are out-resurrected from
among the dead, then the whole person, body and soul, as well as spirit, will be
the light of the world.
We now turn to a very brief
survey of the Bible to better establish the fact that you are the light of the
world. What did Jesus say about this, besides his profound statement in Matthew
5:14? Have you let that statement sink in yet? Is the Holy Spirit even this very
moment planting that truth deeper in your heart? Do you believe it? It cannot be
explained away… No, the original language of the Bible does not say something
else.
Do not say, "Yes,
but…" Simply believe it; it is a basic truth necessary for the unfolding
of God’s entire plan for this world, for this age, for the ages to come, for
eternity. At this point we would like for you to stop and read the following
biblical references before continuing on with your study of this article; do not
go on with the article until you have read and meditated upon these verses: John
12:35 and 36, 46; Ephesians 5:18. As we are filled with light, we become
children of the light, and Jesus Christ, the self-sustaining light of the world,
shines out through us so that we become lights to the nations to bring salvation
to the entire earth. See Acts 13:47. Are you even now allowing God to do
whatever deep work in you that is necessary for you to be the means of bringing
his Good News to the entire earth? Will you be displayed to the entire creation
as one of God’s children? See Romans 8.
I now urge you to read
Romans 13: 12 and 13. Here we read that we are to put on armor of light. Please
compare this passage in Romans with Ephesians 6:10-18. The armor of light is
simply to put on—to be clothed with—the Lord Jesus Christ as we are
commanded to do elsewhere in the Bible. Ephesians 5:8 and 9 and I Thessalonians
5:5 teach us that we are light in the Lord and as such we are to walk as
children of light, the effect being that we will radiate goodness,
righteousness, and truth.
Note in Philippians 2:15 that we are bright lights in the sense that we are guiding stars or
beacons shining in a dark world; the terms guiding stars and beacons are
nautical terms in the sense that a ship’s captain would use a guiding star to
fix a position and follow a beacon such as a lighthouse beacon shining out from
a treacherous and perilous shore on a dark and stormy night.
All we have done for the
last few paragraphs is simply to let you see for yourself that the Scriptures
plainly teach that we are lights in this world—in this present age. When the
Scriptures teach thus, they not only refer to light in the sense of spiritual
illumination but also in the sense of natural, physical light that is even now
resident within our beings—in our spirits—hidden by the veil of flesh,
waiting to burst forth from our new light-bodies we shall receive when our
personal resurrections are completed. Even though veiled by flesh, the light is
there, nonetheless, flickering, slowly increasing in intensity and in radiated
output. We have only the earnest—the downpayment—now, but the earnest is but
a foretaste of that body we shall one day surely have—a body like unto
Adam’s; yet, even more: like Jesus’ own glorified body which far surpasses
Adam’s even as the brilliance of the noonday sun far surpasses the reflected
splendor of the moon.
At this point in our
article I urge you to put the article down and meditate very carefully upon
Proverbs 4: 18 and 19. In the context of what we are just now studying, the Holy
Spirit will open your eyes to see some deep and wonderful truths in these
verses. Isaiah 9:2 tells us that great light will shine upon those who walk in
darkness and the shadow of death. What causes a shadow to disappear? When the
source of light is directly above the object casting the shadow; this, we
believe, signifies our being directly "above" or "taking dominion
and authority" over the last enemy to be destroyed, even Death.
Once again because I feel
that the Scriptures themselves—without any human intervention or
comment—afford the clearest teaching on a particular subject, I urge you to
read the following verses in their entirety, simply allowing the Holy Spirit to
teach you the truths therein. These passages are speaking about you and to you:
Isaiah 60:1-3; Ephesians 6:12 and 13; 2 Peter 1:19; and 1 John 2:8 and 11.
At this point it is
pertinent to discuss briefly the basic biblical teaching about the ages to come
since there is so little understanding among God’s people about the ages of
time. There are "spiritual ages," so to speak, (sometimes called
salvific ages)—ages that transcend time and space. And then there are
chronological ages of time. The end of the spiritual ages occurred in 70 A.D.
when Jerusalem was destroyed, all biblical prophecy was fulfilled, and Jesus
appeared in his parousia. The chronological ages of time continue to roll
on—and will continue to do so until the ends of those ages. Many people see
this Kingdom Age in which we live as being the final age of the chronological
ages of time—which will eventually be swallowed up into eternity. My own view
is that there may be many ages of chronological time yet before creation is
swallowed up by the state of being called Eternity. I am not dogmatic about my
view and remain open to additional light and understanding.
During these successive and
overlapping ages, the children of God—arrayed in glorious light-bodies as were
Adam before his fall and Jesus as seen in Revelation 1—will be playing active,
co-creative roles in restoring, rebuilding, and replenishing the earth and
universe prior to the advent and onset of eternity at the end of the ages of
time.
How shall this restoration
and rebuilding of the universe take place? The simplest explanation we can
furnish is to look at the action and effects of light in the natural and
physical realm. And as restoration by the action of light occurs in the natural
universe, so simultaneously will restoration occur in the micro-universe within
the minds and spirits and bodies of fallen mankind—by direct reaction to the
light of the children of God shining upon them.
How does light
"create" life in the physical realm? By the simple, yet so very
complex, chemical process of photosynthesis to which we have already referred.
Throughout the ages and in eternity until the entire universe is restored and
reconciled to God, his children, outraying God’s life-giving light from
within, will be the indirect sources of life for the entire micro- and
macro-universe, for all that is natural, for all that is spiritual. Of course,
we only see dimly the "how" of such matters, but as Adam was to have
complete dominion over the earth, so shall we have co-dominion over the
universe, sharing it all with the Lord Jesus Christ. As the Lord Jesus Christ
is, so we shall be…in a sense; yet, he is always the infinite God, while we
will always be finite created beings. He is the One by whom and in whom all
things are and were created, and the One by whom all things consist; we, as
members of His Body, will share in that continual creation and sustenance of the
entire universe.
By a process of both
physical and spiritual photosynthesis, our glorified light bodies will literally
bathe the universe and all created things everywhere in the warm elysian
sunlight of Father God’s loving and tender care for His creation.
In passing, too, we must
note that the process of photosynthesis is not only any action of
"creation" but also a process which brings healing and
cleansing. Regarding this matter of healing and cleansing, I urge you to look up
and seriously meditate upon and ponder the following references: Isaiah 58:10,
Daniel 12:3, and Daniel 5:11.
We shall also be directly
involved in the divine government of the universe by being those through whom
God delegates his authority and through whom he will govern the universe in
righteousness. Justice shall at last prevail in all the affairs of all humanity.
There will be honest and humane laws and "courts" of law, presided
over by those who have God’s laws as part of their very own nature. And, yet,
there will be judgment upon the sins of men and angels until all sin and
wrongdoing is at last eradicated from the universe. Regarding this matter of
future government and judgment, I urge you to turn to your own Bible and ponder
the following references; I give them for you to look up without comment on my
part because there are some matters that simply cannot be further expanded upon
by human comment: Psalm 90:8, Isaiah 51:4, Daniel 12:3, and Hosea 6:5. The
"seat" of God’s government (be it literal or spiritual, or both)
will be that glorious "city" we see in Revelation 21:23-25 and 22:5.
Note the presence of the light of God in this marvelous city of God. It is a
city, yet it is a living organism composed of the saints of all the ages.
Consider the effects of photosynthesis by which the tree of life (whom we are)
will dispense life, health, and healing to the world. There shall be no night
there, for the entire universe will at last be bathed in the glorious sunlight
of God’s love.
I
conclude this study of light and darkness by simply stating: Through God’s
redeemed children who will be grown up into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ,
a day is coming when the entire universe will have found rest at last and will
be bathed and sustained in the reflected light of Father God radiating from his
children throughout the eternal realm. All creation will be bathed in the
life-giving light of Father God flowing out through his children to the infinite
vastness of the universe and of eternity.
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