“That ye should show forth praises of Him, Who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” I Peter 2:9.

“God’s marvelous light.” Inasmuch as God is a marvelous God, we are sure that His light is marvelous. And we marvel that into that marvelous light we have been called, “out of darkness.”

The Bible is a story of “darkness” and “light”. The history of the sinner saved by grace is the story of darkness and light. God’s grace finds the sinner, where the first chapter of the Bible finds the earth, in darkness and chaos. But “God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.” I John 1:5. “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 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. And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.” Genesis 1:3 to 5 and 1:16.

The first day of the Christian is the day when God speaks light into his soul. “The way of the wicked is as darkness they know not at what they stumble.” “But the path of the just is as a shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day,” Proverbs 4:18 and 19. Concerning the Son of God’s love, we read these words “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” John 1:4 and 5 and John 1:9.

The Lord Jesus Christ was sent from heaven, “to give light to them that sit in darkness.” Luke 1:79. “The people which sat in darkness saw great light.” Matthew 4:16.

Great and marvelous is God’s light as given to the world in the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “I am the Light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12.

When Saul of Tarsus was converted “there shined round about him a light from heaven.” Acts 9:3. After that he became the Apostle Paul and had much to say about light and the children of light. When Paul saw that light he heard the voice of the Light of the world Who said unto him, “I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.” Acts 26:18.

All who are in darkness are in the power of Satan. “The whole world lieth in Satan.” I John 5:19. Therefore the whole world lieth in darkness. The soul of the sinner is in darkness even though he may be surrounded by many Christians and be influenced by Christian environment. It is the entrance of God’s Word that giveth light. Psalms 119:105. It is God’s Word that tells of God’s Son and His glorious gospel. “If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” II Corinthians 4:3 and 4.

Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light and he does not want sinners to have the true light of the true gospel. The Gospel of Christ’s Glory transforms the believing sinner and also translates him. Hear God’s Word: “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us, into the kingdom of His dear Son: in Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:12 to 14.

Now saints in light: Now delivered from the power of darkness. What a transformation! Called out of darkness into His marvelous light. Then God says to the believer, “be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers—What communion hath light with darkness?” II Corinthians 8:14. How pitiable to see a child of light walking in darkness or enjoying fellowship with the children of darkness.

God says to the believer: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” Ephesians 5:11. “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.” Ephesians 5:8. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.” Romans 13:12. “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night: and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet the hope of salvation.” I Thessalonians 5:5 to 8. “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.” II Corinthians 4:6. “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” Philippians 2:15. “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick: and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.” Matthew 5:14 to 16.

Believers are to walk in the light: “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” I John 1:7. Let us remember the words of the Psalmist: “The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119: 105. We must diligently, prayerfully, spiritually, systematically read and study and feed upon God’s Word and hide it in our heart if we walk through the darkness of this world in light.

THE WORLD AND THE LIGHT

“Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.” Jude 13. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.” II Peter 2:4. “These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever.” II Peter 2:17. . “But he that, hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” I John 2:11. “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”. “He that believeth on Him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” John 3:17 to 20.

Because of evil deeds men still love darkness rather than light.

ISRAEL’S DARKNESS

Christ’s chosen race, His own Nation, refused the light of His revelation. And He said: “But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:12. “Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 22:13. “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 25:30. The story of the Nation Israel is told in the blindness of Bar-Jesus (meaning the child of Jehovah-Saviour). “And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; add he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.” Acts 13:10 and 11.

Israel is blind, not seeing the Son for a season. But they will yet say, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.” They rejected their Messiah with this cry, “Away with Him, Crucify Him.” “We have no king but Caesar.”

Christ went to Calvary to die because of man’s darkness “And they crucified Him, and parted His garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched Him there.” Matthew 27:35 and 36. “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:45 and 46.

“DARKNESS OVER ALL THE LAND”

Christ was being made sin, made a curse. “For He hath made Him to be sin for us Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” II Corinthians 5:21. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” Galatians 3:13. There will be darkness over that land again. “The sun is to be turned into darkness.” Joel 2:2; Joel 2:31; Zephaniah 1:15.

THE MILLENNIUM LIGHT

“I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles.” Isaiah 42:6. “Then shall Thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee, the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.” Isaiah 58:8. “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light; and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” Isaiah 60:1 to 3. “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be to thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory Thy sun shall no more go down: neither shall thy moon with draw itself for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.” Isaiah 60:13 and 20. “And there shall be no night there: and they need NO candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 22:5.

Sinner, come on out of that darkness before you enter into everlasting darkness. Fellowbeliever, let us be indeed and in truth children of light.

For more articles by Pastor J. C. O'Hair, visit the J. C. O'Hair Online Library.