The Beginning, The Middle and The End.
God uses light and darkness many times in the Bible to describe the spiritual state of the world.
The Beginning – Genesis 1:3-5
“And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”
The Middle – John Chapter 1
“(v1)In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (v4-5)In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (v9)The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”
The End – Revelation 21:23-25
“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.”
In the End God will give the light and there will be no night there. Knowing that Heaven will be light, let’s compare that to the Earth we are living on now.
The Earth Before God Added the Good.
In Genesis chapter 1, we see the majesty of God’s creation. One phrase repeats over and over. “And God saw that it was good.” It happens so often that we should pay attention when it is missing. At the very beginning of creation “and it was good” is not only missing, it is actually replaced with the opposite.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2
Before God added the light, the earth was not good. God then fixed it when He added “light” in verse 3. Without God’s light the earth is not good.
“For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.” Isaiah 60:2
Jesus also spoke of torment as darkness. “And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 25:30
In the beginning, the earth was darkness, in the end the earth will be covered with a thick darkness again, but in the middle, Jesus came down to a dark earth.
Jesus and the New Testament writers regularly spoke of light and darkness. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:5 and Ephesians 5:8 that we should “Walk as children of the light.” Jesus is described as having a face like the sun in Revelation 1. For more on Jesus’s appearance, see the article here.
It is not coincidental then that when Judas left the last supper, “it was night”(John 13:30) or when Jesus was crucified “darkness covered the earth” from the 6th hour to the 9th hour(Matt 27:45).
What should we do?
Know that the default position of things of this earth is darkness. We are heading towards an eternity of spiritual sunny days, but in the meantime Jesus has placed us the earth so that the Holy Spirit can shine His light through us. Paul described it in detail in 2 Corinthians chapter 4.
“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4
The devil and the demons crave darkness and try to hide Jesus’s light from people and tell them that darkness is better.
Paul goes on to reference Genesis 1:3 and ties it to John chapter 1. “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6
Conclusion
When your eyes are opened to the spiritual light, you will see the evil darkness of this world. Living as light in this dark world is tough. Paul described as he continued 2 Corinthians 4. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (10)always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” 2 Corinthians 4:7,10
When you feel the darkness, be encouraged. “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.“ Romans 13:12
Jesus is the Light, and darkness cannot overcome Him. “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.””
John 16:33
