Defining Light and Darkness

What is the light and what is the darkness? From what we have seen so far, and you will continue to see this as we go through the study here, which we're about halfway done with, is the light are the ones who are following Yeshua, the blessed Holy Spirit, and then the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, will lead you to the truth, which is the Torah. Okay? That is the light. The darkness is anything not that. Okay? So, pretty much, there's only one light. There's only one way to be set apart: Yeshua, Holy Spirit, and follow the commandments. Okay? That is the light, everybody, that we have to follow to be part of the light.

The deep prophetic connection that we have here. The Holy Scriptures begin with darkness covering the deep. Then God speaks light into existence. Throughout scripture, humanity experiences spiritual darkness because of sin. Then Yeshua, the true light, enters the world. He calls people out of darkness into His marvelous light. Paul identifies those who belong to Messiah as children of light and children of the day because they are knowing the times and the seasons. They understand. They're following the commandments. They're faithful. Paul connects that identity with the times and the seasons and the coming of the Day of Adonai. The prophetic narrative then moves through judgment, the reign of Messiah, and ultimately the new creation. And when we reach the final two chapters of Revelation, the redeemed dwell in a city where God's glory provides everlasting life. Pretty amazing. The remarkable progression is that God first separates light from darkness in creation, then calls people out of spiritual darkness, and ultimately brings His redeemed people into His everlasting light.

In Colossians 1:12-13, this is what Paul says: "Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Not the darkness, in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." Amen. This verse almost summarizes the entire teaching. God delivers people from the dominion of darkness and brings them into the kingdom of His Son, and the ultimate destination of that kingdom is the eternal dwelling of God with His people.

2 Corinthians 4:6: "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Yeshua Messiah." Paul explicitly connects the light of Genesis 1 with the spiritual illumination that comes through Yeshua. He's not merely using similar imagery. He's deliberately drawing the comparison. He is a Torah scholar, my friends. As we all know, a Torah scholar. We have to understand how he would have understood the concepts of the Torah, the light and the darkness, Jacob crossing his hands with Joseph's children being grafted in, all of these concepts and understandings that we have. We have to understand how to read Paul, because when we do, we read him very fluidly. If we don't, then welcome to replacement theology on both sides of the aisle, so to speak. Okay.

So, again, God who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness at creation is the same God who shines His light into human hearts through the revelation of Yeshua the Messiah.

In 1 John 1:5-7, "God is Light." This is one of the strongest passages in the entire study. 1 John 1:5: "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." Think about that statement. John doesn't merely say God possesses light; He declares that God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him. Then John continues in 1 John 1:6-7: "If we say that we have fellowship with Him," and this is very important for our Christian friends and Jewish friends, "and walk in darkness" (not the commandments, walk on our own way, replacement theology, doing our own thing), "we lie and do not practice the truth." Again, what is the truth? The truth is the Torah. Okay? It's Yeshua, of course, but it's the Torah as well. King David says the truth is the Torah. Okay? And also Moses, etc. That's why Yeshua said it in John 14. "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another." Think about what He just said. Messiah Yeshua, Jesus, and walk in darkness, we lie and we do not practice the Torah, the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, that means to follow what He did, which is all of the feast days and all of the new moons, new months, and all of the commandments. We have fellowship with one another.

Notice how John connects light and darkness to the conduct of God's people. There's a distinction between claiming fellowship with God and walking in His light. This is closely related to John 3:19-21, where Yeshua explains that those who practice truth come to the light. What does practicing truth mean? I mean, how do we practice truth? Now, if one says, "Yes, of course, Yeshua is truth." Do we practice Yeshua? That doesn't even make any sense. We practice the Torah, the truth. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And He said that because He's the living Torah for all people to know, to follow His Father's commandments. Okay? That's why He is called the living Torah. That's why He said, "I'm the Way, the Truth, and the Life," because King David said, "The Way, the Truth, and the Life is God's Torah." And Yeshua is going to sit on David's everlasting throne for a thousand years and forever, right? So, again, I would trust David and trust Yeshua together. We just have to understand they're together. You cannot separate the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, from Jesus. You just cannot. That would be blasphemy. That would be abomination. That would be heresy. And that would be very bad for someone to separate Yeshua from, because He is the Word of God. Okay? He is the Word. So, again, that's a different Jesus out there that people are talking about, because if one says that Jesus is against the Torah, boy howdy, that person has no clue, and they are in darkness. They are not in the light. Okay? We've got to understand He said, "I'm the Way, the Truth, and the Life" for a reason, because He is, and also because His Father's instructions are. Purification, refinement to walk like He did, because Yeshua walked accordingly to the Torah. And if He did not, then He would be eliminated from being the Jewish Messiah. Okay? That's pretty simple to understand. So, again, Christians, you don't have a choice. Pick up your cross and follow Him. And He followed His Father's instructions. And He's the light of the world. And whoever follows Him is the light. Whoever does not follow Him is dark. Okay? That is what these scriptures are truly telling us. And it's pretty fascinating. Okay, the connection. Genesis 1, God separates light from darkness. John 1, Yeshua is revealed as the light.

First John 1 states that God's people are called to walk in the light. If we do not walk in the light, we are not in the light. Revelation 21:22 says that God's servants dwell in His everlasting light in the eternal kingdom. John further develops this in 1 John 2:8-11. He states that the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. This verse is particularly significant because John describes darkness as something that is passing away, while the true light is already shining. This sounds remarkably similar to the movement towards the new creation described in Revelation 21:4, where the former things have passed away. John uses the language of "passing away" in both passages, although the immediate context differs. In 1 John, he is discussing the ethical and spiritual reality of living in the light. In Revelation, he describes the passing away of the former order. Nevertheless, both passages present God's light and life as overcoming the darkness associated with the present, fallen world.

In 1 John 2:9-10, John states, "He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light." So, John does not define walking in the light merely as understanding prophecy or possessing knowledge. Walking in the light is demonstrated through love, truth, and obedience. This goes back to the two greatest commandments: love God and love your neighbor. Yeshua said that all of the Torah hangs on loving God and loving your neighbor. He said there are only two commandments to worry about, and they will fulfill all the others. First, love God by following Him and doing exactly what He says, including the Sabbath, Passover, and everything in the Torah, just as Yeshua said. Second, love your neighbor. We cannot only love God if we do not love our neighbor. If we do not love our neighbor, we cannot love God. We must love both equally, and even love our enemy.

Therefore, my friends, love God by following the commandments, and love your neighbor by practicing the golden rule—doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. This is a phenomenal concept, especially when looking at the world today. The golden rule is the true justice of this world. It is a simple concept that most people understand, and it is being seen through many different avenues today. The golden rule is coming. So, we must understand that He is saying to walk in truth, walk in love, and walk in obedience. Amen and amen and amen. 1 Peter 2:9 calls us out of darkness into His marvelous light. "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." Peter describes God's people as those who have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light.