From Darkness to Everlasting Light

In Ephesians 5:8-14, "From Darkness into Light." Look at what Paul says in Ephesians 5:8: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light." This is extremely important. Now, check this out. I'm going to read it again: "For you were once darkness." All of us, me included. "But now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light." So, notice Paul's language. He does not simply say that believers once lived in darkness. He says, "We were once darkness." Okay? Every one of us was once darkness, but now we are the light in the Lord. Well, how do you be in the Lord? Well, you pick up your cross and you follow Him, and you do what Yeshua did, Jesus did. And you follow the Father's commandments because this is very simple to connect. Jesus said, "Pick up your cross and follow me." What does that mean? That means to follow Him. What did He do? He had to, as the Jewish Messiah, had to must follow His Father's commandments, or He would not be the Son of God. He would not be the Jewish Messiah. He would not be the King of Israel. He would not be the seed of David, the seed of Abraham. He would not be of the line of the tribe of Judah if He went rogue on the Father. Okay? And that's what we have now is a bunch of rogue Christians out there who think they've got the grace to not follow the Father's commandments, and they're just not walking in the light. They're just not, according to all these scriptures that we're showing you, and there's plenty more to come.

So, look at what Paul says. Paul says that you're not just living in darkness. We were once darkness, okay? But now you are light in the Lord if we're following Yeshua and doing what He did, and not what Constantine or the church or the synagogues tell you to do. Paul then connects walking in the light with goodness, righteousness, and truth. This reinforces the distinction in John 3. The separation of light and darkness is reflected in obedience. And this distinction is not based on nationality, ethnicity, or social standing. It is grounded in one's relationship, Jew or Gentile, with Messiah, and keeping His Father's commandments. And we will go through that in John 14:15.

In Revelation 20, the final judgment and separation of humanity. Revelation 20 describes the thousand-year reign, Satan's final rebellion, and the Great White Throne Judgment. Revelation 20:12: "And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life." Then verse 15 states: "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." This is not explicitly called a separation of light from darkness. Nevertheless, it represents the final judgment of humanity that prepares for the vision of the new heaven and the new earth, which is the light versus the dark.

Notice the larger progression here, my friends. Genesis 1 establishes an ordered creation. John 1 reveals the light who enters the world. John 3 describes humanity's response to that light and the commandments. 1 Thessalonians 5 identifies the children of light in relation to understanding the Lord. Revelation 20 describes the final judgment. And then comes Revelation 21.

Revelation 21: We have no more darkness in the New Jerusalem. Amen. Revelation 21, verse 23: "The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light." There you go again, at the very end of the Bible. The Lamb is the light. And now go back to Genesis 1 as well. Genesis 1: God brings light into the darkness. Revelation 21: The glory of God illuminates the New Jerusalem, and the Lamb is its light. Think about that. At creation, God separates light from darkness. In the New Jerusalem, God's glory and the Lamb provide the light, and darkness is no longer.

But there's another connection concerning people. In Revelation 21, verse 24: "And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it." Look at the language: "The nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light." That corresponds beautifully with John 8:12, where Yeshua promises that those who follow Him will have the light of life. Very beautiful. And it corresponds with Ephesians 5, where Paul instructs believers to walk as children of the light. Now, in Revelation 21, the redeemed nations walk in the light of God's glory. This is an extraordinary biblical progression that we have.

But there's something else in Revelation 21:25: "Its gates shall not be shut at all by day, and there shall be no night, no darkness there." Okay, so here you go again. The light, there will be no darkness. So, again, there shall be no night there. Again, separation between light and dark. So, remember Genesis 1:5, God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. Now, Revelation describes a city where there is no night. The contrast is unmistakable. Genesis describes the establishment of day and night. Revelation describes the eternal city illuminated by God's glory and the Lamb's light, without the night. God's presence provides everlasting light to His redeemed people. Amen and amen and amen.

So, now let's go to Revelation 22. "The servants of God reign in His light forever." Now, consider the final chapter of the Holy Scriptures. Revelation 22, verses 3 through 5: "And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there, no darkness there. They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light, and they shall reign forever and ever." Amen.

So, let's look at the connections again. Genesis 1: God brings forth light. John 1: The Word is the light of men. John 8: Yeshua declares Himself the light of the world. 1 Thessalonians 5: Believers are called children of the light, the ones who are following the commandments. Revelation 21: The redeemed nations walk in the light of God's glory. In Revelation 22, God's servants dwell in His light and reign forever and ever. And there is no more night in the city. So, what began in Genesis with God separating light from darkness culminates in the redeemed dwelling eternally in God's light.

So, now let's go to Isaiah 60, which is a prophecy to what we just read with Revelation 21 and 22. There's a lot of people who look at this scripture as right now, so to speak, but as we will continue to read it, you will see that it's talking about the eternal kingdom. Okay. So, the prophecy of the everlasting life in Isaiah 60, verses 1 through 3: "Arise, shine, for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will rise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and the kings to the brightness of your rising."

Notice the language: "The darkness covers the earth. A deep darkness covers the people. But the Lord will rise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you." The Gentiles shall come to your light, which is Yeshua the Messiah. Okay? Now, let's look at the corresponding scripture that, remember Simeon, okay, in Luke 2:29-32, the prophet Simeon. Look at what he said here before he passed to the other side to Yahweh: "Lord, now you are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel."

So, there's a beautiful connection between Isaiah 60 and also in Luke 2 right here with the light to the Gentiles. That's the light of the world, Yeshua. And also, you can go read Isaiah 42:6 and also Isaiah 49 as well, and it's a light to the Gentiles, is what it says as well. So, does that sound familiar? Revelation 21 describes nations walking in the light of the New Jerusalem, and kings bringing their glory into it. John's vision strongly echoes Isaiah's prophecy.

But now let's look at Isaiah 60, verses 19-20, as we continue to read the prophecy: "The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for your brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory." So, again, that's a great tie-in for what we just read with the book of Revelation, also Luke 2 as well, about the everlasting kingdom, the children of light in the eternal kingdom, is what Isaiah 60 is really concluding with. And in verse 20, it concludes: "For the Lord will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended." Amen and amen and amen.

So, this is one of the clearest prophetic foundations for Revelation 21 and 22. John is not introducing a new concept in the book of Revelation. He's going off of the prophets of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the Torah, etc. John is drawing upon prophetic promises already revealed through Isaiah and also throughout his book, the other biblical prophets in the Tanakh. The Lord Himself becomes the everlasting light of His people in the New Jerusalem. Amen and amen.

So, the entire biblical progression so far that we've seen, look at the progression throughout the scriptures. Genesis 1:1-5, God creates the light, and then the light is divided from the darkness. John 1:1-9, Yeshua is the true light. The light shines in a darkened world. John 3:19-21, light reveals truth, then humanity responds to or rejects the light and the commandments. John 8:12, Yeshua is the light of the world. His followers no longer walk in darkness. Ephesians 5:8-14, believers become light in the Lord. And then the separation is children of the light walk differently. We're set apart. We follow the commandments, you know, through Yeshua and the blessed Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, children of light await the Day of the Lord, and the children of the dark do not. Spiritual watchfulness, or excuse me, spiritual watchfulness contrasts with darkness. Okay. Isaiah 60:1-3 and 19-20, God's glory rises upon His people, and nations are drawn to His everlasting light. Revelation 20:11-15, final judgment takes place. The separation, humanity is judged before the new creation. Revelation 21:23-25, the Lamb illuminates the New Jerusalem. The separation, redeemed nations walk in its light. No night exists there. And then Revelation 22:3-5, God gives everlasting light. His servants reign forever in His presence. Separation of the light from the darkness, everybody. And it's not talking about day and night only. It's talking about people as well. Humanity as well. Separating the light from the darkness.