Scripture Reading: Isa. 2:5; 9:2; 42:6-7, 16; 49:6; 50:10-11; 60:1-2
Ⅰ
Today's world ("this darkness"—Eph. 6:12) is fully under the dark ruling of the devil, who rules through his evil angels and "deceives the whole inhabited earth"—Col. 1:13; Dan. 10:19-20, 11; 9:23; Rev. 12:9-11:
A
The whole world lies in the evil one, but in Christ, the light of the world, the ruler of the world has nothing (no ground, no chance, no hope, and no possibility in anything); furthermore, this Christ is in our spirit, where we can abide to overcome the world of darkness and where the evil one cannot touch us—John 9:5; 1 John 5:19b; John 14:30; 16:33; 1 John 5:4; 18; John 3:6b.
B
Darkness is dissipated by light; when light comes, darkness is scattered; "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it"—1:5; Gen. 1:2-3; Rev. 21:24; 22:5; cf. 1:20; 2:1a; Isa. 42:16.
Ⅱ
In Isaiah 2:5 the prophet sounded forth a call: "House of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of Jehovah"—cf. Ezek. 14:3.
Ⅲ
Christ has been called by Jehovah to be a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring the prisoner out from the prison and those who dwell in darkness from the prison house, to be God's salvation unto the ends of the earth—Isa. 42:6-7; 49:6; 9:2; Matt. 4:16; Col. 1:13; Acts 26:18.
Ⅳ
Light is the presence of God—1 John 1:5; John 1:4-5; 8:12; cf. Matt. 25:30.
Ⅴ
At the time of our conversion, light entered into us and we became sons of light and light in the Lord—Gen. 1:3; 2 Cor. 4:6; John 12:36; Eph. 5:8; 1 Pet. 2:9b.
Ⅵ
"Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light"—Col. 1:12 (our italics):
A
The only way to partake of Christ and to enjoy Him is in the light; when we turn to the Lord and come into His presence, we are in the light and spontaneously begin to enjoy Him as our portion, as the new covenant—Psa. 16:5, 11; 116:12-13; 36:8-9.
B
Light rules by its enlightening; hence, when the light of life shines and rules, it is a kingdom, the kingdom of the Son of the Father's love, in contrast to the authority of darkness, which is the kingdom of Satan—Col. 1:13; Rev. 22:5; John 14:21, 23.
Ⅶ
The seven Spirits of God are the seven lamps of fire, and our spirit is also the lamp of Jehovah, searching all the rooms of our inner being, all the chambers of our soul—Rev. 4:5; Prov. 20:27:
A
These two spirits, ours and God's, have been mingled; within our little lamp, our spirit, there is now also another lamp of greater intensity, the sevenfold intensified Spirit—1 Cor. 6:17.
B
As our spirit shines through our prayer, the Spirit of God intensifies the shining sevenfold, and under the intensity of this light, we confess and repent to the Lord—Psa. 139:23-24; 1 John 1:7, 9.
C
Where the light shines, the life supply goes, and chamber by chamber we are transformed into the Lord's image; this shining, supplying, and transforming make us the golden lampstand—2 Cor. 3:16, 18; Rev. 1:20.
D
The parts of our life and living that are closed off from Christ are in darkness, because Christ, the One who is the very light, has no place—Luke 11:33-36.
E
The one who experiences the greatest amount of transformation is the one who is absolutely open to the Lord—Psa. 139:23-24; Matt. 5:3.
F
Our spirit is the key to life, and prayer is the key to being able to stay in our spirit; God keeps calling us back to our spirit—Eph. 6:18; 1 Thes. 5:17.
Ⅷ
In order for us to walk in the divine light, the Lord has given us the fellowship of life, the blood of Jesus, the word of God, the children of God, and the church of God:
A
The divine life, the divine fellowship, the divine light, and the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, constitute a spiritual cycle in our Christian life—1 John 1:3-9.
B
The word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path—Psa. 119:105, 130; Deut. 17:19-20; John 8:12, 32, 36; 5:39-40; Psa. 42:5; Num. 6:25.
C
The saints are the light of the world as the duplication of Christ—Matt. 5:14; Phil. 2:15-16; Acts 5:20; 13:47; Isa. 49:6; 60:1-3.
D
The church is a golden lampstand, shining in this age of darkness—Rev. 1:20; cf. Psa. 73:16-22, 25-26.
E
We can abide in the light by loving the Lord (Col. 1:13; Rev. 2:4, 7) and loving the brothers (1 John 2:10-11; 3:14-17).
Ⅸ
The divine light, the presence of God, functions within us in the following ways:
A
The divine light enlightens the eyes of our heart to see God and to see as God sees—1 John 1:7; Matt. 5:8; 2 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 1:17-18; Psa. 36:9b.
B
The divine light exposes and reproves us—Eph. 5:13-14.
C
The divine light supplies us with life—John 1:4.
D
The divine light heals us—Luke 1:78-79; Mal. 4:2.
E
The divine light kills the negative things in our being—Isa. 6:1-8.
Ⅹ
He who fears Jehovah and hears the voice of His Servant has light while walking in darkness—Isa. 50:10-11; Psa. 139:7-12, 23-24.
Ⅺ
As we walk in the light day by day and corporately shine Him out in this dark age as His churches, the golden lampstands, we will hasten the day of His coming when we will be fully prepared to be His bride, the New Jerusalem, the city of light and the kingdom of light for the full expression of God as light—Rev. 21:11, 23; 22:5.