The Matthias Chronicles

Monday, July 21, 2008, 11:24 PM

From The Darkness To The Light

By Abp. Leslie Mary Trombly
Copyright © 2008

On June 25th at 3:45 P.M., our area was plunged into darkness due to high winds at a speed of a 120 mph. and heavy rain that looked more like a blizzard of snow, rather than rain. While this was going on I watched even the strongest of trees (Silver Maple) that have withstood generations of all manner of storms, bowed low to the ground, as if they were bowing before God. Cars were flattened by heavy branched that fell on them and 2 young people lost their lives because of it. There was so much devastation. Trees on houses, houses that folded in like cardboard, lives lost forever and if they were not redeemed by the blood of the lamb remain forever lost. There was flooding and 129,000 people plunged into darkness that day from Bellevue to Omaha for several days to come. Some said it sounded like a tornado had gone through; yet in spite of all the damage, God kept us safe. Every battery that could be had was bought out, food was lost and people began to mourn the loss of those two young lives.

The amazing thing is that the people of no faith cared and worried about those who had suffered a loss and jumped in to help them by using chain saws to take the heavy branches off the cars, help a woman trapped in the basement of her collapsed home and bring food to those who had none. They reached out in love and compassion to extend their help and do what they could. In all the devastation, one could also see the courage, strength and fortitude in a devastating situation. Yet in all the news I heard and saw on my battery operated television, not one of them thanked God for keeping them safe or sparing their lives. The only word you heard was "luck" or "lucky". One thing that was intuitively obvious was the fact that the disabled and those with a medical need couldn't get a portable generator, because they had all been scoffed up from every store and rental place in the entire metro area; within a matter of a few hours. This left those in desperate need of one, out of luck. The el

Why am I telling you all this? Because it leads us into this weeks lesson on darkness. In this particular case the darkness would soon become light and all would be restored to normal -- even if it took many days. However there is another type of darkness that can also lead to light by individual choice. This is an important lesson to be taught and learned. The Lord has His own message to be included in this, which will be placed at the end of this lesson. This will be a two-part lesson.

In the book of Revelation 6: 12-13 we are told, "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind." We also see this in Revelation 8:12 -- "And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise." and again in revelation 9:1-2, "And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit." Each one

There are so, so many people still walking in darkness and in need of light in this world; and again I am not talking about the physical darkness. It is the spiritual darkness that determine the everlasting outcome of that person. Do you realize that there are far more people walking in the darkness than the light? How can this be?

Before we speak of the spiritual darkness let us look at the types of darkness they are walking in:

(a) Non-belief/Atheist -- those who have no belief in God. To them, there is no God.

(b) Satanists -- those who believe in Satan and are convinced that he is a God

(c) The Naturist -- Those who believe nature to be God

(d) The "Animalists" -- those who believe animals to be God. I.E a cow or a bird,etc.

(e) The New "Agers" -- those who profess a belief in God, but on their own terms and as they have chosen him to be; as well as believing they are Gods as well.

(f) The So-called Christians -- those who believe in going to church once a week and doing good deeds will get them into heaven.

(g) The silent Christian -- those who were redeemed by the blood of the lamb, yet did not confess Him before man.

Spiritual darkness for all these types is the most devastating of all. You have to remember that this kind of darkness can not have light and the light of God has no darkness. In other words, like good and evil each at its own end of the scale, so it is with the spiritual darkness and the spiritual light. This is the darkness many have chosen to walk in. It is deadly and forever condemning! For them it will remain so until they make the decision to walk in the light of God's love and mercy. This, without a doubt is the worst form of darkness that man could have. Walking in spiritual darkness is like walking in the physical darkness of those who are blind. They never see the light or the colors of God's world. In the physical darkness (blindness), you do not have a choice to be blind. In the spiritual darkness or blindness, you do have a choice.

I. What is spiritual darkness and where did it come from?

A. Spiritual darkness is the absence of God (spiritual light). When a child is born they are born spiritually dead. They have a soul and they have life, but their spirit remains dead until they reach the age of reason and can make the decision to accept the gift of Salvation. At this point, let me make it perfectly clear that any child who is not of the age of reason and dies will most certainly go to heaven. Why? Because they remain innocent until they reach the age of reason. This age of reason can range from 12 and up depending on what they know or do not know of God. It can depend on the mental capabilities of a person with learning problems or problems that make them child like. Those are God's special children and because they do not have the mental faculties to understand God and salvation; they also are considered innocents by God.

B. Spiritual darkness began with Satan when he rebelled against God and committed the first four sins of mankind. Those sins were power, greed, lust and jealousy. He wanted to put himself above God (overthrow God) and thus evil entered in and this spiritual darkness also began. Because God will not permit evil or sin in His kingdom, he banished Satan (formerly Lucifer) from heaven and cast him down to the earth where he is today until such time that the Lord puts an end to it - once and for all. (See Genesis 1:1-2 -- Between these two verses came the fall of Lucifer. Also see the following references: Job 9:1, 7-8; Job 38; Jeremiah 4:23-29; Isaiah 24:1; Ezekiel 28; Isaiah 14: 4,9,12,17-18).

Spiritual darkness entered into the earth again after it was restored (Genesis 1) when Lucifer in the form of a serpent showed himself in the Garden of Eden to Eve, who was the most vulnerable and naive. Again sin entered into God's world because of Lucifer, when he persuaded Eve to eat of the tree of Knowledge. Here is the fifth sin -- disobedience to God. Then spiritual darkness began to form and row. The next form of spiritual darkness was the sin of murder, when Cain killed Abel -- which was the sixth sin. It has continue to grow and flourish since, keeping more and more in spiritual darkness or dragging them into it rather than towards the one person they need to go to and that is God.

The physical darkness as we also see between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 also began because of the spiritual darkness of Lucifer (Satan). Because of Lucifer's jealousy and wanting to overthrow God, as well as not giving to God what God required when God had entrusted him to care for the earth, God took it from Satan and many of the fallen angels were killed. Then the world is restored again and sees the light from the heavens. We also see in John 1:5 where it says, "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." Many say this is not so because the moon shines in the night. Right? Wrong! The moon and it's light are in front of the darkness. The darkness is always behind it and so it is with the issue of spiritual darkness and the spiritual light of God. If light could penetrate the darkness, then all would be dark and visa-versa with the darkness. Do you begin to see the relationship in the spiritual sense to this?

II. Let's see what also leads us into the depths of darkness even further.

A. What is the effect of sin.

Isaiah 29:10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

Matthew 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

John 3:19-20 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 the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

B. What about the effects of Unbelief?

Romans 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 But 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.

1 John 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

1 John 2:11 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.

2 Corinthians 4:4 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.

C. What leads to all evil?

Ephesians 4:17-19 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Among committing all manner of sin, there also lies the hearts of stone and those who believe there is no God but themselves. This is a deadly supposition because it in believing this with their thoughts of "once you're dead -- you're dead", they are traveling the road to the surprise of their lives and eternal damnation unless they repent.

D. Is it consistent with communion with God?

No! If we choose to walk in the darkness, how can we have communion with the Lord and God? As we see in 1 John 1:6, "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"

E. What about ministers, false teachers and false prophets?

Again the Lord is quite specific about this as well. Matthew 15:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Remember what Jesus said to the Pharisees? Matthew 23: 13-15, "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves." Also in Luke 20:46-47: "Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation."

F. Are the wicked are in the light or the dark?

The obvious conclusion is that the wicked are in the dark, for like the darkness can not penetrate the light, evil can not penetrate the good and spoil it. We can see from

Psalms 82:5 "They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course."

We also see this in Jeremiah 5:21, "Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:"

Romans 1:19-21 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

G. Does God judicially inflict darkness?

Yes. The Old Testament in Psalms 69:23, brought this to the forefront when it was written, "Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake." This goes on in the Old Testament with the book of Isaiah. Let's look at the two places in Isaiah that tells us this. First let's look at: Isaiah 29:10, "For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered." But Isaiah doesn't stop there. Please turn to Isaiah 44:18. Here again we see the very same thing that Jeremiah 5:21. It says, "They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand."

Now turn to the New Testament and the book of Matthew 13:13-14 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

When we look at John 9:39 "And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind." This occurs when men's hearts have become as stone and do not seek the Lord. Paul in his Epistle of 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-12 also re affirms this. Let's read it: "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye

III. How do we remove the blindness and darkness?

A. Through Prayer:

1. Matthew 21:22, "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

2. As we read in Psalms 13:3, we can ask for our blind or darkness to be removed. let's read it: "Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;"

3. Ask for God to remove the darkness and/or the blindness: Psalms 119:18 specifically tells us to "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law"

B. Who has the authority to remove the darkness/blindness?

Christ has been appointed to and only he has the authority to do so upon the command of his father.

As we read in Isaiah 42:7 -- "To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house."

Luke 4:18 also clarifies this as well. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,"

We also see it again in John 8:12, "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." this is also found in 2 Corinthians 4:6, "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."

C. Are those who are truly called of God to be the beacons of light for those who do walk in blindness and/or darkness? The answer is an emphatic YES!

In Matthew 5:14, it states: "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." And when we turn to Acts 26:18 - "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

Let's take this one step further, The Lord will remove the darkness/blindness of a person, but as Christians we have an obligation to the Lord to bear witness to the truth and guide those who are spiritually blind and /or walking in darkness. No excuses are acceptable for not doing so!

D. Those who were delivered from the darkness -- What Does Jesus say about them?

Take a look at the following verses that verify this:

John 8:12 -- "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Ephesians 5:8 -- "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:"

Colossians 1:13 -- "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:"

1 Thessalonians 5:4-5 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light

1John 1:7 "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."

Do you realize that there is a price that had to be paid so we could walk in the light? That price was God's son, Jesus Christ. The greatest expression of love ever given was with His beloved son's death and resurrection. Romans 8:32, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

With is great gift of love, the price for sin was made and gave us the door to open and walk into the light. The bible tells us clearly in Matthew 7: 7-8, 11 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened...If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

It is also important to note that the "Once saved, always saved" routine you have been hearing lately from Pastors/Priests/Rabbis If a lie. Please turn to Hebrews 6:4-8. It clearly tells us this:

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed,receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned."

Finally, Walking in the light is far better than walking in the eternal darkness and the Lord your God is very loving and doesn't want any of his children to remain in the darkness.

The message from the Lord, your God is this, "He who chooses to walk in darkness, shall always be in darkness, and those who choose to walk in the light shall always walk in the light. It is the desire of my father and your father that all should walk in the light of his love and mercy and none walk in darkness."