Arise Out Of Darkness And Shine

Introduction

Isaiah Receives a Revelation of Darkness

The book of Isaiah is a very important book in the Old Testament. It is a book full of prophecies, revelations and glimpses of Jesus Christ hundreds of years before Jesus came to the earth. For example in Isaiah 9:1-7, the birth of Jesus is prophesised. Isaiah 53:1-12 plainly and fully describes the sufferings Jesus would go through.

In Isaiah 60:1-2, the prophet Isaiah wrote about a revelation God gave him where he saw darkness covering the earth, darkness covering people. The darkness Isaiah saw was not a physical or natural darkness like the kind we see when night comes. It was a spiritual darkness. In the midst of this thick darkness, he saw a light and glory coming to separate certain people from this darkness. Though the name Jesus isn’t mentioned in this verse, Jesus is in fact the light and glory Isaiah saw which came to separate people from the darkness in the earth. In John 12:41, John actually tells us that Jesus was the light Isaiah saw shining brightly in the midst of darkness. Jesus Himself in John 12:46 while speaking about His life and ministry stated that “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness”.

I pray that today the light and glory of the risen Christ will fill our lives and every form of darkness will be removed.

Darkness Comes In Levels and Degrees

In a typical day we can see that darkness comes in levels or degrees. From 6pm to 7.50 pm in the evening it starts getting dark. The sky isn’t completely dark but it’s not as bright as it was around 1pm or 4pm. Then from 8pm to 4am it gets dark, really dark. In the same way in the spiritual realm we have different levels or degrees of darkness. The Bible uses the phrase outer darkness to describe the place people who are not fit to enter into the kingdom of God are thrown into (Matthew 8:12, Matthew 22:13, Matthew 25:30). 2 Peter 2:17 talks of blackest darkness as a place that has been reserved for false teachers and prophets. Several bible passages talk about a day of total darkness which will be part of the signs that will precede the coming of the Lord (Joel 2:28-31, Acts 2:20). Isaiah 60:2 talks of darkness so thick you can feel it. Colossians 1:13 talks about the domain of darkness. In Matthew 4:16, we see Jesus bringing deliverance to people in different levels of darkness. The verse talks about a great light coming to the people living in darkness. That’s one form of darkness. Then it goes on to say a light has dawned for those living in the land of the shadow of death. That’s another form of darkness. I pray that the light of Christ will saturate, fill and beam all over our lives, this place and the entire earth bringing deliverance to everyone living in darkness or living in the land of the shadow of death.

Light Dispels Darkness

Whenever there’s darkness in whatever form or degree, there’s only one thing that can eliminate or chase away the darkness and that is light. The darkness we see at 4am in the morning is removed as soon as the day breaks and morning light steps in. The darkness we see when there’s a power failure is removed by using a rechargeable lamp, inverter, switching on your generator or by electricity being restored. Only one thing can get rid of darkness and that is light. Jesus the Light of the world has come to dispel every trace and form of darkness in our lives, family, church and nation (John 1:5, John 1:9, John 8:12). Once the light of Christ steps in, darkness flees, darkness gives way, darkness is banished. Today every form and trace of darkness will be dismissed as the light of Christ shines on us.

Four Types of Spiritual Darkness

Let’s now go back to Isaiah’s prophecy concerning thick or gross darkness covering the earth and covering people. What exactly is this darkness? There are four types of spiritual darkness. They are:

Spiritual Blindness:

Isaiah 43:8 explains what spiritual blindness is. It is a situation where a person’s physical eyes are functioning properly but when it comes to seeing what God is showing the person or seeing God as He truly is, the person has difficulty. Nothing is wrong with the person’s physical eyes, something is wrong with the person’s spiritual eyes. The person’s spiritual eyes aren’t open.

Have you ever wondered how some people who are physically blind have made outstanding strides and accomplishments that people who have their two eyes functioning well have not been able to attain? It is actually with the eyes of our heart, the eyes of our understanding (Ephesians 1:18), with spiritual illumination and insight (Daniel 5:14), with the eyes of faith (Hebrews 11:1, John 11:40), that we are able to attain greatness, fulfill God’s purpose for our lives and enter into the kingdom of God (Matthew 18:9).