Jesus - The Light of the World from Genesis to Revelation

I believe that every word of scripture is prophetic.  I know this sounds a bit outrageous at first glance, but, upon studying the Bible and looking into its many layers (many of which I am probably not yet aware), I have come to the conclusion that this is so. Five years ago I didn't understand the Hebrew language as well as I do today;  understanding Hebrew and ancient Jewish customs reveals some of the prophetic layers in the scriptures.  Fifteen years ago I did not know about the Bible codes - the Hebrew text of the Bible reveals mathematical designs and codes so complex that they couldn't possible be produced by a human.  These messages were not revealed until the advent of super-computers which could detect the intricate messages within the literal  message of the scripture.  ALL of this points to Messiah!

 The very beginning of Genesis says,  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.  And God said, 'Let there be light', and there was light."  (Genesis 1:1-3)

So, God created the world through the Spoken Word.  John 1:1 - 5 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.  In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."  Thus, God existed, and with Him was the Messiah - Jesus - the Word - the Light of the World.  God spoke the Word and created everything that was created. And the Holy Spirit hovered over the surface of the deep throughout this creation.  And, what was the first thing created?  Light.




" When Jesus spake again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.' "  (John 8:12)

And, finally,  "I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp."  (Revelation 21:22,23)

I THESSALONIANS

             "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you."  I Thessalonians 3:12

Hubble telescope photograph

The book of I Thessalonians, written by the Apostle Paul to the people at Thessalonica, is a book of advise to Believers on how to act and interact with each other and with mankind.  The book of I Thessalonians doesn't have a "3:16", so I chose the above verse as the topic for this post.







We as Believers, are supposed to be so full of love that it is overflowing to everyone.  Not just our closest friends. Not just our family. Not just to those who agree with us, dress like us, have the same skin color, speak the same language... EVERYONE.  Now, this does NOT mean that Believers shouldn't stand up for what they believe in... What it DOES mean is that these disagreements need to be handled firmly, but with the best interests of the opponent" in mind. Handled not only with love; but, with "tough love."  It can be a tough balancing act... Nevertheless, love covers a multitude of sins.... Love never fails. ( I Corinthians, chapter 13)

The Pleiades

I remember visiting a planetarium in Philadelphia when I was a teenager.  As I remember it, the planetarium was a big dome-shaped building.  We entered and stood, looking upward. Then, the lights were dimmed, and we viewed "the heavens".  All the constellations were displayed across the "sky", and they were described by a man with a deep resonant voice. It was an beautiful experience.  No fancy special effects like people today seem to think necessary; but, rather, a sense of how wonderfully and perfectly the Creator made our universe.

Hubble photo of dying star; looks like the Eye of God to me!

Now, imagine the planets and the constellations from a God's eye view, looking down past the heavens and into the planetarium which is chock-full of people.  The people are "packed in like sardines"; there number is vast. Some are sitting on the edge of the done-shaped building; others are lying down.  Everyone wants to see the heavens.  But it is so crowded.  The only ones who truly see the light are those in the center of the dome;  they see the light and they hear the resonant voice with the message. Others, further out from the center may see glimpses or hear bits and pieces, but never enough   to get the true picture. Those furthest from the center have stopped even seeking the light or the message...



But, wait!  There IS an answer!  The people in the center of the dome - those who have seen the Light and heard the Voice - can explain what they have seen and heard to the people next to them. This next group can then take the message on to the next tier of people. And so  on. And so on. Finally, the message of Heaven will reach the outermost edges of the dome; there will be someone capable of reaching and teaching every person under the dome. Everyone. BECAUSE THE LORD IS THE LIGHT AND THE LORD WILL MAKE YOUR LOVE INCREASE AND OVERFLOW FOR EACH OTHER AND FOR EVERYONE.

Often, the people who need love the most are the hardest to love.  These people have built walls around their hearts;  they are stand-offish, never letting anyone get too close.  They have experiences rejection. Or abuse. Or deep loneliness.  They need love so badly.  They need "a trip to the planetarium". They need someone to share the Light.  The Voice.

Might that someone be you?

II CORINTHIANS 3:16

               "But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."   (NIV)

When Moses came down the mountain, carrying the tablets with the ten commandments, his face shone from the reflection of God's presence. To prevent frightening the people, he put a veil over his face. In the third chapter of II Corinthians, Paul adds that this same veil would prevent the people from seeing Moses' face lose its radiance. This is an analogy for people's inability to realize the truth of the scriptures;  the veil keeps people from understanding the references to Christ in the Word of God.  When a person becomes a believer, Christ removes the veil, giving eternal life and the ability to gaze at the nature of God with an unveiled mind. And, by getting glimpses of the nature of God, we become more like Him, reflecting His glory in our countenances. In Matthew, chapter five, Jesus said, "You are the light of the world... let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise you Father in heaven."  (NIV, vss. 14,16)

Which brings me to my story about light.  Several years ago I lived in a big house on a corner city lot.  The house had a wraparound porch on two sides, and another porch in back.   All the entrances were visible from the street.  Even though no one else in the neighborhood did so, I always kept the outside lights on during the night. I'm not scared of the dark, nor was I especially afraid of crime in that sleepy little Southern town; but, I liked the idea of having the lights on.  Should anybody decide to break in, they would be visible to traffic going by. One Friday night... well, actually early Saturday morning... there was a knock at my front door.  I looked out my bedroom window and saw a car stalled at the crossroads. The inside of the car was visible from the streetlight above; and I could see that the car was empty. Apparently, the knock on the door was the person whose care had stalled...

Okay. Decisions, decisions.  What do I do?  I am alone in this big old house, and it's 3 o'clock in the morning. Immediately after expressing my hesitation to God,  He gave me the following verse: "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2 NIV).  Confident of my safety,  I went to the front door.  Standing there was a young mother,  holding a  baby girl who looked to be about a year old.  The young mother introduced herself , and asked if she could use my phone. She  had come to my door " because the porch lights were on, and it looked so friendly".


  I invited her inside.  We sat in the den at the back of the house, and she tried in vain to get someone to help her with her car. The baby got fussy.  I took her, held her, went to the kitchen to get her some apple juice for her bottle, talked to her while her mother made phone calls.  The young mother kept trying to get help... to no avail.  Finally, in tears she blurted out the fact that her young husband had beaten her and that she was trying to get away from him.  Her mother lived in the next state - a drive of a few hours. She was scared; if he spotted the stalled car, he would know that she wasn't far away. She poured out her story to me.  It broke my heart to realize that this young girl was the same age as my daughter, but her life had taken a bad turn. And then another.  As we talked, I knew that I was meant to help this girl and her baby.

"This little light of mine.... I'm gonna' let it shine.... This little light of mine... I'm gonna  let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine..."

I made a phone call.  Arrangements were made.  The car was taken care of, as were these two precious souls. As they were about to leave, I realized that I hadn't asked her the baby's name. When I asked, her reply was, "Oh, her name is Angel."  I had entertained an angel unawares.