Worship call 0697 The Battle between light and dark

Worship call 697

Wednesday July 26, 2022

The Battle between light and darkness

📷Day and Night

Chad Bird “Unveiling Mercies”

God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. Genesis 1:5

Parents named their children on the day of their birth. So also, when God brought forth the mountains, the earth, and the world (Psalm 20:2), he started naming things left and right. The first two to be christened were Yom (“Day”) and Laylah (“Night”) These two halves of the day were like twin brothers, with Laylah being firstborn (darkness preceding light) and Yom the second born. Yet, as with other biblical twins, it was the second born, the younger Yom, whom God chose as his special instrument.

“We are not of the night or of the darkness.” Paul says (1 Thess 5:5) It was during Laylah’s half of the day when Judas betrayed Jesus and Peter denied him, when thieves come, when people get drunk. We are children of the light, Children of Yom, “so then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober”(5:6) “the night is far gone, the day is at hand’ (Romans 13:12) for we await the arrival of the New Jerusalem, where the “gates will never be shut by day-and there will be no night there (Rev 21:25)

“Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day” (Ps 86:3)

As the Lord works to bring the world back to its near original estate where there is harmony rest and peace between the creator and the creature, there has always been opposition from the ruler of this current age.

That would be the devil.

This is the Devil’s world.

Ephesians 2:10,6:12; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11. 1 John. 5:19.

As history draws closer to its Millennial rest, The desperation of Satan grows, knowing that his time is short. When one sinner repents, Satan loses further control. When a believer reaches maturity Satan loses more control.

There will be opposition, and the attack will be against the light.

Satan cannot get to God but he can surely get to the bride.

Matthew 5:9–16 (NASB95) — 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

I wanted to take this entire passage not to speed things up but that in this passage is the summing up of the battle that we are in.

The battle between the prince of peace and the ruler of this dark world and between The Children of darkness and the children of light.

The ancient old conflict is the battle between light and darkness.

So, let’s go to where the battle began.

Genesis 1:2 (NASB95) — 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

This verse can be translated as the earth became formless and void and dark. For Isaiah 45:18 said that God did not make it that way and the sons of God would not have shouted for joy in Job 38:7

At the point we come to Genesis 2, Darkness had a hold upon this earth. Until light came and released the world from its dark tomb.

Genesis 1:3 (NASB95) — 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

The light came not to cohabit with the darkness but when it came it moved darkness out of the way. Light was an unwelcome intruder to the world that was content with the darkness.

John uses this to describe the condition of man’s heart.

John 1:4–5 (NASB95) — 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not gain control over it. (Corrected translation)

Genesis 1:4 (NASB95) — 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

The Lord said the light was good but gave no such approval to the darkness.

This sits the pattern throughout the scriptures of the conflict between the Light and the darkness. Pagan religion says that this is a eternal and everlasting struggle. But that is not true.

IN the beginning God. God preexist creation. It was he who is good and is righteous who is the light and there is no darkness in Him at all.

Jesus, who is God, is the Alpha who in the beginning and he is the omega that will be when sin and evil is vanquished forever.

Sin was reintroduced to this world when Adam sinned. It was at that point Satan became the ruler of this dark world. but light was yet the world and Satan may have thought for whatever length of time had won it all but that thought was short lived when The Lord spoke to the serpent

Genesis 3:15 (NASB95) — 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

What God had purposed from the beginning God is bringing back to as He had purposed it. but Satan is not going down without a fight.

I often wondered how this genius of creature can even think that he might one day overpower the light, which is God to perpetuate his own dark kingdom.

The answer is clear and we see it with the kings of the earth.

Arrogance. Pride. A lofty view of self. It does come before the fall.

The very one that the evil one tempted and lured into sinning against God is the very ones that the Lord will use, the ones made in his image will becomes light within the world. It will start with righteous Abel who honored God and was light within the fallen race of man. His brother the agent of Satan murdered Abel in the effort to rid the world of the light.

and so the battle begins and we can trace the history of the battle between light and darks all the way to the cross and to this very day where persecution of the believer is growing more intense.

Matthew 5:10 (NASB95) — 10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy once again. As the well adjusted believer in Christ inculcated in God’s word does not fret because of wickedness. (Psalm 37) It is the That Child of light who has been enlightened to the fact that darkness will never overcome the light, and though there are dark times within the battle there is a certain victory in the end.

Psalm 2 Psalm 2:1–12 (NASB95) — 1 Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the Lordand against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, 6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” 7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. 9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’ ” 10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. 11 Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling. 12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

Psalm 30:5 (NASB95) — 5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

Even during the times of persecution James encourages his brethren

James 1:2–4 (NASB95) — 2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Listen folks, if you are in deep dark depression over the affairs of the world and the state of the current battle, may I suggest to you that you are not taking God’s word seriously.

Why are the persecuted happy. Why did some go singing all the way to their deaths. Even as they were being tied to the post where they were going to be burned alive?

Even in Hitlers Gas chambers the guards could hear singing of those who were dying who were looking forward to the kingdom to come.

It was fighting Dan Daly at the Battle of Belleau Woods in WWI who sounded the charge against the Germans

“Come on, you SOB’s (cleaned up for mixed company) do you want to live forever!

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Not in these bodies we don’t. and in this time while we may be suffering from persecution it is those who are often times happy not only for the coming kingdom but because of the actual sharing in the suffering of Christ.

In fact I have heard that there are those Christian’s in other countries who have pity on the western world for it does not seem that we are worthy of the privledge to suffer for Christ.

The Lord said those who do not pick up His own cross to follow the Lord are not worthy to be His disciples… well leaves me to believe that we each have a cross and thus the issue of persecution living in the enemies territory comes with the package of being a Christian.