We are living in a time of great darkness, with the darkness seeming to grow deeper every day. That darkness manifests in many different ways, but it is all of the same darkness. It is the spiritual darkness that rejects truth and life. It rejects the Word of God, and rebels against His LORDship. In recent days, as in the past, the darkness has taken the form of racial hatred and violence, terrorism, perversions, child murder, murder in general, and other forms that we are seeing on the news every day. Sometimes, we are tempted to forget the plan of God in the midst of this darkness. Even as we see this darkness seeming to spread further and further over our nation and the whole earth, scripture tells us that God foresaw it happening and prophesied about it:
"Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the LORD will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you."
Isa. 60:1-2
The same (kabode) glory that the LORD, Himself, possesses, He has given to us, as well as the same (ore) light as is Jesus, who said, "I am the light of the world." (Jn. 8:12, 9:5). This is the same light that Jesus spoke of when He told us that we also were the light of the world (Mt. 5:14).
It is the way of the LORD, that when darkness tries to reign, He pours out His glory light upon us and tells us to shine with it. As we know in the natural, the darker the surroundings, the greater effect light has upon it. So it is also in the spiritual realm.
The prophet Daniel told us that when the darkness of wickedness would flourish, "...the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits." (Dan. 11:32).
The call and purpose for God's people in these troubling dark times is clear. This is when the light of the Gospel in us should appear at its greatest. This is the time when the light of the uncompromised truth of God's Word is needed to save lives and souls, to deliver them out of that darkness and into His marvelous light, even as we were delivered.
The Apostle Paul instructs us, when dealing with those outside the faith, to let our speech "always be with grace, seasoned with salt" (Col. 4:5-6). We are always to speak the grace of God, but also with the salt of truth that preserves and cleanses. He says by doing this, we "redeem the time". What a deep concept. It means to recover from the power of another the epoch waited for, the fixed time when things are brought to crisis. We can possibly say then that the darkness is trying to have power over the timing, or delay the timing, of the return of Christ, the awaited epoch. However, one reason that God has poured out His own glory, and His Son's light upon us, is for the purpose of taking back that time. It requires us to be the fullness of that light.
Why is it so important that we not compromise the truth we know with the darkness around us? The light that the darkness cannot destroy from the outside (Jn. 1:5), it will try to destroy from the inside. Jesus warned:
"The light of the body is the eye; therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness....If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light."
Lk. 11:34-36
Even a small compromise with darkness, destroys the whole light within, according to Jesus.
Similarly, the Apostle Paul tells us in Eph. 5:1-27 to be imitators of God, avoiding the works of darkness, and to walk as children of light. He says that these dark works and behaviors are even shameful to talk about. These behaviors come from fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, and idolatry. Do not be partakers with them. While we once shared in these dark works, we are now light in the Lord, proving (giving evidence) of what is acceptable to the Lord, rather than the abominations of darkness. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, he tells us, but rather expose them, making them manifest out of hiding by the light of Christ.
Similarly, the Apostle Paul tells us in Eph. 5:1-27 to be imitators of God, avoiding the works of darkness, and to walk as children of light. He says that these dark works and behaviors are even shameful to talk about. These behaviors come from fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, and idolatry. Do not be partakers with them. While we once shared in these dark works, we are now light in the Lord, proving (giving evidence) of what is acceptable to the Lord, rather than the abominations of darkness. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, he tells us, but rather expose them, making them manifest out of hiding by the light of Christ.
He concludes these thoughts by saying in v. 16:
"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
Again, he talks about the concept of "redeeming the time". While we are redeeming the time from the power of the darkness, we are also redeeming our land from that darkness. If we care about the spiritual condition of our land, God has given us His own glory to bring to it, if we will walk in that glory and light.
Let us understand, above all, that "Christ is head of the church; and Savior of the body." (v.23). A church that compromises with darkness, though it pleases the world, has removed Christ from its headship. For by His headship, He is presenting to Himself a "glorious (kabode) church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." (v.27).
Recommended reading: "Redeeming the Land", by Gwen Shaw, 1987 (see links below)
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