The prophecy in Isaiah 60:2 says, “For behold the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you.”
II Corinthians 4:6 tells us: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”
I was meditating on these verses recently and what it means to us as Christians living in the last days. In the Bible, “last days” refer to the period of time between Christ’s resurrection and His return for His Bride, the Church.
This period of the last days in the twenty-first century is getting darker and darker. Our society is in what seems like a downward moral and spiritual free-fall, away from God. That should not come as a surprise to the Bible reader. We are told that in the last days, darkness will cover the people and the earth. There will be an increase of wickedness, the love of many will fade, there will be scoffers and mockers against Christ, and times of difficulty will come.
Rather than focusing on and becoming alarmed at the increasing darkness, we as Christians should focus on letting the light of the knowledge of God’s glory be seen upon us; and let it shine brightly from our lives.
It’s time to follow Timothy’s advice and stir up and rekindle the fire of God within us, and focus on the awesome and powerful God we serve, rather than focusing on the increasing darkness. As Christians, we have the light of Christ and the power of God’s Spirit within, enabling us to let the light of Christ shine from us and to let His glory be seen!
From reading the Bible, we can know, in a limited way, what the future holds for the Christian. Jesus will come again and dwell with His people in a new heaven and a new earth. Death, sorrows, tears, and pain will be gone. What a glorious thought!
Until then, we as followers of Christ must let the light of Christ shine through us into the darkness.
-John R. Sensenig
About the author: John, along with his wife Jean, live in Watsontown, PA. John serves as a pastor at Newberry Christian Fellowship in Williamsport Pa. He also serves as a board member for Heralds of Hope.