After reading and looking deeply into the story of the son possessed by the demon, it is clear that the scenario was allowed by God to expose the perverted spirit of Israel’s religious leaders. The possessed boy, aptly called a lunatic, was under the influence of darkness, and none of the surrounding religious leaders were able to dispel that darkness. The point being made by Jesus in calling them, “faithless and perverse” was this: the only thing with power over darkness is light, and none of them that should have possessed it, did.
LIGHT CREATED WITH PURPOSE
Through the story of creation in Genesis, we learn about the power and purpose of light. Created for illumination and energy among other things, the function of light is both natural and spiritual. Therefore, by revelation, the story of creation also informs us of the intended power and purpose of God’s people.
Genesis 1 (KJV)
“1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3And God said, Let there be light:* and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”*
Notice that before creation began, the earth was covered in darkness and water. If any life were present, nothing could see, and everything would drown. So, in the first day of creation, God determined that the most important thing would be the creation of light, and there is immense revelation contained in the Lord’s decision to prioritize it.
Water here, as it often does throughout scripture, represents the overwhelming, inescapable and insuperable law of God; nothing escapes His sovereignty. Then there is the presence of darkness which symbolizes the inability of anything without God or His light to see or act with awareness to His law. Therefore, the first spiritual purpose of light is to illuminate God, His omnipresence and the sovereignty of His universal law. Without the light of God’s grace, we would all certainly drown in the consequence of law. As the “light of the world,” the purpose of Jesus’ coming was to save us from darkness—to save us from death.
John 8:12
“12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
By simply allowing us to see ourselves and our surroundings, light preserves us. Without vision, every step we take is a perilous one. When we are blind to the law of God, we walk in darkness and will ultimately perish. Notice the context of Proverbs 29:18 deals with the law of God.
Proverbs 29:18
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Not only is Jesus the light of the world but so are we. Children of God are called “the light of the world” by Jesus, Himself. So our purpose should be aligned with His which is to bring salvation to a world lost in darkness. Those who walk in obedience to His Word also walk in His glory, illuminating righteousness and exposing surrounding evil.
Matthew 5:14-16
“14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
As we see in Genesis 1:3-4, it is also important to note that there is an immediate separation created between light and darkness that stresses the difference in their nature. Being distinctly different and opposite each other, the two cannot coexist, and this highlights the degree to which children of the light should be distinguishable from children of darkness.
2 Corinthians 6:14
14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
As the scripture says, what fellowship does righteousness have with darkness? There is no agreement between the two, so any place where children of darkness and light can both be observed, the difference should between them should literally be night and day.
As if the Lord hadn’t drawn enough attention to His separation of light from darkness, He strengthens His emphasis on dividing light into the fourth day.
Genesis 1:14-19
14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
After creating light and separating it from darkness, God created concentrated bodies of light and placed them in the heavens. Again, these divided the day from the night, but they also reveal additional, created purposes of light. In various ways and to different extents, these created bodies of light illuminate the time or season when they are visible, provide direction and signify times and seasons. Perhaps, the greatest example of this is the birth of Jesus where a star was placed in the east to lead the wise men to His place of birth.
Matthew 2:1-2; 9
“2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him …. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.”
As we closely observe the various sources of light placed in the heavens, it becomes clear that the functions of the physical bodies of light are made to teach us of the spiritual entities that rule from higher places. The Sun, the moon and the stars all provide light or direction in various ways, and the revelation lies in the details.
The sun, closest and most powerful light source on earth, rises in the east and sets in the west. It is the easiest heavenly body of light to set your bearings for direction. While the stars can also be used for direction, it is not to the extent of the sun. Interestingly, it is the only body of light directly connected to time. Its distance from different parts of the earth naturally determines seasons. So**, the Sun is most closely related to Jesus, the provider of light, sustainer of life, compass of direction and determiner of seasons**. No other light carries that power.
The stars are intended to resemble angels which can also provide some light and direction but to a lesser extent. The direction they can provide is secondary to the sun and most noticeable at night. As smaller lights of the night sky, they symbolize how God often uses angels during times of darkness (lack of direction) to give His people clarity, but they must not be worshipped or followed above Jesus. Stars do not sustain life or determine seasons. As a side note, this alone is revelatory evidence against the worship of horoscopes.
Revelation 22:8-9
8And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. 9Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
The moon is, perhaps, most peculiar in that it doesn’t produce light on its own, but it redirects light from the Sun. This light which rules the night is not a light at all. In fact, without the sun, it can’t rule or provide light to anything. It doesn’t sustain life, provide direction or determine seasons. As we covered earlier, it is obviously most symbolic of Satan, the ruler of darkness. Other scriptures support this intentional purpose, infused into the moon by God, the creator of all light.
Ephesians 6:11-12
“11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Light is the best descriptor of the nature of God and those who are empowered within His kingdom. The opposing kingdom is the kingdom of darkness, led by its ruler, Satan. These are divided—enemies one to the other—but light is inherently and effortlessly more powerful. The arrangement of the heavens enables us to be enlightened to these spiritual truths.
DARKNESS VS LIGHT
Light and Darkness simplify the reality of the spiritual war that has been fought since the beginning. This simplicity and understanding is spread throughout the Bible, providing insight into scriptures like the demon-possessed son. God is light, and there is no darkness in Him.
1 John 1:5
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Working against Him is the kingdom of darkness whose aim is to suppress the light by any means necessary. The story of Paul is one of conversion from darkness into light. His life before His encounter with Christ was the epitome of darkness just as his life afterwards was the embodiment of light.
Acts 26:12-18
“12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, 13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. 14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; 17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
Prior to his conversion, Paul was a chief persecutor and a light extinguisher of sorts. As one who operated in darkness, His aim was to put out the lights that exposed his own deeds. This continued until a light which could not be overcome overcame him. As a result, Paul became a great light-bearer, himself. As a follower of Christ and the primary contributor to the New Testament, Paul lived so that darkness would be exposed; he worked so that the presence and purpose of God’s law would be revealed; and he fought for people to be freed from their bondage to darkness and future judgment. He was equipped with the light of Jesus, and so are we as His children.
*Ephesians 5:6-13
6Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7Be not ye therefore partakers with them.Children of Light
8For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.*
Our purpose as light-bearers is no different than the purpose of light, declared in Genesis. We are made to reveal righteousness, warn of the dangers of sin, and take authority over darkness! The most important thing to remember about the light of Christ is that it is inherently more powerful than darkness. Therefore, those who have receive the light of Jesus inherit His authority over darkness!
John 1:1-5
“1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
Simply put, darkness has no power over light, period. Light is truth and walking in the light is having faith in what it has clearly revealed. That light is Christ Jesus. He has illuminated the path to salvation and we must choose to follow it while it is visible. When we receive His light, we must continue in that light which is His character and nature. We uncover darkness and walk in authority over it.
Philippians 2:12-15
“12Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 14Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;”
DIMMING LIGHT
We aren’t just able to be light to the world. We are accountable for it. The presence of darkness is the absence of light! So, the rise of darkness can be attributed to the loss of light. When this is interpreted spiritually, it means that the presence and popularity of sin is related to the minimization of righteousness as well as the persecution that arises from it. The main cause of pervasive darkness is simple—the church is either turning off its light or redirecting it.
To “redirect” light is to use knowledge of scripture and truth to highlight someone else’s flaws while attempting to hide your own in the darkness, and again, that is perversion.
Perversion is darkness. It is a choice to operate under the cover of darkness, even when light is available
The story of the adulterous woman is yet another one full of revelation, and reading it with an understanding of perversion—light vs darkness—uncovers its real message.
John 8:1-12 1
Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. 3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. 12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
The only reason to turn off the light of Christ is to hide in the darkness of sin. The interesting part of the adulterous woman’s story is that her religious accusers just left when they could have corrected their wrongdoing to the accuser and Jesus. Even more interesting is the sin that they were accusing her of—sexual perversion. We may never know what Jesus wrote on the ground, but one can reasonably assume that it had something to do with the perverted sins of the woman’s accusers. This is another scenario divinely allowed and intended to expose true perversion. It is almost an exact enactment of the aforementioned scriptural quote of Jesus:
Matthew 16:1;4 “
1The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven….4A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign;* and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.”*
Jesus used the word ‘adulterous’ to describe the Pharisees, yet these same Pharisees were trying to accuse the woman. The spirit of adultery, which manifests in the dark affairs of the supposed righteous, is far worse than literal adultery, and Jesus made sure to emphasize it. Perhaps this is why Matthew 7:1 says,
Matthew 7:1-2
“1Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”
Every time those who possess the light of truth use it to expose and condemn others without it, they are ultimately exposed and condemned, often for that same darkness. The father with the possessed son and the woman accused of adultery are evidence of this. In fact, the rise of physical perversion is the judgment of spiritual perversion. The darkness of the world increases because those who have been given light are increasingly choosing to operate in darkness instead.
Proverbs 4:13-19
“13Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. 14Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. 15Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. 16For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. 17For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. 18But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 19The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.”
*John 12:27-48
“27Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. 29The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. 30Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. 31Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 32And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 33This he said, signifying what death he should die. 34The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man? 35Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. 36While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. 37But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: 38That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? 39Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, 40He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. 41These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.Some Believe in Jesus 42Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: 43For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.44Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. 45And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. 46I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. 47And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”*
As the people of God, we must accept our accountability and responsibility to stand in righteousness. We can’t even begin to understand or address the overt perversion of the world if we don’t, first, look at the perversion among our own ranks. We are instructed to be the light and drive out the darkness. In most of these biblical scenarios, physical perversion rose to expose a lack of spiritual faithfulness. When God destroyed the earth with a flood, only Noah was righteous. When Sodom and Gomorrah was judged, the count of the righteous was the determining factor. As light, we must learn to discern the signs of the times correctly. When the perversion of the world is brought to attention, it is usually a test for the righteous. As we’ve seen, these aren’t usually tests to see whether we will pass or fail. They are usually tests to show that the called of God, by and large, has already failed.
