Aren’t the images that the space station is sending back to Earth awesome! The image above shows Israel at night. You can see Jerusalem clearly. The lighted parts of the photograph reveal the places where human life exists on our planet. If the earth were filled with more people, there would be more light. More people, more light. Without the life, deep darkness would overtake the planet. God told mankind to be fruitful (use your seed to produce more of you) and multiply and fill the earth. Why did God want the earth filled with human life?
(If you haven’t read the first two parts of this series, please take a moment to do so before continuing.)
In God was life and that life became the Light of men. (The ones who received the love of the Truth so as to be saved. II Thessalonians 2:10) When the life of God is put into a man, it lights him up, spiritually speaking. That is how man can manifest the Glory of God, because the life of God lights us up, and changes us. Look at John 1:5 “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” Notice the verb tense of what the Light does--it says it shines, not shone. It started shining when Jesus came and dwelt among men, but it is still shining today in the lives of the ones who, centuries later, have believed in Him and been made sons of God.
Think for a moment with me. Let’s look at the spiritual truth about Light on planet Earth rather than the empirical truth about it--in other words, the picture of truth God gives us in everyday life. Night and darkness, and day and light, switch back and forth every day--night, then day, then night, then day... or darkness, then light, then darkness, then light... Back and forth it goes over and over and over again on planet Earth. It seems to us that our world is lit up half of the time, right? Empirically, yes, but spiritually, that’s not really true. This world is actually in complete spiritual darkness except for the times when God’s Light touches it, like when Jesus walked on Earth. Matthew 4:12-17 “...He [Jesus] came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulon and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Nathtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--the people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a Light dawned.’ From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” There was Light as God Himself, Jesus, walked on Earth, and there is Light as Christians, the sons of Light, maneuver through this evil obstacle course called Earth.
The empirical world is simply an illustration of what is true spiritually. The world is in complete darkness except for the moments in time when light shines upon it. When our part of the planet faces the sun, then the darkness cannot continue; it is not powerful enough to continue to be darkness. When light comes, the darkness dissipates; it is overpowered. Darkness cannot overpower the light; it is always overpowered by the light, even if it is for a short period of time (like the times when our part of the earth faces the sun). Sunlight itself is a picture for us to see the real truth-spiritual truth. John 1:5 “The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
Think about what a privilege it is to be born (given life) as a child of God. Like Father, like child. You now become a Light-bearer for the Light; you have been lit up and it is your privilege and your responsibility to speak His Truth so that His Light (Jesus), shining in you, can be seen by others. Others, when seeing your walk and hearing your talk, will reject your Light most of the time. Just like a piercing bright light is very unappealing when you are fast asleep and enjoying ‘darkness’, so too will the Light of God be painful in the eyes of a son of darkness. But be encouraged that God has called some to be His Own, and those who are His Own know His voice and will come to the Light. (John 10:14) Be faithful to let your (His) Light shine before men! Matthew 5:14 “You are the Light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your Light shine before men in such a way that they may see your goods works, and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.”
While Jesus was still among men on the earth He said, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” John 12:35-36 What was He saying? If you do not receive the Light, when He shines on you, while you see Him, you will be overtaken again by the darkness. He said if you do believe in the Light, while you see it shining, you become a son of Light yourself. Down through the centuries, many men have been illumined by the Light--although Jesus, Himself, has returned to heaven to be with His Father. The sons of Light who walk presently this earth bring Light to its dark environment; they bring the message of the Word, the Light, the Son of God, Jesus, Who died so that men might be ransomed out from the darkness--to all who will listen.
Those who believe are born again and become sons of God. Like produces like. Like Father-Like Son. Jesus came to Earth as the Son of God. He shows the world His Father because He was, and is, the radiance of God’s Glory. (Hebrews 1:3) Like Father-Like Son. Jesus is the exact representation of God’s nature. (Hebrews 1:13) As sons of God, we are conformed into the image of Jesus. Romans 8:29 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His son, so that He would be the first born among many brethren.” Because we are conformed into the image of Jesus and Jesus is the exact image of the Father and the radiance of God’s Glory, we too, show the world the Glory of the Father. Wow!!! What a privilege! What a responsibility!
Because our Light is really a reflection of the radiance of God’s Glory, you can image what the world would look like in the above image if it were a spiritual snapshot, rather than an empirical one. Look at the image above of the earth by night (darkness) and try to imagine what it would be like if the earth was completely filled with life, men who were filled with the Holy Spirit, radiating the Glory of God for all of Creation to see. Isaiah 45:18 “For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens (He is the God Who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited.” Did you catch that? Why did God form the earth? He formed it to be inhabited. Look at the command God gave to man after He created them. Genesis 1:28 “...Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth...” Look at the command God gave to Noah after God destroyed the world by flood because of its sin. Genesis 9:1, 7 “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” “As for you, be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”
Why did God want the earth to be inhabited? Look at Genesis 1:27 “God created man in His Own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” God wanted His Own Image to be seen; God wanted His Glory to be seen! It goes back to His plan of Creation, the plan to bring Himself Glory! He would receive His rightful and due Glory through THE SEED because THE SEED would bring life out of death, life which looked resembled the Father.
THE SEED is Jesus, the Promised One, Who would come and bring life, even while man was dead. Genesis 3:15 “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.” God had personally planted a wonderful garden in which He would put man. (Genesis 2) Out of the ground of that garden God grew a tree called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and God told man not to eat fruit from it because if he did, he would die. Then God made a helper for the man--a woman.
There was a crafty serpent in the garden and he tempted the woman to eat from that banned tree. She did and she tempted the man, and he ate, too. They had disobeyed God and God would be true to His Word--they would surely die. They died spiritually that day and would die physically, as well. God cursed the serpent, the woman, the man and the earth, but He also gave a promise--the promise of life, the promise of eternal life. And the promise was fulfilled in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, God’s Son, Who took on flesh and became the son of man, so that He could be born of flesh in order to be able to bring life to those who would believe in Him. (Hebrews 2:9-18 ) Those who believe in Jesus, that He truly is the Promised One, THE SEED sent by God--to those He gives the right to become children of God.
Are you a child of God? How do you know? Does your Light shine before men so that they see God instead of you? Does your Light help dissipate the darkness of the world? When God looks at the earth from His heavenly throne, does He see your Light?
Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive Glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” Some day soon, Christ is going to come and take back His planet, which is now in the midst of massive global rebellion. And when He does, He will begin to receive His Glory.
Isaiah 43:7 “Everyone who is called by My Name, and whom I have created for My Glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” Some day soon, all that He has called to Himself will be saved and sanctified, and will begin anew to bring Glory to God on the new Earth. The new city of God, the new Jerusalem, will have no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, because the Glory of God, the fantastic blazing brilliance of His Glory, will illumine it, and its lamp is the Lamb, THE SEED.
