March 7: ACCEPT DIVINE ILLUMINATION
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. Revelation 21:23
God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5
Our gracious God has dealt so gently with us while we were still sinners. The brightness of the glory of God is deadly to sin and those who practice it. He very much wants to show us His full, unveiled glory, but it must be in His good timing! In the meantime, He is longsuffering and providing the world with one golden opportunity after another to see the contrast between His form of government and Satan’s form of government. (Romans 5:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Exodus 33:18-23)
What is light? Our friends at Amazing Facts point out this amazing fact: scientific experiments confirm that light is a wave. But other scientific experiments have confirmed, just as surely, that light is a particle. Experiments to determine the wave aspect of light show with certainty that it acts as a wave. And experiments endeavoring to understand the particle-like nature of light reveal it acting as a particle. “This particle-wave duality continues to baffle the world of physics.” Doug Batchelor, President of Amazing Facts International
It is very cool to gain scientific insight into the nature of, well, nature. But such knowledge matters not if one fails to grasp the spiritual illumination available in the eternally valuable lessons of that which He has revealed in both nature and His Word. In addition, His truth is reinforced within our intellect by His Spirit, providing we do not reject (blaspheme) His Holy Spirit. He endeavors to show us Himself without killing us!
The heavenly bodies, including our sun and moon, serve as witnesses to the much greater glory of God that mankind has not seen. God has also revealed incredible beauties of nature all around us. He has sent us prophet after prophet after prophet, and even His own dear Son—veiled in human flesh—to reveal His glory gently, that we might not be consumed, for our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).
In the New Jerusalem, every avenue of misguided thinking that has separated us from our loving Creator will have been vanquished. His people will have chosen — of their own volition — His Way over that of Satan. And, contrary to all of the ‘doomsday science’ floating around on the internet, our God of love promises an entire universe of purity, safety, peace, and joy. In our new, incorruptible bodies, we will behold Him face-to-face! Those who, by faith, accept this invitation will be known as the nation of Overcomers.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I am also known. And now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:12-13
For further study: Isaiah 62:12; John 8:12; 9:5; 13:7; Philippians 2:15; Revelation 12:1