Archive for light

« Older Entries

What If Light Is One of the Bible’s Greatest Themes? -Mark Wilson

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Mark Wilson with tags , , , , , , , , , on July 29, 2026 by paulthepoke

Mark provides outstanding Biblical content on X @ https://x.com/Mark_Wilson_25/

The Bible begins in darkness.

Not with sin.

Not with death.

Not with rebellion.

Darkness.

“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep.” (Genesis 1:2)

Then came the first recorded words of God:

“Let there be light.” (Genesis 1:3)

Those are more than the opening words of creation.

They introduce one of Scripture’s greatest themes.

From Genesis to Revelation, God is steadily driving back the darkness.

As C. S. Lewis beautifully observed,

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

Lewis understood something the Bible has proclaimed from its very first page: God’s Light doesn’t merely illuminate our path. It enables us to see everything else rightly.

~

❖ Creation

Light appears before the sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 1:3-5).

Whatever the precise purpose of that first light, it declares an unmistakable truth:

Light begins with God.

Darkness does not create.

It only retreats when God speaks.

David later writes, “For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” (Psalm 36:9)

Everything becomes clearer in His presence.

~

❖ The Presence of God

The theme immediately expands.

A bush burns but is not consumed.

A pillar of fire guides Israel through the wilderness.

The golden menorah shines continually inside the Tabernacle.

Then the radiant Shekinah Glory fills the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-38) and later Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 8:10-11).

Again and again, God’s presence is revealed through light.

Yet Scripture also records one of its saddest moments.

Because of Israel’s persistent rebellion, the glory departs from the Temple (Ezekiel 10-11).

But judgment is never God’s final word.

Ezekiel later sees that same glory returning from the east to dwell among His people once again (Ezekiel 43:1-5).

Even exile points toward restoration.

~

❖ The Promise of Messiah

The prophets looked beyond Israel’s darkest days.

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” (Isaiah 9:2)

Isaiah calls the coming Servant, “A light for the Gentiles.” (Isaiah 42:6)

And again,

“I will also make You a light for the Gentiles, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)

Malachi closes the Old Testament with a remarkable promise:

“The Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings.” (Malachi 4:2)

For centuries, Scripture had been preparing the world for one Light.

~

❖ The Light Arrives

John deliberately echoes Genesis.

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)

Then Jesus declares: “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

The true Temple had come.

The true Light had entered the world.

The symbols had become reality.

Paul reaches all the way back to Genesis and writes:

“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.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Creation itself pointed forward to new creation.

At the Transfiguration, Jesus did not merely reflect light.

His face shone with His own glory (Matthew 17:2).

He is not illuminated.

He is the source.

~

❖ Two Kingdoms

The Bible never presents darkness as God’s equal. It is not a competing force. It has no creative power. No sustaining power. No victorious future. Darkness exists only where light is absent.

This is why Scripture speaks of two kingdoms: The Kingdom of God’s beloved Son. And the dominion of darkness (Colossians 1:13).

Satan understands the power of light so well that he disguises himself as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

He cannot create true light. He can only counterfeit it. False messiahs. False prophets. False gospels. False righteousness. His greatest weapon is not obvious darkness. It is imitation light.

~

❖ Our Calling

Jesus never told His followers to become experts on darkness.

Instead He said, “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14).

The psalmist reminds us, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105).

Paul echoes the call: “Live as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8).

Peter writes that we have been, “…called out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9).

Believers do not manufacture spiritual light.

Like the moon reflects the sun, we simply reflect the One who does.

One candle transforms an entire room.

Darkness has never extinguished light.

Light always expels darkness.

~

❖ The Story’s Glorious End

The Bible ends exactly where it has always been heading.

Isaiah foresaw the day when the LORD Himself would become Israel’s everlasting light.

“The LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.” (Isaiah 60:19)

John sees its fulfillment.

“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp… There will be no more night.” (Revelation 21:23, 25)

Think about that.

The first recorded words of God were: “Let there be light.”

The closing vision of Scripture is a creation where night itself has disappeared because the Lamb is its everlasting Light.

From the burning bush…

To the pillar of fire…

To the menorah…

To the Shekinah Glory…

To the prophets…

To Bethlehem…

To the empty tomb…

To the King who declared, “I am the Light of the world”…

Every light in Scripture is ultimately pointing to the Light of the world.

The Bible is one grand story of God’s self-revelation in His Son.

Darkness had its hour.

The Light gets eternity.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1)

~

Mark provides outstanding Biblical content on X @ https://x.com/Mark_Wilson_25/

Leave a comment »

The Garment… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , , , , on January 24, 2023 by paulthepoke

In the garden of Eden, God made male and female and clothed them in a garment of glory which is God Himself. They lost that glory garment when they sinned. Everyone born after the first couple was born without a glory garment.

Everything Jesus did was to put that glory garment back on us. We are to wear that garment now as we live. We were never meant to live apart from God and His glory.

When we try to, things don’t work. But when we live with Him in covenant relationship, and we activate His glory to shine on us, we walk every day carrying His presence into every realm where we place our feet. Darkness is driven away as easy as turning on a light switch in a dark room. Everything is effortless in the Father’s glory that Jesus died to give us.

Key indicators that the glory in us has been activated and is now abiding on us is perfect peace (no ripples on the pond), joy unspeakable because we’re full of His glory, and perfect love that drives out all fear.

Bloch

Colossians 1:27 “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Ephesians 5:14 “Therefore He says, ‘Wake up O sleeper, arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Matthew 17:2 “And He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.”

2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, to prevent “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God,” from shining “on them.”

2 Corinthians 4:6 “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels…”

John 17:5 “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

John 17:22 “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:”

John 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me…”

2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Leave a comment »

Seek the Glory of God… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , on August 24, 2021 by paulthepoke

When we seek first His Kingdom as Jesus commanded, it causes us to wear this wedding garment of Christ’s glory on us every day. As the light of the world, we don’t have to worry about how our earthly needs will be provided. They will just come to us effortlessly. God sends them without us even asking. But when we ask, He gives us abundantly more than we ask for! We seek Him and His glory (John 5:44, Proverbs 25:2) in humility, and He provides all of our needs. When we are clothed in Christ it transforms the atmosphere to instantly bring His favor and wisdom.

“Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. (Isaiah 58:8-10)

Perfect peace is a primary indicator that we have the wedding garment of Christ on and dressed for the wedding! Joy unspeakable is another indicator, and perfect love that drives out all fear.

Holy Father, let your kingdom come and your will be done on earth and in our lives exactly as it is already in heaven!

We are the light of the world and we will not be hidden as Jesus said! Activate your glory within every person who reads this and show them how beautiful they are. Remind them that they are anchored behind the veil in Your glory! They are not anchored to the earth in sin and worldly passions. No one can take them out of Jesus and Your hand and nothing can separate them from Your love! Thank You Papa! In Jesus mighty name, yes and amen. 🙏❤️

Jesus died to reconcile you to the Father. Jesus finished His old covenant work on the cross, and He began His new covenant work as He sat down at the right hand of the Father, made a place for us and seated us there with Him, and then poured out the Spirit of our Father’s glory within us. So, this is the perspective of the church today as the Father releases His glory in the earth through us.

So be it Papa and let it be so!

Leave a comment »

Honest Scales, Part 2… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , , , on November 19, 2020 by paulthepoke

Jesus used “honest scales” to weigh the truth that He was given authority on earth to forgive sins, so that people could receive forgiveness from the Father through Him. If Jesus could perform the impossible that had to be proven to the natural eye (which means the Father is healing though Him), then He could also perform the impossible that can only be proven to the spiritual eye (which means the Father is forgiving through Him).

When we use these “honest scales” in every form of suffering that we encounter by balancing the side we don’t understand with the side we do understand (because we were able to weigh it which created an image in our mind), then revelation of what we don’t understand enters in and the suffering ends as the manifestation of the impossible takes place before our eyes. Because the scales simply balance without us forcing it, and the glory of God effortlessly manifests. Revelation transfers as light into our minds. That transfer of light comes from the Father’s throne of glory, where Jesus sits and reigns as Lord and King of glory.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Jesus is the access Door into the Father’s Presence. He and the Father are ONE. We are ONE with the Father too when we are “in Christ”. We walk through that Door into the Presence of the Father where all suffering ends and His glory manifests in both the supernatural and the natural realms.

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. If our suffering has not yet ended, it’s okay. It’s not anyone’s fault. The mind just needs to be renewed.

We need that transfer of light, that balancing of scales. The Holy Spirit (aka the Spirit of Glory, the Spirit of the Father) was given to us to teach us and reveal to us how to balance the scales and rightly divide the Word of truth. So we can receive everything that we need and so the glory of God is released in the earth through us in the same way the glory was released through Jesus, but with even “greater works” because Jesus went to be with the Father, where we too are seated in Christ, therefore in the Father, where the greater works come from. Until we receive from our Father in heaven we have no ability to change things that seem to be unchangeable.

Without Christ we can do nothing, but with Christ nothing is impossible. As soon as light (revelation of truth) transfers from the throne of glory into our minds, the thing we need manifests effortlessly. As soon as the scales are balanced, healing comes, answers come, God’s glory shows up.

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture (John 10:9).

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1).

The Lord hates dishonest scales, but he is pleased with honest weights (Proverbs 11:1).

But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mark 2:8-10)

Leave a comment »

Light Shine… Paul Beverly

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Paul Beverly with tags , , on October 5, 2020 by paulthepoke

Do not brag or boast, but let light shine upon the good in yourself. For the good in everyone is a gift of God. Shine so bright that no darkness is seen in you. Let others see the good works of God in you.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.

Have a bright week my friends!!!

Leave a comment »

How do You DO that, Jesus? -Michael Stone

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Michael Stone with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on October 23, 2019 by paulthepoke

You are omnipresent. That means that you are everywhere at once, ever present everywhere. That’s amazing to me. You are God, so I don’t struggle understanding that.

You are omniscient. That means that you know everything. That blows me away, yet, because You are God, I have no problem understanding that.

You are omnipotent. That is almost incomprehensible, yet, because You are God, I get it. You have always existed.

You have no beginning and no ending. I don’t really understand that with the finite mind that You created me with, but by faith I believe it wholeheartedly.

You created everything out of nothing but Your Word. I’m flabbergasted, yet, You are God, so it was really not a big effort for You at all.

You spoke light into utter darkness just by saying “LIGHT”. Okay, then! That’s all it took, because You are God.

You humbled Yourself and became a man to show us that we could be sinless and full of love, then You gave Yourself as the ultimate sacrificial Lamb, taking our place so that we may live with You forever. That’s amazing love. I accept that. I receive that.

Here’s the part that baffles me, though, Jesus; when we believe on You and confess You as LORD, You forgive every single sin that we have ever committed. Not only that, but You take it a step further and You forget every single sin that we have ever committed. WOW! That is mind boggling! How do you DO that, Jesus?

I have a hard enough time just struggling to forget a single mistake, yet You easily forget every horrible thing that I’ve ever done! You separate my sins from Yourself as far as the east is from the west. That’s immeasurable! How do you DO that, Jesus? Your Word says that You cast our sins into the sea of forgetfulness, to never again be remembered. How do you DO that, Jesus?

Why do I continue to compare Your ability to forgive and forget with mine, or anyone else’s? That’s really not wise. You ARE God. Nothing is impossible for you. When the enemy comes to me to remind me of bad things that I have done, and I bring them back up to You, Your reply is always, “What are you talking about? I don’t recall that. You’re forgiven. It’s forgotten. Don’t look back. Keep moving forward. Trust Me.” It’s time that I stop listening to the accusations of Satan, and start listening to the truth of who You are in me. You gave us all of Your power and authority.

It’s time that I started using it. Once we as Believers, as Followers of the Way, as Christians – once we all begin walking in the authority and faith that you gave to each of us, we CAN turn the world right-side-up for You, Jesus. How do we DO that, Jesus? In Your name! THAT’S how!
Thank You, Jesus!



4 Comments »

Straight Talk, Jesus and Daylight… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , on June 12, 2019 by paulthepoke

After Jesus’ disciples protested about returning to Judea for fear of the Jews, Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.”

Jesus is using natural terms here so that His disciples could understand the deeper truth that He was the Day.

Then He said, “But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

Because the light is not in him…

Here Jesus is talking about another kind of light other than the sun. Since the sun can’t be in you. The implication here is… if the light is in a man then he won’t stumble even when he walks in the night. Because it’s always day for those who follow Christ. So whatever light we see by will cause us to stumble… or not. If we only use the world’s light (of the sun, or even of the world’s kind of knowledge) then we are aware as far as that light extends to give us a visual but it’s limit is in only as far as our natural eyes can see. However, if we see by the Father’s light from within then we will avoid all danger, all evil, and all pitfalls… every time we set out to do something. We will see the manifested glory from the beginning. We know how the movie ends before it begins because we know His promises are trustworthy and true and His Word never returns void of an answer but it accomplishes what He sends it out to do.

So there are people who have an inward light that they see by. These are those who not only have Christ in them (the hope of glory) but they are in Christ (the Lord of glory). The light of the Father’s glory shines upon them making all things possible. One only needs to release His glory through spoken words that match the Holy Spirit’s words given to that individual. Or by doing something (a work) the Holy Spirit shows them to do.

Just as Christ was the Light of the world, we too are the light of the world as long as we are in it. When a light is turned on all darkness immediately scatters. No spiritual struggling needs to take place. Just turn on the light through His promises which are saturated in His glory and whatever promise is declared or acted upon must come to pass. Because the Father is doing it and not us at that point. He is doing it in us just as He did it in Jesus. Because He loves us just as He loves Jesus (John 17:23).

Turn on any light in a dark room and we will know the meaning of the light of Christ, and what that light does – the darkness flees with no contest. This is how the Father’s glory works in us because He shines on us and we are correctly positioned in Christ and seated in heavenly places in Him on the throne of glory, where the Father’s Light originates.

“Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:3)

The night came when Jesus died. But the glory of the Father raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand of glory. Now we are that light of the world because we are in Christ perfectly restored to the Father. Jesus is that “Day” where the sun is always shining. There is no darkness in Him at all. So as long as we are truly in Christ we will always walk in the day even when it is night. Because for someone who is in Christ there is no darkness at all.

“Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.” (Psalm 57:8)

“And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was…And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John 17:5,22-23)

1 Comment »

Straight Talk, Access Spiritual Light… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , on May 15, 2019 by paulthepoke

This transforming “light” is the glory of the Father which resides within each of us upon putting our faith in Christ but it lies dormant (we are blind to it even as believers) until we know that it is in us. When we know…our eyes begin to open and we can see from within in a way the world can’t see. We know things we aren’t supposed to know from the world’s perspective. Yet we are supposed to know them from the Father’s perspective.

In John 11:1-7, after Jesus learned Lazarus was sick, He waited 2 days to make sure he died so that the glory of God would be revealed in Him (in Christ) by raising Lazarus from the dead.

Sometimes God waits until we think the worst has happened and there’s no turning back before He sends His answer by telling us He can turn it back, so that His full glory will be revealed in any given situation. Don’t ever think death (or sleep) is the end of anything. God will wake that person up if you trust in Him to do so and cause all who witness to believe in Him. Nothing is impossible for our God and for those who are in Christ.

Jesus said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. “But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” (John 11:8-10)

Because the light is not in him – that’s why he stumbles. Not because it’s dark outside. But because he’s spiritually blind. There’s no light in him. When Christians stumble too it’s because no light is in him – same as the world. Sight isn’t automatic even upon putting our trust in Christ. God’s glory must be awakened from lying dormant within us. The potential for sight is always there. But our eyes still must be opened. So the Holy Spirit is teaching us all things.

“Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14, ESV)

Leave a comment »

Straight Talk, Get Up Lazarus… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , on May 8, 2019 by paulthepoke

Jesus had just found out His friend Lazarus was sick and purposely waited 2 more days before responding to the call by Lazarus’s sisters to come and heal him. He waited so that Lazarus would surely die before He got there and the glory of God could be revealed in Him, proving that God sent Him and that He was the resurrection and the life. People would place their trust in Jesus, and the Father would receive glory through Him.

Jesus said He was going to wake Lazarus up because he was asleep. Waking from sleep for a believer is a metaphor for rising from the dead to a new life. That is for someone who goes to sleep having put their faith in Christ. Only those who die “in Christ” get to participate in this new creation life.

Those who have this new life also have a light residing within them that the rest of the world doesn’t have. It’s a transforming and informing light. This light is the glory of Father for anyone who is positioned “in Christ”. This “in Christ” position gives us the power of the throne of glory. Because we are sons of glory.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” (John 1:12)

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4)

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Leave a comment »

Rays of Hope

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Christine "Clarity" McDonald with tags , , , , , on May 4, 2019 by paulthepoke

The story below is excerpted from my book Cry Purple.

Christine McDonald

Romans 8:24-25 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Life has a way of beating a person down when they think they can’t sink any lower. Such dark moments can squeeze you until you feel there is no hope. But somewhere deep down we all have the tiniest bit of faith that the darkness isn’t supposed to be the norm. Somehow we all have a sense, though perhaps buried, that darkness is the intruder, even if darkness is all we have known. Something in us cries out for the light even if we have never known it.

Photo: Shutterstock

We see these glimmers of hope in the world around us, the sunlight warming our faces, flowers demanding our admiration, a gentle breeze hinting that change will come. It’s easy to take tiny freedoms, these small displays of beauty or simple breezes, for granted. Some of us see change or even our redemption right around the corner. Yet others live on these small moments for years, barely surviving, but surviving all the same.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

~

https://www.gofundme.com/crypurplemovie

“Love your neighbor, all of ’em.” -Christine Clarity McDonald

https://crypurplemovie.com/

Leave a comment »

« Older Entries