In scripture over and over we see the contrast of darkness and light. In the first two verses of Genesis 1 we see this pattern set forth. We read in verse 2 that darkness was upon the face of the deep. Then in verse 3 we read “God said, Let there be light; and there was light.” The second reference to darkness and light is found in verses 4 and 5. “And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” We notice that God’s order for day and night began not with the morning but with the evening! This is a profound pattern that God follows all the way through the Bible. The Jewish day begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m.—from sunset one evening to sunset the next. The Jewish feasts begin when the sun goes down. God’s message is clear “the darkness must buckle and surrender to the Light.” God is Light and in Him there is no darkness. (I John 1: 5) Darkness and evil cannot endure or prevail in the end but only for a time as allowed by God. When evil appears to thrive and reign and prevail God breaks forth with great power and glory! This is the message that God seems to be resounding throughout the Bible and in our present day! In God the darkest of hours always leads to light!
Let’s look at patterns of this truth in scripture. In Jewish tradition, light is a symbol of wisdom, goodness, and divine presence. The nation of Israel is often seen as a beacon of light, tasked with a sacred mission to illuminate the world with God’s principles and truths. Isaiah 49: 6 reveals that Israel is charged with being “a light unto the nations.” Israel was a nation chosen by God to receive the Word, preserve it and share light and truth with the world as God’s emissaries. God chose Abraham and called him to leave the place of darkness and paganism where he lived. God made promises to him to Isaac and Jacob and their descendants to be a blessing to all the world through His Covenant which is an everlasting one still awaiting its final fulfilment. I want us to focus on how God moved in the lives of Jacob and his descendants to transport them to Egypt which means “extreme darkness” and in scripture is portrayed as a type of the world enshrined with pagan gods and practices. We remember the account of Joseph and how he gained favor with the Pharoah and initially the family was treated as royalty. However, as time progressed and the leadership changed, they were considered a threat as God multiplied both them and their livestock in their settlement of Goshen which means “drawing near” as God sought to draw them to Him. However, over time they fell under the rule of the tyrannical reign of a Pharoah who sought to kill the male babies and enslaved them. They remained in Egypt for 400 years before God intervened and delivered them under the leadership of Moses. God used a series of plagues in order to free them and judge Pharoah and their allegiance to the pagan gods. The 9th plague was intense and terrifying darkness that lasted three days on the land of Egypt but NOT on the settlement of Goshen where God’s people dwelt. God did a Divine reversal upon Pharoah and his slaughter of the Israelite children as the first born of all of Egypt died in the final plague. In the shadow of great darkness and death in Egypt God miraculously delivered His chosen people by the blood of a lamb placed upon the doorposts of their homes as the death angel passed over (the first Passover) and then by parting the Red Sea so that they could escape the darkness, enslavement and death from the enemy—Pharoah and his army. After 400 years in Egypt, God delivered Jacob’s family who had become a nation of 600,000 men beside children! History bears witness to the triumph of light over darkness. The Jewish people have faced enemy foes in the past, from the Egyptians to the Greeks, the Nazis, and now threats from peoples that surround Israel BUT GOD will prevail! The battle of light against darkness is not just a physical struggle; it is a moral and spiritual journey. The battle is the Lord’s and He wins!
Let’s briefly consider another span of 400 years referred to as the silent years between the Old Testament and New Testament. During that time God did not speak—no Scripture was written. The 400 years of silence began with the warning that closed the Old Testament: “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah and prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the father to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4: 5-6) and ended with the coming of John the Baptist in the spirit of Elijah who was a forerunner of Messiah. Between the time of Malachi and the coming of the Messiah, several prophecies were fulfilled, including the 2,300 days of desecration between 171 and 165 BC. (Daniel 8: 14) However, the people did not put to good use either the fulfilled prophecies nor the 400 years the nation was given to study Scripture, to seek God, and to prepare for the coming Messiah. In fact, those years blinded and deafened the nation to the point where most of the Jews could not even consider the concept of a humble Messiah (Zech. 9:9, Isaiah 6:10). They did not heed the message of John the Baptist nor Jesus who said “Repent, the kingdom is at hand.” In the words of Paul to the Corinthians we read: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness (Genesis 1:3),’ is the One who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Messiah.” (2 Cor. 4: 6) It would be upon a night after 400 years of silence from God—in the fullness of time in the city of Bethlehem that the Light of the world was born! The love of God overcome the darkness “for God so loved the world that He sent His only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn. 3: 16) In God the darkest of hours always leads to Light—all pointing to Jesus!
How does all of this apply to us today in America? Let’s review some important dates in the history of this nation. The first settlement in Jamestown, VA took place in 1607 and was chiefly established as an entrepreneur venture from wealthy, influential men in England and in 1624 their Charter was revoked and the settlement was deemed a failure. It was in 1620 that the Plymouth Colony came to America because of the pressures of religious persecution in England. They hold a special role in American history as they came searching for a place to worship God in freedom and liberty. While God chose Israel as a nation—America chose God to lead their nation! The Puritan leader John Winthrop said the “eyes of the world are upon us.” It was the mission to erect a “city upon a hill” inspired by Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Mt. 5: 14) Puritans saw themselves as a “chosen people” both blessed and obligated by a special covenant with God to carry out their mission. In the Puritans’ case, a “New Jerusalem” in New England would prove to Europeans the superiority of a genuine Protestant society. They were committed to planting the seed of the Gospel—of God’s Word and obedience to it. However, the Puritans’ focus began to break down over the generations. They were faced with dissenters that challenged the authority of God’s Word and the principals on which the nation was founded. Looking back to the 400-year milestones, we see the battle between darkness and light. It was the love of money that brought that first colony to American in 1607 BUT in 1624 it was dissolved! The battle for the soul of this nation has been going on since that time. The issue in the United States at this moment is not political but spiritual. Billy Graham had this to say years ago: “God is not surprised at these happenings. He is not dependent upon our puny plans and political conventions for a solution. The hope of the world is the Man whom the world has rejected. It is for us to uphold that God-man, Jesus, as Redeemer and Savior and leave the rest to Him…I call upon the church today to fall on its knees before God and ask the God and Captain of our salvation to led us in a spiritual revolution that will shake the very foundations of the social structure.”
One might ask—What is the significance of a 400-year period in God’s time table? We go to the Word for the answer. A Jubilee is 50 years and is referred to approximately 300 times in scripture. The Law concerning the Jubilee is laid out in Leviticus 25 and is described as the year of liberation and restoration. If we divide 400 by 50, we get the number 8—eight Jubilees—the number of resurrection and new beginnings all pointing to the One who is the Resurrection and Life! According to the pattern of darkness to light, America is positioned for a breakthrough from God—a revelation of Himself in powerful ways so that all the world will know that He is God, that He is on the Throne, that He has a plan and that He is in control! It is time for us to fall on our knees before God and ask God and Captain of our salvation to lead us in a spiritual revolution that will shake the very foundations of this nation and the world! According to the 400-year pattern, from 1624 when the Charter at Jamestown was dissolved to this year 2024, we are set for a Divine reversal and return to the commitment to God made by the Puritans! We cannot serve both God and money or the things of this world. (Mt. 6: 24) Remember 2024 is the Year of the Open Door as Jesus stands at the door and knocks. “If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Rev. 3: 20) God is still seeking to draw His people to Him and for us to be salt and light to a world in darkness! Paul gives us our marching orders for this year in Ephesians 5:8: “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!” John echoes this truth in 1 John 2: 8: “Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him (Jesus) and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.” The question is: Will we answer the call to be salt and light to our family, our community, our county, our state and our nation and world in 2024 so that America can again be that light on a hill—a beacon of hope?