"Arise, shine; for thy light is come. Isa. 60:1. For long the night had brooded on Mount Zion, and the beautiful city had sat in the dust desolate and afflicted; but at last the watchers see the sky brightening into the splendor of dawn, and the cry goes forth that the day is at hand, calling her to arise and shine. Whenever the glory of the Lord rises upon thee, be sure to reflect it. Arise, shine! Arise, to catch as much of it as possible. Behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord, in long and loving fellowship, till you reflect it in full-orbed glory; and as you reflect it you will be changed into the same image from glory to glory . . .Arise to the highest pinnacle of the mountain to catch the dawn. While darkness veils the lowlands, the dweller on the plains looks up to the heights of Zion and finds them bathed in the splendor of dawn.

F. B. Meyer

In Creation: Light and Darkness

        "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And 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. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3. Again, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. And all things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not" John 1:1-5. Notice, the life was the light. If life and light are inseparable, then the opposing entities must be death and darkness.

        Neither death nor darkness have eyes to see nor ears to hear. Of what value, eyes with 20/20 vision, if they be surrounded in total darkness? "the life was the light of men." The darkness did not comprehend the light for it did not have the life from whence it [the light] came. If we comprehend, lay hold upon the light, are indwelt by it, and in turn are reflectors of its (His) glory, it is because we have been imparted His Life! Again, in him was life; and the life was the light! Returning to Isaiah 60: Arise, shine; for thy light [and life] is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." (Interesting that phrase, "the Lord is risen!") May we say, that in the earthly, temporal sense, while the darkness does not comprehend (understand, discern, lay hold upon) the light, that men are aware of its presence! Although the natural man can in no wise see the Lord, yet we are to "Arise, shine; for the light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen [as the sun] upon thee." And as the Son arises upon us, let us reflect His glory! Though the darkened hearts of men may not comprehend, may there be an awareness of life and light before them that cannot be explained away. The Lord grant that many may be quickened of the Spirit in new birth; in the receiving of Christ and His life, and may truly comprehend, laying hold upon the Light.

The Lord shall arise upon thee (vs. 2), the glory of the Lord (vs. 1) shall be seen upon thee. God is the father and fountain of lights, and it is in his light that we shall see light. When God appears to us, and we have the comfort of his favour, then the glory of the Lord rises upon us as the morning light. . . When Christ arose as the sun of righteousness, and in him the dayspring from on high visited us, then the glory of the Lord was seen upon us, the glory as of the first begotten of the Father.

Matthew Henry's Commentary, Vol. iv, page 351

The Cross, A Place of Two-fold Darkness

        "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst" Luke 23:44,45. With this we would parallel the prophesy of Isaiah 60: "For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." Notice: "there was a darkness over all the earth" Luke 23:44, and "the darkness shall cover the earth." Isa. 60:2. Immediately following we find "and gross darkness [shall cover] the people." Though not specifically stated in Luke 23, we must of necessity conclude the hearts of the priests, Pharisees and the frenzied crowd to be covered in gross darkness. Great was the darkness that covered the earth, but far greater, far more intense, blacker than the soot of hell was that darkness that shrouded the hearts of those Sons of the Wicked one. It is gross darkness; that is; blatant, bizarre, disgusting, flagrant, foul, grotesque, vulgar. We might further expand the definition to include; enormity, atrocity, terrible nature.

And the Veil of the Temple was Rent in the Midst

        Usually we think of drawing back a curtain to allow the light from the outside to enter the room. The opposite is true in this case. The veil was rent signifying that the "curtain was drawn," but the Light of Shekinah glory came forth from within the room to dispel the darkness without!

A Light to Shine Out of Darkness

        "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" II Cor. 4:6. Thus are we exhorted to come in from the darkness without; to approach Christ, our great High Priest, that great Light and Life who sits upon the throne of Grace as our only intercessor!

Out of Darkness Shall Come the Light

        First the Darkness, then the Light. "But in those days, after the tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light . . .And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory" Mark 13:24,26. As in a theatrical presentation, the light or center of attention is more greatly portrayed by a dark backdrop; even so in the second coming of Christ in glory. ( As though He really needs the darkness as a background to accentuate His glory!) Yet the darkness can only be revealed in the depths of its depravity by its exposure to the Light.

From Creation to Cremation

        "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" II Peter 3:10.

From Cremation to Creation

        "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. . .And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God" Rev. 21:1,3.

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