Displacing Darkness vs. Destroying Darkness
“And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; 4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever.”
Romans 22:1-5
The eternal and glorious light described in Revelation 22:1-5 is unlike any we have experienced here on earth. On Earth, we experience darkness so often that it is normal to us. When darkness has infected the area around us, we often use artificial light to displace it momentarily. Headlights, flashlights, and phone screens are methods we use to bring illumination to our immediate space and push away darkness. But these are so temporary. Headlights go out, light bulbs shatter, and phones die. It is so easy for the darkness to reinvade and surround us. When a light source is absent, darkness is present. That may seem elementary to mention, but it reminds us that as God's children are behind enemy lines, darkness is the default. The truth is darkness shows us nothing, even when our eyes are wide open. Because the nature around us teaches us about God's divine nature (Romans 1:20), we can notice truths about spiritual things from living in the physical realm. One of these fundamental truths is that we desperately need light, physically and spiritually. So what is there to hope for when darkness has deadly persistence and our artificial light methods are so weak?
Surely, we can look to our sun for a solution, right? The rise of the sun brings marvelous light and warmth to our eyes and bodies. The sun also allows life to thrive on Earth. It is our primary source of energy. On a biological level, it literally wakes us up each morning with the function of our circadian rhythm. Considering our solar system's star, what better picture of hope is there than a rising sun that defeats the darkness so effortlessly? Its mere presence sends the darkness running at the speed of light.
Unfortunately, even the blinding sun we know and love is also temporary. There is still a greater glory to come other than the sun's rising which only displaces darkness for 12 hours each day. It is the inevitable glory of the risen Son of God. He will come and forever reign with a light beyond our comprehension or imagination. Now, on a spiritual level, He will wake us up with the function and completion of His Word. The presence of Christ won't just displace darkness; it will destroy it. His light will be the default forever. Hold tightly to the hope of this glorious day. It will happen soon.
What would it look like for Christ’s light to be the default of your spiritual life? How does your hope change as you think about this truth?