Separation of Light and Darkness...

" Arise , shine, for your light has come , and the glory of the Lord rises upon you . For behold, darkness shall cover the earth , and gross darkness the people : but upon you the Lord appears resplendent , and his glory shall be seen upon thee " (Isa. 60.1-2 ) .

The word " light" is highlighted by the prophet Isaiah . What is the "light " ? We all know that light is the absence of darkness, but we must understand that the issue here is the separation between light and darkness . We read in the beginning of the Bible : " ... and ( God ) has separated the light from the darkness" ( Gen. 1:4 b ) . God did not eliminate the darkness , He separated the light . Therefore , a second key word to remember is that " separation."

The coming of Jesus means exactly that : separation ! Or do you believe and accept that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh , lived a sinless life and sacrificed himself , shedding His blood on the cross of Calvary for their sins , and so you became a child of light , or you reject this eternal truth and remains a child of darkness .

The opening verse not only says " behold, darkness shall cover the earth ," but continues: " and gross darkness the people ." This is the reality in our world . For example , we can hardly imagine the terrible darkness in which they lived - suicidal Islamic terrorists who hijacked the airliners on September 11, 2001 and launched into buildings occupied by thousands of innocent people . Why did they do this? Undoubtedly , they were convinced that his act was justified , for them , this was the right thing to do . They firmly believed that at death , would be transferred to the glory of paradise . However , such religious belief is not based on truth , it has its foundation in the imagination of the evil hearts of men seduced by the " darkness" .

Scripture , however, does not say that only the people who commit such heinous crimes live in darkness , for we read : " ... the darkness [ copper ] people ." This means that all the world's people live in darkness .

The darkness is a terrible thing , because it prevents us to see anything. For example , if you enter the basement of a house or other dark place at night without having a light run serious danger of getting hurt . That's what the Bible reports: all people on earth are in serious danger , not only in his present life , but also how to eternity . Therefore , it is extremely important that you come to light.

When Jesus , the light of the world , the Word ( the Word ) of God , became flesh and dwelt among us , He gave birth to all, saying, " I am the light of the world " ( Jn 8:12 ) . John, however , said : " And the light shineth in darkness , and the darkness comprehended it not " (John 1.5 , Ed Revised and Corrected ) . Why the darkness did not comprehend ? We found the answer to this important question in John 3:19-20 : " this is the condemnation , that light is come into the world , and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil . For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light , in order not to be accused of his works . "

The birth of Christ , or Christmas, can only become effective in your life , if you come out of the darkness and into the light . Without it , Christmas will be just like a traditional theater piece - in fact , foolish and commercial .

The words of Isaiah 60.1-2 are directed at Israel. The light was and is Jesus Christ , the Son of God , the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world . The supply of light and the separation was made ​​initially to the Jews . It was aimed at Israel , which , however , rejected Jesus . So he turned to the Gentiles . This becomes very clear in verse 3 : " The nations ( Gentiles) shall come to thy light ... " Therefore , the words of verse 2b still awaiting its ultimate fulfillment , " but upon thee (Israel ) appears resplendent Lord , and his glory will be seen upon thee." That has not happened with Israel , so that should be adhered to in the future.

In the same chapter , the prophet Isaiah proclaims, "We also will come to you , leaning , the sons of those who afflicted you , will prostrate themselves to the soles of your feet all that I disdained and will call you the City Lord , the Zion of the Holy One of Israel " (Isaiah 60.14 ) . Currently , the opposite happens : Israel continues hated and oppressed . The Arabs have only one goal : the destruction of the Jewish state . They say that Zionism should be eliminated . However , this will not happen . In the end, all people will call Jerusalem the "City of the Lord , The Zion of the Holy One of Israel."

Finally , the prophet says : " Never again will violence be heard in thy land , wasting nor destruction within thy borders ... " ( v. 18 ) . The time will come when Israel will be the nation dedicated to the Lord , just as it is recorded in Scripture. Israel will be a praise to God in the midst of all the peoples of the earth . Only then true peace prevail across the globe . The Prince of Peace will rule " with a rod of iron " (Rev. 19:15 ) and will not tolerate any rebellion. All people are subject to the authority of the Lord of lords and King of kings , Jesus , the Crucified . So finally , Luke 2:14 is a global reality : " ... on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

This type of Christmas still unimaginable in the days we live in, because the whole world lies in darkness . However , there is one exception: the individual and personal inner peace that you can try now . Even in these turbulent times , this peace that " passeth all understanding " (see Philippians 4:7) is available for you. Have a true Christmas experience this year ! Jesus said : " Therefore you now have sorrow: but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice , and your joy no one will take " ( Jn 16:22 ) .

In Christ, Pastor Valni Borges.