JOHN 3:19-21
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Natural light reveals natural things. Spiritual light reveals spiritual things. The Light that came into the world represented by the Person of Jesus Christ, Who is Himself the Light testified of the evil that was and is present in this world (JOHN 7:7); evil born of fallen angels as well as sinful humanity. With absolute certainty, this condemnation - this judgment of God, will fall upon all who reject the Light that is Christ (ROM 5:16, 18).
The fact that people, generally speaking, hated the Light of Christ is evidence enough to incriminate humanity as desperately wicked; and no one knows this better than God Who knows all hearts, to their very depths (of depravity; see JER. 17:9-10).
Yet there is more evidence of this besides - they not only hated the Light, but they loved darkness as well! It may well astonish Christians to realize that the word used here for "love" in the Greek is agapeo, a word we typically associate with the love of God. The noun agape is rightly associated with the love of God in an exclusive sense, but agapeo - the verb form of agape is used in such instances as in MATTHEW Ch. 23:
MATT 23:6-7
6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
And in our present text as well; agapeo can intimate an attitude of being completely devoted to the object being loved, entirely selfless with only the concerns of the loved object, at heart.
Darkness is nearly always associated with evil, with chaos, disorder and ruin in the Scriptures; it speaks of the powers of the Satanic rule (LUKE 22:53; ACTS 26:18), as well as rulers of such (EPH 6:12); of spiritual death (JOHN 8:12; 12:46); and wicked works (ROM 13:12); and the former state of saints before their conversion (2 COR. 6:14; EPH 5:8).
Darkness will never conquer the Light (JOHN 1:5)!
This is also why our society will grow in its hatred of Christianity; the church is the Light just as our LORD is Light because the body of Christ is indwelt by His Spirit (MATT. 5:14; PHIL 2:15). They want nothing to do with the true church of Jesus Christ, but will gladly accept the apostate church with all of its doctrines of demons (1 TIM 4:1), theological falsehoods (MARK 7:7; COL 2:22), and vain philosophies which are not just useless for the true saint of God (COL 2:8) but may endanger them of being seduced and ensnared as slaves of deceit!
And the world disdains and refrains from the truth, which is the very foundation of the church (MATT 16:18; 1 TIM 3:15): that is, the truth as found in the exclusive truth source in this world, the Word of God (PSALM 119:14-15)! This is the love feast of the bride of Christ, to feast upon the Bread of Life (JOHN 6:33,35,48,51), to love the LORD's provision and have their good deeds (EPH 2:10) revealed by the Word of Light.
Yet this Light will not always be available to the world. There is coming a time when darkness shall rule and the anti-Christ will be in power; yet still the Light of Truth will be available for those who truly seek the LORD with all of their hearts (see JER 29:12-13)!
The time of utter darkness will enshroud every soul that has repeatedly and adamantly rejected the Light of God's Truth until they come face to Face with the LORD on the Day of Judgment, and that Light of Truth will manifest such evil in that soul, that the holiness of God will have no other choice but to condemn it.
And thus, sentence that soul to everlasting destruction and outer darkness - and there, the Light of God will never, ever shine. Such horrible darkness and destruction will overwhelm the condemned who find themselves in the same place as Satan and his fallen angels - the chief prisoners of that wretched realm!
JOHN 9:4-5
4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
MATT 25:30
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
For those who produce such works that are revealed to be the very work of God in the life of the believer, the Spirit of Truth and Light of the LORD will verify the origin of such deeds. These are ordained by Christ, produced by Christ, revealed by Christ and used as a means to worship Christ:
REV 4:10-11
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Amen. The next time, we will cover JOHN 3:25-30, the message will be entitled, The Inversion Principle. Until then beloved of the LORD, let us keep ourselves in the love of God (JUDE 1:21)!
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