Believe Jesus; and do not fall prey to dark light…
Jesus proceeded to speak of His imminent crucifixion – “’Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.’” (John 12: 27-28a) John then records God’s verbal witness – “Then a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’” (John 12: 28b) The people standing around thought that it had thundered, and others thought an angel had spoken to Jesus. Jesus told them – “’This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.’ This He said, signifying by what death He would die.” (John 12: 30-33)
The people answered Jesus by saying – “’We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” (John 12: 34) They had no understanding of who Jesus was, or why God had come in the flesh. They did not comprehend that He had come to fulfill the law and pay the eternal price for believer’s sins. Jesus was fully Man, and fully God. His Spirit was eternal, but His flesh could suffer death. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had said – “’Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.’” (Matt. 5: 17) Isaiah had prophesied of Jesus – “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isa. 9: 6-7) The people believed that when Christ came, He would establish His kingdom and reign forever. They did not understand that before He came as King of Kings, He would come as the sacrificial Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.
Jesus proceeded to tell the people – “’A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.’” (John 12: 35-36a) Isaiah had prophesied of Jesus – “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.” (Isa. 9: 2) John wrote about Jesus – “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1: 4-5) Jesus had explained to the Pharisee Nicodemus – “’For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.’” (John 3: 16-21)
Less than thirty years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Paul warned the Corinthian believers – “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted – you may well put up with it!” (2 Cor. 11: 2-4) Paul understood that Satan would trap believers as well as unbelievers with false light, or “dark” light. This is what Paul wrote about those who were trying to deceive the Corinthians – “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” (2 Cor. 11: 13-15)
The only way “dark” light can be discerned as dark is through the true word of God from the Bible. The doctrines and teachings of various “apostles,” teachers, and “prophets” must be measured against God’s word. If these doctrines and teachings are in contradiction or opposition to God’s word, then they are false; even though they may sound really good. False teachings and doctrines often do not overtly stand out as false, but are carefully crafted to lull one into a delusion of deception and lies. Our protection from false doctrine lies in understanding and knowing the word of God. Consider Satan’s temptation of Eve. It says that the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field that God had made. The serpent told Eve that she would be like God knowing good and evil, and would not die if she ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What was the truth? God had warned Adam that if they ate of that tree that they would die. Eve, after the serpent’s lying words to her, instead of seeing the tree as a door to death; saw the tree as good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make a person wise. Listening to and heeding the serpent’s words blinded Eve’s mind to the truth of what God had said.
False teachings and doctrines always lift up our fleshly minds, and turn us away from real knowledge and truth about God. What did Peter write about false prophets and teachers? He said they would secretly bring in destructive heresies. He said that they would deny the Lord, use covetousness, and exploit with deceptive words. They will deny that Jesus’ blood was enough for salvation. Peter described them as presumptuous and self-willed. He said they will speak evil of the things they do not understand, and that they carouse in their own deceptions while “feasting” with believers. He said they have eyes full of adultery, and cannot cease from sin. Peter said they are “wells without water,” and speak great “swelling words of emptiness.” He said they promise people liberty, although they themselves are slaves of corruption. (2 Peter 2: 1-19) Jude wrote of them that they creep in unnoticed. He said that they are ungodly men, who turn the grace of God into lewdness. He said they deny the only Lord God, Jesus Christ. He said that they are dreamers, who reject authority, speak evil of dignitaries, and defile the flesh. Jude said that they are clouds without water, carried about by the wind. He compared them to raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame. He said that they walk according to their lusts, and mouth great swelling words, and flatter people to take advantage of them. (Jude 1: 4-18)
Jesus is the Light of the world. The truth about Him is in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Won’t you consider who He is. If we listen to and heed false teachers and prophets, they will turn us away from Him. They will turn us to themselves. We will be be brought into bondage to them. We will be carefully deluded to believe Satan, and before we realize it, what is dark will become light to us, and what is light will become dark. Today, turn to Jesus Christ and trust Him and what He has done for you, and do not be deceived to follow some other gospel, some other Jesus, or some other way…
