light – Page 2 – James G. Owen, Author

Who is God?

Many people through the ages have asked this question. Many have found the answer by reading the bible given to them, heard many preachers, teachers, and disciples of the Lord Jesus tell of him. So, I asked myself the question and how I would explain the God of Israel, the God that Christians also call Jesus. Here are my thoughts.

God is Elohim. Elohim, a Hebrew word that is plural. Throughout scripture we see the definition of Elohim taught as the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. In the Old Testament we do see the trichotomy mostly in symbolism involving the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is direct in the Torah and the Tanach. The Son is spoken of, for instance, as the Captain of the Hosts and also as messiah types like Moses. The Holy Spirit is seen as water, wine, and oil in these scriptures. As we move along to the New Testament, which is a renewed covenant we see all three working through these writings being directly spoken of in context. God is made up of three persons, yet he is One. We are made in his image as body, soul, and spirit—three, yet one.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:1 KJV

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 14:26 KJV

God is Light. In the beginning of creation, God presents himself as light. He is the light of creation until he creates the sun to provide a light through the seasons. In the new earth to come God returns as the eternal light where his people dwell forever. We also see in his person that God is light, in which there is no darkness, meaning God is perfect, life is in himself, and in his being sin is not found. He is holy. With his light and knowledge he reveals the deep and hidden things, which he has written into his word, the bible for man to find. When we need strength, encouragement, wisdom and knowledge we can go to the scriptures and find light for the soul which quenches the thirst we have for our spiritual needs. Within him is light. He is made up of light, and light dwells within him. He is bright, and so bright that no man can physically look upon him and live. This he tells Elijah so that he can go into the creft of the rock and God can show his back to him because God’s glory—his light, the shekinah would strike him dead. Why? Because we do not live in glorified bodies. Our bodies are corrupted by sin that came through the sin of Adam and Eve.

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:5 KJV

He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
Daniel 2:22 KJV

God is Light and Salvation. When I need light I go to Jesus to ask for strength and his light to light my paths so that I may stay and live in righteousness, for God is my strength that I need daily to ward off evil. He is life, and life on earth depends upon light to continue, and we must need light to continue living within our spirit man, the spirit that God breathed into us. When we are living righteously, we have his light and his light is sensed by all in the world, both those who live for Jesus, and by those who don’t. When we read his word, listen for his voice to guide us, with these paths we see his light and his goodness and love.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lordis the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1 KJV

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
Psalm 36:9 KJV

This is how I would describe God to anyone in the world. There is only one path to eternal life, and that is through Jesus the Son of God, the logos—the Word.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 KJV

The Power of Light

God is light. He is powerful and mighty. He creates light, but he is the ultimate source for light and enlightenment. There is no other god before Him, for he is One, and the Master of all.

In creation, he created a light to be in the sky of earth and all the planets. This light was to mark the length of the day, seasons, and the year in order to keep time. God did not need the light to shine on the earth, but in his plan he wanted us to know the dimension of time and space of light versus darkness. The natural ability of the two gives us a 3D effect in our natural world, so this is the reason for the God of Israel to give the command, “Let there be light. We also know that the light he created gives photosynthetic food to the plants on earth, and for energy to be stored for mankind to use. This is one of the powers of light.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Genesis 1:3 KJV

Since God is the light that illuminates everything, he is a light for protection. When the Israelites were making their trek out of Egypt he had a pillar by day and night around the Israelites. There was a light, an angel in the rear to keep God’s children from being attacked from the rear before crossing over the Red Sea, and there was a light at night so that the people would feel safe while in the wilderness. God walks before us, and also behind us to protect us from harm. All those who know him will be protected in this manner. He actually protects us 360 degrees. Scripture tells us he is one step ahead of us.

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
Exodus 13:21 KJV

We are to make sure that the light in the tabernacle does not go out, meaning in a spiritual sense that we should enact in prayer daily being prayerful in spirit all day, but stopping along the day to pray at least three times. We are to keep ourselves in his word which stirs the heart and helps build a fire within us, teaching us and blessing us with spiritual provision to keep the tabernacle, our souls from thirst. We are responsible for the tabernacle, our bodies both externally and internally, meaning we are not to do anything that will defile our physical bodies with sin. For example, the committing of a sin that will bring disease like sexually transmitted diseases. We are responsible for the upkeep of our tabernacle internally as well, meaning listening to the Holy Spirit for direction, for words of knowledge or prophesies. To listen for God’s counsel when we are to meet certain people in our time during the day. We are to be instant in season so that we are able to give light to others, who may not know where to find the light. We are to be the light to the world that is searching and needing light and truth.

Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.
Leviticus 24:2 KJV

And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof.
Numbers 4:16 KJV

The truth is there is no light other than the God of Israel. He is a triune God. His embodiment is in the form of the Father, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Ghost. So, if you are needing light to feed your hungry soul look at the four powers of light I have given you. There is no other god that can give light and truth that will give you love, real love, and hope. There is no other god that will protect you, or give you provision. God and his son Jesus is about life, and there is light in life which empowers our lives to give light to others. This is the power of light.

Notes: All scripture given is taken from the King James Version Public Domain Biblegateway.

The December Chanukah

It is called the feast of the dedication in the New Testament in the book of John. Chanukah is about the celebration of the victory of the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire and its leader Antiochus IV Epiphanes. A seven year revolt because the Jewish people refused to worship the Greek pagan gods. It is also called the Feast of Lights.

And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.
John 10:22-23 KJV

The December Chanukah is a time that is honored by nine lights on the Chanukah menorah. Each light being lit for each of the 9 days celebrated. This is the celebration of the Jewish people. However, how can Chanukah relate to the Christians who believe the Light of the World is the Messiah Jesus? Jesus came to the world for all people of all ethnic groups, that is Jew and Gentile to bring salvation to all. He brought light into the world when he was born, as the angels sang of his birth, and the stars declared. The message of his birth written in the stars and the shepherds watching could read this part of the gospel story. Jesus brought light into the world by turning water into wine and began his ministry, and continued to bring light and hope to all the people of Israel, and to the Gentiles as well. He brought the light in teaching of the law, healing the sick, lame, deaf, and the blind. He also delivered people from darkness and brought them into the light by casting demons out of them. He brought light into the families when their loved ones died and he raised them from the dead. He brings us light because he has authority over all, even death.

Light into the world can be viewed as victory over death, and Jesus brought us this victory by being the final sacrifice, a perfect sacrifice in that he never sinned, was a man but was not born of man’s seed. He was born of the Holy Ghost, and his father is the God of Israel. Only God can deliver man because mankind has been defiled by sin. Jesus declared that he is the Light of the World, by beginning the phrase I AM. The two words I AM in Hebrew is yah and that is one of the many names for God—the God of Israel, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the God of all of us who believe in his son Jesus.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 KJV

Christians and Messianic Jews celebrate Jesus’s birth at this time of year and honor him as the light. The Chanukah menorah has nine lights. The number nine has a biblical significance in gematria. That is, the nine fruits of the Spirit, and the completeness of the Lord. God laid his plan out in the Old Testament by establishing the law so that all of mankind, and the Hebrews would know how to live moral lives in righteousness, govern themselves, and also how to worship the Lord through sacrifices, psalms, dancing, and praise. The burnt offerings of the animals, and the grains were just a covering, especially the blood that was presented before God. To finalize God’s plan of salvation he had to send his son Jesus to be the sacrifice for mankind, and undefiled sacrifice. His character can be seen in the fruits of the spirit in which the nine candles can represent, and these fruits Jesus displays to man in his time on earth, and in our current eras. For Jesus is the December Chanukah.

Notes: All scripture used is from the King James Version Public Domain Biblegateway.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maccabean_Revolt

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah

Biblical Mathematics: Keys to Scripture Numerics, Evangelist Ed. F. Vallowe, page 88.