The Prophet Isaiah prophesied:

Isaiah 60:2 "For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people..."

     Who would argue that this is a fit description depicting our present day and age? When we just listen to the prayer requests that come forth from all over the world, we understand that these are dark, dark days.

    The Holy Spirit spoke through the Apostle Paul and warned us of the conditions that we would face in the last days.

2 Timothy 3:1-7 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD...Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down..."

     He called them "perilous times" and depicted a people who would be fierce or brutal, haters of those that are good, without self-control, false accusers, irreconcilable, and without natural affection.

     The Scriptures describe those in Darkness. They walk dishonestly. They are in the state of sin and ignorance. They are blinded, not knowing where they are going. In Proverbs we are given further explanation:

Proverbs 4:19 "The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble."

     "They stumble". They walk in the night, so to speak. They live, are occupied with, conduct themselves in, and "regulate their lives by Darkness.

     "Oh, yes!" The Scriptures tell us that the Light is shining in the Darkness, but the Darkness does not receive it or admit it. John said it best:

John 1:5 "the Darkness comprehended it not."

     The Light is the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, shining so brightly in the midst of a crooked and adulterous generation. Yet those who are in Darkness are not seizing, possessing, and laying hold of God's Truth. They are those who rebel against the Light; know not its ways, nor abide in its paths. Simply said, "they do not know the Light - the Word of God - the Lord Jesus Christ."

Job 24:13 "They are those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof."

     In fact, they hate the knowledge of God; they will have none of His counsel; they despise all His reproofs.

Proverbs 1:29-30 "For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof."

     The Scriptures tell us that they hate the Light; neither do they come to it.

John 3:20 "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."

     They do not like to retain God in their knowledge. As much as they hate the Light, even so do they love the Darkness that surrounds them.

Romans 1:28 "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;"

     In John our Lord tells us that they love darkness rather than Light. They prefer error before Truth, sin before holiness, and the Devil before Christ.

John 3:19 "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

Romans 1:28 "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened."

Ephesians 4:18 "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:"

Matthew 6:23 "But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness;"

     And this "was our condition" before we repented of our sins and totally surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ. This "is the condition" of every one outside of Christ.

Ephesians 5:8 "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light;"

     We see in the above verse that "ye were sometimes darkness." "Were" is a very important word here. Past tense. Over and done with. Behind us. "Were." At some time, aforetime, formerly, in time past, once we lived in ungodliness, immorality, shadiness, and obscurity. But there was a given time in our lives when we turned from Darkness to Light. We were converted, if you will. We were brought back or caused to return.

I Peter 2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"

     God called us out of Darkness. It was a definite, individual, and personal call. And we "should shew forth the praises of him who hath called" us out of the darkness.

     We realized that we could not serve two masters. We realized that Light has no communion with Darkness. We could not walk the middle road any longer.

Matthew 6:24 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

     We could not be a partaker of a crooked and perverse nation and be blameless and harmless sons of God at the same time.

Philippians 2:15 "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"

     We had to decide between uncleanness and holiness. We could no longer walk in darkness and pretend to have the Light of life.

I Thessalonians 4:7 "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness."

     Now we no longer walk in it. Now the Lord our God enlightens our darkness (Psalm 18:28). Light is sown for the righteous (Psalm 97:11). Because we believe in Jesus, we no longer abide in it (John 12:46). We walked in such gross and dangerous errors. "Now we walk in the Truth of God's Word."

As a songwriter once said:

I've been delivered, Oh, Praise the Lord,
I've been delivered by His Word,
The chains of sin are broken,
I've been delivered, Oh, Praise the Lord.

     We can surely rejoice for God has delivered us from the power or rulership of Darkness. The god of this world at one time blinded our minds.

II Corinthians 4:4 "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."

     Our understanding was Darkened. We were "alienated from the life of God through the ignorance" that was within us.

Ephesians 4:18 "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart."

     Now the Scriptures strongly and vehemently command us to do three things pertaining to Darkness:

1. Cast Off The Works Of Darkness

   Isaiah 2:20 "In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;"

        We are to "cast off", lay aside, lay apart, put away, put off, and put aside all the deeds of Darkness. Just as a man shall cast his idols of silver and gold to the moles and bats, even so should we "cast off" the works of Darkness.

   Paul tells us to "put off" or "cast off" "the old man":

   Ephesians 4:22 "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;"

   Colossians 3:9 "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;"

   
   

2. Have No Fellowship With The Unfruitful Works Of Darkness

        Secondly, we are to share no company with or we are to simply stop having fellowship with those walking in Darkness.

   Psalm 1:1 "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

   Psalm 26:4-5 "I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evildoers; and will not sit with the wicked:"

   I Corinthians 5:11 "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat."

   I Corinthians 10:21 "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils."

   II Corinthians 6:17 "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you."

   
   

3. Reprove The Works Of Darkness

   Ephesians 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

        Lastly, it is just not good enough for us to separate ourselves from the "unfruitful works of darkness". We are to "reprove" them as well.

     In summary, just as someone would physically cast aside an idol, so are we to "cast off" the works of darkness. Just as someone would lay aside sin and put off evil habits, even so must we "cast off" the works of Darkness.

     We are to have no fellowship with the "unfruitful works of darkness." In other words, we do not walk, stand, sit, enter, or go in the way of evil men. Separating ourselves from Darkness is not enough. We cannot be silent, turn our heads the other way, and ignore it. We must also speak out - "reprove" it.

     God has delivered us from the power of Darkness. Now may we keep ourselves separated from all Darkness that we, in turn, may be used by God to deliver someone else who is in Darkness today.

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Last modified: 12/04/2002