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Continuing our discussion from part one, at this point, you may be wondering exactly where am I going with all of this. Well, consider the following. In the world of physics, many of us know that one by-product of energy release or energy transfer is light. The Sun is a tremendous combustion engine which when it burns its fuel, releases energy in the form of a massive amount of light. This light energy is so powerful that it illuminates our own planet and beyond. Other stars do the very same thing. Electricity is likewise a form of energy which produces light in the form of a spark, an arc, or a bolt of lightning. When a nuclear explosion occurs, there is likewise a brilliant flash of light. Are you starting to get the point yet?

We have clearly seen that the Heavenly City is lit up by the very light of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The intensity of their light is described in the Scriptures as being brighter than the Sun. That light, in my view, is in fact a by-product of their very spiritual nature. In other words, if Spirit is a form of creative energy, and light is a by-product of energy release or energy transfer, it makes perfect sense. God the Father and Jesus Christ are spiritual powerhouses, so they obviously produce an enormous amount of light energy, and that is why they light up New Jerusalem. Furthermore, as Jesus said in the Gospel of John:

"God ‭is‭ a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship ‭him‭ in spirit and in truth."


In other words, if I am correct, the Light of God the Father and the Lamb does not just light up the City of Light. It in fact energizes New Jerusalem and powers it as well. But that is not all that it does. I asked earlier, exactly what is it that gives beings in God's City of Light eternal life? Is it simply the fact that time does not exist there, and thus an eternal state exists there? Or is there more to it than just that? Is it possibly due to the fact that said inhabitants of New Jerusalem have rights to partake of the twelve fruits of the Tree of Life, as we see by the following verses?:

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."


"In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, ‭was there‭ the tree of life, which bare twelve ‭manner of‭ fruits, ‭and‭ yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree ‭were‭ for the healing of the nations.‭ ‭‭Blessed ‭are‭ they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."


While these are obviously contributing factors, allow me to propose that it is even more than that. I propose that it is also due to the fact that the inhabitants of New Jerusalem are constantly exposed to and constantly absorbing the light and energy from God the Father and the Lamb which contributes to and maybe maintains their eternal nature. They are similar to rechargeable batteries which need to be recharged after a period of use. If they aren't charged frequently enough, then we say that the batteries are dead. Similarly, if we refuse to accept the spiritual light and Eternal Life that is freely offered to us through Christ, then surely, we will die in our sins, and we will never experience the wonders of the Lord's marvellous City of Light. Why? Well, because the wages of sin is death, and we will be dead as a doornail, just like those depleted batteries which no longer have a spark of life in them. Now consider the following group of verses:

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men."


"Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."


"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."


"And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."


"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;"


"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins . . . But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."


"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."


So as I said, God the Father and Jesus Christ are both the source of our spiritual light, as well as the source of our Eternal Life. They are our energy source, plain and simple. In fact, in the previous verses, the word "quickened" is derived from the two Koine Greek words "suzoopoieo" and "zoopoieo". According to Thayer's Greek English Lexicon, these words mean to cause to live, to make alive or to give life. Of course, in this case, we are referring to Eternal Life in the Kingdom of God. Exactly how are we made alive? By the spark of the Holy Spirit which dwells in us.

As I mention in articles such as "A Treasure in Earthen Vessels: God's Promise of the Spirit", the Apostle Paul refers to this spark of the Divine Nature which now resides in us -- that is, the Holy Spirit -- as "the earnest of the spirit". But exactly what does this phrase mean? In all of the following verses, the word "earnest" is derived from the Koine Greek word "arrabon". Thayer's Greek English Lexicon defines this ancient Greek word as meaning "money which in purchases is given as a pledge or downpayment that the full amount will subsequently be paid." In other words, the spark of the Holy Spirit which we each receive in this current life is sort of like a downpayment, preview or sample of the full life in the Spirit which we shall someday experience in the wonderful City of God. It is just a foretaste of what is to come:

"‭‭Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, ‭is‭ God;‭ Who hath also sealed us, and given the EARNEST OF THE SPIRIT in our hearts."


"In whom ye also ‭trusted‭, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,‭ Which is the EARNEST OF OUR INHERITANCE until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."


"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle [meaning our physical body] were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the EARNEST OF THE SPIRIT. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."


Now think about this for a moment. If we are told that the "virtue" which flowed from Jesus was enough to heal people in the Gospels, and to even raise some of them from the dead, imagine what it must be like to be constantly in the presence of God the Father and the Lamb, and to constantly be exposed to -- and absorbing -- that same spiritual energy. It is like being exposed to a good kind of radiation. Instead of chemo which can easily kill you and the cancer both, it is God's holy radiation which constantly bathes you in His restorative energy and light and gives you life. In fact, Eternal Life. Maybe we can call it "God's Good Radiation Therapy". Ha!

As we learned in part one, God the Father is described as both a sun -- which is a star -- and as the Father of Lights. What is meant by the latter phrase? What lights is God the Father of? You mean, He and Jesus are not the only lights? They are most definitely not. I am willing to bet that any creature which is exposed to that Divine Light and Divine Energy long enough is going to start shining like a star as well. And if you doubt my word, then consider the following interesting set of verses which suggest the very same thing. As you will see, Moses' face literally shone after he was exposed to the Lord's presence during those forty days on the summit of Mount Sinai. Likewise, the sons of God are compared to stars in the Book of Job for a good reason:

"And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him."


"When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"


"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."


Wow! I bet that some of you didn't realize that the Bible is such a heavy Book! Well, we aren't quite done yet. We have talked about time and eternity, as well as Spirit, light and energy. But there are still a few additional topics I would like to include in this article before concluding it. For example, think about the mighty Angels who are constantly in God's presence and absorbing that amazing light and energy. Oh, how they must shine! This leads me to think about God's notorious archenemy, Lucifer. Many of you no doubt know that prior to his fall from grace, it appears that Lucifer was actually God's light bearer, whatever that means. In fact, in the original Hebrew language, that is precisely what the word "heylel" means: light-bearer, shining one or morning star. Consider the following verses which describe that evil one's sin against the Lord, and his subsequent fall:

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."


"Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.‭ Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone ‭was‭ thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.‭ Thou ‭art‭ the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee ‭so‭: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.‭ ‭‭Thou ‭wast‭ perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee."


Please note that while on the surface the previous two sets of verses appear to be addressing the kings of Babylon and Tyre, they take a strange twist, and we suddenly realize that in reality, they are actually addressing the spiritual entity who is behind those two earthly rulers. After all, Satan is the king of empires, and the god of this present evil world, as we see by the following group of verses:

"And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it."


"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."


Do you recall in the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke how Jesus described Satan's fall when he was finally cast out of Heaven permanently? Consider the following verse where we once again see a clear connection between light and energy. We all know exactly what a lightning strike is like. There is a sudden, brilliant flash of light as the electricity arcs through the sky:

"And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."


But this is not the last verse in the Bible where we see the Devil -- or Satan/Lucifer -- associated with light in some way. As some of my readers will likewise recall, the Apostle Paul also writes the following rather interesting verse in his second Epistle to the Christian brethren in the city of Corinth:

"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."


Now, if as Paul writes, Satan can transform himself so that he appears as an Angel of Light for the purpose of deceiving people, what that verse suggests is that Angelic Beings do have some kind of aura of light surrounding them. Yes, we can interpret the phrase "angel of light" as being a metaphor for a bearer of spiritual truth -- which is why the Apostle Paul is warning the brethren to beware of deceivers -- but I think that there is more to it than that. As we have already seen, beings who are exposed to God's wonderful energy and light for an extended period time can indeed shine and glow, just as Moses did. So why else would Satan be trying to copy them in such a manner? I was just reminded of the following verse:

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"


Now isn't that exactly what Satan, the Father of Lies, does? Isn't that precisely how he operates? He is always trying to trip us up with some half-truth, or with some distortion of God's Word. He tries to mix a little bit of light -- or truth -- with his darkness -- or lies -- so that we will hopefully take his evil bait. Isn't that what he did with Adam and Eve when he said "Hath God said"? Isn't that even what that fiend attempted to do with Jesus when he said "If thou be the Son of God"? However, as the Apostle Paul also admonishes us in his second Epistle to the Corinthian brethren:

"Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."


Yet at the same time, perhaps it is this appearance of being surrounded by an aura of glowing light which also explains the presence of halos in so many classic works of religious art, as well as on statues of revered religious figures. I have read some sources which claim that halos came about as a result of wanting to protect statues from bird feces. But personally, I prefer to go with the previous explanation. It certainly seems to find support in the Scriptures. In fact, as many of my readers will likewise recall, we see something very similar occurring in all three of the synoptic Gospels -- that is, in Matthew, Mark and Luke -- where the Lord is transfigured before Peter, James and John, as we see in the following group of verses:

"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."


"And after six days Jesus taketh ‭with him‭ Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.‭ And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.‭ And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.‭ And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.‭ ‭‭For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.‭ And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.‭ And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.‭ And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead."


"‭‭And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.‭ And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment ‭was‭ white ‭and‭ glistering.‭ And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:‭ Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.‭ But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.‭ ‭‭And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.‭ ‭‭While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.‭ And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.‭ And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept ‭it‭ close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen."


But now let us look at this same issue in reverse. If being in the presence of God the Father and the Lamb for a long period of time fills us with that same spiritual energy and light so that we have Eternal Life, and so that we even begin to glow in some fashion just as Moses did after a mere period of forty days on the summit of Mount Horeb, what happens when we are removed from that magnificent presence and spiritual light and energy?

It seems to me that an exact opposite process would begin to occur. In other words, while this is again just speculation on my part, I suspect that the spiritual light and energy which one has absorbed would begin to wane, and eventually, maybe even dissipate completely, unless it is replenished. If this is indeed the case, it may possibly help to explain what happens in the following set of verses in regards to the fate of the Fallen Angels, as well as the Devil himself. I discuss these same topics more fully in the nine-part series entitled "Nephilim: The Giants of Genesis". Personally, I am convinced that God has a very clear purpose and goal for everything that He does. Did He do this to intentionally weaken His foes by draining them of their spiritual power?:

"For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into CHAINS OF DARKNESS, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;"


"And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in EVERLASTING CHAINS UNDER DARKNESS unto the judgment of the great day . . . Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; WANDERING STARS, TO WHOM IS RESERVED THE BLACKNESS OF DARKNESS FOR EVER."


"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."


As you can see, all of these wicked beings were cast into utter darkness, away from the presence of God the Father and the Lamb, and away from their revitalizing energy and light. As I said, this act of being imprisoned in darkness must in some way serve a purpose. Is it possible that I am correct in stating that this particular punishment is to drain them of their spiritual energy which they received while they were in God's presence? Do they begin to lose their spiritual charge, just as batteries slowly lose their charge with use?

You know, for you comic book and superhero fans, this reminds me of the story of my favorite childhood hero, Superman, who as some of you may know, has a number of indirect references to the life of Jesus Christ. As the story goes, Kal-El -- or Superman -- hails from the planet Krypton, which has a red sun. It is only when he arrives in our Solar System, and is basked in the light of our yellow Sun, that Kal-El gains his super powers. Furthermore, it is only as long as he remains in the presence of the rays of our yellow Sun, that Superman retains his amazing powers. Are you seeing the parallel yet?

In similar fashion, the writers of the New Testament also exhort us to continually walk in the light of Jesus Christ, and to flee from the works of darkness. Not only that, but the Book of Revelation informs us that one of these days, after our sojourn here on Planet Earth is through, we will see our beloved Savior face-to face, and we will bathe in His light forever, as we dwell in that wonderful, eternal City of Light where time exists no longer. Consider the following inspiring group of verses:

"While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them."


"The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light."


"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."


"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?"


"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children . . . For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light . . . And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."


"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;"


"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:"


"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness."


"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:"


"If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."


"And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:‭ And THEY SHALL SEE HIS FACE; and his name ‭shall be‭ in their foreheads."


With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

The Children of Light: Are You One of Us?
Star Wars: The Real Battle Wages On!
This Little Light, Glory of the Lord and Our Bright Future
Do You Want Love and Light, or Rod and Wrath?
What is Meant by Outer Darkness in the Bible?
New Jerusalem: Heavenly City and Mountain of the Lord's House
A Treasure in Earthen Vessels: God's Promise of the Spirit
Sex, a Bowl of Soup, and the Nature of Angels
Adaptation, EVILution and the Six Days of Genesis
The Earth is Under Seven Thousand Years Old!
Nephilim: The Giants of Genesis
Satan: His Origin, Purpose and Future
Satan: King of Tyrus, King of Empires

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