THE DARK LIGHT

by CharlesRobey
(Trussville, AL USA)

"Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:3-5)

Am I plum tuckered out! I just can't keep up with this young grandson of mine. Why I agreed to take him to the zoo, I'll never understand. And why he was so fascinated with the snake pit, I also don't understand.

Now that I'm back home, think I'll revert to my routine regimen of warm milk and cookies, then hit the sack. I must have been much more winded than I thought. While sitting on the side of my bed, that was my last thought, before I was swiftly carried off into another of my dream world episodes.

I found myself in a rather large wilderness wasteland, the most barren desert terrain I've ever seen. If this landscape was not enough, along came the snakes. Snakes of all shapes, color and description were slithering everywhere along the sandy ground, and coiled up here and there ready to strike.

My first impression was, "Just where am I? And just what am I doing here? For this barren waste land is surely no good for anything," I thought.

All of a sudden, a weird-appearing stranger came walking up. He was dressed in an uncanny garb made of skins, and wearing a very unusual roughly woven belt made from small animal tails.

What was so bizarre was that he was simply walking through all those snakes, as if he was in perfect control of this particular environment, and as he walked through them, the snakes immediately jumped out of his path.

"Who are you and where did you come from?" I asked.

Answering rather shortly, he simply said he was here to help me maneuver through all this evil. To move through the dark light.

"Why evil? It's just a big pile of ruthless snakes," I thought.

Apparently hearing my frustration, he immediately moved into a preachers mode, starting with a rather pertinent question.

"My son, knowing your Biblical background, I am fully aware of your spiritual profile. And I'm sure that you are aware the snake represents evil in the Scripture. So where is first time these varmints are mentioned in Scripture?" he asked.

"Why that's simple, it was the temptation of our first parents in the Garden of Eden, when the Devil embodied himself in the form of a serpent, as he temped Adam and Eve. (Genesis 3:1-7) So are you saying that all snakes are now evil?" I replied.

"Not really, snakes are not necessarily personified demons. They are simply varmints that have been hereditarily cursed by God. You see, the serpent's very form and movements were altered because of the temptation. As a result of God's punishment, serpents now simply pose the same characteristic traits of evil," he responded.

"In comparison to evil, snakes often times move by twisting, and so is the nature of evil, to twist the truth, much like the serpent did in the Garden of Eden. And too, snakes are also cold-blooded, even as cold-blooded evil does have its day. And like the cold-blooded snake, evil picks its time and place to strike," he concluded.

"Wow, what a comparison, and what a sermon topic!" I thought.

"Yes, my son, however being a biblical scholar, you are well aware this seemingly all-powerful evil is well depicted in Scripture."

Now came the eerie part of our conversation, as this strange character commenced to back up his comments. Pulling what appeared to be a very old Bible scroll from underneath his tunic made of skins, he began to read various Scripture passages, followed by very precise commentaries.

"In (Romans 1:18) we see God's wrath revealed against all evil, but mankind rejected the truth.(Romans 1:19-20) These particular forms of evil are listed in (Romans 1:29-31)."

"And one need only turn to the Biblical book of Galatians to see the difference between good and evil. In (Galatians 5:19-21) we see the evidence of evil, plain or open with implications of being unashamed and blatant with their actions. In other words, all these stated characteristic traits and evil intentions, much like the snake actions, are cold-blooded."

"Whereas in (Galatians 5:22-23) we see the triumph of good over evil. And as good is obviously not cold-blooded evil, in the end the good will always outlast this evil."

"And all this came about, as a result of the Devil tempting our first parents in the form of a snake. (Romans 5:12) The devil spoke through one of the most beautiful creatures in its un-cursed state. The truth was suppressed in the garden, throughout the Bible generations, and is still being censored and concealed in today's environment. (Romans 1:21-22)."

"But mankind has had and still has no excuse of not seeing the power of the Creator. (Romans 1: 19-20) So why does mankind not honor their Creator? Simply because of the suppression of the truth. (Romans 1:18) Instead of mankind glorifying their creator, and giving Him thanks, instead the people worship and serve created things, rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25)," he concluded.

"Wow, sir, you speak as if you have been here from the very beginning, from the first temptation until now. So are you who I think you are? (Genesis 2:26-27) Just where did you get all that fur clothing? (Genesis 3:21). And are you simply roaming the earth, because you lost your home (Genesis 3:23-24)?" I asked.

However, there was no reply. This strange character had disappeared. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, he was gone. And in his stead was an old scroll parchment lying on the ground. Picking up this scroll, I began to read the posted Scripture.

"He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him, I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him." (Psalm 91:15)

And then the ending comment "So now my son, keep walking with what is good and standing for what is right, and you will always prevail. And the evil snakes of this world will not touch you."

What did I do next?. Well, first of all, as I awoke from my apparent dream, I was somewhat confused. My vivid recall took me back in time to when I made my first commitment to my very own Creator to serve Him forever. How ashamed I felt, for not keeping this promise.

However, my life did change momentarily, for lying on my bedside table was an old tattered Bible.

"Why, Mom, is it yours? Is it your Bible, Mom?" I just know I must have yelled loud enough for all the neighborhood to hear.

If so, Mom, thanks for leaving your Bible and making this Scripture come alive in my life. I love you and look forward to seeing you up there. Amen!

Author's Postscript

“The Dark Light," what an applicable title for this blog!

"And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from darkness" (Genesis 1:4)

Satan's evil, dark temptation, having transpired in Gods beautiful garden of light, resulted in mankind's first deliberate sin. Thus, the first confirmed dark light.

This dark light has been carried down through the ages, up to our present day's social environment. One day this will all change.(John 3:19) but until then, we must fight the battle against the evil one; the fight of dark evil versus the good light.

The following taken from (google.com)

What does light and dark symbolize?

Dark & Light Symbolism in Literature. ... "Two common symbols used in literature are darkness and light. Darkness is often used to convey negativity: evil, death or the unknown. Light is used to convey something positive: goodness, life or hope."