“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” – Isaiah 60: 1-3
People interpret Isaiah 60 so many different ways. And perhaps God intends that. I know that I will read a Bible verse with the help of the Holy Spirit, and gain an understanding in one way and on a different day read the same verse and obtain a new, deeper understanding of the same verse. That is why it is so very important to ask the Holy Spirit to Help us Read the Bible.
So who is thee? It’s you. It’s the “church” ?
There is no doubt that “darkness shall cover the earth”. (“Gross darkness” simply means: very dark). But the Lord will “rise” “upon thee”. And Christ’s Light will shine upon the “church” so brightly that people from far away will see “the Light” and Follow Jesus ?
Picture a candle in the dark. The light of the candle appears so very bright because it is such a wonderful contrast to the dark. The same will be true in the coming days. Those who truly believe in and follow Jesus will be filled with the Holy Spirit. God’s Light will shine so powerfully; it will attract other believers and non-believers alike. Other believers will be encouraged and non-believers will come to faith in Jesus.
There will always be some who reject the Light, for evil hates the Light, it always has. But it matters not for us. God’s Light will spread and defeat the darkness. For “With God, All Things Are Possible” – Matthew 19:26 ?