About
light in the Bible
Light in great darkness, both physical and spiritual, is symbolic of true belief in God, discovery of truth and the intense joy it brings.
“The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light,And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.” —Matthew 4:16 LSB
“Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.” —Psalm 119:105 NASB, NKJV, etc.
“…If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” —Isaiah 8:20 NKJV
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Dwelling place of God
He dwells in light inaccessible and unapproachable by man—total holiness, glory and unlimited power (omnipotence).
“…He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. …” —1 Timothy 6:15-16 NASB excerpt
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Light, a visible effect of God’s nature and a symbol of it
Light is an evidence of His true glory, power, holiness, truth and wisdom.
- The Creator of light in the universe
“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good…” (Genesis 1:3-4).
- “Father of lights” (James 1:17)
- He made “great lights” (Gen. 1:16; Psa. 136:7)
- “…who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” —I Peter 2:9 NKJV
- “He who has eyes like a flame of fire” (Rev. 1:14-15; 2:18)
- The man who wanted to see God
- The Creator of light in the universe
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Jesus Christ, the Light
“I am THE LIGHT of the world” —John 8:12; 9:5
“He [John the Baptist] came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to bear witness about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone.” —John 1:7-9 LSB
As God’s prophet Malachi foretold of the Messiah…
But to you who fear My nameThe Sun of Righteousness shall ariseWith healing in His wings… —Malachi 4:2 NKJV excerpt
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel. —Luke 2:32 NKJVOn a high mountain with His disciples, Christ privatedly revealed a bit of His true nature and glory.
His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. …a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. —Matthew 17:1-6 NKJV excerpt
The Apostle John was permitted to foresee the future New Jerusalem,
“…the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” —Revelation 21:23 LSB
Streaming video—“Jesus: The Divine Light” -
Very bright Heavenly messengers from God
Daniel witnessed an angel with a face like lightning.
…his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult. —Daniel 10:5-6 NASB excerpt
The angel that rolled back the stone from Christ's tomb was radiating dazzling light.
…his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. —Matthew 28:3 LSB excerpt
And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing —Luke 24:4 LSB
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Redeemed disciples of Christ are lights in this dark world
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;” —Matthew 5:14 LSB
“Let your light so shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” —Matthew 5:16 LSB
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The Bible, the Word of God, is a spiritual light
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. —Psalm 119:105 LSB -
John the Baptist
John the Baptist gave wise and truthful instruction; Jesus said,
He was the lamp that was burning and shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. —John 5:35 LSB
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Light, an inheritance of God’s redeemed children
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light —Colossians 1:12 LSB excerpt
And the city [New Jerusalem] has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. And the nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. And its gates will never be closed by day, for there will be no night there; —Revelation 21:23-25 LSB
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Names of God related to light (examples)
- The Light (John 12:35-36; 1 Timothy 6:16; Revelation 21:23; 22:5)
- The True Light (John 1:9; 1 John 2:8 KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV
- Light of the World (John 8:12 KJKV; John 9:5 NASB)
- Light of the Nations (‘Or Goyim) (Isaiah 42:6)
- Light of Israel (Isaiah 10:17; Psalm 27:1; Isaiah 10:17)
- Light of the Gentiles (Luke 2:32 KJV)
- The Dawn from on High (Luke 1:78 HCSB) / The Sunrise from on High —(Luke 1:78 NASB)
- Sun and Shield (Psa. 84:11)
- Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2)
- The Father of Lights (James 1:17 KJV)
- He Who Commanded the Light to Shine Out of Darkness (2 Corinthians 4:6 KJV)
- He That Made Great Lights (Amos 5:8 KJV; Psalm 136:7; Genesis 1:16 KJV)
- The Star Out of Jacob (Numbers 24:17 KJV)
- The Bright Morning Star (Rev. 22:16 NASB, ESV)
- The Daystar (2 Peter 1:19 KJV) / The Morning Star (2 Pet. 1:19 NKJV, NASB, ESV)
- He who holds the seven stars in His right hand (Revelation 2:1 NKJV, NASB)
- The radiance of His Glory (Hebrews 1:3 NASB)
See other: Names of God
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Satan, a deceiving “light”
Satan, the Great Deceiver and hateful enemy of God and mankind is filled with spiritual darkness. Part of his deception is to sometimes transform himself into an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14 NKJV), falsely appearing to be something good. To deceive many, the same is true of his evil false teachers and antichrists who also transform themselves into the appearance of “ministers of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:15 NKJV).
- BEING OF LIGHT—Who is the being of light encountered in near-death experiences? Answer
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The Kingdom of Light
Streaming video—“The Kingdom of Light Amidst the Kingdom of Darkness”- The Kingdom of God—What, when and where is it?
More information
- lamp
- Learn about SPIRITUAL DARKNESS
- The man who wanted to see God
- What is HOLINESS and why are we to pursue it? Answer
- glory
- What is righteousness?
- What is truth?
- What is biblical wisdom?
- day
- lightning
- fire
- torches
- firebrand
- ASTRONOMICAL LIGHT SOURCES—Sun, Moon and stars
- DISTANT STARLIGHT—How can light get to us from stars millions of light years away in a universe which the Bible claims is only thousands of years old? Answer
What are goodness and righteousness?