Darkness

Darkness is mentioned in several End Time prophecies. Do they all refer to the same thing, or are there differences? Though we should never dwell on darkness, we will touch upon it here for clarity’s sake.

To recap our position here at Cut Short, we postulate that there are two ways that End Time events can play out. One is the more traditional view we call the Long Version, which is about doom and gloom with the antichrist at the center.

The other possibility is Cut Short, which presents a kinder worldview. Through God’s poured-out love, beginning with the The Sign of Jesus’ Coming, the majority of people will turn to God and choose righteousness, allowing Him to cut His work “short.” None of the antichrist horrors spoken of in The Revelation of John would need to occur. However, if the wicked remain in the majority, then the Long Version will prevail, and the antichrist will come to earth.

Darkness

Darkness can arrive in a number of different ways. Here are some possibilities:

  • From a pricked heart or conscience as the Holy Spirit exposes sin
  • From individual wickedness
  • From an attack by the evil one
  • From the arrival of a glory cloud (explained further down)
  • From an invasion of God’s warring angels
  • From a natural or man-made calamity

Because the coming of Jesus will be as a thief in the night, we can know that the following prophecy is spiritual in nature:

2 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. (Isaiah 60)

If The Sign of Jesus’ Coming is soon to appear (2014) as prophesied by modern prophets on the Prophecy page, then the prophecy of Isaiah 60:2 may already be in effect. Has there been an increase in spiritual darkness? Not everyone can discern the spiritual, but this is what prophet Larry Randolph said:

I believe that we have been tossed and turned, I believe that we have been afflicted on every side, I believe that we have had frontal attacks by the spirit of wickedness, and the spirit of witchcraft. I believe that Satan has stirred up the host of hell against the Church.

I believe that there has been this onslaught against us and many of us are barely making it because we are walking with a limp, mentally depressed, tormented, insomnia, anxiety attacks, health conditions, etc…and I believe that we are at a critical time where many of us are about to break down (Larry Randolph, November 29 2011, Youtube, 05:55).

Other evidence could be cited, including the rate of suicides, legalization of marijuana, increased anti-depression prescriptions, the level of moral decay, acceptance of homosexuality, apathy, lack of accountability, crimes in high places, murder rates, road rage, etc.

God’s Glory Cloud

Normally we associate God with light, not darkness:

5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1)

Nor shadows:

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James 1)

There are, however, several mentions of darkness associated with God:

21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. (Exodus 20)

11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. (Deuteronomy 4; Deut. 5:22-23)

According to King David and others who have seen the throne of God, it too is covered by clouds and darkness:

1 The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
2 Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. (Psalms 97)

10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,
11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.
12 Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. (1 Kings 8; 2 Chron. 6:1)

If God is a “consuming fire” like the scriptures say that He is (Deut. 4:24, Deut. 9:3, Heb. 12:29), then perhaps the dark clouds are there to shield people from being “consumed” or becoming too uncomfortable in the presence of His glory.

Spiritual Darkness

What is spiritual darkness, what causes it, and what are the fruits of it?

Affects

Perhaps the worst effect of spiritual darkness is having your “understanding darkened,” thus becoming “past feeling” (i.e., no conscience) so that not even The Sign of Jesus’ Coming can move you:

17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
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:
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. (Ephesians 4)

What causes spiritual darkness?

Causes – Internal

The cause, or at least one of the causes of spiritual darkness, was given above in Ephesians – vanity of mind. This has also been expressed as “not loving others,” and in the following verse, it is stated as “hateth his brother” and produces the same fruit that vanity of mind does – darkness:

10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. (1 John 2)

The concept of being selfless versus self-centered is what Jesus was referring to when he said, “You cannot serve two masters.” The two examples he gave were God and mammon (riches):

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
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!
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. (Matthew 6)

If we are serving God and loving others and not mammon, we will walk in light, not darkness. Anything that interferes with a person loving God or loving others is evil and will lead to darkness. Jesus prophesied that if and when iniquity would abound, love would wax cold:

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. (Matthew 24)

Whenever there is a lack of love, there will be an abundance of darkness. And if a prophet prophesied there would be darkness before Jesus comes, then he was prophesying likewise of a lack of love. And if a prophet (or Jesus) prophesied there would be a lack of love, we can know, with assurance, that they were also prophesying of darkness. The two go hand-in-hand.

Causes – External

Spiritual Darkness can also come from external forces, including the demonic and every grade of evil below it.

Physical Darkness

A day of physical darkness has been prophesied:

1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. (Joel 2)

18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.
19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
20 Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it? (Amos 5)

14 The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. (Zephaniah 1)

In the Cut Short Version, physical darkness could come as a result of God’s warring angels arriving to remove the unrepentant, and if their numbers were large enough, they could blanket the skies with “clouds.” God’s warring angels were reportedly terrifying in appearance and were purposely made to look that way.

In the Long Version, darkness could come if Satan and his host are literally cast down into our dimension, covering the skies, which would appear like dark “clouds.”

Summation

In all likelihood, many are not aware of the increased darkness that is here for two reasons:

a. The increase has been gradual

b. People were/are preoccupied (social media, TV, the internet, their cell phones, etc.)

<<-Previous | Next->>