BEFORE & AFTER
Pain. Heartbreak. Turmoil. Loss. Lies. Murderous Thoughts. Immorality. Deep Darkness. Consider what Eden was like BEFORE sin entered the world. BEFORE that time: Health. Peace. Manifold Plenty. Calm. Truth. Beauty.
- There is a distinct difference between the dark and the light.
- There is an apparent contrast between the night and the dawning of a new day.
There is a TRUTH found within the heart of a believer. & There is a covering, a darkness, a desperation that rages within the one who does not believe.
The prophet Isaiah wrote:
“How you have fallen from heaven,
(The Book of Isaiah 14: 12 NASB)
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations.”
Have you ever thought about the character and work of Lucifer BEFORE his fall from heaven?
BEFORE that day, Lucifer was God’s anointed guardian cherub, and Lucifer was given an important task. Then on that day, Lucifer’s arrogant pride entered and took root. Lucifer became the old serpent called Satan—the devil—the one who deceives the whole world. The Bible is clear.
“But you [Lucifer] said in your heart,
(The Book of Isaiah 14: 13-14 NASB)
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’ “
- Lucifer wanted that which was not his, and Lucifer truly was an imitation.
- Lucifer’s arrogancy challenged the supremacy of Almighty God.
The Bible is clear. We can read the end of the ages to see what will occur. There is a final destination for the deceiver.
“And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone,
(The Revelation to John 20: 10 NASB)
where the beast and the false prophet are also;
and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
Satan (the devil, the liar, the deceiver, the fallen angel) was defeated at the cross. We may look at the world and see the evilness that seems to prevail, BUT we know there is coming a day, a new day, when JESUS, the BRIGHT MORNING STAR, WILL COME. From start to finish, the Bible is God’s plan for man’s redemption. Hell was never the eternal resting place intended for you and me. God meant from the beginning for us to believe in Jesus. & God meant from BEFORE CREATION for us to come to know HIM through the Way, through HIS SON, JESUS.
In the dawning of a new day, there is a morning star that is the brightest visible star in the sky BEFORE sunrise. Astronomers tell us that this star reflects the light off the planet Venus. In English literature, we read how there is a darkness within every human heart. Authors Joseph Conrad and Nathaniel Hawthorne both penned novels detailing this darkness and what it can do inside mankind. We (the humans) are in desperate need of rescue. We need LIGHT, the ONE that pierces the thick darkness of sin and of death. We (the people born, as in every person) need Deliverance, the bright morning star.
We need JESUS. We need the darkness that consumes every crevice of our being to be illuminated.
We need the perfect touch of a Savior. & We need His perfect restoration.
- Jesus Christ wants all to come.
- Jesus wants all to believe in Him.
- Jesus wants all humans to know Him as Savior.
Jesus Is the Real Morning Star!
The apostle John wrote the words of Jesus.
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches,
(The Revelation to John 22: 16 NASB)
I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
BEFORE & AFTER.
BEFORE we came to know JESUS as our SAVIOR, we stumbled in the darkness.
- AFTER JESUS, we are to live as blameless saints, for we have become the children of God.
- AFTER JESUS, we are to live in this world, reflecting the LIGHT of JESUS who lives inside us.
- AFTER JESUS, we are to hold onto the Word of Life.
- AFTER JESUS, we are to labor for HIM. &
- AFTER JESUS, we are to not grow weary of doing HIS Good Work HE leads us to do.
As I pen this verse, I listen as MercyMe sings the only words we have AFTER our restoration, AFTER our salvation, and AFTER JESUS has become our SAVIOR and LORD. Listen to “Heartbroken Hallelujah.”