Bible Discussion Thread

Evil under the sun- hour of darkness

"And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power."(Rev.9.2-3)

Power and authority given to man determines whose servant is he. The risen Christ declares,"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."(Mt.28.18)By the same token the devil gives power so when the Jews apprehended Jesus refers the hour as their power of darkness. The angel shows locusts upon the earth, from the same place that the beast ascends."the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them."(Rev.11.7). The devil sins from the beginning so we have several instances of the smoke out of a furnace."a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace." Here is a verse to indicate this power of darkness in the case of the Israelites. "And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly." (Exod.19.18) God descends from mount Zion as Jesus Christ shall manifest, "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." The golden calf was the work of the devil. Mount Sinai was altogether in a dither because of the prsence of the Lord God. The Spirit contrasts pictorially so "the devils also believe, and tremble."(Jas.2.19) Farther than that God acknowledge Abraham as the heir of promise so receives his sacrifice. But in the background,"And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace." The power of darkness was from the very beginning. It is charactised by one hour." The dispensationalist would still gloss over it with a new heart as applied to the house of Israel. Ez.36. 26-27