Sunsets are my favorite. I haven’t been awake to see very many sunrises, but I’ve collected photos over the past few years of spectacular sunsets. I’ve even watched the sun set from the airport and then again after takeoff. While we were in the building process, it’s fair to say I have as many pictures in progression of the sun going down over the lake as I have of the house taking shape. I get excited when the evening sky begins changing colors, and I’m constantly frustrated that my camera cannot capture the hues I see with my eyes! One thing that surprises me, however, is the way the camera captures light from the sun when it’s low on the horizon. What looks to me like a mist or a haze is visible through the lens as a burst of vibrant light.
“God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.”
Psalms 19:4-6 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/psa.19.4-6.nlt
As the sun moves across the sky from morning to evening, it’s brightness cannot be hidden even by heavy clouds. We still experience daylight, even in overcast conditions. And in our southern humidity, the heat and moisture combine into a sauna that feels like wax melting. Cloud cover or shade causes a noticeable drop in temperature! Only once in recorded history did the sun cease to shine entirely. I wonder how quickly the middle eastern temperature dropped?
“By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.”
Luke 23:44-46 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/luk.23.44-46.nlt
For three hours, darkness eclipsed the sun. Solar eclipses happen more frequently than I realized, but scientifically speaking, the maximum amount of time that the moon’s shadow can cover the sun even partially is between 7 minutes 32 seconds and 12 minutes 29 seconds. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar_eclipses_in_the_21st_century) People would have taken notice even if they weren’t standing within earshot of the cross where Christ uttered His final words.
I’m curious about the chaos that must have struck the temple when darkness fell and the curtain tore. The noise alone would have been unexpected and mystifying. The heavy curtain crashing down in the gilded room must have been eerie by candlelight. The priests or Levites who witnessed the rending of the veil were surely dumbfounded. They must have wondered if God’s Spirit was about to fill the temple as in Solomon’s time, but they were mistaken. The barrier separating God and man had been removed by God Himself and His Holy Spirit would soon make His home in human hearts! No longer would prophets or priests speak to God on behalf of man. God’s Spirit would indwell individuals, and not just one man for a time. All who received by faith the substitutionary death and resurrection of Messiah would soon be filled with the Spirit. Jesus made this promise to His disciples prior to His crucifixion.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”
John 14:16-17, 20 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/jhn.14.16-17,20.nlt
“And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.””
John 17:19-21, 25-26 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/jhn.17.19-21,25-26.nlt
What a beautiful promise and prayer on our behalf by our Savior! We are among “those who believe because of their testimony.” Most people would agree in light of current events that we are closer to the setting of the sun than we’ve ever been. Just as the camera lens reveals the light on the horizon so brightly through the haze, so the Spirit shines God’s light on Jesus in our generation! A boldness and creativity is growing in the church as Covid is seen as less a threat than as an opportunity. Individuals are using every means available to testify to the goodness of God. I join literally thousands of writers online who lift up the name of Christ weekly on blogs, social media posts, and live-stream video clips. Follow one and you’ll see! We are positioned perfectly to be used by Almighty God here and now!
“He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end. And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11 , 14 AMP
https://www.bible.com/1588/ecc.3.11,14.amp
“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!”
Mark 13:32-33 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/mrk.13.32-33.nlt
“Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved.”
2 Peter 3:3-4, 9, 15 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/2pe.3.3-4,9,15.nlt
“For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
Romans 10:13-15 NLT
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