“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your
dawn.
“Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried in their nurses’ arms.
“Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you….
“Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.
“The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night, but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
“Your sun shall no more go down or your moon withdraw itself, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.
“Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever.”
The Light has Come
It is not our light that has come, but God’s. We do need to “arise” in the sense that we need to awaken our dormant spiritual faculties. The glory of God has risen in the spiritual sun, which is the Sun of Righteousness promised by prophets.
God’s Glory will Appear Over Us
Yes, God’s Glory will appear above us in the Sun of Righteousness. Eventually, nations will come to that Light. In the distant past, kings took the advice of spiritual leaders. A few were even students of the great mystery schools.
See and be Radiant
People will come from all parts of the world, from all religions, all races, and all nationalities to learn spiritual development. They will come in small numbers, at least for the near future, but that will change one day. It is true that abundance will come to spiritual people. Not wealth, but enough for them to live comfortably. Contrary to what some believe, God does not want anyone to live in poverty.
Violence and Destruction will Disappear
Violence, destruction, and other negative things will disappear as the world becomes more spiritual. This applies to animals as well as people. As it says in the Bible, “the lion will lie down with the lamb,” which is a way of saying animals will no longer be violent and the gentler animals will no longer be the prey of other animals. Eventually, we will reach a point where there is no more death and no more disease, but that is far into the future.
God Will be Our Everlasting Light
God will indeed be our everlasting Light. While we are on earth, that light will reach us through the intermediary of the Spiritual Sun. That Light awakens and nourishes our spirit, but it has little effect on those who oppose God and God’s Law. To gain the full benefit of that Light, we must obey God’s Law and follow God’s Will. We are also obligated to help others do the same.