Two nights ago during a prayer time with others, the Lord gave me a vision of a sunset; but the sun was set and had long since dropped below the horizon. Only the glowing embers of rays high in the sky penetrated the coming darkness.

As we prayed the Lord gave us the text from the Book of Daniel 7:15-28, a passage entitled “The Interpretation of the Dream”, in the NIV. The final verse, v28 spoke to me: “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

Unlike Daniel, I cannot keep the matter to myself.

I understood this vision to mean that the age in which we now live has ended and the last of the day is upon us. Darkness is coming and will arrive very soon. The last embers of this age of grace are fading fast. Soon darkness will cover the earth. We need to remember that nights do not need to be long and that the darkest part of night is just before dawn. Soon a new day will begin and the Son will rise!

As born again Christians, we need to remember we are not given to timidity as First John 4:17 says: “In this is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement, that as He is, so also we are in this world.”

Yes, the darkness will soon be upon this world, but the light of the God who dwells within us makes us each a light for the world. As Psalm 33:18-19 says: “Behold, the eye of Jehovah is to those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy; to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.” No, we are not to fear. For Christians, Jesus puts it in perspective as He says in Matthew 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Psalm 34:7 gives words and advice to strengthen us in the coming darkness saying: “The Angel of Jehovah camps round about those who fear Him, and delivers them.” But let the last advice to us come from James, the brother of Jesus as he encourages us in James 4:7 saying: “Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Amen.