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(23.) On Christ as the Morning Star

(23.) On Christ as the Morning Star

(23.) On Christ as The Morning Star.

“I AM THE BRIGHT MORNING STAR.”(Revelation 22:16)

The morning star is that faint light one sees in the sky at any time between 2:00-4:00 a.m. in the dead of the night. It is the star that announces the beginning of the end of the night’s darkness. The morning star is that small light that flickers a crucial message: the light is victorious over the dark, and it’s only a matter of time till it is defeated completely. When one sees the morning star, one knows that the dawn of a new day will soon appear, overpowering the night. When it first appears, the morning star is so small that it looks like it might disappear at any time. But it remains steady, no matter how dark the night.

The morning star is a sign of hope. It is a sure promise that the dawn is on its way. It is a call for patience and faith in the midst of the darkness. One can trust the morning star, it hasn’t failed yet. So don’t discount or underestimate its meaning. The star will indeed usher in the dawn. Once one sees the morning star, one knows that the new day is a sure thing, and one only needs to wait. By the time the dawn arrives, the morning star has become the brightest star in the sky. The darkness has seen it go from a small light to a bright light in the sky. As Darrell Johnson once said, the morning star “is so small that it threatens to vanish, and it seems unable to vanquish the overpowering darkness. Yet when you see the morning star, you know that the night has been defeated. For the morning star pulls the morning in behind it.”

Jesus’ claim to be the bright morning star is the last word He said about Himself in Scripture. He will never again offer another “I am” statement. Right to this glorious conclusion in the Word, He declared Himself to be the Messiah, a fulfillment of Balaam’s messianic prophecy in Numbers 24:17, “I see Him, but not now; I behold HIm, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob, a sceptor shall rise out of Israel.” Jesus claims to be that very Star out of Jacob, that He is the Morning Star, promising the light of His presence while shining in the darkness.

Jesus has proven to be the morning star in all the senses of the word… He was the morning star, He is the morning star, and He will be the morning star. This shouldn’t surprise us, since Jesus is the same yesterday, today and for ever. Jesus Christ was the morning star during His time on earth; He is the morning star right now in our hearts; He will be the morning star in the Last Days.

Jesus was the Morning Star on earthJesus was born in a little town during the darkness of night. This was a spiritually bleak time in human history, when the world needed a Savior and the hope of a Messiah. He shined faintly as He grew up in silence, until the fullness of the day when He became the Light of the World. His bright presence during that dark time brought light and hope to His people, and to the Gentiles as well. His light kept shining during His ministry, until the Resurrection, when His light completely defeated the darkness. The Morning Star became the brightest at the dawn of a New Day. The promise of His birth was fulfilled in the bright light of His Resurrection.

  • Arise, shine, for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people. But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1-2);
  • “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. The true light which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” (John 1:5,9);
  • “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me shouldn’t abide in darkness.” (John 12:46);
  • “I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk  in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12).

Jesus is the Morning Star in our hearts. As followers of Christ, we inevitably experience times of darkness. Life sometimes seems stuck in the night, and we can’t seem to see our way out. Jesus has promised to be our light in the darkness. His light may be a little dim at times, but it’s there, steady as ever. His presence in the dark gives us hope, because we know that with His presence comes the promise of a new day in our lives.  Jesus is the light in our darkness, and the darkness will never overcome it. His presence as the Morning Star guarantees that we will soon be bathed in light, and this light will guide us to see our way out.

  • “For this prophetic message is like a piercing light shining in a gloomy place until the dawning of a new day, when the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19);
  • Night’s dawning is dissolving away as a new day of destiny dawns. Once and for all we clothe outselves with the radiance of light as our weapon.” (Romans 13:12-13);
  • “The darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.” (1 John 2:8);
  • “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8);
  • “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” (1 John 1:5, 7).

Jesus will be Morning Star of the New Creation. John wrote to the suffering Church in his book of Revelation. And that’s who Jesus was addressing while claiming to be the Morning Star. Times were particularly bleak for believers, and Jesus had a special word for them. No matter how dark the world may appear, He will be the light in the darkness that will herald a new day in human history. When the night is darkest, Jesus said, I will usher in the glorious dawn of the New Creation. In the meantime, I will be present with you in the world’s darkness. I am still the Lord of the universe. Keep looking up. Keep the faith while walking in the nighttime of the world. I will provide the nightlight until the whole world will burst with my blazing glory. Don’t judge by appearances. The night might be at its darkest, but Christ promises to welcome in the dawn of the New Day, as surely as day follows night.

  • “For the morning star pulls the morning in behind it, just as certainly as Jesus pulls the Kingdom in behind Him.” (from a sermon by Rev. Darrell Johnson)
  • “You already know quite well that the Day of the Lord will come unexpectedly and as a complete surprise. But you, brothers and sisters, are not living in the dark, allowing that Day to creep up on you like a thief coming in the night. For you are all children of the light and children of the day. We don’t belong to the night nor to darkness.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-5);
  • “With His train of glory, He is pulling in the Dawn of the New Day. He says to us, ‘I am coming! I’m on the way! See my star in the darkness, and know that I am on the move!” (from an article by Sheridan Larson).

4 Replies to “(23.) On Christ as the Morning Star”

  1. I’m thankful he is our light and that he is on the move; forever guiding us. Very inspiring..thanks Larsons.

  2. I’m struggling with the darkness that seems to envelop our world. We live in the midst of a “crooked and perverse generation”. What a quiet, lovely hope we have in Jesus, our precious Morning Star!
    “The morning star is that small light that flickers a crucial message: the light is victorious over the dark, and it’s only a matter of time till it is defeated completely. When one sees the morning star, one knows that the dawn of a new day will soon appear, overpowering the night.” I am banking on this being true. Thanks, Steve!

  3. “With His train of glory, He is pulling in the Dawn of the New Day. He says to us, ‘I am coming! I’m on the way! See my star in the darkness, and know that I am on the move!”
    Hope.
    Praise the Lord.
    Thank you for your beautiful reminder.