Like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, we learn something at the end (after Jesus’ resurrection) that sheds light on the meaning of all the details of the story, going way back to the beginning. Being solid Trinitarians, we believe that the Holy Spirit is God but is not the Father. The Son is God but is not the Holy Spirit. The Father is God but is not the Son nor the Holy Spirit. But all three are God. When Jesus appeared on earth, he made it clear that He was not the Father but was the Eternal Son of God, or God, the Son. What the Father did as God, Jesus also did as God. Looking at the very beginning of Genesis and the creation account, we know that the first words recorded coming from God were “Let there be light.” Immediately, there was light! (Genesis 1:3).
The light that illuminated creation was not the light of the sun, stars, or planets, which were not created until the fourth day. It was a divine illumination, a light that God sent directly into the world. In the context of Old Testament theology, darkness symbolizes confusion, uncertainty, evil, decay, and death. Jesus, in the New Testament, repeatedly identifies Himself with the Father as God. He specifically aligns Himself with the first words spoken by God, ‘Let there be Light,’ when He declares (John 8:12), ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’
Church history records the life of Gregory the Illuminator (240 A.D – 332 A.D). He is credited with leading the Arminian King to Christ, which created the first National Church, even before Constantine’s conversion. He’s called the “Illuminator” because the light of Christ lit up the entire Kingdom. But Jesus is the great illuminator. Jesus is the radiant one! At the transfiguration, His light outshone the sun. Jesus, as God the Son, is the source of all illumination and enlightenment. When we encounter Him, all the confusion, uncertainty, evil, decay, and death are washed out in His brilliance. That’s why we won’t need any sun in the eternal state. Jesus will be there and the source of all we need to see clearly. Andrew Maclaren sees “Christ as the great illuminator, ready to shine on all drowsy, dark souls as soon as they stir and rouse themselves from drugged and fatal sleep.”