Black or Darkness and Sin Outline

There is a very strong associated between the color black or darkness and the subject of sin in the scriptures. This is in contrast to the association between the color white or light and the subject of righteousness. Black is the absence of color, just like dark is the absence of light. Sin is defined as the transgression of the law: 1 John 3:4 "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

God made a strong distinction between light and darkness in the creation: Gen. 1:2 "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."

In viewing the association between black, or darkness and sin we will notice several aspects of sin pointed out by this association:

Association between black or darkness and sin

Gen. 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

(Gen 15:12 ) And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.

(Gen 15:17 ) And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

(Exo 10:21 ) And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.

(Exo 10:22 ) And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:

(Deu 4:11 ) And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.

(Deu 5:22 ) These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

(Deu 5:23 ) And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;

(Job 10:21 ) Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;

(Job 10:22 ) A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.

(Job 24:16 ) In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light.

(Psa 74:20 ) Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.

(Prov 2:13 ) Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

(Prov 4:19 ) The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

(Prov 7:9 ) In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:

(Prov 20:20 ) Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.

(Eccl 2:13 ) Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.

(Eccl 2:14 ) The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.

(Song 1:5 ) I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

(Song 1:6 ) Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.

(Isa 5:20 ) Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

(Isa 9:2 ) The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

(Isa 29:15 ) Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?

(Jer 8:21 ) For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.

(Lam 5:10 ) Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.

(Ezek 8:12 ) Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.

(Joel 2:31 ) The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

(Amos 5:18 ) Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.

(Amos 5:20 ) Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

(Zep 1:15 ) That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

(Zec 6:2 ) In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

(Zec 6:6 ) The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.

(Mat 4:16 ) The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

(Mat 22:13 ) Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(Mat 25:30 ) And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(Mat 27:45 ) Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

(Mark 15:33 ) And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

(Luke 22:53 ) When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

(Luke 23:44 ) And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.

(John 3:19 ) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

(Acts 2:20 ) The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

(Acts 26:18 ) To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

(Rom 13:12 ) The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
(2 Cor 6:14 ) Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

(Eph 5:11 ) And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

(Eph 6:12 ) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

(Col 1:13 ) Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

(2 Pet 2:4 ) For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

(2 Pet 2:17 ) These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

(1 John 2:11 ) But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

(Jude 1:6 ) And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

(Jude 1:13 ) Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

(Rev 6:5 ) And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

The Effects of the Law of Sin and Death

The color, black or dark, and sin are very closely associated in the scriptures. Many lessons are taught us about sin often when we find the color black or dark. One of the lessons taught us is the effects of the law of sin and death.

The law of sin and death was given by God to Adam in Gen. 2:16, 17: "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Death is the consequence of sin. Whenever Adam transgressed the law he brought himself and all of his posterity under the law of sin and death. There was an immediate death upon Adam followed by a later death and the condemnation of an even later death. Sin has three great consequences: these consequences are the condemnation of sin, the corruption of sin, and the bondage of sin. The condemnation of sin is an eternal condemnation. The corruption of sin is death of the natural body. The bondage of sin is the total depravity of the flesh nature of man.

Song of Solomon chapter one verses five and six speak to us of the condemnation, corruption and bondage of sin: "I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept." When the speaker says "I am black" she is not referring to her skin color. She is referring to her sin-cursed nature and depravity due to the law of sin and death.

Also, she says that "I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me." The sun is used as a figure of the righteousness of the law. When we contrast what we are by nature as compared to the righteousness of the law, we must confess ourselves to be ruined, hell-deserving sinners and altogether corrupt. Paul describes the corruption of man in Rom. 3:9-1: "What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes."

In addition, Paul informs us that the blackness of sin in us is more than skin deep: Rom. 7:18 "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing:" My natural body is called the natural man in the scriptures and Paul writes in 1 Cor. 2:14: "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." From the above we gather that man under the law of sin and death:

1. Cannot seek after God.
2. Cannot understand spiritual things.
3. Cannot do good.
4. Is altogether unrighteous before God.
5. Has no good thing within him.
6. Performs only evil works.
7. Has no fear of God before his eyes.
8. And receives not the things of the Spirit of God.

Thankfully, the speaker in the Song of Solomon not only said that "I am black," but also said, "but comely." As can be seen, this comeliness had to come from without the person. Nothing in our flesh nature is comely or capable of producing comeliness. This comeliness had to be imparted by an outside source. Our comeliness comes from God. According to Ephesians chapter two and verses one through five we read of where our comeliness comes from: "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)"

By the grace of God and through the quickening (life-giving) power of the Holy Spirit we are made inwardly comely when we are born of the Spirit. This work is all of God and is not a cooperative work between God and man. Man was dead in trespasses and sins and therefore not able to help in this work.

All works of the flesh are sin

There are several verses of scripture that associate blackness and darkness with the sinful works of the flesh:

1. Job 24:15 "The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face. 16 In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light."
2. Ps. 74:19 "O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever. 20 Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty."
3. Prov. 2:12 "To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; 15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: 16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; 17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. 18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead."
4. Prov. 4:19 "The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble."
5. Prov. 7:7 "And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, 8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, 9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: 10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtle of heart."
6. Prov. 20:20 "Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness."
7. Eccl. 2:13 "Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. 14 The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all."
8. Is. 5:20 "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
9. Is. 29:15 "Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?"
10. Ezek. 8:12 "Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth."
11. John 3:19 "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."
12. Eph. 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
13. 1 John 2:11 "But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

While the above scriptures point to the sinfulness of the works of the flesh, these works are plainly set forth for us as wicked in Gal. 5:19 "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

Paul tells us that there is no good thing in the flesh: Rom. 7:18 "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not."

It is only by the work of the Spirit in regeneration that we are able to do good in the inner man. Only after we are born of the Spirit are we able to bear the fruit of the Spirit which is: Gal. 5:22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

The law manifests the judgment of sin

When God delivered the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage and led them into the wilderness he gave them the covenant of the law at Mt. Sinai:
1. Deu. 4:11 "And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. 12 And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. 13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone."
2. Deu. 5:22 "These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me. 23 And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;"

Paul describes the scene in Hebrews thusly: Heb. 12:18 "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)"
We know that is a strong association between the color black, darkness and the subject of sin. The law brings sin to light and shows God has judged mankind to be guilty of sin. This principle is clearly set forth in the following verses:

1. Rom. 3:19 "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
2. Gal. 3:10 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."

Thus, the law manifest all men are sinners and under the judgment of God because of sin. Therefore, we see the great need of Christ's atonement for sin on behalf of the elect of God.

Sin Separates us from Fellowship with God

There is a very close correlation between the color black or dark and the subject of sin. This correlation is used in the following passages to show us that sin separates us from fellowship with God and with fellowship with those who truly worship and serve God:

1. 2 Cor. 6:14 "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

2. Eph. 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. 14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."

3. 1 John 1:5 "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

These passages certainly teach us that we should strive to walk in the light and not have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. They also teach us that we cannot walk in the path of sin and have fellowship with God at the same time. In contrast, we have fellowship with God and with one another when we walk in the light of the knowledge of God's word.

The Judgment of Sin

There is a very close correlation between the color black or dark and the subject of sin. This correlation is especially evident in God's judgment of sin. In later essays we will look at the correlation when considering Christ's atonement for sin; the eternal judgment of sin; and the timely judgments of sin. In this essay, we will look briefly at the general overall subject of God's judgment of sin.

Three Old Testament verses show forth this correlation between darkness and God's judgment of sin:

1. Amos 5:18 "Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light."
2. Amos 5:20 "Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?"
3. Zep. 1:15 "That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung."

In all three of the above passages, we find God's wrathful judgment against sin and the picture is portrayed as a day of darkness, very dark, and thick darkness. It is in the nature of man to be afraid of the dark. Thus, the judgment of God is a fearful thing. This reminds us of the picture at Mt. Sinai and the giving of the law: Heb. 12:18 "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)" God's judgment of sin is a terrible sight and causes us to exceedingly fear and quake. Thankfully, Christ has delivered us from the wrathful judgment of God because of our sins.

Timely Judgment of Sin

There is a strong correlation in the scriptures between the color black or dark and the subject of sin. Not only has God judged the sins of the elect in the person of Jesus Christ on the cross, but he also has set forth a time when he will judge the non-elect and they shall be cast into the lake of fire forever. In addition, there are times when God applies his timely judgments upon people here in time. The following verses of scripture using the correlation between darkness and sin illustrate this timely judgment of sin:

1. Matt. 8:12 "But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
2. Matt. 22:13 "Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
3. Matt. 25:30 "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

In the first reference, the nation of Israel had long enjoyed the blessings of God under the Old Testament of worship. However, because of their disobedience and rejection of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Christ tells them that they would be cast out of the New Testament kingdom into outer darkness. They had been blessed with the light of Old Testament worship and service, but now their light was taken away because of disobedience and disbelief.

In the second reference, at the wedding feast, celebrating the king's marriage to his bride, there was a man who had not on a wedding garment. This man was not properly attired for the wedding feast. He could not have part in the wedding feast because he had not on the proper attire. A person who comes to be a part of the wedding feast who is not wearing the righteousness of Christ and dressed in humility has not on the proper attire. He cannot be a part of the wedding feast. He is to be cast into outer darkness. A self-righteous, proud person cannot be a part of the Lord's New Testament church. Because of his self-righteousness and pride, he is in outer darkness and cannot understand the truth of salvation by grace alone.

In the third reference, the unprofitable servant had slothfully failed to use the talent the master had delivered to him. Because of his slothfulness he was cast into outer darkness. This should be a warning to each of us that we are to be diligent to use the gifts and talents the Lord has delivered unto us to his name's praise, honor, and glory. It certainly is our reasonable service and we should delight to do it, considering all the love, mercy, and grace the Lord has showered upon us. Further, when we use the talents God has given us we have the light of His word and the leadership of the Spirit to guide us in this life. Why would we want to lose this light?

The Eternal Judgment of Sin

Throughout the scriptures we see a correlation between the color black or dark and sin. There was three hours of darkness over all the earth when Jesus Christ suffered the eternal condemnation of sin on behalf of the elect family of God. For those who are not of the elect family of God and for those angels who left their first estate there awaits an eternal judgment of sin. That judgment, as the following verses show, will include an eternal darkness:
1. 2 Pet. 2:4 "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;"
2. 2 Pet. 2:17 "These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever."
3. Jude 1:6 "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."
4. Jude 1:13 "Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever."
These verses show both a reservation in chains of darkness unto judgment, then a judgment of eternal mist and blackness of darkness. That the angels who left their first estate and the non-elect end up in the same place in judgment is consistent with what we are taught in Revelations chapter 20:
1. Rev. 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
2. Rev. 20:12 "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

Knowledge of Salvation from Sin

In the scriptures there is a very strong correlation between the subject of sin and the color black or dark. Likewise, there is a strong correlation between the color white or light and the subject of righteousness. These correlations are used in the scriptures to illustrate what happens when a child of God comes to a knowledge of the salvation from sin. The following verses illustrate this to us:

1. Is. 9:1 "Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. 2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."
2. Matt. 4:13 "And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."
3. Acts 26:15 "And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; 17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."
4. 2 Cor. 4:5 "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

References 1 and 2 above are a prophecy and the fulfillment of that prophecy of the coming of Christ. In this prophecy, there is the description of a people who sat in darkness. These who were sitting in darkness suddenly saw a great light. The law condemns us and shows us that we are ruined vile sinners deserving of God's eternal wrath. This is the darkness of God's people experience before they have the understanding of what Christ has done for them. The light of the gospel of Jesus Christ brings the people who were sitting in darkness to the understanding of what Christ has done for them in redeeming them from their sins. This indeed is a great light to see Christ as our redeemer.

Reference 3 brings us to Christ's appearing to Saul and calling him to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ informs Saul that he will turn the Lord's people from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God. This, of course, Saul would do by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. God's people before hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ are dwelling in the ignorance (darkness) of what Christ has done for them. Consequently, they see themselves as sinners under the judgmental wrath of God and deserving of eternal condemnation. The gospel brings the good news of what Christ has done for them and how he has delivered them from that eternal condemnation and given them eternal life. This delivers the child of God from darkness to light and delivers them from serving Satan to serving God.

Reference 4 compares the utility of the gospel in the heart of God's people to that work that God did in the morning of creation when he commanded the light to shine out of darkness. Likewise, God brings a child of God who is dwelling in darkness to see through the gospel light in his heart that Christ is there in his heart and has delivered him from his sins

Ride the Black Horse

Rev. 6:1 "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. 3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. 5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. 7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."

In the 5th chapter of Revelation we read of a book sealed with seven seals that only the Lamb could open. In the 6th chapter we see the Lamb as he opens the first four seals and we see four horses and a rider or riders on the four horses. In Zechariah chapter 6 we see a somewhat similar set of four horses and the meaning of the horses is given to us in verse 5: "And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth."

Therefore we can conclude that the four horses in Revelation as well as the four horses in Zechariah represent the “four spirits of the heavens.” Also we will note that bible colors are also associated with specific bible subjects. The color white is associated with righteousness:
1. Judg 5:10 "Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way."
2. Song 5:10 "My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand."
3. Is. 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
4. Dan 7:9 "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire."
5. Dan. 11:35 "And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed."
6. Dan. 12:10 "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand."
7. Matt. 17:2 "And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light."
8. Rev. 17:9 "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;"
9. Rev. 19:8 "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."

The color red is associated with war:
1. Nahum 2:3 "The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken."
2. 2 Kings 3:22 "And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood: 23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil."
3. Josh. 24:6 "And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea. 7 And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season."

The color black is associated with sin:
1. Job 30:30 "My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat."
2. Song 1:5 "I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. 6 Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept."
3. Jere 8:21 "For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me."
The “pale” horse in verse 8 we are told is associated with Death and Hell. Based on the above we are brought to understand that the four spirits that the four horses in Revelation represent are the spirits of righteousness (white), warfare (red), sin (black), and death and hell (pale).

While I am not an experienced horseman (I have spent less that 5 min. on the back of a horse in my lifetime), it seems to me that there are at least two very important things that you want to do when you ride a horse. You want to stay on the horse without falling off and you want to complete your task(s). Staying on your horse and completing your task would seem to make for a successful ride on a horse.
We will now look at possible riders of the horses. It is easy to see where Adam rode all four horses, however, he didn’t ride them successfully. Adam began by riding the horse of righteousness, for God made man upright in the beginning. Adam, in a sense, went forth conquering and to conquer as he was given dominion of the fish of the sea, and the fowl of the air, and the beast of the field. He gave names to all the creatures that God had made. He was doing okay in riding this horse for a short time, until the serpent engaged him in warfare, first, indirectly (thru the woman) and then directly. When Adam ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil he fell off the horse of righteousness. He went immediately to the black horse of sin. He, however, could not complete the task of the rider of this horse as he could not balance the scale of justice or keep from hurting the healing ointments. Thus Adam failed to stay on the horse of righteousness and he failed to perform the assigned tasks. Subsequently, none of Adam multiplied can successfully ride the horses as Rom. 3:10 tells us, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” Since we all fell under the law of sin and death, we cannot, in our natural state, ride the horse of righteousness.

There remains only one who can and did ride all four horses successfully. That one is the Lord Jesus Christ. According to the scriptures, Jesus was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. He was born of a virgin and thus was born without sin, being conceived of the Holy Ghost. He kept the law to a jot and a tittle. He fulfilled all that was written of him. He rode the white horse of righteousness successfully. He also rode the red horse of warfare as he was engaged in the greatest of all wars. He fought successfully against sin, Satan, death, hell, and the grave. He successfully withstood the assault of the devil and his angels in all the temptations and trials hurled at him. He did this by taking the great sword of God’s word and yielding it against all our enemies. He did all this while successfully continuing to ride the white horse of righteousness. Next, he mounted the black horse of sin, not that he ever sinned (he never did), but the scriptures say that he was “made to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” On the cross, Jesus took our sins upon himself and became sin for us. He rode this black horse successfully as he maintained the balance of God’s justice (a measure of wheat for a penny and three measures of barley for a penny), satisfying God’s justice on our account. He also “hurt not the oil and the wine,” that is the healing ointments as he healed us from our sins thru his atoning sacrifice. As he mounted the black horse, he also mounted the pale horse and suffered the wrathful judgment of God to atone for our sins. God executed his judgment of our sins on our sin-bearer, Jesus Christ. Thankfully, our Saviour successfully rode all four horses on our behalf and has made us righteous thru his atoning sacrifice.

As a side note, we see that the balances are associated with the balance of justice in the following verses:
1. Job 31:6 "Let me be weighed in an even balance that God may know mine integrity."
2. Ps. 92:9 "Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity."
3. Pro. 11:1 "A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight."
4. Dan. 5:27 "Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting."
5. Pro. 16:11 "A just weight and balance are the Lord's: all the weights of the bag are his work."
Similarly, the "oil and the wine" are used as healing ointments in the following passage: Lk. 10:34 "And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him."

"And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." This same one who has through his sacrificial atonement on the cross redeemed his people from their sins, now goes forth with judgments, both timely upon the elect and the non-elect and eternal upon the non-elect. God's four sore judgments are set forth in the reference to the sword, hunger, death, and beasts of the earth: Ezek. 14:21 "For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?" The execution of both timely and eternal judgments will be brought out abundantly in the remainder of the book of Revelation.
In summary, when the first seal of the book of salvation was opened we see the Lord as the Lamb of God going forth in the Spirit of righteousness fulfilling the law and the prophets to a jot and a tittle. When the second seal was opened we see the Lord going forth in the Spirit of warfare, defeating our enemies: Satan; sin; death; hell; and the grave. When the third seal was opened we see the Lord being made sin for us on the tree of the cross who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. When the fourth seal was opened we see the Lord suffering death and hell for us in our room and stead on the cross of Calvary and in so doing God's wrathful judgment of sin was satisfied. In addition the Lord having accomplished and satisfied God's eternal judgment on behalf of the elect, we see him going forth with timely judgments upon the elect and the non-elect and with eternal judgments upon the non-elect.

Christ's Atonement for Sin

There are several verses of scripture where the color black or dark and Christ's atonement for sin are correlated. Some Old Testament prophecies of Christ's atonement are couched in the use of darkness:

1. Gen. 15:12 "And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him."
2. Gen. 15:17 "And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces."
3. Ex. 10:21 "And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. 22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:"
4. Jer. 8:21 "For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me."
5. Joel 2:31 "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come."

The first two references above come from a passage where God revealed to Abraham in a dream a portion of the covenant of redemption. It was said that a horror of great darkness fell upon Abram. In this dream, there were five animals sacrificed including three livestock and two birds. A total of eight pieces was laid out and during this horror of great darkness a burning lamp and a smoking furnace passed between the pieces. Passing between the pieces signifies the ratification of a covenant: Jer. 34:18, 19 "And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof. The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf;" The parties to the covenant passed between the parts.

In Abraham's dream, the smoking furnace symbolizes the judgment of God the Father; the burning lamp symbolizes the work of the Holy Spirit in applying the blood of Christ in regeneration. The animals sacrificed are a symbol of the atoning work of Christ. Eight is associated with "new beginnings" in the scriptures. Through the atoning blood of Christ a new beginning in judgment and righteousness is made for every elect child of God. The horror of great darkness symbolized the suffering of Christ on the cross to atone for our sins.
Reference 3 above was one of the ten judgments that God poured out on the land of Egypt during the days just before God delivered the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. A darkness that might be felt was over the land of Egypt for three days. This is the same time period in which Christ laid in the grave during his delivering us from our sins. The body of Jesus lay in the darkness of the grave for three days, then he arose victorious over sin, death, hell, Satan, and the grave. What a great redeemer we have!

Reference four above prophecies of the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ as he suffered in the room and stead of his elect people. It was for their hurt, he was hurt. He suffered in their room and stead.

Reference 5 is quoted in the book of Acts: Acts 2:20 "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:" Once explanation I have heard concerning the sun and the moon is that the sun represents the law given at Mt. Sinai and the moon represents the ordinances given to Israel. With this explanation, the law and the ordinances would come to an end with the sacrificial atonement of Christ.

Personally, I believe the sun represents "the Sun of Righteousness" who is Christ and the moon represents the Lord's covenant people. This would agree with 2 Cor. 5:21: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." The sun being turned into darkness would be equivalent to Christ being made sin for us and the moon being turned to blood would be equivalent to Christ's atoning sacrifice on behalf of his covenant people.

Next, we notice a few verses of scripture in the New Testament where the atoning work of Christ is directly associated with darkness:
1. Matt. 27:45 "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour."
2. Mark 15:33 "And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour."
3. Luke 22:53 "When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness."
4. Luke 23:44 "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour."
While Christ atoned for our sins, God turned out the lights. So terrible was the sight when Christ suffered for our sins that only God could look upon it. What Christ suffered is what we deserved to suffer because of our sins.