Jesus describes those who are walking in darkness.

They do not know where they are going.

“He that walks in darkness does not know where he is going.”

John 12:35

Multitude of people do not know where they going after death, and Jesus described this as walking in darkness.

Jesus is the Light of the world Who tells us not only how to live our current life but also about life after death.

He tells us how to get to heaven and how to avoid going to hell. This is light indeed.

Not everyone has this Light.

People who do not believe this continue in their darkness. They are no wiser about where they are going, and Jesus says that they are walking in darkness.

Walking in the Light

As the Light of the world, Jesus tells us what we need to know – how we are here, why we are here, where we are going, and what to do about it.

You can begin by reading about Him in the Bible, asking helpful Christians (not all of them are helpful), and beginning to pray.

Do not assume that God does not hear your prayers. He hears all of them. Reading this blogpost may be part of God’s answers to your prayers, even from long ago. God answers your prayers in the best manner and it will help your understanding of God to realise and to recognise this. The answer might be, Yes, no, not yet, yes but not in the way you think or want.

Walking in darkness

The Bible describes walking in darkness in various situations.

Even the godly can walk in relative darkness. This refers to times of doubt and lack of communion with God, when the godly lose sight of the Light of the world and the Light of their life.

This may be because they are behaving in an unchristian manner 1Jn 2:11.

Backsliding interferes with the communion of the godly with God. God chastises His backsliding children in various ways Heb 12:5-12.

They may be in relative darkness because of unbelief. Jesus reproved His apostles several times for their unbelief, which led to unnecessary fear in their lives.

Further, although the godly have no doubts about Jesus as Saviour, nor His ability to save sinners, yet they may be in darkness about His willingness to save them in particular, so that they doubt their own assurance of grace and salvation.

This is a well-known experience for the godly, to such an extent that Scripture comforts them with such texts as Isaiah 50:10, telling them to trust in the Lord, with the promise that their darkness will yet become like noonday Isa 58:10. Even under the influence of the inspiring Spirit of God, the godly psalmist David felt himself in darkness but expected the Lord to enlighten his darkness Ps 18:28, 2Sam 22:29.

False religious light

Counterfeit religion is as common as counterfeits in general. The Bible describes its devotees as walking in light which they have kindled Isaiah 50:11. They are deceived by their own light.

They do not follow the Light of the world but they create their own light. Secularists say that all religions do this, failing to realise that the large number of counterfeits suggest a genuine one, and failing to realise that secularism is itself another false religion.

Funerals, hope and life after death

Even secularists fall into the same mistake of creating their own light. They do it throughout life and particularly at funerals, reassuring others and particularly children that granny or grandpa is a star in the sky looking down at them.

Even when they turn the funeral into a celebration of the life of the deceased, they rarely avoid some sparks of their own kindling, some false, man-made religion to comfort themselves and others that all is well with the deceased, even if it is only “the end of suffering” in oblivion. This is wishful thinking and pseudo-religion. A whole industry has been generated, both secular and religious, to cope with the uncertainty of life after death.

False religion tries to reassure people that all will be well with them if they follow their religion. Those who do not make use of the Light of the world will be taken in by these claims.

How much better to have the good hope that the Light of the world gives, not only to us as individuals but to our loved ones and the mourners we leave behind?

Secular light

Secularism is a worldview that does not believe that God is involved in this Universe that He has created. They are the losers for it. Losers in this world and losers in the world to come.

Meanwhile, make sure you are not among them.