Sometimes we just get so used to something that we begin to take it for granted. Several months ago, I looked up at the Sun and thought about what the Scripture says about it. Consider this prophecy, "There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the Sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 22:5 - NIV).
You know I have come to just expect the Sun to do its job everyday. Until recently, I have never stopped to think about what life would be like without it. In reality, most things on the planet would not survive without the energy from the Sun. But the Holy Scriptures prophecy that one day there will be no more Sun because God will provide the light and energy necessary to sustain life.
This is an incredible statement if you stop to think about it. The Sun is the primary source for heat and energy for the planet. The Sun gives necessary light and is critical for photosynthesis and all plant life to grow. If the Sun were to suddenly go dark, it would not take long for much of the surface life to die on the Earth. The food chain would break down as plants die due to the lack of light. Temperatures would quickly plummet way below freezing. While nobody knows for sure how long it would take or what might survive, the result would be catastrophic for this planet. Some life might exist in the oceans for a while and some organisms which live on the seafloor near geothermal vents might be able to survive for quite a long time depending on how dependent they are on the food chain to survive. In short, we wouldn't last long, but there may be organisms which could survive indefinitely, either by freezing before they starve, or because they don't depend on solar energy at all.
But for most life on this planet, it would cease to exist in a short period of time. This makes the prophecy mentioned in Revelation and confirmed by Isaiah seem all the more spectacular. It also helps me understand just a bit about God's glory and the brightness of the light coming from Him. God is indeed the greatest source of light, life and knowledge in the world. And He is certainly able to make all things new and to change the focus of this planet from revolving around the Sun to receiving all source of life and light directly from Him.
Just something to think about the next time you look up at the Sun and feel the warmth of the light on your face...
