Chapter 8
DANIEL WAS ASTOUNDED HOW MUCH clearer he could think and ponder the Scripture while in this 'state'. He wasn't sure what to call it. Had they really traveled back in time? Or, had he died in the process? Was he unconscious and this was a dream? Was this a hallucination or was it real? He wasn't sure about that aspect. But, he was absolutely positive what he thought of the Word and of God. That was clear to him.
The first chapter of John, particularly in verses 1-14, showed how Jesus was:
1. Already living in the beginning (v.1)
2. The Word (v1)
3. With God (v1)
4. God (v1)
5. With God in the beginning (v2)
6. The Maker of all things (v3)
7. Life (v4)
8. The Light of Men (v4)
9. The light which shines in the darkness (v5)
10. Not understood by the darkness( v5)
11. In the world (v10)
12. The world was made through Him (v10)
13. Not recognized by the world (v10)
14. Not received by His own (v11)
15. Received and believed in by His name by some (the children of God) (v12)
16. The word made flesh (v14)
17. Dwelt among us in the world (v14)
18. Allowed us to see His glory (v14)
19. The glory of the One and Only (v14)
20. Came from the Father (v14)
21. Full of grace and truth (v14)
(Author's Note: The list made above was taken from the NIV.)
Daniel pondered how John, in Chapter 1, wanted to establish, and prove, the deity of Jesus and how he was not only the Christ and Messiah, but was also God the Father. It seemed an ambitious undertaking, but Daniel thought how an Apostle, friend, and follower of Jesus was the most suited for the writing.
Jesus made the world and all things, Daniel contemplated and couldn't help but think of Psalm 33:6 which stated,
"By the word of the LORD were the heavens made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth," (NIV)
and Psalm 33:6 only made Daniel think of John 1:1-14 and how Jesus was the Word. Hence, the creative Jesus mentioned in John 1:3 also came into play. The intertwining of the different facets of Jesus, the Word, the creative attributes and job of Jesus, and how all of them came together in Jesus and in the first chapter of the Gospel of John. Jesus, the Word, the Son of God, and God Himself, was the Creator of all things (See John 1:3-1:8). Jesus was the life of all things, if we believe in Him. Daniel's head twinged just a little as he tried to grasp all of this. These thoughts were too remarkable. Too amazing. Too glorious for such a simple man, Daniel thought. 1 John 1:1-2 then came to his mind:
"1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us," (NLT).
Yes, these introspections were almost too much for Daniel. His mind worked so fast he could barely keep up and could barely digest what was brought to his consciousness.
John's goal was to show the Triune God. Granted, nowhere in the Bible was this term used. The trinity was, nevertheless, revealed in the Book of John. The trinity consisted of: God, Jesus the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit (the Holy Ghost if you're Catholic). They were all three different entities, but were also the same one entity.
Wow. How was that for confusing? Daniel learned long ago, and was able to confirm it here, that there were a few different analogies to the Triune God or the trinity.
1. The Egg Analogy
An egg is an egg and is made up of three parts: the yoke, the white, and the shell. But, it's still one--egg. It's the same with the trinity.
2. The Individual Analogy
Daniel was a man. He was a son. He was a friend. He was a scientist. He was a computer geek. He was a football player. He was a handyman. He was a house owner. All facets of Daniel were different people to different people. But, he was still the one and the same Daniel. It's the same with the trinity.
Yes, some aspects of the spiritual nature were still confusing, but he accepted it by faith. Therefore, he thought of John 1:4,
"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men," (NKJV).
Jesus was the light. Light has several meanings, Daniel recollected. It can mean knowledge, intelligence, or wisdom. It can mean good or holy. It can also mean that which shines and brings us the ability to see in the times of darkness. Light also brought warmth. Daniel realized Jesus was all of these and more.
Now that he remembered the definition of light as also: knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom, he thought again of John 1:5. In John 1:5, there was another word in the Greek for understand. It was to 'grasp or comprehend' or to 'overcome or destroy.' Therefore, the NLT version of John 1:5 came to mind,
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it," (NLT).
The darkness, the sinful, the evil, the worldly could never overcome, destroy, or extinguish the light, the good, the holy, Jesus. Oh, the hope Daniel experienced from this revelation. He thought of all of the definitions of the struggle of the light and the dark:
Good vs. evil
Night vs. day
Intellect vs. Lack thereof
Taking in the light vs. choosing not to take in the light
Godly vs. sinful
(Author's Note: See pages 1182-1184 of my notes.*****)
Jesus brought comprehension and life.
By Stacy Duplease
of Stories by Stacy
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