1 Kings 8:12 Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.



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.


Why does He "dwell in darkness" when "in Him is no darkness?"

1Ki 8:10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
1Ki 8:11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
1Ki 8:12 Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

Exo 24:16 and the honour of Jehovah doth tabernacle on mount Sinai, and the cloud covereth it six days, and He calleth unto Moses on the seventh day from the midst of the cloud.


Probably the cloud

Exo 24:15 And Moses went up into the mount, and the cloud covered the mount.

I would assume.

Those are some interesting scriptures to bring into the equation. But to contextualize many of the verses about darkness in the end of Revelation, each one is speaking about spiritual darkness, not physical darkness.

If there was no physical darkness at all, all there would be is blinding white light absolutely everywhere. And, since everything God does has an eternal purpose, why did he create darkness initially?

Why did God create all the scary, unpleasant creatures and phenomena?

If there is such thing as "dark energy," why did God make this so abundant in the universe? If all of this will be transformed into something increasingly more and more glorious, than this purpose would still not make darkness and the above mentioned phenomena of creation "evil" or somehow bad. God created everything "good." This included the darkness in space that the stars were visibly placed in. He called the darkness "night" and demonstrated his rule over it before the fall of man. It was a perfect part of God's order. God even "covers himself with clouds of darkness. He has treasures hidden in darkness, according to Isaiah.

If all the physical darkness and the strange, frightening and lethal aspects of creation will be transformed and/or eradicated somehow, this still does not devalue the perfect order and placement of these things in the universe in its current state. Maybe there will ultimately somehow be no darkness. Quite possible, I guess.

But I interpret the passages in Revelation to be symbolical of spiritual realities more than literal. I mean, what is the big deal about keeping all dogs, specifically outside of the city when the lamb is allowed inside (I am not serious. But consider my point)? I sure would like for my deceased dog to be resurrected and dwelling in the Olam Haba with us. Dogs are wonderful creatures to have around. "Dogs" there is a symbolic word for perverted men.

God clothes himself in darkness to conceal his glory. When his glory is shining out, even the angels cover themselves. God is "a God who hides himself." Isaiah said this. I believe that the darkness surrounding God is also symbolic of all that is seen in between God and the creation, namely mankind. God is everywhere and yet no one sees him without faith. How can God be in the darkness? God is transcendant. God desires to test us to see if we truly have a deep hunger to see and know the reality of who God is, in person. That is the hunger that will be forever being answered through all eternity. But God desires us to press into him in faith now, and begin this deep and intimate searching out of God's depths.

It reminds me of how I let my kids chase me around and then I allow them to catch me. They think that they really caught up with me. But the truth is that I wanted to let them catch me for the thrill of being sought after by them. God is similar toward us.

the way i see it god is every where sees what is going on and can reach out to a man in his darkest hour or reach out to a man who is in jail


intresting but god does not just dwell in the light as many christians think


he calls us to him out of darkness and tells us to come into the light

when he created this earth it was void this is what it says in the english standard version their was no light at all everything was dark



Genesis 1 English standard version


2 The earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep And the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters


imagine seeing what god saw when he looked at the earth darkness covered the earth no stars no moon no sun no clouds no nothing it was void and only gods spirit was hovering over the face of the deep and the face of the waters


to see god at work to see him bring life and to see him create the stars from nothing and what we see now i know i am dealing with a power full god







Damo

Thank you for the replies....I'll check in later. Right now it's time for

GO BAMA!

"in" Him is no darkness at all

This is different than the condition of darkness that He may encounter

I am reminded of this passage which I always think is interesting:

Psalm 139:11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.



They are the same in His eyes. He sees just as well either way.


Interesting.


In His Love,
Suzanne

God is LIGHT... but yet He is said to dwell in THICK DARKNESS (as in 1 Kings 8:12 and Exodus 19; see below).
Thick darkness in the Bible represents judgment; or is related to God showing Himself as the Judge of all the earth.

"And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that [was] in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses [up] to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them. And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.
-Exodus 19:16-24

"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. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days"
-Exodus 10:21-22

"The great day of the LORD [is] near, [it is] near, and hasteth greatly, [even] the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 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"
-Zephaniah 1:14-15

As you pointed out that that 1 John 1:5 states that "in Him is no darkness at all".

As DARKNESS is related to judgment; so LIGHT and sun (Mal. 4:2) are related to God showing Himself as merciful; new life... a way out of judgment!

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."_
-John 8:12

Hope this helps some, Judi

And next......the Gators. I'm not feeling good about that one but today's win was terrific! A HUGE rivalry here in Alabama.

Yes...it does.

2 Corinthians 4:6 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.

Its not hard to understand for it is the nature of who God is.

"He would dwell in thick darkness"
There is no other god but God for God was never created by another and has always been and shall always be.

Everything else has a creation and before creation itself there was only God, hence God being eternal was and is eternally alone. A solitude as thick as darkness.

"...that God is light in him is no darkness at all."
God is light for He is the light of self awareness, of sentience, of a higher consciousness, for being self aware and all knowing of His faculties and His being, through the infinite upon infinities God is light. The light that God is refers to His self consciousness.

Simple.

Because light belongs in darkeness?

Isaiah 45:7 (King James Version)

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.