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Friend, arise, shine, your light has come!

Isaiah 60:1-3  Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2  For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 3  And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 

2 Corinthians 3:6-9 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?  9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 

As Elul nears its close, the prophetic consolation swells to a crescendo. Jerusalem is no longer told merely to wait for comfort — she is commanded to arise and shine. Though thick darkness will cover the nations, the glory of the Lord will break forth on His people. The Bride is not called to shrink back, but to radiate the brilliance of her Beloved.

This is the paradox of the end of the age: lawlessness will spread, confusion will deepen, but in the midst of it, the Bride will shine with unmistakable glory. Nations will stream to that light; kings will be drawn to the brightness of her rising. This is not human splendor, but the reflected glory of Messiah Himself.

Paul explains the mystery in 2 Corinthians 3: Moses’ face shone with glory after receiving the law, but that glory was fading. In Messiah, the ministry of the Spirit is greater still — a glory that does not fade, but increases. “If there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory” (v.9). Beloved, the Bride’s radiance will exceed that of Moses, because she carries not the letter carved on stone, but the Spirit of the Living God.

Elul prepares us for this reality. The shofar does not only summon us to repent — it summons us to shine. Holiness is not hiding away in fear, but living so filled with His Spirit that His glory radiates outward. The Bridegroom is not returning for a weary Bride, but for one clothed in splendor, radiant with a glory that cannot be hidden.

Friend, do not bury your light in compromise or distraction. The time is now to arise. Shine with the glory that surpasses Moses. Let His Spirit blaze through you until the nations see and cry: "Behold, your God!"

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Elianna and Obadiah
George & Baht Rivka, Obi (Baltimore, Maryland), Elianna (Married living in Missouri)

Editor's Note: This devotional is part of an ongoing Elul series. If you’ve just joined us, or happened to miss some earlier entries, I encourage you to start with the first one from August 25th. Each devotional builds on the last as we journey together through the month of Elul, preparing our hearts for the Fall Feasts — beginning with Yom Teruah (the Feast of Trumpets) and culminating in the Feast of Tabernacles.