Father of Lights – James 1:17

James 1:17-18 Full Article PDF

Discover that the FATHER OF LIGHTS is represented by luminaries with no shadow from a turning orbit, as in the fully lit sun, fully lit stars, and fully lit moon. Strikingly, each of these arises in the EAST when they begin to rule and set in the WEST at the termination of their ruling TIME in the shamayim (heavens). As a result, the full moon is the only lunar phase that meets the criteria for Yahuah’s true New Moon.  Just as the Messiah is the perfect reflection of the Father and the fullness of His grand and marvelous LIGHT, so the full moon is the perfect reflection of the sun.

Lights Identify the Creator’s Plan

Scripture word studies often reveal a more vivid portrayal of a Scriptural event than some of the modern translations bear out. This is the case here in James, where this verse is set in the framework of the temple services and its sacred and set-apart Feast Days.

Verse 17 begins by adding muscle to the bones of the common translation of “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” Specifically, “every fulfillment of service given” and “every finished work brought to its fully developed completion” is the work of the Messiah as He alone ministers on our behalf in the Temple/Sanctuary in the shamayim above. It is only via this grand and marvelous work on behalf of blotting our sin that the WAY is opened for sinners to receive forgiveness and eternal life.

Each service or ministry commences and terminates according to the astro-luni-solar time model and is directly linked to a specific Feast Day in their precise order. At the time of the writing, the book ascribed to James, Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Wave Sheaf offering, and Feast of Shabuoth had all been fulfilled in real-time by the life, death, and resurrection of the true Messiah as a fulfillment of His first coming to earth and laying down His life for mankind. These were the first steps in the full and complete process of ransom and restoration of our Messiah, who purchased with his own sacrificial blood mankind’s guilt so they may choose His covering and be restored back to the Father.

Three steps remain, and perhaps even four, which are listed under the fall feasts as the Feast of Trumpets, the Feast Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Eighth Day (the Last Great Day). In like manner as in His first coming, Yahusha, our Messiah, will return a second time at the completion of His time-stamped Feast Days.

The reference to the fact that these “perfect and completed gifts have come down to us from the Father of lights” has layers of meaning. First, our Messiah was sent to earth by his Father, both co-Creators of earth’s LIGHTS and TIME. It is these very lights that mark off the time by which each ministry begins and ends, illustrating as a second witness that, indeed, Yahusha was the true Messiah and Son of Yahuah.

The keyword is LIGHT, for YAHUAH IS THE FATHER OF LIGHTS, pure, clear, and MARVELOUS LIGHT. There is no darkness in anything that represents our Creator, as He is the fullness of light. So, we find something very interesting in the last portion of verse 17, as it portrays two realities simultaneously, both the legitimacy of the FATHER and the timely precision of the “LIGHTS,” which are themselves empirical representations of Himself. Here it is meticulously defined so we can know the truth that the pure and perfect lights He created to “rule” and represent Himself and His Son “have no darkness, variation, or shadow of a turning orbit in them.”  Thus, this verse proactively clarifies that these “shadows of turning” are not present in any of the LIGHTS when fully developed and when they represent Him.  So, by extension, along with the sun and stars, the only lunar phase that meets these criteria “of no shadows or variation” is the full moon.

“Every fulfillment of service given, indeed every finished work brought to its fully developed completion, is a gift prepared from above and comes down as ransom from the FATHER OF LIGHTS, among which there is no variation in phase or orbit, neither shadow of the turning shamayim (heavenly) bodies.  He has desired to produce in us the word of truth, with the intent that, by Him, we may be a kind of first-fruits of His re-creation.” James 1:17-18 (Creator’s Calendar Version)

Might this be one example of many, illustrating that the true New Moon is the full moon, after all?

From the definition of the Greek word #3883, translated as variable or variation, we find it is directly related to the LIGHTS in the shamayim. However, in contrast to the above quote from the Exegetical Dictionary, this word refers primarily to the full moon [fully developed #5046], as the moon is the only kind of heavenly luminary that has changing phases.  Understanding this does not diminish the same application of the full sun (when it rules the day) and the full stars (when they rule the night).

Other Lunar Phases

From Genesis to Revelation, there is not one Scripture identifying a dark lunar phase or a first visible crescent lunar phase as a representative of either the Father or the Son. Yet, there are myriads of examples of fullness, completeness, and pure, whole pearl, perfect LIGHT representing both the Father and Son and their astounding foundation of TRUTH.

There is only one lunar phase that is visibly oriented the same as viewed from both the northern and the southern hemispheres.  All other lunar phases will be seen in reverse in the southern hemisphere.  Judge for yourself as to which lunar phase is free of all shadows of darkness.

Finally, verse 18 alludes to the Father’s final plan to produce in each of His ransomed righteous believers the fullness of truth and pure, perfect light that we may be comprehensively restored to meet with Him, face to face, as a perfect reflection of Him. This is the grand and sacred work of Yahusha, our Messiah and Savior, who today continues in the Temple above, receiving the confession of sin from humble sinners that they may receive forgiveness, with no taint of sin and no shadow of darkness.

The promise is that one day soon, His obedient followers will be restored into His likeness, clothed in robes of light, whiter than snow, the pure and perfect righteousness of the Father, with no taint of sin or shadow of darkness and death. 

Beloved, now we are children of Elohim/Alahim, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2