Then Shall the Righteous Shine Forth

This blog post has a compilation of all verses of scripture using the words shine and shone. It does not go further into related words such as light, bright, fire, radiance, or glory, which could all give further insight into the topic. I divided the verses into related categories and some verses fit into more than one. I will summarize a couple of these. The different areas are: Men shining with glory here on earth, Men shining with glory in the future, Men commanded to shine forth, God's glory shining from Him, His angels, or from heaven, Objects in nature shining.


Men Shining with Glory Here on Earth

The prophet Moses was the first man on record to shine like God. His face was so bright that he had to put on a veil to protect the children of Israel from his brightness. He received or absorbed that brightness and glory from God while he stood in His presence and then that light emanated from his face for some time afterwards. Later, we had the prophet Abinadi, when the spirit of the Lord was upon him, "his face shone with exceeding luster" and was compared to Moses while on mount Sinai. Next we had the brother prophets Nephi and Lehi who were surrounded with fire from heaven and then their faces "did shine exceedingly, even as the faces of angels." Later Jesus, while in His mortal ministry, described John the Baptist as a "a burning and a shining light" but the record doesn't specify whether that meant that shining was the same as with Moses or not. Paul likewise tells the Philippians that they "shine as lights in the world." Before Paul said this there was Steven one of the seven chosen by the apostles who, as he testified of Christ to a council is described, "all that sat in the council ... saw his face as it had been the face of an angel."

Then the last and most powerful experience happened when Jesus visited the American continent to preach His gospel there, after His resurrection and ascension into heaven in Jerusalem. Two times while thousands of people were in the presence of Jesus, "the light of his countenance did shine upon them, and behold they were as white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof."


Men Shining with Glory in The Future

When speaking of the righteous, the scriptures speak of these people shining in words such as, "clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning." It speaks of the wise or righteous shining "as the brightness of the firmament" at some future day, using words such as, "then shall the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of God;" "then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father," "fair as the moon, clear as the sun" and "as the stars." The scriptures indicate that their faces and countenances will shine forth. In contrast, "the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine. The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him." This indicates that the wicked won't have any light and we can assume that this means that the wicked won't even be as bright as stars or even a candle. It also refers to the paths of the righteous and the wicked in a similar manner; "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble."

Then using an analogy, Jesus compares people, with their ability to hold light inside their bodies and their ability to shine, to a candle, "No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light."

These scriptures alone are enough to show that the righteous will shine as the lights in the firmament (indicating that they will shine in various degrees) and the wicked will be darkened having no light at all.


Men on Earth

Exodus 34:29-35

John 5:35

Acts 6:15 (does not use the word shine)

Philippians 2:12-15

Mosiah 13:5

Helaman 5:23-24,36-37,43-44

3 Nephi 19:14,25,30

Future Man

Job 11:17

Job 18:5

Proverbs 4:18

Ecclesiastes 8:1

Daniel 12:3

Matthew 13:43

Luke 11:33-36

Revelation 21:23-24

Alma 40:25

D&C 109:73

D&C 138:24

Commandment

Isaiah 60:1-2

Matthew 5:16

3 Nephi 12:16

3 Nephi 18:24

D&C 115:5

God, Angels, or Heavens

Numbers 6:25

Deuteronomy 33:2

Job 10:3

Psalms 31:16

Psalms 50:2

Psalms 67:1

Psalms 80:1,3,7,19

Psalms 119:135

Isaiah 4:5

Isaiah 9:2

Daniel 9:17

Matthew 17:2

Mark 9:3

Luke 2:9

Luke 24:4

Acts 9:3

Acts 12:7

Acts 22:6

Acts 26:13

2 Corinthians 4:4,6

Revelation 21:23-24

2 Nephi 14:5

2 Nephi 19:2

Alma 5:50

3 Nephi 19:25,30

Mormon 8:16

D&C 76:19

D&C 109:79

D&C 110:3

D&C 138:24

Nature

2 Samuel 23:4

2 Kings 3:22

Job 3:4

Job 22:28

Job 29:3

Job 31:26

Job 36:32

Job 37:15

Job 41:18,32

Psalms 104:15

Isaiah 13:10

Jeremiah 5:28

Ezekiel 43:2

Joel 2:10

Joel 3:15

Habakkuk 3:11

Revelation 8:12

Revelation 18:23

2 Nephi 23:10

Alma 37:23

Ether 3:4

Ether 6:3

D&C 34:9

JS-H 1:79 (knowledge)