Charles R. Swindoll - The Darkness and the Dawn: Empowered by the Tragedy and Triumph of the Cross

THE DARKNESS AND THE DAWN

PUBLICATIONS BY CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
BOOKS FOR ADULTS

Active Spirituality

Bedside Blessings

Behold... The Man!

The Bride

Come Before Winter

Compassion: Showing We Care in a Careless World

The Darkness and the Dawn

David: A Man of Passion and Destiny

Day by Day

Dear Graduate

Dropping Your Guard

Elijah: A Man of Heroism and Humility

Encourage Me

Esther: A Woman of Strength and Dignity

The Finishing Touch

Five Meaningful Minutes a Day

Flying Closer to the Flame

For Those Who Hurt

Getting Through the Tough Stuff

Gods Provision

The Grace Awakening

The Grace Awakening Devotional

The Grace Awakening Workbook

Growing Deep in the Christian Life

Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life

Growing Wise in Family Life

Hand Me Another Brick

Home: Where Life Makes Up Its Mind

Hope Again

Improving Your Serve

Intimacy with the Almighty

Job: A Man of Heroic Endurance

Job: Interactive Study Guide

Joseph: A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness

Killing Giants, Pulling Thorns

Laugh Again

Leadership: Influence That Inspires

Living Above the Level of Mediocrity

Living Beyond the Daily Grind, Books I and II

The Living Insights Study Bible, general editor

Living on the Ragged Edge

Make Up Your Mind

Man to Man

Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication

The Mystery of Gods Will

Paul: A Man of Grace and Grit

The Quest for Character

Recovery: When Healing Takes Time

The Road to Armageddon

Sanctity of Life

Simple Faith

Simple Trust

So, You Want to be Like Christ?

Starting Over

Start Where You Are

Strengthening Your Grip

Stress Fractures

Strike the Original Match

The Strong Family

Suddenly One Morning

Swindolls Ultimate Book of Illustrations and Quotes

Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

Victory: A Winning Game Plan for Life

Why, God?

Wisdom for the Way

You and Your Child

MINIBOOKS

Abraham: A Model of Pioneer Faith

David: A Model of Pioneer Courage

Esther: A Model of Pioneer Independence

Moses: A Model of Pioneer Vision

Nehemiah: A Model of Pioneer Determination

BOOKLETS

Anger

Attitudes

Commitment

Dealing with Defiance

Demonism

Destiny

Divorce

Eternal Security

Forgiving and Forgetting

Fun Is Contagious!

Gods Will

Hope

Impossibilities

Integrity

Intimacy with the Almighty

Leisure

The Lonely Whine of the Top Dog

Make Your Dream Come True

Making the Weak Family Strong

Moral Purity

Peace... in Spite of Panic

Portrait of a Faithful Father

The Power of a Promise

Prayer

Reflections from the HeartA Prayer Journal

Seeking the Shepherds HeartA Prayer Journal

Sensuality

Stress

This Is No Time for Wimps

Tongues

When Your Comfort Zone Gets the Squeeze

Woman

THE DARKNESS AND THE DAWN

Empowered by the Tragedy and Triumph of the Cross

CHARLES R. SWINDOLL

THE DARKNESS AND THE DAWN
Charles R. Swindoll

2001 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission from the publisher.

W Publishing books may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations used in this book are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB)
1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

ISBN 0-8499-1347-0 (hc)
ISBN 0-8499-1189-3 (tp)

Printed in the United States of America

06 07 08 09 10 RRD 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Dedication

Ever since the inception of
Stonebriar Community Church
of Frisco, Texas, in the fall of 1998,
we have felt that the Lords hand
has been on our ministry.

We have experienced a love that is deep,
a worship that is authentic and meaningful,
a joy that is rare, and a harmony
that pastors often dream about but
seldom have the pleasure of witnessing.

A major reason these ingredients are so evident in our church
is the excellent leadership that is present
among our Board of Elders.
It is my distinct privilege to serve
alongside these fine men
as we pray together
and
grow in the Word together
and
lead our church together for Gods greater glory.

Because of their unselfish dedication
and commitment to the work of ministry,
I gratefully dedicate this book
to these six faithful servant-leaders:

STAN BAXTER

DAVID CHAVANNE

DICK CREWS

JIM GUNN

JOHNNY KOONS

BILL SOUSA

Contents

H eart attack. Those two words sent a chill up my spine. I could hardly believe the physician was talking about me. I found myself crawling into my own inner cave of emotional darkness, facing for the first time in my entire life the reality of my own mortality. I shall never forget the feeling.

It was 5:50 A.M. on October 14, 2000, only four days before my sixty-sixth birthday. I was experiencing only minimal pain, but because of its location, and because it wouldnt go away, my wife and I decided to check it out. Because we did, Im alive today. And pain free. According to the latest report of my cardiologist, Dr. Jack Spitzberg, as well as the studied opinion of my personal physician, Dr. Kenneth Cooper, my heart has suffered no permanent damage.

A small stainless steel stent was inserted into the circumflex artery in my heart, which enables the blood to flow freely as it once did. Over a short period of time, I am told, my body will accept this tiny hollow tube of steel, and life for me will return pretty close to normal.

What a contrast between the frightening words I heard that dark morning in mid-October, heart attack, and the latest report I remember each dawn as I enjoy a hot cup of coffee with my faithful wife, Cynthia: no permanent damage. The darkness brought on by the fear of uncertainty is gone. The dawn of renewed hope and revived dreams has made me into a new man with a greater determination than ever to serve my Lord and to fulfill His plan for the balance of my lifewhatever that may include.

To say that I am full of gratitude would qualify as the understatement of the year.

Interestingly, I had embarked on a new publishing project when all of that occurred back in October 2000. I had begun writing the book you are holding in your hands. For well over forty years I have been intrigued by the two extremes our Lord experienced at the end of His ministry on earth: the agony of His torturous suffering and death, followed by the ecstasy of His glorious resurrection and triumph over the grave. Time spent meditating on both extremes of His final days on earth always left me hungry for more information, more insights, more understanding.