11, 12. Who responded to the light in the first century, and who respond today?

¹¹ In the first century, despite the general lack of response, many righthearted ones were ‘called out of darkness into God’s wonderful light.’ (1 Peter 2:9) Of these the apostle John writes: “As many as did receive [Christ], to them he gave authority to become God’s children, because they were exercising faith in his name.” (John 1:12) Starting from Pentecost 33 C.E., these lovers of the light were baptized with holy spirit and became sons of God with the hope of reigning with Jesus in his heavenly Kingdom.

¹² In our day the final ones of those anointed sons of God have been gathered, and fulfilling Daniel’s prophecy, they “shine like the brightness of the expanse . . . , bringing the many to righteousness.” (Daniel 12:3) They have let their light shine to such an extent that more than four million “other sheep” have been attracted to the truth and enjoy a righteous standing before God. (John 10:16) These, in turn, reflect the light around the world, so that now that light is shining as never before. In our day, as in the first century, “the darkness has not overpowered [the light].”​—John 1:5.

“By Light From You We Can See Light”

18, 19. How did Jesus and Paul describe the way to recognize the “children of light”?

¹⁸ Remember that our attaining eternal life depends on our receiving a favorable judgment from God, which judgment is based on how much we love the light. After alluding to this latter fact, Jesus said: “He that practices vile things hates the light and does not come to the light, in order that his works may not be reproved. But he that does what is true comes to the light, in order that his works may be made manifest as having been worked in harmony with God.”​—John 3:19-21.

¹⁹ Paul supported this thought when he wrote to the Ephesians: “Go on walking as children of light, for the fruitage of the light consists of every sort of goodness and righteousness and truth.” (Ephesians 5:8, 9) So our works show whether we are children of the light or of the darkness.