Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: Jesus is the Light of the World

 This may or may not be a messianic prophecy.  My feeling is that it is not, because that could imply that Jesus is a created being. That would be inconsistent with the many other biblical references which teach that Jesus is pre-existent.

Some people feel that the first use of a word in the Bible establishes that word's meaning for the rest of the Bible.  This is highly doubtful and is an unfounded assumption.  Interpretations of words and phrases in the Bible must be derived from the surrounding textual and historical context, from the most usual usage of the word, and from their consistency with the rest of the biblical revelation.

Examples abound of people making unfounded assumptions about biblical words and phrases and, as a result, going off in heretical directions.

Old Testament:

”And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”

Genesis 1:3-4

New Testament:

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12