² To open the blind eyes, to deliver the prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness imprisoned. The Lord is speaking of prisoners of sin, people captive to sin, slaves to sin; people walking in darkness without the Light of God, and people that sit in the prison of the whole earth in darkness. There is so much darkness, they are blind. This is the promise of the gospel, which all the false Christian sects deny is even possible — to become servant and prisoner of the Lord instead of a slave to sin and prisoner of Satan, to be freed from sin, to be brought out of darkness to light; and this is the exact message Jesus told Paul to preach:

"I [Jesus] now send you to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may thus receive forgiveness and release from sin's slavery and an inheritance among those who are purified by faith in Me." Acts 26:17-18.

Compare Paul's gospel to the doctrine of demons, in which the ministers of the deficit sects tell their members that they are righteous, even while they are still sinning, sin being wickedness.
The ministers tell them they are going to heaven when they die; but the Word of the Lord within warns them: "Your covenant with death will be removed."
"He that says to the wicked, 'You are righteous;' him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him." Pro 24:24
All the pastors and ministers shall be cursed, who lied, saying that with belief in Jesus, you are righteous while still locked in sin.
In effect, the ministers of today tell their members: don't seek, don't obey, don't fear, don't strive — saying there is no need because of grace, your supposed license for immorality and excuse for remaining in sin.
Yet Paul instructed ministers thus: "Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of everyone, so that the rest also may fear." 1 Tim 5:20.
Paul also pleaded for repentance: remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
And scripture plainly and clearly states that if you are still sinning, you have no inheritance in the kingdom of God or Christ.

It is no wonder Babylon has confused billions to remain blind to the gospel of Christ. Look at the Net Bible's appalling footnotes to this verse:

• to open blind eyes:
  The Net Bible translators wrote in Footnote 1 to this verse: "This does not refer to literal physical healing of the blind. As the next two lines suggest, this refers metonymically to freeing captives from their dark prisons where their eyes have grown unaccustomed to light."
• to release prisoners:
  The Net Bible translators wrote in Footnote 2 to this verse: "This does not refer to hardened, dangerous criminals, who would have been executed for their crimes in ancient Near Eastern society. This verse refers to political prisoners or victims of social injustice."

YET GOD SAYS IN ISAIAH 42:6 AND 49:7, THAT HE IS GIVING CHRIST, (the New Covenant of Light), AS A COVENANT TO THE PEOPLE, (the preserved of Israel and to the Gentiles...to the ends of the earth), not "to political prisoners or victims of social injustice;" the new covenant is announced by the gospel, and the translators are totally blind to darkness vs. light, the bondage of sin, sin vs. righteousness, the basic message of Christ to all people, and the mystery of the gospel:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor [in Spirit]; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted [who mourn due to their slavery to sin], to preach release to the captives [of sin], and recovery of sight to the [spiritually] blind, to deliver [free] those who are oppressed [in slavery to sin]. Luke 4:18

Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron because they rebelled against the words of God, and rebelled against the counsel of the most High, Therefore he depressed their heart with labor; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke apart their bonds. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he has broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron apart. Psa 107:10-16

He says, 'It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will also give you for a light to the Gentiles, that you may be my salvation to the ends of the earth.'....So that you may say to the prisoners, 'Come forth,' and to those who are in darkness, 'Be unveiled.' "They shall feed in the way, and their pastures shall be on all the high places. Isaiah 49:6,9

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me because the LORD has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound [in slavery to sin]; Isa 61:1

(Until a man is crucified, he is cursed, living in darkness without the guidance of God's light, sitting in the earth's prison of darkness, groping the wall like blind men, guessing what to do and say, even unaware that they are in prison, until they attempt to get free, when the prison guards begin their afflictions to offend and discourage him from even trying to get free and be restored to the image [Christ] of righteousness and holiness, walking in the light, guided by God with every word to say and everything to be done.)

I have come into the world for judgment, that the blind might see; and that those who see might be made blind. John 9:39

Truly, the Lord has made blind those who are promoting and support the false gospel of instant salvation just by believing in Jesus and/or water baptism; they have been made blind to the true gospel.

For the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, so that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine in them. 2 Cor 4:4

The light shines in the darkness; and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:5

But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  Mat 6:23

Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light, trust in the name of the LORD, and stay [his mind] upon his God. Isa 50:10

And pray for me, that utterance [of the word of God] may be given [by the Spirit] to me when I begin to speak — to confidently make known the mystery of the gospel, Eph 6:19

The merchants of Babylon, (those, who from their carnal minds and evil imaginations, erroneously interpret the scriptures and make a living doing so), do not understand that all men are in a cursed, fallen nature — in bondage, (slaves), to sin, imprisoned by darkness, groping in their darkness through life like blind men, walking in darkness, cutoff from walking in the light of God that would guide them in words and deeds of righteousness — blind to what is righteousness, blind to what is light, blind to what is the gospel, and blind to what is the truth, blind to what is faith, blind to what is grace, blind to what is the true hope; they do not understand that every man has in them the spirit of Satan, a carnal mind that is enmity with God, and an evil imagination thinking evil thoughts continually, all which must be destroyed, killed, mortified, and crucified so that man can come out of darkness to walk and see by the light; and this must occur while man still lives on the earth, so that when he dies, he is fit for the company of heaven.

 From the Word of the Lord within:

• "Life's curse: a dark house."
  (The house is your heart; darkness is the absence of the light of God to guide your words and deeds.)
• "Religion has rejected the status of men."
  (All the world's religions ignore that man is a fallen creature. Instead the world's religions teach that we can become pleasing to God with some ritual, ceremony, prayer, meditation, reading scriptures, attending sect services, tithing, fasting, etc.; none of which changes us from being defiled in our thoughts, unacceptable to God, and banned from heaven when we die.)
• "All sin is darkness."
• "The whole world lies in wickedness; the wickedness knows no shame."
• "Darkness mocks the earth; darkness covers the earth."
• "He who seeks not to hear my voice gropes in the dark."
• "Walking in the light is to be guided through life by God; walking in darkness is making your own decisions as to what to do and say."
• "I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life."
• "First the light arises, then the kingdom."
• "Light come from faith in the voice."
• "The way is clear: listen and obey."

The in-print Bibles have been translated by blind guides, leading billions of readers into the ditch and then to Hell; but thank God that There is Hope for All Men and Women.

_______________________________________