an apocalyptic prophecy of a war between the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness.
a mythic framining of life, humanity, and human history and human future - that there is a mythic archetypal battle between the light and the darkness that has been occurring for millenia and this is what the gnostics were talking about. the gnostics and the idea that perhaps they had this mytheo-poetic and religious narrative story about a great war between light and dark and that the human soul plays a crucial role in that great war. Perhaps this was also influnced by zoroastrianism.... This idea as being metaphorically and mythically true - not literal, and I suspect that the true gnostics understood this as a myth and metaphor and not literally true.
“The war is described in two distinct parts, first (the War against the Kittim) described as a battle between the Sons of Light, consisting of the Sons of Levi, the Sons of Judah, and the Sons of Benjamin, and the exiled of the desert, against Edom, Moab, the Sons of Ammon, the Amalekites, and Philistia and their allies the Kittim of Asshur (referred to collectively as the army of Belial), and (those who assist them from among the wicked) who "violate the covenant.””
the army of Belial
The factions are framed as “Sons of Light” versus “Sons of Darkness,” with the latter aligned to Belial and the “Kittim.” The Kittim are further specified in one recension as the “Kittim of Asshur,” a phrase variously read as Seleucid Greeks in Syria or, by later interpreters, as a veiled reference to Romans operating from the Syrian sphere.
The War Scroll’s dualistic idiom belongs to a wider sectarian theology visible in the Community Rule (1QS 3:13–4:26), often called the Treatise on the Two Spirits. That program sets “spirit of truth/light” against “spirit of injustice/darkness,” personified by a “Prince of Lights” and the “Angel of Darkness,” with Belial as the adversarial chief in related texts. Importantly, the dualism is not co-eternal or independent: both spirits are created and governed by Israel’s God, and the defeat of darkness is certain. This is ethical-covenantal dualism, not a metaphysical dualism of equal deities.
“‘In the seventh lot the great hand of God shall overcome Belial and all the angels of his dominion.’” 
“For God has established the two spirits in equal measure until the determined end.”
the Sons of the Elohim are the Children of Light
The struggle between the two began from the very day they tasted of the fruit of the Tree of Wisdom; a struggle for life between the spiritual and the physical. Those who conquered the lower principles by obtaining mastery over the body, joined the "Sons of Light." Those who fell victims to their lower natures, became the slaves of Matter. From "Sons of Light and Wisdom" they ended by becoming the "Sons of Darkness." They had fallen in the battle of mortal life with Life immortal
These scrolls contain an apocalyptic prophecy of a war between the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness. The war is described in two distinct parts, first (the War against the Kittim) described as a battle between the Sons of Light, consisting of the Sons of Levi, the Sons of Judah, and the Sons of Benjamin, and the exiled of the desert, against Edom, Moab, the Sons of Ammon, the Amalekites, and Philistia and their allies the Kittim of Asshur (referred to collectively as the army of Belial), and (those who assist them from among the wicked) who "violate the covenant." The second part of the war (the War of Divisions) is described as the Sons of Light, now the united twelve tribes of Israel, conquering the "nations of vanity." In the end, all of Darkness is to be destroyed and Light will live in peace for all eternity.
Among Gnostics, Jehovah was Ilda-Baoth, the Son of Darkness.
were divisible into those who followed the right-hand path, and those who followed the left-hand path. The former were called Sons of Light, and the latter Sons of the Shadow. black magicians in contrast to white magicians
The opening words of the Bible refer directly to the activities of the Elohim, for this is the sole divine name mentioned in Genesis 1:1-2. Gottfried de Purucker translates these verses from the original Hebrew as: “In a host (or multitude), the gods (Elohim) formed themselves into the heavens and the earth. And the earth became ethereal. And darkness upon the face of the ethers. And the Ruah (the spirit-soul) of the gods (of Elohim) fluttered or hovered, brooding. We see that the Elohim evolved man, humanity, out of themselves, and told them to become, then to enter into and inform these other creatures. Indeed, these Sons of the Elohim are, in our teachings, the Children of Light, the Sons of Light, which are we ourselves, and yet different from ourselves, because higher, yet they are our own very selves inwardly. In fact, the Elohim, became, evolved into, their own offspring, remaining in a sense still always the inspiring light within, or rather above . . . the Elohim projected themselves into the nascent forms of the then ‘humanity,’ which thence forward were ‘men,’ however imperfect their development still was.” ― Gottfried de Purucker - Fundamentals of the Esoteric Philosophy
"In the beginning of Time, after the Elohim (the "Sons of Light and Life," or the "Builders") had shaped out of the eternal Essence the Heavens and the Earth, they formed the worlds six by six, the seventh being Malkuth, which is our Earth (see Mantuan Codex) on its plane, and the lowest on all the other planes of conscious existence.
The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness is a Dead Sea Scroll, and one of the most important documents of the Essene sect of Jews that established a community at Qumrān in the Judaean desert during the first half of the 2nd century BC. A great number and variety of manuscripts were discovered at Qumrān. The best-preserved documents at that site are those found in Cave 1, including an Isaiah Scroll; the Rule of the Community (also called the Manual of Discipline); The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness, or War Scroll; a scroll of thanksgiving hymns; and a commentary on Habakkuk.
These scrolls contain an apocalyptic prophecy of a war between the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness. The war is described in two distinct parts, first (the War against the Kittim) described as a battle between the Sons of Light, consisting of the Sons of Levi, the Sons of Judah, and the Sons of Benjamin, and the exiled of the desert, against Edom, Moab, the Sons of Ammon, the Amalekites, and Philistia and their allies the Kittim of Asshur (referred to collectively as the army of Belial), and (those who assist them from among the wicked) who "violate the covenant." The second part of the war (the War of Divisions) is described as the Sons of Light, now the united twelve tribes of Israel, conquering the "nations of vanity." In the end, all of Darkness is to be destroyed and Light will live in peace for all eternity.
The war is divided into two distinct phases: the War against the Kittim and the War of Divisions. The War against the Kittim is portrayed as a single day-long battle fought in seven stages, with the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness each winning three of the first six stages before divine intervention in the seventh, where the "great hand of God" overcomes Belial and all his forces, leading to the eternal destruction of the Sons of Darkness. This phase is followed by a six-year period of preparation culminating in the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem. The War of Divisions, lasting the remaining 33 years of the 40-year conflict, involves the united twelve tribes of Israel defeating the "nations of vanity" without the involvement of supernatural allies.
From The Dead Sea Scrolls: "Then the Sons of Righteousness shall shine to all ends of the world continuing to shine forth until the end of the appointed seasons of darkness. Then at the time appointed by God, His great excellence shall shine for all the times of eternity; for peace and blessing, glory and joy, and long life for all Sons of Light. On the day when the Kittim fall there shall be a battle and horrible carnage before the God of Israel, for it is a day appointed by Him from ancient times as a battle of annihilation for the Sons of Darkness. On that day the congregation of the gods and the congregation of men shall engage one another, resulting in great carnage. The Sons of Light and the forces of Darkness shall fight together to show the strength of God with the roar of a great multitude and the shout of gods and men; a day of disaster. It is a time of distress for all the people who are redeemed by God. In all their afflictions none exists that is like it, hastening to its completion as an eternal redemption. On the day of their battle against the Kittim, they shall go forth for carnage in battle. In three lots the Sons of Light shall stand firm so as to strike a blow at wickedness, and in three the army of Belial shall strengthen themselves so as to force the retreat of the forces of Light. And when the banners of the infantry cause their hearts to melt, then the strength of God will strengthen the hearts of the Sons of Light. In the seventh lot; the great hand of God shall overcome Belial and all the angels of his dominion, and all the men of his forces shall be destroyed forever."
Gnostic
In Gnostic myths—drawn from texts like those in the Nag Hammadi library (e.g., the Apocryphon of John or the Gospel of Truth)—the universe arises from a primordial split: the true God (the Monad or Bythos, a transcendent light) emanates divine beings (Aeons) in a realm of pure spirit called the Pleroma. A flaw or "fall" (often attributed to Sophia, an Aeon seeking forbidden knowledge) leads to the creation of the material world by the Demiurge (Yaldabaoth), a flawed or ignorant deity who rules over darkness, matter, and illusion.
This sets up an ongoing "war" between light (the divine spark trapped in human souls) and darkness (the archons, or rulers, who maintain the material prison). Unlike the War Scroll's external battles, Gnostic conflict is internalized and cosmic: history is the Demiurge's flawed creation, a realm of suffering where souls are ensnared in cycles of reincarnation. The human soul, containing a fragment of the divine light, is the key battleground—its liberation through gnosis (intuitive knowledge) defeats darkness by ascending beyond matter. Figures like Christ or other revealers act as emissaries from the light, providing the "call" to awaken.
Philosophically, Gnostics viewed this as a radical dualism: spirit (light, complexity, freedom) versus matter (darkness, order, bondage). Life and history are arenas for this struggle, with humanity's future hinging on collective awakening—potentially leading to the dissolution of the material world or its redemption.
Zoroastrian Influences: Roots of the Dualistic Myth In Zoroastrian cosmology, the world is a battlefield between Ahura Mazda (lord of wisdom and light) and Angra Mainyu (destructive spirit of darkness), with humans choosing sides through thoughts, words, and deeds. This ethical dualism influenced Jewish eschatology (e.g., angels, resurrection, final judgment), filtering into Essene texts like the War Scroll, where the Sons of Light/Darkness mirror Zoroastrian divisions.