Shadows Of Heaven
A Paradise Lost
We once lived in paradise in perfect communion with our creator. It was sin, the fall of man that drove Adam & Eve out of the Garden of Eden. Our first parents sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. The results of the fall reached far beyond Adam and Eve decimating all of mankind. Human beings come into existence cursed, "for out of dust you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Gen 3:19). Once spiritually alive, "the Lord God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" (Gen 2:7) but the wage of sin is a spiritual death. "When you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust." (Psalm 104:29)
Valley of the Shadow of Death
In order for there to be a shadow, there must first be a source of light. We have fallen into the valley of the shadow of death. Plato's Theory of Forms illustrates an allegory of forms to prisoners chained in a cave, unable to turn their heads to the light source, all they can see are the shadows on the wall. The prisoners are unable to see or hear the real objects that pass behind them. Much like our fallen nature, this illustrates our inability to perceive the realities in the spiritual realms. We are prisoners, slaves to sin, unable to turn towards the light of our creator. Sin has cut off the ray of light leaving us in spiritual darkness. Death. All we see are shadows.
“A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
Behold, the aggressive grace of God. Death could not hold Jesus. In the darkness of death, no matter how far you are, or how far you've drifted, the grace of God will find you. Nowhere is out of God's reach.
"It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)
Let There Be Light
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)
All Things Were Created Through Him and For Him
I believe God created all good things so that when Jesus came into the world, he would be able to use the enjoyment and pleasure of such things as an illustration of what it means to believe in him and be satisfied in Christ. "For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days here on earth are a shadow." (Job 8:9) Not only can we not understand the joy of an eternal life and relationship with our creator but we can't see, hear, or feel it because we are bound by sin in death. In our spiritual death this can be apprehended only by analogies, shadows, and dim previews.
"The people who were sitting in the darkness saw a great light, and those people who were sitting in the shadow of death, upon them light dawned." (Matthew 4:16) Jesus is the light of the world.
We launch The Unknown Godcast with the concept of God casting Shadows of Heaven in hopes of shedding light on the gospel of Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ. The idea for The Unknown Godcast is based on Acts 17:22-28. We hope to dive further into this Unknown God who has been revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones of dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:15-17)
The Unknown God
"So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, "To the unknown god." What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allowed periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way towards him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, For in him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your own poets have said, For we are indeed his offspring." (Acts 17:22-28)