So much of what we experience on earth now is unclear and uncertain. We can’t see things as clearly as we would hope and sometimes we find ourselves confused about the world around us and how it connects with what God is doing in time and history. We live in an “in between” time, a time between the first coming of the Messiah and the second coming of the Messiah, a time when it is easy to get overwhelmed by the momentary afflictions we face and to lose heart while we wait for Him to restore all things to the Father. What we need is clarity, if we can find it. And that clarity is found in the shadows of Heaven.
I am not so sure we realize all that we lost when sin entered the world. The Fall of Man was catastrophic for the cosmos: the entire creation was affected by the rebellion of those to whom dominion over it had been given (see Romans 8:22-24). When humanity rebelled against God, it set in motion events that could only be undone by God Himself. One of the great losses to humanity in the Fall, other than the loss of relationship with God, was the “shutting of the door” between Heaven and Earth. While I am not speaking of a literal door, what I am referring to is the access mankind had to God in the Garden of Eden. God walked in the Garden in the cool of the day and called out to Adam, which seems to have been a normal and regular occurrence (see Genesis 3:8). After the Fall, Adam and Eve were cast from the Garden and “He placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24).
What was cut off was access to God and access to that place where it seems Heaven touched Earth. Though we do not know the details of how Heaven and Earth interacted during the the time before sin entered the world, it seems that the interaction was real and ongoing. When we look ahead to what is come, when Jesus restores all things to the Father, we know that Heaven is coming to Earth, that the tabernacle of God will be with us, and that God Himself will dwell with us. The Apostle John’s experiences, recorded in Revelation 21:1-5, provide a powerful testimony of what is to come:
“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth
had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle
of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God
himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from
their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no
more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne
said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are
true and faithful.'”
We look forward to this New Heaven and New Earth, the key feature being God dwelling with man yet again. A holy city, the New Jerusalem will come down from Heaven and with that occurrence, the tabernacle of God will be with men. The tabernacle of God . . . what does that refer to? What does it mean that the tabernacle of God will be with men? Think of it this way: a tabernacle is a dwelling place. In ancient times, it could even refer to a tent. Today, even in modern Israel, the Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated by Jewish families staying in tents. The whole idea of the tabernacle of God is the “house of God.” God will come and dwell among us; even His “house” will be with us.
In the Old Testament, during the Exodus, God’s presence went with Israel on their journey to the Promised Land. At Mount Sinai, He instructed Moses to create an earthly tabernacle according to a pattern: namely, the pattern of the real tabernacle in Heaven (see Hebrews 8:1-6). Moses did so and the service of the priests at the earthly tabernacle was a foreshadowing of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Moreover, the earthly tabernacle was a shadow of the real tabernacle in Heaven. By looking at it and its design and use, the people of Israel were able to more fully understand the God they served.
Thinking about the tabernacle that was a shadow of the true tabernacle in Heaven and the reasons God commanded Moses to build it made me think about the other “shadows of Heaven” through which we can see God more clearly. Right now, in this fallen world, it is hard to see anything with the kind of clarity that we’d like, but we can see outlines of the way it was supposed to be . . . and the way it will one day be, yet again.
We can see the shadows of God’s love for us in the love of a parent for their child. Since becoming a parent, I see God’s love for me in a totally and completely different way. If God looks at me, as His child, with even a fraction of the love that I have for my daughter, then His love for me is overwhelming and deeper than I have ever truly imagined. And His love is not just a fraction of my love for my precious daughter: His love is full and complete and overflowing and without any merit on my part. But I can see the shadows of His love for me in the way I love my child . . . and that shadow is instructive and helpful as we navigate this broken world.
We can see the shadows of eternity in the way we hope to live our lives. I was thinking recently about how we enjoy times of recreation and refreshment. How, even in a fallen world, having a moment to laugh and play and just enjoy an activity for the sake of enjoyment speaks of something that was lost in the Fall of Man. We all hope for the day when we can take a break without the pressures of life causing us to feel uncomfortable just enjoying something as innocuous as a game, for example. We were originally created to live forever, without the pressure of looming death (the great deadline that keeps us from ever being completely at peace and able to completely enjoy time on this earth). We were originally intended to have all the time imaginable–and then some–to explore and see and do and fellowship and accomplish and be with God. Even now, in this fallen world, the shadows of what Heaven will be like fall on us from time to time, and we catch a glimpse of what lies ahead in the Kingdom. Even though it is a shadow of the true peace and joy that is to come when Jesus reigns on this earth yet again, it is still instructive and gives us hope. To think that the greatest moments on this earth are nothing but a shadow of joys to come . . . that’s encouraging!
We can see the shadows of God’s greatness in the world around us. Have you ever stopped and stood in awe of the natural beauty of this world? I love mountains and could stand for hours admiring the handiwork of God. Romans 1:20 states that God’s “invisible attributes” have been “clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse . . ” Psalm 19:1 says that “the Heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” Even in this fallen world we can still see God’s “shadow” falling across the universe. We can see the Godhead through what He has created. Despite this world being shrouded in spiritual darkness and despite the fact that the entire cosmos is groaning under the weight of sin, we can still see just how great our God truly is. We can see His majesty in the night sky and understand His power by feeling the waves of the powerful oceans. We can see His stature as truly great by recognizing the vastness of the universe. The shadows are there . . . we may not see everything as clearly as we would like, but there is much to see!
Just like the service of the priests in the earthly tabernacle and the earthly tabernacle itself were shadows of the realities of Heaven–and by looking at those things, one could understand more of God–I believe that if we consider the shadows of Heaven in every aspect of our lives, we might come to know our Lord and Savior more than we think we’re able to in this fallen world.
As we observe these shadows, however, let us remember that they point to something greater: the true reality of Heaven. And let us never be satisfied in the shadows alone . . . let us long for the day that the shadows are gone because the True Light has come to us again and made His dwelling among us.
But until then, see Him . . . find Him . . . even in the shadows of Heaven that fall upon this broken world.