“Ever since God created the world, His invisible qualities, His eternal power, and His divine nature have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things God has made” (Romans 1:20).
GOD’S INVISIBLE QUALITIES (Pt 1)
Some people say the clothes we wear reflect our personality. I can see some truth in that—the artist is reflected in his art. God’s creation reveals something about God.
Plato explained space-time by imagining himself standing with a group of people at the opening of a large cave. All the people had their backs to the light and were facing the rear wall of the cave. They could see their shadows cast upon the rear wall and the shadows of any trees or bushes that were close to the opening of the cave. If the people moved, their shadows would move. If they stood still, so would their shadows. They could see the rough outline of what everyone was doing but couldn’t see any detail; they couldn’t see what a person looked like. They could tell if a person was tall or small, large or thin. They saw profiles but no detailed representation of reality. If, however, a man facing the rear wall turned his head and looked around, he would see the objects making the shadows, he would see people, and outside he would see the big wide world.
The Bible teaches something remarkably similar: “We look through a glass darkly” (1 Cor 13:12 KJV). “These are a shadow of things to come” (Col 2:17).
We are told in the enigmatic Song Of Solomon that someday the “Shadows will flee away” (Songs 2:17, 4:6). Every shadow here on earth is made by something; similarly, every part of space-time represents something. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” When writers of the Old Testament spoke of “heaven and earth,” they usually meant that heaven was the clouds, sky, and stars, and the earth was the world we live in. We don’t often use the words “heaven and earth” today because the term “the universe” covers them both. Jesus spoke of our Father who was in heaven, not meaning that God resides particularly in the clouds or outer space. No, He saw the natural heavens as a symbol or shadow of the true spiritual heaven. Our physical heavens—the beautiful sunsets, clouds, and galaxies—are made up of physical material and photons. They declare the glory of God—they are not the glory itself—but only tell the story; they represent the glory.
One day heaven and earth will pass away (Ps 102:25–26), as all shadows pass. Until then, they speak, and there is no language where their voice is not heard (Ps 19:3).