Lies in the Shadows

Artwork by Daniel Venturo

There was once a country called Shadow Hills where many different people lived. Now you may think that Shadow Hills was a horrible place to live. The name makes it sound like a dark place where there is no sunshine. But it actually wasn’t a bad place to be. In fact, the people who lived there loved it. Despite it’s name, Shadow Hills wasn’t dark all the time—there was night and day just like we have, and Shadow Hills had a sun.

There were two reasons, then, why that country was called Shadow Hills. First, though Shadow Hills had a sun, it was a false sun. What is a false sun? You may never have heard of one, but a false sun is a sun that gives false light. What is false light? Well, false light looks just like real light, but it is very different. It doesn’t do what normal light does. Normal light makes what was unseen in the darkness seen. It makes what was once hidden by darkness visible. It shows you what things are really like, because once light shines on something, you can see it clearly.

False light shines into the darkness, but it doesn’t help you see things clearly. You think you can see things clearly, because false light looks just like real light. You see something and think that it looks a certain way, but in reality, it doesn’t look like that at all. False light is a tricky light. It is a lying light.

But if you don’t know that false light is a lying light, you don’t know what you are missing. And the false sun and false light of Shadow Hills made it look like a wonderful place. That was why the people who lived in Shadow Hills loved it there. You could do whatever you wanted all day long and have fun! The light made everything beautiful and happy. You could look in the mirror and the light would make you look perfect. It would make you look beautiful and feel like a good person. If you thought it was fun to do bad things, it was alright; you wouldn’t feel guilty because the light made you look good to yourself and to everyone around you.

The other reason Shadow Hills was called Shadow Hills was because it was the exact opposite of the country beside it. This country was called Lightland. Lightland had neither a false sun like Shadow Hills or a real sun like ours; Lightland had no sun at all. How could land with no sun have light? Lightland’s light came not from a sun but from a Person—a very special Person, who was really a great King. This King gave light to all his country. And the light this King gave was true light, truer even than our sun’s light. It showed things exactly how they were, and showed people exactly what they were really like (John 1:9; 1 John 1:5).

The people of Shadow Hills were terrified of this land of true light. Stories were told of people who had traveled into this strange country to see true light. Horrifying stories. They told of people who had looked good and beautiful in Shadow Hills. But when the true light of Lightland shone on them, it showed them who they really were, what they really looked like, and those people could not bear it. They could not stand who they really were, because they suddenly looked so wicked and ugly. And the light of that good King was so pure and bright and true that as soon as they saw it, they withered away and died on the spot, because the light was so good and they were so wicked (John 3:19-21; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Timothy 6:15-16).

People in Shadow Hills heard these stories and shuddered. They tried not to think about Lightland, its King, and its true light. They told themselves that the stories were not true, that there was no Lightland or Light King. They told themselves that their false light was actually true light, that their land was really good and beautiful as it seemed under their false sun.

But one day, a strange old man appeared in Shadow Hills. He walked up and down every street in Shadow Hills, and as he walked, he cried out as loud as could, “Hear me! Hear me, you people of Shadow Hills! I am a messenger from the good Light King in Lightland! He has sent me to warn you that your sun is a false sun, that your light is false light! The King wants to warn you that he is coming one day, and his true light will shine on this country! Then everyone will see that this is really a wicked country, not good or beautiful at all! This wicked country will be destroyed by the King’s perfect goodness! Oh hear me, hear me, people of Shadow Hills!” (2 Peter 3:10).

All through Shadow Hills, the strange man proclaimed his message. Some people laughed at the old man. “He’s out of his mind!” they said to each other.

Some were angry with the man. “How dare he call our land a wicked country when it is so good and beautiful?” they complained.

Most people just ignored him.

But one man, when he heard these words, trembled with fear. “If what this man says is true,” he said to himself, “we are in great distress!”

This man went straight to the Lightland messenger and asked if his message from the Light King was really true.

“As true as the Light King himself!” the old man replied.

“Alas!” said the man. “Then I am greatly undone!”

“To be sure,” said the messenger. “If I were in your position, I would look for a way to escape.”

“Escape!” said the man. “Yes, I would love to escape. But I don’t know how. I don’t know where to go.”

“I will tell you how you may escape,” the messenger told him, “for there is only one way. You must find the Helmet of Salvation and you must put it on. Then and only then will you be able to stand when the King’s true light shines on you.”

“How can I find this special helmet?” the man asked eagerly.

“Here,” replied the messenger. “I will give you this map. Follow it closely and it will bring you straight to the foot of the mountains. As you make your way to the Pass, you will come across a mountain which is by far bigger than all the others. In the side of this mountain, you will find a door. Inside that door, you will find a friend of mine who will tell you the story of the Helmet and will show you how you may get it.”

“Oh, thank you!” said the man. “Thank you so much! I will leave at once, and I hope I am not too late!”

The man made good on his word. He tucked the map safely in his pocket, filled a pack with food and supplies, took up a sturdy walking stick, and set off on his journey as soon as possible. Everyone in Shadow Hills laughed at him, but he didn’t care.

The journey was long and difficult, even dangerous in places. But the man didn’t dare turn back, for he knew the danger in Shadow Hills was greater than any he would face on his journey.

When he got to the mountains, the path was rocky, rugged, and steep. But the man labored up, little by little, step by step, and finally, he made it up to the tall mountain the messenger had spoken of. Sure enough, there was a small wooden door in the side of the mountain. The door was locked, and the man became terribly afraid he might not be able to go in. So he knocked frantically and before long, he heard footsteps coming down the passage on the other side of the door. The door opened and there in the doorway stood an old man in a long white robe. He held a gnarled staff in his hand, and his long white beard came down to his waist.

“Who are you?” asked the man in the robe.

“I am a citizen of the land of Shadow Hills,” replied the man. “Are you the friend of the messenger who came to our land to warn us of the great danger we are in?”

“I am,” said the old man, peering intently into his guest’s face. “What brings you to my doorstep?”

“I am here to find that special Helmet, which I was told I would find here and which I am convinced will save me when the Light King’s true and holy light falls upon me.”

The old man studied his face a moment longer. He seemed to like what he saw there. “Come with me,” he said, stepping aside to let the traveler in. “I will tell you about this Helmet and how to get it, for it is a good thing that you seek. If only more people would, like you, take warning, and fear, and seek life, and find it" (Deuteronomy 4:29).

The traveler followed the white-robed man through a long passageway. They turned several times and finally came to another door. They came through this door, and found themselves in a room. A large screen took up the length of one wall. The white-robed man waved his staff before the screen and something strange happened. The wall burst into flickering colors, and then, gradually, these faded away and the traveler was seeing Lightland!

Specifically, he was seeing the Light King. The King was sitting on a throne, and beams of pure, radiant light shone out from him.

As the traveler watched, a voice like a trumpet announced, “Who is worthy to stand in the presence of the King and to let his light shine on them? Such a person is pure enough to live with the King in his beautiful land and share in his true, joyful light!”

One by one, people from Shadow Hills came and stood before the King. But as each person came into his presence, his light shone over them and revealed how ugly and wicked they were. Each horrified person saw their true self, then immediately shriveled away and disappeared—they could not stand the King’s glory.

Again and again this happened, and finally the traveler from Shadow Hills fell to his knees and covered his face and cried, “Alas! Is no one worthy to stand before the King? Will everyone on earth perish?” Then the traveler began to weep.

The white-robed man came over to him and laid his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Do not weep,” he said. “Keep looking. See, there is one found worthy” (Romans 3:10, 23; Revelation 5:1-5).

The traveler looked up, and he saw a young man stand up before the Light King. The young man looked like a warrior—he was dressed in shining white and there was a glittering silver helmet on his head (Revelation 19:11-16).

“See,” said the old man. “This warrior is the Light King’s very own son, whom he loves dearly. That is why this man can stand in the true light of the King” (Matthew 3: 17).

Sure enough, as the beams of pure, true light shone around him, the warrior stood firm and true. All could see that he truly was pure and honest and beautiful.

“My dearly beloved son,” said the King, “What shall we do? Everyone is wicked. No one in all the world can stand in my presence, but I do not want everyone in the world to die” (Ezekiel 18:23; 2 Peter 3:9).

“Dear Father,” replied the warrior. “Here is what we may do. I will trade places with the people of Shadow Hills. I will remove my silver helmet, which you have given me, and I will give it to anyone who will accept it. Then they will be covered with my goodness and will be able to stand in your presence and live. And I will perish in your true light in their place” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

“What you have said is good,” said the Light King, though his face looked very grave. “Let it be done.”

“But sir!” cried the traveler to his white-robed guide. “Did it not grieve the Light King to allow his own dear son to die in the place of wicked people?”

“It grieved him very much,” replied the old man. “But he did it anyway because he loves the people of Shadow Hills so much” (John 3:16).

“But it is not fair,” said the traveler, “that I should live and that he should die.”

“No,” said the old man, “but such is his love for you. But take heart, friend. Neither the Light King nor his son are dead."

“They aren’t?” cried the traveler. “But I thought the King’s son traded his life for the people of Shadow Hills!”

“He did,” the old man explained. “But don’t you see? It is impossible for death to keep its hold on the King of Light! The King’s son is alive now, ready and willing to offer you the Helmet of hope that you seek. I will take you to him. I will not take you to the Light King himself, because as it is, you do not have the Helmet yet, and you would not be able to stand before him. But as you remember, his son has put on the form of one of you people of Shadow Hills, and though he retains his pure perfection, you may yet speak with him” (Acts 2:24; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 2:17, 4:15-16).

The traveler was very eager to meet this wonderful warrior, the son of the Light King himself. So the old white-robed man brought him there, and the warrior offered him his very own helmet, as he always did to anyone who sought and asked for it (Romans 10:13).

The man who had become a traveler was overwhelmed with joy and relief and gratitude. He put the Helmet on at once, for he knew it would save his life.

And when the day came for that man to stand before the Light King to be tested by the King’s true light, he stood firm and pure, for he was covered by the goodness of the Light King’s son. He was wearing the Helmet of Salvation.

For several months now, I’ve been telling you about the special armor God has given Christians to wear. The belt of truth keeps us on course, the breastplate of righteousness guards our hearts from evil, the Good News shoes make us ready to share the Good News of peace with all, and the shield of faith protects us from the devil’s fiery darts. The next piece of armor is the helmet of salvation. This helmet is a little different from the other pieces in the set—it doesn’t just protect us from the devil (Ephesians 6:10-17).

Just like the people of Shadow Hills, we are desperately wicked—but often we don’t even know it! The world is very deceptive and tells us we are good and beautiful (Romans 3:9-20).

God is like the Light King in the story. The Bible says that He is light! He is perfectly good and holy. Like the people of Shadow Hills, we will all stand in God’s presence. When God’s light shines on us, we will see that we are evil; there is no way we can measure up to God’s perfect goodness. We are all in danger of God’s wrath—because we are wicked, we deserve Hell (Romans 3:23, 6:23; 1 Corinthians 4:5; Ephesians 5:3-6; Hebrews 9:27; 1 Peter 1: 15-16; 1 John 1:5; Revelation 20:14).

But God loves you so much that He became a man—Jesus—and traded places with you! He died on a cross to take your punishment. He was punished instead of you! And Jesus is offering you His perfect goodness instead of your wickedness! And Jesus didn’t stay dead. Though He was buried, He came alive again! This is how Jesus can save you from God’s wrath. If you accept Jesus’ gift of salvation, you will be covered with His goodness and you will be able to stand in God’s presence without dying. Instead, you will be able to live with Him forever in Heaven. (John 1:1,14; Romans 5:8-9; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 20-23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Revelation 22:3-5).

How do you accept Jesus’ gift of salvation? You must trust in Jesus alone to clean away your sin, and you must turn away from your sin. That is how you “put on” the helmet of salvation (Mark 1:15; Acts 3:19; Romans 10:9-10).

The helmet of salvation saves you from God’s wrath. It also protects you from the devil, because once you belong to Jesus, the devil cannot rule over you anymore. Like the man in the story, will you be wise enough to fear God’s wrath and do something about it? Will you put on the helmet of salvation? (Ephesians 1:13-14; James 4:7; 1 John 5:18-19; Revelation 12:10-11).