Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture has another Foundations lesson. It seems these short articles, outlines really, are filling in for his videos this year. This week Tim asks, "What is a shadow?" If you have been paying attention to this blog then you would know Tim thinks the shadow, the law which points to Christ, is mo are substantial and important than the one to whom it points!
📖 What Is A Shadow?
FOUNDATIONS | WEEK 26
Key Texts: Colossians 2:16–17; Hebrews 8:5; Hebrews 10:1
One of the most misunderstood metaphors in Scripture is the word "SHADOW."
Paul writes:
> "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
> Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."
> (Colossians 2:16–17, KJV)
Before asking what Paul meant, let's ask a simpler question.
What is a shadow?
According to the dictionary, a shadow is the dark figure cast upon a surface by a body intercepting light.
Think about what that means.
* A shadow is produced by a real object blocking light.
* A shadow is evidence that something exists.
* A shadow points to its source.
* A shadow cannot exist without the object casting it.
No one sees a shadow and concludes the object has ceased to exist.
Quite the opposite.
A shadow tells us something real is there.
Or perhaps still approaching.
Now return to Paul's words.
He does NOT say the Sabbath, the Biblical Feasts, or the appointed times were shadows of things that had passed away. ???
He says they are:
> "A shadow of things to come."
The shadow points forward.
Not backward.
Hebrews uses the very same imagery:
> "Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things..."
> (Hebrews 8:5)
The earthly sanctuary reflected a heavenly reality.
Has Heaven passed away?
Has the heavenly sanctuary ceased to exist?
Of course not.
Again Hebrews declares:
> "For the law having a shadow of good things to come..."
> (Hebrews 10:1)
Notice the direction.
Good things to come.
The Kingdom is still to come.
The resurrection is still to come.
The New Jerusalem is still to come.
Our complete redemption is still to come.
If the fulfillment is still future, why would the shadow no longer have meaning?
Perhaps the shadow was never meant to replace the reality.
Perhaps it was always meant to point us toward it.
Every Sabbath reminds us of the eternal rest still promised.
Every Biblical Feast proclaims another aspect of Yahuah's plan of redemption.
These are not merely memorials of the past.
They are rehearsals of the Kingdom.
They are Heaven's shadow falling across the earth.
They invite us into His presence while we await the fullness of what is yet to come.
Yah Bless.
Question for Discussion:
If Heaven still exists...
If Messiah still reigns...
If the Kingdom is still coming...
Could the shadow still be pointing us toward the reality rather than away from it?
Tim is literally living in Plato's cave being obsessed with shadows! His own lesson contains the answer:
> Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."
> (Colossians 2:16–17, KJV)
The body is of Christ!! The shadow points to the reality which is Christ. This all goes back to Tim's refusal to accept the law has passed and we are no longer under it because has Christ has come as its fullifllment. Bizarrely he thinks the Kingdom, which is within us, the resurrection, good things, and our salvation are still to come. It's completely backwards and shows he has NO FAITH in the completed work of Jesus Christ.
But let's hear from noted theologian Father Ted Crilly.
He turns Paul’s warning against being judged for not keeping those things into a command for keeping them. It’s rhetorical gymnastics.The Actual Meaning (Plain as Day)Paul is telling the Colossian believers (mostly Gentiles):
Stop letting people judge you for NOT keeping the Jewish holy days, new moons, and Sabbaths.
Why? Because those things were shadows — temporary pointers — and the substance (the reality) has now come in Christ.
The shadow is not the main thing. The body (the reality) is Christ. Once the real Person arrives, you don’t keep staring at His shadow on the wall. You turn around and look at Him.
This matches everything else the New Testament teaches:
- The law was a tutor to bring us to Christ. Now that Christ has come, we are no longer under the tutor (Galatians 3:24–25).
- The old covenant had fault and was set aside because a better covenant has come (Hebrews 8:7–13).
- The feasts, sacrifices, and Sabbaths were shadows of good things to come. Christ is the substance (Hebrews 10:1, Colossians 2:17).
- Takes a New Testament passage about Christ’s supremacy or freedom from the old system.
- Twists it until it becomes another reason to keep the Torah.
- Calls it “restoration.”
Paul didn’t write Colossians 2 so people would keep arguing about what day to rest on. He wrote it to set people free from that kind of judgment.
...Right, I’m off to thank the Lord that we don’t live in the shadows anymore. We live in the light of the Son.
Go on, go on, go on — have a cuppa. You keep seeing it clearly. Tim is chained in the cave, calling the shadows “foundational.” The gospel calls us to turn around and look at Christ. The view is so much better out here in the light. Keep holding fast to it.
father ted you missed this part! Notice the direction. Good things to come. The Kingdom is still to come. The resurrection is still to come. The New Jerusalem is still to come. Our complete redemption is still to come. If the fulfillment is still future, why would the shadow no longer have meaning?
Ah, Philippine Fails, me lad... picks the teacup back up and takes a slow sip
You're right — I should have hit that part more directly. That’s Tim’s main argument in this post, and it’s the one he thinks is clever.Tim’s Claim
When Paul says in Colossians 2:17 that the Sabbaths, feasts, and dietary laws “are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ,” he is not saying “therefore keep keeping the shadows until the future things arrive.”
He is saying the exact opposite:
Paul’s whole point in Colossians 2 is freedom from being judged about those things. Tim turns it into obligation.Father Ted’s Plain Take
