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In the first scene we can see a young woman with dark brown hair & a blue dress, standing in the kingdom of darkness [1], which all people start out in. Winter represents the woman’s early life, both in terms of her youth and her Christian experience. I have deliberately dressed the woman in modern clothing, and with a modern hairstyle, rather than my more usual Biblical/Hebrew garments, so as to make the figure representative of today’s culture & experience.

The kingdom of darkness is depicted as a chaotic, wild wintery scene, half inside a sombre house, half outside in snowy wasteland. There are various figures, both human and daemonic in the background. I have illustrated skulls, a carved Halloween pumpkin head, drugs, drunkenness, a black magic candle, and other aspects of the dark kingdom.

The woman is turning towards a bright yellow light (off to her left) which has caught her attention. This light represents the call and cross of Jesus, calling her name personally, encouraging her to look away from the darkness, & move towards His hope-filled, saving kingdom of light.

[1]
Defining “the kingdom of darkness” & “the kingdom of light”
So what exactly ARE the kingdoms of darkness & light?

The apostle Paul describes salvation (in Colossians 1:13) as God’s work of rescuing believers “from the kingdom of darkness” and transferring them “into the Kingdom of his dear Son [Jesus]”. Paul was very well versed in the Old Testament (OT), where this imagery of rescue/deliverance (moving people out of darkness into light) appears in the OT book of Isaiah, and Paul may have been using that same imagery (see Isaiah 9:1–2; 42:6–7; 58:10; 60:1–3).

Bible scholars interpret Paul’s meaning in several different ways, &/or with different emphasis, as follows:

1) Some think of “the kingdom of darkness” as a human condition, where our minds/understanding are darkened, confused, unable to see the truth. In this unregenerated condition the Devil (aka Satan) dominates the thinking & understanding of human hearts and minds. This is the state of people before they become a Christian (as the woman is, in scenes 1-3 of this series). As Ephesians 4:18 (NIV) puts it, “They (non-Christians) are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.” And as Romans 1:21 (NIV) puts it, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

The apostle Paul thus explains that unbelievers (ie non-Christians) live under the rule of darkness, while Christians “live in the light” (see Colossians 1:12; Romans 13:12–13; 1 John 2:10). As Paul further explains in Ephesians 5:8 (NLT) “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!”

2) Other scholars view the kingdom of darkness as representing a domain or spiritual realm, where the Devil/Satan heads a hostile resistance force against the kingdom of God and Jesus Christ. In this version, Satan has authority; rules & holds the position of power over human hearts and also over other unseen spiritual beings. This kingdom (which is invisible to us) might well have been what the apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote Ephesians 6:12: “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places”.

3) The “kingdom of darkness” can be seen as a realm controlled by human sin and rebellion against God’s rightful rule (see 1 John 1:6; 2:11; John 3:19). When we become Christians, Father God relocates us from our birth place (of sinful rebellion towards God) into His “kingdom of light”. He regenerates us & redefines us as “citizens of heaven” (Philippians 3:20) and “members of God’s family” (Ephesians 2:19). We become co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17). Thus we are rescued from the dangerous and deadly dominion of darkness and transferred into the glorious light and fellowship of God’s kingdom, where Jesus Christ rules and reigns (1 John 1:7).

It’s interesting to note that at the apostle Paul’s conversion (on the road to Damascus), Jesus said that He was sending Paul out as a servant in order to “open people’s eyes so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me [Jesus]” (Acts 26:18). This succinctly explains the conversion process we undertake when going from the “kingdom of darkness” into the “kingdom of light”: going from unbeliever to believer; from non-Christian to Christian.

John 8:12 uses the “light” metaphor & explains: Jesus is “the light of the world,” and those who follow Him “will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”. While Luke 1:79 explains that Christ gives His “light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death”. If a person hears the gospel of Jesus Christ, believes it, & receives Father God’s gift of salvation, then they pass “from death to life” (John 5:24; 1 John 3:14; Romans 6:3–4, 13; Ephesians 2:6); from the “kingdom of darkness” into God’s “kingdom of light”.

Father God (through the sacrifice of Jesus, His Son, on the cross) offers new life to anyone who wants it. If we accept it, He gathers us out of the “kingdom of darkness” (where we are bound to sin and inevitable death), & purely by His mercy, love, and grace, God transfers us away from Satan & moves us into the eternal light and freedom of His “kingdom of Light”.

Here’s the rough pencil sketch I drew for this scene.

The Christian journey – Scene 01 – Noticing the light of Christ (Female) – Greyscale Pencil