Lord of Eternity

 
Months ago a relative asked me how the Bible could speak of things in the future as if they already happened. No sooner than my silent prayer for a good answer finished, God gave me something to say. I explained the difference between time and eternity. Time is for us the past, the present, and the future. However, our eternal God lives in the now. For Him, all things are now and He sees both the beginning and the end. His view covers all of what we call time and therefore He can say things like:

No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. (John 3:13, NKJV)

Not all versions add the last phrase, yet this thought is throughout the NT — in his deity, Jesus is omnipresent. He is also apart from time. This is seen in verses like:

Even when we were dead in trespasses, (God) made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:5–7)

How can I be both here and sitting in heavenly places? Only because God is eternal and for Him all things are now, not past, present, future. This is why we can trust the promises of God, for in His realm, they are already done.

As today’s devotional reading points out, Joshua did not say to the people, “Shout, for the Lord will give you the city,” but “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city” (Joshua 6:16). How could he say that in view of the fact that the walls of the city were still standing as massive and impregnable as ever? Yet Joshua understood that when God said something would happen, it would happen, because from God’s eternal perspective, it was already a done deal!

In other words, I can consider all the victories that God promises as a sure thing — in His realm, they are completed even before they are accomplished.

When Jesus said, “In me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) I can rest in that eternal truth. While my sin and the sin in the world is presently a foe that has yet to be conquered, in the mind of Christ, it has already been conquered. Since I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), I can also think eternally and be confident of all that He says will/has happened. This way of thinking is called faith!

PRAY: Such joy to trust You, Jesus, and to realize that anything written as if it has already happened is great evidence that You are going to accomplish all that You say. I’m already seated in heavenly places! I am assured that the mess in this world is already overcome, even though I cannot yet see that. Living in time does not negate the facts of eternity. In Your mind, the promises You make are not about the future as much as they are declarations that they have already happened! What peace and hope You give because You know both the beginning and the end of all things!

Eternal Jesus lived in time so we could live in eternity

 

Eternity is a difficult concept for the finite human mind. We live in time and cannot imagine the idea of how God perceives everything as NOW, rather than past, present, and future. When I read the Bible, I must remember that God presents things to us in ways we can understand, mostly in terms of time. However, some of what He says is eternally true.

One example is my salvation. He revealed Himself to me one afternoon and I became a Christian. Yet He says He chose me in Christ “before the foundation of the world, that I should be holy and blameless before him.” (Ephesians 1:4) Revelation also indicates that He has written the names of those who are His in His book of life “from the foundation of the world” so in the mind of God, I have been His always, not just the fifty plus years of time.

When it comes to the person of Jesus Christ, today’s devotional said that He did not become a Son until He was born in time on this earth. Before that, He was the Word of God — who became flesh and lived here. Yet this is about time, not about eternity. God refers to Him as His Son in Psalm 2 and the NT says He is eternal:

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son . . . And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:11; 20)

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you (1 Peter 1:20)

To further this complicated topic, Jesus is also a child, a son, mighty God, and everlasting Father:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

So how can I understand all this? By reasoning? By human debate? The whole truth about God is not available to even the most rational mind because sin makes even the best thinkers blind to the true nature of God. We cannot see all of Him.

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

At the same time, if we could see Him, the OT says we would die, yet Job declared, “After my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:26) and Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) And John did see this God when He became a man:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:1–3)

In human understanding and in time, the Word of God became flesh and visible, yet He was there in the beginning when God spoke all things into creation. As the Bible says, This mystery was “hidden for ages in God, who created all things” by His Word who became flesh but who always existed.

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)

I cannot say Jesus became the Son when He was born. That is a time thing — and He is eternal. But I cannot think eternal very well, only to realize that His taking on human flesh happened in time but was planned before the foundation of the world. God is eternal yet stepped into time — because He loves us and wants us to step into eternity and be with Him. I am there in the mind of God, yet not yet there according to time!

PRAY: Jesus, the explanations of You are not for me to rationalize but to put me on my knees in worship. You are Almighty yet made Yourself vulnerable so I could have Your eternal life — and while that life seems to begin in time, You planned it in eternity. All I can do is shake my head in total wonder at the amazement of You.

PONDER: the wonder of God becoming a man and that I will eventually see Jesus and be like Him!

 

 

First things first . . .

 

READ Zephaniah 1–3 and Haggai 1–2

Time is have past, present future, but eternity is all NOW. Perhaps that is why much of the OT prophets spoke in terms that seem to apply to their situation but also to the future, to the “day of the Lord” when sin would end, and righteousness would prevail.

Zephaniah prophesied during the reforms of King Josiah after the reign of an evil king. This prophet told of judgment to come, but also restoration. His use of the term “day of the Lord” refers both to impending and final judgments as he calls people to seek the Lord.

“I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. “I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. (Zephaniah 1:2–3)

Zephaniah says this “day” is near, yet some of it points to the end spoken of in Revelation:

I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth. (1:17–18)

His words tell readers what to do: “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.” (2:3)

He also describes those who refuse to listen:

“Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord; she does not draw near to her God. Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law. The Lord within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame.” (3:1–5)

Yet there is hope, both for the people of Zephaniah’s day and our day:

“For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord . . . .  I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord, those who are left in Israel; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall graze and lie down, and none shall make them afraid . . . . The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: ‘Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing’ . . . . “Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,’ says the Lord.” (3:9; 12–20)

After this prophet and after the first wave of Jewish exiles returned from Babylon to Jerusalem, they were supposed to rebuild the temple, but Haggai rebuked the people for living in “paneled houses” while the house of God remained in ruins. They must repent as the temple symbolized God’s restored presence among them. After withholding blessings, He stirred up their leaders to do the work saying:

“I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory . . . . The silver is mine, and the gold is mine . . . . The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former . . . . And in this place, I will give peace.” (Haggai 2:6–9)

Could the priorities of God be plainer? I have needs and want blessings. He says I must take care of the place where God dwells (my heart) and He will take care of the rest.