The Spiritual Timing of God by Mercy Street Ministries

Chapter Four
The Eternity of Time

Our mind is not capable of understanding the eternity of time. We cannot understand how God has always existed. He had no beginning, existed always, and will never cease to exist. We cannot understand the vastness of space and its never ending boundaries. I have read several books written by many of the most intelligent scientists on earth. While I found their formulas that define space interesting, they are often disputed and ever changing. However, it seems that even these scientific minds cannot understand the beginning of time and certainly not the eternity of time. It is interesting to see scientists suggest that the universe had an architect in its design when they see its perfection and mathematical relationships. However, without a relationship with Christ, eternity and the things of God's creation will never be fully understood. In Romans 1:19 to 21, we can see that God has clearly shown himself in His creation and if we reject this evidence then we have rejected God.

Romans 1
19 "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them."
20 "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"
21 "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and theirfoolish heart was darkened."

Eternity is understood by the heart and it is not formulas that define space and time but rather the person of Jesus Christ. To understand the concept of time we must have a relationship with the One who created time. All time exists in the omnipotence of Christ. In Christ's own words recorded in Revelations 1:8, He shared with us where the boundaries of time exist.

Revelations 1
8 "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."

Since Christ is the beginning of all time, He existed outside of time and is not limited by its effects or limitations. We serve a God who is a Creator. Our minds and imaginations cannot understand all of God, however, we can know Him as a friend through His Son. Oh, what a God we serve! I love one of the many descriptions in the Bible where He is called the Ancient of Days. How wise is God who has existed before the beginning of time! He was there in the creation of the earth, the universe, and all that is known or yet to be discovered.

Genesis 1
1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

The concept of time is often misunderstood especially as it relates to eternity and the omnipotence of Christ. In the scriptures below, Christ shared some interesting thoughts about time. In John 8:56 Christ said, "Abraham rejoiced to see my day." This verse and others suggest that Abraham somehow could see in the future a redeemer coming to be a sacrifice for sin. Abraham understood resurrection from the dead when he was willing to offer his son on an altar when requested by God. He indicated to those he knew, as he was leaving to go up the mountain, that his son would be back. How could this be? Somehow Abraham knew God could raise him from the dead if he was to be a sacrifice. Obviously, Abraham understood that God is not limited to this physical realm. In verse 58, Christ went on to explain that He existed before Abraham. Those He spoke to could not understand how this could be and took up stones to throw at Him.

John 8
56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad."
57 "Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, andhast thou seen Abraham?"
58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."
59 "Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by."

It is so important that we walk by faith and not by our understanding alone. From the vastness of space to the life of mankind upon a small planet in an enormous galaxy, we understand very little and accept so much by faith in our daily lives and never realize it. Many step into an airplane and trust the technology of the plane to carry them to their destination. We are assured that someday we will experience another dimension for our lives. We will spend eternity in heaven or a place called hell. God has made a clear choice for us concerning His will.

2 Peter 3
9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

One day I was at my desk and the Lord said, "Draw a line representing your life." I said to the Lord, "I cannot make a line long enough because I believe that I will live forever in heaven." So I took my pen and drew a line across my desk pad and drew the line that was to represent eternity. The Lord then said, "Draw a line representing your life on this earth." I said, "Lord, I cannot draw a line small enough." I understood what the Lord was telling me. He was saying that this life is so short and our focus must be upon eternity. We need to have such an awareness of this that it would cause us to make our decisions daily based upon eternity. I will always remember this comparison of time when He spoke about the insignificance of this earthly life in comparison to eternity. Where is your focus? With a real understanding of eternity and its permanence, how can we let people everyday die and go to hell without the knowledge of Christ? Serve Christ and look for opportunities to share your faith with others.

Chapter Four The Eternity of Time

Chapter Four
The Eternity of Time