Time And Eternity

Uplook – January 2024 — Grace & Truth Magazine

Time And Eternity

“In The Beginning, God”
As we see in our heading, a quote from Genesis 1:1 ( ESV ), there was truly a beginning of time. Prior to that point there was God only; no thing existed, not even time! He is called “the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth” (Isa. 40:28). We see Him as the Trinity: the Father; the beloved Son who “is the image of the invisible God … by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible” (Col. 1:15-16); and the Spirit of God who “was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2), presumably taking part in the creation. Since then, God’s “invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived … in the things that have been made” (Rom. 1:20).

God Created
Genesis 1 says, “God created the heavens and the earth … And God said, ‘Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters’ … God called the expanse Heaven” (vv.1,6,8). There are actually three heavens (2 Cor. 12:2):

• Atmospheric heaven that we call “sky,” including the air we breathe and the clouds we see.
• Sidereal heaven where the stars are and what we say is “space.”
• Heaven where God is and was at the beginning.

The Heaven Where God Is
This has no finite location. God is omnipresent; He is everywhere! The psalmist wrote: “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me and Your right hand hold me” (Ps. 139:7-10).

This heaven is not a material location. It is a spiritual place that our Lord has prepared for us so we can be where He is (Jn. 14:2-3). We now have natural bodies; there we shall have spiritual bodies (1 Cor. 15:44). “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the Man of heaven” (v.49). “We shall be like Him” (1 Jn. 3:2) – like Jesus our Savior.

In this heaven – the Father’s house – there will be a place for the believers of every dispensation in its “many rooms” (Jn. 14:2). In our dispensation the believers constitute a unity: the Church. The Lord prayed in John 17:21 that we believers “may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You.”

Believers Should Not Fear Death
“God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (1 Jn. 5:11). His Son took on flesh and blood that He “through death … might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Heb. 2:14-15).

Andrew Murray (1828-1917) wrote: “Death had its power through the law … Under the Old Testament, life and immortality had not yet been brought to light.”* But the psalmist, given insight by the Holy Spirit, wrote: “God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol [the grave], for He will receive me” (Ps. 49:15).

“The law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith,” and now it can be declared, “no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Gal. 3:24, 4:7). First Corinthians 15:54 adds, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” The verses that follow tell us we shall be raised victors through our Lord Jesus Christ. These truths should impact our lives today!

The Church Is Figuratively The Wife Of The Son
The husband and wife are figuratively “one flesh” (Gen. 2:24), and likewise the Lord and the Church make a unity – Bridegroom and “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:9). As the wife of the Son, we now endure suffering; but if we endure suffering, we will reign with Him (consider 2 Tim. 2:8-12). This reign will take place during the millennium – a wonderful time when “the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan [will be bound] for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:2). This reign will constitute the predicted kingdom of heaven.

Then, after a little while, there will be a rebellion, and unbelievers of all time periods will face “the second death” (v.14). However, believers of every dispensation will be present with God in His “dwelling place” (21:3). “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads … and they will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22:3-5). But Christ, “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation … By [whom] all things were created,” is “the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Col. 1:15-16; Rev. 22:13).

The Song Of Solomon can be taken as figurative of the relationship between the Bridegroom and the Bride. In this sense she will say, “He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love” (Song 2:4). How true that is even now! Speaking to the Lord, as recorded in Psalm 16:11, we exclaim, “In Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore!

“The End of All Things”
As we read in 1 Peter 4:7, the material universe that we live in will not last forever. “The heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Pet. 3:7). “The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (v.10), or “burnt up” (JND). The apostle then asked in verse 11 (ESV), “Since all things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought [we] to be in lives of holiness and godliness”?

“Therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded … keep loving one another earnestly … show hospitality … as each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God, whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies – in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Pet. 4:7-11).

ENDNOTE
* “The Holiest Of All – An Exposition On The Book Of Hebrews.”

By Alan H. Crosby