Curtain of Eternity – Part 1
(God) who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel [2 Timothy 1:9-10].
What is the difference between time and eternity? That is the question I pose to you today. Any takers? Raise your hand high now. I wouldn’t want to miss any volunteers.
Didn’t think so. The question is a bit difficult for our finite minds to grasp, wouldn’t you agree? What do we have on which to base our estimation of eternity? The usual understanding is that time comes to an end but eternity goes on forever. You think?
Such an understanding of eternity is faulty through and through, dear friends, if for no other reason than the concept defines eternity in terms of time. If anything, it should be reversed. We would better define a glass of water in terms of the ocean, than the ocean in terms of a glass of water!
We might express the first concept by the phrase “eternal time”, an oxymoron par excellence if ever there was one. It is the stuff which makes up stuff and nonsense! On the other hand the phrase “timeless eternity” has a good deal of sense to it. Eternity is timeless, eternity is not time unlimited. We cannot define eternity in terms of time.
And therein lies the unresolved dilemma we puny humans have, when it comes time to understanding God and the things of eternity. We are creatures of time, space, and matter. We were created to exist in time, and we have always existed in time. Indeed until the day we pass from time into eternity, we haven’t a clue as to what it entails.
In 1 Timothy 1 the Apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to intimate the duality which exists between time and eternity. It is an unfathomable mystery of the Bible, but it nonetheless exists. The Holy Spirit is God. He exists in eternity. He created it! He understands it, so He can explain it.
The trouble isn’t whether or not the Holy Spirit can explain eternity. The trouble lies in man’s inability to understand eternity. Accordingly the Spirit didn’t waste time explaining what we cannot understand. He took a different approach. He simply noted how it exists apart from time, that it is not dependent on time in any sense, and yet it still rules over time.
Let’s assay the Spirit’s expression of this duality in our text for today. First we need to identify the duality itself, and then we can sift through the goodies and see what we discover. So here’s how the Holy Spirit expressed the duality between time and eternity:
1. which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity
2. but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus
Wow! I’m already floored! We had best pause and catch our breath before proceeding any further. We are on holy ground, so we need to spend some time in the presence of Jesus before taking another step.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
What is the difference between time and eternity? That is the question I pose to you today. Any takers? Raise your hand high now. I wouldn’t want to miss any volunteers.
Didn’t think so. The question is a bit difficult for our finite minds to grasp, wouldn’t you agree? What do we have on which to base our estimation of eternity? The usual understanding is that time comes to an end but eternity goes on forever. You think?
Such an understanding of eternity is faulty through and through, dear friends, if for no other reason than the concept defines eternity in terms of time. If anything, it should be reversed. We would better define a glass of water in terms of the ocean, than the ocean in terms of a glass of water!
We might express the first concept by the phrase “eternal time”, an oxymoron par excellence if ever there was one. It is the stuff which makes up stuff and nonsense! On the other hand the phrase “timeless eternity” has a good deal of sense to it. Eternity is timeless, eternity is not time unlimited. We cannot define eternity in terms of time.
And therein lies the unresolved dilemma we puny humans have, when it comes time to understanding God and the things of eternity. We are creatures of time, space, and matter. We were created to exist in time, and we have always existed in time. Indeed until the day we pass from time into eternity, we haven’t a clue as to what it entails.
In 1 Timothy 1 the Apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to intimate the duality which exists between time and eternity. It is an unfathomable mystery of the Bible, but it nonetheless exists. The Holy Spirit is God. He exists in eternity. He created it! He understands it, so He can explain it.
The trouble isn’t whether or not the Holy Spirit can explain eternity. The trouble lies in man’s inability to understand eternity. Accordingly the Spirit didn’t waste time explaining what we cannot understand. He took a different approach. He simply noted how it exists apart from time, that it is not dependent on time in any sense, and yet it still rules over time.
Let’s assay the Spirit’s expression of this duality in our text for today. First we need to identify the duality itself, and then we can sift through the goodies and see what we discover. So here’s how the Holy Spirit expressed the duality between time and eternity:
1. which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity
2. but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus
Wow! I’m already floored! We had best pause and catch our breath before proceeding any further. We are on holy ground, so we need to spend some time in the presence of Jesus before taking another step.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
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