Time versus
eternity -
Earthly time and
existence is little more than a speck in God's vast eternity and
everlasting existence. Our sovereign Creator had no beginning, nor
will He ever end. But our earthly time is finite, and each moment is
already written in God's eternal book.
"In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth
was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the
deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the
waters."
Genesis 1:1-2
"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that
are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or principalities or powers. All things were
created through Him and for Him. And He is before all
things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of
the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from
the dead, that in all things [Christ] may have the
preeminence."
Colossians
1:15-18
"He
chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to
Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the
praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us
accepted in the Beloved.
"In Him we have
redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according
to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in
all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery
of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed
in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of
the times He might gather together in one all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in
Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all
things according to the counsel of His will, hat we who first
trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory."
Eph 1:4-12
"... do not
forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a
thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
2 Peter 3:8
"For a
thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when
it is past,
And like a watch in the night."
Psalm 90:4
"It was granted to him [Satan] to make war
with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given
him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on
the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in
the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world."
Revelation 13:7-8
Earthly places versus
God's vast limit-less domain -
Even when we
walk here on earth, God's people -- those who have entered His
kingdom through faith in Jesus' saving work on the cross -- are one
in and with Christ!
"And you
He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which
you once walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit
who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom
also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and
were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
"But God, who is rich in
mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in trespasses, 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 2:1-7
"...that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are
the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and
what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who
believe, according to the working of His mighty power which
He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead
and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all principality and power and might and
dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age
but also in that which is to come."
Ephesians 2:18 -21
"If then you were
raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is,
sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on
things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ
in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will
appear with Him in glory."
Colossians 3:1-4
God's time
and place are not confined to our finite sense of time and
place - From the
perspective of His eternity, Jesus could promise the thief on the
cross immediate
entrance into heaven. But from the finite human perspective, there
would be a time gap since the resurrection of Jesus came "three
days" later -- and since the bodily resurrection of believers would still be
a future event according to earthly time.
"...one of
the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, 'If You
are the Christ, save Yourself and us.' But the other,
answering, rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not even fear God,
seeing you are under the same condemnation?...' Then he said
to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when You come into Your
kingdom.' And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you,
today you will be with Me in Paradise.'"
Luke 23:39-43
"...scoffers will come in the last days, walking according
to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His
coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things
continue as they were from the beginning of creation.'
For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the
heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and
in the water, by which the world that then existed perished,
being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth
which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for
fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly
men.
"But, beloved, do not forget
this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day."
2 Peter
3:3-8
"But
the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night,
in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise,
and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the
earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. ...
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new
heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."
2 Peter
3:10-13
"He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field
is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but
the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who
sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age,
and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are
gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of
this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will
gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who
practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of
fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the
righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their
Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Matt
13:37-43
"...many
walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even
weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose
glory is in their shame -- who set their mind on earthly
things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from
which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may
be conformed to His glorious body...."
Philippians
3:17-21
"Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be
diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and
blameless..."
2 Peter 3:14
Our natural
(earthly) bodies versus our spiritual bodies -
While our
old bodies decay and disappear, our new resurrection bodies will be
spiritual and incorruptible. Like a seed gives life to a plant
"after its kind" so our new bodies will be unique and personal,
reflecting a perfected version of each of us. It will be fit for a
heavenly home (the new glorious earth; the spiritual Jerusalem), not
for the old earthly home.
"Jesus
answered and said to them, 'The sons of this age marry and are
given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to
attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither
marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore,
for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons
of the resurrection."
Luke
20:34-36
"But someone
will say, 'How are the dead raised up? And with what body do
they come? Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive
unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that
body that shall be, but mere grain--perhaps wheat or some
other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each
seed its own body.... There are also celestial bodies and
terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is
one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. ...
"So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in
corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is
sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness,
it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised
a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is
a spiritual body. And so it is written, 'The first man
Adam became a living being.' The last Adam became a
life-giving spirit.
"However, the spiritual is
not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The
first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is
the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are
those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly
Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And
as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall
also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
"...flesh and blood cannot inherit the
kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed -- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the
dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this
corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is
written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.'"
1
Corinthians 15:35-54
Earth (the
physical creation) versus Heaven (our eternal home) -
We will eat from
the tree of life -- in His glorious Paradise which we can't possibly
imagine from our earthly perspective:
"For we know
that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a
building from God, a house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly
desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from
heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be
found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened,
not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed,
that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has
prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us
the Spirit as a guarantee."
2
Corinthians 5:1-5
John MacArthur
summarizes this Scripture: "Because earthly, natural bodies
cannot occupy the eternal kingdom, such a day and such a moment has to be, for
this perishable [that which is subject to decay] must put on the imperishable,
and this mortal must put on immortality. The word translated put on was commonly
used of putting on clothing, and pictures our redeemed spirits being dressed
redeemed bodies."
In light of
this glorious future, how then shall we live today?
"Behold
what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we
should be called children of God! Therefore the world does
not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now
we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what
we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be
like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who
has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."
1 John 3:1-3
"Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding
in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain
in the Lord."
1
Corinthians 15:58
"I do
not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have
fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God
will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we
who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no
means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself
will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in
Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord
in the air. And thus ewe shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore comfort one another with these words."
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Our earthly ways
versus His eternal ways
"...our
beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has
written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them
of these things, in which are some things hard to understand,
which untaught and unstable people twist to their own
destruction, as they do also the rest of the
Scriptures.
"You therefore, beloved, since you
know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own
steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;
but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever."
2
Peter 3:14-18
"'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My
ways,' says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My
ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:8-9
The worlds
plans and purposes versus God's sovereign, eternal plans and
purpose
"...they worshiped
the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war
with him?' And he was given a mouth speaking great things and
blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two
months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to
blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in
heaven.
"It was granted to him to make war with the
saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over
every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth
will worship him, whose names have not been written in the
Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world....
"Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two
horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the
authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth
and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly
wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes
fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And
he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was
granted to do....
"He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and
slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,
and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the
name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom.
Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for
it is the number of a man: His number is 666."
Revelation
13:4-19
"But thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" 1
Corinthians 15:56
"He who has
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To
him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life,
which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."
Revelation 2:7
See also
The Kingdom of God and
Don't conform to the ways of the world
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