How Long is Eternity?
• A troubleshooting call with an Internet helpdesk?
• Trying to resolve an account issue with a telecommunications company?
• An airline flight to Asia or Australia?
• A rough season in life that seemed to drag on and on?
Our earthy perspective is so limited, and often the thought of infinity isn’t a positive one.
Today I want to encourage you that God is eternal beyond any human concept we have and that is great news!
In the beginning...God was
Scripture starts from the very beginning declaring that God has always been.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
This verse from the inspired pen of Moses, along with the Psalm he wrote hundreds of years before any of the others, describes His agelessness.
Before the mountains were born
Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God Psalms 90:2
The Bible is replete with passages that describe His lack of time boundaries, and it also teaches us what that means for us as believers. As with most of God’s attributes, it is really beyond our comprehension, but we can always grow in our understanding.
God’s Completely Eternal Nature
A quick search for terms like eternal, everlasting, and eternity reveals many verses celebrating this descriptor of God that covers many other aspects of His character.
• Compassion – Deuteronomy 33:27
• Kingdom – 2 Peter 1:11
• Father – Isaiah 9:6
• Priest – Hebrews 7:3
• Holy Spirit – Hebrews 9:14
• Word – John 1:1-2; Isaiah 40:8
These passages show us that all three persons of the Godhead, the Trinity, are eternal. Just as God the Father has always been, so also the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The Results of God’s Dateless Nature
Frankly, the fact that God is dateless or eternal probably isn’t new to you. But have you considered the impact of His infinity that impacts His people?
Eternal Inheritance
I haven’t received an earthly inheritance yet. And my brothers and I keep encouraging our mom to spend it. But if we received one, it would only be temporary.
If it were money, it would eventually be spent. If it were property, it would eventually pass from my hands to someone else’s. Ultimately, it would be gone at the end of recorded time when Christ the earth as we know it is replaced by the new heaven and new earth.
But in Christ, we have an inheritance with the same dateless characteristic as the God who promised it.
That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant. Hebrews 9:15 (NLT)
Eternal Life
Arguably the most famous verse in scripture tells us one of the most well-known gifts of God’s eternal nature. Life. Everlasting Life.
God wants us to spend eternity with Him so much that He gave His son to die for our sins.
If you’re in a difficult season right now, eternal life might not sound great. But the eternal life that starts when we place our trust in Christ includes His presence here on earth with the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, comfort and grow us.
And eternal life in Heaven will be unimaginable because we will be with Jesus! Revelation 22 gives us some hints of what we can look forward to in perpetuity.
No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. Revelation 22:3-5
We can only imagine what everlasting life with our Savior will be like, but Scripture gives us some clues to whet our appetites.
Eternal Glory
In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 1 Peter 5:10 (NLT)
Do you see what He is saying? We are called to share GOD’S GLORY through our relationship with Christ! And it’s not the 15 minutes of human glory we’re told everyone seeks. No, it is God’s timeless glory.
If we could keep our eyes on that promise every moment, what a difference it would make in our walk!
Eternal Joy
The joy that we have in Christ need not come to an end but will only be enhanced when we are no longer distracted by the struggles of this world.
The poor will eat and be satisfied, All who seek the LORD will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. Psalms 22:26 (NLT)
Time Is Only Temporary
Despite the Creator being the Timeless One, the first day of the heavens and the earth included initiating divisions of time. From the beginning of His design, He segmented days into morning and evening. And when He created the sun, moon, and stars on Day Four, he further marked off the night and day, as well as the seasons.
Though we are created in God’s image, we were placed into a universe marked by these various measures of time. Thus, our perspective of time is different from His.
As a result, we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other important events tied to dates and times. And even as important as they might be, sometimes we struggle to remember all of them – even with a great planner or calendar.
God exists outside of any time constraints, yet He still knows every date and time that is important to us. That is comforting and gives another perspective on His unique, magnificent character.
We await the coming of Christ’s kingdom, having no idea where it fits on a human calendar. Sometimes we get a bit anxious for it. But Peter reminds us that our time-bound thinking is foreign to God’s measureless perspective.
But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 2 Peter 3:8
How To Be Confident of Your Eternity
The Bible clearly explains how we can gain eternal life and be confident in it. To learn more about what it means to believe in Jesus for salvation, contact me, and I will reach out.
Worship God Because He Is Eternal
Lord, we acknowledge that we are time-bound. You created the world in a way that marks time, and yet we praise you because you are not tied to a clock or calendar. You are not constrained by a birthday or a date of death. You are not new, nor are you old.
We praise you because you have complete context for everything. We thank you that we can trust your wisdom because you can see all the way through from everlasting to everlasting.
And we praise you for your plan to keep us in your presence for eternity through the death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus. Even so, Lord, come quickly.
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