Part 2 | The Only True God – God is Eternal

Where does one even begin when touching upon the eternal nature of God? How can a time conscience being write about the timeless One? Even now, as you read this, you are limited to time to understand the One who operates outside of time.

The below scriptures paint a picture of what the Bible teaches about the eternity of God. By looking at these scriptures we see a general consensus from Genesis through to Revelation about the eternal nature of God. From Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Job, Paul and Jesus Christ, all declare the eternity of God. His eternal attributes are described using different words, but all convey the same meaning.

Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. (Genesis 21:33)

Abraham – Genesis 21:33 is the first mention in the Bible about the eternity of God. The Hebrew name of God which describes His eternal nature is El’olam, meaning ‘The Eternal God.’ The Tamarisk tree is known to be evergreen, long enduring and survives against all odds. It grows in dry places and often has a reputation for absorbing all traces of nearby water.

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. (Psalm 90:1-2)

Moses - Psalm 90 is the key text which has been used by many preachers and theologians as the foundational passage when studying God’s eternity. The children of Israel had no home to go to; they were waiting in time for the Promised Land, which to them seemed like it would never happen. However, they found their joy in the eternity of God. He became their security and refuge. The everlasting God was their refuge, home and dwelling place. Psalm 90 is also considered by many as a pessimistic psalm. The community of God’s people felt distressed, but they found confidence, renewed strength and a home in the everlasting God.

For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “ I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. (Isaiah 57:15)

Isaiah - What does it mean to inhabit eternity? No human can adequately explain it, and we are humbled to realize from verses like this how insignificant we are beside the awesome grandeur of our God. But Psalm 104:1-2 gives us an indication of what it means that God inhabits eternity. ‘He wraps Himself in light.’ He is able to inhabit anything He wants to inhabit – whether it be light or eternity.

Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; nor can the number of His years be discovered. (Job 36:26)

Elihu - Even in the book of Job, Elihu cannot put words together when trying to understand the eternity of God. So instead he bursts forth proclaiming God’s Majesty and part of His praise and worship is the fact that God is eternal and His years are unknown and unsearchable.

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17)

Paul - There are many who question Paul’s understanding of God. There are also those who question the divine claims of Jesus Christ to be God and the Biblical doctrine of the trinity. Here Paul is speaking of glories of Jesus Christ and proclaims Him as the King Eternal. Not only is Jesus Eternal, but His office as King is Eternal too.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8)

Jesus – John is given a revelation of Jesus Christ which we can read of in Revelation. Here Christ reveals He fully possesses the eternal attributes of God. Read in conjunction with Isaiah 44:6 we see that only God is eternal. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the koine Greek alphabet. This phrase means that Jesus existed from eternity (as the second person of the Trinity), and will exist eternally. The fullness of the Godhead dwells in the person of Christ. He has the same eternal attributes as His Father.

DEFINITION

The eternity of God is an attribute of God which is true of Him alone. God does not share this quality with angels or humans in any sense.  God alone is eternal and this is unique and exclusive to Him. Not even the most glorious of angels or godliest of saints is eternal in the same way as God. This doctrine, also known as aevernity teaches that whilst angels and souls will continue to exist eternally, they do not exist eternally in the same way as God. For God has no beginning, but angels and souls do.

Therefore, Wayne Grudem’s definition on the eternity of God goes like this:

God’s eternity may be defined as follows: God has no beginning, end, or succession of moments in his own being, and he sees all time equally vividly, yet God sees events in time and acts in time.

Thoughts on Time
In order to understand something about the eternity of God, we must understand a little about time. But that’s where the problem lies because understanding time is not easy. Time has been studied for thousands of years and nothing is known about it, other than what it does. In the simplest form, time is a succession of moments. We follow it with clocks and calendars, yet we cannot study it with a microscope or experiment with it. Time can not be reversed, stopped, paused or changed. The Khmer Rouge tried this in Cambodia in 1975 by reversing or restarting the calendar to year zero, only to result in the nation falling into chaos.

Augustine summarised that time is difficult to comprehend and define, and he was right. We all agree that time includes several ideas:  succession of moments, beginning and ending and especially change.  Time is a part of God’s creation because it has a beginning and involves change.

True Statements about the eternity of God

• God is not bound by space or time.
• God has always existed.
• Eternal vs temporal vs aevernity.
• God subjects Himself to time through the incarnation, fellowship with man, affairs of men,, events of the world and second coming.
• We live in the tension between time and eternity whilst in our bodies and on the earth.

God is not in time, but yet interacts with time

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2)

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 13:8)

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)

Does God Get Bored in Eternity?
Boredom is a weakness, frailty and negative word associated with the fallen nature of man. Boredom is therefore an emotional state which is experienced during periods lacking activity or when an individual becomes uninterested in the surroundings. Boredom is brought about as a result of repetition, dullness and tediousness. Boredom occurs in time. God sits above time and has always been content in His own eternal glory and love. His everlasting existence is not an empty, static life, but the life of the Godhead is a full, rich life in which all things are constantly present with Him. That God is eternal does not imply idleness or repetition or imperfection but rather fullness of life, perfection of beauty and blessed activity!

Practical Applications of the Eternal Attributes of God

Man is Like Grass
To begin to try and understand God’s eternity, Moses contemplates a way to think about this. He compares man to grass. He grows in the morning and is cut down in the evening and then withers. This is man’s life seen in time. This comparison is made throughout the Scriptures. Therefore we ought to realise time is short and ought to live in a way and tell others of the brevity of time. We ought not to be confident in our tomorrow here on earth.

Pattern your humility after God’s humility
The eternal God who is from everlasting to everlasting has humbled Himself by subjecting Himself to time, His creatures and their limitations. The incarnation of Christ is one of the must humbling truths of the Gospel. This should humble us and cause us to fear and tremble.

Begin Preparing Your Mind for Eternity
Seek heavenly and eternal things. Begin preparing your mind with heavenly and spiritual things now. Let your thinking patters reflect eternity and try to deal with situations with an eternally conscience mind. Study the things of God. Let your mind be patterned after the mind of Christ. Leonard Ravenhill would pray and often say ‘Oh God, stamp eternity on my eyeballs’.

Prayer Life
When you pray, know that God is not in a hurry to go. He doesn’t tire, get bored or become impatient in hearing, fellowshipping and communing with His children. You can go the prayer closet with a confidence that what ever time of the day it be, God will be there to listen and speak. He is eternal and time does not constrain Him.

Wait Eagerly but Patiently for the Coming of the Lord
Christ is coming. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise. His return is not delayed at all. He will come when He sees fit, at a time which has been predetermined according to His eternal purposes, not ours. Wait patiently for the Lord and continue to look with eager expectation for His coming.

Use Your Time Wisely
We must learn to number our days and apply our hearts to wisdom. Don’t waste your life and don’t waste your time. Seek to use your mornings and evening in practicing godliness.

Tags: Aevernity, Eternity, Eternity of God, God is Eternal, Khmer Rouge, Psalm 90, Time, Wayne Grudem

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