But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:26
We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. But the person without the Spirit does not receive what comes from God's Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually. I Corinthians 2:13-14
As Christ Followers, we sometimes are at a disadvantage when trying to read and fully understand the Bible. It is important of course to pray for discernment and understanding. If we do, the Holy Spirit will enable us to comprehend scripture and apply it to our lives successfully. It is also of course important to have a good translation of the Bible, one that is accurate to the original inspired version, yet easy to read and understand. I plan on discussing this further in an upcoming article.
Additionally, the Old Testament was written over a one thousand year period, with the earliest sections being nearly three thousand five hundred years old. The New Testament, while more recently written than the Old, is still nearly two thousand years old itself. So a big impediment to fully understanding the Bible is that we many times do not understand the context, customs, manners, and everyday activities of that time period. This is where commentaries and books which discuss the manners and customs of Biblical time periods can really be a huge help in understanding what scriptures are actually trying to relate to us, the twenty-first century reader of God’s Word.
He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11
But, the issue I want to discuss in this article, and in my opinion the biggest impediment to our fully understanding the Bible is simply the fact that we do not, and cannot, correctly understand the concept of time, or more correctly, the absence of time. What we might call “eternity”. We by default comprehend and understand everything in this world we encounter through the lens of our created universe and its limitations. When we do, we place limitations and restrictions on God and things pertaining to the heavenly realm that should not be, including the limitation of time.
Mankind was created to exist within this limited universe. This universe is finite, unlike the heavenly eternal realms which are infinite. This universe, and our planet, was created to include set dimensions. There are four observable dimensions: length, width, and height (or depth); and the fourth dimension is time. For us, time is fixed. It has a start point (Genesis 1:1), and end point (Revelation 21:1), and it moves steadily in only one direction (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11). However, time is not a limitation on God or the things in the heavenly realm. Time there does not exist.
Revelation chapters 21 and 22, the last 2 chapters in the New Testament, paint a picture of life after time. The new heaven and the new earth will be present, and all will be made new. There is no mention of the sun, moon, or stars...only God. He will provide light, and there will be no more night. Time will cease and be no longer. The things which create time (rotation of the earth and revolution around the sun) will be no more. The mechanism by which we measure time (periods of light and dark/day and night) will cease and there will be no more night. Time began as we experience it when God created the heavens and the earth. Time will cease to exist when the new heavens and the new earth are in place.
The LORD reigns! He is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed, enveloped in strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. Your throne has been established from the beginning; you are from eternity. Psalms 93:1-2
The Hebrew word used in the Old Testament most often to convey the idea of eternity is ôlâm. It often gets translated as “eternal” or “everlasting”, but can also mean “time out of mind (past or future), “ancient (time)”, or even the “(beginning of the) world”. This word is being used to convey several meanings, such as something being eternal, something occurring in the future, or something that is very old from the beginning of time. Here are a couple of examples: “The LORD will reign forever and ever!” Exodus 15:18. “I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.” Psalms 77:5
In the New Testament, the Greek word used most often to convey the idea of eternity is aiōnios. It is many times translated as “eternal” or “everlasting” as well, but can also mean “without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be”, “perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as well)”, “without beginning”, “without end.” So again, the word means more than just “eternity”, but also includes the idea of something perpetual in either the past or the future, and something permanent or endless (without beginning or ending). Here are a few examples: "And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matthew 25:46. “Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept silent for long ages but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles.” Romans 16:25-26. “So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18.
Time can be a tough concept to understand correctly, but it affects so much of what we try to understand about the Bible and theology, especially eschatology. Time was created for our existence here on earth. Time does not apply to God or things pertaining to the heavenly realm. Time as a dimension, a limitation if you will, does not apply to anything outside of the realm of our universe. This understanding that time does not exist outside of our universe affects questions like: "How long is eternity?", "What happens when someone dies?", and "Does God choose who gets saved, or does free will factor into salvation?” Words in the Bible like "eternal," "everlasting," or "forever and ever" can now be understood in a more correct sense of their original meaning as intended. Not as "time unending, stretching on without end" but rather, a word or phrase that indicates something pertaining to God or His kingdom.
