TIME AND ETERNITY PART 1

Sons Training Tuesday, August 08, 2017

How to Study and Teach the Bible Lesson 24

* Greetings, brethren in Christ. I pray our Lord has blessed you thoroughly this week. The current message to the church is the marvelous reality that we are eternal creatures. The sons of God are truly not of this world. The earth is not their home and because of this they walk here as pilgrims, never desiring the things on earth. Members of the five-fold, this is the time to teach Eternity. However, when teaching, you will build a good foundation if you explain Time vs. Eternity. I think it is good to mention here that this message is a message of the Spirit. The carnal mind will never understand it. It must be taught from the position of the Spirit, understood and received by the Spirit. UNDERSTANDING TIME Many are under the impression that ‘time’ always existed; however, this is not the truth. Time, even as the creatures of the earth, was created by God.

Genesis 1:1-5

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

In the beginning, when God said let there be light, He used that light to create day and night. The separation of light and darkness was the process of creating time. Therefore, time is based on the rotation and revolution of the earth around the sun. Furthermore…

Genesis 1:14

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

When teaching time, it is important to establish the fact that it was created, because by doing this you are establishing time within the boundaries of the scripture … For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him (Col 1:16 )

This will cause the listeners to understand that God created time for a personal purpose. They will also see the importance of time as it fits inside of God’s eternal plan. Establishing the principle that time was created also opens the door for you to show the distinctions between Time and Eternity. This is the goal of this lesson, to have the learner know assuredly how to differentiate between Time and Eternity, as well as to see how time fits inside of the scheme of things. Even as time has a beginning, it has an ending.

Revelation 10:6

6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:

Revelation 22:5

5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Even Time has an appointed end. The sun establishes time, therefore, when it is taken away, time will end and the earth will enter Eternity.

John 1:1-4

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Moses, in Genesis 1:1, saw the beginning from time’s perspective, however John saw the beginning from an eternal perspective. By this I mean that John’s vision of the beginning took him beyond seeing the actions God was about to do, it also allowed him to see what existed before the beginning. As it relates to seeing before time, Moses’ vision only allowed him to see that God existed, however, John not only saw God’s existence, but he also saw those who existed with God from the beginning. He saw the Father, the Word and the light of men, they were all one. John was seeing Eternity, while Moses was seeing the formation and events of time. As it relates to Time, things must be created, while the things of Eternity simply exist. Eternity has no beginning or ending. All things in eternity are endless. Even destruction in Eternity is everlasting.

This allows us to understand why a soul or a creature can be in the lake of fire forever. This is because in Eternity, there is no end. The concept of beginning and ending is a principle of time. It is crucial to establish the principle that they are totally different realms. One of your major goals should be to cause the listener to understand these two realms are based on different principles and therefore the logic of time cannot be applied to eternity. Even as the anatomy, course, actions and behaviors of the creatures of land differ from the creatures of the water, so does Time differ from Eternity. The significance of teaching the beginning and end of time is so we can compare it to principles of eternity. If you can get the listeners to understand that Eternity is based on different laws, principles, and realities, they will be able to flow with your teaching. You will often find that people will begin interpreting your teaching using natural principles.

This is not strange. The principles of nature are what we all grew up experiencing. Therefore, it is necessary to keep before them that you are teaching a spiritual subject. Remember, in the realm of Time, the listeners will be familiar with things being formed or having a beginning. They will think of the birth of a creature, or the creation of something. They will also think in terms of things having an ending. It is safe to assume that your listeners are thinking this way. This will encourage you to keep the teaching simple, so as not to confuse your audience. However, your goal is to point them to Eternity and to have them think with the principles of Eternity. In Eternity, all things are everlasting.

Matthew 24:35

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Genesis 1:1 says, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. We see here that heaven and earth have a beginning, but

Matthew 24:25, causes us to know it also has an end. However, the words spoken by Jesus Christ are eternal. Meaning He and they existed before the world was formed1 and will endure after its end. The Godhead is eternal. It is imperative when ministering to constantly discern your audience. This allows you to perceive their thinking and guide them to think with the Spirit, rather than with their natural experiences or logic.

THE PURPOSE OF TIME

It was mentioned earlier that God created Time for His own pleasure and purpose. However, what is that purpose?

Ephesians 3:8-11

8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

Time was created to reveal the things of Eternity. Time was created to reveal God’s fellowship with His sons from before the earth was formed. God is revealing openly to all creation the fellowship that was in Him since the beginning. God is revealing who He is. While teaching, be careful to answer the following question that will arise in the minds of the listeners. - How is it possible that the sons of God were in God before the world began, seeing we remember being born, having a childhood and growing up here on earth? (which essentially means having a start).

This question must be answered bearing in mind that the realm of Time has totally different operations than that of the realm of Eternity. The question is basically coming from a thinking that asks, how is it possible for me to exist before I am even born? This is a valid question that must be answered. Note here that the question is coming from logic that was based on the principles of Time. Therefore, it is needful for you to skillfully answer the question, pointing the listeners back to the principles of Eternity.

In Eternity, there is no beginning or end, however, in Time all things must be made/born, but they must also cease to exist/die. Therefore, though the sons of God dwell in Eternity, as it relates to Time, there is a season appointed to manifest this. According to the principles of Time, a son of God, too, must have a start. How is this manifested? It is manifested when someone is born and receives the Holy Spirit on earth. The infilling of the Holy Spirit is a manifestation in Time that you were in God before the world was.

John 1:1-4

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

TIME -

John 17:21

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me

In the beginning the Word was with (in) God and was God. However, in the Word was the light of men (the sons of God). The scripture above is a manifestation in Time of 1

Even as He was in Eternity, now in Time the Word (Jesus) is in God, and the sons will soon be in them. When the church was formed on the day of Pentecost, this prayer was fulfilled. Now the church is in the Word and the Word is in God. This is significant, because it gives an example which illustrates how Eternity is revealed in Time. In Time, the church had a beginning, which was the day of Pentecost, however in Eternity, they were, are and will forever be the sons of God.