God's Incommunicable Attributes #3: Eternity

Eternity: 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.

Time cannot limit God! He created time. God has no beginning and no end.
God is the Great I AM!!!

Exodus 3:14
“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.’”

From studying language we can understand just how profound this name really is! “I AM” is constantly in the present tense. This means that God is forever present and in the present.
Now we live in the confines of time. Moment by moment. However, God at any one specific time is present…even though to us it may be in our past or in our future!

Also kind of fun little play on verb tenses: I AM = ME IS
OK maybe that is only funny to me…sorry.

Back to being serious:

Psalm 90:2
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

Job 36:26
“Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable.”

Revelation 1:8
“’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”

God created all things! Can the creator of all things Himself be created?
I think not!

Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

John 1:3
“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

1 Corinthians 8:6
“yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”

Colossians 1:16
“For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

Hebrews 1:2
“but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”

Time does not have existence in and of itself. Time is dependent upon matter and space. Therefore if matter and space didn’t exist, time could not have existed. When matter and space were created (Gen 1:1), time was also created!

God sees all time equally vividly!

Psalm 90:4
“For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.”

For us, we tend to easily forget things…even just after they have occurred!
Events become blurry through the passage of time.

But with God, a thousand years is as yesterday!
Do you remember what happened yesterday?

God doesn’t recall past events…they are the present to him, but for our understanding…past events are as clear to God as if they had just happened.

Isaiah 46:9-10
“remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’”

God is not bound by the constraints of time; he is in all time and sees all time at the same time!

Hold on, my brain needs some time to reboot after that…





Picture at the top of a page of paper a circle. This circle is God. Now under this circle picture a line from one side of the paper to the other. This is the timeline from creation to infinity. Now draw arrows from God to each point on the timeline. Make sure that these lines touch the timeline.
Now another picture: A circle at the top of the page, this time representing you. Now the timeline that you draw must be from the beginning of your life to the end of your life only! Now again draw arrows to the timeline, however: the only arrow that can touch the timeline is the arrow that goes straight down to the present. Every other arrow can only be the same length as that arrow (due to our limited capacity) and can only go into the past (because we do not have the ability to see the future). These arrows can’t touch the timeline in the past…therefore it is harder for us to remember.

The arrows on God’s timeline touch the timeline because His memory (if you can even call it that) is not hindered by the passage of time!

God sees and also acts within the constraints of time…but is not bound by time!

Galatians 4:4-5
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,”

Acts 17:30-31
“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

We know from multiple different Scriptures that God has presented himself to multiple different people at multiple different times. He also became fully man in the person of Jesus Christ. God stepped into time! God has also put a timeframe on certain things that He will do. He acts within the constraints of time.
But He is not bound by time for it is His creation.

We cannot escape time!

We currently live within the constraints of time…and we will always live within the constraints of time! We cannot escape it!
We are a part of the created order…we are matter and take up space! Where there is matter and space…there is time!
Even in Heaven time will still exist…read through Revelation 21:23, 25; and 22:5. These things require the passage of time! Also Revelation 22:2!
Where there is a succession of moments there is time. As created beings…we live within a succession of moments and we will never share in God’s eternity!
We will live forever in Heaven with Christ…but we were created!

It is very humbling to me, to think that God is always present and sees everything I do with complete clarity. A clarity even that I myself cannot see in everything I do. I mean God sees my actions better than I myself can see them. And He loves me the same!!!!
That just astounds me! I almost can’t believe it! But I know it to be true and it is only by the Grace of God that He has chosen to bless me with the understanding of the blessing that He has given us in His Son Jesus Christ.

Lord, may these truths pierce our hearts and humble us that we may no longer strive against you for what little Glory we steal from you each day. But let us strive with you, to give you all the glory in our lives! That you might be completely exulted in our lives. That you might be our greatest treasure and we would pass every little bit of Glory that we receive right on to you!

In Christ,

David

God's Incommunicable Attributes #2: Omnipresence

Omnipresence: God does not have size or spatial dimensions and is present at every point of space with his whole being, yet God acts differently in different places.

Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

This implies that God also created space.

Deuteronomy 10:14
“Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.”

God has created everything! That means space as well as material items. He is Lord of all, therefore cannot be limited by it.

How can God be present everywhere?

Jeremiah 23:23-24
“Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.”

Here we see that God is both present in a specific space, but also able to be everywhere at the same time.

Psalm 139:7-10
“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”

This is not just a part of God. He is present everywhere in His fullness!

Does God have special dimensions?

1 Kings 8:27
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!”

God cannot be contained by even the largest place imaginable.
We must avoid thinking of God in terms of size or spatial dimensions.

God is far different and greater than anything we can imagine! Before He created anything, He Is! There was no “where”, yet God existed!

Can God be present to punish, sustain, and bless?
Is God present in Hell?

God is present in different ways in different places. God also acts differently in different places.

Amos 9:1-4
“I saw the LORD standing beside the altar, and he said: ‘Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and those who are left of them I will kill with the sword; not one of them shall flee away; not one of them shall escape.’ ‘If they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down. If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search them out and take them; and if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them. And if they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them; and I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.”

God is present to punish.
Many think of hell as the absence of God. While that would be hell for the believer…that would in essence be paradise for the unbeliever! It is a tough thing to think of…but what is worse for someone who hates God, to be forever out of the presence of God or to forever be punished by God for the sins committed against God!

Is God present to sustain?
Even in a non-believer?

Colossians 1:17
“And he is before all things and in him all things hold together.”

Hebrews 1:3
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

God is present to sustain.
This also means that God is present within the unbeliever…if only to give them life and to sustain them.
Keep in mind He is not there to Bless them.

Is God present to Bless?

Psalm 16:11
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Most of the time when the Bible talks about God’s presence…it is in reference to Him blessing or being present to bless!

“When you wish to do something evil, you retire from the public into your house where no enemy may see you; from those places of your house which are open and visible to the eyes of men you remove yourself into your room; even in your room you fear some witness from another quarter; you retire into your heart, there you meditate: he is more inward than your heart. Wherever, therefore, you shall have fled, there he is. From yourself, whither will you flee? But since there is One more inward even than yourself, there is no place where you may flee from God angry but to God reconciled. There is no place at all whither you may flee. Will you flee from him? Flee unto him.” Herman Bavinck

Doesn’t it bring great comfort to your soul that God is ever present? He knows all that you are going through! He is able to continually sustain your life and give you breath!

It is an amazing thought that we are absolutely dependent upon God…also very humbling! Just think about sleep…we all need it, it is a great and wonderful gift from God! He created it and instituted rest on the 7th day of creation!
When you go to sleep remember your dependence, and that God is there with you sustaining your life as you sleep. When you awake in the morning, remember that God is there with you giving you life, and He just gave you wonderful refreshing and recharging sleep.

Thank you Lord, that we Can depend upon you for everything. That you are our great provider and that you are the only One who will never fail. Thank You that you are ever present and know every one of our needs! Thank you for being present not only to bless me but also to discipline me when I do not obey you. Lord continue to remind me throughout the day that you are present and help me to bring glory to your name.

In Christ,

David