j*******7 发帖数: 6300 | 1 We live in a physical world with its four known space-time dimensions of
length, width, height (or depth) and time. However, God dwells in a
different dimension—the spirit realm—beyond the perception of our physical
senses. It’s not that God isn’t real; it’s a matter of His not being
limited by the physical laws and dimensions that govern our world (Isaiah 57
:15). Knowing that “God is spirit” (John 4:24), what is His relationship
to time?
In Psalm 90:4, Moses used a simple yet profound analogy in describing the
timelessness of God: “For a thousand years in Your sight are like a day
that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.” The eternity of God
is contrasted with the temporality of man. Our lives are but short and frail
, but God does not weaken or fail with the passage of time.
In a sense, the marking of time is irrelevant to God because He transcends
it. Peter, in 2 Peter 3:8, cautioned his readers not to let this one
critical fact escape their notice—that God’s perspective on time is far
different from mankind’s (Psalm 102:12, 24-27). The Lord does not count
time as we do. He is above and outside of the sphere of time. God sees all
of eternity’s past and eternity’s future. The time that passes on earth is
of no consequence from God’s timeless perspective. A second is no
different from an eon; a billion years pass like seconds to the eternal God.
Though we cannot possibly comprehend this idea of eternity or the
timelessness of God, we in our finite minds try to confine an infinite God
to our time schedule. Those who foolishly demand that God operate according
to their time frame ignore the fact that He is the “High and Lofty One . .
. who lives forever” (Isaiah 57:15). This description of God is far removed
from man’s condition: “The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty
, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for
they quickly pass, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10).
Again, because of our finite minds, we can only grasp the concept of God’s
timeless existence in part. And in so doing, we describe Him as a God
without a beginning or end, eternal, infinite, everlasting, etc. Psalm 90:2
declares, “From everlasting to everlasting You are God” (see also Psalm 93
:2). He always was and always will be.
So, what is time? To put it simply, time is duration. Our clocks mark
change or, more precisely, our timepieces are benchmarks of change that
indicate the passage of time. We could say, then, that time is a necessary
precondition for change and change is a sufficient condition to establish
the passage of time. In other words, whenever there’s change of any kind we
know that time has passed. We see this as we go through life, as we age.
And we cannot recover the minutes that have passed by.
Additionally, the science of physics tells us that time is a property
resulting from the existence of matter. As such, time exists when matter
exists. But God is not matter; God, in fact, created matter. The bottom line
is this: time began when God created the universe. Before that, God was
simply existing. Since there was no matter, and because God does not change,
time had no existence and therefore no meaning, no relation to Him.
And this brings us to the meaning of the word eternity. Eternity is a term
used to express the concept of something that has no end and/or no beginning
. God has no beginning or end. He is outside the realm of time. Eternity is
not something that can be absolutely related to God. God is even beyond
eternity.
Scripture reveals that God lives outside the bounds of time as we know it.
Our destiny was planned “before the beginning of time” (2 Timothy 1:9;
Titus 1:2) and “before the creation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter
1:20). “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s
command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (
Hebrews 11:3). In other words, the physical universe we see, hear, feel and
experience was created not from existing matter, but from a source
independent of the physical dimensions we can perceive.
“God is spirit” (John 4:24), and, correspondingly, God is timeless rather
than being eternally in time or being beyond time. Time was simply created
by God as a limited part of His creation for accommodating the workings of
His purpose in His disposable universe (see 2 Peter 3:10-12).
Upon the completion of His creation activity, including the creation of
time, what did God conclude? “God saw all that he had made, and it was very
good” (Gen 1:31). Indeed, God is spirit in the realm of timelessness,
rather than flesh in the sphere of time.
As believers, we have a deep sense of comfort knowing that God, though
timeless and eternal, is in time with us right now; He is not unreachably
transcendent, but right here in this moment with us. And because He’s in
this moment, He can respond to our needs and prayers.
http://www.gotquestions.org/God-time.html |
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