{"id":5318,"date":"2023-07-08T12:12:21","date_gmt":"2023-07-08T12:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ufsministries.com\/?p=5318"},"modified":"2024-07-08T04:41:33","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T04:41:33","slug":"things-eternal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ufsministries.com\/things-eternal\/","title":{"rendered":"Things eternal"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cFor thus says the High and Lofty One Who <\/em>inhabits eternity<\/em><\/strong>, whose name is Holy: \u201cI 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.<\/em> Is. 57.15\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n This message deals with living in time<\/strong> and in eternity. <\/strong>Those who live their lives mostly contemplating the future and\/or the past squander their time.<\/strong> And those who wait for only an eternity to come, live, as it were, behind a locked door while holding its key in their hand. Part 1.<\/strong> focuses on living in time while seeking to live in the absolute present, that part of time between the future and past. Part 2.<\/strong> will focus on knowing and living in eternal things, now, in the present, having a foretaste of things to come.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n God inhabits eternity<\/em>. <\/strong>Can we really grasp the reality of eternity<\/em>? In all honesty, man in his natural state finds it most impossible to comprehend being in a state to which time has no application; timelessness. This is, however, the very call to all believers to entertain the concept of living in eternity; <\/em>no not just in the hereafter as in the eternal heaven, but to touch upon it in the here and now, having a foretaste of it. And to do this there must<\/strong> be a renewing of the mind, a new way of thinking. I have written of this previously, and once more speak of it because of its vagueness but extreme importance. It is written, \u201cFor now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.\u201d<\/em> 1 Cor. 13.12 \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Paul here makes use of an illustration to show the imperfection of our perceiving eternal things in this life. But of the utmost importance here is, to see dimly<\/em> and know in part<\/em>, is actually something,<\/strong> something more that all the world has or could ever know. It is a glimpse and taste into eternity. I would most gladly and greatly desire to see even a smidgen of dim light coming through the door of eternity, and have even a vague understanding of its nature, than to sit in the darkness of this world trapped in its time, sin, and decay. I know that one day we will see “face to face.” <\/em> \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n It is written:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd do not be <\/em>conformed<\/em><\/strong> to this world, but be <\/em>transformed<\/em><\/strong> by the <\/em>renewing of your mind<\/em><\/strong>, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.<\/em>\u201d Rm. 12.2\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n The exhortation here is to not be outwardly caught up with and entrapped by the dark ways of the present age, but to be inwardly transfigured in view of a higher mode of existence. By higher,<\/em> let us be entrapped by the promise of our opening scripture which reads, \u201cI dwell in the <\/em>high<\/em><\/strong> and holy place, with <\/em>him<\/em><\/strong> who\u2026\u201d<\/em> With him<\/em> is the enticement. God is saying that although My throne is in the highest heaven, an exalted realm full of glory where nothing impure can have a place, yet I do receive and visit with those sinners of mankind, whose spirits are broken and humbled, who stand before Me in the grace of My Son, Jesus Christ. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Oh how our souls desire such a relationship with the living God; that we, who have lived in creation, darkness, and time, might come to know and have a relationship with the Holy One that inhabits eternity.<\/em> <\/strong>Oh. That our minds might also be renewed to understand and ponder such exalted things.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n One might ask, how may my mind be renewed? Does it start by reading the Bible more? Or by going to Church and praying more often? Of course, these outward acts of faith are encouraging, but not necessarily inwardly transforming factors. There is a window in the door of eternity that allows pure light to shine out upon us, a light of truth, a light showing the Way. It is not found in the outward acts of religion, but in the inward reality of Christ. \u201cYour word <\/em>(Christ) is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.\u201d <\/em>Ps. 119.105\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Let us not be bound up only with the historic Jesus as religion would have us do, but rather be caught up with the living Christ who, by His Holy Spirit, enters into the life of the believer and finds union with his soul. Then, and only then, one can proclaim, \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n \u201cTherefore, if anyone is<\/em> in Christ, he is<\/em> a new creation<\/em><\/strong>; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.\u201d 2 Cor. 5.17 \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n A new creation!<\/em> <\/strong>Not renewed, but new, different, a new creature with his feet upon the earth but whose mind is in the heavens.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Old things have passed <\/em><\/strong>away\u2014old principles, thought patterns, and manner of life have, by faith, passed away, for you by faith have died with Christ to the elements of the flesh. I still vividly remember that phone call when my close, longtime friend Sergio Valori died. His daughter said to me, \u201cMy father passed.\u201d Passed (away) meant I could never visit him again, see him, or interact with him in any way. My memory and thoughts of him remained, but a part of my life was now missing, absolutely gone. Just as a passing becomes absolute in the natural, it must also now be realized in the spiritual, that a part of my own life has passed away, died with Christ at the cross. <\/em><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things have become new<\/em>\u2014<\/strong>A Christian is not one with a changed lifestyle, but is actually one who is born a new species, one adapting to both heaven and earth. He has a new life, namely, a spiritual and divine life having come alive to heavenly things; with new spiritual senses, new faculties of thought, new desires, hopes and fears, joys and sorrows. It is no longer about me, my likes and dislikes or fleshly desires. It is, as my wife prayed many years ago, \u201cLord cause me to be offended of those things that offend You, and delight in those things in which you are delighted.\u201d \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n The believer\u2019s whole tenor of action and conversation is new, and the believer lives as it were in a new world, one that now encompasses the Kingdom of God. The believer finds himself surrounded in new light and standing related to God and Christ in a new manner, since he is now created anew in Christ Jesus. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Our opening scripture contained the thought that God inhabits eternity<\/em>: He is from everlasting to everlasting, without beginning or end, who only has immortality in and of Himself; angels and the souls of men, though they may live on and do not die, yet have a beginning; only God is from eternity to eternity; He inhabits one undivided, uninterrupted, perpetual eternity, to which time is but a mere point. <\/strong>A point, like a period that is used to mark the end of a sentence, exists by having a location only, but has no dimension (such as width, length or depth.) Such is the measure of time to God. It has a place in creation but has no dimension.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/strong>The entire point here is to live our lives contemplating eternal things in the now, or at least as close to the absolute present as one can come in this life, by the Spirit. <\/strong>The past is often difficult to negotiate as it holds many precious memories, yet also painful and regretful memories as well. \u201cRemember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold I make new things\u201d<\/em> Is. 43:18-19<\/a>. We cannot and should not forget the past, but we must not dwell upon it, nor entertain it to extreme; doing so would become detrimental to our well-being.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Contemplating and planning for our future is essential. However, to live in the future is not: to continually anticipate the next thing, the next event, the next happening\u2014always planning, thinking how to approach matters, scheming, and formulating plans. Some can only enjoy the present moments for a short period, and then their minds race forward to what is coming next. Jesus cautioned, \u201cSo do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. <\/em> Mt. 6.34 \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n In the natural we could dwell upon what could happen in the future but with no guaranties. There can be no certainties for future planning. We even hire \u201cadvisors\u201d to give us the best possible guess involving things like financial planning, weather patterns, likelihood of war, crop production, and so on. But, in this life nothing is for sure. We make our plans and wish for the best. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Spiritually, we are relieved of this worry. The Bible uses the word \u201chope\u201d when considering our true spiritual future. In defining faith, Hebrews 11.1 reads that faith is, \u201cthe assurance of things hoped for\u2026\u201d<\/em> To hope<\/em> is to expect or anticipate the promised outcome. \u201cWishing\u201d has no place in anticipating our spiritual futures, for it is written, \u201cFor all the promises of God in Him <\/em>(Christ) are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.\u201d<\/em> 2 Cor. 1.20 Having no doubt of matters like the perpetual working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, of surely being raised to life in the resurrection from the dead, and the promise of the new heaven and earth, the believer is free to dwell upon the present in all spiritual matters of worship, fellowship with God, deliverance from sin, and spiritual growth and maturity. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n It is now, in this moment, in the present, that we must become spiritually minded and embrace the eternal things of God; for in doing so we find the workings of God, transforming our lives. What are these eternal spiritual things<\/strong>? We must begin by considering the following scriptures, and in doing so note the importance of the word \u201cthings:\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhile we do not look at the <\/em>things<\/em><\/strong> which are seen, but at the <\/em>things<\/em><\/strong> which are not seen. For the <\/em>things<\/em><\/strong> which are seen are temporary, but the <\/em>things<\/em><\/strong> which are not seen are eternal.\u201d<\/em> 2 Cor. 4.18\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c<\/em><\/strong><\/a>If then you<\/em> were raised <\/em><\/strong>with Christ, <\/em>*<\/em><\/strong>seek those <\/em>things<\/em><\/strong> which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on <\/em>things<\/em><\/strong> above, not on <\/em>things<\/em><\/strong> on the<\/em> earth.<\/em><\/strong> For you <\/em>died,<\/em><\/strong> and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.<\/em> Col. 3.1-4\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n My goodness, things, things, things. What are these things? \u201cThings\u201d are placeholders, they temporarily hold the position of other, unspecified objects or entities. The precise object or entity is not yet designated. Let us now try to further our understanding of spiritual things. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/strong>We are constantly reminded of earthly things<\/strong>. They comprise all our waking hours, from sunrise to sunset, whether eating, working, learning, interacting with others, or just simply watching TV. And, it is in this earthly existence we experience our complete realm of our emotions and feelings. But, what about spiritual or heavenly things<\/strong>? The heavenly things exist outside the realm of the natural; beyond our doings, feeling, and our senses. Heavenly things are invisible, intangible, and eternal; for instance: life, character, peace, resurrection, heaven, worship, holiness, fellowship, etc. They are true and need to be a part of our new reality, spiritual identity.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Spiritual things may be spiritually imparted. Paul wrote to the church of Rome, \u201cFor I long to see you, that I may <\/em>impart to you some spiritual gift<\/em><\/strong>, so that you may be established.\u201d <\/em>Rm. 1.11 Some may initially think the apostle is speaking here about \u201cmiraculous\u201d spiritual gifts such as outlined in 1 Cor. 12: prophecy, tongues, wisdom, and miracles, to name a few. That may be so, but I believe that in the context of the passage, non-miraculous spirituals would equally be included here. The emphasis is all that which flows from the Spirit of God into the believer, an impartation which includes such things<\/strong> <\/em> as spiritual light, knowledge, peace, comfort, hope, and certainly the fruit of the spirit. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eternity is not everlasting time. <\/strong>Time came out of eternity as a part of creation. Time flows by like a river; eternity exists as a lake always surrounding, always present. <\/strong> Let\u2019s probe deeper into this thought of time and eternity. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Time is defined as \u2018the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.\u2019 The word \u201cpresent\u201d is used here in its definition, but in all reality time lies either in the future or in the past. We anticipate the future in thinking of things yet to come; we remember and reflect upon the past as those things that have passed by. Even though we talk about the present, it is never really here. Whatever is coming immediately passes and becomes the past; there is no continuum for the present, it is only our nearest to the future and past. What we humans think of the present is never really here, in that we can never remain in the present period of time. With each tick of the clock time comes and goes and does not remain in a state between ticks. You might anticipate reading or listening to my next words, and as soon as you hear them they are in the past. Thus time cannot be frozen; it must pass on.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n However, in eternity <\/strong>events do not come and go, but simply exists, they \u201care.\u201d Eternity is like existing in an everlasting present. When Moses asked God His name, He simply said, \u201cI AM who I AM.\u201d And He said, \u201cThus you shall say to the children of Israel, <\/em>I AM<\/em><\/strong> has sent me to you.\u2019 \u201d <\/em>\u201cI Am,\u201d the self-existent one, the eternal one. Can you see, God never was as in existing in the past, nor can He will be, as existing in the future, God is eternally in the present. I wish to know this God not in terms of history, or as the One that one day will come again into the world, but to know the God who is now, the great I Am. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTherefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.\u201d<\/em> 2 Cor. 5.16\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Jesus Christ came in the flesh, was crucified, died, was buried. His earthly life came only to pass. We know Him now as the Resurrected One, the One who now inhabits eternity. He ever exists in the ever present, the absolute now<\/em>. \u201cBehold, <\/em>now<\/em><\/strong> is the accepted time; behold, <\/em>now<\/em><\/strong> is the day of salvation.\u201d <\/em>2 Cor. 6.2 Now <\/strong>is implied in each of the following, which is but a sampling of the eternal God\u2019s relationship with man.:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDraw near to God <\/em>(now)<\/strong> and He will draw near to you <\/em>(now)<\/strong>.\u201d <\/em>Jam. 4.8\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor where two or three are gathered together in My name, <\/em>I am<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>(now<\/strong>) there in the midst of them.\u201d <\/em>Mt. 18.20\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cChrist Jesus <\/em>is <\/em><\/strong>He who died, but rather, was raised, who <\/em>is<\/em><\/strong> at the right hand of God, who also <\/em>(now)<\/strong> intercedes for us.\u201d <\/em> Rm. 8.34\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBehold, I <\/em>(now)<\/strong> stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will <\/em>(now)<\/strong> come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.\u201d <\/em>Rev. 3.20\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Of course I added in parentheses the word \u201cnow\u201d to each of the Bible verses, to emphasize the ever present accessibility to our God and Lord. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eternity is not an extension of time but a condition different from time. <\/strong>Things eternal presently exist as much as they ever have or ever will. From the time of our birth until now all we have ever known is the time that marches on, things come and go, people are born and they die. However, now, today in Christ, the believer has a foretaste of eternity\u2014by faith. The above Bible verses have shown that God, in relation to man, is ever present, any hour or minutes of time. But in addition to immediate fellowship with God, there is a foretaste of eternity to be realized in each of our lives: \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come.\u201d <\/em>Heb. 6.4-5\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n To taste<\/em> of a thing means, according to the usage in the Scriptures, is to \u201cexperience,\u201d or to \u201cunderstand\u201d it. The expression is derived from the fact that the taste<\/em> is one of the means in the natural by which we ascertain the nature or quality of something. The proper idea of this passage is that the believers had learned of and \u201cexperienced\u201d the heavenly gift\u2014something of the eternal. Salvation does not come at the end of time, but is experiential in the here and now, the actual present.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOr do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.\u201d <\/em>Rm. 6.3-4\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n In re-reading this verse, as one must do repeatedly in order to grasp its great significance, one can understand that a believer in Christ has entered into His eternity. Time is irrelevant in Christ. As Christ died on the cross two thousand years ago, our old soul nature, being now at the present in Christ, died with Him; and as He was buried, the flesh nature of our old man was also buried; and finally as He was resurrected from the grave, we now may experience a resurrection in newness of life. All of this, and much more, is but a foretaste of the glory to come.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Though there are many more scriptures of this nature to consider, we will make this one suffice for now. I believe an understanding of the present intermingling of time and eternity is being established.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Scripture specifically relates eight spiritual \u201cthings\u201d to being eternal, all of which the believer may understand and come into a foretaste; they are: Eternal Life, Eternal Spirit, Eternal Salvation, Eternal Power, King Eternal, Eternal Glory, Eternal Purpose, and Eternal Inheritance. <\/em> We will look at these more closely in Part 2. of this message.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Scripture relates the following eight spiritual \u201cthings\u201d to being eternal: Eternal Life, Eternal Spirit, Eternal Salvation, Eternal Power, King Eternal, Eternal Glory, Eternal Purpose, and Eternal Inheritance. <\/em>Let\u2019s begin by looking at eternal life.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Jesus said, \u201cAnd these shall go away into <\/em>eternal <\/em><\/strong>punishment: but the righteous into <\/em>life eternal<\/em><\/strong>. And I give them <\/em>eternal life<\/em><\/strong>, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.\u201d <\/em>Mt. 25.46\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n This is a most magnificent yet ominous scripture to consider. The unsaved will enter eternal punishment, which is not annihilation but an everlasting loss of well-being. Oh how terrible. Everlasting! But the saved enter into eternal life, which is opposite to spiritual death. Eternal life is more than just vitality, it is the ability to relate to our God and Lord and to others in a continuum that is not limited to age or death or circumstances. Eternal life operates simultaneously outside<\/em> of time, inside <\/em>of time, and beyond<\/em> any measure of time. Eternal is independent of time. It is an altogether different realm than time. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Eternal life does not focus on the future time per se<\/em>, but rather on the particular character and quality of the life in which we are living. Thus, believers live in eternal life right now, and may experience this quality of God\u2019s life even now as a present possession. May we all begin to have our minds open to understand and comprehend the unique quality of God\u2019s own self-existing life at work in the believer\u2014in you and me. Now please contemplate this\u2026 eternal life is already a present possession of the believer. Note in the following scriptures the Gk. present<\/em> tense of having, in our present day, eternal life:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\nPart 1. Living in Time<\/strong>\n<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Present Time <\/strong>\n<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
TIME and ETERNITY<\/strong>\n<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A Foretaste of Eternity<\/strong>\n<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
THINGS ETERNAL Continued<\/strong>\n<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Part 2. Knowing Things Eternal<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
1. Eternal Life<\/strong> \n<\/h3>\n\n\n\n