“Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” – Psalm 90:2
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” – Revelation 1:8
It is Jewish tradition to end a teaching with a doxology. And in those doxologies the eternal nature of God is reinforced. Christian heritage picked up this same tradition adding the Trinity to our doxologies. You are probably familiar with this one:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son:
and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be:
world without end. Amen.
The concept of eternal or never-ending finds itself throughout history in books, movies, poems, etc. The Spaniards, led by Ponce de Leon, once searched for the Fountain of Youth, thought to be in Florida. You can see this supposed fountain in St. Augustine, Florida for a mere $21.55.
Then there’s the tech billionaire Bryan Johnson who spends $2 million a year trying to keep from growing old and dying. I, for one, would use that money to have a lot more fun with the limited time I’ve been gifted. We are promised throughout the Bible that our lives are like the wildflowers or the prairie grass. We bloom greatly then in the morning we dry up and die.
Sounds inspiring doesn’t it? But the hard truth is our short, maybe 80-90 years, on this blue planet really are microscopic in God’s universe. He is the only eternal being (well, the Trinity is but let’s not go down that rabbit hole today!). He is the Alpha and the whatever comes after forever.
I find it sad however, that people like my father get stuck on the “but what was before God?” or “how was God formed?” questions. For Christians who believe the Bible to be inerrant we just say we don’t know. It’s a mystery. Because there still are mysteries in life.
“Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.” Psalm 102:25-27
There’s a comfort in knowing that God is outside our time. Because time is what brings so many of us anxiety. Getting to appointments, preparing for a certain event, looking towards our death or that of a loved one – these all bring a level of worry. But the eternal promise God gives us through faith and surrender to Him should relieve us of the scary things of this world.
World View vs God View
Wars and rumors of wars is how Jesus put it. Financial collapses and environmental disasters, world-wide pandemics and rising dictators bring us a near concern. But with our eyes set on standing with Jesus in the eternal Kingdom we should be able to have peace through so much of this. He has told us that His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not ours. That’s because He sees the big, eternal picture. He has worked out the best plan for all time. We know that in Him believers have eternal victory in all things.
For now, we must accept the many mysteries of God. One day when we are re-united with Christ, we will hopefully see all so much clearer. Until then,
“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17
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