I’ve given myself an assignment of ‘homework.’ I’ve studied the Bible, as you have; I’ve known the many verses of Scripture which, when taken together, give a clear and obvious picture of the fulfillment of our redemption when the Lord Jesus Christ comes down, in the clouds, to call us up together to meet Him in the air. At that moment, our physical bodies will be instantly changed into sinless, glorified, eternal bodies, which will be like Jesus Christ’s own body. This twinkling of an eye moment is known at the Rapture of the Church. The problem, for me, has been that I only know of the verses and where they are found in Scripture. I’ve never taken the time to memorize what they say and remember exactly where they are written.

To that end, I have included the Scripture reference, both at the beginning of the verse and at the end of the verse.

I want to more than know of God’s Word… I want to genuinely know God’s Word so that it can take root in me and grow into the harvest which God intends.

So, now I am beginning to learn and know more than I have previously, and I invite you to join me.

Our current study, together, then, is the truth of our soon deliverance in the Rapture of the Church.

The Greek word Paul used to describe our instantaneous ‘snatching away’ is ‘harpazo,’ which, from Strong’s Concordance, means to seize, to carry off by force, to seize on, to claim for one’s self eagerly, to snatch out or away.

When Jerome, in the 4th Century A.D., translated the Bible into Latin, in 1 Thes. 4:17, he used the Latin word ‘rapiemur,’ from the Latin root verb ‘rapio,’ instead of the Greek word ‘harpazo.’ Rapio is also the root of our English: raptor. A raptor is a bird that swoops down, violently snatching up its prey and then carrying it away by force, and thus shall it ever be ‘in the bird!’ Examples of raptors are hawks, eagles, owls, and ospreys.

The Rapture is clearly taught in Scripture. We just don’t see the Latin word, rapiemur, in our English Bibles, but then, neither do we see any other Latin or Greek or Hebrew word… almost every single word is in English!

Something else to remember: in 2 Tim. 4:6-8, Paul writes: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Some of us may feel like we, too, have been poured out as an offering before the Lord and that our time of departure is at hand. God’s Word says that a Crown of Righteousness is waiting for every believer who is anxiously watching and waiting for his Lord’s appearing to call us up to Himself and to Home… finally home with Him forever.

Now, our souls and spirits have been redeemed; our spirits are in perfect union with Him while our souls are being, day by day, ever more sanctified into the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ. But one day soon, our physical bodies will also, finally, be fully redeemed.

It could even be today.

My intent is to read through the following every day with the goal of really knowing it in such a way that it can actually grow out of me, producing the fruit that God always intended for me.

The Rapture: our full redemption

“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15).

John 14:1-4; “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; “you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

1 Corinthians 15:50-55; “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?'”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

“Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

Titus 2:13; “looking for the [our] blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

1 John 3:2-3; “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

Revelation 3:10-11; “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

Read through Matthew 24 and Luke 17: the Days of Noah, the Days of Lot, the Tribulation and the Rapture.

“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col 3:2). “Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Eph 4:1). “Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col 1:10).

Tom Tillman

Heartsoflove.org

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place…” (Isaiah 57:15a).

Introduction

God inhabits eternity, but does God forsake the time He has created? In other words, God is infinite and eternal and, as the Scripture above states, inhabits eternity. Nevertheless, being as God created time, does He do His work of creation, salvation, redemption, and consummation inside or outside of time?

Note how the verse above ends:

“… I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15b).

God, being omnipresent, is “with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” God obviously loves His people! And because God is omniscient – knowing all things – He does not need to be outside of the time He has created to know and see what He already knows and has seen happen before it actually occurs.

I believe that what we are going to find out in this study is that God – even though He is eternal and inhabits eternity – is very comfortable with His creation of time, to the extent that time is now a part of Who He is, what He is doing, and what He will do, going forward in time.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

Time. When did time begin? Well, as our text above says, time began in the beginning. The beginning of what? The creative acts of God.

But God is independent of time, as God is the creator of time. Yet we see God “from the beginning” also being somewhat subject to His created time, in that He is partaking of time in the affairs of men. This doesn’t mean that He is bound by time, just that He is a partaker of time. Whether this is ongoing for Him is up to speculation. But we should remember that He already knows everything that will occur from “the beginning” until, well, whenever He deems it to end – if, in fact, He does intend it to end.

As far as the universe goes – in relation to time – Einstein’s theory of relativity assigns the passage of time as clocks ticking at different speeds throughout the entirety of the universe due to many competing variables. While this is theory and subject to debate, we must acknowledge that Time is the Essence when it comes to God’s created triune universe of space, time, and matter.

“In the beginning [time] God created the heaven [space] and the earth [matter]” (Genesis 1:1).

The question we are ultimately seeking to answer in this article is whether time will always be with us, or is eternity’s human concept of “time standing still” or eternity “being in the now continually” our future. Essentially, will time cease to exist, or will time continue on through what we commonly identify as the Eternal Kingdom outlined in Revelation 21 and 22?

“In the beginning…”

When exactly was this? Was it when He began creating the earth and the universe we live in or was it in a time previous when He may have begun creating His heavenly throne? And when were the angels created?

While these questions are interesting, they are not in the scope of this article. As far as what is in the scope of this article, we will be defining and limiting “the beginning” to the created universe, the earth and sea, and all that is in them approximately 6,000 years ago.

“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

Man’s Creation

Man, of course, was created on Day 6 of Creation Week, along with the animals of the earth (Genesis 1:25-27 and Genesis 2:7, 21-25).

Since then, man has only known the “time” that God had created for him. Even though the Bible indicates that the spirit and soul of men and women are eternal (Daniel 12:2-3, Matthew 25:46, etc.), we realize that from the day of our births up until our deaths, we will experience created time.

But will the experience of time end for humankind at the consummation of God’s glorious plans for His redeemed creation?

Angels

While we are not speculating to exactly when angels were created, we should be able to safely say that the heavenly host were created no later than the event God was alluding to when He was questioning Job:

“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7).

The angels were present when God “laid the cornerstone” of the earth. This does not, obviously, preclude them from being created at an earlier point in time but does negate any inference that they were created at any point after the laying of the cornerstone of the earth.

Note also that “all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Therefore, Satan’s rebellion must have happened later, as all that God created was “very good” on the Sixth Day (Genesis 1:31).

Job was believed to have been a contemporary of Abraham and would have lived some 4,000 plus years ago.

We get a glimpse into the heavenly abode of God when we read:

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them” (Job 1:6). (emphasis mine)

We see that in heaven, during the days of Job, there was a specific day “when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord.” This event happened on a particular day, showing created time within the heavenly abode.

Another day is recorded to have happened in the same way later on:

“Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord” (Job 2:1). (emphasis mine)

The Prophet Daniel also gives us an indication that the heavenly abode of God and His angels are intrinsically linked to time:

“And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia” (Daniel 10:10-13). (emphasis mine)

Daniel was assured that “from the first day that [Daniel] didst set [his] heart to understand, and to chasten [himself] before [his] God, [that Daniel’s] words were heard” by God in heaven. There is most certainly an aspect to God’s dwelling place in heaven being in perfect alignment with time on earth. We see this theme of synchronized time between heaven and earth throughout Scripture.

Heaven

Even though God is independent of the time He created, God, in heaven – in the presence of the angelic realm that He also created – prefers to carry out the plan of salvation for mankind within the bounds of His created time. This must be the case, as there needs to be a sequential order of events to fulfill all prophecy within His prophetic Word.

This is substantiated by Peter’s revelation of the holy angels as they too are very much enthralled with the plan of salvation, and this would necessarily have to be seen through the lens of passing time.

“Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into“ (1 Peter 1:10-12). (emphasis mine)

When Satan is expelled from heaven, time will be his enemy:

“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him… Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time“ (Revelation 12:9, 12). (emphasis mine)

We see time – time and time again – in the sequential order of events in heaven during the Tribulation in the book of Revelation. From the order of the seal, trumpet, and vial judgments to “another angel… there followed another angel… and the third angel” (Revelation 14:6-9 and many other passages), we see time being displayed in “real time” and playing out in heaven and upon the earth simultaneously.

“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour” (Revelation 8:1).

During the Tribulation, as we would expect due to the pouring out of God’s wrath on the earth in sequential order, we see time manifested as John sensed that the silence in heaven lasted about half an hour.

The ‘Eternal’ Kingdom

We often think of the Eternal Kingdom as a timeless eternity – a constant now, if you will. But is this really the case? What can we glean concerning time, or lack of it, during this final, everlasting Kingdom?

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away” (Revelation 21:1).

Notice that the Lord will create a “new heaven.” We should consider what the first heaven was for:

“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” (Genesis 1:14).

The New Jerusalem

“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Revelation 21:23).

Even though the “city” – Holy Jerusalem – won’t have “need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it,” one can reasonably assume that a new sun and new moon will be present in the Eternal Kingdom. Our focus for coming to this conclusion is on the word “need” – for if the Holy Jerusalem has no “need” of the light from the sun and the moon, this would certainly merit the existence of a sun and a moon within the new heavens!

The Hebrew word for “need” is 5532 χρεία “chreia” which is a business-related term and means need, want, or necessity. [Definitions Biblehub.com]

Therefore, even though the sun and moon will exist in the new creation, for the Lord will “make all things new” (Revelation 21:5), their light will not be needed within the city of the New Jerusalem.

Additionally, the new earth will certainly have need of the new heavens in relation to the passing of time, just as the old heavens did:

“And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it [New Jerusalem]: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it” (Revelation 21:24-26).

“The kings of the earth [will] bring their glory and honour into [the city].” And even though the city will have no need of the sun and the moon, we can be sure the nations living outside of the city on the new earth will not only have need of the day/night cycle but will be exceedingly blessed by this perfectly balanced ecosystem in purity, holiness, and righteousness!

Note also the phrase, “the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.” This verse makes it abundantly clear that if the gates of the city will not be shut at all by day, then there must be a night on the new earth for everyone and every place outside of the city. It’s only the city that won’t see night because of the light of Christ.

Additionally, if the earth were to only be lighted by the light of day perpetually, then there wouldn’t be any reason to stress that the city will have no night.

This passing of time is made obvious to us when we read about the Tree of Life in the midst of the city:

“In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). (emphasis mine)

Interestingly enough, we see the precursor of the Tree of Life in the Millennial Kingdom (Ezekiel 47:12). These trees, growing on the banks of the river emanating from the Millennial Temple, will produce fruit in their month, and their leaves are for medicine, just as the Tree of Life will be for the Eternal Kingdom.

Obviously, when it comes to the passing of time, days are calculated by one rotation of the earth upon her axis, and a month is calculated by the moon’s rotation around the earth. Since the Tree of Life will “bare twelve manner of fruits and yield her fruit every month,” we should be thoroughly convinced that a new moon and sun will be created when the Lord creates a new heaven and a new earth! After all, God’s creation in the beginning was perfect, just as His new creation will be at the end.

For confirmation of the passing of time in the original language, regarding the Tree of Life producing her fruit every month, the Greek word for “month” is 3376 μήν “mén” and means a month, a lunar month.

For more on this incredibly interesting topic concerning the Eternal Kingdom, those who will be living there, and what it may look like, please see my article, The Mystery of the Last Sheep.

Conclusion

The Hebrew word for “eternity” in our opening verse is 5703 עַד “ad” and means eternity, everlasting, old, perpetually, world without end.

The Greek word for “eternity” is 166 αἰώνιος “aiónios” and means eternal, forever, perpetual, everlasting.

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). (emphasis mine)

The Hebrew word translated “world” is 5769 עוֹלָם “olam” and means always, ancient time, any more, continuance, eternal, everlasting, long time.

Though God has put eternity into the heart of man (Ecclesiastes 3:11), I believe it is because mankind lives such a brief life in a corrupt world and in a fallen state that we have a difficult time understanding the relationship of time to eternity and the Eternal Kingdom. Because of this, I think we have generally missed what the Lord has prepared for us.

As we complete our study, I suppose that we can honestly and confidently affirm that created time will always be present in God’s creation – past, present, and future.

Just as mankind was created eternal, yet subject to created time, we will experience the passing of time in our glorious, eternal bodies the Lord has prepared for us in His magnificent Eternal Kingdom.

I don’t think that this should come as a surprise to us, as, again, when He finished His creation week approximately 6,000 years ago, our God and Savior’s Word proclaimed:

“… God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31a).

And, it will be “very good” again!

“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 21:3).

What Eden was will be restored. What was “very good” will be even better!

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

“And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

“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” (Revelation 22:1-5).

When I think of our time together with Christ in the Eternal Kingdom – as we conclude this article on time – I just want to shout: “I can’t wait!” But I have to wait because the time isn’t yet. But one day, when it is time, it will finally be here – and it will be glorious!!!

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!

➢ Email: mab10666@yahoo.com

➢ If you have not given your life to Jesus Christ and are seeking answers about God, Jesus Christ, the gospel, and salvation, please email me at mab10666@yahoo.com for information.

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