It's about time...

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Time & History

Time, along with space, are as inherent to who God is as love, wisdom, joy, etc.

So, first, let's get some trivial philosophies out of the way:

1. God is not "outside time" (or space*), in the same way that He is not outside love, wisdom, joy, etc.  He does not need to go back and forth in time to check on things or change things.  His infinite power is such that what He says goes.


2. Regarding the idea that God is constrained by time, He is as constrained by His own time and space as He is by His own love, wisdom, joy, etc.**  For example, He was constrained by His love for the Jews (e.g. Hosea 11:7-9) and for the Gentiles (e.g. Ezekiel 20:21-22).
   

Hosea 11:7-9 - My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means exalt them. “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not a man — the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities.

Ezekiel 20:21-23 - But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws, of which I said, “The person who obeys them will live by them,” and they desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. But I withheld my hand, and for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

So, that out of the way, let's get on with the fun stuff!


History In A Day

The overall history of the cosmos has been written into each day.  Not a day as defined by mankind, starting and finishing in the utter darkness of “midnight”, but rather by Genesis 1:

• Each day starts in the full light of the noon-day sun, representing the new creation before sin entered.

• When sin entered the world and Satan was given dominion over it, the light starts to be obscured through the afternoon and evening of the day, to the complete darkness of night.  As time passes, the memory of walking with God gradually diminishes, He is increasingly written out of history, science, etc. ... until we find ourselves in complete darkness.

• Complete darkness?  No, the moon reflects the light of the sun (giving enough light to actually see by, when not obscured by the world).  And the world was not left without witness, but has the church, whose light comes from the holy spirit.

• The darkness of night is progressively “conquered” by the dawning light of the morning, which continues to the end of the day, when it shines its brightest.  And Jesus will come again in glory, to save those being saved and banish to the outer darkness those who prefer the dark.  In the meantime, the gradual advance of the morning light mirrors the gradual (but inevitable) conformation of the church to the likeness of Jesus.

History In A Year

The overall history of the cosmos is also symbolised by one full year.  Again, not a year as defined by mankind, starting and finishing in the dark and cold of winter, but by Genesis 8 (and Psalm 74, etc.).

In Exodus 12, God defined “New Year”: "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you." ... It was Spring - the season of new, resurrection life.

• The year starts in the bright, warm summer, with fully formed and flourishing life - as the plants, animals, and mankind were formed in the beginning;

• When sin entered the world, the light and warmth dimmed and cooled to the complete darkness and cold of winter.

• Complete darkness and cold?  No, short days in the otherwise long nights of winter give some light and warmth, and the hope of lengthening days to come.  And the world was not left without a witness... (see above).

• The darkness and cold of winter is progressively “conquered” by the approaching Spring, when plant shoots and baby animals appear – resurrection life – which continues to the height of summer again.

The Great Lights

This "solar year" is determined by the sun.  The sun, as the greater "Great Light" of Genesis 1, represents God as the source of light and, therefore, life.

At present, before Jesus comes again, we are in the night-time of the history of creation.  We see but dimly, depending on how much of the light of the moon is available to us.  The moon, as the lesser "Great Light" of Genesis 1, reflecting the light of the sun represents the church reflecting the glory of God.

The waxing and waning of the moon may be symbolic of the church's witness through history.  When not hidden by the Earth (the world), it fully reflects the sun's light; at other times, it is obscured by the very world it would otherwise enlighten.

So, the evening-and-morning of day and the 4 seasons of the year both tell the history of the cosmos, with the 7 days of the week focusing on the process of the creation, and the 12 months of the year on the activity of the church.

* By "space", I don't mean "Space" as in the parts of the cosmos outside of the Earth's atmosphere - I mean the concept of space.

** Note that this does not mean that He is constrained by mankind's concepts of time, space, love, wisdom, joy, etc.