God and Time

by Jerry De Luca

How old is God? From our point of view we can imagine God as very old since He’s been around forever. But He’s not getting weaker with age, He’s not growing in strength and maturity, or getting wiser, and since He has no beginning, He’s not one year older today than He was last year on this date.(Psalm 90:1-4)

Time exists just for us. God existed before time began. He created time when He created the universe. He is not only not limited by time, but He exists outside of time and can peer into world history at any moment He chooses - past, present, and future. He sees the beginning, middle, and end of human history (and of our lives) all at an instant. He already knows what you will be thinking and doing next year at this very minute.

Picture a man standing on a high hill overlooking a town. There is a long parade going through the streets of the town. The people on the streets can only see that part of the parade directly in front of them. But the man on the hill sees all the parts of the parade all at one time.

God sees it all. He is omniscient - He knows everything. Because of this nothing ever takes Him by surprise. You could buy yourself a pair of roller blades tomorrow and roller skate to church every Sunday for the whole summer, and God wouldn’t be surprised. He may think you’re strange - but He wouldn’t be surprised.

When we pray to God, and ask Him for something, His answer is immediate - yes, no, or wait. He’ll never say: "Well, give me a couple of days to think about it." As God was watching David slay Goliath, He knew even then when and who you will or did marry, or the total number of pasta dishes you will eat in the year 2010. As God was parting the Red Sea for Moses and His people, He knew about your most recent prayer request. Time was made just for man, and at the end of history God will crumple it up and throw it away because He will no longer have a purpose for it.

God knows every possibility and every consequence of the many daily decisions we make, both big and small. On any given day we decide to do certain things, and not do other things. God sees and knows all the possibilities and consequences of all our choices. Some choices are trivial and only affect us for a few moments. Other choices are more significant and will affect our lives and those around us for days, weeks, and years to come.

Since God knows everything and is a God of love, we can trust Him and His Word to lead us. He gave us His Word so that we can live a healthy and genuinely happy life, and know the path to salvation. We can view even our most severe trials from the awesome perspective of His eternal plan for us. As we live a disciplined Christian life, our knowledge of the Word and the intimate presence of the Holy Spirit will help us in making the right decisions. We can live the kind of life God created and planned for us from eternity past.

When Jesus changed water into wine, He proved that He was the master of substance, the master of created things, because He instantly changed something from one kind of substance to another. When He fed more than 5 thousand, all from 5 loaves and 2 fish, from very little He created enough food to feed the hungry multitudes. By healing people in their bodies He demonstrated total power to eliminate disease and restore the crippled. He was Lord over the human body that He had designed.

Jesus proved He was omniscient, that He knew everything. He knew the wicked hearts of the Scribes and Pharisees when they tried to trick Him with questions like: "Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar?" (Matthew 22:17) He knew Judas would betray Him, Peter would deny Him, that He was going to be crucified, and He was going to rise from the dead.

When Jesus cast out demons, He proved He had total authority in the spiritual realm. His power was and is infinitely greater than Satan’s. He then instructed His disciples to cast out demons in the power and authority of His name.

When Jesus walked on water, and calmed the storm, He proved He was the omnipotent, all-powerful God. Gravity couldn’t plunge Him into the sea because He was its creator, and the storm was in His control because He owns the earth and everything in it. The disciples marveled and asked, "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?" (Matthew 8:27)

When Jesus healed the nobleman’s son, the boy was several kilometers away. Jesus just stood there and told the officer to go home, his son was healed. He proved He was omnipresent, He could be everywhere at once. He was not limited by space.

When Jesus gave the Great Commission, He commanded His disciples to be witnesses everywhere, even to the ends of the earth. He also promised He would be with them (along with the Holy Spirit) to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:16-20) He clearly indicated that He was not limited by time as well as space.

Probably the greatest evidence of Jesus’ power was His own resurrection. He resurrected the widow’s son, the daughter of Jairus, and Lazarus. This proved that He had power over death. They were brought back to life in their human body, but Jesus came out of His tomb in a new, glorified, resurrected body. By these, and many other supernatural signs, Jesus proved who He was. He was proclaiming that He was God to the people of that age and to everyone who hears and reads His Word today.