Collossians 1:16--17, Genesis, 1:1-2,26,
Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8, Luke 23:42-43,
Isaiah 53:5, Hebrews 13:8, John 1:1-4
- Damonous
- April 3, 2022
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You depend upon the world around you to remain the same. So much so, that you rarely take a moment to marvel at the structure of it all. That each day the sky is above us, and the ground below. That there is air to breathe and water to drink. And it’s not just there for you; it is there in abundance for each and every one of us. But, go beyond the necessities of life, and get into every small detail: down to the creatures crawling on the ground outside, to the birds flying in air. Life never stops. It never glitches, it is never anything less than 100% reliable.
Regarding Jesus, Collossians 1:16–17 tells us that:
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: [17] And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
It’s something we actually see said all the way back in Genesis, verses 1:1-2,26… “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. [2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. [26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”
While the separateness in the concept of “the Trinity” is often taken a bit too far in my view, these verses establish clearly the Father God in Verse 1, the Holy Spirit of God in Verse 2, and that this God has a physical, intellectual incarnation who looks like us (Jesus), in verse 26.
I believe that the entirety of the Word points us to the reality that heaven exists outside of our perception of time and space. It is eternal: no beginning, no end. It’s time perception when compared to hours is different: Psalm 90:4 “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” And confirmed in 2 Peter 3:8 “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
Some people get confused by this, and it IS confusing, IF you only think of existence happening through the lens of our own perception of time and space. But, if you understand our world as a “realm”, as a construct created especially for us in a finite fashion, then heaven and hell can easily exist concurrently and outside of our world. Unaffected by our world. I’m always intrigued that people can watch endless science fiction movies and TV shows, and suspend their disbelief to consider time travel, “multiverses”, beings with different incarnations like Hulk and Dr Who…and yet have a hard time understanding the multi-faceted nature of our ONE God, who exists in the form of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and whose presence is in everything we know or see, yet whose ‘home’ is eternal and (currently) outside of our own.
When Jesus was on the Cross, preparing to die to atone for all our sins, the criminals who hung on crosses to his right and left talked with him. One mocked Him, but the other defended Him, and asked: …”remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. [43] And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43) –Jesus didn’t say, sometime after you die today, thousands of years from when we are here now, ‘you will be with me in heaven’. No, “Today”. –Because time and existence are different in heaven compared to earth.
And the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, the atonement for our sins: even THAT was always part of the plan. In the Old Testament in Isaiah 53:5, the coming of the Lord and his sacrifice was foretold:
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
It’s maybe the best point to end on today. The Lord is consistent, in all that He says or does, and in the entirety of His Creation. Hebrews 13:8 confirms that: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
(John 1:1-4) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] The same was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. [4] In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
May the light of the Lord be within you all, consistently and forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.
