____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ July 16, 1995 ____________________________________________________ Considering Time, Times, And Eternity by Tom Edwards One of the shortest lived particles known to man is the meson; it serves to help bind the nucleus together. Certain mesons have a life span calculated at 10 millionths of a billionth of a billionth of a second. Or, in other words, the length of time it takes for light to travel from one side of a proton to the other. That's pretty short. Man's life expectancy in contrast is far longer, but both are relatively similar when compared with eternity. In view of this, any length of time less than eternity is but an extraordinarily small fraction of it. Even a hundred million billion trillion years in comparison to eternity would be a far greater ratio than in comparing the meson to man's earthly life. Most people, however, probably don't view their lives this way--as something so fleeting in contrast to eternity--but the apostle Paul did. He spoke of all his anguishing ordeals as being really nothing more than ``momentary, light afflictions''; but a look at his life reveals much more than ``momentary'' afflictions--and much more than merely ``light.'' Paul suffered much for the cause of Christ. Apparently, it was because of Paul's spiritual mindedness that he could see his struggles and hardships in this perspective. Notice the passage from which I cited this phrase: ``Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal'' (2 Cor. 4:16-18). Paul then continues by speaking of the eternal glorified body that the Christian will receive in heaven in contrast to the ``earthly tent,'' which he now has, and in which he ``groan(s)'' and is ``burdened'' (2 Cor. 5:1-4). Yes, there is a major transformation coming for the child of God; and one well-worth looking forward to with great joy and expectation!--a time when the ``perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality'' (1 Cor. 15:53)--and which will all take place ``in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye'' (v. 52). James, too, considered earthly life expectancy in view of eternity; and, therefore, spoke of one's life on this planet as being ``just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away'' (James 4:14). Compared to eternity, even the life of Methuselah, who lived to be 969 years old, was but a brief moment in time. Like the short-lived vapor, Methuselah has come and gone; and the earth-cycle of days and nights has occurred more than a million times since he had walked the face of this earth. The passage (in James 4:13-16) speaks of the person who would boast in making a profit that could be accomplished in a year's time in a certain city. James, however, calls this kind of person ``arrogant'' because a future 365 days is not guaranteed to anyone! He also shows that one does not even know about something as near as tomorrow--let alone a full year ahead. In light of this, we need to live each day at a time--this moment we now have in our grasp--and use it wisely for the Lord's sake. For by putting God first is, by far, the best way to prepare for our future (Matt. 6:33). Jesus Himself exhorts His follower to ''...not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own'' (Matt. 6:34). We can only live one day at a time. Why do we, therefore, often waste so much time developing unhealthy cares and worries about the future that will never even materialize? Instead of trying to jam all your tomorrows in one day, just live the one day you have to its fullness. Live it wisely, giving God the priority, and He can help make a brighter tomorrow for you while you concentrate more on the important things of life. As Solomon summed it up, it is to ``fear God and keep His commandments'' (Ecc. 12:13). Since the 14th Century, in which the first mechanical clocks were made, down to our time, numerous time pieces have been made to help man regulate his life. Many of these earlier ones were very inaccurate, but improved with better ``escapements'' and better pendulums. Pendulums were eventually superseded by vibrating quartz crystals, having an accuracy up to a few ten-thousandths of a second per day. And the Cesium Atomic Clock, which is regulated by vibrating cesium atoms, loses only one second every 3,000 years. But even more accurate are the times in which God ordained in His great scheme of redemption. According to Galatians 4:4,5, it was in the ``fulness of time'' when God ``sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.'' The phrase ``fulness of time'' simply means ``the proper or destined time.'' Unquestionably, this pre-ordained, specific time, in which God sent His Son into the world, is a most special time. It was a time in which God manifested His love for lost humanity in an ultimate, unforgettable way; a time when God entered our world by taking on human flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth--with all the fulness of Deity indwelling Him; yet at the same time experiencing the weaknesses of the flesh, temptations, sufferings, etc. (John 1:14; Col. 2:9; Heb. 4:15; 2:9,10,14). Though man today does not know the exact day in which God appointed His Son to be born, man has divided all the years of our planet and its histories as being either B.C. (Before Christ) or A.D. (anno Domini -- ``in the year of our Lord''; meaning ``since Christ was born''). It all centers around the event of Christ's birth. No visitor has ever been more important or more needful to so many than this great ``Visitor'' who came from heaven above to this earth below, leaving behind the comforts and bliss of heaven's glory for the suffering, shame, and rejection He would receive from the world that--though made through Him--was not willing to accept Him (Phil. 2:5-8; Jn. 1:10,11). Not only was His birth upon our planet at God's appointed time, but also Romans 5:6 speaks of His sacrifice for the sins of the world as having been right on schedule as well. The verse says, ``For while we were still helpless, AT THE RIGHT TIME Christ died for the ungodly.'' And in writing to Timothy, Paul makes a similar remark by saying that Christ ''...gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne AT THE PROPER TIME'' (1 Tim. 2:6). As the old cliche goes, ``While there is time, there is hope.'' The Hebrew writer declares, ``for He says, `At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you''; behold, NOW IS `THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,' behold, now is `the day of salvation''' (2 Cor. 6:2). There is so much meaning and hope in this phrase: ``the acceptable time.'' Now is the time that we can make ourselves right with God--for now He will accept us if we obey His word. But doesn't this also imply that there is a time coming in which acceptance with God will not be obtainable? Yes, after we die, there will be no second chance. Now is the ``acceptable time,'' but after death comes the judgment (Heb. 9:27). We need to, therefore, use this ``acceptable time'' while we can be accepted, for there is also another special time coming in which Jesus shall return to reward His servants. Paul speaks of this ''...appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ'' as one which God will bring about ``AT THE PROPER TIME'' (1 Tim. 6:14,15). It won't be just some casual happenstance when Jesus returns, but rather an event at God's appointed time--a time in which all will be gathered before the Lord to be judged and separated, as sheep from the goats (Matt. 25:31-46); a time which God's word speaks of as being ``the last day'' (Jn. 12:48), in which all the dead will be raised and judged (John 5:28,29), and the universe (including its present time system) will be completely destroyed (2 Pet. 3:10-12). I am reminded of a story about a certain individual who while on the scaffold where he was soon to be beheaded, handed his pocket-watch to a bystander, saying, ``My timepiece may be of service to you. I have no further occasion for it. My thoughts are fixed on eternity.'' As I look at the clock that steadily ticks away the seconds, the minutes, and the hours, I ask... What time is it, oh, lost sinner? It is time to hear the word of God, believe it, and obey it in order to become a Christian. What time is it, oh, backslidden Christian? It is time to repent of your waywardness, return to the Lord, and be restored to full fellowship with God and fellow Christians. What time is it, oh, faithful Christian? It is time to keep continuing in the faith by serving God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, so that we will be ready to meet the Lord in eternity, where time, as we know it, shall be no more. Do you have time for the Lord? ___________________________________________ "But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (2 Peter 3:8). ___________________________________________ What Must I Do To Be Saved? 1) Hear the gospel (Rom. 10;17) 2) Believe in the deity of Jesus (Jn. 8:24) 3) Repent of sins (Acts 17:30) 4) Acknowledge your faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38) 5) Be baptized in water (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; 1 Pet 3:21) 6) Remain faithful throughout life (Heb. 10:35-39; Rev. 2:10) ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________