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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).
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July 16, 1995
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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?
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"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).
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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)
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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
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