What's the key problem with time? Simple, we don't have as much as we want. Accessing more time is not like going to the ATM and withdrawing a few hours. Every second wasted is another second lost. Even the best scientists, armed with the theory of relativity, cannot offer a simple way to rewind the clock. In our busy lives we never get everything done. When things go wrong, we devote extra time to correct and recover. Time is not a friend. The sand in the hourglass runs out. The supply of new days diminishes, and eventually, we die.
It wasn't always that way. The Bible says that when God created everything, he reviewed his handiwork, and it was perfect. Everything was faultless. Nothing needed improvement. A quick review shows this included time. The Bible starts with the familiar phrase "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1 NIV'84). God made everything, from nothing, implemented a beginning and started the clock ticking. Then God said "let there be light" (Genesis 1:3) and implemented the day and night. By that time "there was evening, and there was morning - the first day" (Genesis 1:5). God went on to create everything else: the sun, the moon, the land, sky, birds, fish, animals, and of course us. By the end of day six, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good" (Genesis 1:31). And "very good" is ancient Hebrew for "it don't get no better than this!"
So when did things fall apart? Not long after the creation. By then, "the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed" (Genesis 2:8). Sadly, Adam refused to live according to God's instructions. As a consequence, "the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken" (Genesis 3:23). But things soon became much worse! God said "Cursed is the ground because of you; ... it will produce thorns and thistles for you" (Genesis 3:17, 18) Even today this curse adversely affects everything we do. Outside of God's care in his perfect garden, work efforts are hindered. God says, "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:19). Things are difficult now. We cannot get as much done. Everything is hard work. Finally, death awaits us when time runs out.
However, there is a delightful twist to this story. God did not discard us. He has a grand plan to deliver "a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away" (Revelation 21:1). God loves us and wants us to be with him in this new place. He sent his son Jesus to rescue us from an eternity of curse. In fact, "whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). This astonishing rescue plan is for the whole of creation including his people, their world, and time.
What implications are there for time? Will it affect things in heaven? Will we even do anything in heaven? The Bible says, "we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). Now nothing says we cease to be God's workmanship or stop doing marvellous works when we reach heaven. But everything will be hugely different. For the first time, unhindered by the curse, we'll experience the pleasure of wholesome and rewarding accomplishment. Imagine the satisfaction of unrestrainedly completing all we seek to achieve. Teamwork will be a delight, unimpeded by glitches and poor communication. Individual responsibilities will freely benefit from our full and passionate attention. Perhaps we'll be able to deliver extravagantly like the master craftsmen and women of old.
So how do some conclude that in heaven, time will cease to exist? Possibly from reading "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." (2 Peter 3:8). God has enormous patience but can also deliver his judgment whenever he wishes. He is a master of time. We creatures are not. Furthermore, there is no indication we'll become time lords in heaven. So who benefits most from eliminating the concept of time? The devil! First, he must hate being reminded that his days are numbered. In fact, the devil's reign of mischief is limited. He is scheduled to be "thrown into the lake of burning sulfur ... for ever and ever" (Revelation 20:10). That is nothing to write home about! Also, he would seek to mislead us, so we stop looking forward to heaven. How? Where there is no time, everything we're familiar with becomes confusing. Consider for a moment an existence where time didn't matter. If nothing has a start time, there might be no place to be and nothing to do. Worse still, we might get trapped doing the same thing forever (like strumming a harp) if nothing ever ends? Without time, heaven would become decidedly undesirable.
Is there any confirmation there will be time, as we know it, in heaven? Aside from the fact that we'll experience eternity, there are a number of references that show things will be surprisingly familiar. For example, the Bible mentions a period when, "there was silence in heaven for about half an hour" (Revelation 8:1). It also reveals that at one point, the martyrs "called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" ... and they were told to wait a little longer" (Revelation 6:10-11). Now half an hour is a break in proceedings we can easily comprehend. Asking the martyrs to wait only makes sense given a period of time with a defined start and an end. As expected, we later read the wait is over and "the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe" (Revelation 14:14). So heaven's events proceed to a schedule. The rhythm of life remains even in the tree of life, which bears "twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month" (Revelation 22:2). Heaven has a dependable sense of orchestration and order.
Yes, time will exist for us in heaven, an abundance of it. A sense of purpose will thrive within an environment of encouragement and accomplishment. Time will no longer be an enemy, force marching us step by step closer to death. Rather, each day will present us with new opportunities to fulfill our potential.
It wasn't always that way. The Bible says that when God created everything, he reviewed his handiwork, and it was perfect. Everything was faultless. Nothing needed improvement. A quick review shows this included time. The Bible starts with the familiar phrase "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1 NIV'84). God made everything, from nothing, implemented a beginning and started the clock ticking. Then God said "let there be light" (Genesis 1:3) and implemented the day and night. By that time "there was evening, and there was morning - the first day" (Genesis 1:5). God went on to create everything else: the sun, the moon, the land, sky, birds, fish, animals, and of course us. By the end of day six, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good" (Genesis 1:31). And "very good" is ancient Hebrew for "it don't get no better than this!"
So when did things fall apart? Not long after the creation. By then, "the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed" (Genesis 2:8). Sadly, Adam refused to live according to God's instructions. As a consequence, "the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken" (Genesis 3:23). But things soon became much worse! God said "Cursed is the ground because of you; ... it will produce thorns and thistles for you" (Genesis 3:17, 18) Even today this curse adversely affects everything we do. Outside of God's care in his perfect garden, work efforts are hindered. God says, "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:19). Things are difficult now. We cannot get as much done. Everything is hard work. Finally, death awaits us when time runs out.
However, there is a delightful twist to this story. God did not discard us. He has a grand plan to deliver "a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away" (Revelation 21:1). God loves us and wants us to be with him in this new place. He sent his son Jesus to rescue us from an eternity of curse. In fact, "whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). This astonishing rescue plan is for the whole of creation including his people, their world, and time.
What implications are there for time? Will it affect things in heaven? Will we even do anything in heaven? The Bible says, "we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). Now nothing says we cease to be God's workmanship or stop doing marvellous works when we reach heaven. But everything will be hugely different. For the first time, unhindered by the curse, we'll experience the pleasure of wholesome and rewarding accomplishment. Imagine the satisfaction of unrestrainedly completing all we seek to achieve. Teamwork will be a delight, unimpeded by glitches and poor communication. Individual responsibilities will freely benefit from our full and passionate attention. Perhaps we'll be able to deliver extravagantly like the master craftsmen and women of old.
So how do some conclude that in heaven, time will cease to exist? Possibly from reading "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." (2 Peter 3:8). God has enormous patience but can also deliver his judgment whenever he wishes. He is a master of time. We creatures are not. Furthermore, there is no indication we'll become time lords in heaven. So who benefits most from eliminating the concept of time? The devil! First, he must hate being reminded that his days are numbered. In fact, the devil's reign of mischief is limited. He is scheduled to be "thrown into the lake of burning sulfur ... for ever and ever" (Revelation 20:10). That is nothing to write home about! Also, he would seek to mislead us, so we stop looking forward to heaven. How? Where there is no time, everything we're familiar with becomes confusing. Consider for a moment an existence where time didn't matter. If nothing has a start time, there might be no place to be and nothing to do. Worse still, we might get trapped doing the same thing forever (like strumming a harp) if nothing ever ends? Without time, heaven would become decidedly undesirable.
Is there any confirmation there will be time, as we know it, in heaven? Aside from the fact that we'll experience eternity, there are a number of references that show things will be surprisingly familiar. For example, the Bible mentions a period when, "there was silence in heaven for about half an hour" (Revelation 8:1). It also reveals that at one point, the martyrs "called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" ... and they were told to wait a little longer" (Revelation 6:10-11). Now half an hour is a break in proceedings we can easily comprehend. Asking the martyrs to wait only makes sense given a period of time with a defined start and an end. As expected, we later read the wait is over and "the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe" (Revelation 14:14). So heaven's events proceed to a schedule. The rhythm of life remains even in the tree of life, which bears "twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month" (Revelation 22:2). Heaven has a dependable sense of orchestration and order.
Yes, time will exist for us in heaven, an abundance of it. A sense of purpose will thrive within an environment of encouragement and accomplishment. Time will no longer be an enemy, force marching us step by step closer to death. Rather, each day will present us with new opportunities to fulfill our potential.
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