The Forever God
I spent some time recently trying to learn all I could about God and boiling it down to the main points. Here was my task: for the new believer or for the Christian who was really trying to learn what the Bible said and meant, who is God the Father?
I jotted down the things I knew: God is good. God is love. God is great.
But I got to a description that I knew mentally but had never really considered all the implications: God is eternal.
El Olam is a name used in Scripture when someone wanted to give God honor for His eternal nature. It was first used by Abraham in Genesis 21:33, when God had proven Himself to be faithful by giving Abraham the son of promise, Isaac. And Abraham called God El Olam as he planted a tree, probably as a constant reminder of God's faithfulness in the past as well as the future.
You knew God always existed. That He always was and He always will be. Cool, right?
But there is so much more to God being eternal. And I'm going to go out on a limb here to say that God's eternal-ness is the source of His power. Because think about it: God always existed, meaning nothing created Him or gives Him anything to keep Him alive. He never will die and He never didn't exist. That makes Him the most powerful thing in existence.
His eternal nature also means that He does not exist in our time. (Watch out; this is going to get deep.) The universe exists in time but God doesn't. He is not limited by time because, as all-powerful God of everything, He made time. And if El Olam wants to go backward in time or look ahead into time, He can. It's how He was able to send prophets that knew exactly what was coming. It's how Jesus perfectly understood His own death and resurrection. It's how He can forgive us of sins we did in the past: because past to us is not past to Him. [Mind blown? Yeah, mine too.]
God's eternal nature is also proof of His perfect knowledge. The One who created everything and can see everything certainly knows everything. He gave us His Word, and it has the power to judge the thoughts and actions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). He knew exactly what verse you would need to know and when you would need to know it and He sent it to you in a way you would hear it clearly. He knows what is best for you. He knows what is coming and exactly what you will need when you get there. So He's sending you through the little fire now to prepare you for the big fire just around the corner. To show you that you can trust Him in the fire. [And that He is bigger than the fire!]
One more thing: God's eternal nature is what makes Him supremely holy. Holy means "set apart; different; not like everyone else." Yes, God is the ultimate weirdo, which is why you are called to be holy like Him (Leviticus 11:44-45). NOTHING ELSE IN ALL CREATION IS ETERNAL. Even the oldest stuff in the universe has an approximate creation date and expiration date. Not God. He is "holy, holy, holy," (Isaiah 6:3) meaning not simply holy or more holy, but ultimate holy. Isaiah first heard God called, "Holy, holy, holy" when he caught a glimpse into heaven. But John heard it, too, when he was allowed to peek into God's realm as he wrote the book of Revelation. And guess what the heavenly creatures were singing day and night: "'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,' who was and is and is to come" (Revelation 4:8).
No beginning. No end. No time. Limitless power. Holy-est. Even the angels sing about it.
Moses said it in a powerful way: "Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting, You are God," (Psalm 90:2).
But consider these other translations for the last half of that verse:
"From forever in the past to forever in the future, you are God," (CEB).
"You have always been and always will be God," (ERV).
"Forever and ever, you are God," (NLV).
"From 'once upon a time' to 'kingdom come'--You are God," (MSG).
You are the child of El Olam, the Everlasting God, the God of the Universe, the God of Eternity, and the God of Ancient Days. El Olam is your Father. You need not live in defeat. Sin and the world and Satan have no power over you. Call upon His Name, El Olam, knowing He has power over everything that comes against you.
Somebody else needs this message today. Will you make it known? I would appreciate it :)
@leslienotebook
myleslienotebook@gmail.com
I jotted down the things I knew: God is good. God is love. God is great.
But I got to a description that I knew mentally but had never really considered all the implications: God is eternal.
El Olam is a name used in Scripture when someone wanted to give God honor for His eternal nature. It was first used by Abraham in Genesis 21:33, when God had proven Himself to be faithful by giving Abraham the son of promise, Isaac. And Abraham called God El Olam as he planted a tree, probably as a constant reminder of God's faithfulness in the past as well as the future.
You knew God always existed. That He always was and He always will be. Cool, right?
But there is so much more to God being eternal. And I'm going to go out on a limb here to say that God's eternal-ness is the source of His power. Because think about it: God always existed, meaning nothing created Him or gives Him anything to keep Him alive. He never will die and He never didn't exist. That makes Him the most powerful thing in existence.
His eternal nature also means that He does not exist in our time. (Watch out; this is going to get deep.) The universe exists in time but God doesn't. He is not limited by time because, as all-powerful God of everything, He made time. And if El Olam wants to go backward in time or look ahead into time, He can. It's how He was able to send prophets that knew exactly what was coming. It's how Jesus perfectly understood His own death and resurrection. It's how He can forgive us of sins we did in the past: because past to us is not past to Him. [Mind blown? Yeah, mine too.]
God's eternal nature is also proof of His perfect knowledge. The One who created everything and can see everything certainly knows everything. He gave us His Word, and it has the power to judge the thoughts and actions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). He knew exactly what verse you would need to know and when you would need to know it and He sent it to you in a way you would hear it clearly. He knows what is best for you. He knows what is coming and exactly what you will need when you get there. So He's sending you through the little fire now to prepare you for the big fire just around the corner. To show you that you can trust Him in the fire. [And that He is bigger than the fire!]
One more thing: God's eternal nature is what makes Him supremely holy. Holy means "set apart; different; not like everyone else." Yes, God is the ultimate weirdo, which is why you are called to be holy like Him (Leviticus 11:44-45). NOTHING ELSE IN ALL CREATION IS ETERNAL. Even the oldest stuff in the universe has an approximate creation date and expiration date. Not God. He is "holy, holy, holy," (Isaiah 6:3) meaning not simply holy or more holy, but ultimate holy. Isaiah first heard God called, "Holy, holy, holy" when he caught a glimpse into heaven. But John heard it, too, when he was allowed to peek into God's realm as he wrote the book of Revelation. And guess what the heavenly creatures were singing day and night: "'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,' who was and is and is to come" (Revelation 4:8).
No beginning. No end. No time. Limitless power. Holy-est. Even the angels sing about it.
Moses said it in a powerful way: "Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting, You are God," (Psalm 90:2).
But consider these other translations for the last half of that verse:
"From forever in the past to forever in the future, you are God," (CEB).
"You have always been and always will be God," (ERV).
"Forever and ever, you are God," (NLV).
"From 'once upon a time' to 'kingdom come'--You are God," (MSG).
You are the child of El Olam, the Everlasting God, the God of the Universe, the God of Eternity, and the God of Ancient Days. El Olam is your Father. You need not live in defeat. Sin and the world and Satan have no power over you. Call upon His Name, El Olam, knowing He has power over everything that comes against you.
Somebody else needs this message today. Will you make it known? I would appreciate it :)
@leslienotebook
myleslienotebook@gmail.com
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