The Privilege of Living in Time

(Transcript of lesson taught at Hope Bible Church, Oct. 30, 2016)

Texts: Gen. 4:7, Ps. 31:15, Rev. 10:6-7

Much of the Bible deals with time, since most of the Bible is set in time and describes events in time, though some things are said about the eternal state to follow. The word “time” occurs 563 times, and “times” 142, for a total of 705 uses.

I chose these text verses to show you three things about time:

1    1. It’s a process. Scripture says that five times in the OT, four with “it came to pass.” So time is passing or moving; it can’t stand still. Even when Joshua commanded the sun and moon to stand still (Josh. 10:12-14), and when the sun went backward for Hezekiah (Is. 38:8), time was still moving on, even if the markers of time weren’t.

2    2. God controls it. “My times are in thy hand,” David said in Ps. 31:15, and Christ affirms the Father’s command of time in Acts 1:7, “…the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” People ignorantly personify Mother Nature and Father Time, but they’re not persons—they’re things controlled by God.

3    3. Time will come to an end, to be followed by the eternal state. Context of Rev. 10:6-7 is the second coming and fulfillment of prophecy. Eternal state begins, in a sense, with the second coming, since the millennial reign is referred to as “everlasting life” or (Mt. 19:28-29; Mk. 10:29-30). It’s interrupted by Satan’s rebellion, the renovation of the earth with fire, and the white throne judgment, then continued. I would not say, however, that time stops at the second coming, since the millennial reign is referred to as “the times of refreshing” (Acts 3:19) and “the times of restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21). I believe that a full transition is made from time to eternity in the day of the Lord, which includes all of the events I’ve described.

If you’ve studied the eternal state, you know that this space of time between Gen. 1:3 and Rev. 20:15 is only 7000 years and a mere “week” in God’s dealings with men (2 Pt. 3:9). In the eternal state, God will populate the heavens, infinitely, with a race of sinless men [Is. 9:7, 2 Pt. 3:13; Rev. 22:3]. What would’ve happened if Adam and Mrs. Adam hadn’t sinned? Clarence Larkin has some excellent comments on that scenario in Dispensational Truth and Revelation. In short, the earth would have been replenished (Gen. 1:29), and then men would have spread to other spheres, infinitely. Well, redemption restores God’s original plan, which was interrupted by sin, and that awesome expansion resumes in a new heaven and new earth hereafter.

So those of us born in time and living in time are part of a very small set of God’s creatures. It’s hard to appreciate this without comparing us to an infinite number of men which will come after us, rather than how many we number in our world. Do you see how special that makes us? Living in time is a privilege, since it gives us an opportunity that men hereafter won’t have.

In this lesson, I’d like to consider four primary benefits associated with this privilege. These benefits are based on position, be it as a kingdom saint or as a member of Christ’s body, but they all have a practical aspect as well, which we’ll consider. Hopefully you’ll walk out of here glad that you were chosen to live in time and to experience what you could in time, since it’s a tremendous privilege.

BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH LIVING IN TIME

For the sake of time, we’ll look at four primary benefits to men living in time. Doubtless there are many more, but these stood out to me, and I think you’ll agree they’re important.

Experiencing redemption

In time, men can experience redemption under the kingdom or mystery programs and glorify God thereby forever. What a blessing! “Redeemed how I love to proclaim it, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! Redeemed through his infinite mercy, his child and forever I am!” Angels and men in eternity don’t experience that, at least not like us. Now they’ll know about it. Paul said that in this age, God is teaching the angels about his manifold wisdom “by the church” (Eph. 3:10), but they haven’t benefited from it like sinful men have (cf. also 1 Pt. 1:9-12). We get to enjoy redemption is this life (1 Pt. 1:8) and forever (Rev. 5:9), and glorify God thereby.

Notice this in Eph. 3:20-21, esp. v. 21, “Unto him be glory in the church throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” So the church will glorify God forever; how? As a testimony of his grace. Look at Eph. 2:6-7; our heavenly seat will be an eternal testimony of God’s grace and kindness (mercy; 2:4) toward us in Christ. In time, God took his enemies, who were allied with his archenemy, Satan (2:1-3), and turned them into his children and princes. “…the LORD will give grace and glory” the psalmist said (84:11), and our redemption is a great example of that. Notice the last phrase in v. 21, “world without end.” Is that the only place that phrase occurs in scripture? How about Is. 45:17, “But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.” 

Paul knew about this phrase when he wrote Ephesians, and his inclusion of it in Eph. 3:21 emphasizes a great truth. Both Israel and the church will glorify God forever. And the Gentiles will too. Look at Rom. 15:8. Christ came to as “a minister of the circumcision” to save Israel but also that “the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy” (v. 9) and be saved under the kingdom program (cf. 15:16 re: the church). So three elect groups get to glorify God for his grace forever (Israel, nations, and body of Christ). The Lord takes all of them from low positions to high, during time, so that he gets all the glory in eternity.

Testimony of the world to come (Col. 4:5)

The presence of Israel under the kingdom program and the body of Christ in this age are, practically, testimony of the world to come. Testimony to the world that this life is not all there is, but that there is a hereafter, and hence accountability to God. That’s why people don’t like us: we remind them of God and their accountability to God, since we’re demonstrating it by our lives. 1 Peter 4:1-5 captures all of this, in a kingdom context. The first two verses explain that when we decide to live according to the will of God and not the lusts of men, we will suffer. The next three verses expand on that, providing a list of those lusts, and men’s response to our not following them (thinking it strange, speaking evil of us, and causing us to suffer). But v. 5 completes the picture; we remind them of their accountability to God, which is certain, and deep down they know that, but they’re not willing to repent. So our redemption of time should follow the redemption of our souls, because it demonstrates it. Why would we bother living like we do if we weren’t saved and looking “at the things which are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18)? Paul said that “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Cor. 15:19), and what did all of his suffering profit, if there’s no eternal reference point for it (1 Cor. 15:29-32)? Well, there is, and the world knows it, and that’s why they hate us. But it’s still a benefit, especially to them, since it’s to convict them and bring them to salvation, in any age.

Enjoyment of God’s temporal gifts

This may seem like we’re shifting gears a bit, since our focus thus far has been time in reference to eternity. But even the enjoyment of God’s temporal gifts, something associated with this life and not necessarily the next, is a great benefit. Paul said in 1 Tim. 6:17 that we should trust “in the living God, which giveth us richly all things to enjoy.” The context there is physical riches, besides the spiritual ones that we’re given to enjoy (note—“all things to enjoy”). Our material wealth comes from God, as well as our spiritual. So God means for us to enjoy his temporal gifts. How about a nice tall glass of sweet tea? What a blessing! God wants us to enjoy things like that. He made the tea, and the pleasure in the tea.

Humanity by itself is not sinful. There was humanity before sin, [there’s humanity in this age where sin’s dominion is broken (Rom. 6:14)], and there will be humanity after sin is entirely put away. It’s when we go beyond the boundaries God set for us as men, that’s where we err. Hence there’s limits to pleasure, described by words like “moderation” and “temperance.” But by all means enjoy the temporal gifts of God, not merely for their own sake, but as a way of knowing God better. I know that Augustine had many things wrong, but he had this right: temporal things must be enjoyed in reference to God. In other words, we don’t love stuff for its own sake, but as something given to us by God. That goes right along with what Paul said in 1 Tim. 6:17: every temporal thing we enjoy ultimately comes from God, and we should cherish it for his sake.  So even in temporal things, God wants to reveal himself and teach us about the eternal (Rom. 1:20).

Laying up eternal rewards in time

Did you notice in 1 Tim. 6 that v. 17 wasn’t the end of the sentence or the thought? Life in Christ is certainly not just about enjoying the gifts of God. That’s rather self-centered, isn’t it? Temporal things are not just to be enjoyed, they’re to be used, like Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 7:31a, “And they that use this world, as not abusing it.” Used for what? Helping others in this life and laying up rewards in the next. That’s what vv. 18-19 explain in 1 Tim. 6. Yes, by all means enjoy God’s temporal gifts, but by all means also use them to help others and lay up eternal rewards for yourselves, since “the fashion of this world passeth away” (1 Cor. 7:31b)

In time, you have the unique opportunity of shaping your own eternity. You can’t give yourself eternal life, for “…the gift of GOD is eternal life” (Rom. 6:23), but you are in control of your eternal rewards and, in a sense, your degree of blessedness in eternity. Isn’t it marvelous that God would give us that power and discretion. He settles our presence in heaven instantly when we’re saved (Eph. 2:6). But he leaves our position in heaven in our hands. As far as I know, angels cannot do that (move up in their ranks), nor can men in the eternal state. Eternity may prove otherwise, but for us, do you want a higher place that will bring him more glory? Are you willing to pay the price? Many aren’t.

In the Divine Comedy, Dante tours hell, purgatory, and heaven, guided at first by the Roman poet Virgil, then by Beatrice, a saintly lady he knew in medieval Italy. When they come to the lowest level of heaven, they meet a woman named Piccarda who, though a saint in life, settled for less. Dante asks her how she feels about being this low in heaven, and there is a sweet resignation, which I believe everyone in heaven will have, by God’s grace. But there’s also the awareness that she could have done more and chose not to. Remember the song, “I’ll Wish I Had Given Him More”? Same thought. Two other testimonies on this:

Etienne (Stephen) de Grellet: “I will pass through this world but once…if there be any kindness I can show or any good thing I can do, let me do it now, let me not defer it or neglect it. For I shall not pass this way again.”

Ugo Bassi, Sermon in a Hospital:

If thou, impatient, dost let slip thy cross,

Thou wilt not find it in this world again;

Nor in another: here and here alone

Is given thee to suffer for God’s sake.

In other worlds we may more perfectly

Love Him and serve Him, praise Him,

Grow nearer and nearer to Him with delight.

But then we shall not any more

Be called to suffer, which is our appointment here.

Canst thou not suffer, then, one hour or two?

If He should call thee from thy cross today,

Saying: “It is finished—that hard cross of thine

From which thou prayest for deliverance,”

Thinkest thou not some passion of regret

Would overcome thee?  Thou wouldst say,

”So soon?  Let me go back and suffer yet awhile

More patiently.  I have not yet praised God.”

Whensoe’er it comes, that summons that we look for,

It will seem soon, too soon.  Let us take heed in time

That God may now be glorified in us.

CONCLUSION

These four benefits show us how privileged we are to live in time. What an opportunity we have that angels before us and men hereafter do not, and how we need to take advantage of it. I realize the burdens and afflictions of living in time, but remember the words of our apostle in Rom. 8:18 and 2 Cor. 4:17 (quote).  With those things in mind, let’s redeem the time that God gives us to rejoice in our redemption; remind the world of eternity; relish God’s temporal gifts; and reserve a higher place in heaven, with greater glory to God, through service. Thank God for the privilege of living in time!