Time

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to spend some time in Europe. One of the things I remember most was the sense of going back in time. As I toured the usual spots, I looked at the dates on buildings and artifacts, and realized that I was walking on the same ground that the kings and knights of the history books walked. The feet of those entering the building had worn some of the marble steps in Westminster Abbey down. All but two of the monarchs since William the Conqueror in 1066 had been crowned in this building. I realized that my sense of time was very restricted.

Revelation 1 (NLT)
⁸"I am the Alpha and the Omega--the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. "I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One."

The book of Revelation contains some of the most vivid word pictures in all of literature. The scenes of worship and judgment described by John are almost like looking at a movie of what is to come. If we are not careful, we can get caught up in the imagery and miss the message. After each of the letters to the churches, we are told that “anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” There is a lesson for each of us to learn in from Revelations.

We are a temporal society. Everything we do is related to time. We probably hear and ask the question – “How long will it take?” – more than any other. It seems that we are driven by the need to know how old, how young, or how long about everything in our lives. This orientation in our thinking makes it hard to grasp the concept of forever. We think it takes an eternity to get through the drive in lane at the bank.

God tells us in this passage that He is not constrained by the passage of time. There is no atomic clock to which He must synchronize His every activity. His perspective contains no reference to duration. When we begin to try to understand the character of God, we must factor in the absence of the passage of time.

While God may not work to schedules, as we know them, He does have a plan for every one of His children – and for the church universal. He has worked out all of the details necessary for this plan to come to fruition. What we must realize is that this plan will take place as He has laid it out, not as we have determined is in our best interest. God allows us to be a part of His plan, but He does not need us to tell Him when something should be done.

“In the beginning” does not refer to God - it refers to His creation. God has no beginning and no end.

Neither does His love for us.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!