Past The Future
Time is a bit enigmatic. Scientists and philosophers don’t agree on what it is or isn’t. Does it exist on its own or is it dependent on an observer? One online definition says time is a “continuous passage of existence in which events pass from a state of potentiality in the future, through the present, to a state of finality in the past.” Yet, if the distinctions between the past, present and the future are illusions as Einstein said, can this definition be true? And if this isn't puzzling enough, time is relative. The closer we get to the speed of light, the slower it moves relative to someone traveling at a lesser speed. Both motion and gravity affect time. Relatively speaking, a minute measured here is a minute measured there, but it may take longer there than here depending on the gravity of the situation.
According to the Biblical record, time has not always existed and neither will it exist again … once we’re past the future. “And the messenger which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven and swore by him that lives forever, who created heaven [Greek ouranos, the universe, the cosmos], and the things that are in it, and the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be time no longer.” Hence, eternity is dimensional space without time. [Rev. 10:5, 6].
Time is a function of the kosmos. Kosmos is the Greek word used for world in John 3:16. In context, kosmos is the entirety of God’s plan for us. [Acts 17:26; see the Feature article, Three Temple Ages Make A Plan]. Kosmos includes the cosmos, but it is more encompassing. Think of the cosmos as a theater, a magnificent theater to be sure. And the Earth is the stage of this theater. We are its actors. But before you build the theater, the cosmos, and build the stage, the Earth, and all its props, all the things that are in it, and assemble the actors, mankind, you need a story and a script, a beginning and an ending. The totality from story idea to stage to the final curtain is the kosmos. [See the Feature article, The Final Prophecy: It Is Done, Eze. 39:8; Rev. 21:6]. This is what John 3:16 references as it was all part of the plan before time began. And once this kosmos is finished, we will be past the future and time will no longer exist.
Time, therefore, came into existence at the beginning. “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the Earth.” [Gen. 1:1]. Heaven here is the Hebrew shamayim, which is the same as ouranos in Greek. It is the universe, our theater. Our stage, the Earth was created at the beginning, but it was initially without form and was void. Without form and void here are the Hebrew words tohuw and bohuw. They mean emptiness, a formlessness. The ingredients, the building supplies for the cosmos and Earth, much like cake ingredients on a kitchen counter if you will, were established by the Big Bang. But we know from Genesis 1 that the Earth wasn’t formed, i.e. built, until “day three.” And for the record, the Genesis creation account is not comprised of six 24 hour Earth days. For a detailed look at this, read chapter four in The Blind Man’s Elephant, Creation In Six Days, But Who’s Counting? p. 131ff, a complimentary PDF on our Home page.
With the Big Bang, light was separated and kept apart from the darkness. [Gen. 1:4, Heb. bāḏal, separate, bayin, space between]. Hence, the Biblical record’s dark energy and dark matter that the scientists only recently discovered. [See the Feature article, Is Genesis 1 A Jolly Good Myth?]. This is when the clock starting ticking. Time expanded from a singularity into its three component parts: past, present and future. But keep in mind, the rate of the passage of time is relative to the observer.
We see that time as we experience it began when the universe, the Earth and the Sun came into being. This is how we measure time today. A day is one rotation of the Earth on its axis in relation to the Sun, which was formed on “day four” according to Genesis 1. It’s the same for measuring a day on all the planets in the solar system, except the days are of differing amounts of time on each planet compared to our measuring of time here on Earth. On Venus, for example, the day is longer than the year, which is one orbit of the planet around the Sun.
Therefore, time is a relative function of our physical universe, the cosmos. But before the cosmos, there was kosmos. In other words, this cosmos and this planet are not all there was, is or will be. What we experience daily on this planet in the span of human history is the actual stage production, the performance portion of the kosmos. We are its actors as Shakespeare’s character Jacques noted in As You Like It. And all that has, is and will happen all are part of the kosmos. It's been the plan from before the beginning of time, and our cosmos. While we are in the production phase now, the kosmos, as delineated in the Biblical record, encompasses pre-production and post-production too. Atheists miss this completely.
As the epistle of Peter states, “As you know, you were not redeemed with corruptible things [of this cosmos], as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers [Old Testament Israel]; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot; Who truly was foreordained before the foundation of the world [in pre-production kosmos; see Job 38:4-7], but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God." [1 Pet. 1:18-21].
This same point is mentioned in Revelation 13:8, “And all that dwell on Earth shall worship him [Christ], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world [kosmos].”
In other words, what we call life was planned in pre-production, before the foundation of the theater and stage was built. As Paul wrote to the church in Rome, “Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret before time began." [Greek, chronos aionios, Rom. 16:25; see the Feature article, And It's Still A Mystery].
Also, “Our Lord who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ before the beginning of time …." [chronos aionios, 2 Tim. 1:9]. In other words, our script was written and agreed to before the Big Bang, before the Earth was with form, and before we were with form. As David said, "Your eyes saw me yet unformed. Yet all the days of my life were written in your book, before there were days." [Psa. 139:16].
The Biblical record tells us about our post-production phase for the kosmos, including our existing cosmos and planet as well. There will be a new heaven and a new Earth. “And I saw a new heaven [ouranos] and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea.” [Rev. 21:1; see the Sneakers article, No More Oceans]. When this is done, “time will no longer be.” We will be past the future. It’s all part of the kosmos before time began. [See the Feature articles, Heaven Can Wait and Heaven Can Wait II].
According to the Biblical record, time has not always existed and neither will it exist again … once we’re past the future. “And the messenger which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven and swore by him that lives forever, who created heaven [Greek ouranos, the universe, the cosmos], and the things that are in it, and the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be time no longer.” Hence, eternity is dimensional space without time. [Rev. 10:5, 6].
Time is a function of the kosmos. Kosmos is the Greek word used for world in John 3:16. In context, kosmos is the entirety of God’s plan for us. [Acts 17:26; see the Feature article, Three Temple Ages Make A Plan]. Kosmos includes the cosmos, but it is more encompassing. Think of the cosmos as a theater, a magnificent theater to be sure. And the Earth is the stage of this theater. We are its actors. But before you build the theater, the cosmos, and build the stage, the Earth, and all its props, all the things that are in it, and assemble the actors, mankind, you need a story and a script, a beginning and an ending. The totality from story idea to stage to the final curtain is the kosmos. [See the Feature article, The Final Prophecy: It Is Done, Eze. 39:8; Rev. 21:6]. This is what John 3:16 references as it was all part of the plan before time began. And once this kosmos is finished, we will be past the future and time will no longer exist.
Time, therefore, came into existence at the beginning. “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the Earth.” [Gen. 1:1]. Heaven here is the Hebrew shamayim, which is the same as ouranos in Greek. It is the universe, our theater. Our stage, the Earth was created at the beginning, but it was initially without form and was void. Without form and void here are the Hebrew words tohuw and bohuw. They mean emptiness, a formlessness. The ingredients, the building supplies for the cosmos and Earth, much like cake ingredients on a kitchen counter if you will, were established by the Big Bang. But we know from Genesis 1 that the Earth wasn’t formed, i.e. built, until “day three.” And for the record, the Genesis creation account is not comprised of six 24 hour Earth days. For a detailed look at this, read chapter four in The Blind Man’s Elephant, Creation In Six Days, But Who’s Counting? p. 131ff, a complimentary PDF on our Home page.
With the Big Bang, light was separated and kept apart from the darkness. [Gen. 1:4, Heb. bāḏal, separate, bayin, space between]. Hence, the Biblical record’s dark energy and dark matter that the scientists only recently discovered. [See the Feature article, Is Genesis 1 A Jolly Good Myth?]. This is when the clock starting ticking. Time expanded from a singularity into its three component parts: past, present and future. But keep in mind, the rate of the passage of time is relative to the observer.
We see that time as we experience it began when the universe, the Earth and the Sun came into being. This is how we measure time today. A day is one rotation of the Earth on its axis in relation to the Sun, which was formed on “day four” according to Genesis 1. It’s the same for measuring a day on all the planets in the solar system, except the days are of differing amounts of time on each planet compared to our measuring of time here on Earth. On Venus, for example, the day is longer than the year, which is one orbit of the planet around the Sun.
Therefore, time is a relative function of our physical universe, the cosmos. But before the cosmos, there was kosmos. In other words, this cosmos and this planet are not all there was, is or will be. What we experience daily on this planet in the span of human history is the actual stage production, the performance portion of the kosmos. We are its actors as Shakespeare’s character Jacques noted in As You Like It. And all that has, is and will happen all are part of the kosmos. It's been the plan from before the beginning of time, and our cosmos. While we are in the production phase now, the kosmos, as delineated in the Biblical record, encompasses pre-production and post-production too. Atheists miss this completely.
As the epistle of Peter states, “As you know, you were not redeemed with corruptible things [of this cosmos], as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers [Old Testament Israel]; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot; Who truly was foreordained before the foundation of the world [in pre-production kosmos; see Job 38:4-7], but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God." [1 Pet. 1:18-21].
This same point is mentioned in Revelation 13:8, “And all that dwell on Earth shall worship him [Christ], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world [kosmos].”
In other words, what we call life was planned in pre-production, before the foundation of the theater and stage was built. As Paul wrote to the church in Rome, “Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret before time began." [Greek, chronos aionios, Rom. 16:25; see the Feature article, And It's Still A Mystery].
Also, “Our Lord who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ before the beginning of time …." [chronos aionios, 2 Tim. 1:9]. In other words, our script was written and agreed to before the Big Bang, before the Earth was with form, and before we were with form. As David said, "Your eyes saw me yet unformed. Yet all the days of my life were written in your book, before there were days." [Psa. 139:16].
The Biblical record tells us about our post-production phase for the kosmos, including our existing cosmos and planet as well. There will be a new heaven and a new Earth. “And I saw a new heaven [ouranos] and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea.” [Rev. 21:1; see the Sneakers article, No More Oceans]. When this is done, “time will no longer be.” We will be past the future. It’s all part of the kosmos before time began. [See the Feature articles, Heaven Can Wait and Heaven Can Wait II].
Italics, bold and [ ] are the author's.
© copyrighted material 2007-2025. www.redshoe.com All rights reserved.
Notice to readers. All redshoe generated articles may be hyperlinked or copied to PDF format for use as long as no editing or alteration of content is made. See Menu banner for other terms of use.
See Menu banner for other terms of use.