Day and night in heaven

There is biblical and empirical support for the idea of time in heaven even if it is not solar time.

I have shown in recent articles that God is the only observer that remains independent of time. Jesus rightfully said that the times and seasons belong to Him. In saying so, Jesus excluded Himself. By implication He is a subset of eternity, for He had a beginning (He is a Son) and that beginning was after the eternal beginning of His Father – mathematically His own inception = ∞ + n.

God stands outside of the dimensions of time and thereby defines time – He alone can determine time’s beginning and end, for He is before time and shall continue beyond time.

Heaven is a product of God’s hand and, by implication, is also subject to time. The time context of Jesus is effectively eternal for although He is introduced after His Father, His age is a function of eternity. Heaven probably falls into a similar category, having been around for so long that it is virtually eternal. However, both the Son and Heaven have time imposed on them, by implication.

In 1 Corinthians 15:25 we read that the Son must continue until He has put all things under the feet of His Father. There is a complex theological exchange that will arise from the conclusion of His works, which suggests that the distinctions between Father, Son and Spirit will return to a singularity that will be inherited by the Son.

In Revelations we also read that a new heaven and a new earth will emerge at the consummation of the ages. This indicates that heaven is truly bound by time and has a limited life-span.

All of these complex musings, point us to the reality of time in heaven. There are a number of scriptural hints which confirm this, namely Revelations 4:8-11, which says that the angels worship Him both day and night, and Revelation 8:1, which speaks of silence in heaven for the space of half an hour.

The problem I have is in reconciling time and eternity and rationalizing how they exist side-by-side. Perhaps heaven, whilst not being eternal as such, yet being virtually eternal, merely exists where time is so slow that it almost stops. That is an intriguing idea, but more next time (no pun intended).

(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com