roadrunner570
February 10th, 2008, 08:47 AM
Who Was, and is, and is to Come
Rev 4:8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
I’ve always found this above verse a fascinating one. We see what is going on at God’s throne. These creatures surround the throne and are in constant worship. For one, contrast this to how much time any of us spends in worship on a given day. How much time do you suppose that is? I know I don’t spend enough time in worship. But here they are praising God they called him “Who was, and is, and is to come…” Think about that.
1.)Who was…
John 1:1-2 tells us:
Jn 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jn 1:2 He was with God in the beginning.
He is who was. I know this can get confusing, but he IS who WAS in the beginning. Though for him, there was no beginning. Jesus always was. There was never a time when Jesus was not the son, or when the Father was not the Father or the Spirit was not the spirit. Its so mind boggling, it’s almost amazing. This is what I love about learning about God.
Growing up, I was taught that the Bible has all the answers, which it does. But those answers are only to certain questions. When we view God in the above manner, by these verses, doesn’t that make him even more amazing? God has revealed to us those things he wants to reveal. There is so much more we don’t know about him. Our God is a God of mystery and wonder. He cannot be put into a box, nor can he be explained away in a simple blog, book or even a volume of books.
2.)And is…
Our God is still the same today as he was in the beginning. As we see between the Old and New Testaments that he’s chosen to reveal himself in different ways, but he is still the same God. We may have changed, but he does not change.
I often hear many people ask me about how fair God is. They might say it’s not fair that God says everyone has to believe in him in order to go to heaven. But let’s think about it. God put forth the “rules” (for lack of a better word here) thousands of years ago. He has followed those rules since then and holds everyone to the same rules. We humans can only dream of being that consistent. Now, I do believe that no one is going to hell due to lack of information or opportunity. I know God is not limited to how he reveals himself either, but that is another topic for another day. The point here is, God does not and has not changed. Only our perception of him has.
3.)And is to come…
We do know he is returning. I just read an interesting article by N.T. Wright who talks about how our perception of heaven is wrong. He emphasizes that we will not go up to be with God, but God will come down here and unite the heavens into a new heaven and new earth. He made a lot of sense and I thought it was an interesting article.
Whether you believe in pre, post or mid-tribulation return of Jesus, we know he is coming again. When he was here for his earthly ministry, he was here as the lamb. He was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. When he returns, he will return as the lion. He will destroy Satan and his minions and usher in the next age.
That is the important thing to remember. No matter what is going on in the world, or who gets elected president; Jesus is returning and his plan will unfold perfectly. None of us are going to mess it up. This is something we can take comfort in. When we see wars happening and the economy slipping, we know these things are only temporary. He will come again and make all things new.
Tim Miller 2008
Rev 4:8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
I’ve always found this above verse a fascinating one. We see what is going on at God’s throne. These creatures surround the throne and are in constant worship. For one, contrast this to how much time any of us spends in worship on a given day. How much time do you suppose that is? I know I don’t spend enough time in worship. But here they are praising God they called him “Who was, and is, and is to come…” Think about that.
1.)Who was…
John 1:1-2 tells us:
Jn 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jn 1:2 He was with God in the beginning.
He is who was. I know this can get confusing, but he IS who WAS in the beginning. Though for him, there was no beginning. Jesus always was. There was never a time when Jesus was not the son, or when the Father was not the Father or the Spirit was not the spirit. Its so mind boggling, it’s almost amazing. This is what I love about learning about God.
Growing up, I was taught that the Bible has all the answers, which it does. But those answers are only to certain questions. When we view God in the above manner, by these verses, doesn’t that make him even more amazing? God has revealed to us those things he wants to reveal. There is so much more we don’t know about him. Our God is a God of mystery and wonder. He cannot be put into a box, nor can he be explained away in a simple blog, book or even a volume of books.
2.)And is…
Our God is still the same today as he was in the beginning. As we see between the Old and New Testaments that he’s chosen to reveal himself in different ways, but he is still the same God. We may have changed, but he does not change.
I often hear many people ask me about how fair God is. They might say it’s not fair that God says everyone has to believe in him in order to go to heaven. But let’s think about it. God put forth the “rules” (for lack of a better word here) thousands of years ago. He has followed those rules since then and holds everyone to the same rules. We humans can only dream of being that consistent. Now, I do believe that no one is going to hell due to lack of information or opportunity. I know God is not limited to how he reveals himself either, but that is another topic for another day. The point here is, God does not and has not changed. Only our perception of him has.
3.)And is to come…
We do know he is returning. I just read an interesting article by N.T. Wright who talks about how our perception of heaven is wrong. He emphasizes that we will not go up to be with God, but God will come down here and unite the heavens into a new heaven and new earth. He made a lot of sense and I thought it was an interesting article.
Whether you believe in pre, post or mid-tribulation return of Jesus, we know he is coming again. When he was here for his earthly ministry, he was here as the lamb. He was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. When he returns, he will return as the lion. He will destroy Satan and his minions and usher in the next age.
That is the important thing to remember. No matter what is going on in the world, or who gets elected president; Jesus is returning and his plan will unfold perfectly. None of us are going to mess it up. This is something we can take comfort in. When we see wars happening and the economy slipping, we know these things are only temporary. He will come again and make all things new.
Tim Miller 2008