"Heaven - Does Time exist in Heaven?

The next question I want to address today is:

WILL THERE BE TIME IN HEAVEN?

This is a question that could get you thinking in circles. Time is one of the most mysterious of all realities. To me there is absolutely no question that time exists in Heaven.

Have you heard the 2-word phrase "poetic license?"

WHAT IS POETIC LICENSE?

It is the liberty taken by a poet, or any writer or artist to deviate from strict precision of the facts, in order to get a point across and produce a desired effect.

Perhaps this is why J. M. Black, in the 1921 hymn, When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder, denies times existence in Heaven in one line of a stanza, then asserts the presence of time in Heaven in the next line.

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,

And the morning (assumes time) breaks eternal bright and fair.

In answering the questions of time or any of the questions we have about Heaven, we must keep in mind that we will not be like God when we get there. According to 1 Timothy 1:17, He is not the subject of time, but is the "Lord of the ages and time."

Because Jesus lives in the continuous present tense, Jesus is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8) He is the alpha and omega, the first and the last, as well as the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13).

Due to the influence of Greek philosophy, people in New Testament times thought of time as endlessly moving in circles. To them time was an enslavement, a curse. Thus, their view of redemption was freedom from this endless circle of time.

The New Testament proclamation that God has redeemed man while living in time, was, up to that time, unthinkable to many Greeks. The biblical view of time and history is in direct contrast to these Greek concepts of cyclic time. Jesus proclaimed that history is actually moving in a straight line from beginning to end.

Because of these ancient philosophies, the attribute of God living outside the realm of time, has often been transferred to heaven and its inhabitants. Because God is timeless, then it is assumed Heaven must also be timeless. But, I believe you will see that the place called Heaven is subject to time, both now and for all eternity.

Some people confuse eternity with timelessness. It is a fact that we will live in eternity, or an eternal state, but only God is eternal. Only God has no beginning and no end. That is why God revealed himself to Moses as "I AM WHO I AM!" (Exodus 3:14) And Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM." (John 8:58)

That says our God lives in the eternal present tense. God is the eternal Now; He is timeless. But that doesn't say that the angels and humans who are now resident in Heaven live outside of time.

For instance, take a look at Revelation 8:1 (NIV)

1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

But, even though our God lives outside of time, we know from Scriptures, like this one, that Heaven exists with time.

But, someone might ask, maybe there is time in Heaven today, but sometime in the future, time will be no more. And, indeed, we will have to address that issue.

Before providing any other Scriptural evidence for time in Heaven, one passage in the King James must be addressed, because of its wording.

Revelation 10:5-6 KJV

5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:

The very next verse (verse 7) speaks of days, which means that the end of chronological time was not the intention of the previous verse.

Revelation 10:7 KJV

7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Looking at the context helps us understand that this verse is not saying the annihilation of time is now going to occur. Rather, it is saying there should no more delay in executing the mysteries of God, mentioned in the 7th verse. God is saying "Time's up. There can be no more delay" My purposes must now be carried out.

Let me give you a very brief English - Greek lesson. Look at this sentence: "Time shall be no more." In English, what part of speech is the word "Time?" It's the subject of the sentence and is a noun.

But, in Revelation 10:6, the Greek for the word translated "time" is not a noun - it is a verb. And in its verb form, it is often translated delay.

That same Greek word is found in several other New Testament verses. Here are a couple.

In Matthew 25:5, the story of the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins, it says: "But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept."

Luke 1:21 NKJV

21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple.

Hebrews 10:37 NKJV

37 For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.

I looked at more than a dozen different translations of this verse, and all but the King James translates it as "there should be no longer a delay."

Revelation 10:6 (NIV)

6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay!

What we have learned here is that this verse does not address the end of the existence of "time" but rather is saying there will no longer be a delay, no more putting off, no more impeding the progress of God's purposes.

Having answered any potential questions based on Revelation 10:6, let's look at some additional evidence for time in Heaven.

The Book of Revelation shows heaven's inhabitants operating within time. It speaks of successive actions, such as falling down at God's throne and casting crowns before Him. There is a natural sequence of event - things that occur one after another. Sequence implies a time frame.

Sometimes those who say there isn't time in Heaven are not consistent with themselves. For instance, how many of you have ever said or thought "When I get to heaven, I want to talk to Moses, David and Paul, but first I want to see Jesus."

As soon as you say "But first,…", you are admitting the existence of time in Heaven. The word "first" implies a sequence of activities. You can't have a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd without the existence of time.

The tribulation martyrs, mentioned in Revelation 6:9-11, are in heaven before the throne of God, and they ask, "How long….before you judge those who killed us." The very phrase "how long," imply some sort of time.

Of all the things that the Bible says that were on earth but will be eliminated from heaven, time is not one of them. Some may quibble that there is an inconsistency here, for with the removal of sun, moon, and night (21:23; 22:5), the method of keeping track of time is gone, therefore, time is gone.

Almost all who say there is no time in Heaven, state that time ends somewhere after the White Throne Judgment and before the New Jerusalem comes down. But, what if I can show you there is time in the New Jerusalem?

ARE THERE TREES IN HEAVEN?

In Revelation 22:2, we find the Tree of Life, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations.

WHAT ELSE DO WE KNOW ABOUT THIS TREES?

We are told they bear fruit. In the New Jerusalem, the tree of life is described as bearing fruit every month. What could be clearer indication that time will be measured in heaven. Here we have a reference to "months" and earlier to "half an hour."

Revelation 22:2

2 ……On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

In an earlier lesson, we took note of what we are going to be doing in Heaven. Two of them have implications about the subject of time.

1. Singing - Worshiping

2. Studying - Learning

The presence of music in heaven implies some sort of time duration. Meter, tempo, cadence, and rests are all essential components of music. And each is time-related. Songs begin and end, requiring some sort of time. In music, it is obvious that time and timing play vital roles.

Also, consider the aspect of studying and learning in heaven. We are not omniscient - or all knowing. We will spend all eternity learning things we never knew here on earth. But we will never learn so much that we will know everything about all subjects. Only God does. Learning involves a process, and all processes require time.

We are finite creatures. Just as we are limited to the realm of space, we are also limited to the realm of time. Time is the habitation of all created being, including angels. Only the Creator is exempt from it. And yet, He has chosen to enter time that He may communicate and experience life with his creatures. We will have all eternity to keep exploring the fascinating and unending story of heaven.

CLOSING

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their heart.

Though they have tried to repress it, people intuitively know they were made for something beyond this life. But that continued existence will include a procession of events, that can be described in a time sequence.

We may exist in a different kind of time than we know now. We will have a different taste of time, and a new quality of life. Time will not longer be able to slowly suck the life out of us. Neither will we experience time as a burden or a constantly limiting thing.

I am sure that our new time in heaven is far beyond our present ability to imagine. Certainly above my ability to fully explain.

We do know that there will be no particular ages in heaven. That is because the physical aging process will cease.

My mind can really go wild when thinking of the topic of time in Heaven. Is it possible that men like Paul and Peter, who are present with the Lord are experience this long interval between death and their resurrection as only a few moments?

One of the most important application of this study of time is our need to develop an eternal perspective. Moses had such an eternal perspective, but I don't think most of the Jews that left Egypt had such a perspective.

Psalm 90:1-6 (NIV)(This Psalm was written by Moses)

1. Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn men back to dust, saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men."
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning--
6 though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.

What led Moses to compare the brevity of man's life from the eternality of God? If you accept that there were some 6 million people who left Egypt, and that of those who left, only two - Caleb and Joshua - entered the land, that tells me that, on average, 411 people died every single day for 40 years. No wonder Moses could compare the shortness of our life with that of God.

We do live in time now. We are limited as to what we can do today. But, in Heaven, time will not be the tyrant it is today. We will still live our lives as a sequence of events - a process of activity. But it is a higher process filled with perpetual activity, totally without frustration and with complete fulfillment.

Last Updated: Wednesday September 07 2011
©2001 John's Notes