What Does it Mean That God Is Eternal?

　　We always read in the Bible that God is eternal. By definition, the word eternal means without an end and without a beginning, which is what God is. He has no end and no beginning and yet he is the beginning and the end of things.

　　He was never created and is never able to experience death. He has power over all things because he is eternal. We know this in reference to the definition of the word eternal and yet what does this really mean for us, for the world, and for our future?

　　

God Is the Beginning of Time

In the first book of the Bible, God is described as the beginning and the one who created everything. We can read this in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” and further towards Genesis 1:3, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

　　This means that God is the start of everything, and this also means that before God made the heavens and the earth, he already existed.

　　While we do not know what happened before God created our surroundings, we know that he exists beyond time. Time is irrelevant for God because he invented time itself.

　　Abraham knew the nature of our eternal God in Genesis 21:33, “Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.” Abraham’s acknowledgment of God’s eternal nature can inspire us to do the same.

　　If we understand fully that God is eternal and beyond time, we can fathom his greatness and be assured that he can do anything, even pass judgment on time. Our time today may be short or fast, yet it is irrelevant for God because he is eternal.

　　

God’s Dominion Is Eternal

In Psalm 145:13, we read that God’s dominion is eternal, “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.” Psalm 90:2 also notes this as an everlasting rule, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

　　We can also read this in Colossians 1:16, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him.”

　　God being eternal means that God’s dominance towards everything, living and non-living, or spiritual, is forever. It does not stop.

　　His power is eternal. Romans 1:20 speaks of God’s “eternal power” and Deuteronomy 33:27 refers to the Lord as the “eternal God.”

　　Having someone to lead us for eternity is very comforting. It means that he can lead our lives forever and he can lead the lives of our future families and relatives.

　　We feel assured that God is able to point us to the lighted path because he will always be with us even after we depart from this worldly life.

　　

God Is the Eternal Rock

Figuratively and literally, God is our rock. Isaiah 26:4 says, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” We must trust in God because he is our shoulder whenever we need it or even if we don’t.

　　He always has our backs so much so that he gave his only begotten son to save us. We can read this in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

　　In Ephesians 3:11, he accomplished his purpose in Jesus, “according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Shortly after, Jesus became the Word, as written in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

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　　Life is full of trials and tribulations. Sometimes, we get tired from all the battles that we have to face. However, knowing that God is our figurative and literal rock makes us realize that we are in good hands.

　　We have a rock to lean on and we have a rock that makes us see the positive side of this world full of strife.

　　

God Lives Forever and Everything Exist Through Him

God being eternal means he lives forever, and, in the same way, everything exists because of him and only him.

　　We can read this in Isaiah 57:15, “For this is what the high and exalted One says — he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”

　　In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered (Hebrews 2:10).

　　Even our salvation exists through him because he lives forever.

　　What does it say about our life here on the earth? It tells us that because God is eternal, we should see beyond worldly possessions and focus on our eternal dwelling.

　　Luke 16:9 emphasizes this as written, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

　　God is eternal because he is beyond time, his dominion is everlasting, he is our eternal rock, and that he lives forever. What we see in this world was created by him and only him, and, if we choose, he will forever be with us.

　　He is worthy of our praise and we should continue to thank God for all of this. In Revelation 4:11, John writes, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will, they were created and have their being.”

　　For further reading:

　　Why Is it Important to Have an Eternal Mindset?

　　Is Eternal Security a ‘License’ to Sin?

　　Does Salvation Affect More Than Just Eternity?

　　What Does it Mean That God Is Transcendent?

　　Who Is the One True God?

　　What Does it Mean That Our Citizenship Is in Heaven?

　　What Is the Creation Story in the Bible?