THE "BIBLICAL" VIEW OF TIME
(Last update 7/3/00)

The "normal" way most people look at time is linear. The past is "behind us," and the future "ahead of us." Adam and Eve existed about 6,000 years ago, the Torah came to Moses about 3,300 years ago, and the Messiah came about 2,000 years ago. This is all indeed true, from our point of view, from the "dimensions" we live in. As we will see however, there are a number of places in Scripture where things are hard to understand if we hold a linear view of time to be the only possibility.

The Biblical view of time is different. It is less concerned with "linear years" as it is with the cycle of events occuring within a year and the relationship these events have with God's eternal plan (i.e., references to them being a "picture" of what is in the heavenlies and a "shadow" of what is to come.)

Scripture tells us:

• Time was given for our "benefit" as part of creation
• We are but visitors on this earth. Our real home is in the heavenlies, "outside of time"

It would seem that we are not to live our lives in a strictly linear fashion (overly concerned with our "time" on this earth), but with our minds in the heavenlies (outside of time).

As such, Paul gave this command:

Colossians 3:1-2 - If you then be risen with Messiah, seek those things which are above, where Messiah sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Which raises the questions, HOW does one; Seek those things which are above and, Set his affection on things above? ("Affection" meaning; to interest oneself with concern or obedience. Strongs #5426.)

The answer begins with, "Study to show thyself approved." (2 Timothy 2:15)

Study what? God's Torah. (NOTE: There was no New Testament written when Paul wrote this.) For it is in the Torah that the foundation lies to understanding the deep mysteries of God, the heavenlies and His will for our lives.

In the Torah (extended through the whole Tenakh/Old Testament) we learn about; the Moedim (God's feasts), the Sabbath, the Shmitta and Yovel (Jubilee) years, the Tabernacle/Temple, the Sacrificial system and priesthood, Creation, the Shekinah and the unity of God. All of these make up what was, what is and what is to come. They also all relate to Messiah, who is the same, yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

GOD AND TIME

According to Ezekiel, God wants His people to study the third Temple (Ezekiel chapters 40-48). This is the Millennial Temple. What's the point of this? Is there some type of "mystery" here? Indeed there is. Ezekiel's Temple is a "physical parable" given to us to study and understand.

(Yeshua also spoke in parables -- God makes it deliberately "difficult" to learn about deep spiritual things for a purpose.)

A key point missed in most studies, is that the priests of the Millenial Temple (which includes gentiles - Isaiah 66:20-21) are in a perpetual state of Yom Kippur, as they are all dressed in the four linen garments as the High Priest would be on the Day of Atonement:

Ezekiel 44:17-18 - And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.

The same garments are dispensed to those who are killed for the sake of Torah and Yeshua in the "Great Tribulation." They are now allowed to serve as priests in the same fashion:

Revelation 6:9-11 - And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

There is an allusion to this union of time (Yom Kippur) and space (the Temple) in the heavenlies, found in Hebrews. Unfortunately, this book is consistently misinterpreted, as the fact that it is concerned primarily with the Yom Kippur sacrifice is not understood. (We will cover this in detail in our upcoming Hebrews study.)

In Hebrews, we are told that the earthly Yom Kippur sacrifice (done "in time" as we relate to it, by a tainted priesthood) could never be the perfect sacrifice that the Yom Kippur sacrifice was, done "outside of time" (as we relate to it), by a High Priest of the heavenly priesthood:

Hebrews 10:1 - For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

The writer of Hebrews looks beyond Yeshua's death on the cross, as He is called "the Lamb slain since the foundation of the world" (Hebrews 4:2 and also Revelation 13:8). The atonement He provided was completed since before man was created.

The Zohar speaks of Messiah's work being from time eternal:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 239b, 240a - “He hath washed his garments in wine”, even from the time of the Creation the reference being to the coming of the Messiah on earth. “Wine” indicates the left side, and “the blood of grapes” the left side below. The Messiah is destined to rule above over all the forces of the idolatrous nations and to break their power above and below. We may also explain that as wine brings joyfulness and yet typifies judgement, so the Messiah will bring gladness to Israel, but judgement to the Gentiles. The “spirit of God which hovered over the face of the waters” (Gen. I, 2) is the spirit of the Messiah, and from the time of the Creation he “washed his garments in celestial wine.”

This creates some serious topics of discussion. How could Yeshua already have done this before He "came to the earth?" Why did He have to come do this "again?"

Similar questions arise from Philippians chapter 2. Here it speaks of Yeshua receiving a name above all other names, from the Father, following His death. Did He not always have this name?

Another example is seen in Revelation chapter 12. Here we read of Satan and his angels being evicted from the heavenly realm of God, during the period of great tribulation on the earth. But did this not "already happen" a long time ago? Does it "happen again," or do we need to adjust how we think about things involving spiritual time and space?

CREATION, MESSIAH AND THE ALEPH-BET

The simple answer to all of these questions about time, is that from "God's point of reference," these things are already done as He exists outside of time. We however, are to experience them "in time," which God created for us.

Recall how Yeshua explains that He is eternal, in the book of Revelation:

Revelation 1:8 - I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Greek-based Bibles use "Alpha and Omega," which strips away the depth of Yeshua's words. In the Hebrew, the letters are called the Aleph and the Tav (or "Tau"). Yeshua (the lamb slain since the foundation of the world), says He is (presently) the beginning AND the end. This concept is found throughout Jewish literature, where Aleph and Tav represent a totality without beginning or end.

Here we see the Aleph alone representing the composite unity (echad) of the Godhead:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 21a - First of all is Aleph, the beginning and end of all grades, that on which all the grades are imprinted and which yet is always called “one”, to show that although the Godhead contains many forms, it is still only one.

NOTE: Although the Zohar speaks of the Godhead containing many forms or aspects (in fact three major ones), this is not the same as the idea of the "Christian Trinity." This will be addressed later in this study.

All of creation is represented by the 22 Hebrew letters from Aleph to Tav:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 30a - “The heavens” are the totality of twenty-two letters.

The relationship between male and female is associated with the first two letters, Aleph and Beth:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 200a - The aleph is the image of the male principle as against the beth, which is the image of the female principle;

NOTE: it is critical to note that these remarks about "male" and "female" are strictly allegorical. To take them otherwise leads to paganism.

Technically (according to Jewish literature), God began creation of the earth with the second letter, the "beth," which is "feminine." "Beth" is the first letter of the first book Bereshith (Genesis). "Beth" is related to Wisdom, which is directly associated with creation and therefore with Messiah, through whom all was created.

We see all this in the Zohar along with the unity of God and His creation expressed through the Aleph:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 3b - Thou hast already bestowed on the letter Beth this great gift, it is not meet for the Supreme King to take away the gift which He has made to His servant and give it to another. The Lord said to her: Aleph, Aleph, although I will begin the creation of the world with the beth, thou wilt remain the first of the letters. My unity shall not be expressed except through thee, on thee shall be based all calculations and operations of the world, and unity shall not be expressed save by the letter Aleph. Then the Holy One, blessed be His name, made higher-world letters of a large pattern and lower-world letters of a small pattern. It is therefore that we have here two words beginning with beth (Bereshith bara) and then two words beginning with aleph (Elohim eth). They represent the higher-world letters and the lower-world letters, which two operate, above and below, together and as one. BERESHITH (In the beginning). Said R. Yudai: ‘What is the meaning of Bereshith? It means “with Wisdom”, the Wisdom on which the world is based, and through this it introduces us to deep and recondite mysteries. In it, too, is the inscription of six chief supernal directions, out of which there issues the totality of existence.’

Psalm 136:5 - To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Jeremiah 10:12 - He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.

John 1:1-3 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

As mentioned earlier in this study, this unity (as expressed in the Shema - Deuteronomy 6:4, which we will cover later), will be reestablished through Messiah at the time of the Millennium, where Yeshua is seen proclaiming that He is the Aleph and the Tav.

An interesting section in the Zohar has the letters "competing" for position in the creation process. Again, we remind the reader that this is strictly allegorical.

Here we have the Tav asking God to be first:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 2b - May it please Thee, O Lord of the world, to place me first in the creation of the world, seeing that I am the concluding letter of EMeTh (Truth) which is engraved upon Thy seal, and seeing that Thou art called by this very name of EMeTh, it is most appropriate for the King to begin with the final letter of EMeTh and to create with me the world. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her: Thou art worthy and deserving, but it is not proper that I begin with thee the creation of the world, since thou art destined to serve as a mark on the foreheads of the faithful ones (Ezek. IX, 4) who have kept the Law from Aleph to Tau, and through the absence of this mark the rest will be killed; and, further, thou formest the conclusion of MaWeTh (death).

The Zohar's reference to Ezekiel is as follows:

Ezekiel 9:4 - And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

Note that the response from God in the previous paragraphs complements that found in Revelation. The mark on their heads is the Tav. In both cases, those who receive this mark (or seal) are the ones who keep the Torah (the Law) and can enter into the heavenly wedding feast:

Revelation 7:3 - And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

Revelation 12:17 - And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 14:12 - Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Revelation 22:14 - Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

COMMENTS: By studying all of these things on a deep level, we see that time is not only linear. With God in the heavenlies, there is no "past and future," as they are one. The beginning is the end.

Picture along this path with no real beginning or end, God's eternal Torah, the cycle of His feast days repeating "year after year," and the study of His Temple -- the shadows of what is to come.