A
man googled “the difference between everlasting and eternal" and found this:
"Both
of these terms refer to existence. However, 'eternal' indicates something that
has no beginning and no end. It has existed and it continues to exist.
'Everlasting', though, is about something that has a beginning but will last
forever."
Then
he insisted that someone godly and alert-minded had personally heard me teaching the same.
I’m
sure the above are neither my words nor my thoughts. In
any case, the above spurred some brief thoughts as I muse on the words quoted
above.
1.
The terms eternal and everlasting refer to the REALM of existence, not
existence; the former in the realm of eternity and the latter in the realm of
temporality; one is outside of the realm of time, and the other is bound in the
realm of time.
-
They speak of the existence in different REALM – one in eternity, the other in
time.
2.
Beginning and end have relevance only in the realm of time; the concept of
everlasting is irrelevant in the realm of eternity, it's a needless redundant
word.
-
The Triune God, the I AM THAT I AM, is both BEFORE the beginning of time and
BEYOND the end of time; He existed before the beginning of time (Gen 1:1) and
He remains ABOVE/OUTSIDE of time He has created, and continues beyond the end
of time when He abolishes it.
-
In that sense God alone is absolutely from everlasting to everlasting, i.e. He
created time, and He also will end time; He was there at the beginning of time
and He will be there at the end of time.
3.
When the eternal Word was made flesh, One in the REALM of eternity entered into
the REALM of time.
-
Through Christ, the divinely begotten Son of God, and His redemptive work for
His people, they who existed and are bound in the realm of time (and sin and
death and condemnation too) are made fit to exist in the realm of eternity.
WHAT MAGIC! That’s the gospel of God.
-
Both everlasting life and eternal life are spoken of concerning Christ’s
redeemed people. The two terms are not synonymous even though many wish to
insist otherwise. One or two passages from the KJT are enough to debunk such a notion.
-
It is everlasting life because it shall be preserved by God till the end of
time; it began at some point in time and last until the end of time for
glorification. 1Pet 1:4,
4.
Glorification will translate the redeemed from the realm of time (subject to
changes) into the realm of eternity (not subject to changes).
-
Glorification is the ABSOLUTE last change that all the redeemed will
experience.
-
The penultimate change for some of the redeemed shall be being
surrendered/delivered up by hell for glorification – that’s my personal belief,
of course, but based on the Scriptures’ authority, in my opinion.
-
What a glorious gospel of God, making those bound in the realm of time FIT to
enter the realm of eternity, the realm of the Divine and blessedness.
As an aside, hell is in the realm of time, it’s everlasting but will end at God’s appointed time; the lake of fire WILL BE in the realm of eternity, appointed by God.
Christ’s redemptive work dealt with eternal salvation; He saved His people from the eternal lake of fire.
2Ti 2:7 “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things."
Amen.
