THE WHY OF TIME

This hidden word about the future......

Time and "eternity" exist simultaneously. Eternity is not pie-in-the-sky-in-the-sweet-by-and-by; it's not "off in the future", but is the unseen dimension which exists in, around, and through this dimension of time. Eternity is the spiritual dimension; the dimension of REALITY. In this dimension there is no such thing as "past" or "future", for there it is always NOW. Other words used to describe eternity are heaven, heavens, and heavenlies. The method of communication in this dimension is thought; non verbal communication.

The idea of time and hence, it's coming into existence as a dimension, was necessary in order for there to be a creation of tangible, visible, available-to-the-senses objects or forms; ie, the realm of matter; of plant, animal, stars, planets, and etc. It had to be a separate dimension because of it's cyclical operating principle, which does not occur in eternity/reality; the realm of immortality.

The realm/dimension of immortality...........

Gen.3:22,24"......Now therefore, lest he (man) thrust forth his hand and take even of the Tree of Life and eat and live to times age abiding......" "So He (God) expelled the man, and caused to dwell in front of the Garden of Eden-cherubim and a brandishing sword flame to keep (guard)the way of the Tree of Life"
Rev.2:7b "Unto him that overcomes, I will give unto him to EAT OF THE TREE OF LIFE which is in the paradise of god" (Paradise is another word describing the dimension of reality)
Rev.22:14"Happy, they who are washing their robes, THAT THEIR RIGHT (authority, license, permission)MAY BE UNTO THE TREE OF LIFE......."
John11:25-26 "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believes on Me EVEN THOUGH HE DIE (the first death), shall live again! (the first resurrection) And no one who lives again (experiences the first resurrection) and believes on Me shall in anywise die unto times age abiding. Believe you this?"
Rev.2:10c "Become faithful unto death (the first death) and I will give you the crown of life "(immortality-the first resurrection)
Rev.2:11b "He that overcomes shall in nowise be injured by reason of the SECOND DEATH" (ie, he that is faithful and experiences the first death doesn't go through the second death)
Rev.20:4-6 "And I saw thrones and they sat upon them and sentence of judgment was given unto them ("they" are authorized to judge because of what they have experienced-the discription of which follows); and I saw the souls of them who had been beheaded because of the witness of Jesus and because of the Word of God, and such as had not done homage unto the wild beast or unto his image nor had received the mark upon their forehead or upon their hand; AND THEY LIVED AND REIGNED WITH THE CHRIST FOR A THOUSAND YEARS. The rest of the dead lived not (they were not raised from the dead) until the thousand years were ended. THIS (the thousand year reign) IS THE FIRST RESURRECTION. Happy and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection (because he experienced the first death) UPON THESE THE SECOND DEATH HAS NO AUTHORITY; but they shall be priests of God and of the Christ and shall reign with Him for the thousand years".

The process that is the "christian" life, has an ultimate goal which is IMMORTALITY. The process means one has to learn to live in two dimensions. The individual must learn that his earthly life is not the real life. Most professing ones live as though Paul said,"Flesh and blood WILL inherit the Kingdom of God", when of course he didn't. Many are busy being conformed to this world in thought and word and deed and know it not, because they are living in the pot on the fire with the frog.

Immortality is eating of the Tree of Life. Immortality, the crown of life and the Tree of Life are the same thing. The resurrection of Christ in history removed the guard; the cherubim with the flaming sword; from the entryway to paradise where the Tree is "located"-the dimension of reality. This is shown by the passages in Rev. 2:7b and 22:14 above. As the individual becomes more and more conformed to Christ, he is eating the fruit of the Tree and clothing himself-putting on- immortality.

The biggest hurdle for the individual is described in Rev.2:10c and 2:11 above. This is where most professing ones decide to quit the game and go sit in the stands. They are unable or unwilling to "die" the first death. They want to hang on to their earthly life through self preservation, self defence, and the desire of understanding and sympathy of others. These passages have nothing to do with physical death, but rather with the putting off of the "body of sin" which Paul mentioned in Romans. The "body of sin" is self consciousness; the continuous living where one's self is the center of the universe; ie, measuring others by one's own standards; expecting others to act or not to act in certain ways. Basically this is self idolatry. "Everyone must measure up to me"; and all the emotional baggage that goes along with it.

In order to overcome (Rev.2:10&11), the individual must be ruthless with himself and be determined to "enter the narrow gate and walk the narrow path" that leads to life-immortality. There is not much company on this path because most others are on "broadway" where the neon lights are and the party is never ending and the end result is THE SECOND DEATH, because the first one was refused.

When one overcomes here then he begins to live in the two dimensions; his body is on the earth and his mind is in the "heavenlies". This is how Jesus lived in His earthly sojourn, and HE CONTINUALLY LIVES THE SAME LIFE IN AND THROUGH OTHERS WHO LAY DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THIS MANNER. This is the life of being misunderstood by others; being accused of being "of the devil" and "being so heavenly minded you're no earthly good". SETTLE IT IN YOUR MIND!; this is the fulfillment of many of the things Jesus said about being persecuted and also is the fulfillment of:

1Cor.2:15 "but the man of the spirit, on the one hand examines (understands)all things, but on the other, he himself by no one is examined"(understood)

To sum up: Eating of the fruit of the Tree of Life is putting on immortality. There are two "deaths" and two "resurrections". The true christian lives in two dimensions simultaneously-earth physically and heaven mentally. They who submit to the first death do not have to go through the second. Because they experience the first death, they also experience the first resurrection.

Jesus spoke of this in hidden form when He said except a man "hate" those closest to him and even his own life also, he could not be His disciple.