WHAT IS AN ETERNITY? by H. F. Phelps

Pacific Press Publishing Company · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · Oct 11, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 41.

WHAT IS AN ETERNITY?

By H. F. Phelps

EVIDENTLY, there is a height and depth, a length and breadth, to the purposes of God that is beyond the powers of the mind of man to conceive. The “secret things belong unto the Lord our God.” There is no use of our trying to pry into these secret things. They are beyond our comprehension, and, therefore, they are past finding out. “But those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children.” And there is an eternal purpose in their revelation, and in their belonging to us; and that is “that we may do all the words of this law,” and live forever. Deut. 29:29.

But our minds are altogether too narrow to take in those things that are revealed. Accustomed to dwell upon the sordid things of time and sense, we read the thoughts of God, and at once begin to ask whether these things are actually so. We actually question the wisdom of God, and if we can not bring His revealed thoughts down to the low strata in which our minds usually run, we conclude that they are not true. Instead of doing this, we should let our minds expand to take in the length and breadth of God’s requirements, the height and the depth of His purposes, as revealed in His Word.

What Is Time?

Time, to us, seems long. The youth looks forward to the years of maturity, but the time seems long. Still the moments fly swiftly by; and when old age comes on, the past seems but as a brief moment. Then what is time? What the measurement of one’s life? What is a thousand years? Or, what are the six or seven thousand years of this world’s existence? They are but a mere atom of duration; and, in comparison to an eternity, a mere point.

But What Is Eternity?

God alone can tell. Man can not comprehend its meaning. Even the angels of God do not know its length. But let us make a comparison; it is calculated by astronomers that the sun is 93,000,000 miles from this world. The most of us can comprehend the meaning of one, two, or three miles. Possibly we may be able to comprehend the meaning of a hundred miles. But who can actually take in ten thousand, or a thousand miles? Much less can we understand what is embraced in that vast distance of 93,000,000 miles. Suppose that a steam carriage should move at the rate of 20 miles an hour day and night towards the sun. How long would it take to reach that brilliant orb of the day? Several generations must pass away during the time; for it would occupy about 530 years.

Now suppose again that it were possible for a bird to fly from the earth to the sun, and it should carry in its beak one grain of sand, one drop of water, one blade of grass; in the course of time all the world would have been transferred to the sun. But of course it would take millions of millions of years. But that would not be eternity. All these millions of years would only be a mere speck upon the ocean of time; and eternity would still lie beyond. But the infinite One

Inhabits Eternity.

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isa. 57:15. And He who inhabits eternity, actually dwells with the humble man. He comes into his heart, to revive and to encourage him. And He gives him a little taste of life in this world, and makes promise of the eternity that is beyond. There are those, the sinless intelligences of the other world, that have in the past lived by faith in the power of God to save. And all the eternity of the future is before them, because they do believe. And the eternal One gives us the promise of the eternity that is beyond the brief time allotted to this world, if only we will believe in Him who has power to save. He can save. He does save. He is saving day by day those that believe, even in this world of sin. Praise His name.

H. F. PHELPS.