God is Eternal
Before the mountains were formed, before the expanse of the universe took its first breath, before the stars twinkled in the midnight sky, there was One who existed in unchanging glory - the Eternal God. A concept that stretches our understanding, an eternal existence is something our finite minds struggle to comprehend. Yet it is at the very heart of the nature of God. He is the uncaused Cause, the timeless Creator of time itself, the Everlasting, the I AM.
The pages of the sacred Scripture unfold a narrative where God, in His eternal essence, interacts with temporal, finite beings. In the arid wilderness, Moses beholds a bush ablaze but not consumed. From the flames, the Voice of the Eternal One resounds, "I AM WHO I AM." This name, YHWH, is the clearest declaration of God's timeless, changeless existence. The God who simply is, who stands outside time, yet enters into it, revealing His eternal glory to humankind.
In the prophets' writings, we glimpse the eternal wisdom of God, declaring "the end from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10). Through the lens of history, we see His eternal reign, a Kingdom that has no end (Daniel 4:34). Woven into the fabric of Scripture are threads of His eternal love that "endures forever" (Psalm 136:1) and His eternal promises symbolized in the covenant rainbow (Genesis 9:16). From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible proclaims the mystery of God's eternal existence - the constant in an ever-changing universe, the one sure foundation when all else fades. "From everlasting to everlasting, you are God" (Psalm 90:2).
God's Eternal Existence
Genesis 21:33
"Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God."
Exodus 3:14
"God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And he said, 'Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'"
Psalm 90:2
"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."
Isaiah 40:28
"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable."
Revelation 22:13
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
God's Eternal Knowledge and Wisdom
Psalm 147:5
"Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure."
Isaiah 46:10
"Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'"
Romans 11:33
"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!"
God's Eternal Reign
Psalm 10:16
"The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land."
Psalm 29:10
"The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever."
Psalm 45:6
"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness."
Daniel 4:34
"At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation."
God's Eternal Love
Psalm 136:1
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever."
Jeremiah 31:3
"The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."
Romans 8:38-39
"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
God's Eternal Promise
Genesis 9:16
"When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."
Isaiah 55:3
"Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David."
Hebrews 13:20
"Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,"
God's Eternal Life
John 1:1-2
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God."
1 Timothy 1:17
"To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen."
1 John 5:20
"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life."
A Prayer to Our Eternal God
Heavenly Father,
The Eternal and Everlasting, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, we come before Your holy throne in awe of Your majesty and unending glory. In the splendor of Your holiness, we find ourselves at a loss for words, yet our hearts yearn to express the reverence and honor that are due to You alone.
Lord, we praise You for Your unchanging nature, that You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. We marvel at Your timeless wisdom, You who declared the end from the beginning, whose knowledge stretches far beyond the bounds of our comprehension. We celebrate Your eternal reign, acknowledging that Your kingdom will have no end, and Your dominion spans generations, untouched by the wear of time.
We stand humbled by the depth of Your love, a love that has no beginning and no end, a love that is as constant as Your eternal existence. You have loved us with an everlasting love and demonstrated it in the most profound way possible, by sending Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to reconcile us to Yourself.
Your goodness, Lord, is beyond measure, and we experience it anew with each day that dawns. Your mercies are new every morning, and Your faithfulness is great. Even when we falter and fail, You remain faithful, for You cannot deny Yourself.
As we pray, we are reminded of the eternal life you have promised us through Christ, a promise sealed by Your very own Spirit. What a marvelous truth that we, finite and mortal, are granted the privilege of partaking in Your eternal life!
So, we praise You, Eternal King. May our lives be a ceaseless act of worship, a never-ending hymn of praise to You, our God, who was, who is, and who is to come. In the precious and eternal name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, we pray. Amen.
