Topical Bible: God is Declared to Be: Eternal

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Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of God's eternality is a foundational attribute in Christian theology, emphasizing His existence beyond the constraints of time and space. This attribute is consistently affirmed throughout Scripture, underscoring God's unchanging and everlasting nature.

Scriptural Affirmations of God's Eternality

1. Psalm 90:2 · "Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God." This verse poetically affirms God's existence before the creation of the world, highlighting His eternal nature that transcends time.

2. Isaiah 40:28 · "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His understanding is beyond searching out." Here, God's eternality is linked with His role as Creator, emphasizing His perpetual existence and inexhaustible strength.

3. Deuteronomy 33:27 · "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out the enemy before you, saying, 'Destroy him!'" This passage presents God's eternal nature as a source of security and protection for His people.

4. 1 Timothy 1:17 · "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." In this doxology, the Apostle Paul ascribes eternal kingship to God, acknowledging His immortality and sovereignty.

5. Revelation 1:8 · "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty." This declaration from the book of Revelation encapsulates God's eternal presence, affirming His existence from the beginning to the end of time.

Theological Implications

The eternality of God implies that He is not bound by the temporal limitations that govern human existence. Unlike created beings, God has no beginning or end, and His purposes and promises are unchanging and reliable. This attribute assures believers of God's constant presence and faithfulness throughout all generations.

Eternality in Relation to Other Attributes

God's eternality is intrinsically linked to His immutability, omniscience, and omnipotence. As an eternal being, God is unchanging (immutable) and possesses complete knowledge (omniscience) and power (omnipotence) throughout all of time. His eternal nature ensures that His divine attributes are consistently exercised in accordance with His perfect will.

Historical and Doctrinal Perspectives

Throughout church history, the doctrine of God's eternality has been upheld as a critical tenet of orthodox Christian belief. The early church fathers, such as Augustine, emphasized God's timeless existence as a key aspect of His divine nature. The Nicene Creed, a foundational statement of Christian faith, implicitly affirms God's eternality by declaring belief in "one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth."

In summary, the Bible consistently declares God to be eternal, a truth that provides profound assurance and hope to believers, affirming His unchanging nature and everlasting presence.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 33:27
The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before you; and shall say, Destroy them.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 90:2
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Revelation 4:8-10
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Greek

3724. horizo -- to mark off by boundaries, to determine
... in conjunction with His eternal (providence, see ... 4309 ("-horizon, -determine")
emphasizes God's with, as ... Word Usage appointed (2), declared (1), determined (3 ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3724.htm - 8k

Library

Twentieth Proposition of Arminius
... possible to declare that freedom, if God should prescribe the condition on which
He would communicate good; that it was declared by his eternal decree, when he ...
/.../the works of james arminius vol 3/twentieth proposition of arminius.htm

The Christian Faith
... Jesus Christ came not only to reveal God, the Father, to man but also to ... resurrection
and the life to come, the issues of which are declared to be eternal. ...
/.../sell/studies in the life of the christian/study v the christian faith.htm

The Holy Spirit in the Passion of Christ.
... through the Eternal Spirit that we might serve the living God.". ... escape from this,
they adopted the other extreme, and declared that the Eternal Spirit had ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxii the holy spirit in.htm

A Memorable Sentence,
... itself, its contest and reward by God are declared. ... Deo } The blessed Assembly confesses
to God by looking to ... to them the reward of an eternal habitation with ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mede/a key to the apocalypse/a memorable sentence .htm

"Eternal Sin"
... hath never forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin ... It is evident also that any
crime declared by Scripture ... sinning a sin not unto death, "and God will give ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 3 28-30 eternal sin.htm

Our Lord's Sacerdotal Prayer
... "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom thou hast sent. ... "And I have declared unto them thy name ...
/.../bounds/the reality of prayer/xi our lords sacerdotal prayer.htm

Divine Election and Reprobation
... in different measures, attain the assurance of this their eternal and unchangeable ...
doctrine of election by the most wise counsel of God was declared by the ...
/.../anonymous/synod of dort/divine election and reprobation.htm

One and the Same God the Father Inflicts Punishment on the ...
... one Father who confers rest, and another God who has ... the Father's kingdom, but the
other into eternal fire. ... and the same Father is manifestly declared [in this ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xl one and the same.htm

The Future Judgment by Christ Communion with and Separation from ...
... therefore the loss of these is also eternal and never ... calamity upon them: and therefore
the Lord declared, "He that ... that is, is not separated from God, for he ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxvii the future judgment by.htm

Of the Eternal Election, by which God Has Predestinated Some to ...
... preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and ... people; while in another,
love is declared to be ... 47:4). The endowments with which God had adorned ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 21 of the eternal.htm