Eternity and The Trinity

Dr. W. Noble King
All Rights Reserved

The Trinity is  transcendentally out of time, but immanent and active in time.

Eternity before time:
I Peter 1:19, 20," But with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish, and without spot; 20. Who verily was ordained  before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

Rev. 13:8 "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the World."

Eph.1:4 "According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love."

Matt. 25:34 "Then shall the king say to them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Eternity in time:
I Peter 1:20 " Who verily was ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times.

I Tim. 2:6: " Who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time."

Eternity after time:
Rev.5:6. "And I beheld, and, lo in the midst of the throne and of the four beast, and in the midst of the elders, stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth."  The cross is an eternal issue. The three crosses are one and the same; but are manifested in time at this point (1 Peter 1:20,  I Tim 2:6) for our benefit.  Sin and death are conquered at this point, before they had factual existence in the cosmos. (He has a graph here and an arrow pointing to Eternity before time. There is a cross in eternity before time.  There is a cross in time, and a cross in eternity after time. Perhaps a little later we can make a copy of the graph and put it  here and leave out the explanation. J.R.) They, sin and death entered the cosmos as defeated foes. Thus Christ was the first fruits of them that slept. We thus have pre-cross and post-cross heart purity, and resurrections from the dead, as Christ both died and rose again in the eternal united will of the God-head before time.

Texts with regard to heart purity:
Psalms 73:1,  "Truly God is good to Isreal, even to such as are of a clean heart."

Psalms 24:3,4, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? 4. He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully."

Matt. 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart :for they shall see God."

Acts 15:8,9 , "And God, which knoweth the hearts bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us 9.  And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith,"

Text with regard to resurrections:
I Kings 17:22, "And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived."

2Ki 4:35   "Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes." (AV) 

2Ki 13:21  "And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band [of men]; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet." (AV) 

Matt. 9:24, "He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn."

Luke 7:12, "Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and much people of the city were with her."

John 11:14, "Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead."

Acts 9:40, "But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and  she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter she sat up."

Jesus was the active agent in his own resurrection:
John 2: 19-22, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it again. Then said the Jews, forty and six years was this temple in the building, and wilt thou rear it in three days? But he spoke of the temple of his body. When therefore  he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture , and the word which Jesus had said to them."

John 10:17,18," Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life, that I might take it up again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again. This commandment have I received of my Father."

Matt. 20:19, " And shall deliver him to the gentiles to mock , and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again."

Mark 9:31,"For he taught his disciples and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day."

Mark 10:34, "And they shall  mock him ,and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again,"

Luke 18:33, "And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again."

Luke 24:7,"Saying the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."

Luke 24 ;34, "Saying the Lord is risen indeed and hath appeared to Simon."

Acts 10: 41, "Not unto All the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he arose from the dead."

Romans 8:34, "Who is he that condemneth?It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."

Jesus came from the presence of God:
John 1:1,2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2. The same was in the beginning with God.

John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 39  And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

John 6: 39  And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

John 6:40  And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 

John 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

John 6: 62  What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 

John 7:29  But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me. 

John 17:88  I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

Jesus returned to the presence of God: 
John 7:33  Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me.

John 14:28  Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?

John 16:5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 

John 16:10  Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 

John 13:3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;

John 16:16  A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

John 16:28  I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

John 13:1 Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

Luke 23:46  And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

Psalms 31:5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

Luke 23:43  And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

John 17:13  And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

Hebrews 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 

Jesus'  human nature and physical life were not to be left in the grave, and were to see no corruption. (DR King has a paper on this website "The self Grasp and Descenses of Jesus the Christ" that deals more fully with this subject. J.R.)

Mark 14:34  And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Isa.53:3,4,Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Psalm 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Acts 2:30  Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31  He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 35  Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Acts 13:29 , 35 29.  And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. 35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.  Thus Christ’s entire humanity; body soul passed into Sheol, or Hades, or was laid in the sepulchre; wherein his body saw no corruption , and from which it came forth.  The eternal ego or person, passed into the realm of redeemed spirits in heaven, but not on , or at the throne of God. Paradise signifies God’s presence. 

Rev 2: 7  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. ( Pope, II 167 ff.)

Some further thoughts:
1. The intermediate state of the righteous:
(1)   Paradise is an Asiatic word referring to parks and pleasure grounds of Oriental Monarchs. It is used in the Septuagint for the Garden of Eden (Gen.2:8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden and there he put the man whom he had formed."  In time it came to mean heaven (Luke 23:43 ) And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. 

II Cor.12:2-4;  And I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 

Rev.2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

(2)  It is generally used with regard to the so called intermediate state of the righteous ( Luke 23:43) as is the expression Abraham’s Bosom (Luke 16:22  And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried.)   "The scriptures, however, whatever else they may say respecting such a state, do not teach, any intermediate place: that is , a place short of and distinctive from heaven the abode of Christ" (Binney , P 137). The state within that place, however may repeatedly change.

2.   In (Peter 3:19, 20  "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;  20  Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of  Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.") Christ in Spirit inspired Noah and spoke through him to the spirits who were then people, but are now in prison waiting judgment. In fact it was this Christ who spoke through all the men who wrote the Bible ( Ellicott; Clark and others).

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