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NASB | Revelation 21:6 Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Revelation 21:6 And He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the one who thirsts I will give [water] from the fountain of the water of life without cost. [Is 55:1] |
Bible Question:
Thanks Doc for your thoughts. This is a huge concept I am trying to get my head around. Could you give me the references for some of the other scriptures on the same subject which you mentioned? Also, the paper you refer to, is that something I could access on-line? Thanks for your help. |
Bible Answer: Dear Diomede, If you succeed in wrapping your head around this, you'll have done far more than any other human has done! You see, truth is not simple, shallow, or trite. We are finite beings within the context of an enormously complex universe (both macroscopically and microscopically), created by an even more enormously complex God. We can only catch glimpses of the truth insofar as we are able to observe the world around us, and comprehend the revelation that God has provided us. John Calvin said something to the effect that God speaks baby-talk to us. He must stoop down and express things in simple ways. If He did not, there is no way we could understand anything about Him. In understanding the fundamental nature of God and His relationship to the universe, you might read the paper written by A. A. Hodge: http://www.mbrem.com/god/hodg-god.htm You also asked about the paper that I mentioned. I haven't put my finger on it, however, I found a possible substitute. He doesn't deal with it as thoroughly as the paper I remember, but in Dr. Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology (1994, Inter-Varsity Press) page 1162, he writes: "The new creation will not be 'timeless' but will include an unending succession of moments. Although a popular hymn speaks of the time 'when the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more,' Scripture does not give support to that idea. Certainly the heavenly city that receives its light from the glory of God (Rev 21:23) will never experience darkness r night: 'There shall be no night there' (Rev 21:25). But this does not mean that heaven will be a place where time is unknown or where things cannot be done one after another. Indeed, all the pictures of heavenly worship in the book of Revelation include words that are spoken one after another in coherent sentences, and actions (such as falling down before God's throne and casting crowns before His throne) that involve a sequence of events. When we read that 'the kings of the earth ... shall bring into it the gory and honor of the nations' (rev 21:24-26), we see another activity that involves a sequence of events, one happening after another. And, certainly, that is the clear implication of the fact that the tree of life has twelve kinds of fruit, 'yielding its fruit each month' (Rev 22:2). "Since we are finite creatures, we might also expect that we will always live in a succession of moments. Just as we will never attain to God's omniscience or omnipresence, so we shall never attain to God's eternity in the sense of seeing all time equally vividly and not living in a succession of moments or being limited by time. As finite creatures, we will rather live in a succession of moments that will never end." Much of this is highly philosophical. I love philosophy, but only as a handmaiden of theology. I'm glad you are seeking to understand the truth from a Biblical perspective. Keep in mind, however, that none of us will ever have all the answers. Not even in eternity! The blessed hope, however, is that the knowledge we will have in glory will be without error or misconception (1 Cor 13:12). Isn't that exciting? That means that we will never cease learning. Since God is infinite, we will never exhaust the object of our study, either! :-) In Him, Doc PS I have the day off from work, so I had a bit more time to respond. Nevertheless, I always have the sense that I deal with things too hastily. I apologize if I've been unclear or incomplete. |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Rev 21:6 | Author | ||
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Diomede | ||
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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Diomede | ||
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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cldickjr | ||
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humility | ||
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cem | ||
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Gdon |