The Timeline of Eternity

Openers The purpose of this material is to present a biblical worldview of history in the form of a written timeline. In the interest of progressing steadily through the history, a relatively bare-bones highlighting and discussion of key events shall be used in the main text, with clarifications and expounding offered through footnotes and endnotes. Initially, though, let us consider a question that relates thematically to this text: “How can such a form of this book’s title as The History of Eternity be anything except immediately taken as a ridiculously presumptuous claim?” If one is aware of two truths—(1) that the Bible presents an accurate summary of eternity (one that is at least as empirically verifiable as the modern secular mythology, that ironically passes for “science” today via consensus of those who share the same fanciful feelings about the percentage of metaphysical notions that inform and steer their worldview, including ultimate cosmic origin and the origin of life), and (2) it is less complicated to distinguish the Bible’s superior historical framework from incorrect historical frameworks than one might at first expect—then this material’s title, at least in its broadest strokes, can rightly be taken seriously by intellectually honest individuals. To touch upon a final concern before we begin with the timeline, something should be said about the fact that there are so many differing models for the story, the history, of the biblically revealed order of events (especially for beginnings and end times), so one must wonder how any model could be seen as being the most biblically accurate. For starters, the problem isn’t with the Bible, but with its interpreters. The latter statement really isn’t rooted in any present authorial pride; rather, it is rooted in the most often negated foundational need for everyone to accept that we must approach biblical truth with a blank slate willingness to at least recognize that preconceptions work against the goal of allowing (fancy word) exegesis to do the work. This cannot be meaningfully done, for one thing, without believing that the Bible is literally true. It is hardly an invitation to open oneself to doctrinal error to admonish readers to engage in earnest prayer for the Spirit’s aid when examining every portion of Scripture which bears upon the subject, noting the simple and ofttimes obvious teaching of each, and observing how the various texts interpret and corroborate one another, or not. But another precaution principle is necessary; one must mark, for example, a chosen verse’s apparent degree of emphasis and clarity, as assigned to the topic of interest, and give it, as nearly as possible, the same in one’s own formulation of understanding. For the sharing of even flatly true doctrines may sometimes be to some degree misguided in some contexts if unduly presented to the exclusion of others, to which, as one may see by their greater directness or clarity, the Spirit of God may attach even more importance. Such a long-known but less commonly practiced course, if indeed more generally adopted, would rightly reduce the great number of models that could be considered as being among the most legitimate. The reader might also appreciate the observation, “What good does it do to present a biblical worldview, or “model,” for individuals who don’t recognize the validity of ‘the Bible as history’?” An empirical verification of the Bible as being what it claims to be—the literal word of God—is incorporated into this timeline. * The Timeline Proper before the beginning In the eternal past, before any of God’s creative acts, and thus before the time of Genesis 1:1, the beginningless God existed alone. The first creative act of God, and perhaps seeming odd because it refers to an occurrence that is still before the time of Genesis 1:1 when God introduced something besides himself, is a dimension of existence that includes some higher forms of physicality, meaning the creation of divine beings who are perfectly holy, the to-be-further- discussed elohim heavenly council, the latter italicized English translation of the Hebrew word ( “ אֱלֹהִֽים׃ ” ) whose meaning includes (among other subgroups), for example, such commonly known “higher forms” as angels. The fact of God’s created elohim forms existing before the time of Genesis 1:1 is availed in the Job 38: 4a, & 7 timeframe: “[4a] Where wast thou WHEN [unquestionably occurring in the very moment of Genesis 1:1 when] I laid the foundations of the earth? ...[7] WHEN the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God [elohim] shouted for joy?” (Italicized style, capitalized form for whole words, and brackets, added). In other words, these previously created elohim “son” varieties, also called Watchers, are to eventually become eyewitnesses of God’s Genesis 1:1 creation moment. (Readers may wish to verify such original “elohim” Hebraic usage by means of an interlinear resource, such as https://biblehub.com.) Of course, “the most High” Elohim is the one and only Creator God, “the Elohim of elohim” as it were (as Deuteronomy 10:17 and Psalms 136:2 use, so the existence of various types of lesser elohim does not in any way at all constitute a pantheon or polytheism as promoters of the cult of The Modern Secular Mythology like to falsely claim). This speaks of Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God [Elohim] (brackets added)…” Yahweh himself, indeed the one and only. Conversely, the noun form of “elohim” is plural, and is not a proper name, but when used in reference to the Elohim-Creator, the term, then, is always used with a singular verb. A Purposeful Aside’s 1st of 4 Elements: --the “1:1 order and origin status” The above-quoted Job 38:4 & 7 shows that the lesser elohim exist at that before-time to the Genesis 1:1 creation, and accordingly, the yet-to-come 6-day period popularly called “creation week” must not be confused with the incident, for the six days of Genesis 1 is not how God accomplishes this joyously elohim-witnessed 1:1 event…