Wow, great question Charis! Well now – to start with I cannot speak for God so i cannot answer your question literally. That said, I have given some thought to the relationship between the universe, God, and time and have a few observations of my own which may or may not be so – although i imagine I’ll get the answers sooner or later, or perhaps not. Lets start at the beginning with John 1:1 -“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” I’m assuming that means the beginning of the universe. A supreme being would create with thought – just think it and it is – that would be God and it does not require nor even desire time. Now if there was only God and he wanted to create beings with choice for whatever his reasons – to love, to be loved, to grow (my favorite), etc – then he had to find a way for them to think without simultaneously creating. For to do otherwise would require that they be given all of God’s knowledge and wisdom which would mean they would be little parts of God who thought, acted, etc, as God would – in other words clones. To create beings that that could seek God by choice – then it would be necessary to create choice and that required a few steps not other wise needed by God. To start with, as John said, there would have to be a separation of thinking and acting – and thus the ‘Word” – which John makes very clear is a part of God,
The Word, in fact by definition, creates time, for thought and action are separated. And time and space fit together like up and down – neither can exist without the other. So here comes time and with it space and the universe – from the Word. Now we have an environment that is made of God (perhaps a piece he calved off and set special rules to maintain). As an aside, it is clear with this reasoning that we and all around us are literally made of God – this makes it clear how much we mean to Him, how much we hurt Him when we act against His Word, how much He loves us (as Himself) and why we have forgiveness – cause we sure as heck are not going to always make the right choice – or it wouldn’t really be choice, would it?
This also explains the creation of the Devil – wherein totality is the Universe – physicality,, not God. So, it appears that God “dis- integrated” a part of Himself in order to give us life and choice- by Grace.and with the Word. In so doing He also created time and space – actually likely the other way around he created time and space in order to give us life and choice.
That said, I am suspicious that time is also marking something – most likely what it came from and that would be the Word and integration. This is just a guess, but it would make sense for God would shut down the Universe when the level of choice possible is contrary to integration and God. That would explain the apparent contradiction when God knows the end and yet we have freedom of choice, which one would expect would impact or adjust the time frame of the end of the universe. But it would not affect the level of choice at which God would end it all.
And hence a short synopsis of where I suspect time and space to have come from and what it means and where it is going – in short a siding (as in rail siding) in God created to give us choice by grace to achieve God’s desires.
I didn’t expect such a detailed answer. You obviously have been putting a lot of thought into this. You should have your own blog, Paul.
It’s interesting, though, that not two minutes before I read your response I read this: “Jesus is the word made flesh. In him speaking and acting were one.” Henri Nouwen
Charis: Subject to Change 
Ha! That’s interesting Charis. Time is so carefully measured and calculated and yet its essence is unknowable.
The best definition of time that I’ve heard is that the present is the knife edge across which the future passes to become the past.
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How does God see time?
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Wow, great question Charis! Well now – to start with I cannot speak for God so i cannot answer your question literally. That said, I have given some thought to the relationship between the universe, God, and time and have a few observations of my own which may or may not be so – although i imagine I’ll get the answers sooner or later, or perhaps not. Lets start at the beginning with John 1:1 -“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” I’m assuming that means the beginning of the universe. A supreme being would create with thought – just think it and it is – that would be God and it does not require nor even desire time. Now if there was only God and he wanted to create beings with choice for whatever his reasons – to love, to be loved, to grow (my favorite), etc – then he had to find a way for them to think without simultaneously creating. For to do otherwise would require that they be given all of God’s knowledge and wisdom which would mean they would be little parts of God who thought, acted, etc, as God would – in other words clones. To create beings that that could seek God by choice – then it would be necessary to create choice and that required a few steps not other wise needed by God. To start with, as John said, there would have to be a separation of thinking and acting – and thus the ‘Word” – which John makes very clear is a part of God,
The Word, in fact by definition, creates time, for thought and action are separated. And time and space fit together like up and down – neither can exist without the other. So here comes time and with it space and the universe – from the Word. Now we have an environment that is made of God (perhaps a piece he calved off and set special rules to maintain). As an aside, it is clear with this reasoning that we and all around us are literally made of God – this makes it clear how much we mean to Him, how much we hurt Him when we act against His Word, how much He loves us (as Himself) and why we have forgiveness – cause we sure as heck are not going to always make the right choice – or it wouldn’t really be choice, would it?
This also explains the creation of the Devil – wherein totality is the Universe – physicality,, not God. So, it appears that God “dis- integrated” a part of Himself in order to give us life and choice- by Grace.and with the Word. In so doing He also created time and space – actually likely the other way around he created time and space in order to give us life and choice.
That said, I am suspicious that time is also marking something – most likely what it came from and that would be the Word and integration. This is just a guess, but it would make sense for God would shut down the Universe when the level of choice possible is contrary to integration and God. That would explain the apparent contradiction when God knows the end and yet we have freedom of choice, which one would expect would impact or adjust the time frame of the end of the universe. But it would not affect the level of choice at which God would end it all.
And hence a short synopsis of where I suspect time and space to have come from and what it means and where it is going – in short a siding (as in rail siding) in God created to give us choice by grace to achieve God’s desires.
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I didn’t expect such a detailed answer. You obviously have been putting a lot of thought into this. You should have your own blog, Paul.
It’s interesting, though, that not two minutes before I read your response I read this: “Jesus is the word made flesh. In him speaking and acting were one.” Henri Nouwen
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