The Rest of God—In Eternal Paradise
The New Testament book of Hebrews provides insight into the Genesis 1-2 creation story that differs from the familiar interpretations that we know today. In our contemporary interpretations, the earth must be very young to satisfy a straightforward reading of the text, if one accepts the young earth interpretation that imposes our temporal notions of days of time on the Biblical text of Genesis. This young earth view conflicts with an obvious appearance of extreme age, and an expanse of time so deep and vast that the human mind cannot comprehend it. It is this deep time entity that George Wald was willing to credit for his “impossible miracles” in this fallen world of death that we presently inhabit. But if the Genesis 1-2 creation is of a Garden and people in God’s eternal Paradise, then there can be no conflict between our familiar days on this planet and the days of creation in God’s eternal realm (Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8-9).
What I am suggesting is a change in perspective—from temporal to eternal, from a paradigm of creation limited by time to an unlimited eternal paradigm. Such a drastic change in thinking is not unprecedented; there is good precedent for such revolutionary paradigmatic shift in religion and science. For millennia the prevalent view of the heavens was that they were centered on the earth (geocentric) such that all planets and stars revolved around Planet Earth, which was the center of the universe. This was the standard interpretation of cosmology until the Polish astronomer Copernicus (1473-1543) published his hypothesis that the sun was central (heliocentric) and that all the planets, including Earth, rotated around the sun. Copernicus’ suggested hypothesis has been proven and our view of the place of Earth in the universe has permanently changed to accord with cosmologic science.
In like manner the popular young earth interpretation of Genesis 1 defines this unique creation account in terms of days of time in our familiar fallen earth perspective. Once again we have a geocentric perspective, and it is this perspective that is limiting understanding of the Biblical creation account in Genesis and creating conflict with scientific observation of our present world in time. But are we correct in imposing our view of time on God’s creative acts? The Bible’s book of Hebrews provides some insight on the “days” of creation.
The biblical book of Hebrews focuses light on the “days” of creation. This focus suggests that the imposition of our familiar earthbound 24 hour days on the Genesis 1 account of creation may not be legitimate. In fact, the letter to Hebrew Christians recorded in the inspired (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21) text of the Bible suggests that the days of creation in Genesis 1 are not the 24 hour days that we think as we reason from our temporal perspective in our time limited ancient world.
The writer to Hebrew Christians composed a carefully reasoned letter to reveal to his readers what they had received in Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures. The writer is careful to demonstrate how the Christian’s hope is based on the ancient Hebrew words of God, as recorded in the Old Testament. Part of his reasoning is an analysis of God’s “rest,” which the faithful are called to enter in Hebrews 3:7 – 4:9. This text is copied below. The capitalized portions are quotes from the Hebrew Scriptures, which Christians refer to as the Old Testament. This passage merits more than a cursory reading to grasp the full import of the writer’s words. I have bolded the words “today” and “rest” to help provide focus.
(Hebrews 3:7-19) Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, {8} DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, {9} WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED ME BY TESTING ME, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. {10} “THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; {11} AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’” {12} Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. {13} but encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. {14} For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, {15} while it is said, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.” {16} For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? {17} And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? {18} And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? {19} So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
(Hebrews 4:1-11) Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. {2} For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. {3} For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, “AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,” although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. {4} For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS”; {5} and again in this passage, “THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.” {6} Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, {7} He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.” {8} For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. {9} So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. {10} For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. {11} Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.
In the above passage the inspired writer exhorts his readers not to procrastinate regarding a durable relationship with the Lord God. That relationship is defined as entry into the “rest” of God. The readers then and now are repeatedly exhorted to enter God’s REST “TODAY,” not yesterday or tomorrow or at some future time before they die. What is this “rest” of God?
Hebrews compares the “rest” of God by historical analogy to the promised rest in the land of Canaan over Jordan, to which Moses and Joshua led the Israelites, who were formerly Egyptian slaves, through the desert of Sinai. But these people were rebellious and did not trust God. Therefore they did not enter God’s “rest” over the Jordan River.
But the Hebrews writer clearly states that the “rest” of God to which he is referring is more than a piece of land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, as he demonstrates by quoting David in Psalm 95:7 (verse 7 of Hebrews 4) and concluding that “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. (verse 9 of Hebrews 4).” The writer clearly identifies what he means by the “rest” and “Sabbath rest,” in verse 4 of chapter 4,
(Hebrews 4:4) For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS”;
Where in the Bible is this reference to which the Hebrews writer refers? His reference is to none other than the Genesis account.
(Genesis 2:2-3) By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. {3} Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
The Sabbath rest of God, to which those who trust Christ are promised entry (Hebrews 4:1-3), and from which those who are disobedient are excluded by his wrath (Heb 3:18-19), is clearly identified as the seventh day of the creation sequence in Genesis 1. The seventh day of God’s rest is clearly consecutive with the six creative days of God in Genesis 1.
God’s rest is the promised reward and environment to which His trusting people are admitted by the gracious cleansing blood of Christ (John 1:1-14). Hence I think we may view the days of creation in Genesis 1 as describing God’s activity in the “days” of his eternal environment, because that is clearly what the letter to the Hebrews is exhorting us to enter. That is where Jehovah covenants with people to rule over his eternal creation forever. It seems reasonable, even preferable to me, to view the “days” of God’s creation not according to the parameters of mankind’s temporal estate in this cursed creation, into which people are born at enmity with their Creator and fearful of him, but as His sovereign intent and purpose in his eternal real estate for man to be in perfect communion with his Creator through His Son Jesus Christ.
The writer to Hebrews compares the Exodus by analogy to the contemporary circumstance of Christian believers. Egypt with its serpent-crowned Pharaoh is a type of Satan and sin. So also is our circumstance in this cursed world where we are slaves of sin. Moses is a type of Christ, leading His people out of slavery to Satan and sin. Likewise, Christ is our Leader out of sin’s slavery (Matthew 23:10; Ephesians 4:8; Psalm 68:18). The Promised Land of Canaan is a type of rest and reward with God, the eternal climax of God’s salvation. And the Israelites’ wilderness journey for a generation is a type of our own generational journey and decision process through this fallen temporal wilderness on our way to the Promised Land of God’s eternal rest. In other words, this fallen world is our time cursed wilderness, and the Promised Land is our eternal rest in God, which is God’s Paradise and the only place where His Tree of Life, which is a metaphor for Christ and the Cross, grows to secure His eternal life for us.
Genesis 1 describes for us the initial good eternal real estate that God created for His people, and it is the ultimate eternal resting place of God with His faithful obedient people. Believers who trust God today are admitted by grace through faith in the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ. The eternal perspective focuses on this eternal real estate, and the believing pilgrim enters (“partakes of”, Hebrews 3:14) God’s rest even while the pilgrim is still in the present here and now of TODAY. The temporal perspective cannot see the eternal perspective and therefore scoffs at this point of view. But the writer to the Hebrews keeps emphasizing entry TODAY, while there is still time for each person to repent and renounce his selfish sins and accept God’s amazing grace. While it is TODAY—while we are still in historical time and before the end of our days in time—we may obey and respond to God’s gracious offer of reconciliation and eternal life with Him! This is the most significant event of our pilgrimage in time–that we not miss the blessings of eternal life!
The Hebrews writer’s explicit reference to the Sabbath rest remaining for the people of God by identifying that Sabbath with the rest that God established on the seventh day of the creation week strongly supports the identification of the “days” of creation being part of God’s seasons in His eternal environment and real estate. Even if young earth creationists were to succeed in scientifically proving to the satisfaction of everyone that the earth is only thousands of years old, which I think they clearly will not, it still seems to me that this earth that we live on in our here and now could not be the same world that God created in Genesis 1.
For Genesis 2:2-3 tells us clearly that God created in six days and rested on the seventh day, which he blessed and sanctified. Further, the writer to the Hebrews tells us that we, who are currently trapped in time, should take heart and unite the Gospel with faith, and enter God’s seventh day rest TODAY while we still have TIME! The importance of entering this seventh day rest of God is memorialized by God’s command to His people to remember the Sabbath (seventh day) and keep it holy (Genesis 2:3; Exodus 20:8-11), for we are to be holy as God is holy (Leviticus 11:44-45), and we will dwell with a Holy God in eternal Sabbath (rest).
The earthly Sabbath is but a shadow of the holy rest of God in his eternal paradise, because eternity is where God dwells and rests from his works, which “were finished from the foundation of the world” (Hebrews 4:3). In Hebrews 4:3 we see a mingling of temporal and eternal perspectives. The first half of the sentence, “they shall never enter” is future tense, spoken as a warning to those who are trapped in time and in danger of missing eternal rest. The second half of the sentence, “His works were finished from the foundation of the world” is in the aorist past tense, indicating a finished, once for all completed action. “Finished” is the eternal perspective of God on everything that ever happens throughout all of time, whether past or future to our present moment temporal perspective.
Neither of these perspectives is exclusive of the other. God simply tells us, “Here is where I AM (eternal present tense); wherever and whenever you are, I want you here with me TODAY!” TODAY is our present moment in time. Eternity is God’s eternal present moment, from which He reigns over all of TIME!
These verses say nothing of individual personal destiny, but are God’s gracious call to all who are trapped in time to enter the Paradise/Garden that he intends (and has always intended) for us. And this Paradise, His rest, is “very good.” The adjectival phrase “very good” clearly cannot be applied to our present fallen world of sin and death. This Paradise is the realm to which Jesus welcomed the robber on the cross beside Him, and it is the only realm where the Tree of Life grows and provides eternal life to those who trust and obey Christ (John 10:28; John 15:10).
Let me conclude this post with a brief summary of the points I have proposed previously.
1. God created a very good world that He formed as a beautiful garden with Heavens and Earth for His people to dwell eternally with Him.
2. He gave His people everything they could possibly need to live full and happy lives.
3. He only required that they trust Him in everything, because He is good and provides only goodness for them.
4. But God’s people doubted and rebelled against Him (and continue to do so TODAY), and received His forewarned penalty of death.
5. Death separated them from God and from the ability to live forever by eating of the Tree of Life, which only grows in eternal Paradise.
6. God cast them out of Paradise and into the ancient world of death where they died in time.
7. Time in our fallen world is God’s curse, the curse being entropy with its inevitable descent into disorganized lifelessness in every extreme of the fallen cosmos.
8. Each of us has a probationary period of time in this fallen cursed world.
9. In the time of our probation Jesus calls each of us to return to fellowship in His Father’s rest, which is the seventh day rest of Genesis 1.
10. Those who are obedient to God enter His rest in eternal Paradise,
11. Those who are disobedient enter eternal separation from God, and thereby lose forever any possibility of fellowship with Him.
12. This eternal separation and loss of fellowship with God and the Tree of Life in Paradise is eternal death, which the Bible describes as Hell.
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