How Does God View Time?

Creation or evolution?

We can approach this topic from two perspectives: one concerns the beginning of everything, while the other concerns the end. Surely, God perceives time differently from us. We are human beings, and what may seem like a long period to us—such as an entire lifetime—may be only a moment to Him. When we come to the end of our days, our entire life may seem like a single moment because, in truth, it is. What we need to do, though, is use our time in the best way possible—living as fully as we can for a godly purpose and investing our lives in what has eternal value.

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)

In the same way, what we consider a short period of time—such as a single day or even an hour—is observed by Him in the smallest detail. What we overlook or regard as a brief and insignificant period of time is carefully observed by Him and, in a sense, is a longer period of time to Him.

“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8, emphasis added).

As we can see from this verse, God does not perceive time as we do. He is above and outside of it, yet at the same time, He is deeply involved in every moment of it.

Let us now consider (examine) the first aspect related to time.

Creation

We have all heard about creation, and we have all seen its wonders around us. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…” (Romans 1:20). We also read:

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1).

People who believe in God also firmly believe these passages and know that He is the Creator of all things. Those who do not believe in God generally prefer to accept the theory of evolution. However, there may also be believers who support the theory of evolution. Personally, this has never been a major issue for me. Since the day God convicted me of my sins and convinced me of His existence and presence, I have not worried too much about exactly how creation took place. No argument or supposed proof can shake my faith or convince me otherwise, because the conviction God has placed within me is stronger than any idea, thought, or human reasoning—even my own logic. I support and believe in the biblical account of creation—that God created everything in six days.

There has always been debate, however, about how everything came into existence. As a believer, I firmly believe that God is the One who created our planet, which is only like a grain of sand compared with the vastness of the rest of His creation. In Genesis 1:1, we read: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

By the end of Genesis 1, we see that God created everything in six days. Throughout history, many arguments have been raised about this passage and how creation took place. People often reject what this chapter says because it does not fit within their understanding, and as a result, they may refuse to believe in God. However, we must understand that we cannot fully comprehend God with our human minds because our understanding is limited. Other people, some of whom are believers, interpret this chapter by suggesting that those days may represent much longer periods of time. I could accept such an interpretation, but I do not see anything in the passage that clearly supports it. Some people even propose a “gap” of time between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. According to them, this gap allows for an ancient earth and, in some interpretations, the process of evolution. I repeat that even if someone were to prove one of these theories, it would not shake my faith, because I know that God is real and I have a personal relationship with Him. Deep within my heart, I know that He is real.

According to one widely cited scientific estimate, there may be approximately 8.7 million eukaryotic species on Earth. What extraordinary variety—and so many of them! It is difficult for scientists to explain exactly how all this came into existence. This is where the theory of evolution attempts to provide an answer. According to this theory, an immense amount of time was required for all these species to appear gradually, developing from earlier and simpler forms of life. Scientists still cannot directly demonstrate every stage of this process. Still, the theory sounds quite logical and convincing to many people. Obviously, people of faith believe that all this variety was created. It is not the result of mere coincidence, for all these creatures have their place and purpose in nature. They work together in perfect ways to maintain the food chain and the balance of the natural world. Yes, people say that all these species adapted to their surroundings, but then who gave them the intelligence and ability to do so? Who placed this mindset within their genetic makeup so that this could happen? Let us consider something written in Job 39:

“Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young?
Or can you mark when the deer gives birth?
² Can you number the months that they fulfill?
Or do you know the time when they bear young?
³ They bow down,
They bring forth their young,
They deliver their offspring.
⁴ Their young ones are healthy,
They grow strong with grain;
They depart and do not return to them.

⁵ “Who set the wild donkey free?
Who loosed the bonds of the onager,
⁶ Whose home I have made the wilderness,
And the barren land his dwelling?
⁷ He scorns the tumult of the city;
He does not heed the shouts of the driver.
⁸ The range of the mountains is his pasture,
And he searches after every green thing.

⁹ “Will the wild ox be willing to serve you?
Will he bed by your manger?
¹⁰ Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes?
Or will he plow the valleys behind you?
¹¹ Will you trust him because his strength is great?
Or will you leave your labor to him?
¹² Will you trust him to bring home your grain,
And gather it to your threshing floor?

¹³ “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s?
¹⁴ For she leaves her eggs on the ground,
And warms them in the dust;
¹⁵ She forgets that a foot may crush them,
Or that a wild beast may break them.
¹⁶ She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers;
Her labor is in vain, without concern,
¹⁷ Because God deprived her of wisdom,
And did not endow her with understanding.
¹⁸ When she lifts herself on high,
She scorns the horse and its rider.

¹⁹ “Have you given the horse strength?
Have you clothed his neck with thunder?
²⁰ Can you frighten him like a locust?
His majestic snorting strikes terror.
²¹ He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He gallops into the clash of arms.
²² He mocks at fear, and is not frightened;
Nor does he turn back from the sword.
²³ The quiver rattles against him,
The glittering spear and javelin.
²⁴ He devours the distance with fierceness and rage;
Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded.
²⁵ At the blast of the trumpet he says, ‘Aha!’
He smells the battle from afar,
The thunder of captains and shouting.

²⁶ “Does the hawk fly by your wisdom,
And spread its wings toward the south?
²⁷ Does the eagle mount up at your command,
And make its nest on high?
²⁸ On the rock it dwells and resides,
On the crag of the rock and the stronghold.
²⁹ From there it spies out the prey;
Its eyes observe from afar.
³⁰ Its young ones suck up blood;
And where the slain are, there it is.” (Job 39)

© [PAOLO] / AbodeStock

Here in this chapter, as in Job 38, we find descriptions of the behavior of animals and of other occurrences that someone might logically explain as natural events—such as the formation of snow and rain and the coming of morning and dawn. Nevertheless, we see that God is involved and that He stands behind all these apparently “natural” events. Yes, scientists may explain the behavior of certain animals as something caused by nature, but in fact, God stands behind what we call “nature,” while also being infinitely greater than it. Otherwise, who gave these animals such intelligence and imparted this nature to them—something that appears to be far more than mere coincidence or accident?

In Job 39:16–17, we read:

“She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers;
Her labor is in vain, without concern,
Because God deprived her of wisdom,
And did not endow her with understanding.”

This passage speaks about the ostrich and how God deprived it of wisdom. On the other hand, He made it remarkably fast. We can see that some species possess less intelligence than others, while others may have greater intelligence but less physical strength.

We can therefore see the variation of the different species and their purpose. Don’t you think they would be pretty much in the same way in the case of evolution because, supposedly, all of them, or at least greater part than what they are now, were going to develop and grow? It would be more like something mechanical or automatic, meaning that all this would happen without any thought or intention. If the creation developed by itself with the pattern that many think—through evolution, then we were probably going to see other species developing at least similar to how we do. (I do not mean to diminish the value of the other species by saying this.) Instead, we see how God gave each creature its own particularities. To some, He gave less intelligence; to others, more. To some, He gave greater strength—all according to their needs and purposes, and all for His glory. It reminds me of how God has placed each member within the body of Christ according to His will, giving each one a particular role—all for His glory (1 Corinthians 12:4–31).

And yes, there are believers who also support the theory of evolution. To me, of course, the most important thing is that they have accepted Jesus into their lives. Even if they do not understand something now—as none of us understands everything—one day they will. Many of us struggle to understand many things. What matters most is knowing that God is the One who started everything. He is the beginning.

Because of the complexity of creation and the long periods of time proposed by science, some people place a gap of time within the account of Genesis 1. However, let us consider what 2 Peter 3:8 says:

“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

Here we see something very important: God does not live within the same limits of time as we do. He perceives and relates to time differently. A thousand years for Him are like a day, and a day is like a thousand years. In my opinion, the number one thousand is used here to represent an immense period of time and does not necessarily have to be interpreted literally, although a literal application may be appropriate in certain contexts. It can simply be understood as an expression meaning “a very long time.” Some people even interpret certain days in the Bible as literal periods of one thousand years, meaning that two days would represent two thousand years, and so on. It may depend on the context, but I do not believe that this passage refers only to an exact number of years. God is omnipotent and is not limited or bound by any particular measure of time. Therefore, one day to Him may represent much more—or even much less—than a thousand years. All this means that not only can a long period of time pass like a brief moment to Him, but a short period can also, in a sense, unfold very slowly. He can see every day in its smallest details, as though it were divided into a thousand parts—and even more.

By all this, we mean that God can create far more in a single day than any human being ever could—even if, hypothetically, we imagined someone in His position. So many species were created in just one day, and why could not so many things happen in a single day? He is God Almighty, and being above and beyond time, He can do it. Just imagine that you had the same ability as God, even though we know this is impossible. How many things would you then be able to create? Even if you had a factory at your disposal and many people helping you, you still could not accomplish the same results—especially with such extraordinary detail.

God, however, has time itself at His disposal. In His greatness, He could slow down time and divide a single day into a thousand parts—representing years—or even more. He can accomplish this because He is omnipresent and all-powerful. It may seem like only one day to us—and I am speaking of a literal day—but to Him, that same period of time can contain far more. What do you think now? Do you still believe that He, possessing all these qualities, could not accomplish all this?

I mean that even a literal day could be like a long period of time to Him because He is God and the passage of time is different for Him. To us, it is only one day, but to Him, it may contain far more. A long period of time can be like a brief moment to Him, while a short period can, in a sense, unfold as though it were very long. He does not perceive time as we do.

That is why even a single day is so important to Him. Scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 6:2: “For He says:

“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (emphasis added)

Matthew 6:34 also says: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Similarly, Ephesians 4:26 tells us: “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,”

Even though He is so great, God gives such importance to every single day. We, however, often do not. For Him, many things can happen within a single day. That is why we need to appreciate each day as a gift from Him and live it to the fullest for His glory.

There are some facts suggesting that the Earth may not be as old as it appears. Why do people refuse even to consider this possibility? Perhaps because it would not fit easily with the theory that life developed by itself through evolution. But the picture changes when God is involved—the One who exists beyond time and is not bound by any of its limits.

Therefore, from this perspective, what scientists say took place over millions of years could actually have occurred within days because God was involved. He is all-powerful, and in a single day, He could accomplish what someone else would need millions of years to achieve—if, of course, that person possessed the same ability to create.

© [Stllfx] / AbodeStock

End times

The concept of time is not always understood in the right way according to what the Bible says, especially when it speaks about the end times. Some people say that we are already living in the end times, while others believe that they have not yet begun. What we do know is that throughout history, we have seen God fulfill His prophecies and promises—slowly but surely. Well, to us, it may look slow, but He is steadily marching toward their fulfillment. What about the prophecies in Matthew 24 or the seven seals that must be opened, as described in Revelation 6–8? Do we really think that none of these prophecies have begun to be fulfilled yet?

Many people think this way because, as soon as they see some of these prophecies being fulfilled, they expect the end to come the very next day. When it does not, they dismiss those events as false alarms. But what if some prophecies concerning the end times have already been fulfilled—some even a long time ago—and God’s perspective on time and the end times is simply different from ours? We may think that the end-time prophecies will be fulfilled within five, ten, or fifteen years, but their fulfillment may take much longer according to our human measurement of time, because time is different in His sight, and He does not perceive it as we do. To us, a hundred years is a very long period; to Him, it is almost nothing. The thing is that we have often been impatient regarding these end-time prophecies. Perhaps we have witnessed some of them being fulfilled, but when we did not see the end coming soon afterward, we simply dismissed them as ordinary events because nothing else unusual happened.

Notice that not understanding how God perceives and measures time can confuse us. Second Peter 3:9 tells us that He is patient because He does not want anyone to perish:

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

If He, therefore, perceives time in this way, then the signs of the end times may have begun some time ago. Noah may have spent many decades—possibly around a century—preparing the ark after being warned about the flood. Those years were the last days of that era. We can also assume that he warned the people to prepare, but because they did not see anything unusual happen immediately, they disregarded his warnings. In the same way, there is probably a period of time between the opening of one seal and the next. People are often impatient and want to see things happen quickly. When they do not, they become discouraged and disappointed.

“Where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:4) is what people ask. But Scripture says: “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8). God perceives time differently.

What may seem long to us is short to Him, and what may seem short to us can, in a sense, be long to Him. We can see this truth manifested both at the beginning and at the end of time. He is the Alpha and the Omega.

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