Time Travelers of the Bible: Life in the Cosmos

Thousands of years ago, the Lord’s work of salvation began when the Serpent brought downfall to Adam and Eve, and by extension, to all humanity. With the fall came God’s promise of a man – an offspring of Eve – who would bruise the Serpent’s head.

This event marked the strange beginning of man’s long journey to eternity. From the human perspective, the trek is marked off by the events of history – the twists and turns of an evil past, told in the characters and events of biblical history. But within the evils and intrigues of the narrative, one finds good. More than that, one discovers holiness.

For though man would travail through the millennia, his salvation was already an accomplished fact. There are two views of salvation. One regards it as already achieved; the other sees it as precariously balanced on the knife-edge of destruction, poised to be lost in a moment of time.

But the Bible consistently views the Christian’s salvation as something already accomplished. Though we will not reach glorification until some future date, the Bible presents our salvation as already attained in the present, and as having been assured in the distant past. In other words, believers now possess eternal life. John’s first epistle is built around this assurance:

"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (I John 5:11,12).

We might leave it at that, except for an observation peculiar to eternal life as we now think of it. By definition, eternity envelops all of the past, present and future. This means that if we now possess it, it is as though we always possessed it. Certainly, it is a primary article of our faith that having believed in the Lord, we now stand before the Father in a state of complete exoneration from the penalty of sin. As Paul put it:

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:1).

The word "now" implies the present, or our present status. But this status was obtained through the finished work of Christ. From our perspective, the process of redemption actually began in ages past. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it was totally accomplished in ages past.

An Irony of Time-Space

As physical creatures who live on a finite timeline, we may have decided to follow Jesus only weeks, months or years ago. Yet, our common salvation is presented as having been secured in the ancient days before time was kept. In His intercessory prayer before His Father, Jesus identifies Himself with the redeemed, asking the Father that they (we) might be brought into the same loving relationship that He enjoyed. That relationship, of course, existed prior to His incarnation, even prior to the existence of the "world." Jesus said:

"I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:23,24).

Here, Jesus prays that believers might experience the Father’s love in the same way that He knew it in ages past. In the opening exposition of his letter to the Ephesians, Paul states the same idea. However, this time, another theme is presented. He informs us that the saints were chosen before the "world" was established:

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love" (Ephesians 1:4).

Among Christians, this statement has provoked much discussion. Some, taking the extreme position, have concluded that it means believers were predestined to salvation before they ever had a choice in the matter. The inference – and subject of a thousand books – is that an individual really has nothing to do with his own salvation, except to accept and enjoy it. Freedom of choice is ruled out, because the decision was made before he was ever born.

But there is an irony of time-space here. Before there was ever a "world," our salvation was complete, as good as finished. This seems impossible, unless we see the eternal as simultaneous with the "now." Or, in other words, why would the Lord create the "world" and put us in it, if He controlled our choices in advance?

Unless we, ourselves, were truly allowed to make choices for or against Christ, such choices would be utterly meaningless.

This discussion begs another question: From Christ’s perspective, when was the "world" created? The answer is obvious, He created it in the "eternal now." As He said, "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). But the full answer is much more complex than this.

Nor have we properly identified what, exactly, is meant by the "world." This, we shall attempt to do a bit later in this article. But first, look at Peter’s First Epistle.

He uses the same expression in speaking of Christ’s completed work, when, in the ageless past, He was ordained to do His work of redemption. Here, the context is not the salvation of the individual, as such, but the ordination of Christ in a past era.

It is important to remember that from our perspective, His work began before a certain point in time, namely, the foundation of the world system:

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

"But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

"Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you" (1 Pet. 1:18-20).

In all the above instances, the word "foundation" is translated from the Greek, , meaning "a casting-down," "laying a foundation." It is common knowledge that structures have foundations. They represent the initiation of a project … in this case, the "world," or the world system.

The Temporal World

In the quotations above, the "world" comes from the Greek word, µ [kosmos]. It is used over 180 times in the New Testament. From this point forward, we shall use this word as a technical term. It speaks of the existing temporal design and situation of the earth, and by extension, the Solar System and even the universe. It has often been called the "world order," or the "world system."

Romans 1:20 illustrates this use:

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."

Here, Paul uses the Greek term kosmos, (again, translated as "world") to describe all that may be seen of God’s creation. It is a grand display of His design and order. Specifically, it is the sum total of the temporal order. It is never to be confused with the eternal, sinless harmony of the heavens, above.

Specifically, the kosmos refers to the fallen and sinful creation that is locked in time. More specifically, it is a timeline that has a date with destiny.

The kosmos has been likened to a stage upon which the human drama is played out to its dramatic conclusion. It is much as depicted in one of William Shakespeare’s most famous quotes, from As You Like It (II, vii, 139-143):

"All the world’s a stage,

"And all the men and women merely players.

"They have their exits and their entrances,

"And one man in his time plays many parts,

"His acts being seven ages."

Those ages – infant, whining schoolboy, young lover, soldier, judge, emaciated elder, and final death – are the very image of sin and dissipation.

The kosmos is an evil place. Its race is fallen; its systems are in disarray, with storms, winds, grime, decay, earthquakes, volcanoes and the roaring of restless seas of water, gasses and ice. Even the Solar System is pockmarked and cratered, fragmented and swept by deadly cosmic winds.

First Corinthians

From the biblical perspective, the collective wisdom of the cosmos is a sad recitation of failure and colossal ignorance. One book in the Bible seems devoted to proving this distressing reality. It is delivered by Paul as a letter to the most worldly and decadent of ancient Greek cities. Corinth boasted the latest in Greek philosophy and fashionable trade goods. Its arts and cuisine were the pinnacle of Graeco-Roman culture. Its morals and manners were debauched. In every sense, it was "modern."

In Paul’s letter, it provides the perfect exhibit of the failed kosmos. The following paragraph is a collection of verses from First Corinthians. At the end of each sentence the appropriate verse is indicated. In every case where the word "world" appears, it is a translation of kosmos:

"Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world (1:20)? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe (1:21). But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty (1:27); And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are" (1:28).

Note that those things regarded by the "world" [kosmos] as wisdom are in reality base, foolish and weak. In the following paragraph, another compilation of verses from First Corinthians contrasts the eternal wisdom of God, with the vain and ignorant knowledge of this cosmos.

"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory (2:7). Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (2:8). But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him (2:9). But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God (2:10). For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God (2:11). Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God (2:12). For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness" (3:19).

The Cosmos Defined

The foregoing verses from First Corinthians represent only a small selection from Paul’s emphatic condemnation of the "world." He makes it more than clear that the "world" – the kosmos – is a place of corruption and misery. Except for Christ it would be utterly without remedy, hopeless, yet deluding itself in the belief that it had some hope after all. It is a place of foolishness and vanity.

The biblical Greek kosmos, translates directly into English as "cosmos." It denotes the visible universe. As the late Carl Sagan often said, "The cosmos is all that there is … or ever will be." As a mathematician and physicist, he entered the field of study called "cosmology," devoting himself to theorizing about the origin and development of the universe.

Like others of his persuasion, he wrote about astronomy and particle physics. He speculated that the "Big Bang" created the universe and all that it contains. His "wisdom" excluded God and Creation. And yet modern science holds cosmology high as the key to understanding the universe.

To the eyes of a human being, the cosmos may appear limitless, when in fact it really serves to limit the range of humanity. We are trapped on the surface of the earth. Given a few more decades, we may venture as far as Mars. But still, humanity is limited to a place ruled by the passionate lust for power. As long as we are imprisoned here, other dimensions are safe. But humanity’s jailer is a cruel overlord, whose history and personality are well known.

Planet earth may well be likened to the infamous "Devil’s Island," a prison off the coast of French Guiana. It is a tiny place … about 35 acres in extent. From 1852 until 1946, it was used by the French as a place of extreme isolation, from which escape was impossible. Political prisoners, thieves and murderers sent there often disappeared, never to be heard from again. Brutal and vicious treatment were the norm. Disease and torture were routine. Its cruel guardians made the place a living hell. Ruling over this place, they truly played the role of devils.

Satan and the Cosmos

The cosmos has a ruling hierarchy, with Satan at the top of the order. Those who serve him are often referred to as princes. We recall the "prince of Persia," a dark angel who hindered the heavenly messenger sent to Daniel.

In the following passage, these princes are mentioned twice. First, they are presented as those who will eventually fall from power. Second, though powerful, Scripture always shows them to be completely blind to God’s plan of redemption:

"Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

"Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (I Cor. 2:6-8).

These are not human princes. They are the higher powers – the powers behind the throne – who translate the policy of the unseen spiritual world into the visible and violent acts of powerful men. As Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." These are the dark princes, their delegated authorities and the demonic hoards who do their bidding.

In II Corinthians 4:4, the leader of these princes is called, "… the god of this world," who has "… blinded the minds of them which believe not."

This, of course, refers to Satan, whose active principle is that of debunking spiritual truth. In modern terms, one might say that he operates a continuous disinformation program, specifically aimed at making God’s spiritual truth appear ridiculous. Among other things, he is constantly bent at making the fallen cosmos appear attractive.

This fundamental truth is that Satan is the chief of all the princes, and he is so named in Ephesians 2:2:

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience."

He sets the direction and focus of the cosmos, even in its latest earthly incarnation, the "New World Order." Here, Satan is identified as the leader of the spirit world. It is he who travels through the atmospheric heavens, superintending the territory that he regards as his and his alone.

Satan and Job

In the biography of the righteous Job, Satan is revealed in a detailed portrait, as he interacts with Jehovah … the Lord. Though he is a lesser being than the Lord, Satan displays a surprising autonomy. He is quite free to interact with the Lord, even to the point of disagreement about the righteousness of an ordinary man called Job:

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

"And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it" (Job 1:6,7).

It will come as no surprise to anyone who has studied the Bible that Satan considers the world (the cosmos) his home territory. In fact, he freely travels throughout its entire extent. If the cosmos extends to cover the entire Solar System, his range of authority is large, indeed. And it may, in fact, extend beyond that, since the cosmos seems to be a term that covers the whole creation, which Paul describes as follows: "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Romans 8:22).

This "creation" would include the universe, and all that is in it. Groaning and travailing are certainly an accurate characterization of Job’s plight. On this note, it is absolutely amazing that we are allowed a glimpse of the culture of heaven, but that is exactly what the book of Job gives us.

Having exchanged polite greetings with Satan, the Lord asks him a question about a righteous mortal, a man who lives on the earth below. In the brief conversation that follows, we learn something very interesting:

"And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

"Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

"Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

"But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face" (Job 1:8-11).

Here, we learn that Job’s compound – his lands, household and livestock – is under the Lord’s protection and blessing. This emphatically establishes the need for such protection. As a citizen of the cosmos, Job required the covering of the Lord, in order to prosper. In other words, he was living in an alien environment.

Satan scoffs at the Lord’s suggestion that he is a righteous and upright man simply because it’s the right thing to do. He challenges the Lord on this ground, saying that Job’s faith is dependant upon what he manages to get from the Lord. He accuses Job of following the Lord for profit.

The Lord’s reaction is to allow Satan to test Job. Why? Because the cosmos is precisely that – a test for humanity, or more precisely, a testbed, upon which the drama of light and darkness is played out.

In Job’s case, the Lord’s protection is lifted, allowing the horrors of the cosmos to flood in upon Job’s life. Through the agency of Job’s enemies and even fire and wind from heaven, Job’s fortunes are eradicated. Crops, livestock, homes, and families were all swept into oblivion.

Job passes the test. He blesses the Lord:

"And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

"In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly" (Job1:21,22).

In an amazing display of faith, Job trusted the Lord. His simple statement displays an amazing understanding of God’s love. It is one thing to trust the One who provides; it is quite another to continue in faith when blessing and protection are removed.

It is clear that the Lord trusted Job’s steadfast belief. Why else would He have used this righteous man as a demonstration against Satan. In some way, Job knew that the Lord had this trust in him. Why else would he have held firm in the face of such disaster?

Undaunted, Satan challenged the Lord once again. Take note, this meeting on high reveals a scheduled meeting, or some sort of heavenly protocol:

"Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

"And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

"And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

"And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

"But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

"And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

"So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown" (Job 2:1-7).

Thus begins the saga of Job. The rest of the story is devoted to a tortuous series of discussions from the human point of view. Job’s deep deliberations with his peers are the Bible’s most thorough investigation of God’s motives. Their reasoning ranges from ridiculous to sublime. Still, they are unable to understand God’s operations and intents.

Overall, they charge the Lord with being unfair to Job – punishing him for some imagined sin left unconfessed, or self-righteousness or hypocrisy. None of their guesses are anywhere close to the mark. In the end, Job is adjudged righteous, but his friends are chastised for their faithlessness.

The Invisible Cosmos

By now, we have enough information to conclude that residents of the cosmos are ensnared in the time-space continuum, where they live in a condition of isolation from God. In their natural state, they live in the sphere of their own vain imagination.

It is generally the case that residents of the cosmos completely fail to understand the will and purpose of God. When Jesus came into the cosmos, its culture neither recognized nor understood Him. John’s Gospel calls Him the Word:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

" The same was in the beginning with God.

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

"And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

"The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

"He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

"That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

"He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not" (John 1:1-10).

In verses 9 and 10 of the magnificent description above, the word kosmos is used four times, translated "world." Again, we see that the cosmos is utterly blind, not only to God’s existence and presence, but to the fact that He created the very world in which they walk.

With today’s scoffers condemning the teaching of "Intelligent Design" in the classroom, we see that nothing has changed. The state of mind in the cosmos is blissful ignorance, coupled with the confidence that all things are unchanged from the past to the present. To the cosmic mind, the heavens and the earth proceed in a uniform and predictable fashion, flowing along in accordance with scientific predictability.

Jesus Meets the Ruler of the Cosmos

Before His public ministry, Jesus went into the wilderness, where He was tested by the one known as the god of this world … Satan, "the prince of the power of the air." It is of particular interest that here, the old Serpent appears as the "devil."

This term – translated from the Greek  – identifies Satan in his role as the "slanderer." He systematically maligns and disparages Jesus, acknowledging His divinity, but probing the seriousness of His commitment. In the process, he discovers that Jesus’ holiness and dedication are absolute.

Apparently, Satan realizes that Jesus is on earth to do some important work. Nevertheless, he tries to corrupt the Lord, and nip His mission in the bud. The test involves a trip into a dimension from which it is apparently possible to view the planet in its entirety … its geography, control centers and political intrigues.

"Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them" (Matthew 4:8).

In Luke’s account of the test, there is an additional note – the element of time:

"And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time" (Luke 4:5).

Looking closely at this statement is quite revealing. Satan took Christ to a place described as a "high mountain." But there is no mountain on the face of the earth that affords the kind of view suggested here. This mountain must be in another dimension. Still, it must also be part of the cosmos that Satan rules, since he demonstrated the ability to come and go from that place as he pleased. So it is logical to conclude that there are parts of the cosmos not visible to human eyes. Nevertheless, as Satan roams in that dimension, he is able to see the earth while remaining unseen by the peoples of this planet. And of course, this is just what the Bible says about him.

Under normal circumstances a tour of all the world’s kingdoms would involve a great deal of time. Did Satan physically take the Lord on a trip to all the world’s capitals? The text doesn’t say that. But perhaps their trip consumed a period of what would be called "time" in our dimension. It seems that in that place, a second or two of our time offers the opportunity to do what would take years as we reckon time.

In short, the devil is shown to have great power in the cosmos. He has the ability to conduct a world tour in a mere moment. Somehow, he has possession of the power and glory of the cosmos. He offered it to the Lord.

But his action also demonstrates something else. It shows that he is ignorant of Christ’s plan for the cosmos. Just as the opening words of John’s Gospel tell us, Satan is somehow unable to see the truth of the Lord’s motives and actions. It is truly remarkable that with such power over the cosmos, he can’t visualize the truth about it. To paraphrase John, Jesus was in the cosmos — the cosmos was made by Him, but it didn’t know Him. More to the point, it didn’t recognize His work and intentions.

When the Cosmos Was Founded

As suggested earlier, the term, "foundation of the world" poses the "when" question. Namely, when was the cosmos founded? Science answers this question in the realm of astronomy and geology. It has arrived at a figure of about fifteen billion years ago, give or take a little.

The Bible puts the creation of "the heavens and the earth" in a framework of six literal days, making the visible universe and Solar System only a few thousand years old. But as we have seen in the episode of Satan’s temptation of Christ, the cosmos also includes an invisible dimension, where heaven meets earth.

Certainly, it existed before the physical earth was created, as did Satan, who was formerly an anointed cherub, or guardian, at the throne of God. His iniquitous fall from that position certainly predates the creation of Adam and Eve.

Logically, then, the corruption of the cosmos began with Satan’s fall. Adam and Eve were the progenitors of a new race, created by God with a purpose, to redeem this fallen cosmos. Out of their lineage would come the Messiah.

Ironically, He created the cosmos, but remains unknown by those outside the sphere of His redeeming love. To them He is a mystery. The idea that the universe or cosmos is currently in a fallen state is to them, ludicrous.

The real answer to the time of the world’s foundation lies in the fact that it was created from the perspective of the Lord, whom John’s Gospel calls the "Word." He spoke time into existence, and the physical realm we call space. The physical cosmos is a kind of parenthesis. Still, things done here have eternal consequences. These actions have effects that reach into the distant past and stretch to the far future.

As is demonstrated in many ways, the wisdom of God’s eternity does not reach into this fallen cosmos. Yes, He does send emissaries here on various occasions. They bring His wisdom into this place. But they are routinely rejected. As Jesus once told the experts in Mosaic Law:

"Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:

"That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation" (Luke 11:49,50)

Think of it, the cosmos was established on the basis that it would require the blood of the prophets (and the blood of the saints, for that matter). Central to the existence of the cosmos is the shedding of Christ’s own blood.

The acts of the prophets and saints were assumed from the moment the cosmos was inaugurated. Observers who see the parade of human history through eternity’s window are not restricted to the "now," as we are. They might well see the acts of Abraham, King David and Jesus as all happening at the same "time." They might even see those same events as happening before the cosmos was created, or after it was destroyed.

Strange as this may sound, if time is time and eternity is eternity, there is no real temporal connection between them. They operate independently. Hypothetically, if an individual made a decision for Christ on July 4th, 2000, someone in eternity could view this event as happening "right now," even though he was viewing it from ten thousand years ago! (Or, a hundred thousand years ago, for that matter.) Would he be viewing it as a "future" event? Probably not.

Or what of the eternal observer watching the same event from a hundred thousand years in the future? Would he see this Fourth of July salvation as a past event? Again, probably not. It would simply be called, "… an event that happened in that other dimension called the cosmos." To the host of heaven, our future and our past are both present.

Thus, the foundation of the cosmos has much more to do with order and commitment than it does with time. Seen in this way, the statement in Psalm 90 takes on a whole new meaning:

"For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night" (Psalm 90:4).

We often speak of seven thousand years of human history, from the creation of the first couple to the termination of the Kingdom age. But we hardly ever think of this world – the cosmos – as a "bubble" outside the realm of eternity. Things that happen inside this bubble are timely and important to those who regard them as the beginning and end of everything. The princes of this world apparently do. Remember how Satan tempted Jesus.

Outside the bubble, the actualities of God’s eternity have an entirely different view. Think of the world – the cosmos – in this way as seen in Jesus’ intercessory prayer for the saints"

"For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

"And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

"And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are" (John 17:8-11).

There is the mistaken tendency to think of those things witnessed before the foundation of the cosmos as written in stone, or unalterably predestined. But think of another thing: Jesus’ prayer in the garden of Gethsemane was given quite a different perspective by Luke:

"And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

"Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:41,42).

Jesus is called "… the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev 13:8). That is, before the cosmos was originated, He was already considered as having been crucified, buried and resurrected. Yet here, Luke records Jesus’ appeal to the Father that He might be spared from having to go through the experience. In other words, right up until the end, Jesus considered His execution to be an option! Why else would He appeal in this way to the Father?"

This apparent paradox arises only because we think of everything as enslaved to time. This is not the case. Even before the cosmos was founded, it could be seen that at the crux of human history, Jesus and the Father would agree upon the necessity for the crucifixion, and that it would take place, just as foreseen.

In the cosmos – the universe of time-space – the crucifixion was an option. The "cup" of Christ’s crucifixion might have been removed. However, in the realm of eternity, it was not an option. The crucifixion was an accomplished certainty before the foundation of the cosmos. But that night in the garden, Jesus also chose to go through with it.

In the Cosmos, Not Of the Cosmos

When He prayed that night, His conversation with the Father revealed an absolute familiarity with the dimensional situation of the cosmos. In the brief excerpt of His prayer that follows, note how He uses the word "world." In all six cases below, it is a translation of kosmos:

"I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

"I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world" (John 17:14-16).

Six times, Jesus uses the term for the created time-space continuum. In the most authentic sense of the language, as Jesus uses it, believers are not part of the cosmos. We are, in fact, the very antithesis of it.

And this answers the question that we posed at the beginning of this article. How can our salvation be considered as having been accomplished in the distant past … "before the foundation of the world?" The answer is that we are neither creatures of time, nor of time-space, but creatures of eternity. We are freed from this timeline called the cosmos, and the moment we became free in Christ, our names were added to the Book of Life, before the cosmos was ever founded.

By Gary Stearman