Time in Heaven?

[Jlutz]

I was thinking about how long it would be from the time we are raptured till we ride down with Jesus in the second coming. If we use the 1 day is as a thousand years analogy, then by my calculations it would be less than an hour. That may be wrong cause I was trying to do the math in my head so someone could check me on that. But I was thinking we probably wouldnt experience much time passage at all.

People that we know that have died will probably feel like they just got there too.

[sunshine2777]

I was thinking about how long it would be from the time we are raptured till we ride down with Jesus in the second coming. If we use the 1 day is as a thousand years analogy, then by my calculations it would be less than an hour. That may be wrong cause I was trying to do the math in my head so someone could check me on that. But I was thinking we probably wouldnt experience much time passage at all.

People that we know that have died will probably feel like they just got there too.

I'm taking a heavy course by Chuck Missler, beyond perception.. it really gives food for thought along these lines as he discusses that time is linear and God is "outside of time". If you draw a time line, you can place a beginning, middle and end. That is where we are. But God is outside of that. So Chuck M. even suggested the possibility that even though we see people die over and through time, we all might actually arrive in heaven at the same time because He/heaven is outside of time. So the question is, is there time in heaven?

You might want to look this series up. Its very heavy on physics, but he ties it into the bible and its awesome what you can understand. For instance, scientist have found that there aren't just 4 dimensions, there are actually 10. It might be in these other dimensions that we come back. He talks about the physics of Jesus being able to go through walls when he showed up to the apostles in that room after He returned. Very interesting stuff!

[Steve53]

I'm taking a heavy course by Chuck Missler,....

Be careful to not follow Chuck too far down the rabbit hole. Some of the tangential things he gets into need to be heavily wrapped in tin foil .....

[carol1948]

Paul says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So, all who are already 'asleep in Christ' are now in His Presence in heaven. However, I doubt that there is 'time' in heaven. < mod edit > IMO if there is any measure of time in heaven it isn't the same as here on earth.

[Raynbowz]

I don't think there's really any way to know. All I'm sure of is that there'll be an incredible supper before we get saddled up.

[Florian9]

Paul says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So, all who are already 'asleep in Christ' are now in His Presence in heaven. However, I doubt that there is 'time' in heaven. < mod edit > IMO if there is any measure of time in heaven it isn't the same as here on earth.

Yeah I can't get my worldly mind to wrap around that thought. Seems like if there wasn't any time then everything would happen at once--no beginning, no end, no mid-point. We understand time as a measurement between two events/occurrences, and break it down by the rotation of the earth subdivided equally. Perhaps time in heaven is based on something else?

[Jlutz]

It reminds me of the Star Trek movie (cant think of the title at the moment) where Capt. Pecard goes into the nexus to get Capt. Kirk and although Capt. Pecard has just shown up, and its almost a hundred years later, from Kirk's perspective he has just gotten there also.

I think it will be a lot like that.

[Tiger Lily]

I was thinking about how long it would be from the time we are raptured till we ride down with Jesus in the second coming. If we use the 1 day is as a thousand years analogy, then by my calculations it would be less than an hour. That may be wrong cause I was trying to do the math in my head so someone could check me on that. But I was thinking we probably wouldnt experience much time passage at all.

People that we know that have died will probably feel like they just got there too.

If nothing else, it's an interesting mathematical question. Math is not my forte, but does this look like the right approach?

1 day = 1,000 years

1,000 X 360 days in a biblical year = 360,000 days

7 years of the Tribulation X 360 = 2,520 days

360,000 /24 hours = 15,000 days in an hour

15,000 days/60 minutes = 250 days per minute

2,520 days in the Tribulation/250 days per minute = 10.08 minutes

It reminds me of the Star Trek movie (cant think of the title at the moment) where Capt. Pecard goes into the nexus to get Capt. Kirk and although Capt. Pecard has just shown up, and its almost a hundred years later, from Kirk's perspective he has just gotten there also.

I think it will be a lot like that.

Star Trek Generations

P.S. Live long and prosper!

[Steve53]

I don't think there's really any way to know. All I'm sure of is that we get saddled up before there'll be an incredible supper.

Fixed.

[RandallB]

I'm taking a heavy course by Chuck Missler, beyond perception.. it really gives food for thought along these lines as he discusses that time is linear and God is "outside of time". If you draw a time line, you can place a beginning, middle and end. That is where we are. But God is outside of that. So Chuck M. even suggested the possibility that even though we see people die over and through time, we all might actually arrive in heaven at the same time because He/heaven is outside of time. So the question is, is there time in heaven?

You might want to look this series up. Its very heavy on physics, but he ties it into the bible and its awesome what you can understand. For instance, scientist have found that there aren't just 4 dimensions, there are actually 10. It might be in these other dimensions that we come back. He talks about the physics of Jesus being able to go through walls when he showed up to the apostles in that room after He returned. Very interesting stuff!

I have huge problems with CM's & his wife's Overcomers vrs Overcamers / Outer Darkness.

Having said that, and with about 7 semesters of calculus and couple of physics under my belt, I have been going thru CM's Beyond Series DVD's. CM presents some really fascinating topics including the 10 dimensions, the curls, and the quantum properties of the universe in about 12 hours of lectures. As well as the physics behind the slowing of light which I have been following for about 17 years.

However, I do believe that time passes in Heaven in a linear fashion much like the earth. The angle was sent to Daniel the moment he started praying however was delayed 21 earth days. He was contending with another angel until Michael came and helped him. Dividing the time by 1 day = 1000 years just doesn't make sense.

Also the time in heaven is sync'd to the events on earth as shown by the martyrs under the alter showing up during the tribulation and having to wait until their full number has come in. I just don't see huge time differences being shown in the glimpses that we are given. I understand that gravity/velocity greatly affect time but the Lord is in control of all and it seems that He has sync'd earth and heaven for some reason at least for the time being.

Now I can't be dogmatic about this ... just saying...

So if CM is saying everyone that died shows up in heaven at the same time, that is one more thing I need to add to his Outer Darkness/ Tin Foil list.

[Verisimilitude]

I won't try and figure out any equations. I don't think we feel time in heaven in the same way our mortal bodies do here on earth, but the following passage from the Bible came to mind:

Revelation 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

Why did John feel the passage of time? Is it because he was still mortal or because one knows the passage of time in heaven, even if it's in a different way? The only thing we know for sure is that we won't know for sure until we get there.

[Buzzardhut]

I was thinking about how long it would be from the time we are raptured till we ride down with Jesus in the second coming. If we use the 1 day is as a thousand years analogy, then by my calculations it would be less than an hour. That may be wrong cause I was trying to do the math in my head so someone could check me on that. But I was thinking we probably wouldnt experience much time passage at all.

People that we know that have died will probably feel like they just got there too.

God is outside of time, not man.
Since we are in time and are still associated with the earth I'd say about 7 years.

[Florian9]

God is outside of time, not man.
Since we are in time and are still associated with the earth I'd say about 7 years.

7 years of vacation from planet insanity sounds great to me! Some R&R and worship of our King!

[Buzzardhut]

Paul says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So, all who are already 'asleep in Christ' are now in His Presence in heaven. However, I doubt that there is 'time' in heaven. < mod edit > IMO if there is any measure of time in heaven it isn't the same as here on earth.

And yet the souls in heaven under the altar are quite aware of time and impatience sets in as they cry out "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

Revelation 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

7 years of vacation from planet insanity sounds great to me! Some R&R and worship of our King!

Nope, we are busy being judged by Jesus at His Bema Seat judgment, not time for yet for vacation; maybe during the millennium we get a vacation but in our glorified bodies we won't care about vacations; our new bodies are better than vacations!

I won't try and figure out any equations. I don't think we feel time in heaven in the same way our mortal bodies do here on earth, but the following passage from the Bible came to mind:

Revelation 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

Why did John feel the passage of time? Is it because he was still mortal or because one knows the passage of time in heaven, even if it's in a different way? The only thing we know for sure is that we won't know for sure until we get there.

Knowing God's word I dare to say it is a literal half hour measured by time.

Be careful to not follow Chuck too far down the rabbit hole. Some of the tangential things he gets into need to be heavily wrapped in tin foil .....

For sure!

[RandallB]

God is outside of time, not man.
Since we are in time and are still associated with the earth I'd say about 7 years.

[vemee]

I don't think God is outside of time (time being defined as one event after another) otherwise He would be timeless which means everything happens at once. If God experienced everything in His existence at once then there would never be anything new in the existence of God. Or in other words God's now would include everything that we would call past present happening at once and continuing to happen. There would never be a point in God's now where Adam was not sinning or that God would not be creating the universe. This causes some problems because if God always sees Himself creating the universe then He would also have to always see Himself in an uncreated universe which is a contradiction. There would also never be a point in God's now where man did not exist or we as individuals did not exist. If that were the case He could not have created us because we were always there with Him.

On the other hand God's time is not the same as our time. There are passages in the Bible that indicate that to God the resurrection has already happened. When God created the world He rested on the 7th day. Hebrews indicates this rest is eternal and that God had finished all of His work from the beginning of time. God created our time which means He is not subject to our time. God's time is absolute and our time is relative to His creation.

If God's time is not our time then how does He interact with us in our time? We all know He is involved in our lives. I think the answer has to do with God creating everything through Jesus. Perhaps Jesus is in time but the Father is not; yet they still are one just as when Christ was on earth. Another way to look at it is to compare God to the author of a play. He designed the play's time and supervises the performance of the play. I don't know I'm way in above my pay grade.

[RandallB]

I don't think God is outside of time (time being defined as one event after another) otherwise He would be timeless which means everything happens at once. ...

Maybe an example might help.

History/time/future is like a city parade. The created universe and the created heaven are the parade. God is up above the parade and can see both the beginning and the middle and the end of the parade. He is outside the parade. He created the parade and time. He knows the beginning from the end of the parade.

He is equal distance from all parts of the parade because He exists outside the influence of time.

Time is just one dimension in the universe that we are living in. It is just one of its physical properties. It obeys very observable and determinant physical laws that we are still discovering.

Time flows differently at the bottom of a deep mine than it does at the top of a mountain than it does on an orbiting space station due to differences in gravity. It flows differently in jet planes flying at Mach 1 verses jet planes on the ground due to velocity/acceleration effects. These differences are small but measurable and even more importantly - calculatable.

The only reason that I am going into this is to point out that the Lord is not subject to His changable creation. He is above it. His is outside it. He can interact with it in any manner that He chooses. He does not get confused if all events both in the past and the future are before Him at the same moment. It is just us that has a problem with that situation.

[RandallB]

Just to throw a bit more mud on the fire...

There appears to be a minimum time of around 5.4x10^-44 seconds. It is called a Planck time. In other words you cannot divide a Planck time any further. There is no such thing as a half of a Planck time. The universe skips from one Planck time to the next with nothing in between.

The universe appears to be digital. It appears to be a creation.

The Lord is outside these constraints. He exists at all moments even those between Planck times.

There is also a Planck length of 1.6x10^-35 meters. The universe gives every indication that it is created and temporary.

Welcome to the wild wild world of Quantum Mechanics and Special Relativity.

The Lord is definately outside His creation of Time and Space.

[Buzzardhut]

Just to throw a bit more mud on the fire...

There appears to be a minimum time of around 5.4x10^-44 seconds. It is called a Planck time. In other words you cannot divide a Planck time any further. There is no such thing as a half of a Planck time. The universe skips from one Planck time to the next with nothing in between.

The universe appears to be digital. It appears to be a creation.

The Lord is outside these constraints. He exists at all moments even those between Planck times.

There is also a Planck length of 1.6x10^-35 meters. The universe gives every indication that it is created and temporary.

Welcome to the wild wild world of Quantum Mechanics and Special Relativity.

The Lord is definately outside His creation of Time and Space.

As a Trinity, God is not only the creator of time but is connected in time through Jesus the God-Man.

[RandallB]

As a Trinity, God is not only the creator of time but is connected in time through Jesus the God-Man.

Good Point