I was listening recently to a podcast by Justin Abraham of Company of Burning Hearts out of Wales. In it he was talking about time, and how we are not meant to be subject to time, but rather reign over it. I have given this subject some thought over the past number of years as I have explored what I refer to as time and space alteration miracles, but have had minimal success duplicating results. In addition to the revelation contained in the message, it sparked a number of thoughts in me as I listened.
Romans 8:19-21 says: ” For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.” This is a key verse in understanding our intended dominion over time–that time itself, as part of creation, is under bondage to decay, and that as the children of God it is our responsibility to bring time out of the domain of decay and under our dominion, where we will rule and reign over it and steward and direct time as we see fit. It is only from that place that we can understand our purpose over time, and then get an understanding of Jesus’ perspective on the same matter.
There is a story of Jesus and his encounter with a fig tree that always struck me as strange, because it did not appear to demonstrate his heart toward creation in any way. In fact, his attitude toward the fig tree seemed downright heartless, but in looking deeper I believe it illustrates an important lesson about who we are meant to be and how creation is meant to respond to us as the sons and daughters of God.
“The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.”
“In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. (Mark 11: 12-14, 20-25)”
I always had trouble with this passage because Jesus cursed the tree for not bearing fruit when it wasn’t even the season for bearing fruit, and I can safely assume that Jesus knew that. I also don’t think he was just in a bad mood and releasing his temper on the tree. No, this is about time and seasons. As a son of God, Jesus lived (and still lives) in a realm where all creation can respond to him according to his desires. He passed this legacy on to his disciples in John 15 when he said “ask whatever you desire and it will be done for you.” (Verse reference here). What was really happening is that Jesus desired figs, but the tree did not respond and give him figs in spite of his ability to change the flow of time and to live out of a different realm of time than the creation. When Jesus is around, time can go forward, backwards, skip around, or even stay still–it doesn’t matter because the sons of God reign over creation–they are not subject to it.
I confess to not understanding why the tree didn’t produce fruit under those circumstances, but the scriptures have many references to time not working how we always have assumed it does. Joshua fought a battle where the sun stood still. Hezekiah prayed and time turned backwards by hours. Jesus was slain before the moment of conception of time and space–he was the slain lamb outside of time! Time has no dominion over Jesus nor does it have dominion over what he purchased on our behalf. We have been brought into the inheritance of the sons of God–those who live outside of the constructs of space-time, outside of the finite rules of mass and conservation, energy and motion. All things are possible with God because we are now born from above–from heaven, from the eternal outside-of-time-and-space realm where there is no law. As He is NOW, so are we in this world.
Related posts:
Translocation: Shifting Space and Time
Translocating Under The Tuscan Sun
