Does YHWH Exist Outside of Time? A Conversation on the Eternal Nature of God
I remember the first time I heard someone say, “God is outside of time.” It seemed like a simple enough statement—until I started discussing it with others.
“That’s impossible,” one person argued. “If God moves, speaks, and responds to prayer, then He must be in time. How can He do anything if there’s no time?”
At first, I hesitated. Movement and action are things we mortals experience within time. But is YHWH bound by the same limitations we are? Or does He exist in a completely different reality—one where time itself is something He created?
The deeper I dug into Scripture, the clearer it became: YHWH is not a being who merely moves through time. He is the One who holds all of time in His hands.
Let’s explore what the Bible actually says about time, God’s nature, and whether movement in heaven really requires time.
The Beginning of Time: Where Did It Start?
Imagine standing outside the frame of a painting, watching as the artist brings the canvas to life. Now, imagine time as that canvas.
The very first verse of the Bible gives us the moment time began:
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
That phrase—“in the beginning”—marks the start of time itself. If there is a beginning, then something must have existed before it. That “something” is YHWH Himself.
This is echoed in John’s Gospel:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:1-3)
If all things were made by Him, then time itself was made by Him too. This means He is not bound by it—He exists outside of it, just like the artist exists outside of the painting.
If time is part of creation, then YHWH is not a “time traveler” moving through history—He is the One who formed history itself.
Did Time Exist Before the Sun, Moon, and Stars?
Some ask, "But doesn't time come from the sun and moon? How could time exist before they were created?"
At first, this seems like a good question. After all, we use the sun to mark days, the moon to track months, and the stars to measure seasons. If those weren’t created until Day 4, then what were the first three days measured by?
The answer is simple but profound: Time existed before the celestial bodies because time is not dependent on them—it is something YHWH created separately.
Genesis 1 makes this clear:
- Day 1 – YHWH created light and separated day from night (Genesis 1:3-5).
- Day 2 – He formed the heavens (Genesis 1:6-8).
- Day 3 – He made dry land appear and created vegetation (Genesis 1:9-13).
- Day 4 – THEN He created the sun, moon, and stars to mark time (Genesis 1:14-19).
If time only began when the sun was created, then the first three days could not have existed—yet Scripture tells us they did!
When YHWH placed the sun, moon, and stars in the heavens, He explained why He created them:
"Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years." (Genesis 1:14)
This tells us:
- The sun and moon do not create time—they simply help measure it.
- Time already existed before they were made.
- They were placed in the heavens for human understanding of time.
It’s like putting numbers on a clock. The clock doesn’t create time—it only gives us a way to track its passage.
Can YHWH See the Future? Or Is It All Present to Him?
We often think of prophecy as God looking “ahead” into time, as if He’s peeking around the corner at what’s coming next. But that’s not what Scripture actually says.
YHWH declares something incredible about Himself:
“I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done.” (Isaiah 46:9-10)
He doesn’t just predict the future—He declares it. He sees the end from the beginning, as if all of time were laid out before Him in a single moment.
Peter explains this concept:
“With the Master one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8)
For YHWH, time is not something He waits through. It is something He already holds in full view.
But What About Movement in Heaven? Doesn’t That Mean There’s Time?
Some argue, “If angels move, if God speaks, if prayers are heard—doesn’t that mean time exists in heaven?”
It seems logical. But what if movement in heaven isn’t like movement on earth?
Scripture gives us clues:
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Ezekiel’s Vision of Heaven (Ezekiel 1:4-28)
- Ezekiel sees living creatures with wheels that move in ways we don’t understand—without turning, without limitations.
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John’s Revelation (Revelation 4-5)
- John is taken “in the Spirit” and sees past, present, and future unfolding before him at once.
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Time Will End (Revelation 10:6)
- An angel swears by YHWH: “There should be time no longer.”
If time will one day cease, then it is not eternal—it is part of creation.
What does this mean? It means movement and action can exist without requiring time as we know it.
Think of a dream. In dreams, events don’t follow normal time rules—sometimes they speed up, slow down, or even seem to happen all at once.
Heaven is far greater than a dream—it is an eternal realm, where time is not a requirement for existence.
How Can YHWH Interact With Time If He’s Outside of It?
This is where it gets beautiful.
Imagine an author writing a book. The characters live inside the timeline of the story, but the author exists outside of it.
The author can choose to step into the story at any moment—changing things, influencing events, speaking directly to the characters.
This is exactly what YHWH does.
- He spoke to Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:14).
- He entered history as Yeshua (John 1:14).
- He sends His Spirit to guide and speak to us (John 16:13).
He is not “stuck” in time like we are. He enters time when He chooses, while still existing beyond it.
The Name That Proves It All: “I AM”
When Moses asked for God’s name, YHWH gave an answer that shattered the idea of Him being confined to past or future:
“I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:14)
Not “I was” or “I will be”—but “I AM.”
Yeshua echoed this when He said:
“Before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58)
This name proves that YHWH is not waiting in time like we are. He simply IS.
Final Thoughts: Why This Matters
- YHWH created time (Genesis 1:1).
- He exists outside of time (Isaiah 46:10).
- He sees all things at once (Hebrews 4:13).
- Time will one day cease (Revelation 10:6).
- His movements do not require time (Ezekiel 1, Revelation 4-5).
- He steps into time when He chooses (John 1:14).
YHWH is the eternal One, outside of time yet fully present within it. He is not waiting for the future—He already holds it in His hands.
And that should bring us great comfort. Because if He sees the end from the beginning, then we can trust Him completely—no matter what comes next.
A Belief Worth Examining
