There is an interesting parallel between Adam and the thief on the cross. Adam was told by God that in “the day” that he ate of the forbidden tree he would surely die. The thief was promised by Jesus that, “today” (because of his faith), he would be with his Lord in paradise.
The parallel lies in the fact that, in neither instance, did this actually happen. Both days came and went. At the end of them Adam was still alive and the thief very much dead. But we are in no doubt as to the eventual outcome. Adam’s day of tragedy brought fulfillment of God’s word through the on-set of bodily corruption, even though his death would not occur for many more years. The thief’s day will turn glorious on the day of his resurrection, which for him will be his next waking moment.
God’s view of time
Both cases demand an expansion of our thinking to fully comprehend them, but for God it is no problem. “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.” “Before the day was, I am he.” There is an inevitability with God which transcends time. He speaks and it is done. His word goes forth and it is accomplished.
Our view is enough for us
For us, it is enough to deal with the day at hand and the “evil thereof,” secure in the knowledge that “This is the day which the Lord hath made.” It is an all-wise Heavenly Father who teaches us to learn the “measure of our days” as we contemplate eternity in the age to come.
The apostle Paul says, “He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord.” Our attitude as we perform our daily tasks, our example to those around us, our faith that God is active in our lives and will provide for all our needs, these make up “the day of small things.” They are, in reality, our preparation for the kingdom of God.
Paul further counsels us to “redeem the time,” a phrase emphasizing the value that God places on time and reminding us that it is through Christ that we can win the victory over the daily trials and temptations of life.
The coming day of the Lord
The coming “great and dreadful day of the Lord” will be a day like no other, a day of “clouds and of thick darkness” to the ungodly, a day of “wrath” and “judgment” to the wicked. But for those who “fear his name” and “love his appearing” this is our wondrous “day of salvation” when the “sun of righteousness” shall “arise with healing in his wings.” This will be the beginning of day “without end” where there shall be “no night there” and the earth shall be filled with the brightness of Zion’s glory.
No doubt when this “mortal shall have put on immortality” and time takes on new meaning, we shall not painfully remember the “former days” with all their sins and sorrows, all those missed opportunities to serve our God in heaven. But while it is called “today” let us endeavor to remain “steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” “For ye, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of day.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One