Always and forever. Usually, there is an exception. Think about it there are very few things that you can say that are always and forever. No person or thing stays the same all the time. It usually deteriorates over time and must be replaced or cease to exist.
Yet, God is eternal. Infinite. This is one of His attributes.
“Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.” Psalms 90:2 NLT
He has no beginning or end.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” Revelation 1:8 NLT
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty— the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” Revelation 4:8 NLT
He has always existed
“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” Ephesians 1:4 NLT
God’s eternality goes hand in hand with His immutability (does not change). Since God has always existed, He has not changed. This is comforting as a believer. This shows the vastness of God. It shows us that we can trust Him.
God’s view of time is different than us. We see this in scripture. “For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours.” Psalms 90:4 NLT
And also in 2 Peter 3:8, “But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.” NLT
“…God views the whole span of history as vividly as he would if it were a brief event that had just happened. But he also views a brief event as it if were going on forever. God sees and knows all events – past, present and future- with equal vividness. Although he has no succession of movements, he still sees the progression of events at different points in time. And as the one who created and rules over time, God uses time for his own purposes.” (Grudem, 2005)
The God we serve is eternal. Time does not limit Him because He created time. So as we wait on God, remember the past, present and future are in His view. Nothing surprises Him! Nothing ever will.
Reference
Grudem, W (2005) Christian Beliefs: twenty basic beliefs every Christian should know.
