A KEY SCRIPTURE

Isaiah 44:6 "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God." (NKJV)

ARRIVING AT AN ANSWER

God the Father challenges an idol-worshipping world, asserting His eternal being and His uniqueness as the only true God.

Israel is a testimony to the fulfilment of God's predictions, evidence of His authentic Word, that no man- invented religion could produce, not even when demonised by the evil spirits of their idol worship (Isaiah 43:10; 1 Timothy 4:1-2) .

In Psalm 90 and verse 2, there are three things named that had beginning - the mountains, the earth, and the world, that is, the inhabitants of earth. In contrast, "the LORD of hosts" (Isaiah 44:6 ) is from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 90:2 ).

The Scriptures are clear on the eternity of God the Father. Paul proclaimed this revelation when he addressed the Areopagus (Acts 17:24-25 ).

Acts 17:24-25 "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 "Nor is He worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things." (NKJV)

What Paul declared was decidedly Biblical (1 Kings 8:27; Isaiah 66:1-2; Psalm 50:12; John 5:26 ). He preached that God the Father is the Creator; is the Almighty Lord of heaven and earth; that He cannot be contained in temples made by men; that He does not have to be fed by the hands of men; that He is the eternal, self-existent one; that He is the source of all life; He commands all idol worshippers of false gods to repent (Acts 17:29-30 ). God the Father is revealed to be God from eternity past to eternity future.

A KEY SCRIPTURE

Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting." (NKJV)

ARRIVING AT AN ANSWER

The Messiah-Ruler who will deliver His people, His birthplace is predicted to be "Bethlehem Ephrathah" an insignificant, small town some five miles from Jerusalem. "Ephrathah" distinguishes this Bethlehem from other places so named, and refers to the area around Bethlehem. Both king David and the greater than a David were born there (1 Samuel 16:1, 18-19; 17:12; Matthew 2:1; Isaiah 9:6-7 ).

The pre-existence of Jesus Christ is described in the words"whose goings forth are from of old".

The Ryrie Study Bible says that "these words refer primarily to Christ's pre-incarnate appearances as the Angel of the LORD, thus affirming the existence of Christ before His birth in Bethlehem".

The words "from everlasting" refer to the eternity of God the Son. The New King James margin says, "Lit. the days of eternity." The eternity of Jesus Christ, God the Son, is emphatically stated in the New Testament.

John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (NKJV)

Philippians 2:6 "who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God," (NKJV)

Colossians 1:17 "And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist." (NKJV)

Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (NKJV)

The book of the Revelation contains Christ's personal proclamation to His eternity. (See also Revelation 1:11,17; 2:8; 21:6; 22:12-13 ).

A KEY SCRIPTURE

Hebrews 9:14 "how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (NKJV)

ARRIVING AT AN ANSWER

God the Holy Spirit is eternal. In this Scripture we have the assertion that all three Persons of the Godhead were involved in the sacrifice of Christ. Notice that Christ offered His spotless, perfect sacrifice to God the Father through the eternal Spirit, that we the redeemed, may obtain "the promise of eternal inheritance." (Hebrews 9:15 ).

Christ Jesus, named "My Servant" (Isaiah 42:1 ), is declared to be the delight of God the Father (Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 3:17 ), who said, "I have put My Spirit upon Him." (Isaiah 42:1 ). The entire ministry of Christ was accomplished in the power of the Holy Spirit, and by the Holy Spirit, He became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:8 ). All that it means in the sacrificial offering of Himself He performed in the power of the eternal Spirit. The eternal Spirit (Hebrews 9:14 ) is the divine uncreated Holy Spirit. Eternal - no beginning and no ending - co-eternal with God the Father, and God the Son, in perfect unity.

1 John 5:7 "For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one" (NKJV)

Though some parts of 1 John 5:7-8 are actually found in only a handful of Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the teaching it states remains true, setting forth the Persons of the Godhead as one in their eternal being. As the eternal Spirit He gives witness to the efficacy of Christ's shed blood and His resurrection and exaltation, as is acclaimed by Peter in Acts 5:32,

Acts 5:32 "And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him." (NKJV)

While the first generation of eyewitnesses faithfully did so almost 2 000 years ago, the Holy Spirit's divine witness, remains (John 15:26; Romans 8:16; Hebrews 10:15; Acts 1:8 ). The Scriptures clearly reveal that the three Persons of the Godhead are co-eternal. What a great privilege it is to serve the everlasting God! We can but bow down and offer adoration and praise.