In A Moment of Time
"And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him
all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time" (Luke 4:5)
It is interesting that there are just three "moments"
mentioned in the New Testament and that there are three different Greek
words so translated, each used one time only in the Bible. Furthermore,
each of these three "moments" is used in a context which is anticipatory
of the future. First of all, Satan tempted Jesus by
flashing before His eyes a vision of the whole world, offering it to Him
immediately without His having to endure the cross, if He would rule it
for the devil. Here the Greek word for "moment" is stigme,
meaning a "point," like a period after a sentence. In an infinite "time
line," it would be just a dot on the line, a "point" in time. Satan’s
apparent dominion over this world, though it lasts six thousand years or
so, is only a moment compared to eternity, and Jesus knew this was a
poor bargain. One day, in fact, He will return to reclaim
the world from Satan. At that great day, "we shall all be changed, in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians
15:51-52). In this passage, the unique word is atomos,
meaning an indivisible particle. That is, in an "atom of time," too
instantaneous to measure, we shall be changed to be like Him in "his
glorious body" (Philippians 3:21).
Right now, however, our bodies are weak and easily beset with pain and
sickness. Nevertheless, we are assured that "our light affliction, which
is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17).
The word here is parautika, referring specifically to the present
moment. What we must endure "here and now" is so brief compared to the
eternity "then and there" that it is not even "worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).




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