Isaiah 57:15—Does God dwell in eternity or with men?

Problem: Isaiah speaks of God as “the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity.” Yet John claims that “God is with men, and He will dwell with them” (Rev. 21:3). Is God in eternity or in time?

Solution: God is in both. He is “out there” as well as “in here.” In technical terms, He is both transcendent over the universe and yet immanent in it. All of God is everywhere, in heaven and on earth (Ps. 139:7–10). He is over all and in all. He created the universe and has manifested Himself in it, but He is not identical to the universe (Col. 1:15–16). God is in the world, but God is not the world. Like a painter and his painting, God put Himself in His creation but is still more than it.

This excerpt is from When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992). © 2014 Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Click here to purchase this book.