Question
Gramps,
Does time exist in the next life?
Bruce
Answer
Bruce,
Latter-day Saint doctrine does not fully explain how time works in the next life. However, the scriptures and teachings of modern prophets do provide several clues. Those clues suggest that while our experience of time will likely be very different from what we know now, there is still sequence, progression, and purpose in eternity.
One of the scriptures that often starts this discussion is found in the Doctrine and Covenants. While explaining the nature of God’s knowledge, the Lord revealed:
“The Lord God… all things are present before mine eyes.” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:2)
This verse tells us that God sees all things at once. He is not limited by the past, present, and future the way we are. That doesn’t necessarily mean time doesn’t exist for God. Rather, it means that God’s knowledge is not limited by time. He perfectly sees the beginning, the middle, and the end.
Another important scripture is found in the Book of Abraham:
“Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was…” (Abraham 3:22)
A few verses later, the Lord teaches that one revolution of the star Kolob is equal to one thousand years according to the earth’s reckoning (Abraham 3:4). This is fascinating because it suggests that time can be measured differently depending on where you are. God’s way of measuring time is not the same as ours.
Peter taught something similar in the New Testament:
“One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8)
Peter wasn’t giving us a mathematical formula. Instead, he was emphasizing that God is not constrained by the clock the way we are. His perspective is eternal.
Some people assume that because eternity has no end, there can be no time. But the scriptures suggest otherwise. Consider what happens after resurrection. We know that people continue to learn, serve, worship, and grow. Temple sealings continue to have an eternal effect. Families continue forever. God’s work of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children continues (see Moses 1:39).
All of those activities involve sequence. One event happens after another. We make choices. We gain experience. We continue to progress. That strongly suggests that some form of time—or at least order and progression—still exists.
President Russell M. Nelson has repeatedly taught that “time is running out” and has called the gathering of Israel the most important work taking place on earth today.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell frequently spoke about eternity and God’s perspective. He explained:
“God does not live in the dimension of time as do we.” (The Pearl of Great Price Student Manual)
Although Elder Maxwell acknowledged that we do not fully understand how God experiences time, he emphasized that God’s eternal perspective is far greater than ours.
One important point to remember is that eternal life does not mean simply existing forever. Eternal life means becoming like our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. That kind of growth implies continual learning and development.
The Lord declared:
“This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39)
Work involves action. Glory involves accomplishment. These ideas suggest movement and progression rather than complete stillness.
Joseph Smith also taught that learning continues beyond this life:
“Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.
And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life… he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:18–19)
This is another indication that life after death is active rather than static. We continue to grow in knowledge and understanding. Growth naturally involves progression from one point to another.
So, will we have calendars, clocks, or twenty-four-hour days in the celestial kingdom? The scriptures simply do not say. Those are mortal ways of measuring time based on the rotation of the earth and the movement of the sun. Since resurrected beings will not be living under the same physical conditions, it seems unlikely that time will be measured exactly as it is now.
Instead, the scriptures seem to point toward something much greater. God’s children will continue to progress, learn, create, and serve in ways that are perfectly ordered according to His eternal purposes. There is a sequence without the pressures of mortality. There is progression without deadlines. There is purpose without decay.
Perhaps the best way to think about it is this: our experience of time will probably change dramatically, but eternity is not described as endless inactivity. Rather, it is described as endless life, endless joy, endless learning, and endless opportunities to become more like our Heavenly Father.
In the end, we simply do not know all the details. The Church has no official doctrine explaining exactly how time functions after this life. What has been revealed is enough for us to know that God lives above the limitations we experience, that He sees all things perfectly, and that His faithful children will continue to progress forever.
That truth is both comforting and exciting. Whatever “time” looks like in eternity, we can trust that Heavenly Father has prepared a future far more wonderful than we can currently imagine.
Gramps
