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The Wonder of Simultaneity — a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —


dljbsp

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einstein.thumb.png.3b1d1bcb46777605c292ad38ec46b192.pngTwo lightning bolts strike. To Albert Einstein, this was more than a storm; it was a thought experiment that cracked open our understanding of time. He imagined two bolts flashing at opposite ends of a railway. To a person standing on the platform, the bolts might flare at the same instant. But to someone speeding past on the train, one flash comes first, the other a beat later. Which is correct? Both. Einstein’s lesson was that simultaneity is relative. Two observers can watch the same world and yet disagree on what happened “at the same time.” There is no single, universal, “now.”

 

That’s a dizzy thought. We like to believe the universe keeps a tidy calendar, that its seconds march in lockstep like a parade. Instead, relativity shows us that time is elastic — stretched and squeezed depending on your point of view.

 

But isn’t life like that? Two people sit in the same meeting. A kind word lands as encouragement for one, but it triggers an old wound in another. To one, the moment is filled with warmth; to the other, with pain. Same event, different timing inside the heart.

 

Physics says simultaneity depends on where you stand. Experience, says the same.

 

Take rainbows. If you and I stand shoulder to shoulder, we do not see the same rainbow. My rainbow is stitched together by drops of water aligned with my eyes, the sun, and the sky. Your rainbow is stitched by droplets aligned with yours. We can nod and say we’re seeing “the” rainbow together — but in truth, we’re not. Mine is mine. Yours is yours.

 

We’ve explored that in depth before, in A Rainbow of Wonder: Understanding How We See Color. But here, the rainbow reminds us of something subtler: Jehovah is not just Creator of physics. He is Witness of perception. He knows what my rainbow looks like, and what your rainbow looks like. Each is personal — a covenant bent in light for the individual.

 

And the reaction to that rainbow is just as personal. For me . . . I often pause in reflection . . . letting it register as a moment shared . . . between Jehovah and me. (Don’t worry, you will have your moments!) Sometimes I remember it is his reminder, a sign he placed long ago. But for most people, seeing a rainbow is pure awe. They’re not analyzing it — they’re lost in it. Or they’re thrilled, quick to share it: a picture, a shout to a friend, “Hey, look out the window!” Still, in that instant, their thinking is personal. Their rainbow is theirs.

 

Let’s go back to our opening scene — the railway and the lightning.

 

  • One brother blurts something sharp. You hear only the sting. Jehovah hears the sting too — but also the knot of fear in his chest that made him lash out.
     
  • A sister breathes slowly, folding her hands, speaking with restraint. Jehovah sees not just her composure but the storm she silenced with prayer before she opened her mouth.
     
  • A child laughs at the wrong time. You hear rudeness. Jehovah hears innocence and sees the ache it causes in another heart.

 

From our seat by the tracks, events flare at once, or out of order, or not at all. But Jehovah sees not just what happened — he sees the frame of reference. He knows how trauma, fatigue, or discipline shaped each reaction. He reads the rainbow that only you could see.

 

And if his vision holds us in these personal moments, how much more when he speaks of time itself?

 

And that is where scripture steadies us.

 

The apostle Peter wrote: “bible.png.26dbd3c86dd0eea4208266cf3925427c.pngOne day is with Jehovah as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8, NWT). To us, time stretches or contracts, moments drag or vanish. To Jehovah, there is no distortion. His frame of time is perfectly clear.

 

The prophet Habakkuk heard Jehovah’s reassurance: “It will not be late” (Habakkuk 2:3, NWT). To us, fulfillment may seem to stagger, promises may appear delayed. But Jehovah is never behind schedule. His timing is exact.

 

And through Isaiah, Jehovah declared: “My thoughts are higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9, NWT). To us, reactions are tangled, perceptions collide, motives get misread. To Jehovah, every angle is visible. His perspective rises higher than ours.

 

So the wonder is this: Jehovah doesn’t just hold the cosmic master clock. He holds yours. He knows exactly why the lightning strikes looked simultaneous to you but not to your neighbor. He knows why the rainbow you saw was different from the rainbow another saw, and why both mattered. He reads your timing, your perception, your frame of reference — and he judges with perfect compassion.

 

When you feel misunderstood, remember: “No creation is hidden from his sight” (Hebrews 4:13, NWT). He is not fooled by appearances. He knows why you said what you said, why you broke down or held back, why your “now” doesn’t match someone else’s. And still, he bends the light of his promises so that you can see a rainbow meant just for you.

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Truly fascinating, as usual, thank you +++, but I have a question, David @dljbsp. Given what you write about simultaneity and personal perception, can we think that when Jesus and the Bible speak to us about Jehovah, each of us has a personal perception of him, a bit like when two people look at a rainbow at the same time? Will these perceptions forever remain parallel, or can we hope they will become perpendicular, even if only in one respect?

 

I thought about this with this sentence from today's text: 'Anointed Christians know that they are "loved by God."' Is this unique to the anointed, is it a knowledge that the other sheep don't have, at least not in the same way? The text says that the Holy Spirit makes them feel God's love, through their anointing. This means that the other sheep don't have access to this feeling, doesn't it? Jude 1 and 1 John 3:1 seem to show that it is a reserved love, ' that we might be called children of God!+ And that is what we are.' What do they feel that we fail to feel?

 

I don't even know if the question is right. I'm just wondering, but perhaps over the years on this Forum the question has already been asked, addressed, and widely documented.

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1 hour ago, Dolce vita said:

can we think that when Jesus and the Bible speak to us about Jehovah, each of us has a personal perception of him, a bit like when two people look at a rainbow at the same time? Will these perceptions forever remain parallel, or can we hope they will become perpendicular, even if only in one respect?

 

1 hour ago, Dolce vita said:

Is this unique to the anointed, is it a knowledge that the other sheep don't have, at least not in the same way?



 

That’s a really thoughtful set of questions.

 

On the first one — I do believe each of us has a unique relationship with Jehovah, one that naturally includes our personal perception of him but goes deeper than that. You’ve not leaned on him the way I have, and I’ve not leaned on him the way you have. Our experiences overlap in faith and in principle, but they’re lived out differently. Moses’ bond with Jehovah wasn’t like Abraham’s, and Abraham’s wasn’t like David’s. Each was deeply personal, shaped by Jehovah’s perfect knowledge of who they were.

 

So are these relationships forever “parallel”? In one sense, yes — each relationship remains uniquely personal. But in another sense, they converge. Here is where simultaneity helps us: two observers can see the same event differently, but that doesn’t mean truth itself is relative. It means perception depends on where you stand. In the same way, Jehovah is the one constant Source. Every rainbow points back to the same sun. Every faithful Christian’s relationship points back to the same God. The differences in how we experience him reflect our frames of reference, our history, our emotions, our needs. But those differences are not permanent divisions. Over time Jehovah draws all of his people closer, until our unique lines of sight harmonize under one Shepherd (John 10:16).

 

That leads into your second question about the anointed and the other sheep. The anointed are chosen for a unique assignment, and one mark of that calling is the direct witness of the spirit — “the spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Rom. 8:16). That isn’t simply information — it’s a felt assurance, a gift of the spirit that leaves no doubt in their hearts.

 

The “other sheep” don’t receive that same inner witness, but they are no less loved. Jesus promised they too would be gathered in, cared for, and united with the anointed as “one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:16). For us, the assurance of Jehovah’s love often grows in another way: by faith. Through study, prayer, and applying what we learn, we perceive Jehovah’s love as it takes root in our life. It might not be the same direct witness the anointed feel, but it is no less real. Psalm 103:13 reminds us that Jehovah shows mercy to each one individually, as a father does to his children.

 

And that ties into why I have confidence in these answers. I still remember the very first time I was assigned an Instruction Talk as a young brother. I had worked hard in preparation, but as I stood in the back of the Kingdom Hall waiting for my turn, I offered a very direct prayer to Jehovah. I told him: “This congregation belongs to you. I’ve done my part by preparing. If I go up there and say something wrong, then you make sure they hear it right. If I stand up there and say the Trinity is true, it’s up to you to make sure they get the right message.”

 

Immediately, all nervousness left me. There was no confusion, no hesitation. Just clarity. I walked up, gave the talk, and walked away with a quiet satisfaction — the kind that comes when you know Jehovah has supported you. From that moment on, I’ve carried the confidence that if I put in my effort, Jehovah will back me up in my ministry, whether in a talk or in another form of service.

 

Later, I was asked to give the Instruction Talk at a circuit assembly back when they still ran for two days. Brother Hurd was our District Overseer at the time. I remember asking him afterward: “You give the same talks week after week. Do you still get nervous?” His answer surprised me: “Every single time.” But for me, ever since that very first prayer, I have never been nervous for a talk. My prayer has remained the same: “I’ve done my part. You take it from here.” Even when I’ve gone up to the platform not feeling well, the confidence has held. I trusted Jehovah to carry me through, and he always has.

 

For me, the miracle was that first time — when all the nerves vanished in an instant. After that, I no longer saw it as a miracle every time, because for Jehovah it isn’t a miracle at all. It’s simply his possibility. What feels impossible for me is nothing for him. And that’s why I trust him.

 

So yes — each relationship is unique, shaped by the ways we have leaned on Jehovah. But all of us can place faith in him. That faith may rest on different experiences, different frames of reference, but the trust is the same — in Jehovah’s unfailing love (Rom. 8:38-39).

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