Unable To Fathom Eternity

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

In St. Petersburg Russia, the Field of Mars has an area of remembrance for the many Russians who died during various wars and revolutions.

In 1957, an eternal flame was lit in the center of the square. The flame, lit from the open-hearth furnace of the Kirov Factory, was the first eternal flame in Russia.

The Field of Mars had become a popular location for demonstrations and protests on issues such as political prisoners, fair elections, anti-corruption measures, etc.

This status was acknowledged in December 2012 when the square was designated a “Hyde Park” by the Governor of Saint Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko, making it a “specially designated place in the city for the collective discussion of socially significant issues and the expression of citizens’ public sentiments.”

But in December 2023, a teenage boy threw armfuls of snow at the Eternal Flame, while two other boys cheer him on. When the fire went out, the children ran away. The “eternal flame” only stayed lit for 66 years.

Though we have eternity in our hearts, we cannot truly fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

“We are citizens of eternity.” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky

“”The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.” – Proverbs 8:22-23