Long, long ago, before most of humanity had ever drawn a breath, biblical history tells of an era theologians call the Adamic Age, the state of innocence, and a few other fancy terms. I simply call it the time of Adam and Eve. It is the kind of life our hearts have always longed for.

As children, we wrapped that longing in fairy tales filled with fluttering fairies, talking animals, fountains of youth, and immortality. But beneath all that imagination was something real—something that left us homesick for a world we have never seen. The truth is, a timeless paradise did, in fact, exist. It did not include all the elements we were wowed by as children. It was better!

God created mankind in His own image and likeness, placed them in a garden with the tree of life, and walked among them (Genesis 1:26–27; 2:9; 3:8). They were created to reflect Him, live in His presence, and enjoy life untouched by sickness, aging, or death.

Even heaven stood in awe. Psalm 8:4–5 paints the scene almost as if the angels looked at God in amazement and asked, “What is it about mankind that You are always thinking about them? Why do You hold them so close to Your heart? You created them only a little lower than Elohim—Your own Royal Family, the Godhead—and crowned them with glory and honor!” (Paraphrased)

The Bible tells us there were days, nights, and seasons, but time had no grip on mankind. It dictated nothing. God desires to bring us back to that timeless paradise where He can walk with His family again—only this time, it will last forever.

Fathoming an era when time didn’t exist still seems like a fairy tale because our time-bound minds measure everything in minutes, days, weeks, and years. Fortunately, the Bible contains other Scriptures that preserve a record of that short-lived slice of timelessness spoken of in Genesis.

One of those super-shiny nuggets is found in the words of Moses. Psalm 90 is the only psalm attributed to Moses and is traditionally considered the oldest.

Psalm 90:1–2 (NKJV)

“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

Just two verses later, Moses adds that a thousand years in God’s sight are like yesterday after it has passed—only a brief watch in the night (Psalm 90:4). This Scripture is full of juicy revelation because it reveals a longing shared by both God and mankind: God longs to dwell with His family, and deep within us is the longing to live with Him in a timeless paradise.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us why: God placed eternity in our hearts. We long for what He has desired for us all along! Ephesians 1:4–5 says He chose us before the foundation of the world and planned for us to become His children through Jesus Christ. We were created in His image and likeness, and Romans 8:29 says His plan is to conform us to the image of His Son, making Jesus “the firstborn among many brethren.”

And this is where the word “generations” in Psalm 90:1 becomes so interesting.

The word generation is rich! To understand what Moses was expressing, we must return to the original Hebrew. I promise not to go all theologian on you. I will keep it fun and easy to understand.

The NKJV says “in all generations,” but the Hebrew reads: בְּדֹר וָדֹר — b’dôr va-dôr

It literally means “in generation and generation,” or as we would say, “from generation to generation.” Moses repeats the word דּוֹר (dôr) twice.

The Hebrew word dôr means a generation, age, period, or cycle of time. It has even been described as a revolution of time—one age completing its circle before another begins.

The Hebrew word translated “dwelling place” is מָעוֹן (ma’on), while dôr is translated “generations.” Put those thoughts together, and they paint a powerful picture:

One age circles into another, but God remains our dwelling place through them all. He has never left us or forsaken us.

Before the mountains existed, He was God. Before the world was formed, He was God. Generations are born and pass away, but He remains “from everlasting to everlasting.”

The story begins with God dwelling with His family in paradise, and it ends with God dwelling with His family in paradise forever. That is the full circle of the ages—and right in the center of that circle stands Jesus.

Now, don’t let the Hebrew letters make you nervous. This is easier—and more fun—than it looks! In ancient Paleo-Hebrew, letters were written as pictures. Used as a devotional illustration, the three letters that spell דּוֹר (dôr) (generation) give us a beautiful trail leading straight to Jesus.

ד (Dalet)—The Door

Dalet pictured a door or entrance. Jesus said, “I am the door” (John 10:7, 9). He didn’t come to show us the way back to the Father. He is the Way! He is our entrance into salvation, abundant life, and eternity with God.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” —John 3:16

Love opened the Door.

ו (Vav)—The Nail

Vav pictured a tent peg or nail—something used to connect and secure. That takes us straight to the cross! Colossians 2:14 says the handwriting that stood against us was taken away and nailed to the cross. Jesus allowed Himself to be pierced so the family separated from God could be brought near again.

The nails, however, did not purchase our redemption. His blood did. Hebrews 9:12 says Jesus entered the Most Holy Place with His own blood, once for all, and obtained eternal redemption. First Peter 1:18–20 says we were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, the spotless Lamb foreordained before the foundation of the world.

ר (Resh)—The Head

Resh pictured the head of a man and represented the chief, leader, or beginning. Colossians 1:16–18 tells us everything was created through Jesus and for Jesus. He existed before all things, holds everything together, and is “the head of the body, the church” and “the beginning.”

Revelation 22:13 takes us full circle:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

In Hebrew terms, He is the Aleph and the Tav. He is the One from whom the whole story began, the One holding it all together, and the One bringing it to its glorious finish.

Do you see it?

The Door. The Nail. The Head.

Jesus is the Door who brings us in. He is the eternal sacrifice whose blood brings us near. He is the Head of the Church, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.

The story begins with God dwelling with His family in paradise. Revelation 21 tells us it ends with a new heaven and a new earth, where God will dwell with His family again. There will be no more death, sorrow, crying, pain, or curse. His family will see His face, live in His light, and reign with Him forever.

From paradise to paradise. From the beginning to the end. From everlasting to everlasting.

That is the full circle of דּוֹר (dôr)—the generation, the age, and the longing found in the hearts of both God and mankind.