While reading his book on the US Constitution, Willian O. Nelson (at the
time of writing, the administrative assistant to the Council of the Twelve
Apostles), wrote the following which shows how even among those who believe
God exists “outside of time” in an “eternal now,” functionally, they believe (correctly) God exists in some form of
(divine) temporality (do note: defenders of God existing in an eternal now
argue one cannot truly use tensed verbs for God [e.g., Paul Helm, Eternal God: A Study of God without Time [2d
ed.; New York: Oxford University Press, 2010]--after all, it would mean that there is a temporal "before" and "after" for God):
The doctrine of our
premortal life increases our reverence for God’s omniscience. Only an
omniscience God could direct the timing and placement of His children on this
earth. Only God can providentially determine to what nation His children will
be sent. Timing and placement are crucial to the accomplishment of His divine
purposes. Thus, the assignment of select sons and daughters to come to earth at
particular places and at a particular historical moment is neither haphazard
nor accidental. Both Moses and the Apostle Paul implied this truth in their writings
(see, for example, Acts 17:22-26 and Deuteronomy 32:7-9), but it took
latter-day revelation to clarify our understanding of it. (William O. Nelson, The Charter of Liberty: The Inspired Origin
and Prophetic Destiny of the Constitution [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Company, 1987], 15)
