Does time exist in eternity?
In eternity there is no time; time is irrelevant. Even though Adam has been dead 6,000 years, when Resurrection Day comes, he will not realize the long interval—it will seem like hours. Departed loved ones will not suddenly realize how long it has been.
Les explains that when a believer dies, their soul and spirit leave the body and go immediately into the presence of the Lord. He says the Bible is fairly silent about their exact activity or state at that point, but all we know is they are in the Lord's presence waiting for the great Resurrection Day. Les tempers our thinking by teaching that in eternity there is no time, so time is irrelevant. Even though Adam has been dead 6,000 years, at the Resurrection Day he won't realize he's been off the scene that long; it will seem as if only hours have passed. Les uses the illustration of taking a loved one to the train depot: if they boarded a front car and got situated, but after the train pulled out you quickly bought a ticket and boarded a car at the end, the reunion would not feel like a long separation. Likewise, departed loved ones reunited with us will not suddenly realize how long it has been.