Topical Bible: Time: The Measure of the Continuance of Anything

◄ Time: The Measure of the Continuance of Anything ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Time, as understood within the biblical context, is a fundamental aspect of God's creation, serving as a framework within which the divine narrative unfolds. The Bible presents time as both a linear progression and a cyclical pattern, reflecting God's eternal nature and His sovereign plan for humanity.

Creation and the Beginning of Time

The concept of time is introduced in the very first verse of the Bible: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). This marks the commencement of time as we understand it, with the creation account in Genesis 1 establishing a seven-day framework that delineates the rhythm of time. Each day of creation is marked by the phrase, "And there was evening, and there was morning," indicating a cyclical pattern of time (Genesis 1:5).

Time in Human Experience

Time is a measure of human existence and experience, often depicted as fleeting and precious. The psalmist reflects on the brevity of life, stating, "The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty if we are strong—yet their span is but toil and trouble; they quickly pass, and we fly away" (Psalm 90:10). This acknowledgment of life's transience encourages a wise and purposeful use of time, as echoed in Ephesians 5:15-16: "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil" .

God's Sovereignty Over Time

Scripture affirms God's sovereignty over time, emphasizing that He exists outside of its constraints. In 2 Peter 3:8, it is written, "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day" . This verse highlights God's eternal nature and His control over the temporal realm. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 further illustrates God's orchestration of time, declaring, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens" .

Prophetic Time and Fulfillment

Time is also a critical element in biblical prophecy, with specific periods and events foretold and fulfilled according to God's timetable. Daniel 9:24-27 outlines the "seventy weeks" prophecy, a timeline for the coming of the Messiah and the unfolding of redemptive history. Galatians 4:4-5 speaks to the fulfillment of time in the coming of Christ: "But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption as sons" .

Eschatological Time

The Bible also addresses eschatological time, concerning the end of the age and the return of Christ. Jesus speaks of the signs of the end times in Matthew 24, urging vigilance and readiness: "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come" (Matthew 24:42). Revelation 1:3 pronounces a blessing on those who heed the prophetic words, "because the time is near" , underscoring the imminence and certainty of God's ultimate plan.

Eternal Time

Finally, the Bible presents a vision of eternal time, where the constraints of earthly time are transcended. Revelation 21:4 offers a glimpse of this eternal state: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away" . This promise of eternity with God provides hope and assurance for believers, affirming that time, as a measure of the continuance of anything, ultimately culminates in the eternal presence of the Creator.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Judges 18:31
And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Continuance of the Arian Controversy. Eusebius' Relations to the ...
... Section 7. Continuance of the Arian Controversy. ... of the Arian party being in large
measure allayed, and his ... archbishop, who was at the same time quite probably ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/section 7 continuance of the.htm

Fifth Tractate. Happiness and Extension of Time.
... once time supplants moral excellence as the measure of felicity. ... any increase besides
that of mere time, it is ... of happiness the years of its continuance; it is ...
/.../plotinus/the six enneads/fifth tractate happiness and extension.htm

Sin the Mocker
... Or if these consequences are in any measure silenced and ... melancholy mockery betrays
him, in the continuance of the ... himself 'It is only this one time that I ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/sin the mocker.htm

Making and Breaking Connections.
... life goes on without break there will be a continuance of that power in ever-increasing
measure. ... what he himself did not understand at the time: "But this ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on power/making and breaking connections.htm

Letter xiv . --To the Bishop of Melitene.
... enjoyment of health prevent our desiring its continuance; and we ... And unless one from
time to time emits a ... and prepare for yourself in ampler measure the reward ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/letter xiv to the bishop.htm

A Passage of St. ...
... Spirit, as if in some place or time; they attribute ... That the establishment and
continuance of all things is His ... joint of the supply for the measure of every ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter ix a passage of.htm

Letter cii. (AD 409. )
... in time more protracted, and therefore by its continuance greater ... For we measure
actions, whether good or bad, by the ... them, not by the length of time which they ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter cii a d 409.htm

Morality and Doctrine
... we are aware of the passage of time, we measure it; and ... evil leaven is placed in
man from the time that he ... and prefer his own good, and the continuance of his ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pascal/pensees/section vii morality and doctrine.htm

Triumph Over Death and the Grave
... a strength, an efficacy, and a continuance from the law ... to their day, and in the
time of trouble ... A measure of the like extraordinary discoveries and supports is ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 2/sermon xliv triumph over death.htm

The First Order of Production Maintained by the Heretics is ...
... appellations according to its increase and continuance, but not ... to Him; while, at
the same time, they endow ... must also in an equal measure continue impassible ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xiii the first order of.htm