Times - Institute for Creation Research

Times

 

"I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth" (Psalm 34:1).

A common statement about the entity of time is to the effect that everyone knows what time is, but no one can precisely define it. In modern physics, especially Einsteinian physics, time is considered to be the fourth dimension of space, so that cosmic phenomena that involve both space and time are often expressed in units of spacetime.

But most people are more concerned with just knowing the time-of-day or punching a time clock or something else related to their daily lives. Twice a year, we have to reset our clocks as, by government decree, we advance our clocks one hour to go on daylight saving time or--as happening today--moving them back to standard time.

The word "time" or "times" occurs more than 700 times in the Bible. The final time is in Revelation 22:10: "Seal not the sayings of . . . this book: for the time is at hand," referring of course to the imminent return of Christ. Of course, that statement was written almost 2000 years ago, so it is obvious that "imminent" does not necessarily mean "immediate." The Greek for "at hand" more commonly is rendered "nigh" or "near," as in Matthew 24:33 when Jesus, speaking of the signs preceding His coming, said ". . . when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."

One thing we can say for sure! "Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" (Romans 13:11). Whether on standard time or some other time, He is coming sometime, and we should "bless the LORD at all times." He has said that we should "Occupy till I come" (Luke 19:13), and the beloved disciple John has reminded us to ". . . abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming" (I John 2:28). HMM

This article was originally published October, 2003. "Times", Institute for Creation Research, https://www.icr.org/article/times (accessed March 29, 2024).