Time changes Sunday morning. Really? In fact time remains the same; we just manipulate our keeping of it, that's all. Time, what is it anyway? It is not a thing you can hold, you don't produce it, although it might SEEM to go faster or slower (depending on the circumstances) it doesn't change. OK, somebody out there will remind me that time slows down as we approach the speed of light, but hey- I don't think I will ever go that fast!!! So, this morning I saw the picture at the top and happened across the next one, which made me think of the first linked song and then made me a bit curious, which led to the second link. But, what about the Bible? In fact, the Bible has a lot to say about time, but for the sake of brevity, I will just list a few verses...
Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: 2 a time to be born,
and a time to die;
a time to plant,
and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 a time to kill,
and a time to heal;
a time to break down,
and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep,
and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn,
and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones,
and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace,
and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek,
and a time to lose;
a time to keep,
and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear,
and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence,
and a time to speak;
8 a time to love,
and a time to hate;
a time for war,
and a time for peace.
and a time to die;
a time to plant,
and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 a time to kill,
and a time to heal;
a time to break down,
and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep,
and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn,
and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones,
and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace,
and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek,
and a time to lose;
a time to keep,
and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear,
and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence,
and a time to speak;
8 a time to love,
and a time to hate;
a time for war,
and a time for peace.
Luke, Chapter 10
17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”
18 He said to them, “I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, don’t rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
18 He said to them, “I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, don’t rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Revelation, Chapter 12
7 There was war in the sky. Michael and his angels made war on the dragon. The dragon and his angels made war. 8 They didn’t prevail, neither was a place found for him any more in heaven. 9 The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, the power, and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ has come; for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 They overcame him because of the Lamb’s blood, and because of the word of their testimony. They didn’t love their life, even to death. 12 Therefore rejoice, heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil has gone down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time.”
2 Corinthians, Chapter 6
1 Working together, we entreat also that you not receive the grace of God in vain, 2 for he says,
“At an acceptable time I listened to you,
in a day of salvation I helped you.”
Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
“At an acceptable time I listened to you,
in a day of salvation I helped you.”
Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
Time really is an abstract concept, something to reflect the changes that occur around us. It was interesting to me that Daylight Savings Time is a modern scheme and things were much different in bygone eras. Although in the past, humans measured things differently, still, the Ecclesiastes passage points out that everything has its appointed time. And if you put the passages from Luke and Revelation together, we see time from God's point of view (Jesus' actually). All this can get confusing unless you take some time to think about it, but for a simple guy like me, the following is true:
1. I was born
2. I grew up
3. I married
4. I became a father
5. I became a grandfather
6. I am growing old
7. I will die
8. If I am faithful until death, I will live eternally
Almost everyone out there can relate to 1,2, 6, and 7. But what about that last one? Well, reread that Corinthian passage above... hummm, now would be a good time to think about it!!!
PS. In all this, I didn't even mention a pocket watch- can you believe it???
NOT!!!
