The concept of time is very interesting and also difficult to describe.
Time can run and stand still.
Time can escape us and sneak up on us.
Time is both fleeting and precious.
There can be so much time and not enough time.
Time is both distant and near.
Time is something people gain and lose everyday.
Time can be calculated, but not truly measured because it is relative to its subject and situation.
It's quite the paradox! But did you know that there was a time when there was no time?
In the Beginning
The Bible opens with these three words, signaling to the reader the moment time began. The first chapter of Genesis reveals that the concept of time did not exist before God, but was initiated the moment He formed the heavens and the earth. He divided the light from the darkness, forming the very first day (Gen. 1:3-5). He established the sun, moon and stars to give light on the earth, to be used for both signs and seasons, and to record days and years (Gen. 1:14-18). All of creation has a beginning and an ending. The Creator, however, has no beginning or ending because He existed before time began and will remain when time comes to an end (Isa. 46:9-10, Rev. 1:8; 21:6; 22:13, Isa. 43:10).
Let's look at this from a different angle. If you have been in church for any amount of time, you may have heard the popular phrase,
"God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good."
Notice this phrase starts and ends with the statement that "God is good," and then sandwiched in between this statement we find the notion of time.
Looking at this simple phrase, we can see that God's goodness exists outside the restraints of time and is in no way relative to the concept of time. Instead, it is absolute that the nature of God is good. There has never been a time when God is not good because He was good before time began and will remain good after time ends.
Imagining the end of time can be just as challenging as
describing it in the first place. But the Word of God teaches us that
there will in fact be an end to this time in which we live. The disciples understood that Jesus would return before the end of time,
which is why they approached Him privately to ask, "what will be the
sign of Your coming, and the end of the age?" (Matt. 24:3). Jesus then shared with them several signs to expect just before His return. Unfortunately, knowing that Jesus will return is very different than knowing when He will return.
The Unexpected Hour
This morning I opened my eyes around 4:50 am, sadly an entire hour and 10 minutes before my alarm clock. As I laid in bed, I heard the voice of the Lord whisper, "If you had known what hour the thief would come..." and my sense of hearing suddenly heightened as I listened intently for any strange noises in my home. After an extended period of silence, I succumbed to my "night owl" nature and went back to sleep, not ready to receive any grand revelations so early in the morning.
After returning home from work, however, I discovered that there are only three passages of scripture in the entire Bible that refer to a thief coming at a certain hour: Matthew 24:42-44, Luke 12:39-40 and Revelation 3:1-3. All three passages were spoken by Jesus and all refer to His return. The theme of all three scriptures can be summed up in the following phrase:
Jesus is returning at the stroke of "The Unexpected Hour" on the grand clock of time, an hour that we are quickly approaching. We cannot prevent it, we cannot escape it, we cannot control it. We can and should, however, prepare for it. Throughout these three passages, Jesus warns believers to "watch," "be ready," "hold fast," "repent" and "strengthen the things which remain." This simply means we have to turn our focus away from the world's issues and redirect all of our attention to God and His Word, actively pursuing His will in this earth.
No Time Like the Present
The present is truly the gift that we receive and unwrap on every "today" of the year. Time was created by God and thus belongs to God. We must not fear losing time because it was never ours to begin with. Instead, we must redeem the time we've been given, not wasting it on the things of this earth which quickly fade away (Eph. 5:15-16, Col. 4:5-6, 1 Cor. 7:31, 1 John 2:17). We must cherish and spend it wisely, preparing for the return of the King.
