TIME IN CHRISTIANITY


The concept of time was created for humanity by God in Genesis 1:14-19. However, God is love, spirit and light (1 John 4:8, 16; John 4:23-24; 1 John 1:5) and therefore, exists in/at the speed of light. According to Albert Einstein‘s ―Theory of Relativity,‖ at the speed of light there is no time, just eternity or infinity. This coincides with Moses‘ statement about God in Psalm 90:2. As a result of this revelation, the purpose of time rests within God‘s creation according to Ecclesiastes 8:5-6 and Proverbs 16:4. It may be further developed from the Bible that time had a beginning (Gen 1:14), is linear (proceeding since its creation in a line, not a circle—Luke 2:4; 3:23-38; 17:22-30; 21:7-28; Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:1-11), is finite, quantifiable and measurable (Gen 1:14; 8:22; Gal 4:10), is part of the space-time continuum (Dan 2:20-22, 28-45; 9:1-2, 24- 27; 12:8-13; 2 Cor 12:1-4; Rev 1:9-19; 4:1-2), and will cease when its purpose is completed at the end of time (Gen 8:22; Rev 21:1-6a).

The Old Testament biblical concept of time is communicated in Hebrew primarily by the word et, which can mean linear time but more often is associated with specific events and is translated kairos in Greek (Van Gemeren 1997, 3:564-6). Yom is also used in Hebrew to communicate a unit of time, most often day or today (Van Gemeren 1997, 2:419-23). In Greek, the New Testament biblical concept of linear or chronological time is communicated primarily by the word chronos (from which is derived the word chronology, the study of time). This concept of time is understood quantitatively and measured by successive objects, events or moments (Zodhiates 1992:1487). However, when God steps into time (or eternity coincides with time), it becomes kairos time, meaning ―season, opportune time, or time of accomplishment.‖ This concept of time is understood qualitatively and is affected by influence or period of accomplishment. The plural form of kairos is translated ―seasons‖ and means times at which The Need for Teaching the Eschatological Gospel of Both Comings of Jesus Christ in the 21st Century . . . . ©Copyright David Hebert, 2009. All rights reserved. 2 certain foreordained events take place (Zodhiates 1992:805). Specific examples of this plural form used in Scripture are ―times of the Gentiles‖ in Luke 21:24 and ―times and epochs‖ in 1 Thessalonians 5:1.

The primary example of kairos time is the Incarnation, spoken of as being in ―the fullness of time‖ by Galatians 4:4. Examples of kairos time from the Old Testament are the following: God walking with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before the Fall (Gen 1:27 – 3:24); Enoch‘s rapture to heaven (Gen 5:21-24); Noah‘s covenant with God (Gen 8:20 – 9:17); God confusing the people at the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9); Job‘s conversations with God (Job 38 – 42:9); Abraham‘s covenant with God (Gen 15, 17), three visitors (Gen 18) and the sacrificing of Isaac (Gen 22:1-18); Jacob wrestling with the Angel and being renamed Israel (Gen 32:24- 32); Moses talking with God in the burning bush (Exod 3 – 4:16), during the Exodus (Exod 5 – 15), atop Mt. Sinai (Exod 19 – 31), and in the pillar of cloud and fire (Exod 40:34-38); Joshua talking with the Captain of the Lord‘s Army (Josh 5:13-15); Elijah‘s rapture to heaven (2 Kgs 2:1-13); and the visions of Ezekiel and Daniel. More examples from the New Testament include the following: Jesus‘ baptism, transfiguration, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and in the future—the day of the Lord, the Second Coming and the Millennium. The Garden of Eden, Jesus‘ life on earth and the Millennium all show God‘s intent for kairos time and chronos time to coexist (Hebert 2006c:24-6). This treatment of time is borne out by Andre Lamorte‘s article ―The Concept of Time in Prophecy‖ (1957). In that article, he wrote of ―biblical time‖ (linear, and focused on the eternal person of Jesus Christ), as compared to the Hellenistic concept of time prevalent at the writing of the New Testament (cyclical/circular, and focused on humanity‘s temporal experience)

There are other theological definitions of time based on its Old Testament, Hebraic understanding. One example is expressed by Gerhard von Rad (1961); he views time as tied into specific chronological ―salvation acts‖ by Yahweh in forming Israel‘s history (including remembrances in the form of weekly Sabbaths and the annual Feasts) and prophetically looking into the future toward new and different ―salvation acts‖ God will do for Israel after judging Israel for its sins. This look toward the future takes on an eschatological flavor, but only in terms of what God will do salvifically in the experience of future Israel. Another example is given by Claus Westermann in his book A Thousand Years and a Day: Our Time in the Old Testament (1962), which is based on the Psalm of Moses (Ps 90:1-4). This view expresses time as the concept of one thousand years of history in the Old Testament leading up to the one day of the crucifixion of Messiah Jesus (vii-ix). A final example is addressed by Walther Eichrodt, who in his Theology of the Old Testament expresses time threefold in terms of God dealing with the chosen people through covenants; God dealing with the world through signs, wonders and nature; and, finally, God dealing with man individually (1961 and 1967). These concepts of time are definitely tied to the Old Testament view of Hebrew time, but fail to address the change of perspective brought about by Daniel‘s prophecies—specifically, the future timelines laid out for the Gentiles in Daniel 2, 7, 8, 10, and 11 and for the Jews in Daniel 9 and 12.

There are also other theological definitions of time based on its New Testament eschatological understanding. First, there are views related to people living in a present that is shaped by the future of the coexistence of temporal time and eternity; Baukham and Hart call it ―a Christian shape to time‖ (2000:72). Then, there are views that separate temporal (created) time from the Creator‘s divine eternity. These views encourage theologians to allow God to fit the eschaton (the end of time/history and the beginning of a ―new heaven and a new earth‖) into The Need for Teaching the Eschatological Gospel of Both Comings of Jesus Christ in the 21st Century . . . .

His divine time for humanity and not to try to spatialize time and eternity (Van den Brom 2000:167). Schwöbel puts it a different way, ―to heed the psalmist‘s words ‗My times are in thy hands‘ (Ps 31:15).‖ This allows humanity‘s time to have ―its ground in the time of God‖ (2000:240-1). However, both these categories of views deal with the intersection of kairos time with chronos time only at the point of the eschaton.

This New Testament thought of time builds on the Old Testament views, takes the prophecies of Daniel into account and addresses the dichotomy of kairos and chronos time. However, it only addresses time at the eschaton and not as coexisting with eternity in a cohesive, consistent and continuing manner.


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