I was asked to expand on Cyclical time that I mentioned in a previous post.  I’ll start with a simple definition of cyclical and linear time.  I am not a physicist, nor an Einstein or Sir Isaac Newton, so I am going by what I see in the Bible and scriptures of God’s word.  I realize that many who are educated in this will say I am wrong, or uneducated.  I do have an education but it is not in physics, so I have very limited understanding of this outside of what God leads me to believe.   Let’s start with the definitions:

Time is a dimension in which events can be ordered from the past through the present into the future, and also the measure of durations of events and the intervals between them.  Time has long been a major subject of study in religion, philosophy, and science, but defining it in a manner applicable to all fields without circularity has consistently eluded scholars.Nevertheless, diverse fields such as business,industry, sports, the sciences, and the performing arts all incorporate some notion of time into their respective measuring systems.  Some simple, relatively uncontroversial definitions of time include “time is what clocks measure” and “time is what keeps everything from happening at once”.

Two contrasting viewpoints on time divide many prominent philosophers. One view is that time is part of the fundamental structure of the universe — adimension independent of events, in which events occur in sequence. Sir Isaac Newton subscribed to this realist view, and hence it is sometimes referred to as Newtonian time.  The opposing view is that time does not refer to any kind of “container” that events and objects “move through”, nor to any entity that “flows”, but that it is instead part of a fundamental intellectual structure (together with space and number) within which humans sequence and compare events. This second view, in the tradition of Gottfried Leibniz and Immanuel Kant, holds that time is neither an event nor a thing, and thus is not itself measurable nor can it be travelled.

cy·clic(free dictionary) Of, relating to, or characterized by cycles: a cyclic pattern of weather changes.Recurring or moving in cycles: cyclical history. Chemistry Of or relating to compounds having atoms arranged in a ring or closed-chain structure.Having parts arranged in a whorl.Forming a whorl.Linguistics Of, relating to, or characterized by the cycle: a cyclic application of a rule.

lin·e·ar   (Free dictionary) Of, relating to, or resembling a line; straight.In, of, describing, described by, or related to a straight line. Having only one dimension.Characterized by, composed of, or emphasizing drawn lines rather than painterly effects. Botany Narrow and elongated with nearly parallel margins: a linear leaf.

Now let’s look at some of God’s words in the Bible like Isaiah 46:10

I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’

Psalm 90:4

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

2 Peter 3:8

 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

I’ve heard it said that Pagans believe in cyclical time.  Christians believe in linear time which started at the creation and ends in the 1,000 year reign of Christ, and the New Jerusalem.  We see cyclical patterns every day.  Our seasons, our weather for starters.  I think God, when he told Job, in Job 38:33   ‘ Do you know the laws of the heavens?’ was referring to time.  God then asks Job, ‘Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?’  I don’t believe we can even begin to fathom what heaven or God’s throne is like.  I don’t think we can even begin to fathom what time is to God.  He lives in the parts of the universe that is measured in light years.  I can barely fathom that.

Paul say’s in 1 Corinthians 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 

Revelation 10:7  says but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.

There are many prophets in the Bible, many prophecies.  They have not all come true.  Some have come true, but await completeness in the day of the Lord.  Like Daniel for instance.  The statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream came true but is awaiting complete fulfillment in the end time day of the Lord.  Just one example.  There are many times in the Old Testament where God set a time for Judgement but always gave time for repentance, sometimes the judgements were withheld because of repentance as in Ninevah, and Jonah.  There is a passage in Revelation (10:6) that says And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer.

In addition to time don’t forget that there are other dimensions as well.  There are other dimensions that the fallen angels are bound in chains awaiting judgement.(Jude 1:6).  And remember Jesus said ‘I saw satan fall like lightening from the heavens.’ (Luke 10:18)  Jesus was with God the Father in the beginning, He was the creator of all things, without him nothing could have been made. (John 1:1-6) So this had to be another dimension and time Jesus speaks of when he saw Satan fall. 

And Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  The demons live in this dimension.  There are things that man will never understand!  Even though our technology has morphed into something resembling science fiction  it was Albert Einstein that said: 

“I fear the day technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.”

So don’t dismiss the fact that men have tried to place time constraints on God’s prophecies and it can’t be done.  So prayerfully read the prophecies and watch, wait and warn because there are storm clouds on the horizon, and they are approaching fast.

So, I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I think that time as we know it is not how God views it.  And we have to search for His guidance when studying His word, especially the prophecies and His timelines.  We have to be careful about putting our version of a time line on prophecies from God.  Even Jesus warned of this.  But when we look at the signs and the ancient prophecies we can see that we are entering into a very dark phase for the world, and coming closer to the coming of our Lord and Savior.  I hope this helps, I’m trying to lay out what the Holy Spirit showed to me, so use discernment and ask God to guide you.

Categories: Prophecy

Tags: cyclical vs linear time, god created time, Prophecy, time