Welcome back friends! This is the second of three short takes on God’s appointed time. Yesterday, we asked, Do You Know What Day it Is? We considered what God ordained as the first day of the first month, and we discovered it was yesterday!

We also looked at how days and months were named. You might be surprised at how it occurred, so if you missed yesterday’s post, go back and check it out by clicking the link above.

Now, a few fascinating thoughts about the measurement of time. God clearly identified the first month of a year in Exodus 12. It is identified with the onset of Passover, so we know it is in the springtime. In fact, yesterday marked the first of Nisan…the first day of the first month of a new Biblical year! Happy New Year!

God gave those time parameters to Moses, so how was time marked prior to that? We get a clue in Genesis 7:11 when the fountains of the great deep broke open and the windows of heaven poured forth rain, indicating the beginning of the great flood of Noah’s day. When did it occur? On the 17th day of the second month of Noah’s 600th year! Indeed, time was often measured by the life of a prominent person.

So, God turned timekeeping upside down, from a person’s lifespan to a calendar beginning just before Passover. It created a paradigm shift! No longer would people mark time by the lifespans of rulers, kings and influential people. Rather, the calendar would be based on Jewish feasts.

However, another gigantic shift occurred when God recalibrated time once more! This time, corresponding to the birth of the Messiah! Suddenly, Jesus’ birth created a worldwide split in how time was marked! Years prior to Jesus’ birth were identified as “BC” (before Christ), and years following as “AD” (Domini – the year of our Lord). This was obviously a very significant time marker, and it remains uncomfortable (at best) and detestable to those who deny Jesus’ deity.

While some prefer to deny the One who split time in two, a day is coming when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that the Time-splitter (Jesus) is Lord and King!

So, it begs an important question. How are we to live out the minutes, hours, days, months and years appointed for us? One day soon, the Holy One will usher us (believers) into the heavens to meet Him in the air to be with Him for eternity! At that point, time will have little importance to us, and eventually (once we enjoy the eternal state with Him) time will be no more!

Oh how I long for that day! But until then, we still live in a world ruled by time, and we still have work to do! Let’s serve the Eternal Timekeeper with every ounce of our being as we await His return!

We’ve got one more look at this idea of God’s appointed time, so check back in tomorrow! See you then!