'Time' in the Bible

“Therefore, I will return and take back My grain at harvest timeAnd My new wine in its season.I will also take away My wool and My flaxGiven to cover her nakedness.

“Then I will give her her vineyards from there,And make the Valley of Achor a door of hope and expectation [anticipating the time when I will restore My favor on her].And she will sing there and respond as in the days of her youthAs in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.

Yet let no one find fault, nor let any rebuke [others];For your people are like those who contend with the priest.

Sow with a view to righteousness [that righteousness, like seed, may germinate];Reap in accordance with mercy and lovingkindness.Break up your uncultivated ground,For it is time to seek and search diligently for the Lord [and to long for His blessing]Until He comes to rain righteousness and His gift of salvation on you.

Yet I have been the Lord your GodSince [the time you became a nation in] the land of Egypt;And you were not to know any god except Me,For there is no savior besides Me.

The pains of childbirth come on him;But he is not a wise son,For it is not the time to delay [his chance at a new birth] as the womb opens [but he ignores the opportunity to change].

“For behold, in those [climactic] days and at that time,When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

Therefore, he who is prudent and has insight will keep silent at such a [corrupt and evil] time, for it is an evil time [when people will not listen to truth and will disregard those of good character].

“And I shall turn your festivals and feasts into mourningAnd all your songs into dirges (funeral poems to be sung);And I shall cause sackcloth to be put on everyone’s loinsAnd baldness on every head [shaved for mourning].And I shall make that time like a time of mourning for an only son [who has died],And the end of it shall be like a bitter day.

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,

Therefore, thus says the Lord,“Behold, I am planning against this family a disaster (exile)[Like a noose] from which you cannot remove your necks;Nor will you be able to walk haughtily and erect,For it will be an evil time [of subjugation to the invaders].

Then they will cry to the Lord,But He will not answer them;Instead, He will even hide His face from them at that time [withholding His mercy]Because they have practiced and tolerated and ignored evil acts.

“I shall make the lame a [godly] remnantAnd the outcasts a strong nation;And the Lord shall reign over them in Mount ZionFrom this time on and forever.

Therefore, He will give them up until the timeWhen she who is in labor has given birth to a child.Then what is left of His kinsmenShall return to the children of Israel.

Whatever [plot] you [Assyrians] devise against the Lord,He will make a complete end of it;Affliction [of God’s people by the hand of Assyria] will not occur twice.

“For the vision is yet for the appointed [future] timeIt hurries toward the goal [of fulfillment]; it will not fail.Even though it delays, wait [patiently] for it,Because it will certainly come; it will not delay.

“But [the time is coming when] the earth shall be filledWith the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,As the waters cover the sea.

“It will come about at that timeThat I will search Jerusalem with lampsAnd I will punish the menWho [like old wine] are stagnant in spirit,Who say in their hearts,‘The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.’

Before the decree takes effect [and the time for repentance is lost]—The day passes like the chaff [whirled by the wind]—Before the burning and fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you,Before the day of the wrath of the Lord comes upon you.

“Behold, at that time I am going to dealWith all your oppressors;I will save the lameAnd gather the scattered,And I will turn their shame into praise and renownIn every land [where they have suffered].

“At that time I will bring you in,Yes, at the time I gather you together;For I will make you a name and a praiseAmong all the peoples of the earthWhen I restore your fortunes [and freedom] before your eyes,”Says the Lord.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘These people say, “The time has not come that the Lord’s house (temple) should be rebuilt.”’”

“Is it time for you yourselves to live in your [expensive] paneled houses while this house [of the Lord] lies in ruins?”

But now, do consider [what will happen] from this day forward: before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the Lord,

from that time when one came to a grain heap expecting twenty measures, there would be only ten; and when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures, there would be only twenty.

And a second time I said to him, “What are these two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes by which the golden oil is emptied?”

Ask for rain from the Lord at the time of the spring rain.It is the Lord who makes the thunder clouds;And He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field to everyone.

The Lord said to me, “Take again for yourself the equipment [of a shepherd, but this time] of a foolish shepherd.

But it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord—not day and not night, but at evening time there will be light.

Then I will rebuke the devourer (insects, plague) for your sake and he will not destroy the fruits of the ground, nor will your vine in the field drop its grapes [before harvest],” says the Lord of hosts.

Josiah became the father of Jeconiah [also called Coniah and Jehoiachin] and his brothers, at the time of the deportation (exile) to Babylon.

Then Herod secretly sent for the magi and learned from them the [exact] time the star [had first] appeared.

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

And they screamed out, “What business do we have [in common] with each other, Son of God? Have You come to torment us before the appointed time [of judgment]?”

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize].

At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth [I openly and joyfully acknowledge Your great wisdom], that You have hidden these things [these spiritual truths] from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants [to new believers, to those seeking God’s will and purpose].

At that particular time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.

At that time Herod [Antipas], the tetrarch [who governed a portion of Palestine including Galilee and Perea], heard the reports about Jesus,

But the boat [by this time] was already a long distance from land, tossed and battered by the waves; for the wind was against them.

From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples [clearly] that He must go to Jerusalem, and endure many things at the hands of the elders and the chief priests and scribes (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), and be killed, and be raised [from death to life] on the third day.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

So his fellow slave fell on his knees and begged him earnestly, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’

Seeing a lone fig tree at the roadside, He went to it and found nothing but leaves on it; and He said to it, “Never again will fruit come from you.” And at once the fig tree withered.

Again he sent other servants, more than the first time; and they treated them the same way.

I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [the people living when these signs and events begin] will not pass away until all these things take place.

At that time two men will be in the field; one will be taken [for judgment] and one will be left.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give the others [in the house] their food and supplies at the proper time?

But if that servant is evil and says in his heart, ‘My master is taking his time [he will not return for a long while],’

“Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time [to suffer and atone for sin] is near; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.”’”

He went away a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words once more.

And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner [guilty of insurrection and murder], called Barabbas.

At the same time two robbers were crucified with Jesus, one on the right and one on the left.

and saying, “The [appointed period of] time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life] and believe [with a deep, abiding trust] in the good news [regarding salvation].”

Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out [terribly from the depths of his throat],

Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they told Him about her.

But an opportune time [finally] came [for Herodias]. Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his officials (nobles, courtiers) and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.

Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he answered, “Since childhood.

because He was teaching His disciples [and preparing them for the future]. He told them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed and handed over to men [who are His enemies], and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise [from the dead] three days later.”

who will not receive a hundred times as much now in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms—along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.

Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if He would find anything on it. But He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

for at that time there will be such tribulation as has not occurred, from the beginning of the creation which God made, until now—and never will [be again].

I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [the people living when these signs and events begin] will not pass away until all these things take place.

“Be on guard and stay constantly alert [and pray]; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.

He came back a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough [of that]! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Immediately a rooster crowed the second time. And Peter remembered what Jesus said to him: “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And thinking of this, he began weeping [in anguish].

Listen carefully, you will be continually silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe what I told you; but my words will be fulfilled at their proper time.”

When his time of priestly service was finished, he returned to his home.

Now at this time Mary arose and hurried to the hill country, to a city of Judah (Judea),

Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son.

While they were there [in Bethlehem], the time came for her to give birth,

And when the time for their purification came [that is, the mother’s purification and the baby’s dedication] according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord [set apart as the Firstborn]

Then he led Jesus up [to a high mountain] and displayed before Him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth [and their magnificence] in the twinkling of an eye.

When the devil had finished every temptation, he [temporarily] left Him until a more opportune time.

And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and not one of them was cleansed [by being healed] except Naaman the Syrian.”

Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for their fathers used to treat the prophets in the same way.

Those on the rocky soil are the people who, when they hear, receive and welcome the word with joy; but these have no firmly grounded root. They believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation they fall away [from Me and abandon their faith].

Now when Jesus stepped out on land, He was met by a man from the city [of Gerasa] who was possessed with demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and was not living in a house, but among the tombs.

Now a man named Jairus, a synagogue official, came [to Him]; and he fell at Jesus’ feet and began begging Him to come to his house;

When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found there alone. And they kept silent, and told no one at that time any of the things which they had seen [concerning the divine manifestation].

Now when the time was approaching for Him to be taken up [to heaven], He was determined to go to Jerusalem [to fulfill His purpose].

And which of you by worrying can add one hour to his life’s span?

“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time the thief was coming, he [would have been awake and alert, and] would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward [of the estate], whom his master will put in charge over his household, to give his servants their portion of food at the proper time?

You hypocrites (play-actors, pretenders)! You know how to analyze and intelligently interpret the appearance of the earth and sky [to forecast the weather], but why do you not intelligently interpret this present time?

Just at that time some people came who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate [the governor] had mixed with their sacrifices.

Listen carefully: your house is left to you desolate [abandoned by God and destitute of His protection]; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed [to be celebrated with praise] is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Then He said to the disciples, “The time will come when you will long to see [even] one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

And just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the time of [the second coming of] the Son of Man:

For a time he would not; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man,

For a time [of siege] is coming when your enemies will put up a barricade [with pointed stakes] against you, and surround you [with armies] and hem you in on every side,

and they will level you to the ground, you [Jerusalem] and your children within you. They will not leave in you one stone on another, all because you did not [come progressively to] recognize [from observation and personal experience] the time of your visitation [when God was gracious toward you and offered you salvation].”

“As for all these things which you see, the time will come when there will not be one stone left on another that will not be torn down.”

He said, “Be careful and see to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name [appropriating for themselves the name Messiah which belongs to Me alone], saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not follow them.

This will be a time and an opportunity for you to testify [about Me].

I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [those living at that definite period of time preceding the second coming] will not pass away until everything takes place.

But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”

When Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly pleased. He had wanted to see Him for a long time because of what he had heard about Him, and was hoping to see some [miraculous] sign [even something spectacular] done by Him.

A third time he said to them, “Why, what wrong has He done? I have found no guilt [no crime, no offense] in Him demanding death; therefore I will punish Him [to teach Him a lesson] and release Him.”