Topical Encyclopedia
In the context of the Bible, "intervals" can refer to periods of time between significant events, pauses in narratives, or breaks in prophetic sequences. The concept of intervals is woven throughout Scripture, providing structure and rhythm to biblical history and prophecy.
Intervals in Biblical History1.
Creation Week: The creation account in
Genesis 1 describes a series of intervals marked by the phrase "And there was evening, and there was morning," delineating each day of creation. These intervals emphasize the orderly process by which God created the heavens and the earth.
2.
Sabbath Rest: The seventh day, or Sabbath, is an interval of rest following six days of labor (
Genesis 2:2-3). This pattern of work and rest is foundational in Scripture, later codified in the Ten Commandments (
Exodus 20:8-11).
3.
Jubilee Year:
Leviticus 25 introduces the concept of the Jubilee, an interval of fifty years during which debts were forgiven, and land was returned to its original owners. This interval underscores themes of redemption and restoration.
Intervals in Prophecy1.
Seventy Weeks of Daniel: In
Daniel 9:24-27, the prophecy of the seventy weeks is divided into intervals, including seven weeks, sixty-two weeks, and a final week. These intervals are significant in eschatological studies, marking periods leading to the coming of the Messiah and the end times.
2.
Time, Times, and Half a Time: In
Daniel 7:25 and
Revelation 12:14, the phrase "a time, times, and half a time" is used to describe a prophetic interval of persecution and divine protection. This period is often interpreted as three and a half years.
Intervals in the Life of Jesus1.
Temptation in the Wilderness: After His baptism, Jesus spent forty days and nights in the wilderness, an interval of testing and preparation before beginning His public ministry (
Matthew 4:1-2).
2.
Resurrection Appearances: Following His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples over a period of forty days before His ascension (
Acts 1:3). This interval provided time for teaching and commissioning His followers.
Intervals in the Early Church1.
Pentecost: Fifty days after the Passover, the interval leading to Pentecost marked the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples (
Acts 2:1-4). This event fulfilled Jesus' promise of the Comforter and empowered the early church.
2.
Paul's Journeys: The Apostle Paul's missionary journeys included intervals of travel, teaching, and imprisonment. These intervals were crucial for the spread of the Gospel and the establishment of early Christian communities.
Theological SignificanceIntervals in the Bible often signify periods of preparation, testing, and fulfillment. They highlight God's sovereignty over time and His purposeful unfolding of redemptive history. The intervals between events serve as reminders of God's faithfulness and the anticipation of His promises. As
Ecclesiastes 3:1 states, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens."
Library
And Yet, Lord, we PerceiveIntervals of Times, and Compare Them...
... Book XI Chapter XVI And yet, Lord, we perceiveintervals of times, and compare
them? And yet, Lord, we perceiveintervals of times...
On the History of Jonah.
... it seems that the whale signifies Time, which never stands still, but is always
going on, and consumes the things which are made by long and shorterintervals....
The Temples and the Gods of Chaldaea
... dried in the sun.* A layer of fine mortar or of bitumen was sometimes spread between
the courses, or handfuls of reeds would be strewn atintervals between the...
Missed Ends
... Then I saw that along the edge there were sentries set atintervals. But theintervals
were far too great; there were wide, unguarded gaps between....
That the Glorious virgin Died by an Extremely Sweet and Tranquil...
... it is by flushes of light, by sparks and flashes, that they produce their rays,
as if they brought forth light with effort, at distinctintervals; whether it...
The Will of God is the Higher Cause of all Corporeal Change. This...
... has ceased to cause wonder; as is the case, for instance, with those things which
are changed either in very short, or at any rate not long,intervals of time...
Of the Sensible Showing of the Holy Spirit, and of the Coeternity...
... creature: just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit cannot be named by our words,
which certainly are bodily sounds, except in their own properintervals of time...
That He who Confesses the Beginning of the World's Existence must...
... But if some one, beholding the present course of the world, by whichintervals of
time are marked, going on in a certain order, should say that it is not...
Theory of the Size of the Heavenly Bodies in Accordance with...
... The proportionate and harmonic relations, however, are preserved"as we
have previously stated"by double and tripleintervals....
How among the Egyptians they Apply Themselves all Day Long to...
... For among them (viz., the Egyptians) these offices which we are taught to render
to the Lord at separate hours and atintervals of time, with a reminder from...
Thesaurus
Intervals (2 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Intervals (2 Occurrences). Acts 1:3 He had also,
after He suffered, shown Himself alive to them with many
...Interval (5 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) A brief space of time between the recurrence of similar conditions or states;
as, the interval between paroxysms of pain;intervals of sanity or...
Continual (55 Occurrences)
... kon-tin'-u-al, kon-tin'-ua-li: Without cessation, although there may beintervals
between its presence; that which regularly recurs throughout a period, as has...
Continually (180 Occurrences)
... kon-tin'-u-al, kon-tin'-ua-li: Without cessation, although there may beintervals
between its presence; that which regularly recurs throughout a period, as has...
Poetry
... (2.) The repetition of the same verse or of some emphatic expression atintervals
(Psalm 42, 107, where the refrain is in verses, 8, 15, 21, 31). (Comp....
Arabia (9 Occurrences)
... the head of the Persian Gulf. It has never been explored, and is filled
with water only at longintervals. 5. Oases and Wells: In...
Quilt (2 Occurrences)
... 2. (vt) To stitch or sew together at frequentintervals, in order to confine in
place the several layers of cloth and wadding of which a garment, comforter, etc...
Network (19 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A coalition of various organizations; a fabric of threads, cords, or wires
crossing at certainintervals, and knotted or secured at the crossings, thus...
Upland (4 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) High land; ground elevated above the meadows andintervals which lie on
the banks of rivers, near the sea, or between hills; land which is generally dry...
Jubilee (25 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) A church solemnity or ceremony celebrated at Rome, at statedintervals,
originally of one hundred years, but latterly of twenty-five; a plenary and...
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