A Timekeeping Tool for the Church of Tomorrow
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Synopsis
The Clock is a comprehensive, in-depth examination of Genesis 1 through the lens of light, color, images of nature, and the subject of time. The book reveals a timekeeping tool for the church of tomorrow based on the literary structure of the priestly account of Creation in Genesis 1—a tool that the church of today does not presently have in her spiritual conscience. The Clock provides the church with a much needed theology of time. It gives the human spirit a compass-like sense of orientation for humanity’s journey into the church of tomorrow.
Part I of The Clock focuses on the difference between humanity’s 24-hour clock and the colorful “Day Clock” embedded in the text of Genesis 1. Through a series of visual illustrations, eight separate Day Clocks are unveiled. The whole of biblical history is then applied to the colorful timekeeping perspective.
Part II of The Clock discusses a simplistic overview of humanity’s spiritual journey through the past 15,000 years as revealed through a two-clock perspective of time – humanity’s 24-hour perspective and an “Age to Age” perspective as measured by earth’s precession of the equinox. The spiritual nature of timekeeping presented in this book, complements anthropological timelines on display in museums of natural history around the world. The discussion of time concludes by considering the time-related symbolism strewn throughout the scriptural tapestry.
After a full discussion on the subject of time, the reader is invited to adopt a two-clock perspective of time as the human spirit moves into the church of tomorrow. The Clock is the perfect tool to help people of faith develop a healthy theology of time. Does God really make known the end from the beginning, as Isaiah 46:10 suggests? If so . . . the end of what? The timekeeping adventure begins in Genesis 1.
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A collage of some of the images featured in THE CLOCK – A Timekeeping Tool for the Church of Tomorrow
Excerpts from “The Clock – A Timekeeping Tool for the Church of Tomorrow”
Introduction:
This book is about the gift of time and the curse of time. It’s about measured time as well as time before measured time. It addresses past times, present times, and future times, as well as the personification of time. This is a book of beginnings, middles, and endings. It speaks of conceptual hours, conceptual seasons, and time, times, and half-a-time. The Clock—A Timekeeping Tool for the Church of Tomorrow begins with a general discussion about time and the reasons why a theology of time might be helpful.
As the book advances, the literary structure and balance of Genesis 1 is examined. Once balance is determined, The Clock emerges. When the timekeeping tool is in full view, the distant past is discussed, followed by the knowable present, and the projected future, according to the words of Scripture. The book ends with a scriptural study of twelve biblical references to the midnight hour, as well as several perspectives of time, times, and half-a-time.
At its deepest level, the book explores the human journey through time, based on biblical beginnings in Genesis and endings in Revelation. The book examines the subject of time through the lens of the priestly source in ancient Israel, the visions of John of Patmos in first century CE, as well as our present knowledge gained through the work of archeologists and anthropologists. The exploration of time focuses specifically on humanity’s physical and spiritual pilgrimage over the past 15,000 years of knowable time.
Additionally, this book is about the gift of light—divine and natural. The Clock, illuminated within these pages, comes to life with the infamous phrase, “Let there be light,” in Genesis 1:3. The timekeeping tool could not exist without our awareness of physical light, color, and the images of Creation. Therefore, The Clock is a gift of time, as well as a gift of light. Because the timekeeping tool emerges from the text of Genesis 1, this book discusses the observable Creation from which our sense of time is experienced. It also reveals the way in which the words of Scripture merge with The Clock and vice versa. The Clock’s colorful image will undoubtedly encourage people to see Genesis 1 from a fresh perspective. Moreover, The Clock will facilitate human conversation regarding a much-needed theology of past, present, and future times.
Prologue: The Changing Times
In her book, The Great Emergence,[1] author Phyllis Tickle suggests that the church experiences a major shift every 500 years or so. Her discernment points to the idea that change is somewhat ordered. In comparison with Tickle’s insights, The Clock provides a slightly different perspective of time, but ordered nonetheless.
The timekeeping tool in this book will help people understand why the church experiences these ordered shifts. While changes within the church are always significant, The Clock will reveal that the current shift …
1: Let There Be Insight
The account of Creation in Genesis 1 is a beloved text. It serves as a foundation of faith for the Judeo-Christian perspective of life on earth. Moreover, it is also embraced as a foundation of thought within Islamic tradition. During the past century, however, the account of Creation has been at the center of an unnecessary debate that pits science against religion.
We simply must dig deeper and reach higher in order to understand the true spiritual purpose of Genesis 1.
2: Traveling Through the Light
Now that a different perspective of literary structure and balance in Genesis 1 has been established, our attention can shift to inserting color and image into the circular structure. This chapter will require adult readers to think like children—an idea that is under emphasized in favor of employing intellect when reading sacred text. However, it is imperative that the information is absorbed as a child would view the Creation.
The Clock features simple images that depict the fourteen entities of Creation. It is impossible to know how ancient artists …
3: The Sixth Day
The sixth day is the apex of the priestly story of Creation. It is the day on which humankind is elected to become caretakers of all that God created. Much has been written about this day, but no other commentary offers the unique perspective gained through the images of Creation on a wheel of light. The events of the sixth day involve five complementary relationships on the color wheel.
As previously stated, it is important to come as children when developing the 6th Day Clock. We cannot rely on words alone because words, by themselves, will fail us—as they have for more than 2,000 years. We must gain insight through pictures as we go through the details of this important day.
4: The Seventh Day
Genesis 1 begins with a literary prelude and ends with a literary postlude. The prelude reads, “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth. ‘Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters,’” Genesis 1:1-2.
The postlude reads, “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. ‘By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done,’” Genesis 2:1-3.
5: The Eighth Day
The text of Genesis 3 suggests that acquiescing to a lesser spiritual government in the early garden could not be undone. If the human mind submitted to the government of temporal time, then separation from an eternal realm of existence was inevitable. Knowledge gained is not returnable in exchange for previous naivety.
As the alleged separation between eternity and temporality slowly occurred, Adam and Eve found themselves at the end of the Sabbath Day of rest. A conversation took place in the cool of the garden. Consequences were made known, flaming swords were set up, and a new day dawned.
6: The Two-Clock Perspective
Part I of this book presented a theology of time believed to be established by the priestly writer of Genesis 1. Part II will further develop the theology by factoring in humanity’s present lens of hindsight. Hence, we will quickly move from ancient thoughts to present- day reflections within this chapter.
As mentioned before, time on the color wheel has no relationship with the rotation of the earth or the position of celestial bodies. The passage of time is a conceptual journey around the color wheel without measuring time in 24-hour increments. Thus, the priestly theology of time adds a second clock to our timekeeping perspective.
7: Coverings, Soils, and a Fig Tree
Now that a big-picture perspective of time has been developed on the 7th and 8th Day Clocks, we can begin to examine additional aspects of Scripture through a timekeeping lens. This chapter focuses on the four coverings over the ancient tabernacle as recorded in Exodus 26, the parable of the sower, Matthew 13:1, Mark 4:1, Luke 8:1, and the parable of the fig tree, Luke 13:6.
The 8th Day Clock offers exciting new insights into these age-old texts. Did the ancient writers wish to convey God’s spiritual protection of an eighth day of time? Did Jesus teach parables that reveal God’s awareness of the human journey through an eighth day of time?
8: Seven Churches, Seven Times
The human experience of time is limited to a past, present, and future perspective. Yet, a different dimension of time may exist—one that is governed by an eternal force that guides, steers, and autocorrects as needed. I am reminded of a common expression, “God’s time is not our time.”
If God’s time is not our time, then a different realm of time must exist—a spiritual realm that we cannot control, manipulate, or manage. Is this plausible? Most people of faith believe that the words of Scripture transcend time in order to communicate to the human spirit—an overarching quality that points to a different dimension of time.
9: Midnight Hour Messages
At this point in the book, I’d like to call attention to the present transfiguration of the church on earth. She will undergo immense spiritual change as people of faith pass through the conceptual midnight hour on the 8th Day Clock. To understand the nature of the changes that the church must accept, all we need to do is look to the words of Scripture.
The Bible contains twelve references to the midnight hour. Six of the references are found within the Hebrew Bible and six are found within the Greek New Testament. When considering the twelve midnight hour references, a sacred thread of teaching emerges. It transports the reader on a journey from the first Passover, in the book of Exodus, to the shipwreck off the coast of Malta, in the book of Acts.
10: Time, Times, and Half a Time
The priestly perspective of time offers a healthy view of humanity’s spiritual beginnings . . . but what about end times? Do we need to develop a healthy theology of humanity’s spiritual future?
In particular, can the Day Clock help provide any insight into the phrase time, times, and half-a-time?
Elaborate ideas spring up from deep within the human imagination when people try to interpret this phrase. Even before the time of Daniel, 605–530 BCE, other prophets shared their inspired knowledge about the future—often in the form of seemingly far-fetched visions! Daniel desperately wanted to understand his people’s spiritual destiny. After receiving incredible insight, Daniel still wanted to know, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”
Epilogue: Tolling Into the Church of Tomorrow
Peace on earth. Is it attainable? I believe it is. But first, humanity must identify and overthrow the lesser spiritual government at play in the garden of life. We must reject the government that produces destructive ideologies which cause mental, emotional, and psychological distress.
We must put an end to the spiritual government that requires a continuance of injustice by rewarding first place positions of power in the world’s hierarchical systems. We must dethrone the spiritual government that lives a well-hidden, undetected life behind the face of the human clock.
A healthy theology of time begins by addressing the truth about the age-old subject of bondage to sin. We must confront the powerful spiritual government lives behind every clock and calendar.
[1] Tickle, Phyllis The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing House, 2008
[2] Friedman, Richard Elliott. The Bible with Sources Revealed, Pg. 3, 4, 5. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2003
[3] Sarna, Nahum N. The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis. Philadelphia; The Jewish Publication Society, 1989
[4] Smith, Mark S. The Priestly Vision of Genesis One, Page 89. Minneapolis, MN; Fortress Press, 2010
Responses to The Clock book from Kenya:
Carol, Receive greetings from us here [Kenya]. Carol, thank you so much. I just don’t know how to thank you for the contribution you have made to me as a person and to many of our students.
Last week on Saturday we presented the E-Book – “The Clock” to students in yet another training centre where we had 118 students in attendance. They were full of praise about this book. Or else many of them were very happy and took some time in prayer, praying for you and thanking the Lord for the contribution you have made to them and to our ministry.
It may look a very small contribution but many are the hearts that stands to be healing through these books. “I pray that out of His glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit —— ( Eph.3:16)”. so that you may continue to write many other books for the work of the Lord.
Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty Power. Thank you so much and may God bless you. Pastor George
Carol, I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ. How are you doing? I hope and pray that all is well with you. On Thursday last week we went to one of our training center which is at Nairobi and we had 216 pastors in attendance.
Before going through what we had for the day we set aside some time for us to go look at one of your books – “The Clock”. We looked at this book for about three hours. The book is such a wonderful piece of well researched biblical literature if I may call it so. I just can’t tell you the kind of interest that this book raised to the pastors.
The book was so much appealing to the people such that they kept on saying they would like to be given more time to go through it. But time was not on our side and the time they were crying for was just not there. When my senior pastor and I observed the kind of demand the book had raised, we realized that we had no way out; we had to give in to the demand. These were hungry minds crying for more.
I think there are some very important ingredients in this book that are an eye opener to the many students who were there.
Carol, I must say that you have done a very commendable job in writing this book and may be many others. I now do believe that these books that you gave to us will help many Christians in their lives. Many pastors who will get a chance to read them, I am convinced that they will be better equipped as they continue serving the Lord.
Carol, I must confess that I am seeing you as a great servant of the Lord who serving God in a very special way that stands to transform the lives of thousands maybe millions of people. May the Almighty God bless you in a mighty way. Our pastor students requested me to pass their very sincere thanks to you for these special gifts.
In his grace, Pastor George