The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Year(s) (01/20/11)
Remember Christmas as a child or your birthday? Remember how long you excitedly waited for it to come? It seemed like it would never come. "Mom, how much longer is it until Christmas?" "Dad, how many more months is it until my birthday?" Yes, it seemed like eternity waiting for those extraordinary days in our young lives. Now the years seem to fly by, another birthday, another Christmas, and another New Year. For those of us middle age and older, we ask each other, "What happened to 2010?" It seems to have vanished in the blink of an eye.

A year is just 365 and ¼ days long. It takes this earth precisely 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds to rotate around the sun. While our calendar gives us a flat 365 days in a year, every four years we get an extra day. We use the Gregorian calendar. Back in the year 1585, Pope Gregory issued a Papal Bull that ordered the calendar adjusted by dropping 10 days in October to adjust for the ¼ day. So our continual adjustment is the 29th day of February in leap years. If the year is a standard length, why does it feel so long a time for the young and so short for us older folk?

A year in the Bible is very significant. Used in over 700 instances and usually marking off physical time. "When Adam had lived 130 years..." In Bible prophecy many believe that a day equals a year. Numbers 14:34 says, "For forty years - one year for each of the forty days you explored the land ..." (see also Ezekiel 4:5-6). While biblical scholars may debate the day for a year principle, timelines, and prophecy; Gods existence is described in terms of time. Daniel calls Him the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9) which means eternal - no beginning and no ending. God has been there since before time began and will be there through the years all the way through infinity. Jesus is also described in terms of time. The writer of Hebrews states that He "is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)

The prophecy of the thousand year reign (or millennial reign), of Christ found in Revelation 20 is the last reference in the Bible regarding the word “year”. After that, no night, no more years, no need to count rotations around the sun, only forever. Revelation 22:5 states: "They (the righteous) will reign (with Jesus) forever and ever." (NIV) Oh, how we long for that day. "Even so, come (quickly), Lord Jesus." (Rev. 22:20 KJV)
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE

JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 837 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
01/30/11
Different theologians can argue how long a year is or how old the earth is. But the one truth is all theories are possible with God and the most important thing is He is in control.
diana kay
01/31/11
it is interesting how many people have chosen to write a factual piece this week. Yours is a good one and i like the way you talk about how a year seems so much longer in proportion as a child and we all can relate to that childish excitement about christmas and birthdays. you engage the reader well.
good one!
Bonnie Bowden 
02/03/11
Time does march on, but I too am thankful that is return is eminent.