FUTURE NEW TIME

The nature of the present time for the Hebrews was felt and to be determined either by the saving acts of God in the past (i.e., Exodus experiences) or by a saving act of God in the future. The future was a special concern of the prophets. The prophets have the task of telling the people the meaning of the particular time in which they live in view of a new divine act which is about to take place. The prophet always sees the future acts of God as a completely new and unprecedented event. It represents a break with the past and has no, or little, qualitative continuity with what has happened before. It will be a qualitatively new time, not a new measurement of time.

The future ‘new time,’ and even the current time, is then determined by its quality and is known by ‘the signs of the time.’ We are called to know our own world history and to know the scriptures and be able to hear the voice of the Lord and these help us to know the signs of the time. The message of the prophet is therefore never a timeless message based upon timeless ideas. It is a particular word spoken to a particular people in a concrete situation about the meaning of the times and about what we should, or should not, be doing ‘in that time.’ Later generations may be guided by a prophet who spoke centuries before only to the extent that they find themselves in a somewhat similar time and are to that extent, contemporaries of the prophet.

“See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.” Jesus