"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
-Genesis 1:1
Here is the very first mention of time in the first three words the Bible. This tells us that time has a beginning. This specific period is concerned with the first day.
"And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets."
-Revelation 10:5-7
Here we are given direct proof that time has an end and, this specific period is concerned with the last day. Therefore we may conclude that time has three parts:
1) Beginning
2) Middle
3) End
"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."
-Genesis 1:3-5
Now God has defined and connected the Day with Light and the Night with Darkness. We see further that God's separation of these two periods is Him saying that they are not to be mixed. At the close of v. 5 we read that evening and morning belong to the Day/Light and not to the Dark/Night.
"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day."
-Genesis 1:14-19
Just as God divided the Day from the Night: God also commanded the luminaries to do the same as He did. The greater light rules the day and thanks to king David we know that this is none other than the Sun:
"O him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever."
-Psalms 136:7-9
According to the natural order which God appointed the sun will never rise or set at Night/Darkness nor will the moon or stars rise or set during the day. From the text we may deduct that the morning is when the sun rises and the evening is when the sun sets: therefore from morning to noon is sunrise; and from afternoon to evening is sunset.
How many hours are there in a day then? Are there really twenty four hours in a day according to our modern reckoning? What does the Bible plainly tell us?
"Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world."
-John 11:9
"For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny."
-Matthew 20:1-9
It is clear from Jesus' own mouth that a day is twelve hours in duration and that the twelfth hour is the close of the day (i.e. sunset). But why twelve?
"And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."
-John 1:51
"And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it."
-Genesis 28:11-12
Jesus is making it clear that Jacob is a type of Christ. Note that Christ also spoke this while choosing His twelve apostles: it is clear that Jesus was also telling us indirectly that the 12 Sons of Israel were types of the 12 Apostles of Jesus. Where else do we see this connection?
"Now the children of Israel after their number, to wit, the chief fathers and captains of thousands and hundreds, and their officers that served the king in any matter of the courses, which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, of every course were twenty and four thousand.
Over the first course for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. Of the children of Perez was the chief of all the captains of the host for the first month. And over the course of the second month was Dodai an Ahohite, and of his course was Mikloth also the ruler: in his course likewise were twenty and four thousand. The third captain of the host for the third month was Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, a chief priest: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. This is that Benaiah, who was mighty among the thirty, and above the thirty: and in his course was Ammizabad his son. The fourth captain for the fourth month wasAsahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. The fifth captain for the fifth month was Shamhuth the Izrahite: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. The sixth captain for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. The seventh captain for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. The eighth captain for the eighth month was Sibbecai the Hushathite, of the Zarhites: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. The ninth captain for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anetothite, of the Benjamites: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. The tenth captain for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite, of the Zarhites: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. The eleventh captain for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. The twelfth captain for the twelfth month wasHeldai the Netophathite, of Othniel: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
-1 Chronicles 27:1-15
The first verse makes it clear that the number of months of the year were numbered after the twelve sons of Israel: therefore since Israel only has twelve sons and no more, the number of months are only twelve and no more. In like fashion there are no more than twelve hours in a day: Jesus chose no more than twelve apostles: and after Judas committed suicide the apostles appointed another to take his place in order to restore their number to twelve yet, they never exceeded that number. Scripture rips to shreds any man made theories of the months of the year or hours of daylight (i.e. the time between sunrise and sunset) going past twelve.
