The EQUATION OF TIME is part of our mortal journey as the earth goes around the sun. Then we read the prophecy that there will be “time no longer” (Rev. 10:6), as we approach the Second Coming of our Lord. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Our annual trip around the sun maps out what is called the analemma, which is generally a little-known scientific wonder. Occasionally, you will see the equation displayed with a sundial. This equation gives corrections to the solar time indicated by the sundial for each day of the year.
Here I give a simple, brief understanding of this heavenly phenomenon and its relationship with the Coming of our Lord. In the goodness of God, the earth is at a 23 ½ degree tilt angle, which provides our seasons. If that tilt angle were zero, there would be no seasons, and life could not exist on earth. All things testify of Him (Moses 6:63). That tilt angle and the elliptical orbit of the earth around the sun gives us the EQUATION OF TIME, or the analemma: Analemma – Wikipedia.
In other words, if you had a perfect clock and measured the sun’s position directly overhead every 24 hours, you would see the overhead sun map out a path over the course of the year, as shown in the figure below. When the earth’s spin axis is exactly at right angles to the line going from the earth to the sun, then we welcome Spring on that day in March. We welcome Spring if we are in the northern hemisphere, and autumn if we are in the southern hemisphere. You will notice that the sun moves plus and minus about 15 minutes over the course of a year.
It is fascinating that as we are close to the Second Coming of our Lord not many years hence, we will move from the EQUATION OF TIME to the Lord’s TIME. The sun will no longer be our light, but He will be our light as the earth moves into the Millennial Epoch. Christ will reign for a thousand years as King of kings and Lord of lords to prepare the earth to be celestialized. He then presents the earth, as well as those who are true and faithful, to the Father into celestial realms of glory. This is beautifully and profoundly explained in the Allegory of Zenos (Jacob 5): Who Are The Gentiles? Message From An Ancient Prophet | It’s About Time (itsabouttimebook.com)
I also find it fascinating that the allegory goes all the way to the end of the millennium with the Lord’s promise for that time, “if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up…” (Jacob 5:71)
David W. Allan (Updated 16 May 2024)
PS The Tropical year is the time from one vernal equinox to the next and is shorter than the sidereal year (the time to go around the sun) by about 20.4 minutes. The length of the Tropical year is known with an accuracy of better than a second. Our youngest son, Nathan, and I analyzed 200 years of Tropical year data and found some very interesting periodicities. We have written a paper showing these periodicities. If you are interested, you can write me a letter and I will send you a copy: David W. Allan; PO Box 66; Fountain Green, Utah 84632.
An important Vernal Equinox event for me was on 20 March 2017 at 1028 UTC (4:28 a.m. MST). That was the date of the vernal equinox that year. I was praying about the Lord’s compressed time to get the Book of Mormon printed in six months– a major time crunch miracle. When it has been documented that it should have taken 17 1/2 months. As I was praying about this, I had the impression that the first five thousand copies of the Book of Mormon were printed with the height to the width being in the Divine ratio or golden mean. I noted the time on the clock: 4.28 a.m. I had a replica and got up and measured it. It was 7 1/2 inches heigh by 4 5/8 inches wide, which ratio is 1.62–the golden mean! I was so excited! This was a manifestation for me of God’s TIMING and doings with this sacred record coming forth to the world. I am pleased that these miracles are documented in David Hocking’s new book: ANNOTATED EDITION, THE REVELATIONS OF JOSEPH SMITH, JR. THE CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE RESTORATION AS RECORDED IN HIS JOURNAL on pages 315-317.