Fullness of Time

  4  But when the  fullness   of  the  time had come, God sent forth His Son, born  of a woman, born under the law,  5  to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Gal 4:

“Fullness of time” is an interesting statement.  The word “fullness” means—a fullness, to be full of something.  The word “time” (chronos) is probably a reference to time in general.   However, there is a similar statement in Ephesians that uses a different word for “time,” (kairos) which means more specific periods of time, seasons.

10  that in the  dispensation  of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him.  Eph 1:10 (NKJV)

Both references could be referring to the same thing, but each has a different emphasis as to what was the aim.

“Fullness of time” could have the idea of the ”the time was right” for Galatians and the “the focal point of history” for Ephesians.

Christ could not come until the time was right—not until the circumstances of history and prophecy were as they had developed.  The Ephesian reference could be looking to the cross of Christ as the Divine aim of the ages of time, the Divine event that reconciles the world to God, though the complete manifestation of that reconciliation is yet to come in the new creation.