In the twinkling of an eye

In a flash, a moment, in an instant, this expression is from the New Testament, Corinthians I, 15:52,”In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible.” Twinkling itself dates from the 16th century and means a blinking of the eye and from the mid-17th century it took on the additional meaning of sparkling. Stars, for example, twinkle or sparkle, so someone can have a twinkle or sparkle in their eye.