Cycles in Time or Linear Time?

We perceive time because there are cycles. Without repetition we will be living in a timeless way.

Imagine that nothing changes, How will you know that time has passed?

Now we go to predictions. Predictions are possible because events repeat. I predict that the Sun will come tomorrow. If there was no change there is never a Sun coming up. No way to predict, no notion of time.

Nevertheless the future is never exactly like the past, I believe we have a combination of linear and cyclic time. Something like lines and circles.

Einstein's General Relativity admits closed time loops. What do they mean?