God’s Timing
Discerning the Seasons
God is aware of the importance of acting in the right time.
God has made it easy for us to understand His timing. He made it simple to discover His time
by giving us the seasons of life.
You must understand that everything
has seasons.
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven: (Ecc 3:1)
You
see, to know the time for everything you need to understand that every activity has a season. Seasons are God’s clue
to timing. Why did God create the stars in the heavens in the first place? We read one significant answer in Genesis, the
first chapter.
Moses
wrote: “And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let
them serve as SIGNS to mark seasons and days and years” (Genesis 1:14, The word for “sign”
here, in the Hebrew, is owth, and means “a signal, as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence,”
etc. The word for “seasons” is the Hebrew moadim and means “festivals, literally, appointed times.”
Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon
points out that this word means “a sign,” “a token” (Exo.12:13; Josh.2:12), “signs and
times” (Gen.1:14), i.e., “signs of times.” It is used of a military ensign, a sign of something past, and
a sign of something future, a portent, as well as a sign of anything which cannot be seen.
For “seasons”, Strong’s Concordance
has “an appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; spec. a festival.” Gesenius has it, “(1) a set time, .
. . (2) an assembly . . . (3) a place in which an assembly is held . . . (4) an appointed time, a signal.”
Thus heavenly bodies, and the periodic return
of comets, and celestial meteor showers, and eclipses, can be, in Biblical terms, a “heavenly sign”! God spoke
of such signs occurring before His return to planet Earth. When such a sign occurs on a moad or moadim, or Festival
of God, it is especially significant.Jesus Christ Himself said, referring to the days before His second coming: “And
there will be fearful sights and GREAT SIGNS from heaven” (Luke 21:11,). Christ went on, “And there will
be SIGNS in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars . . .” (Luke 21: 25).
Also speaking of His second
coming, to rule this world, and to deliver mankind from its greatest crisis in all human history, Jesus foretold: “Immediately
after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars [meteors]
will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken [an incredible cosmic quaking and shaking -- see Hebrews
12:25-28; Hag.2:21-23]. Then the SIGN of the Son of Man will APPEAR in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth
will mourn, and they will SEE the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and glory” (Matt.24:29-31).
Such signs are also mentioned as occurring before
the day of the Lord in the Tanakh — the Old Testament Scriptures (Joel 2:30-31; Joel 2:10; Joel 3:14-16).
Does God often send mysterious “signs”
in the heavens before He performs mighty works in the earth? What do the Scriptures say about this?
The prophet Joel tells us, “The sun shall
be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, BEFORE the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD” (Joel
2:31).
These awesome
occurrences in the skies and heavens will stagger mankind, causing terrible fright and anxiety. John in Revelation prophesied,
that in the period just before the coming of the Messiah, and the “Day of the Lord,” that great signs would take
place: “I look when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as
sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood” (Rev.6:12).
“And the stars of heaven fell to the earth
[meteor showers], as a fig tree droops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll
when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place” (Rev.6:13-14). After this, then, comes
the final “Day of the Lord” — the time when God Himself begins to punish the nations, and bring His divine
judgments of wrath and fury.
Jesus’
Step-by-Step Prophecy
Jesus’
disciples came to Him and asked Him privately, “When shall these things be? And what shall be the SIGN of thy coming,
and of the END of the world [Greek aion, “age”]?” (Matt.24:3). Jesus warned them first of all to
beware of false prophets and false religious teachers who proclaim heresy (Matt.24:4-5). He then prophesied wars and rumors
of wars, but said these did not signal the end (verse 6). He even predicted wars, earthquakes, famines and plagues, but said
these were but “the beginning of sorrows” (verses 7-8).
Jesus then warned that persecution of true Christians would greatly increase (verses 9-20),
and many false prophets and deceivers would rise up (verse 11). This has begun to happen around the world — with Christians
being persecuted vehemently in Turkey, Egypt, India, China, Moslem countries, and even in “secular” societies
like the United States, and the western world!
Jesus then announced, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold”
(verse 12). This has begun to happen! The world has seen a sharp increase in violence, lawlessness, and general immorality
and iniquity. Riots, looting, arson, murder, pornography, violence in movies, profanity, and the breakdown of the home and
family — all are contributing to a world gone berserk and gangs and rioters running amok! Civil disorder and ethnic
strife and hatred are rapidly increasing.
In the midst of this, Jesus said, “This gospel
of the kingdom shall be preached in ALL THE WORLD for a WITNESS unto all nations; and THEN the END will come” (verse
14). That also has begun to happen! In the pages of Prophecy Flash, and via the internet and worldwide web around
the world, this final message of the coming of God’s KINGDOM is being hurled around the globe!
Jesus said that the next thing to look for is
“the abomination of desolation” standing in the Temple of God in Jerusalem (Matt.24:15) – and when we see
that happening, those in Jerusalem should FLEE to the hills and mountains for safety (verses 16-20). That final invasion of
Israel and Jerusalem in the Middle East will lead to a captivity and time of travail lasting 42 months (compare Matt.24:21-22
with Rev.13:4-6, 11:1-2, 12:6, 14).
Notice
– Jesus gave us a specific TIME TABLE of many sequential prophecies, each to be fulfilled in their proper order, BEFORE
and LEADING UP TO HIS SECOND COMING! After this Great Tribulation, Jesus foretold great signs in the heavens, followed by
the “Day of the Lord” – the time He will return in awesome glory and power (Matt.24:29-31). This will occur
at the seventh or “last” trumpet (I Cor.15:50-51; I Thess.4:14-17; Rev.11:15).
Isn’t this plain?
These are NOT mere “speculations”! The apostle Peter wrote in these terms: “We have
also a MORE SURE WORD OF PROPHECY; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a LIGHT that shineth in a dark
place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
“Knowing this first, that NO prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit”
(II Pet.1:19-21).
Prophecy is a vital and integral part of the Word of God! It is not something which should
be treated lightly, cavalierly, with disrespect and dishonor. It is vital to our SALVATION! If it were not so important, then
God would not have inspired 2/3rds of His Word to deal with prophecy, and 90% of that to apply to the LAST DAYS, the generation
alive just before the return of the Messiah in awesome power and glory to deliver His people and to save the earth from utter
annihilation, destruction, and cosmocide!
Paul wrote, even commanded, “Never disdain prophetic revelations” (I Thess.5:20, Moffatt),
or, “Do not scoff at those who prophesy”. Have you become a scoffer in these last days?
What is the main lesson these vital End-Time
SIGNS in the heavens show us?
OUR GENERATION — this present generation — will be the FINAL, LAST, END-TIME GENERATION
that will see all these things come to pass, and that will WITNESS the awesome, spine-tingling return of JESUS CHRIST, THE
MESSIAH in tremendous power and unimaginable GLORY!!!
Jesus Himself said: “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till
ALL these things be fulfilled” (Matt.24:34). You and I – those of us of THIS present generation of the Atomic
Bomb, nuclear weapons, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction – WE are the ones living in the
Biblical “time of the end” — the FINAL generation! The time has come. The Messiah’s footsteps are
approaching. His coming is near. His heavenly stallion is getting nervous, chomping at the bit, getting ready for that great
ride through the sky (Rev.19:11-14). The heavenly army is growing tense with excitement and anticipation. The time is near
– the moment we are all breathlessly waiting for.
The “signs” are increasing, for those who have eyes to see and hearts to understand!
John declares:
“The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the
land raised up his hand to heaven and swore by Him
who
lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the
things that
are in it, the earth and the things that are in
it, that
there should be delay no longer.
“But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel,
when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be
finished, as he declared to His servants the prophets”
(Revelation 10:5-7.
Could the years 2014-2015 picture the final years of the countdown to the approaching footsteps of
the Messiah?
Could
the present “Sabbatical week” – 2008-2015 – be the beginning of the final week of “woes”
— the final seven years of this age?
Could this be the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week, which heralds in the “end of the age,”
“to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy”? (Dan.9:24-27).
Could this be the final “seven times”
or “years” of Leviticus 26 – a time of plagues and punishments upon all Israel? God says, “I will
punish you seven times [“years”] more for your sins. I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens
like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain” (Lev.26:18—20).
During this time, God says, “Your highways
shall be desolate” (verse 22). “I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant
. . . I will send pestilence among you . . . I will lay your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries into desolation . . .
I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste”
(Lev.26:22-33).
But
this horrendous time of punishment will terminate with the COMING OF THE MESSIAH!
These heavenly signs are
a WITNESS from God to underscore that fact that the end is drawing to a close very SOON! These heavenly portents are very
auspicious for true Christians and Messianic believers! As God says:
“Now when these things BEGIN to happen, LOOK UP
and LIFT UP your heads, because your REDEMPTION
draws
near” (Luke 21:28).
