KNOWING THE TIMES AND SEASONS 2
(week 51/10)
OLUBI JOHNSON
Firstly, we want to wish all our readers a wonderful Christmas celebration and a healthy, wealthy, Christ-filled, destiny-fulfilling New Year.
In our article last week, we began to examine the importance of knowing the times and seasons of the coming of the Lord to His church in His perfection and fullness.
This week, we will see that the Lord Jesus knew the times and seasons of God’s purpose for His ministry and how we are to copy His example.
The Lord Jesus knew that the time of His public ministry would not start until the glory was manifested through Him which then occurred at the wedding at Cana of Galilee:
John 2:3-5 NIV: when the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” (4) “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” (5) His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
John 2:7-11 NIV: Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. (8) Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, (9) and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside (10) and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” (11) This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Also He knew that the time of His ministry to the Gentiles would be after the resurrection and so He only ministered to the house of Israel during His earthly ministry as He said to the Syrophonecian woman (Mk. 7:26):
Matthew 15:22-24 NIV: A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” (23) Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” (24) He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
He repeated this same thought when sending out the 12 apostles:
Matthew 10:5-6 ESV: These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, (6) but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Contrast this with the mandate given to the apostles after the resurrection:
Acts 1:8 ESV: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
So, it is the manifestation of the glory and the attendant power that will subdue the nations:
Isaiah 60:1-5 MKJV: Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of Jehovah has risen on you. (2) For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah shall rise on you, and His glory shall be seen on you. (3) And the nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawning. (4) Lift up your eyes all around, and see. All of them gather themselves; they come to you. Your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. (5) Then you shall fear and become bright, and your heart shall throb and swell for joy; because the abundance of the sea shall turn to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you.
It is the breaking, ruling and discipling of the nations by the manifestation of the glory of God caused by the release of the Spirit without measure that will close this age:
Matthew 24:14 MKJV: and this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all nations. And then the end shall come.
So, are we then to remain idle until the glory is in manifestation? God forbid!
No, we are to spend time now growing (Eph. 4:15) spiritually into the perfection and fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:11-13) by the blood (Heb. 13:20-21), the Word (1 Jn. 2:5) and the Spirit (1 Jn. 4:12-13) which we apply patiently (consistently) to overcome the sufferings of temptations and afflictions. This was what the Lord Jesus (Heb.5:7-9) did between the ages of 12 and 30 (Lk.2:42; 3:23).
James 1:2-4 MKJV: My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of temptations, (3) knowing that the trying of your faith works patience. (4) But let patience have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.
Hebrews 5:7-9 MKJV: For Jesus, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryings and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared, (8) though being a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. (9) And being perfected, He became the Author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him,
So, we are to ask God as a daily habit for the spirit of wisdom and revelation to know perfectly or accurately the times and seasons in which we live in this 3rd day.
To go to the nations now, without the glory in manifestation, in a confrontational manner to break, rule and disciple them would be like Moses going to confront Pharaoh without the revelation and power of God given to him at the burning bush (Ex. 3-4): it would have ended in the destruction of Moses and Israel.
Do not allow zeal without wisdom to destroy you:
Ecclesiastes 7:16-19 NIV: (16) do not be over righteous, neither be overwise- why destroy yourself? (17) Do not be over wicked, and do not be a fool- why die before your time? (18) It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes. (19) Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city.
So, let us with an attitude of humility pray as a daily habit for the spirit of revelation and wisdom to know perfectly or accurately the times and seasons of God’s purposes in this 3rd day as we close the age.
