UNDERSTANDING TIMES AND SEASONS 2
(week 28/13)
OLUBI JOHNSON
In our last lesson, we saw that the times and seasons of God’s purposes for the end times are foreshadowed in feasts of Israel.
In particular, we saw that the 3 sections of the feast of Tabernacles: blowing of trumpets, Day of Atonement and feast of Tabernacles, foreshadow 3 seasons of the end-time:
1. About 1900-1950—season of blowing of trumpets;
2. About 1950-2000—season of Day of Atonement;
3. About 2000-2050—season of ingathering of the feast of Tabernacles.
It is instructive to note the word ‘about’ in the descriptions above: because this shows that number of years mentioned are substance of prophetic shadows that like natural shadows could be a little longer or shorter than the object casting the shadow.
In particular, the number of years it will take to fulfill the purpose of each season could be lengthened or shortened, depending on the diligence of the Church; hence this prophetic message and others like it:
2Peter 3:12 NIV: as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
Ephesians 5:16 KJV: redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Now, each season of the end-time has a purpose and that season will not end UNTIL its purpose has been fulfilled.
The purpose of the season of the blowing of trumpets was to re-gather both natural (1948) and spiritual Israel: at the evangelical, Pentecostal and kingdom levels and equip the church for effective spiritual warfare (Eph. 6.10-18): this has been fulfilled.
The purpose of the season of Day of Atonement was to release revelatory prophetic and apostolic utterance, preaching and teaching to inspire, teach and instruct the church how to grow into the perfection and fulness of Christ.
This revelation knowledge teaching is also called the latter rain.
The early rain was the preaching and teaching of the foundational principles of Christianity: the new birth, baptism in water and in the Holy Spirit, healing, deliverance and prosperity; the latter is the preaching and teaching that takes the Church into perfection.
Deuteronomy 32:2 NIV: Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.
Hebrews 6:1-3 AMP: THEREFORE LET us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of the faith [by which you turned] to God, (2) With teachings about purifying, the laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment and punishment. [These are all matters of which you should have been fully aware long, long ago.] (3) If indeed God permits, we will [now] proceed [to advanced teaching].
This purpose has been fulfilled: the revelation and teaching for perfection is now available in the church.
So, we are now in the last season: the feast of Tabernacles; this feast is also called the feast of ingathering (Ex.23. 16, Lv. 23.39, Dt.16.13), because it is when the fruit of the fields is harvested and gathered.
Spiritually, there will be a harvest of the fruit of the Spirit: the perfection of the love of God; and then the harvest of the discipleship of ALL the tribes on the earth.
1 John 4:17 MKJV: In this is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, that as He is, so also we are in this world.
Isaiah 60:3-5 MKJV: 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.
To fulfill this purpose, the following sequence of conditions must be met or accomplished:
1. James 5:7 AMP: So be patient, brethren, [as you wait] till the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits expectantly for the precious harvest from the land. [See how] he keeps up his patient [vigil] over it until it receives the early and late rains.
The church must receive the early and latter rain: this is already happening in this 3rd. day since about 1995:
Hosea 6:2-3 MKJV: After two days He will bring us to life; in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight. (3) Then we shall know, if we follow on to know Jehovah. His going out is prepared as the morning; and He shall come to us as the rain, as the latter and former rain to the earth.
2. The latter rain will cause the Church to grow into the perfection and fulness of Christ and so manifest His glory:
Ephesians 4:13 NKJV: till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
John 14:12 ESV: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
The manifestation of this glory is imminent as at the time of this writing in July 2013.
3. The Church that has grown into the fulness of Christ and is manifesting His glory will cause ALL His enemies: especially death (1 Cor. 15.26), sin, sickness and poverty (1 Jn. 3.8, Jn. 10.10) to be made His footstool.
Psalms 110:1-2 NKJV: A Psalm of David. The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” (2) The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!
4. As the church makes His enemies His footstool, she will then make disciples of ALL nations: planting a perfect church in every tribe, tongue and kindred (Rev. 7.9) and so close this season and age!
Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV: And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of ALL the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe ALL things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Matthew 24:14 NKJV: And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
