God’s Clock Revisited

(Gal. 4:4, Dan. 9-12, Rev. 11-12)

In the fulness of time God sent His Son into the world.  At His personal departure from this world, Jesus Christ told those gathered it was not for them to know the times and the seasons which the Father has put in His authority.   We can review history and see God’s working in a myriad of ways.  Since the appearing of the fulness of God in Christ Jesus, He has taken man to a new level.  He would take us higher.

No matter your particular understanding of our times, or “eschatology”, all things are accelerating toward the end of this age.  Human understanding, science, and its application in technology move past our ability to steward it.  As Daniel said, knowledge will increase.  Notice that it creates fear.  Rather it exposes our fears.  Let us take them to God and release them.  May we see His sovereignty over all.  In His kind intention, He came down at Babel and scattered the people.  Otherwise they would have been destroyed by pride.  God’s desire has always been to give us His name.  We want to make a name for ourselves.

From the time of Christ, God’s intention has been more clearly displayed.  As Jesus taught, He would say, “It has been said. . . , but I say to you.”  We could ultimately say, the goal of love is to love your enemies and allow your life to be laid down before them.  It is always directed by the Lord.  Otherwise it is our effort to merely mimic the One who must be glorified in all things.  Let us humble ourselves daily, coming to Him as our all, as our source for every want and need, as the Good Shepherd.  There we will find rest for our souls.

He must remain our focus in this day and every day.  Christ is the Alpha and Omega.  He is the fulfillment of all spoken through the law and the prophets.  Only His life overcomes the world.  We consider the Hebrew calendar and we rightly honor Abraham and those who followed him.  But Abraham’s seed is Christ.  And, by faith, we are Christ’s.  And He is ours.  We are one Spirit with Him.  As it is today, hear His voice today.  His words are life.  Read through Revelation and put your “eschatology” aside and you will see Christ and learn something of His purpose.  In Daniel and in Revelation we read a progression but we do not see a progression of feasts and shadows.  In Revelation, we see the beloved city but she is spiritually Sodom and Egypt.  A whore is there, uncircumcised in heart.  The Spirit is speaking in spiritual terms.

In that city, the Lord has appointed two witnesses.  Divine fire comes out of their mouths and devours their enemies.  They are killed.  They have a limitation but they are taken up and become a greater witness to those who saw.  Is this a rapture before the rapture?  I am asking the question to emphasize the point that we ought not spend too much time trying to figure out timing.  Rather, what is the state of the church and are we praying?  This scene clearly indicates that a rapture will happen and a city will see it.  An earthquake follows and many die.  Do we recognize that similar things have happened on a smaller scale?  Among the records of the early church, it is recorded that a group of Roman soldiers were sent out on a frozen lake to die as they would not worship the emperor.  A guard watching saw a vision of angels bestowing crowns.  One faltered and the guard took his place to gain heaven.

The group of which Jim Elliott is most known, is another example of visions.  When he, Nate Saint, and the others were killed by the Auca natives in Ecuador, the killers saw angels.  They trembled at the site.  Elisabeth Elliot and others went and discipled those natives later.  The love of Christ displayed in their lives is beyond where I am today.  Such love.  The Lord gives visions to advance the kingdom.  Visions have happened throughout the days since the kingdom arrived by the Spirit.  Of course, a final worldwide vision of rapture is coming.  Are you willing to be such a martyr?  This is a high calling and not all are called to it.  May we be faithful witnesses and give strong support to those who are called into harm’s way for the sake of Christ Jesus.  This is a heavy thing for us to hear.  It sounds trite to say we are all going to die at some point.  Precious to the Lord is the death of one of His children.  Death was not the original intention.  God provided for resurrection before the world existed as the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the cosmos.  He knows the end from the beginning.