Times And Seasons In Which We Live
John Griffin
Shreveport, Louisiana USA
June 20, 2009
There have been numerous prophetic voices who have said that they have seen a calamity (particularly financial) which was coming in the summer or September of 2009. Now, when we hear a prophetic word, no matter from where it comes and no matter how much we either respect or disrespect the one who makes the pronouncement, we are to judge it and see what its application is for our lives.
We are living in a particular time and season where there will be ups and downs which will dominate the landscape. There will be shaking. There will be change. All of these can keep one off guard and unable to move forward. What is going on right now? How should we react?
The sons of Issachar were those who understood the times and the seasons in which they lived. We may not be able to precisely pinpoint what will go on in the future, but we at least should know the season in which we are living. The signs are all around us.
No doubt that we have been in a period in which we will see the signs of what is to come, and it is extremely important that we take the time to stop and listen and hear what God is saying to us individually.
1 Chronicles 12:32
32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; KJV
Time of Shaking
We are living in a time that everything that can be shaken will be shaken so that those things that cannot be shaken will remain:
Hebrews 12:25-29
25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?
26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."
27 The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken — that is, created things — so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
29 for our "God is a consuming fire." NIV
What is the criteria for being shaken? Those things which can be shaken will be shaken. What will be shaken? Those things which are not based upon the kingdom of God will be shaken. Those things which have not been based upon a foundation of the kingdom of God will be shaken. Those things could be worldly in the truest sense of the word, or they could be religious, for most of what is worldly is also religious. Those are the things that will be shaken.
So that those things which cannot be shaken can remain… There is a reason for the shaking. There are many things in the world today which are not based upon the kingdom of God (of which there is a clear inference that only those things which cannot be shaken are a part). And there will be those things which will not be shaken in the midst of the shaking which will remain after the shaking is over. Liken it to a building that is built with the wrong foundation, and when the earthquake comes, it is shaken apart. Only those buildings built with solid foundations will be found to remain after the shaking of the earthquake.
What is the criteria which determines whether or not something will be shaken? Here are just a few Bible references:
You see the pattern here? Those whose trust is in God will not be shaken in a time of shaking. He is our Rock…He is our Foundation Stone. Clearly for us to not be shaken in the times which are ahead, we must dig in deep and seek the Lord – seeking first the kingdom of God…
This shaking is to bring about a separation and clear delineation of those things in the world today which are and are not based upon the kingdom of God. Just as the man who would shaken the sieve to separate out the grains of wheat from the chaff which is useless, so will this shaking have the ability to separate out the grain of wheat based upon the kingdom of God, and that which is not. This shaking is to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Clearly our foundation must be Jesus Christ, the son of God and He who rose from the dead and defeated death, hell and the grave. This shaking is for our good to cause us to rely upon Him more and more.
So in summary, we must understand the times and seasons in which we live. We must know that we are living in a time where there will be significant shaking which will go on.
Judgment First Begins in the House of God
1 Peter 4:17
17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? NIV
If there is shaking going on, then for sure that shaking will occur in the Body of Christ first. Judgment always begins in God’s house and shaking naturally brings about judgment, and so, when we speak of a time of shaking, there will be shaking that will go on within the Body of Christ first.
Judgment is not just to give out a sentence. Judgment should also get us ready for what is to come. Judgment should cause us to examine our ways and to determine what and how we should be reacting to the events that we see.
This season in which we are living will bring about a shaking in the Body of Christ. It is not too hard to see what is going on in many circles – blatant sin in the leadership of the church that goes unchallenged, men and women controlling and manipulating others to bring about their “vision”, out and out dishonesty in the method that money is raised, and the list could go on. There will be some shaking in leadership circles…to whom much has been given, much will be required.
And there is the general Body of Christ who have allowed charlatans to use them to perpetuate their schemes without consulting the Holy Spirit about their viability. This judgment and chastening will hit also those who have refused to grow to maturity in the Lord and to continue as babies, blindly following their leaders. When you are children, you need to have a parent tell you what to do, but when you are grown, you had better find out how to find out where to go yourself!
This shaking will lead believers to seek the face of God and to enter into a new intimacy with Him. Remember that any type of trial can send you to your knees in search for a solution to that trial, but in that time of seeking an answer from God…you find God.
Perspective of the Times and Seasons In Which We Live
How should we view what is about to happen? Should we be fearful? Should we go about storing up food in the hills of Arkansas to wait out the coming disaster? Or is there something going on which we cannot readily see which has a greater purpose?
If we were to use Israel in Egypt after the time of Joseph, but before their deliverance from Egypt as a pattern, we would see the following applications:
The first three plagues affected both Egypt and Israel. Judgment will fall on the just and the unjust alike. Judgment must begin at the house of God. But this judgment for the believer will produce a different result from the judgment on the unbeliever. In Deuteronomy 8, we find that the Lord speaks to Israel after their deliverance from Egypt and after their wandering in the Wilderness with these words:
Deuteronomy 8:2-3
Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands.
3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. NLT
The judgments which come upon the believers (or those who will become believers) should produce humility and a sense of dependency upon the revealed word of the Lord. The plagues were used in the life of Israel as a chastening tool. It reminded them of the faith of Abraham and to whom they were called. There were in a place where they had forgotten Him or were just giving lip service to the faith of their fathers. The judgments reminded them of the awesome power of God.
However, those very same judgments will produce a hardness of heart to those who will not humble themselves before the Lord. How can we understand “Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated?” Yet, here is clearly a line of demarcation that is created by the judgments which fall in the earth. To the one who would bow his knee, there is redemption. To the one who will not bow his knee, there is a hardening of the heart.
After the first three plagues, none of the plagues affected Israel any longer and only affected Egypt. Could it be that the judgments which are now operative in the earth are now affecting the Body of Christ, the remnant of believers within the Body of Christ, and world as well? I believe so. Right now, all of these things will affect the whole world.
In summary, the judgments which are coming are likened to the plagues which came upon Egypt before the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, they served as a chastening agent, a separation agent, and a judgment agent all in one.
What Should Our Preparation Be?
We can endlessly think of things that we should do in times of trial. We can exhaust ourselves in worrying over what we should or could have done previously. But what should we be doing in this season? What is it that God would have us do as a preparation for the time ahead?
Joel 2:13-14
13 Don't tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead." Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish.
14 Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the Lord your God as before. NLT
We need to understand that the status of our hearts is much more important than whether we are able to come up with some strategy for the days ahead. If our hearts are not right, we will be deceived.
Jesus told us to guard our hearts with utmost diligence for out of our hearts flowed the issues of life. What that means in plain language is that the source of life is what comes out of our hearts! So what we get in life will be closely allied with what is in our hearts. So, His admonition to us is to disregard what is looks like on the outside and pay more attention to what is on the inside.
We should return to Him…actually we should say repent, and find out what is really in our hearts. The heart is deceitful above all things and who can know it? You can only know your heart through the revelation that God gives to you of what is in your heart.
Parable of the Sower –
As I was praying over this, I believe that the Holy Spirit led me back to the parable of the sower. I believe that the parable of the sower gives us a marker which we can apply today. You can read it in the Gospels, but I have cited the account of Mark here:
Mark 4:1-9
Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore.
2 He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:
3 "Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed.
4 As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.
5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.
6 But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn't have deep roots, it died.
7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain.
8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!"
9 Then he said, "Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand." NLT
In this passage and what follows in the explanation that Jesus gave His disciples, we see the following:
The seed is the same in every instance. It is only the soil which is different. The condition of our hearts will determine how they will produce when they receive seed. Seed here represents the revealed word of the Lord. When the word comes, only a heart that is ready to receive which has been plowed will produce an abundance of fruit.
So preparing our heart in these days is extremely important. And if our hearts are not prepared, we will not be able to receive what God is telling us through His revealed word.
First of all, our hearts could be so hard that when the seed is sown, it is plucked very quickly from us and we will not receive it at all.
Mark 4:15
The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.
Satan is called the deceiver, the accuser of the brethren. When our hearts are hard, we will not believe what we have received, so therefore, the seed sits right on top, not entering deep within our hearts and Satan comes as a deceiver to strip it away before it can become a part of our lives.
But, that is not the only type of soil. We can have rocky soil which has good soil on top and rocks underneath it.
Mark 4:16-17
The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.
17 But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word.
Here it appears that the seed has done its job. It brings forth something rather quickly. I liken it to someone who gets caught up in the excitement of a moment in a commitment to God and then quickly falls away after some difficulties come. Because of the trials they face, they soon leave the word of God out of their lives.
But, there are many in the Body of Christ who hear the word of the Lord and they begin to produce fruit, but they allow sin in their lives to choke it out.
Mark 4:18-19
The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God's word,
19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.
It is important to note that the types of sin are broken down into the following categories:
But, then there is the good soil. When it is prepared and ready, it will produce all sorts of good things.
Mark 4:20
And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!"
So, how our hearts are prepared will determine what will be produced in our lives.
How do you prepare your heart? How do you prepare soil for planting? They are one in the same. First, you must break up what could be the “hardpan” soil. Without breaking it up, the seed does not have a chance to go down into it. Next, you must plow the ground with a deep plow to turn the soil over so that you bring what is deep to the top. This will release the soil’s natural ability to produce a harvest. Getting it ready will assure you of success.
Do You Seek His Presence?
In Exodus 19, the Lord is speaking to Moses about what He has and will do for Israel. He points out how He delivered them from Egypt under impossible odds. He then tells them that if they will obey Him, He will make them a peculiar treasure…they will all be kings and priests to Him. To this, Israel fully agreed.
While the excitement is still tangible, most of us would love to receive and obey a word like this. But, soon thereafter, Israel witnessed the thunder and lightning that emanated from the mountain where God was speaking with Moses, and they were afraid. They soon rejected God’s offer to them of making them a peculiar treasure of kings and priests to him and resorted to the age old idea of having a priest do our praying for us.
Are you afraid to enter into God’s presence? What are you afraid of? Do you think that He does not know some of what you have been doing? Or do you feel that if you get too close to His power and presence that you will never be the same?
The Levitical priesthood was set up in response to Israel’s reply…”Moses, you go find out what God would say and then tell us.” But it was never God’s best. Just as when Israel demanded a king, it was not His perfect will for them to have a king, but He gave them one upon their insistence. The set apart priesthood occurred in the same manner.
The point is that all of us are called to be kings and priests to the Lord. We are all called to minister before the Lord – particularly in prayer and communion with God. It is in this time of intimacy that God can reveal Himself to you and let you know what you are to do. It is not enough to read after those ministers and prophets who you admire and respect. It is not enough to listen to the sermons of your pastor. It is not enough follow after some television evangelist, no matter how good. You must hear God for yourself!
And, there is no way that you will be able to hear God unless you spend some time with Him. You must draw close to Him and He will draw close to you. And in that time of intimacy, He will reveal Himself to you and tell you what you are to do in the days ahead.
What is the Kingdom of God?
Jesus spent quite a bit of time teaching about the kingdom of God while He was on the earth. What is the kingdom of God? What is its implications to us? Should we understand something about it?
After Jesus had taught about the parable of the sower to the large group which was there, He pulled His disciples aside and taught them about the parable and what it meant. He pointed out what we reviewed earlier about the definitions of the seed and the ground. Later, He told them this:
Mark 4:10-12
10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.
11 He replied, "You are permitted to understand the secret* of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders,
12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: 'When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.'*" NLT
The kingdom of God is not readily visible to all. It is right before all of us, but it is not visible to all of us. And clearly, it is important to our wellbeing.
Matthew 6:33-34
33 Seek the Kingdom of God* above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
34 "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. NLT
As we read through Matthew 6, we see that it speaks about the provision of normal, daily needs that all of us have. And the means of getting those needs met is to seek first the kingdom of God.
What is the kingdom of God?
Mark 4:30-32
30 Jesus said, "How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it?
31 It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds,
32 but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade." NLT
So, the kingdom of God is not something that we would perceive to be powerful in our sight. Matter of fact, it appears to be small, and in some sense, meaningless. A mustard seed is very small. You would never think that it could produce what it eventually does produce. A tree will come from it, but initially, the seed appears to be too small to produce a tree of any size.
The kingdom of God will not initially make a splash that will foretell its power. It will appear to be small and inconsequential as we would view it. But, from that seed will come something very powerful.
Mark 10:14-15
He said to them, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.
15 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it." NLT
What are children like? They are innocent to the ways of the world and they do not attempt to deceive. It is the childlike faith of the believer that will allow him or her to enter into the kingdom of God and to enjoy its benefits.
Mark 10:23-27
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!"
24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, "Dear children, it is very hard* to enter the Kingdom of God.
25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!"
26 The disciples were astounded. "Then who in the world can be saved?" they asked.
27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God." NLT
What is required to enter into the kingdom of God? Humility. The proud and self sufficient will not enter into the kingdom of God. And in the days that we live in, the proud will be judged and they will no longer be able to depend upon their self sufficiency.
If My People…
Is it a foregone conclusion? Is there nothing that can be done?
2 Chronicles 7:14-15
14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
15 My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. NLT
With any warning that comes from God, there is also the opportunity to effect a result. Just as in the days of Jonah, when God sent him to Nineveh to pronounce a judgment over that community if they did not repent, so it is in our day and time. We have or will have a space of time to repent and II Chronicles 7:14 leads the way.
Let’s break it down:
If my people…clearly, the inference here is that there is an opportunity to make a change. But, the onus is on us. If…our decision…we must answer the call.
Will humble themselves…pride is the enemy of the believer. God will not put up with pride. We will either humble ourselves or we will be humbled. And humility is the key to blessing.
Pray…we all talk about it but few really do it. And this is not just a corporate prayer meeting that you attend but it is something that you participate in.
Seek My face…clearly we are to seek to have an intimate relationship with God. Seeking His face connotes that we will have personal relationship with Him. None of this dependence upon someone else to do our praying for us. Up close and personal…
Turn from your wicked ways…repentance is the key to sustained holiness. You may fall but you don’t have to stay down. That is not to give you a license to sin, but to know that repentance (and true repentance involves a change mentally and emotionally and physically from that which would take you away from God) will lead you back to God.
If we will pray, God will move in our behalf. If the church does not pray, then we will not see any change.
Provision for God’s Children
Matthew 6:33-34
33 But seek (waim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (xHis way of doing and being right), and then all these things ytaken together will be given you besides.
34 So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble. AMP
If we are His, then He will take care of us. If we do what He tells us to do, then we will see His provision for our every need. If we seek Him…if we seek to have intimate relationship with Him, then we will see His hand at work in our lives to provide for us in every area of our lives.
What is to Happen?
Haggai 2:6-9
6 "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.
7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the Lord Almighty.
8 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the Lord Almighty.
9 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the Lord Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the Lord Almighty." NIV
For some years, there has been a message of a wealth transfer. We have yet to see it as it has been prophesied. Does that mean that it will not happen? No. That just means that we have not fulfilled the commands of God to see it come to pass. Part of this wealth transfer is the shaking that we are currently seeing.
The shaking is to delineate what is built upon the kingdom of God and what is not. Have you been shaken? It only means that what you have or what you have done has not been built upon the kingdom of God. Allow it to shake it loose so that you can get down to what will remain.
And somehow in all of this, there will be a wealth transfer. Why does it happen? Some would say to finance the worldwide revival that will go on, but I don’t hold to that view. God does not need our money to accomplish His purposes. But it could be that He uses this transfer as a sign and a means of getting the world’s attention! The world worships success in all sorts of forms, and surely He could use this wealth transfer as a means of getting the world’s attention about His promises! And that is my opinion of why God will utilize a wealth transfer in our day and time.
As It Was in the Days of Noah
Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." - Luke 17:28-30
Life was not only going on as normal in Noah and Lot's day, but in both instances the economy, along with the housing market (building), agriculture (planting), and family planning (given in marriage) was moving forward. In both instances there was abundance of food, as indicated when Ezekiel revealed the sins of Sodom and listed one of the five sins as "fullness of bread" (Ez. 16:49).
With all of the discussion of bailouts and economic downturns, job layoffs and trouble in the lending industry, many American Christians are saying, "This would be the end of America as we know it...surely Christ is coming." I do believe these events are playing out a purpose in bringing America under a more direct control of a global form of economic control. However don't miss the point. According to Christ, when he returns it appears the business world is booming in prosperity. Right now it would be difficult to find a backslider who would scoff when you say, "These are the last days." However, when the economy turns around and prosperity is filling Main Street, these individuals turn to scoffers saying, "Where is the promise of Christ's coming?" (II Peter 3:3).
Hebrews 11 is sometimes called the “faith chapter” of the Bible. In it, we find the stories of many of the patriarchs and matriarchs of the Bible who have gone before us and have lived out their lives by faith. With all the prophetic words concerning what is to come, how are we to react? Should we somehow get enough food stored up or should we turn everything to cash or to gold? What should we do?
Let’s examine a particular verse and then we will comment on it:
Hebrews 10:38
38 And my righteous ones will live by faith.* But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away."*
In the King James version of the Bible it says it this way…”the just shall live by faith.” In other words, in order for us to be justified with God, we must live by faith. We can do all sorts of works and establish all sorts of works for God, but in the end, it is our faith which determines whether or not we please God.
What is faith?
Hebrews 11:1
11 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. NLT
Faith is rooted in a vision or a hope that we have in our minds. That vision is the focus of what we expect to come to pass. And in order for our minds to be focused on godly things, we must renew them in the revealed word of God. In that manner, our faith will produce what is engendered by that meditation.
Hebrews 11:6
6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. NLT
There is no way to leave faith out of the equation. You either operate by faith or you will operate by your fear. And in order to please God, you will need to operate by faith – even when the circumstances appear to be against you.
What are we to do in the days ahead? We are to operate by faith. We are to move ahead by faith. No matter what the circumstances, what has God shown you to do? Flow in faith.
What is God Saying to You?
You must develop intimacy with God. You must learn to have ears to hear what God is saying to you. And once you have heard it, you must learn how to obey the revealed word of the Lord to you.
There is a difference between getting caught up in what the preacher or the televangelist is saying and the revealed word of the Lord to you. That is not the revealed word to you. The revealed word to you comes as you have spent time with God and you have given yourself to the study and meditation in God’s Word. As you do, then God has the opportunity to speak to you and you have the ability to discern what He is saying to you.
Don’t simply rely on what you hear from others. Take the time to study and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. See what He tells you. If you don’t, you are sunk anyway. You are left to store up beans and cash and live in the hills of Arkansas. The just will live by faith and faith comes by hearing a word (a revealed word) from the Lord. Faith is then put into action so that you have corresponding actions to your faith or what you believe.
Ask Yourself – What is God Saying to Me?
This is where the rubber meets the road. And be honest with yourself. If you are not hearing anything, then admit it to at least yourself. Don’t get caught up with the crowd and go along. What is He saying to you? Whatever He tells you is what you are to do in the days ahead. You don’t need to fear what the times may bring, but you can be certain that His provision is in His directions to you.