LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD Part 4 Changing Seasons

How do you survive the present darkness? Obviously, today’s darkness is great and many people are struggling in it. There is no place where one can escape the harsh realities of what appears to be a spiritual midnight falling on the hearts causing coldness, and the land, ending in greater lawlessness. These realities are clearly prophetic and the tidal wave that is developing on the ocean of life can’t be stopped until it hits the shoreline of judgment.

Jesus warned just before His ordeal at Calvary that the night would come where no man would be able to work. My question is, are we getting close to such darkness that we will not be able to work? Keep in mind, if we are not able to work, we are not able to prepare for such darkness. We may have our lamps but if they are missing the proper oil, we will not be ready in the night to endure it, to rise up in it and to walk in the way that leads us to our bridegroom. Remember the bridegroom’s voice went out in the night in the parable of the ten virgins. They had to rise out of a slumbering state, light their lamps and go to meet him. Keep in mind when Jesus comes, He will meet us in the air (Matthew 25:1-13; John 9:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Last month I talked about the need to develop discernment if we are going to endure the great testing of our time. And what is the great testing: That we be not deceived. The warnings in Matthew 24 confirm the great delusion of the end times and 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 warns us God is sending it, and those who do not love the truth will be taken with it into judgment. Yes, there will be those who in unbelief and defiance will live like the devil thinking they will repent just before Jesus comes. Even though they are putting Him to a foolish test, they are sliding by on wishful thinking that He will understand since He is full of love and grace. However, as any responsible parent will tell you that a child who disregards their instructions is being rebellious regardless of their so-called “intention” of obeying down the line. The present speaks of character and attitude while the future ultimately will mock any such notions. We ultimately become what we choose to be today.

For this reason, Jesus is very clear that we must be ready for His coming. We can’t assume that it will happen when we decide to get ready or presume that we will even have time to get ready. I realize there is much mocking over the continued declaration that Jesus is coming soon. People have been waiting in expectation of such an event for 2,000 years. We see that with case of the Thessalonians. Paul assured them that they would not be caught off guard when the Lord came. The truth is they would not know the day or the hour, but they would be able to recognize the season in which He would likely return (Matthew 24:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10).

In the last newsletter I spoke of discernment. Discernment is a spiritual ability to properly evaluate the spirit and environment of something. Spirit has to do with the intent of something. Satan, the father of lies, wants to seduce people into a false reality. He wants to flatter people so they will not see the deadly traps before them. He wants people caught up on foolish causes to set them up for destruction. He wants to keep people on a broad path of destruction to keep them from seeing, hearing, or knowing the only way to salvation (Daniel 11:21, 32-34; Matthew 7:13-14; John 8:44; 1 Corinthians 2:11-14; 2 Corinthians 4:2-6; 1 Timothy 4:1-2).

The Bible talks about two types of discernment. The gift of discernment is able to see the demonic entities and evil plans behind the wicked. Those with this gift are called to warn or intercede (1 Corinthians 12:7-10). The problem is most people disregard the warnings of discerning individuals, and these poor servants of God often find themselves muzzled by religious leadership. This causes wounding at times or puts them in a place of intercession on behalf of the vulnerable sheep so that they will see the wolf in sheep’s clothing before being taken captive, destroyed and devoured.

The other type of discernment is the ability to discern between good and evil. We live in a world that calls good evil and evil good. It is important to realize Satan comes as an angel of light that hides the darkness of evil behind a false light, making it attractive, harmless, and appear good. There are so-called “ministers of righteousness” that disguise the poison in heresy, and have lies cleverly wrapped with a false promise of enlightenment, and usher in “new revelations” that are old repackaged false teachings that were previously rejected by saints (Isaiah 5:20; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Hebrews 5:12-14).

One of the things we must discern is the season we are in. People are caught up with dates, but God works His plan in the midst of man’s history according to the fullness of the time (Galatians 4:4). “The fullness of time” points to the time that all matters come together on earth for God to fulfill His heavenly plan. What can we see prophetically that implies that the right events are happening that would imply Christ’s second advent is close at hand? Are we living in the end of the last days?

It is important that I once again point out that the last days started two thousand years ago when Pentecost occurred in the upper room. We know that a thousand years is a day to the Lord (Acts 2:17; 2 Peter 3:8). Therefore, we are only in the second day heading towards the third day according to the Lord’s perspective of time. But we need to realize in eternity there is no time. What is past is a present reality and what is future has already been accomplished in heaven. It will be a matter of time for it to be fulfilled on earth.

When it comes to the prophetic timeline what season are we in? Let us just say that when this timeline for the last days started, it marked the springtime. The souls of that which were dead in sin were brought alive by the Spirit of God, to form a new Body, the Church. The Church was brought forth by the regenerating work of the Spirit (Acts 2:47; Ephesians 4:14-16; Titus 3:5). Since then, how many different seasons has the Church gone through?

There is the summer of purging and purification of the Church during persecution, as well as during times of testing that comes when wandering in the barren wilderness because of sin. There have been some other times of spring during revivals but always short lived, often throwing the Church into the cold season of winter.

How many winters has the Church laid dormant because cold winds of lifeless religion have blown across the bow, the Word rendered dead letter by man’s traditions, and the Gospel watered down leaving hungry, thirsty souls that find themselves in dry or muddy cisterns? The wind of man’s doctrines leaves many dry in a spiritual wilderness and lean in the spirit, rather than refreshing them in the trying heat.

There are times when fall has come when harvesting needs to take place and we see some of the heavenly fruit being brought in, but the greatest harvest is yet to come. Are we heading towards the harvest time of the end of the last days (Matthew 24:30-31)?

For me, I am not worried about getting the time right, but my great concern is that I am right before the Lord when He comes. I don’t want to be casual about the season I am in. I do not want to be foolish about my need to be sober about the times we are in. The Bible is clear not only must I be prepared for His coming, but I must love it and not scoff about it because He is tarrying (Luke 21:36; 2 Timothy 4:8; 2 Peter 3:3-5).

This brings me to an important point. Recently I was debating about finishing a non-essential project. It was a hobby I occasionally enjoyed doing it, but I found myself unable to complete it even after a year. It was taking up space and, in a way, mocking me. I hate to not finish projects, but I knew I had to make a decision.

I asked the Lord what He wanted me to understand about my dilemma. He reminded me there is a season for everything and the season for that particular time was past. The preacher in Ecclesiastes tells us there is a season for everything, but it can be hard to discern the seasons if we fail to read the signs that mark a season. In the case of spiritual seasons, prophetic signs mark them (Ecclesiastes 3:1; Matthew 24:3). Jesus has clearly laid out the signs to signify the season He will come in.

We as believers indeed have seasons in our spiritual life. The changing of seasons is like the changing of the guard. In the spring it might point to a new, enlarged vision or a new song. In the summer we might find ourselves being refined with some testing, while in the winter a new type of preparation takes place. As to the fall there may be a change in direction or working in a different type of harvest due to a change in ministry.

As believers we must be cognizant that the seasons in our spiritual life may not be obvious, but we need to beware of them. Nothing stays the same or lasts in this world. There may be many things that stay familiar to us, but we must be aware that changes are constantly happening.

I sometimes consider the changes in my life. To me much has not changed, but when I compare who I presently am to who I was before Christ, and in my infant, initial, immature states of Christianity, there have been many changes. I can see where I am not as conceited because life has humbled me. I am aware that I am wiser, but wisdom dictates to me that I know very little about anything, and unless it comes from heaven my knowledge will amount to nothing.

In my younger years I had strength to be patient and now in my latter years, I have very little patience because I have very little strength and time left. However, the key is my patience is now manifested in grace, and my past disciplines have been turned into meekness. There are people who are mellow because they are tired, but in Christianity, you are not worn down by age, but fine-tuned like an instrument to put forth deep and full sounds of God’s grace and glory.

A Christian of full age understands the deep work of the Holy Spirit in them. It is ongoing, blessed and wondrous. The results may not always be obvious, but once the body falls to the wayside, we have this promise, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).