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Times/Seasons
Times/Seasons
I. Ecclesiastes 3:1
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
(purpose). A season, at time: appointed time, hour. God made the seasons in nature to show us this. Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. The seasons break up the monotony in nature and the seasons in our life, break up the monotony of life.
Season-a duration; characteristics of the period;suitable or critical nature of the period; sports team-how was their season; the success of their season is defined by how well they managed their time; made us of the time; made good choices...
Time-moment; time to throw the ball, time to run; A good coach will be looking at what is happening in the game, gain perspective and make the right choices to win the game; manage the time-time is ticking away. Too much time-make use of the time.
We can all relate to seasons in our life. We are going through something we will say, this is a season of such and such. Sometimes it is painful, sometimes it is joyful. As the chapter goes on, it tells us of various “times”.
Some of those being: a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance
a time to keep and a time to throw away
a time to be silent and a time to speak
a time to break down and a time to build up
Some of the “times” we would welcome and others we would prefer not to experience.
Personal: season of breaking: it’s been painful but for my good and His glory.
Because I know that there is a time for breaking and there is a time for breakthrough. Somebody needs to hear that today-your time for breakthrough is coming.
In the crushing, in the pressing, there is new wine coming forth. He is breaking off the old wineskin so that you can carry the new wine. He has to sharpen your character so that you can carry the annointing. In the refining, things heat up, the ugly gets exposed and the gold begins to shine forth.
Personal: preaching-5 year waiting period; it wasn’t my time to speak; God had told me do not ask-wait. On my birthday 2020, Pastor asked me to pray about preaching and I answered right back, I don’t need to pray-I will do it. It was time.
My character needed to be refined in that waiting period.
With great power comes great responsibility (Spiderman)
Biblical concept of that is to whom much is given, much is required.
Joseph-in order to be ready to be 2nd in command and be the one who saved the Israelites-he had to become a slave in Egypt, he had to be sent to prison, he had to wait for his appointed time. It was not his time to lead yet. In that waiting period, God was testing him, refining him so that he could trust him to do the work he had called him to do.
28 times noted here or 14 pairs; both multiples of 7; completion. God has to bring us through the times; the ups and downs at his appointed times so that we can be complete. He is chiseling out a masterpiece in us. Can you identify with that?
II. 1 Thessalonians 5:1
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you.
they understood the prophetic times they lived in, and they could discern the seasons of the present culture.
It is understood that you are aware of what is going on.
And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
success in life depends on doing the right thing at the right time.
making the most of the time, because the days are evil.
Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers;
Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time.
How do we discern/understand the times?
Review of the sons of Isaachar.
Of Issachar, those who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, two hundred chiefs, and all their kindred under their command.
They were disciplined. They were observant. They paid attention to God’s appointed times. They were keenly aware of the signs in the sky.
who alone stretched out the heavens
and trampled the waves of the Sea;
who made the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the chambers of the south;
who does great things beyond understanding,
and marvelous things without number.
The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years,
The Hebrew word for signs her is oth which means a signal, omen or warning.
Bat signal
The wise men saw a bright star in the east, which was a signal from God that the Messiah had come. The bible says that in the last days there will be signs in the sky. (Acts 2:19 and Matthew 24:30)
God is telling us then in Genesis that the stars are there to mark our seasons and, more particularly, to remind us of the appointed times.
The heavens are a revelation of God’s times. The Jews understood this.
They saw the universe as a giant clock, designed to reveal God’s appointed times. Times of day; weeks; months; head of the month-meet with prophets and receive revelation.
Disciplined to pay attention. HEBREW APLHABET-each letter, syllable and word has a distinct meaning. God made his covenant with mankind in this language.
Hebraic calendar has such meaning to it and the sons of Isaachar chose to pay close attention to it. They knew how to ascertain the priods of the sun and moon, the intercalation of months and the dates of solemn feast.
They had the ability to move in and understand feast times to position themselves at the right place at the right time.
God is pretty cool in this manner. He gives us signs to follow. There is meaning behind everything he does.
As a prophet, it is important to me that I pay attention to all of this so that when I speak-I am speaking according to the time we are in. God’s appointed time. That is why I will often times orient you to the Hebraic month and the times it is signifying. Lat time I spoke-Hebraic new year 5783. Many aren’t aware-Roman Calendar; Roman gods; Satan will always distort what God has done.
Month of Cheshvan: symbolizes the messiah; 8th month which signifies eternal revelation and new beginning; tribe of Manasseh which means to forget, to leap, up and away. This is the month the flood began and ended; God gave us his covenant promise of the rainbow.
Time for digesting what you have heard; Constellation is Scorpio-we have the authority to tread on serpents and scorpions. So stand in your authority.
A month reserved for the annointing in which God pulls you aside to draw a new annointing out of you.
God has a unique purpose for every month.
They pressed in to God. They wanted to know him, they longed for him. It was a priority in their lives to know.
They were known for it. Tribes would move: 1st Judah-praise and worship; 2nd Isaachar-wisdom/discernment; 3rd Zebulun-financers
Pay attention to the signs/Hebraic calendar
Ask God/press in to God. Daniel understood this.
Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said:
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.”
Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
c. The Holy Spirit
Pursue the Holy Spirit; listen, listen, listen. Slow to speak; quick to listen;
Time to speak; time to be silent
Gifts of the Holy Spirit: gift of prophecy; word of wisdom; discerning of spirits; word of knowledge. Ask for them.
Pay attention to the signs-billboards; music; word; vision; dreams (Joseph knew the times and could protect Jesus b/c he paid attention and obeyed his dreams)
d. Know the Word; As Emma Stark says it, “we have to be biblically literate.” That means we have to study the word. Not just read it. Delve into it. Read commentaries, theologians, meaning behind the words, make connections with other texts. We believe things that have been propagated to us over time without really searching it out for ourselves. Aha moments.