Discerning The Times
Pastor Leslie Chua
“He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 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.”
The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic timepiece showing how close the world is coming to an end. Midnight represents the point of total annihilation. The clock is updated annually by a select group of scientists who assess the threats posed by geopolitics, wars, technologies, climate change, and pandemics.
At the beginning of 2023, the Doomsday Clock moved 90 seconds to midnight, the closest ever it has come to midnight. The experts are getting increasingly nervous about the global risks in the near future.
Are you discerning the ominous signs of the end of this present age?
With biblical eschatology as our guide, Christians ought to perceive the signs of the present hour. Never before have we witnessed a convergence of so many biblical signs pointing to the nearness of the Second Coming of Christ.
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Most Christians are oblivious to many current events and developments with eschatological implications.
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But strangely, the church in general goes about business as usual, plodding along as if nothing significant is happening. Most Christians are oblivious to many current events and developments with eschatological implications. Perhaps they are busy, distracted, and caught up with the busyness of life.
I spoke to Christian leaders. Many of them cannot be bothered with the subject of Christ’s return because it is too complex and controversial. So, they do not see the point of studying and teaching it. Consequently, they ignore it altogether.
The apathetic response of the church to eschatology is even stranger considering the secular experts’ concern as evidenced by the hype surrounding the Doomsday Clock. We, Christians, have the Bible, and so, the knowledge and understanding of the End Time. Yet, we are not enthusiastically joining the conversation. It is an inexplicable irony.
This is perhaps the best opportunity for us to present the gospel. While the world sees doomsday ahead, we envisage an era of peace and prosperity under the reign of King Jesus in the aftermath of unprecedented tribulations.
The Religious Leaders’ Failure to Discern Jesus First Coming
Jesus chided the Pharisees and Sadducees for failing to discern His First Coming. He was ministering among them, but they could not perceive who He was.
It was not supposed to be difficult. Jesus likened discerning His identity to interpreting the appearance of the sky – “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in 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” (Matthew 16:3).
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Jesus chided the Pharisees and Sadducees for failing to discern His First Coming. He was ministering among them, but they could not perceive who He was.
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The people of God have a knack for sticking to the religious status quo and rejecting any fresh spiritual impetus initiated by God. In doing so, they fossilised, got left behind, and missed the new moves of the Spirit.
That happened to the religious establishment during Jesus’ time. They were so entrenched in their old wineskin mentality that they were incapable of receiving God’s new wine.
Jesus said, “Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved” (Matthew 9:17).
We have to be mindful because God periodically shifts the times and seasons and does new things – “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19a).
God’s new things spring forth, meaning that it occurs suddenly and oftentimes unexpectedly when it is least expected.
Keeping the Status Quo
Reformations and revivals almost always caught the church by surprise.
No one expected the Protestant Reformation in 1517. No one expected the 95 theses nailed to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg by a small-town monk would light the flame of Reformation. Not even Martin Luther himself.
No one expected the Azusa Street Revival in 1906. No one expected God to use a little-known black pastor, William Seymour, to light the flame of the modern Pentecostal movement.
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As Jesus said, “And no one after drinking old wine wants the new,
for he says, ‘The old is better’”
(Luke 5:39 - NIV).
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As was almost always the case, the mainstream church leaders resisted the bearers of God’s new wine. Luther was persecuted and excommunicated and Seymour was discredited. Despite the fierce opposition, God’s work could not be thwarted. Both the Protestant movement and the Pentecostal revival left their indelible marks till today.
As Jesus said, “And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better’” (Luke 5:39 - NIV).
Embracing new wine means having to cope with changes and getting out of one’s comfort zone. Humans are creatures of habit. We prefer to keep to the tradition and maintain the status quo. So, we resist change.
Another reason for religious leaders’ tendency to resist change is the fear of losing their positions of power. Changes might require new skill sets and a reconfiguration of the leadership structure. It is potentially unsettling for the existing leadership.
This concern was exhibited in the Jewish leaders’ attitudes and actions toward Jesus. The Pharisees were afraid of losing their spiritual influence over the ordinary Jews to the young upstart rabbi who claimed to be the Messiah. Whereas the Sadducees were bent on preserving their political power under Roman rule. If Jesus were the Messiah, both the Pharisees and Sadducees had much to lose. That was why they killed Jesus.
Discerning Jesus’ Second Coming
The Jewish religious leaders failed to discern that Jesus was their Messiah in His First Coming. Can the same thing happen with church leaders in Jesus’ Second Coming?
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The Jewish religious leaders failed to discern that Jesus was their Messiah in His First Coming. Can the same thing happen with church leaders in Jesus’ Second Coming?
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This is a distinct possibility though the reasons are different. While the Jewish religious establishment was concerned with protecting their self-interests, the reason for modern church leaders is apathy toward the subject of eschatology and a lack of enthusiasm in receiving the Bridegroom.
The current state of the church in this regard is akin to the 5 foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). In arguing that eschatology is complex and controversial, Christian leaders invariably put little or no emphasis on preparing for Christ’s return, which is a big concern of Jesus for His disciples. And as it goes with the shepherds, so go the sheep.
The lack of preparation for Christ’s return will be one of several reasons for the apostasy – falling away – of the church (2 Thessalonians 2:3 – NKJV & NASB). Many professing Christians will be caught slumbering in their lukewarmness and complacency. Many more will fall prey to deception and many will not endure to the end.
A crucial area of preparation is our message from the pulpit. The message of Christ’s impending return must be preached. Many astute commentators have also observed that the contemporary Christian message lacks the spine to confront sinners of their sins, wake the lukewarm from their deadly spiritual slumber, and challenge the gullible to get off the corrupt cultural bandwagon. It is time to put some steel in our message to prepare believers for the challenging time ahead.
Let us discern the present time and season and be prepared for Christ’s return. You do not want to end up like the Pharisees and Sadducees. They failed to recognise the time of Christ’s First Coming. The consequence was tragic for them and for the nation of Israel.
Therefore, seek God earnestly for discernment and wisdom.
Daniel sought and received the wonderful spiritual gifts of discernment and wisdom from the LORD – “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him” (Daniel 2:21-22).