Are You Paying Attention to the Signs? Sons of Issachar
Mar 21, 2020 21:07:58 #
Are You Paying Attention to the Signs? Sons of Issachar
A prophecy teacher I follow recently said that his Pastor at the Calvary Chapel he attends brought up a great example of our understanding of the times we’re in and I wanted to share it with you. It involves the Sons of Issachar (1 Chronicles 7:1).
For those of you who don’t know who Issachar was, He was one of the sons of Jacob born to Leah (Genesis 35:23).
Something very interesting was said about the sons of Issachar. We are told they had an understanding of the times:
1 Chronicles 12:32 (NKJV)
Of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command.”
If you’re a student of Bible Prophecy in the world today you can clearly discern the times we are living in. But most of the church and especially the world at large has no clue about the times and seasons that God so clearly laid out for us in His Word. I want to bring your attention to the rebuke Jesus gave to those around Him who were not paying attention to the times during His first coming:
Luke 12:54-56 (NKJV)
Then [Jesus] also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?”
So, we are told that the Sons of Issachar had an understanding of the times. But the people did not discern the signs of the times during Jesus’ first coming.
The people, however, were without excuse to not understand and be watching. Because over 300 detailed Prophecies had foretold that Christ was coming.
The Old Testament provided a description of the circumstances around which the promised Messiah would be born, the bloodline He would come through, the events that would take place in His life, as well as His death, burial and resurrection. Jesus Christ fulfilled all of these in His first coming to the earth. It is worth noting that even their rejection of Christ was also prophesied (Isaiah 53:3, Psalm 22:6, etc.).
The people of Jesus’ time could discern by looking at the sky if good or bad weather was coming. But they could not discern the promised coming of their Messiah or be watching and waiting for it.
That also sounds similar in our world today, doesn’t it? All of the signs Jesus told us to look for to signal His soon Return are staring us right in the face.
Matthew 24:7b (NKJV)
And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
Matthew 24:8 (NASB)
But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
In the KJV, Jesus said in His Olivet Discourse that there shall be famines, and pestilences and earthquakes, in divers places. But these are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Divers places literally means every; throughout every. Or it frequently denotes distribution or intensity. In other words, frequent and/or intense worldwide famines, pestilences and earthquakes.
Famines: Billions of locusts stripped hundreds of square miles of African croplands a few weeks ago. There were warnings it might get worse. Now, a second wave is about to descend that has the potential to damage the food and economic security of a tenth of the world's population.
Pestilence: Worldwide COVID-19 pandemic…need I say more?
Earthquakes: As illustrated on this website, it certainly looks like earthquakes are behaving exactly like Jesus said they would; increasing in frequency and intensity like "birth pangs".
Luke 21:35 (NKJV)
For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Is there a connection between the sons of Issachar and those of us around the world today that are watching for the Lord’s Return, recognizing the season we are in and knowing that Jesus is about to Rapture His Church (1 Thess. 4:16-18, 1 Corin. 15:51-53)? I would say absolutely!
Again, we are told that the sons of Issachar had an understanding of the times. Which means they were aware of what time they were living in. We are told very clearly in 1 Thessalonians 5 that we (The Children of The Light) will have an understanding of the times, and we will see the day approaching! The Bible also tells us that that day should not catch us off guard like a thief in the night. Unfortunately for the majority of the world, it will catch them off guard because they are not watching!
1 Thessalonians 5:1-9 (NKJV)
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Which one of these two groups do you fall into? Are you like those of the world who blind themselves to the magnificent fulfillment of Prophecy as it stares them in the face? Or are you like the sons of Issachar, who understood in advance what incredible times they lived in and watched in anticipation?
If anyone is reading this that doesn’t believe we are living in amazing times and the season of the Lord’s soon Return, I implore you to be like the sons of Issachar, be a Berean (Acts 17:11) and do your due diligence to confirm for yourself what season we are living in.
Like Ezekiel, I am a watchman. Like him, I am blowing the trumpet to warn you. To paraphrase Ezekiel 33, if you hear the sound of the trumpet and do not take warning that Jesus is coming and it’s time to repent and be saved, your blood shall be on your own head. But if you heed the warning, you will save your life. But if I do not blow the trumpet and you are not warned, and you do not repent, God will require your blood at my hand.
We are rapidly approaching the end of the dispensation of the church age (The Age of Grace), and it’s time for us Children of the Light to be in and spreading the Word. Jesus is coming soon! It’s time to repent, believe the Gospel, and be converted to a new life in Jesus Christ today!
And how do you do it? It’s so simple that a child can understand and receive this wonderful gift. This is how to be saved, it is simply child-like, as simple as ABC.
A: Admit that you are a sinner
This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart. We change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out.
Romans 3:10 – As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one."
Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The bad news is that the wages of sin is death. In other words, our sin means that we have been given a death sentence. We have the death penalty hanging over our heads. That's the bad news. But here's the good news. The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
B: Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead
This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was.
Romans 10:9-10 – That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
C: Call upon the name of the Lord
Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings.
Romans 14:11 – For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God."
Don't wait until later – do this now.
Romans 10:13 – For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
A prophecy teacher I follow recently said that his Pastor at the Calvary Chapel he attends brought up a great example of our understanding of the times we’re in and I wanted to share it with you. It involves the Sons of Issachar (1 Chronicles 7:1).
For those of you who don’t know who Issachar was, He was one of the sons of Jacob born to Leah (Genesis 35:23).
Something very interesting was said about the sons of Issachar. We are told they had an understanding of the times:
1 Chronicles 12:32 (NKJV)
Of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command.”
If you’re a student of Bible Prophecy in the world today you can clearly discern the times we are living in. But most of the church and especially the world at large has no clue about the times and seasons that God so clearly laid out for us in His Word. I want to bring your attention to the rebuke Jesus gave to those around Him who were not paying attention to the times during His first coming:
Luke 12:54-56 (NKJV)
Then [Jesus] also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?”
So, we are told that the Sons of Issachar had an understanding of the times. But the people did not discern the signs of the times during Jesus’ first coming.
The people, however, were without excuse to not understand and be watching. Because over 300 detailed Prophecies had foretold that Christ was coming.
The Old Testament provided a description of the circumstances around which the promised Messiah would be born, the bloodline He would come through, the events that would take place in His life, as well as His death, burial and resurrection. Jesus Christ fulfilled all of these in His first coming to the earth. It is worth noting that even their rejection of Christ was also prophesied (Isaiah 53:3, Psalm 22:6, etc.).
The people of Jesus’ time could discern by looking at the sky if good or bad weather was coming. But they could not discern the promised coming of their Messiah or be watching and waiting for it.
That also sounds similar in our world today, doesn’t it? All of the signs Jesus told us to look for to signal His soon Return are staring us right in the face.
Matthew 24:7b (NKJV)
And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
Matthew 24:8 (NASB)
But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
In the KJV, Jesus said in His Olivet Discourse that there shall be famines, and pestilences and earthquakes, in divers places. But these are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Divers places literally means every; throughout every. Or it frequently denotes distribution or intensity. In other words, frequent and/or intense worldwide famines, pestilences and earthquakes.
Famines: Billions of locusts stripped hundreds of square miles of African croplands a few weeks ago. There were warnings it might get worse. Now, a second wave is about to descend that has the potential to damage the food and economic security of a tenth of the world's population.
Pestilence: Worldwide COVID-19 pandemic…need I say more?
Earthquakes: As illustrated on this website, it certainly looks like earthquakes are behaving exactly like Jesus said they would; increasing in frequency and intensity like "birth pangs".
Luke 21:35 (NKJV)
For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Is there a connection between the sons of Issachar and those of us around the world today that are watching for the Lord’s Return, recognizing the season we are in and knowing that Jesus is about to Rapture His Church (1 Thess. 4:16-18, 1 Corin. 15:51-53)? I would say absolutely!
Again, we are told that the sons of Issachar had an understanding of the times. Which means they were aware of what time they were living in. We are told very clearly in 1 Thessalonians 5 that we (The Children of The Light) will have an understanding of the times, and we will see the day approaching! The Bible also tells us that that day should not catch us off guard like a thief in the night. Unfortunately for the majority of the world, it will catch them off guard because they are not watching!
1 Thessalonians 5:1-9 (NKJV)
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Which one of these two groups do you fall into? Are you like those of the world who blind themselves to the magnificent fulfillment of Prophecy as it stares them in the face? Or are you like the sons of Issachar, who understood in advance what incredible times they lived in and watched in anticipation?
If anyone is reading this that doesn’t believe we are living in amazing times and the season of the Lord’s soon Return, I implore you to be like the sons of Issachar, be a Berean (Acts 17:11) and do your due diligence to confirm for yourself what season we are living in.
Like Ezekiel, I am a watchman. Like him, I am blowing the trumpet to warn you. To paraphrase Ezekiel 33, if you hear the sound of the trumpet and do not take warning that Jesus is coming and it’s time to repent and be saved, your blood shall be on your own head. But if you heed the warning, you will save your life. But if I do not blow the trumpet and you are not warned, and you do not repent, God will require your blood at my hand.
We are rapidly approaching the end of the dispensation of the church age (The Age of Grace), and it’s time for us Children of the Light to be in and spreading the Word. Jesus is coming soon! It’s time to repent, believe the Gospel, and be converted to a new life in Jesus Christ today!
And how do you do it? It’s so simple that a child can understand and receive this wonderful gift. This is how to be saved, it is simply child-like, as simple as ABC.
A: Admit that you are a sinner
This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart. We change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out.
Romans 3:10 – As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one."
Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The bad news is that the wages of sin is death. In other words, our sin means that we have been given a death sentence. We have the death penalty hanging over our heads. That's the bad news. But here's the good news. The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
B: Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead
This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was.
Romans 10:9-10 – That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
C: Call upon the name of the Lord
Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings.
Romans 14:11 – For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God."
Don't wait until later – do this now.
Romans 10:13 – For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Mar 22, 2020 11:06:16 #
TexaCan
Loc: Homeward Bound!
Parky60 wrote:
b Are You Paying Attention to the Signs? Sons of ... (show quote)
For all those who aren’t familiar with the almost a third of the Bible on prophecy, I pray they will take this time and seriously spend some time reading and researching End Times! Proof of the Bible and the coming of Jesus Christ can be found in prophecy! Look up! Our time draws near!
MARANATHA!
Mar 22, 2020 11:53:37 #
TexaCan wrote:
For all those who aren’t familiar with the almost a third of the Bible on prophecy, I pray they will take this time and seriously spend some time reading and researching End Times! Proof of the Bible and the coming of Jesus Christ can be found in prophecy! Look up! Our time draws near!
MARANATHA!
MARANATHA!
Amen and Amen and it may well be this year also.👍👍👍👍👍
Mar 22, 2020 18:56:24 #
TexaCan
Loc: Homeward Bound!
bahmer wrote:
Amen and Amen and it may well be this year also.👍👍👍👍👍
Can you even imagine that moment when we realize that we are being raptured!!? Will we hear our name called, will we see Jesus in the sky, will the sky be rolled back, will we be aware of being lifted to the heavens?...............I don’t know what exactly will happen, but I know it will be beyond Glorious!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Mar 22, 2020 18:57:48 #
TexaCan wrote:
Can you even imagine that moment when we realize that we are being raptured!!? Will we hear our name called, will we see Jesus in the sky, will the sky be rolled back, will we be aware of being lifted to the heavens?...............I don’t know what exactly will happen, but I know it will be beyond Glorious!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Amen and Amen
Mar 23, 2020 06:46:23 #
Mar 24, 2020 16:58:01 #
Mar 24, 2020 17:01:00 #
TexaCan wrote:
Can you even imagine that moment when we realize that we are being raptured!!? Will we hear our name called, will we see Jesus in the sky, will the sky be rolled back, will we be aware of being lifted to the heavens?...............I don’t know what exactly will happen, but I know it will be beyond Glorious!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
It will be the most awesome indescribable event. Even those of us who believe will be sorely amazed.
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