Time and Season
God sets the time and the seasons for all things. He set the time for Moses and the first covenant between God and men. He set the time for Jesus to come, and He has set the time for the final judgment of the current age of sin and selfishness.
In each of these times, a great transition happened. When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, those who were God's people saw the awesome power of God with their own eyes. The sea split, food came out of heaven, water gushed from the dry desert, and pillars of fire and smoke led the people day by day. That generation still refused to go after God with everything they had, and many longed for the comfort of Egypt, where they were slaves! No one from that generation entered the land promised to them. Even Moses could only view it from afar.
When Jesus came the first time, the new covenant was established. Jesus fulfilled the penalty of sin for man, and salvation was extended freely to all who accept it on God's terms. The power of God was visible to that generation. The lame walked, the blind saw, the deaf heard. Food was multiplied and water was turned into wine. The dead were raised, and at least one guy walked on water. The 120 believers from this generation literally turned the world upside down. They didn't long for the old comfort. They laid everything down and gave all they had to Jesus. Almost everything we know about Jesus stems from these men and women. They shine like the stars on earth and in heaven.
The last transitional generation is about to witness the most amazing demonstrations of God's power on earth. The book of Revelation documents in advance a combination of the events of Exodus, plus the events of the book of Acts x 10. We get to chose how we respond. Will we be like the generation of Moses, kicking and screaming against discomfort, or will we be like the Acts generation, looking beyond the here and now to the time when we will live forever.
Jesus said that how we respond really matters. He said He is coming soon and bringing with Him rewards based on what we have done, based on how we respond to the time we are assigned to live in (Rev 22:12). To live in a transitional generation is a huge and exciting blessing and a great responsibility. To whom much is given, much is required.
To describe the response of the people to a transitional generation, Jesus used this as one of His parables:
Luke 12:56 Hypocrites! You can look at the earth and the sky and predict the weather; why, then, don't you know the meaning of this present time? 57 “Why do you not judge for yourselves the right thing to do? 58 If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court, do your best to settle the dispute before you get to court. If you don't, you will be dragged before the judge, who will hand you over to the police, and you will be put in jail. 59 There you will stay, I tell you, until you pay the last penny of your fine.”
In each of these times, a great transition happened. When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, those who were God's people saw the awesome power of God with their own eyes. The sea split, food came out of heaven, water gushed from the dry desert, and pillars of fire and smoke led the people day by day. That generation still refused to go after God with everything they had, and many longed for the comfort of Egypt, where they were slaves! No one from that generation entered the land promised to them. Even Moses could only view it from afar.
When Jesus came the first time, the new covenant was established. Jesus fulfilled the penalty of sin for man, and salvation was extended freely to all who accept it on God's terms. The power of God was visible to that generation. The lame walked, the blind saw, the deaf heard. Food was multiplied and water was turned into wine. The dead were raised, and at least one guy walked on water. The 120 believers from this generation literally turned the world upside down. They didn't long for the old comfort. They laid everything down and gave all they had to Jesus. Almost everything we know about Jesus stems from these men and women. They shine like the stars on earth and in heaven.
The last transitional generation is about to witness the most amazing demonstrations of God's power on earth. The book of Revelation documents in advance a combination of the events of Exodus, plus the events of the book of Acts x 10. We get to chose how we respond. Will we be like the generation of Moses, kicking and screaming against discomfort, or will we be like the Acts generation, looking beyond the here and now to the time when we will live forever.
Jesus said that how we respond really matters. He said He is coming soon and bringing with Him rewards based on what we have done, based on how we respond to the time we are assigned to live in (Rev 22:12). To live in a transitional generation is a huge and exciting blessing and a great responsibility. To whom much is given, much is required.
To describe the response of the people to a transitional generation, Jesus used this as one of His parables:
Luke 12:56 Hypocrites! You can look at the earth and the sky and predict the weather; why, then, don't you know the meaning of this present time? 57 “Why do you not judge for yourselves the right thing to do? 58 If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court, do your best to settle the dispute before you get to court. If you don't, you will be dragged before the judge, who will hand you over to the police, and you will be put in jail. 59 There you will stay, I tell you, until you pay the last penny of your fine.”
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