2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Friends,
Whether you believe as I do that the change of the millennium actually takes place as 2000 becomes 2001 or not, the change of the century is on everyone’s minds at this time. Our Lord spoke of the separation of the sheep and the goats in MT 25: 32-33 as He prophesied the final judgment. “..and the people of the nations shall be gathered before Him. Then, He will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the righteous people at His right and the others at His left.” In the context of the approaching time change, I like to think that there are two groups of people, those who fear it and those who don’t.
The first group are the “gloom and doomers,” who spend their time storing away excess food and water and who worry incessantly about Y2K and economic ruin to come. I’m not saying that people responsible for date-sensitive computer software should have ignored the need to update their software to comply, but I am saying that many people let their fears run away with them. While there may be some minor inconveniences in the developed countries, it would come as quite a shock to me if the prophecies of this negative thinking group were to come to pass. If I were living in a third world country, I would be far more concerned about Y2K problems than I am. A “gloom and doomer” lives out his life with his fear (not meaning reverence) in charge. Then, there is the other group, those who know they have done what is reasonable to prepare for the turn of the century and rest in the faith that a loving Lord and Protector is looking after them. These are the people who have made Christ the Lord of their lives and who have put Him in charge. To which of these groups do you belong? I would like to think that I belong to the latter, but that is for the Lord to decide.
He led me to search the Scriptures for His attitude about the issue of time. Here’s some of what I found. DT 29: 29 is the first of a number of scriptures that deal with gradual revelation of God’s mysteries in His time. “There are some things God has kept secret; but, He has revealed his law. We and our descendants are to obey it forever.” While I can’t write them all out for you here, I pray that you will be motivated to read the following citations in the order given here to see God’s perspective on this subject. (DN 2: 22; LK 18: 31-34; JN 13:7; JN 20: 9; AC 1: 6-7; RO 16: 25; 1 COR 15: 1-8; 1 COR 15: 51-54; EPH 3: 3-6; COL 1: 26027; REV 10: 7). Our Lord is all-knowing, which means that throughout the course of human history, He has never been wrong in choosing the time to reveal important lessons to us or had evil motives in the selection of that time. Because of what He teaches us about faith in the Scriptures, we can rest assured that if our faith is strong, we have no reason to fear the onset of a new century or a new millennium.
There are some stories from the Bible that allow us to better understand the profound wisdom our Lord has in choosing the time for certain events to happen. You all know the story in DT 9 & 10 of the disobedience that was displayed by the impatient Jews under Aaron’s leadership while Moses spent the first of his two periods of 40 days on Mt. Sinai with God. They had the audacity to take the golden coins and jewelry given to them by the Egyptians at the Passover exit from Egypt, melt them down, and built a golden calf-an idol to worship. This angered God, which angered Moses enough to throw down the stone tablets with the 10 Commandments, breaking them to pieces. Moses had to go back to God for another 40 days in intercessory prayer before he was given the law again by a compassionate and forgiving God. The very fact that the Jews were so disobedient to God made an 11-day trip last 40 years! That was the only way God could teach them to obey Him.
If you read PS 105: 17-22, you will see another example of the perfection of God’s timing and His control of it. Joseph was held in prison until God determined the time was right for him to rule with the Pharaoh in Egypt. When you read GN 41-47, you learn about how his God-given ability to interpret Pharaoh’s dream led to the king’s trust put in him. There is also the marvelous story of how Joseph came up with his plan to store a portion of the harvest which fed the Egyptians through the famine that God had told Joseph would happen. God’s hand in this entire series of events was a demonstration of His sovereignty over time.
In JN 2: 3-4, Jesus and his mother were at the wedding in Cana when Mary said to him, “They are out of wine.” Jesus replied, “You must not tell Me what to do. My time has not yet come.” It’s not clear just how much of the actual implications of Christ’s comment she understood at the time. However, we know that God was absolutely in control of when Christ’s first miracle performed would be and the onset of his three-year public ministry. Another important example of God’s timing is found in MT 4: 17, “From that time Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.’ “ Mark 13: 32-33, deals with a crucial message for all of us, “No one knows when that day or hour will come [referring to the onset of the Tribulation], neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son; only the Father knows. Be on the watch, be alert, for you do not know when the time will come.” Have you ever seen a clearer demonstration of exactly Who is in control? If we knew the time of the onset of the Tribulation, how would that impact God’s will that we should have faith? When you pray about the answers to those questions, I believe you will see the supreme wisdom our loving Father exercises. He wants only what is best for us, and He knows that is for us to get our spiritual houses in order without delay.
PRAYER: O Lord, we acknowledge Your supreme righteousness and wisdom in knowing the right time to reveal Your lessons for us. We are grateful for the love and compassion that You show us every day. Help us to come closer to Your perception of time and to put our trust in You. Then, we won’t have to live in the fear that comes from unbelief. Let us face the time You have given us on this earth with the assurance of the everlasting life that You so lovingly grant to those who live in true faith. In Christ’s name, amen.
Peter and I hope you will look forward to the new year with the knowledge that our Father loves us and has given His Son on the cross to demonstrate that love. When you have faith, you have the knowledge that your loving Abba will never abandon you. We wish you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn