It
was a question every Jews wanted to know and the apostles asked Jesus when He
appeared to them after His resurrection: “Lord, wilt thou at this time
restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). The Jews had long been
expecting the Messiah to come as a king and conqueror and freed them from the
bondage of the foreign kings. Already they had been through three former
kingdoms, Babylon, Persian, and Greece, and now they were under the rule of the
Romans. It had been more than four hundred years under foreign monarchs and
still no sign of deliverance. They had come to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah
who was to come. Naturally, they posed this question to Him.
Christ
answered: “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the
Father hath put in his own power” (Acts 1:7).
It
is a reproof, not only to them, but to those in all ages who seek to know
"the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power."
Since the day that Christ ascended into heaven, people have always been curious
to know when He is coming back again.
Daniel
told a Babylonian king that God “changes times and seasons; he removes kings
and sets up kings” (Dan 2:21). God did everything according to His
time-table. He changes times and seasons. Christ said to the apostle: “It is
not for you to know the times or the seasons.” It is not for us too. The
secret things belong to God (Deuteronomy 29:29).
Our
concern should never be when Christ is coming. Christ already said: “But of
that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father
only” (Matthew 24:36). That time and season belong only to the Father. The
jobs for us as Christians living today are:
1.
To PREPARE for that day. Christ likens His second coming to the days of Noah
(Matthew 24:37-39). The world refused to take heed of the warning from Noah and
as a result, when the flood came, they were unprepared and perished. Christ
wants us to be ready when He comes: “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such
an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44).
2.
To be WATCHFUL. Christ likens His coming to a thief in the night. No one knows
when a thief will come. But they are always mindful of him and keep their doors
securely shut. We are to be watchful for our souls. Christ says: “Watch
therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matthew 24:42).
It means we are to take heed, to be on the guard. Peter warns: “Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour,” (1 Peter 5:8).
3.
To SUBMIT to the will of God. "It is not for you to know"
(Acts 1:7). Don’t guess and don’t believe anyone who tells you he knows when
the Lord is coming again. We long to know many things not revealed, but the
Lord says, "It is not for you to do." What that have been
revealed to us are sufficient for our living and salvation (2 Timothy 3:17).
Let us be content with the information that God has revealed to us and follow
those things that have been revealed.
4.
To be BUSY in the kingdom. Christ told the apostles who asked the question:
"Ye shall be witnesses unto me" (verse 8). Today, we don’t
witness for Christ, a phrase which the denominations like to use. But we will
continue to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). We are to get busy like Noah. We
are to warn men about the second coming of Christ and the judgement that
follows (Mark 16:16). We are to be busy while we wait for His second coming.
5.
To remain FAITHFUL. The winner is the one who finishes the race. Paul could
confidently declare: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Can we declare the same words when
we are on our death beds? It is not how we start the marathon but if we finish
it. Heaven is for those who completed the race: “Be thou faithful unto
death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelations 2:10).
When
is Christ coming again? It is not for us to know. But let us be ready when He comes.
Jimmy Lau
Psa
119:97 Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment