The Message

Today’s world is in the grips of a crisis of biblical proportions. The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica about their discernment of “the times and the seasons” of that day, and gave them instructions concerning what they were to do (1 Thess. 5:1-11). He described that season as days of “darkness,” and that term applies to our own day. Our generation is in a time of moral darkness, as evidenced by the debauchery and the filth spewing from Hollywood, television, the music industry, and novels. It’s unbelievable that we have become almost chloroformed by the ungodly spirit of this age, not even realizing the depth of depravity as our children are listening and bebopping to the lyrics of rock music that are nothing but absolute, pure, unadulterated obscenities.

It’s a time of spiritual darkness. Eastern religions and cults have invaded our land, and in the name of tolerance many churches have compromised to the point of having “interfaith” services, and are teaching that there are many ways to heaven.

It’s a time of social darkness, with movements such as “woke,” “cancel culture,” and “critical race theory” causing confusion and division among the populace. Gender identification has become a matter of choice, to the extent that there is even a demand that birth certificates no longer identify babies as “boy” or “girl.” Already most documents that call for gender identification have the options of “male,” “female,” and “other,” and some even given further options. Children from kindergarten age are indoctrinated to view samegender marriages with adopted children as normal and happy families.

It’s a time of educational darkness, with history revised and the “three Rs” dropped in favor of diversification, whatever that is. The result is students who know nothing of the foundations of our nation, who can’t write their own names in cursive, who can’t write a complete sentence, because they know nothing about the parts of speech or cases or agreement between pronouns and antecedents, and who can’t make change at a McDonald’s counter if the cash register fails.

It’s a time of political darkness, with politicians so dumbfounded that they think the way to cure a problem is to pour enough money on it and it will go away, and who are naïve enough to think that they can bring unity and stop violence by taking away all restraints and assure the rights of the person who breaks the law while denying the rights of the person who keeps the law. The result is chaos and anarchy.

It’s a time of calamities and famines and problems that are pandemic in nature, and there are troubles on every hand. It’s a time of darkness, and there are all kinds of socalled prophets, new agers, astrologers, mediums, psychologists, sociologists, economists,

scientists, environmentalists, and others who have theories on what to do, but “if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?” (1 Cor. 14:8). Thank God, He has a plan for His people in this day of darkness, and we need to appeal to the word of God to learn the principles of understanding the times and what to do in times of crisis. There is an interesting example of discerning the times in 1 Chronicles 12. There was a time of crisis in the kingdom of Israel that was threatening to tear the nation apart. King Saul was dead, and the leaders of the tribe of Benjamin wanted to establish a Saul dynasty that would keep the kingship in their tribe. However, the other tribes thought otherwise, and they met in Hebron to crown David as king of Israel. The narrative lists the various groups of representatives, but the ones named in verse 32 are of particular interest. Two hundred men of Issachar “who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” were assigned the duty of prophetic discernment. Their mission was to observe, listen, and ultimately declare what the will of God was for God’s people. They were bold, courageous, uncompromising, unwavering men who, having discerned what was happening, would know exactly what to do.

The word “understanding” translates the Hebrew word binah, which comes from a root verb that means to separate something mentally and to distinguish its component parts. The word describes a situation in which one has insight into the circumstances and events and acts with prudence. The word also carries the idea of the possession of intelligence, wisdom, and cunning skill. In other words, one who truly discerns a situation has more than an understanding of the facts. He skillfully analyzes the matter and knows the action to take.

On the occasion described in 1 Chronicles 12, the men of Issachar used the gift of discernment that God had given them to analyze what was happening, what it all meant, and what must be done. They saw the larger picture in light of the prophetic word of God. God had not decreed the

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establishment of a dynasty to keep the kingship in the tribe of Benjamin. On the contrary, He had said that the scepter would come out of the tribe of Judah, and He had specifically commanded that David would be the king.

In the global pandemic that our generation has been experiencing, as indeed in all times of hardship, we need the ability to analyze correctly the situation and to know what to do. Discernment of the times is more than an understanding of biblical doctrines and teaching basic principles of the Bible. That ability is important, but there must also be the ability to know how to apply the truths of God’s word to the issues that we are facing today. The Bible always has the answer to every culture and to every generation, but in order to apply the truth of Scripture in an effective and meaningful way, we must have a correct understanding of the uniqueness of our times.

The men of Issachar not only understood what God was doing, but they knew how to respond to what God was doing. We can understand the times and understand what the Bible says, but understanding means nothing unless we act upon that information. We must respond and apply the truth in a way that the world around us can understand. In contrast, many pastors and denominational leaders have cowardly chosen to allow modern culture and public opinion to dictate belief and behavior. The church is not to be like a hot air balloon, driven by the winds of opinion and unable to follow the course that God has ordained. The church is to be like a sailboat, with its sails unfurled to the wind of the Holy Spirit and a rudder that takes the power of that wind and uses it to go in the direction that God chooses.

God always has servants like the men of Issachar, born for the times, with the understanding of the times, and able to offer the needed solutions and lead the way out of the crisis. They may be ordinary people, as most were who were chosen by God, unrecognized by the world, but ready to stand up without hesitation and compromise to declare the discernment that God gives.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Paul reveals three things that should characterize us in times of darkness. First, we should be aware. Verse 4 tells us that we should not be surprised at what happens. We are not in darkness, so we don’t have to live in hysteria, fearful that the day of the Lord will overtake us as a thief. We can lay the Bible alongside today’s newspaper and by the Holy Spirit we can discern what’s going on. God’s people are the only ones who can make sense out of the situation, and we look to Jesus for deliverance, not to some magical panacea. We are aware that the only hope for this dark world is the blessed hope of the return of Jesus Christ.

In verses five and six we learn that we should be awake. We are not to live in a comatose state of spiritual indifference or apathy, unconcerned about the things of God. We are always to be alert, with an expectation of the Lord’s return. God’s alarm clock is going off all around us, telling us that it’s time to wake up, get up, and go out to stand up for Christ.

Verse eight tells us how we are to maintain our readiness as we anticipate the Lord’s return. After we wake up we are to dress up, not in street clothes but in armor. Paul mentions particularly two pieces of armor, because there are two areas, the heart and the head, that we need to guard in this day of surrounding darkness. We are to cover the heart with the breastplate of faith and love, which protects us from the attacks of doubt. Our success ultimately depends not on how well we keep watching, but on God’s untiring faithfulness in keeping watch over us. When we shield our hearts with love, we are willing to endure when others might fail. Love creates an allegiance to the Lord. It allows us to see as God does and to feel the needs of others.

The helmet of hope helps protects one’s faith when life comes crashing down with persecutions and injustices by constantly reminding the believer one day Christ will return and make all things right. In the New Testament, hope does not mean wishful thinking, with uncertainty that the thing wished for may actually happen. Hope means solid certainty, a confident expectation and assurance that leaves no room for the slightest element of doubt. So biblical hope is not a feeling. It is a fact based upon the firm foundation of the word of God, a reality so certain that we can speak of the future in the past tense. This is why, like the men of Issachar, we can discern the times and proclaim openly and boldly what God would have us do. ✽

Georgia, USA