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God's Times and Seasons
How
to Understand God's Times and Seasons
Author
Rod Parsley
From the very creation of the world, God set
in motion His times, cycles and seasons.
In the Bible I am using as I write these
words, there are nearly 1,166 pages.
Surprisingly, there are more than 800 verses
in that Bible in which God declares He is concerned with times, seasons and
cycles. That's almost one verse for every page!
We see this in His
majestic creation narrative found in the opening paragraphs of the book of
Genesis:
"And God said,
'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the
night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons, and days, and years. Let them
be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth.' And it was
so"
(Genesis
1:14-15).
It is here that we get our first glimpse of
day and night, of the seasons and years and the lights in the heavens.
When I first read these verses, I understood
them to be a description of the beginning of all we see in the sky.
But over time, as I read these verses again
and again, greater insight into their deeper meaning began to emerge.
These words were given to us to introduce the
times and seasons by which God rules the world He created for mankind.
Suddenly I understood that God isn't giving
us astronomical information to enhance our stargazing; God is giving us a
powerful revelation of how the heavenly bodies define His holy seasons and
festivals and reveal His glory, if we will observe them.
In the original Hebrew, the Bible does not
just say that the sun, moon and stars will be for "signs" — at
least not in the simple sense that this English word conveys.
Instead, the original Hebrew says that the
sun, moon and stars are to mark "religious festivals" or "sacred
times."
They are tokens or signs of God's covenants
and His sovereign, benevolent care for His people.
The Hebrew word behind this truth is mo'edim
(moh-eh-DEEM).
Usually it is translated "festivals,"
but mo'edim means "a set or appointed time" or "appointed
place, appointed meeting." It indicates to "signify" or
"act as a sign."
God has a sacred calendar, and He wants us to
use it as He has commanded in Scripture because there is revelation in keeping
the calendar of God.
When we keep the calendar of God, we will
receive His truths, experience His presence and be able to serve His purposes.
God's Sacred Calendar
Most of us have lived our whole lives
according to a solar calendar that is 365 days long.
To understand God's sacred calendar, we must
first realize that His calendar is based on a lunar (moon) cycle, not on a
solar (sun) cycle.
If you'll begin calling the calendar you use
the Babylonian calendar, it will help you remember that this calendar is far
removed from the one God originally intended.
After all, the Babylonian calendar influenced
the Gregorian calendar we use today.
Let's begin this journey of discovery and
revelation together by looking at the differences between the lunar and solar
calendars.
Our solar calendar begins on January 1, ends
on December 31, and is divided into four seasons. It is made up of 12 months of
approximately 30 days.
God's calendar uses months that are much different
from those to which we have become accustomed.
Because the moon changes every night, it
marks the progress of time much more efficiently, and is far better for
building a calendar upon than the sun.
Additionally, the beginning, end and seasons
of God's year do not correspond to the beginning, end and seasons of the solar
year.
The beginning of God's year is not January 1,
the birthday of His Son is not December 25, and Resurrection Day is not Easter.
The following chart lists the months of the
lunar calendar along with their approximate times in the Gregorian or solar
calendar.
- Nisan :
March-April
- Iyar — called
Ziv in 1 Kings 6:1, 37: April-May
- Sivan : May-June
- Tammuz :
June-July
- Av : July-August
- Elul :
August-September
- Tishrei — called
Ethanim in 1 Kings 8:2: September - October
- Cheshvan — called
Bul in 1 Kings 6:38: October - November
- Kislev :
November-December
- Tevet :
December-January
- Shevat :
January-February
- Adar I :
February-March
- Adar Beit : leap
years
God's calendar is designed for the sake of
worship and divine encounters.
It is defined by His appointed feasts and His
declared, sacred seasons that He calls us to celebrate.
Think of God's calendar much like a sacred
alarm clock that reminds us to arise and remember His great deeds, to celebrate
His abundant goodness and to worship Him for His glorious acts yet to come.
This truth is the key to understanding the
whole of the Bible, particularly the meaning of the life of Jesus Christ on
earth.
When we come to understand the earthly life
of Jesus in light of these festivals, the truth of who He is explodes into our
lives.
There is so much revelation waiting for us in
the calendar of God.
Intimacy With God
Am I trying to drag us back under the law by
urging that we know and celebrate the sacred seasons of God? Absolutely,
positively, unequivocally not!
My goal is revelation and celebration, not
legalism.
My desire is for us to obey God and to see
Him in the greater revelation that is available through His mo'edim — His signs
and festivals.
My deeper ambition is intimacy with God.
Understanding God's times and seasons is like
a husband gaining insight into his wife so he can more fully love her, care for
her and protect her.
This is exactly what God desires for us in
our relationship with Him.
He desires for us to draw closer to Him and
learn to walk in His ways. This is His primary ambition.
We have a choice: focus only on the rules and
the requirements, or look deeper and perceive the "language" of God
through the law and the revelation of the One who gave the requirements.
Everything that God has designed for us is an
invitation to intimacy with Him. Take, for instance, the kosher laws.
Observing kosher is a hallmark of Jewish
identity, yet some would look at kosher laws and see only "do not taste;
do not touch" — the arcane requirements and regulations of a restrictive
God to force obedience with judgment and condemnation.
Nothing could be further from God's heart.
The deeper truth of kosher laws may well be
that in the smallest and most mundane matters of life — something as simple as
eating — we welcome God and acknowledge Him as the sustainer of life.
For the Jews, life is a sacred endeavor, and
holiness is an appropriate response to even the most ordinary of everyday
activities.
By observing kosher, Jewish people illustrate
that we are not animals to eat what we please, when we please and how we
please.
Through kosher laws, Jewish children learn
patience, order, obedience, thankfulness, discipline, manners and a revelation
of God as provider and sustainer of their sustenance.
While there is a physical benefit of kosher
laws, they serve as a call to pause, reflect and acknowledge God.
Again, I am not advocating that we come back
under the law. Jesus said He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.
My heart's desire is that, by God's grace, we
can recover the New Covenant purpose of much of God's Old Covenant requirements
because that's what those of us who are in Christ are meant to do.
As one of the early
church fathers said, "In the Old Testament, the New Testament is
concealed; in the New Testament, the Old Testament is revealed."
My heart's prayer is for us to receive the
fullest revelation of God our Father through Jesus Christ by the power of the
Holy Spirit.
It's thrilling to unlock these truths and
understand God's divine purpose for our lives in the calendar He has ordained
for us to observe.
Rod
Parsley
is the president and founder of the Center for Moral Clarity, the founder of
Harvest Preparatory School and Valor Christian College, and the senior pastor
and founder of World Harvest Church in Columbus, Ohio. He and his wife, Joni,
have two children. He has written over 50 books and his daily television
program is viewed by millions worldwide.
Find
out more about God's purposes for the feasts He commanded Israel to celebrate
at feasts.charismamag.com.
Pastor
and author Rod Parsley uncovers the prophetic significance of the
biblical seasons, feasts and celebrations in his latest book, God's End-Time
Calendar: The Prophetic Meaning Behind Celestial Events and Seasons (Charisma
House). You can find this book on amazon.com, christianbook.com or wherever
Christian books are sold.
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