Why is it so important that we understand God’s mystery-plan? For one thing, it was said of the tribe of Issachar, that they had an understanding of the times. Good for them. So what? “To know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chron. 12:32). In terms of what? The context of the passage is when King Saul had been told that God had rejected him as king. Samuel the prophet had anointed David instead. Saul wasn’t buying any of this, so David was in hiding. In this governmental turmoil, the tribes needed to know what Israel should do.
      The New Covenant was set in motion through Jesus’s earthly ministry. It was established by His death on the cross. In effect, God’s agenda was no longer hidden, particularly as it relates to the Church and the new rules of engagement.
       Understanding God’s times and divine agenda enables us to know what we are to do in our own time. Uncertainly breeds fear. Understanding breeds comfort, hope, and victory—even now. For as Christ is in Heaven, so are we now on this earth (1 John 3:17).
         Because we are in Christ and charged with preaching the good news of the Gospel and making disciples, we are automatically also stewards of the mysteries. It is required of stewards to be found faithful (1 Cor. 4:1-2). It’s time for the mystery-plan to be understood and manifested.
         “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen” (Romans 16:25-27). This series is designed to help you see the mystery from the first to the last book of God’s Word.
         John opened his gospel account by reminding us that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). The mystery of God is the mystery-plan, leading to the restoration of all things. Through God’s Word, as manifested in the earthly ministry of Jesus, we can come to see the end from the beginning.
        It is clear that Jesus’ disciples understood very little about the mystery prior to the cross. They didn’t understand why He was leaving, much less that He would come back. On the night of His arrest, they all fled in a state of confusion. As we’ve seen, this is because the mystery had been hidden prior to Christ’s resurrection. His resurrection signaled that it was time for the mystery to be fully revealed.
     Though prophets, lawgivers, and psalmists had spoken their respective parts of the mystery, the various prophecies lay strewn throughout the Old Testament record like a jigsaw puzzle, jumbled and unassembled. No one could see how the pieces fit together, not even the prophets themselves.
     As we might imagine, these pieces did not come together overnight. It took some time to fully assemble the prophetic puzzle. The disciples’ encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus, and later again that same evening, gave them a noble start.
     The apostles perceived that a great mystery was beginning to unfold. As the Holy Spirit reminded them of what the Master had taught, Jesus’ words began to take on greater meaning. They remembered that He spoke of the mysteries of the kingdom. For example, after teaching a particular parable His disciples came to Him privately, asking, “What does this parable mean?” Jesus responded, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables” (Mark 4:10-12).
       The knowledge of the mystery was not for impatient bystanders or disinterested hearers, but for those who had a desire to seek out the truth. The parables were merely designed to whet their appetite for such choice morsels. Therefore, the secrets were only parceled out to those who were really hungry to know.
     So after the cross the disciples began to connect the dots, assemble the pieces, and comprehend the mystery. Quite remarkably, the prophetic puzzle (God’s plan) was fully assembled within the forty years that followed Jesus’ resurrection. Scholars generally agree that most of the New Testament was written and already in circulation prior to the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 AD. Only the three letters of John, along with the book of Revelation, are generally assigned to the latter part of the century, between 85 and 95 AD. In other words, the mystery was fully revealed and understood by the first-century apostles. 
      The Chronos Lesson: Since the mystery of Christ also concerns His second coming, these foundational apostles eventually understood the secret things concerning His return at the end of this age. The truth is the first-century apostles had a much better grasp of end-time prophecy than our generation has exhibited up to this time! And with Christ’s return so near, it is time to retrieve what has been lost.
      The Holy Spirit entrusted the first-century apostles with these revelations and they were faithful to record them as part of the New Testament record. Unfortunately, as the apostles passed off the scene, and in the centuries that followed, corrupt teachings infiltrated the Church. As a result, we lost sight of certain aspects of the mystery as it was revealed to these early apostles. 
      As it stands right now, we have a confusing assortment of views and interpretations concerning the end times. We are not unlike the perplexed disciples who made the journey to Emmaus on the day of Jesus’ resurrection. But they were not without hope, for the appearance of an unperceived Stranger on the road banished their confusion by the journey’s end (see Luke 24:13-45). By the end of the day, the Church was in one accord. If God could do it then, He can do it now if we honestly seek the truth and lay aside our preconceived, man-made views.

      Sometime after the Day of Pentecost, seven of the disciples are back where it all began, along the Sea of Tiberius (Galilee). Restless, Simon Peter decides to go fishing, and the others join him. They’re out on the water all night and catch nothing. I can’t help but wonder if it reminded Peter of the moment when Jesus called the fisherman to follow Him. Or maybe his thoughts were still replaying the three times he denied Jesus.
      When the weary fishermen start to make their way to shore, a man is there whom they do not recognize (John 21). He calls to them, “Children, have you any food?” The empty boat should have given the answer obvious, but they respond in the negative anyway. The man tells them to “cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”
      That’s enough for Peter to recognize who it is. He plunges into the water and swims ashore. His fishing buddies are left dragging the boat and the net filled with fish to shore. When they finally arrive, Jesus has a fire going, along with fish and bread somehow. Okay, boys, how many hints do you need! Apparently they have an idea, but they dare not ask. It’s almost as if it is too good to be true. Could they all be hallucinating at the same time with the same mirage?
      Then we’re told that this is the third time Jesus has shown Himself to them after His resurrection. Maybe they just couldn’t wrap their heads around the idea of the resurrection and seeing Jesus appear again.
      They break bread together and chow down on some fish. Jesus turns His attention to His disciple who is struggling with his triple failure back in Herod’s court. The account seems to indicate that Jesus took Peter aside to deal with him privately. Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him. Peter confesses his love three times. Seriously, Lord, how many times do you need to ask? The same number of times that Peter fell short! The disciple’s heart is right, but he probably sees himself as a useless servant. So three times Jesus reaffirms the call: Feed My lambs, tend My sheep, feed My sheep. Like His Lord Peter shall be a shepherd, too.
     The Chronos Lesson: Their first time together began with a miracle catch of fish. Jesus had called them to be fishers of men. Their last time together on the earth is another miracle catch of fish—153 to be exact. Jesus is the beginning and the end. Researchers have pointed out that there were 153 known species of fish at that time. It’s a vivid reminder that the disciples shall go into the known world and preach the Gospel, bringing people from every tribe, nation, and tongue into the Kingdom of God.
       However, the impromptu breakfast by the sea ends in a peculiar manner. After reaffirming Peter as His disciple, Jesus prophesies Peter’s future. “ ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.’ This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ ”
     To our natural minds, this doesn’t sound like the best way to encourage Peter to act on his calling! But spiritually speaking, Jesus is showing Peter that he indeed has the shepherd’s heart, one that is willing to lay his life down for the sake of the sheep and the Gospel. Tradition has it that when Peter was condemned to death in Rome, he requested that he be crucified upside down because he didn’t feel worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.
        But before the significance of what Jesus has just told him could sink in, Peter looks at John and asks what that disciple’s future looks like. Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” In short, it’s none of your business, Peter. Our faith is personal, and God deals with each individual according to His design for them.
       Not surprisingly, this got tongues wagging. “Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die,” even though that is not what Jesus said. It is interesting, though, that John is generally thought to be the only one of the original 12 disciples to have died by natural causes.
      While in prayer and in the Spirit on the Sabbath on the Isle of Patmos in Asia Minor (Turkey), John hears a voice behind him. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia.” Thus begins the Vision that is the Book of Revelation. Actually, it is a series of visions. More on that later. It is a vision of the “things which must shortly take place.” Jesus adds that the time is near, so it is time for the prophecies to be made clear.
        At the end of the book, John is reminded that the time is at hand, so he is told not to seal up the prophecy. Why is this significant? You may recall that Daniel got a vision concerning Christ’s first and second coming as part of the 70 Weeks Prophecy (Daniel 9). The prophet gets one last prophecy, recorded in Daniel 12. It foretells the time of the end as well.
        “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness. Like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:1-3). But unlike John, Daniel is told to “shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end.” It is not yet time for the revelation to be understood.
       Rest assured that time will come:  “[Then] many shall run to and fro and search anxiously [through the Book], and knowledge [of God’s purposes as revealed by His prophets] shall be increased and become great” (Dan. 12:4, Amplified Version). Can you guess when that time is?
        We’re in it now! As the end of this age draws so near—within this decade—the Spirit is bringing clarity to the end-time doctrine. It’s time to be in the know so that we know what we ought to be doing.
        Our predecessors sought to understand, and passed along what they thought they knew. But the fact that there is so much confusion about the end-times tells us something is wrong, and it has to be on our end because God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). Their motives were right, but it wasn’t time to see it fully yet. Now is the time to understand the things that shall shortly take place!  

       You may recall from when we first set out on this journey through the Bible in light of God’s Chronos agenda that the knowledge of evil manifested itself on the earth very quickly. The first recorded murder occurred in Adam and Eve’s immediate offspring. It wasn’t very long before Scripture records, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5).
      After the great reset of the Flood, the knowledge of evil still lingered in the hearts of men. A few chapters later (Gen. 11) we read about the prideful rebellion against God at Babel, as mankind determined in their hearts to disobey God’s command to be spread across the earth. Instead, they built a tower to Heaven. They wanted to be like God. Sound familiar?
       The Chronos Lesson: Through Christ’s death and resurrection, the next stage in God’s agenda could take effect. God’s presence on the earth would be manifested by the 3rd Person of the Godhead—the Holy Spirit residing in the spirit of every believer. This is why the outpouring of the Spirit is the distinguishing mark of the latter Days. We are all “living stones” built on the foundation of Christ the Word and the prophet’s declarations. We are the living temple of God’s presence on the earth.
         The Spirit empowers believers to continue Jesus’ earthly ministry with signs and wonders confirming the Gospel. Wherever there is a “living stone,” he or she is holy ground. We stand in this righteousness through Christ’s shed blood. Do you see yourself in this way?
          We need to, because you-know-who will do all he can to deceive you into thinking you’re not good enough to display God’s power working through you by the Spirit. He’s right in one sense—since he sees us only in ourselves and not in Christ. But we are not on our own. We are in Christ!
         This is why the baptism of the Holy Spirit is so important. It is why Satan has done his best to debunk this vital experience. This is a separate and distinct baptism by Christ with fire—symbolizing the anointing of God (Luke 3:16). It is different from the baptism into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit that happens the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior. We need both to function fully in God’s power in this age.
          Along with the baptism into the Spirit comes the ability to speak with other tongues. The Holy Spirit enables us to pray in the spirit with heavenly languages unknown to us. As we yield our voice to the Spirit, we release what God has declared in Heaven on earth. In effect, it is the two-edged sword of God’s words and our words of agreement on earth.
       We are united as one Body by the Spirit (Eph. 4:4). This is a reversal of the division that happened at Babel. Through the gift of tongues, we speak in one accord with the Spirit. This is the reversal of the language of mankind being confused at Babel. This sets us up for the final reversal that shall come at the last Day, when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever! (Rev. 11:15). God’s Word always accomplishes His purposes. The declarations of unredeemed mankind have no chance against the Almighty God, the Most High!

       While they are together in the upper room, Jesus commands His disciples not to leave Jerusalem until they have received the Promise of the Father “which you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:4-5).
       It is the next festival in the spring season, the Feast of Weeks, which marks the first harvest of their agricultural season. You may know it as Pentecost; pente is Greek for 50. Fifty days after the crucifixion, the Holy Spirit is poured out on the men and women who had been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and had received His righteousness. You may recall that the number 50 symbolizes release, as in the Jubilee Year.
       Earlier, Jesus had foretold the event to His disciples, saying it was very needful and would be better than if He remained with them. Of course, as the third Person of the Godhead, Jesus could also honestly say that He would never leave them nor forsake them because God’s Spirit would abide in them. The Spirit would not only comfort them, but also bring what Jesus taught back to their remembrance and teach them all things concerning the truths of God’s Kingdom.
       But there was more. In their last time together, Jesus drives home the point of why they must wait for the Spirit to fall upon them. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). It is the Spirit that directs and empowers our witnessing to others. To do so apart from that empowering is simply human effort.
       Notice that the statement begins with another “but.” This pivotal statement is connected to the words Jesus had just spoken in response to a question asked of Him. The question shows us that the disciples still didn’t fully understand the mystery-plan. But as we read the New Testament letters, it’s clear that the Holy Spirit is an excellent Teacher because they came to understand the plan. 
        At this point, though, they ask, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” They’re referring to David’s kingdom and the promise that his lineage would rule forever. Armed with hindsight, we know that the promise pointed to Jesus Christ, who was from David’s lineage. But they hadn’t seen this yet.
        Jesus’ next statement is often taken out of context and therefore misunderstood. “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.” Jesus wasn’t saying they could not know, for earlier He had said that they would come to perceive the times and seasons   and understand what they were to do. Notice, too, that Jesus didn’t say that the kingdom would never be restored to Israel. He only said that it was not yet the appointed time. They had more important matters to attend to—namely, preaching the Gospel and establishing the Church.
      What happened next is equally significant in terms of the end-times sequence of events. “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward Heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into Heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into Heaven’ ” (Acts 1:9-11).
      The Chronos Lesson: The Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost. It is what distinguished that unique day in God’s plan. It is also what distinguishes the latter Days. It is one of the corresponding kairos signs of the last Days. Another is the authority to use Jesus’ name to continue His work of signs and wonders. For it is the goodness of God that draws people to repentance.
       Now let me ask you a question. Did the disciples literally see Jesus ascending to Heaven? Yes, the wondrous details are recorded in Acts 1. This means that He will literally return to the earth because that is what the angels announced. What they said is confirmed in the Old Testament prophecies. So let me ask you another question. Have we seen Jesus literally descending from Heaven? Has the whole world seen Jesus coming in the clouds yet, as Scripture foretells?
      No, so don’t let anyone rob you of this truth by saying that the Kingdom has already come. We are not Third Day Christians yet! We don’t count the time using our earthly calendars, which is why Y2K was not a big deal in God’s sight. Nor has the kingdom come figuratively, because the Spirit is within us. The Spirit within simply marks the first two Days of the latter half of the great Week (Today and Tomorrow when counting from Jesus or Days 5 and 6 when counting from Adam).
      Hear God’s definitive Word on the matter. “Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Heb. 9:28, emphasis added). At His first coming, Jesus appeared in order to take away the sin of the world. At His second coming, Jesus will appear to take us away to Father’s House to complete our full salvation—our soul and body made new, even as our spirit was when we first believed. This is when we shall fully and truly have the mind of Christ, and a glorified body like His.