God the Father kick-starts His plan by creating the Garden of Eden. It unfolds as each day of the creation process brings the necessary provisions. Genesis 2 describes the Garden as being full of every element that sustains life. God even planted the Tree of Life that refreshes and rejuvenates. No man-made spa could ever come close to matching its excellence!
         God also planted the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But there is a catch. Even though the fruit of the tree looks inviting, God commanded Adam not to eat of it. Why? Because of the type of fruit it produces.
         The two trees provide a choice. Remember, we are designed with a free will so that we can choose. Love and relationship is a decision, otherwise, we’re not living beings but machines.
          The word “good” is based on God, but it falls short of what is God’s best—the God-kind of life. Good is settling for less than what God envisions for us. This type of “good” may look useful at first sight, but it often produces negative side effects.
          Evil is the absence of God in the same way as darkness is the absence of light. God didn’t create evil. Evil comes from rejecting God and His Light.
       The reality of evil—both spiritual and physical—is why our creation mandate included having dominion. That is, to be garden-tenders—literally, husbandmen or care-takers (Gen. 2:15). The Hebrew word for dominion also means to trample, to put underfoot, to squelch a rebellion, and to assault a hostile force. That seems strange in the midst of the beautiful and bountiful Garden. That is, until we remember that the all-knowing God often includes prophetic shadows in His Word.
          Hence, the two trees. The two trees serve as a witness to mankind’s role on the earth. Their fruit holds within them the seeds that shall bring forth “after their own kind.” The dominion mandate to mankind was to be fruitful and multiply, bringing forth life through the seed in them, to expand this Garden expanse across the face of the earth. Spoiler alert: they messed up their mandate.
 
           The Chronos Lesson: Our choices still have consequences. Our choices often boil down to what voice we’re listening to. That of the world? That of the media? That of the Spirit of God within us, tested against the written Word of God?
         The word for disciple in the Bible means to be a follower. But it involves more than just being a spectator, as in following someone on social media. It literally means to mimic Christ’s actions, endeavoring to represent Him and His ministry as closely as possible. This assignment is summarized in the Gospels as the Great Commission. That is, to preach the good news of the Gospel—Jesus’ finished work—and make disciples (fellow followers). And we’re to do this by the power of the Spirit, with signs and wonders following to confirm the Word preached.
          That assignment has not changed over the nearly 2,000 years of the Church Age. So this must be our focus now, especially as the time for making the decision to accept Jesus as one’s Savior and become part of His Body, the Church, and His Bride, draws to a close.
           It will be possible for people to accept Jesus after the rapture, but they will not be part of the Church. They will, however, still be part of the redeemed and part of the family of God. Of course, they will have to survive the wrath of that Day (the trumpet judgments) and resist the commands of the Antichrist to take the mark of the Beast and bow down and worship his image.
         So we have a crucial and timely choice to make. Will we be about Father’s business and Christ’s commission, and bring as many people as possible to Christ? Or will we be distracted by the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the desires for other things entering in, and even something that sounds good such as saving the nation, choking out the Word and causing us to become unfruitful?
          Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:16-18).  

            Our earthly assignment is often referred to as the dominion mandate, based on Gen. 3:28. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
            God’s Word is “His-story” with mankind from Heaven’s perspective. It reveals the 3 W’s: His will, His ways, and His wants for the human race. It is also the Manufacturer’s Manual for operating on this earth as His Kingdom representatives. It is a picture of the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven.
            Does that sound familiar? It’s the second line of the model prayer Jesus unveiled when the disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. Prayer is relationship. It is accessing Heaven. It is communion with the Godhead.
            What we commonly refer to as “The Lord’s Prayer” reads like a prophetic declaration of God’s timely chronos agenda. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (Luke 11:1-4).
            This model declaration is very telling. It names the Author: Our Father in Heaven. He is not just the Almighty God, He is God the Father—the first Person of the Godhead. It reveals the theme or purpose of the story—His Kingdom come. It hints at the “how” of this assignment—by the Bread of Life (God’s Word) that reveals the power of forgiveness through the blood of Jesus the Son of God. It reveals our individual authority through the name of Jesus to resist the evil one.
            The Chronos Lesson: As believers we are graciously delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of the Son of His love—Jesus Christ our Lord. This is why the true grace message is so important in these times.
            The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Rom. 5:5). One of the fruit of the spirit is love. That God-kind of love is within us. When we walk by the Spirit, that love will naturally flow out of us no matter what the world throws at us. We are to respond with love, in grace and truth, and not react in the same way that the world does, stooping to their fallen ways.
            If you are a believer, the fruit of the Spirit is already in you. But you have to partake of it in your daily life. You may not feel loving, patient, at peace, joyful, or longsuffering. That’s okay because your spirit isn’t based on feelings; it is based on knowing God and Christ. It is activated when you walk by the spirit instead of the flesh.
            For example, if you feel overwhelmed, as if you can’t take it any more, then that is a signal that you’re walking by the flesh instead of the spirit.  If you aren’t at peace or joyful, then you’re probably spending more time focused on this world’s news and media than on the Word of God.
            Jesus told us in Matt. 28:20 that He is with us until the end of the age. Yet after His resurrection, He left and ascended to Heaven. What gives? God the Father gave us the Holy Spirit to live within every believer. This outpouring of the Spirit is one of the distinguishing kairos traits of this chronos time. It is how Jesus is still with us. In fact, Jesus said that having the Spirit within is far better for us. How? Now we have all access 24-7!
            That takes us to the end of the age—this present age that we’re living in, the nearly 2,000 years or two great Days of the “Church Age.” Then what? Then comes the Age to Come, which begins with the rapture. Our Lord takes us back to Father’s House in Heaven as promised, and we are with Him for all eternity. For now, in this age, the way of the Kingdom is to live in such a way that we draw others to the Savior. In the age to come, our assignment will shift to reigning with Christ from above and executing God’s justice over Israel’s enemies and putting all things under His feet (1 Cor. 15:25).

          Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness”… So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Gen. 1:26a, 27). 
            On the 6th day a unique relationship was established. God created a man in His image to be His representative on the earth. Because God is love, He created us for His pleasure to be loved and to show His love to others. Because God is just, He created us to also implement His kingdom ways and justice on the earth. 
            This opening scene speaks to the fundamental questions of humanity. How did we get here? Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? Where are we going? What does the future hold for us? It reveals God’s intentions toward us: He created us to function in His image as god-like guardians over the earth. He placed us in authority under His authority.
            To understand this purpose, we need to know what “in His image” means. God is an eternal spirit. This means every person is first and foremost a spirit being—our eternal inner being. Like God, we have a mind that can reason and plan ahead. We can even think about how we think, which no other earthly creature can do. We can also create, although we can only create from the earthly material God provided, whereas He created from nothing.
            This other aspect of our “inner man” is called our soul. It also includes our unique personality, emotions, desires, memories, conscience, imagination, and will. The Bible calls these two aspects of our inner being—our spirit and soul—as our heart. It is what “pumps life” through us.
            This inner man is contained in a body—our earth suit—that is made from the elements of this planet. It is made mostly of water and dust, which in God’s amazing hands doesn’t turn to mud but is an awesome, intricate design. God pre-designed or predestined us to partake of His nature. That’s not being God, but godlike, walking in godliness (2 Peter 1:1-4). Do you know what it means to be God’s representative? Stay tuned.
           
           The Chronos Lesson: We’re meant to become more and more godly in our daily lives. We do that by increasing in our knowledge of God and Jesus, and walking in that knowledge (2 Peter 1:3-4). We’re destined to look more and more like Jesus. We do that by renewing our soul and mind to the truths in God’s Word (Rom. 12:1-2). When our reborn spirit and our renewed mind are in agreement, then we partake of His divine nature already in us and experience God’s heavenly ways in our earthly lives.
            We won’t get it perfect on this side of the rapture because, for now, we see in part (1 Cor. 13:12). Still, we’re instructed to press on toward that high calling in Jesus (Phil. 3:13-15). The good news for now is that as believers, our spirit is sealed for that Day of Redemption.
            The hope of our calling is that at the appointed Day, the 7th Day, we shall be perfected. It happens when Jesus comes to gather us together with Him and take us to our prepared place in Father’s House in Heaven—His 2nd coming at the rapture. Then and only then will we be perfectly conformed to His image. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29).
            Then and only then can we rightly execute God’s vengeance against evil and His righteous judgments against those who have rejected His authority as Creator.
            Thank you, Father, that we shall spend eternity with you, and forever be with our Beloved Lord!        

       Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure…’ (Isaiah 46:9-10).
       God declared the “Beginning” at the beginning of THE BOOK—the Bible, the Scriptures, God’s Word. The first book of THE BOOK is called Genesis, which just so happens to mean—you guessed it—“the beginning.” Immediately, we see the Godhead at work.
        “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said…” (Gen. 1:1-3a).  
          God created by speaking declarations of His Word. John 1:1-4 says Jesus is the Word of God. We see the move of the Spirit releasing God’s power on the earth.
          Also immediately, we see a numerical pattern put into place that would resonate across the ages as the basis for God’s predetermined, set lengths of time for His “counsel.” In the Greek wording of the New Testament, these are God’s chronos times. It’s the prophetic shadow of a 7-day pattern.            
          Chapter 1 describes the six days allotted for the work of the earth and Chapter 2:1-3 sets apart the 7th day as a special day of Sabbath rest. The foundational apostles and the early Church understood this 7-day pattern as God’s prophetic great Week of the plan of redemption. “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one Day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one Day” (2 Peter 3:8).
         Something very powerful and unique happened just prior to the 7th day Sabbath rest. Do you know what it was? Stay tuned.
          The Chronos Lesson: God doesn’t change and nothing can change God’s counsel (Malachi 3:6a). His timetable is set. Only God the Creator determines the times and the seasons (Daniel 2:21). That is, only God removes and raises up kings. He gives wisdom only to the wise who seek godly wisdom.
          Likewise, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Heb. 13:8). If we are in Christ, then we can be steadfast, being rooted and grounded in Him. We don’t have to be blown about by contrary doctrines or shaken by the shenanigans of the world. We can trust God’s chronos timing and His plan.
          In the weeks ahead we will be looking at the Big Picture of the Chronos in the Bible. We need to be rooted in God’s Word and centered on Christ the Word.
           “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17).

            There is a lot of confusion in the world today about the end-times, even in the Church. We are not unlike the two disciples who journeyed from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the day that Jesus was raised from the dead. In the midst of their confusion, they were unknowingly joined by the risen Master.
            Luke’s gospel tells us that as they walked together, “Jesus expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” When His true identity was revealed at the evening meal, He vanished from their sight. They exclaimed, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while he opened the Scriptures to us?”
            Jesus appeared again later that same evening as more of the disciples were gathered together. Once again, “He opened their understanding that they might comprehend” what was prophesied about Him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luke 24:13-47). By the day’s end, the disciples were no longer in a state of confusion. They were in agreement concerning what the Scriptures said about His first coming.
            Likewise, God’s agenda for this day and hour calls for a similar “opening of our understanding,” only this time, concerning what the Scriptures say about His second coming. This purposeful mission is intended to dispel our confusion concerning the end-times and unify His Bride for the next part of our mission—our heavenly calling.
            This new Emmaus Road journey will appear to contain some new perspectives on the end-times. It must be said, however, that although these perspectives may be new to us, these things were commonly taught in the early church. Therefore, this end-time highway of understanding is not a new revelation, but a restoration of light that once burned brightly within the early church. This light was dimmed as the centuries passed. But the time has come for the light to dawn upon us again, only with even greater intensity than ever before.
            It’s time to: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 40:3-5).
            The calling to participate in this highway of truth has become the consuming passion of Chronos Ministries. We believe it will be the catalyst for one last great move of God on the earth through the Church before Jesus returns.
            Chronos is the New Testament Greek word that refers to the chronological passage of time. In prophecy, it denotes a prophetic set time leading up to the fulfillment of a future prophetic event so marked by God. Jesus told us multiple times that He would come at the last Day to raise us up (the rapture). The last Day is the 7th Day in God’s prophetic great Week. We are nearing the end of the 6th Day.
            Hebrews 10:25 says we are to see that Day—the 7th Day—approaching. Have your eyes been opened yet to understand God’s agenda and His chronos timing?

             The Apostle Paul opens Romans 11 with this bold statement: “I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not!” Paul goes on to show us God’s loving and just nature by explaining God’s plan in verses 11-12. “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!”
            What does this have to do with our current series about restoring end-time terms and concepts?
In the last blog we saw how Jacob wrestled with God because of our human tendency to want to justify ourselves with our own works or human strides. We will always fall short. That’s why grace is a crucial message in these last of the last Days.
           In Jesus’ ground-breaking teaching about His coming at the rapture, known as the Olivet Discourse, He made a declaration that stunned the disciples. “Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” He was referring to their beloved Temple. Hearkening back to Daniel 12, He declared the desolation and the beginning of sorrows as the signs of this present age. To the Church, it was the beginning of the tribulation of those Days. To the Jews it was known as the time of Jacob’s Trouble.
            When Jesus made that declaration, something happened in the spiritual realm. The archangel Michael, the chief prince assigned to Israel stood still. He had to hearken to God’s Word as spoken by the Messiah (Ps. 103:20). He had to stand by and do nothing when the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem. He had to stand still when the Temple was destroyed from within by the Jewish people in 70 AD.
            Choices always have consequence. Yet God was able to use the Jew’s rejection of Jesus to bring about His divine will. Although He had to allow the natural branch (the Jews) to be cut off, it allowed the Gospel to be extended to the Gentiles (the wild branch). Paul reminds us that the Jews were not cut off or cast away permanently, as some scholars teach despite what Romans 11 declares. They shall be restored at the appointed time.
            If you have been following these blogs, you know that the appointed time coincides with the rapture of the Church. Our being gathered in plain sight for all the world to see opens the eyes of Jacob, who then declares Jesus as the Messiah. The natural branch is thereby grafted back in. Hosea 6 refers to this as Israel’s 3rd Day revival.
            Daniel 12:1 describes what will happen. Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible preserves the tense and word usage found in the original Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament) writings. The extremely literal translation is not exactly easy to read, but it does accurately record what the prophecy said would happen.
            “And at that time stand up doth Michael, the great head, who is standing up for the sons of thy people [Daniel’s people—the Jews], and there hath been a time of distress, such as hath not been since there hath been a nation till that time, and at that time do thy people escape, every one who is found written in the book.”
            The book is the Book of Life, which is the basis for God’s final judgment—if you are in Christ, then your name is in the Book of Life. The unparalleled time of distress is that of Jacob’s Trouble that spans Days 5 and 6 of God’s great Week. How do they escape?
            You may recall from earlier blogs that when Jesus comes to gather His Body, the Church, His Bride at the rapture, He literally stands on the Mount of Olives. It causes an earthquake that splits the mountain, thereby making a way of escape for the remnant of Jews who are now our fellow saints in the Lord (Zech. 14:4-6). Note that Zechariah gives the same final sign before Christ’s return—total darkness over the whole earth. In short, our 3rd Day resurrection triggers Israel’s 3rd Day acceptance.