And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” (Luke 2:13-15)
        I have always been intrigued by this passage. It was finally time for the next pivotal time period in God’s mystery plan of redemption to be declared on the earth. The first four great Days of the Old Covenant were drawing to a close and the next two great Days were close at hand. A Child had been born and 3½ years later the Son would be given. This changed everything.
    So who does God choose to make this all-important announcement? The outcasts of society—shepherds. That tells us a lot about the Father’s nature. His nature would become even clearer through Jesus’ ministry. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15).
       Looking at the state of the world, it seems far from peaceful. But the announcement wasn’t about peace among mankind but between God and mankind. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus would make it possible for every person to be reconciled to God and be reconnected to Him through the new birth. The gift was made available to all by God’s grace, but the gift would have to be accepted by each person. Our faith is personal. Sadly, many still refuse to open the gift. They still do not know God’s loving nature.
      Now as we draw near to the end of the sixth great Day in God’s plan, another pivotal event shall be announced. But this time it will not be a heavenly choir singing a joyous chorus. It will be an earth-shaking announcement in the midst of total darkness upon the earth.            
     “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in Heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Mt. 24:29-30). Luke’s gospel tells us that this Day will come as a snare, for it brings God’s vengeance against evil.
        But for those who have accepted the best Christmas gift ever—that of salvation is Jesus Christ—it shall come as our blessed hope—our hope of glory, as the Heavenly Esther, as the immortal government of Heaven. No wonder our enemy has worked overtime to rob believers of this blessed hope by saying there is no rapture, that the kingdom of God has already come and it’s up to us to bring it to pass in our culture, or that we cannot know when Jesus is coming back.
          Can you imagine what the shepherds would have missed out on if they decided this miraculous chorus was not real? What if they had allowed their fear to keep them from the manger? Or they had decided the announcement was fake news? “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Rev. 1:3). “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10).    

       “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6). This is the time of year when we celebrate the Child being born. Yet it was when the Son was given that impacts our lives directly. Now we are nearing the time when He shall come again to gather His Body, His Bride, His Church to take us back to the Father’s House in the 3rd Heaven to be seated with Him as joint-heirs as the immortal government. In one simple sentence, God’s prophet summarized Christ’s first and second coming. May we not overlook its profound significance.
            At the beginning of the latter Days, Christ started it all by laying aside the glory of Heaven to come in the likeness of mankind. “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:8-11).
           Romans 3:26 reminds us that Jesus came at the appointed time to “demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” By paying the penalty for sin, we are justified in Jesus. Our sins are forgiven, for they are wiped out by His perfectness. When we are in Christ, Jesus takes our place in the court of law, and when the charges of sin are read, God the Judge sees our Lord’s righteousness and can justly rule that we are not guilty.
         In the previous verse, Paul adds that God set forth Jesus as a propitiation by His blood, through faith. Propitiation is a fancy word that means to satisfy one’s wrath. In this case, God’s wrath against sin. Because He is totally just, God could not simply ignore sin and its consequences. Jesus had to justly pay the ransom for sin, which we call redemption. Our slate was wiped clean, so to speak.
          But if we sinned once, couldn’t we sin again? Yes, so God sent His Son to stand in our place. Jesus willingly endured the horrific death by crucifixion even though He was perfectly innocent. This enabled God to justly place His wrath upon His Son. Justice was served and God could then forgive mankind of their sinful nature and all their sins—past, present, and future.
          In accounting terms, this means we are reconciled to God. That is, all our debt is wiped away. Everything that is in Jesus’ account is put into our account. Because we are “in Him,” as He is, so are we now (1 John 4:17). God doesn’t just love us unconditionally. He loves us perfectly. And since love has been perfected among us, we can have boldness in the Day of Judgment.
          At the end of this age, Christ shall come again to gather His Body and take us back to Father’s House in Heaven. It’s time to know what time it is. “That now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Rom. 13:11-14).
         When we talk about the chronos times, we’re really talking about the chronological passing of time according to preset determinants. The Old Covenant prophets foretold that Christ would suffer. That part of the plan has been fulfilled. Now, with our sins blotted out, we can experience “times of refreshing” from the manifested presence of the Lord in our present situation. For now, Christ has ascended to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding on our behalf (Heb. 7:25). This is the hour of outpouring.
         Bhrist is waiting for the two great Days of the Church Age to be fulfilled, and for His Body to be completed. He must remain in Heaven until the “times of restoration of all things” (Acts. 3:18-21). That is, the rest of the story and the end of the ages. He is, after all the beginning and the end!

        The other piece of information that Jesus gave the disciples at the Last Supper that they couldn’t quite grasp is that one of them sitting at the table would betray Him. This betrayal had been declared in the Old Testament prophecies. God knew what the betrayer would decide to do. Of course the disciples “began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing” (Luke 22:23).
         That is what led to the disciples disputing who was the greatest and Jesus’ foot-washing object lesson. Still, Jesus reassures them concerning their calling. “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (vs. 28-30).
          His words are a vivid reminder that our position with God is not based on our works but His grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God. John 17 records Jesus’ prayer for the original disciples and for those who would follow through the Church Age. Verse 8 reveals that because of their unique position as the foundational disciples and apostles, Jesus’ original disciples received the word of salvation and all that goes with it, including the forgiveness of all their sins and not so exemplar behavior at the Last Supper.
         This included Peter. The next bit of information Jesus reveals is directed at Peter. “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (vs. 31-34). Peter rejects this word. “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” Nevertheless, the word stands true. “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.” Notice Jesus doesn’t condemn Peter for what is to come; instead He reassures Peter that despite the misstep, his calling remains.
           Later in the chapter, what Jesus spoke takes place. Immediately after Peter’s third denial, a rooster crows as Jesus had prophesied. The passage also says that at that moment, the Lord turned and looked at Peter.
            It was certainly a knowing look, but not one of condemnation, even though Peter naturally felt that way. The look wasn’t an “I told you so” sort of look. It was a compassionate, reassuring look that in effect reminded Peter of Jesus’ love for him. In effect,  the look said, “Don’t forget what I prophesied over you. Remember, I prayed for you, that you would have faith in Me. I do not condemn you as the world does. Come back to your calling and strengthen your brethren.”
            The Chronos Lesson: Our righteousness in Christ means that God can take whatever shortfall we commit or any negative circumstances we encounter and turn them to our benefit by affirming our faith in Him. The one thing Jesus wanted Peter to remember was his position in Christ and not his failure.
            Yes, Peter would have to work through his fleshly emotions and train them to line up with the truths of God’s love, grace, and salvation. But in doing so, he would be stronger for it. Such healed scars are simply reminders of His strength and life in us working through us.
            Jesus believes in us, even when we doubt ourselves. He never dishes out condemnation, guilt, shame, or “I told you so’s.” Instead, He dishes out grace upon grace (John 1:16), which reminds us that we are not in bondage to sin (Rom. 6:18). We can come out stronger. That is, if we dare to trust and accept His loving look! 

      Immediately after partaking of the first communion with Jesus, Luke’s account in chapter 22 records that the disciples then started bickering over who was the best disciple and should therefore take over the mantle of leadership. This head-shaking episode is another example of the difference between two Greek words translated as “know” in the New Testament.
         Ginosko means to come to know through learning and study. It’s equivalent to gathering the data and noting the facts. Oida takes it a step further. It’s that a-ha moment when you finally see the point of all the learning. It’s when what you have gained in information now makes sense on a practical level. In our time, it’s the difference between knowing information and understanding it so you can apply it in your own life.
        It’s a pretty safe bet to assume that even though Jesus had just finished teaching the disciples how to take communion and even what the elements symbolized (ginosko information), they did not yet understand the depth of meaning behind it and the power of communion in the lives of believers (oida understanding). This is why the New Testament writers so often encouraged believers to be in the Word and to practice the Word.
        In John’s record of the Last Supper (chapter 13), we see another example of this critical distinction between ginosko and oida. After they had finished eating, Jesus gets up from the table, removes His outer garments, picks up a bowl of water, and grabs a towel.  He begins to wash the disciples’ feet. This was a common chore completed by a lowly household servant because walking dirt roads left all sorts of dust and who knows what else on the feet of the guests.
        This untimely gesture—long after they had entered the room and had already eaten—was meant to send a signal. In light of Luke’s account of the bickering disciples, we can see why Jesus thought it was necessary. The brash and impulsive Peter balks at the foot-washing idea. That is until Jesus tells him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this. If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Now, of course, Peter wants Jesus to wash all of him!
          As amusing as Peter can be at times, the point here is that Jesus used these two terms in His response to Peter. At that moment, the disciples didn’t get the purpose and significance of the object lesson in Jesus’ example of servant-leadership. But they would eventually come to oida-know the principle and practice it.
         The Chronos Lesson: This distinction strikes at the heart of the matter of knowing and understanding the times. When Jesus introduced the signs of the times, His coming, and the rapture in the Olivet Discourse, He finished the informational part of the teaching and then used parables to drive hope the points He had made. He knew they wouldn’t get this paradigm shift right away.
        So He gave them the essentials, knowing that the Holy Spirit would later be poured out upon them and would help them come to perceive and understand the significance of the information He had just shared. As with the foot-washing episode, they would come to grasp (oida knowing) and practice the principles involved. That is, that we can know and therefore see the Day of the Lord approaching.
          In between the parables about looking for the kairos signs, Jesus added, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Mt 25:13). The word for know here is ginosko. In a sense, He was warning them that even though they didn’t fully grasp what was about to happen after the resurrection, they need not be troubled. All they have to do is watch for the kairos signs and note the chronos times revealed in the Scriptures.
           Sadly, this statement and another statement Jesus made in the Olivet Discourse have been taken out of context and used to distort what Jesus taught about the signs of this age and His coming. People use the statement, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, but My Father only” (Matt. 24:36) to say that we cannot know when Jesus is returning, even though that is the point of His whole teaching!
         In this case, readers violate the laws of grammar and separate the sentence—which begins with a conjunction or connecting word—from the sentence before it. The context is Jesus assuring His disciples that all the information He had just imparted to them about the signs of this age and His coming would indeed take place.  “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation [of the Church Age] will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matt. 24:34-35).
         Notice that the day and hour issue in verse 36 is connected to verse 35 when the heavens and earth pass away, which happens at the end of the ages. At the end of the last and 7th great Day, God makes the new heavens and new earth in which there is no sin, sorrow, war, or death. It is when the final objective of Daniel’s divine to-do-list is fulfilled: eternal righteousness in the new earth!
        If you’ve been following this blog, then you know this refers to the Perfect Day, the Day of God, which is an eternal Day like no other. No human can fathom what that future perfect eternity will be like. That is what is unknown,  and not the Day of Christ’s return, which is the Day of the Lord.  May you not only see the Day approaching but be ready for it!