“What Time is It”
By
Elder Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
1st Chronicles 12:32 “And of the children of Issachar, [which were men] that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them [were] two hundred; and all their brethren [were] at their commandment.”
Today I want to talk to you on this subject: “What Time Is It?” This is probably one of the most asked questions in human history. People are always inquiring about what time it is for many different reasons. Some ask the question because they want to know when something starts or ends. They want to know what time it is so they will know how long they have before they have to do something or go some place else. There are many different reasons why someone will ask the question What Time is it.
Understand that we look at time as an appointed, fixed, or specific moment or hour for something to happen. For example some are already saying O.K. preacher you have 25 minutes to preach this message and get us out of here. What they have done is fixed an appointed moment for something to happen and in their mind if I go pass that appointed moment or if God doesn’t show up at that precise time, they become upset, impatient, and no doubt will even throw that finger up, crouch down, and try to tip out, WHY, because simply they are operating in the confining parameters of time.
Understand that time is a measure of finite subsistence, which means it is characterized by whatever is logically conceivable, but God is infinite in His existence, thus cannot be characterized by logical conceivability.
We as human are limited to time and thus we operate within time. Realize there are 3 phases to time that we operate in, they are the past, the present, the future and it takes us a lifetime to get from past, to our present, and finally into our future; however, God who transcends time is not limited to the parameters of time. God doesn’t operate within time, but time operates within God. So the lifetime it takes for us to go from our past, to present, and into the future, God is standing there in our past, in our present, and in our future. That’s why He said in His word declaring the end from the beginning because He is there and sees at just what point He needs to show up and works at that point in our situation and is not limited by our parameters of time.
However, God which is timeless deals with us not in the limiting parameters of time, but in T.I.M.E.S. This times is not a moment or hour, but is a period in which a process takes place. That’s why He can never be late because He knows just were in the process He needs to show up.
This times which God works or deals with man is called dispensations, ages, or seasons. Within this times the process is 3 fold, it consist of 1.) A command. 2.) The Test. 3.) The judgment/reward. Once we understand the process then we will be able to know what time it is. Understand that a process is something that brings about a change which leads to a particular result.
The Bible says in 1st Chronicles 12:32 “And of the children of Issachar, [which were men] that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them [were] two hundred; and all their brethren [were] at their commandment.”
Ù Had understanding of the times – they simply understood the process. God had imparted unto them godly wisdom and they knew what Israel ought to do in order to receive God’s reward.
The name Issachar means reward. The men of Issachar literally were prophets that knew what Israel ought to do in order to receive God’s reward. WATCH THIS: not only did they know what Israel ought to, but they told them what they needed to do. The problem with a lot of the church today is they will not tell people what they ought to do, but saying its o.k. just do what you want to do.
As stated already, God is dealing with man in what is called dispensations. In a dispensation as you shall recall there are 3 phases 1.) The command 2.) The Test 3.) The judgment/reward. There are 7 dispensation in which God deals with man. 5 of these have come and gone. The 6th, which is the dispensation of Grace, the one we are in now is just about over.
WATCH THIS: There are 7 dispensations which God deals with man, but within those dispensation there is times/ages and it is within those times, within the dispensation, that God deals with the church. Understand the word church comes from the Greek word “Ekklesia”, which literally means called out ones. In every dispensation God dealt with the ekklesia (called out ones). In the 5th dispensation, which is the dispensation of Law the ekklesia was the Children of Israel. That is why the Bible says in Acts 7:38 “This is he that was in the church in the wilderness…” It is referring to the ekklesia – the called out ones.
In this 6th dispensation, which is the dispensation of Grace, the ekklesia is the church. This is called the church age. Understand that in the dispensation God is dealing with man on a whole, but within that dispensation He deals with the ekklesia. The times in which He deals with the ekklesia is done before the dispensation (time He deals with man on a whole) is complete. Remember we are in the 6th dispensation and it’s almost over, but for the ages/times of the church this literally is the end of days.
In the book of Revelation John is told to write to the seven church of Asia. These were literal churches in John’s day. Some believe that these churches represent a different church age, thus bringing us to the Laodicean age which would be us the church today. Other’s believe that the characteristics of each of these churches is found in the church today; however, rather which one you want to believe, the end of the church age is now and the Laodicean church is the last church talked about in the Bible. Before this dispensation can come to an end, which in the process is the judgment/reward phase, the end of the church age must come to a end.
The Bible says in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”. We understand this to mean the rapture of the church, which is the end of the church age. According to Biblical prophecy there is nothing that has to happen before the rapture/end of the church age to come. Therefore in the way of the men of Issachar we must understand the times and tell the church what it ought to do.
WATCH THIS: The seven churches of Asia as stated were literal churches of that time. Some had good reports and some not so good reports. The reason for the ones that had the not so good reports was because they tried to mix the things of the world with the things of the church. As soon as the church enters into alliance with the world it looses the redeeming influence it has and becomes a powerless entity in a corrupt society. The church which is representative of the church today is the Laodicean church.
The name Laodicea means Ruling People or better yet People Pleasing. The one thing the church of Laodicea was trying to do was to please people. It was situated on the Lycus river between Hieropolis and Colasse. Laodicea was known for its medical school and its banking industry. When people have been diagnosed with a disease and they want to be healed they come to church. When they can’t pay their bills and the electric is about to be cut they come to the church looking for help.
Although it was famous for its medical school and banking industry they did not have their own water supply. So they built these elaborate aqueducts and had water piped into them. From Hieropolis, which was known for its natural hot springs and was believed to have medical qualities to it, they piped hot water. From Colasse, known for its pure cold, they piped in cold water. The problem came when the hot water and the cold water mixed and became lukewarm. The people of Laodicea didn’t take care of the water so all kinds of bacteria and micro-organisms began to develop in the water and when the people began to drink the water it made them sick, because stuff that was not to be in the water had began to develop, which caused the people to become sick. The people of Laodicea were busy messing around with the materialistic things, they were more concerned with making a name for themselves in stead of taking care of their life source.
Today the church is situated between God and the world. We are the gap fillers reconciling the world back to God. However, what is happening is the church, rather some of the people in the church, are messing around. They are trying to mix together the things of God and the things of the world. Trying to please people and make a name for themselves they are allowing all kinds of bacteria to grow in the church. Wrong is being called right in the church, adultery is going on in the church, homosexualism is going on in the church and all these things are being over looked as long as you just sing in the choir or play the instruments and pay your tithes everything is alright. They are trying to mix the world with the church and it’s making God sick and He is about to spew them out of His mouth. God said I rather you be hot or cold, in other words I would rather you be for me or against me, but when you’re lukewarm your good for nothing.
WATCH THIS: I said when God deals with man in a dispensation or with the ekklesia within that dispensation it’s a 3 phase process 1.) The Command 2.) The Test 3.) The Judgment/Reward. Understand that the church as we know it started on the Day of Pentecost, but the ekklesia, the called out ones, which were literally the forefathers of the church began when Jesus called the twelve disciples.
1.) The Command - Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
2.) The Test – Matthew 10:22 “And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” He said ye shall be hated of all men, yet people are running around here trying to liked by man they are more worried on pleasing people then pleasing God. Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” The church is conforming to the world adopting all kinds of things into the church, talking about we are trying to reach another generation. However the test is to see if we will conform to the world or not. Revelation 3:11 “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” Revelation 22:7 “Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book”.
3.) The Judgment/Reward – Revelation 22:12 “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
The children of Issachar were men that understood the times and knew what Israel ought to do, so in the spirit of the children of Issachar, Church stop worrying about a name, stop worrying about pleasing people, but embracing God, stop playing church and get right.
What time is it? It’s time for the church to be real. If God said it is wrong in His word many years ago then it’s still wrong today regardless if congress and the senate say its not. If God said man shall leave his mother and father and cleave unto his wife and the two shall become one, but the law makers say its o.k. for man to cleave unto man or woman unto woman then its time for the church to stand up together and say hell, no we’re not going to take. I’m not cussing I’m just telling hell the place of origin we’re not going to take it anymore. It’s time to stand on God’s Word and hold up the Blood stained banner for the Lord.
Not long ago a judge lost his job because he took the Ten Commandments into the federal building and refused to take it out. It was then time for the church to stand up and tell hell that we were not going to take it.
What Time is It? It’s time for the church to be the changing factor in this world that it is supposed to be. It’s time for the church to out of the world and be separate saith the Lord. It’s time to go back to the old land mark. It’s time to fall in love with Jesus over and over again.
1st Peter 4:18 says “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear.”
Church scarcely means a : by a narrow margin : only just b : almost not. If the church only just by a narrow margin makes it in what’s going to happen to the sinners, their blood is going to be upon the hands of the church because it failed the test that God was dealing that God had for them in this dispensation. It time to be the light of the world.
Elder Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr
Boanerge Ministries
