Discerning the Season of His Return

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your Redemption draws nigh.” Matthew 24:39

In Matthew 24:6, after describing the signs of wars and commotions, Jesus says, “For these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.” However, later in the passage, after certain events have taken place, Jesus indicates that NOW it's time to look up because now the end is nigh.

“Look up, and lift up your heads” is a distinct shift from, "this is not the end." It is a shift in vigilance and expectation, like the difference between when kids expect Dad to come home for dinner, and when they know that Dad is actually pulling into the driveway. Since Jesus came the first time, believers have been admonished to live in the expectation that He will return one day, and to watch to know the season in which His return is imminent.

A man can plan his whole career to retire, and he will live differently than the one who isn't living in view of retirement, but when the season of retirement is upon him, he will call his banker, shift his investment strategy, and live much differently. We understand the need to discern seasons in the natural realm, but seem hesitant to use that same discernment for the most important event on earth and the goal of our faith-the restoration of all things.

Noah was busy building the ark while everyone else was busy building their businesses, building their marriages, and planning for the future. They were busily building homes on a beach that was about to be hit by a destructive Tsunami, and that just doesn't make much sense. Buying and selling and marrying are not sinful behaviors, they are just not the main point when a flood is coming to sweep it all away!

“As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So it will be at the coming of the Son of Man..."

It seems that a willingness to lose our lives is needed in order to escape the “snare” that is coming upon the earth. I take great comfort in knowing that God will strengthen our hearts to sublimate every other desire, goal, and plan to His glorious agenda, so that our desires would be consumed in the fire of His divine purposes! This will be necessary to overcome the unprecedented deception and temptation that is fast coming upon all men that dwell on the earth. If we use a war analogy, we are about to storm the beach, for we are not on the defensive, but on the offensive!

“Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from Heaven, and destroyed them all…Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it, and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” Luke 17: 28-33

Lot could not have fled the city had he been worried about his job, house, and even his friends and his family more than the kingdom of God. He had to be willing to lose it all so that he could be preserved. He had to believe and love God more than his own life to have the strength and courage to flee all of his worldly belongings in the hour of destruction.

“And take heed to yourselves (be very careful and cautious), lest at any time your hearts be overcharged (weighted down, burdened) with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them who dwell on the face of the whole Earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man,” Matt 21:34-36

Snare: 3803 pagís (from 4078 /pḗgnymi, "set a trap") – properly, a trap set for animals; (figuratively) a moral snare that robs someone of their spiritual liberties (the Lord wishes to give). Strong's Concordance

Jesus's warnings suggest that we are to be aware of the season of His return so that we can escape the hour of testing coming upon the whole earth. An "hour" in scripture always points to a destined time frame having a distinct beginning and ending. To be found worthy actually means to "to prevail against, overpower, get the upper hand." Jesus showed us how to do it when he prayed in the garden before his crucifixion where we saw his absolute dependence, trust, and submission to God.

Cleave to God with every ounce of our strength. Make God our strong habitation to whom we continually flee. He will strengthen us, He will establish us, and He will present us blameless before the Father on that great and glorious day. But the day of the Lord will be a snare for those who are not looking up for the Redeemer because they failed to discern the season.

"And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." Luke 21: 29-30.

This alertness and watchfulness is qualitatively different than at other times in the history of the church. The Lord’s first coming required a different preparation than the prophesied destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Both were prophesied and both came to pass in their due season, and each season required a different kind of response.

In Matthew 24, Jesus seems to be calling for discernment between knowing when the end is not yet, and knowing when it’s time to look up and lift up our heads to the sky!

Matthew 24:37-39

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the Earth distress of nations, with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring (speaks to “nations roaring in discontent, anger, rebellion, and war" Expositor’s Study Bible). Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the Earth; for the powers of Heaven shall be shaken and then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your Redemption draws nigh.

"Then, look up, and lift up your heads."

Yesterday I spent a glorious day at the beach and I reviewed all of the signs that are coming to pass, and that trumpet that has been blowing deep inside my spirit grew louder and more emphatic. The Feast of Trumpets is Yom Teruh in Hebrew. In Hebrew, teruh means “a loud blast of war, alarm, or joy.” The signs coming to pass in the sun and stars, the distress of the nations, the end-time peace agreement, the unprecedented ethnic violence in Israel, Israel's 73 birthday, Trump's recognition of Jerusalem, (the name TRUMP itself, and his age when he took office-70 yrs. 7 months, 7 days old), a total solar eclipse exactly 7 months to the day after he took office, global lockdowns, "green passes," forced deadly vaccinations, and many other signs have set off an alarm in my spirit that is so strong it is hard to hear anything else.

Do you hear it too?

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