How to Read the Bible & Understand Prophecy
Lesson #9: Times & Seasons
When God created heaven and Earth, He created a system to help all living things decipher where they are in relation to time. The bible tells us that God created the lights in the heavens to provide information concerning the days, seasons and years.
Read Genesis 1:14 KJV
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
There is one day mentioned in the bible that was not only useful in helping mankind keep track of each week that passed by. The seventh day was marked by God, in the very beginning, as a memorial to commemorate the grand work that He had finished.
What day was the day that God sanctified after He created the heaven, earth and everything in it? Read Genesis 2:2-3 KJV ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is this special day called? Read Exodus 16:29 KJV _____________________________________________________________________________
What is a sabbath? Read Leviticus 23:3 KJV _____________________________________________________________________________
What day did God tell His chosen people, the Israelites, to remember to keep Holy? Read Exodus 20:8 KJV _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Did the early church come together and worship on the seventh day sabbath? Read Acts 13:42-44 KJV ____________________________________
Did Jesus change the sabbath day to another day of the week? Read Hebrews 4:8-11 KJV ______________________________________________________
We know that the Lord’s sabbath is on the seventh day of the week, which falls on the day that we call Saturday. We know this because it is Saturday that Jewish people today still remember to keep holy; even after the passing of so much time. Some people argue the day change is valid, because "the church" changed it. However, God Himself sanctified the seventh day sabbath and it has been preserved and kept holy by the Jewish people as a testimony throughout the ages. Yes, various calendars have been changed and altered throughout time, but that did not change the day that was deemed holy by God, from the beginning of time. As we saw in the previous lesson study, one of the ways Satan tries to deceive the world is by changing times and laws.
Read again Daniel 7:25 KJV
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Satan is able to accomplish his work by influencing rulers and people in high places to do his bidding. This is seen in the case regarding the Lord’s weekly sabbath day. History tells us the Romans were instrumental in the migration of the Lord’s sabbath day, from Saturday to Sunday. In doing so, God’s instruction to observe the Sabbath found in the Ten Commandments was altered to conform to the day of worship of the Roman sun god. When the Roman Emperor Constantine claimed the Christian faith for his own, he changed the weekly sabbath day from the seventh day of the week (Saturday) to the first day of the week (Sunday). This was done to get the pagans who were worshiping false gods on the first day of the week, to accept the Christian faith that the emperor was forcing upon them.
Although the Old Covenant laws were indeed done away with, after Christ died on the cross, the “laws” found in the Ten Commandments did not perish. Remember, the seventh day sabbath was in existence far before the numerous Old Covenant laws were written up by Moses. The Bible tells us the Old Covenant laws, which were done away with at the cross, were the ones containing the stiff ordinances.
Read 1 Colossians 2:14 KJV
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Read 1 John 5:2-3 KJV
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
So, what is Satan’s purpose in changing the time of the Lord’s sabbath day? The answer is clear: to undermine God and to set up a counterfeit way of worship. The Bible says that all of God’s people should worship Him in spirit and in truth; not in deception.
Read John 4:23-24 KJV
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is not to say that the millions of people who worship God on Sunday are not sincere Christians. There are many genuine Sunday worshiping Christians, who grew up in Sunday church families, and who will be found in the kingdom of heaven when it comes. In fact, the Bible teaches that not all believers will come to the same understanding of things, at the same time. Those whose eyes have been opened to certain spiritual things, should not use their knowledge or understanding to bring others down. This concept can also be applied to the issue concerning what a believer should avoid in their diet…
Read Romans 14:1-23 KJV
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As you read the bible, you will find that “food terms” such as meat, milk, drink, and bread are used literally, but are sometimes also used symbolically to represent “spiritual edification”, “knowledge” or “doctrine”. As young believers, basic spiritual teachings are needed to introduce base concepts and spiritual ideas. As the believer continues to grow, more robust “foods” need to be introduced into their “spiritual diet”. A passage from the book of Hebrews shows that spiritual teachers have an obligation to not only be the possessors of “milk”, but also of sound, spiritual “meat”…
Read Hebrews 5:12-14 KJV
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The truth concerning the weekly sabbath is not something that will cost a believer their place in the kingdom of heaven, but every believer needs to know the truth concerning all spiritual things and doctrines.
Read Hebrews 13:9 KJV
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Like we have seen in the previous lessons, the bible has foretold of what will be on the lips of some believers when Christ returns for the final time…
Read Jeremiah 16:19 KJV
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It is evident that God has given us the sun, moon, and stars to help us keep track of literal time, but we have to look directly to Him and His holy word to tell where we are on the prophetic timeline.
Read Daniel 2:21-22 KJV
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A prophetic timeline has been laid out for us in the bible concerning end-time events. Everything is done in order and at a set time. The Bible tells us that Christ was first raised from the dead, then taken up to heaven. He then came back to take the 144000 saints up to heaven (Revelation 14:1-4). In the future, Christ will return at the “end of time”, with the saints (1 Corinthians 6:2), to establish the kingdom of heaven here on Earth (Acts 15:16). After Christ has put an end to all the corrupt rulers, authorities and evil powers, He will present the kingdom to the Father, who will continue to lead all people of the world in righteousness. Everyone found worthy of everlasting life will prosper.
1 Corinthians 15:20-30 (KJV)
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: 1Christ the firstfruits; afterward 2they that are Christ's at His coming.
24 3Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
Read again, Zechariah 14:9 KJV
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It is clear that there is a disconnect between what is being taught in certain churches and what is written in the Bible. Although we are unable to know the exact day and hour that future Bible prophecy will unfold, the Bible does give us some idea concerning the sequence of prophetic events and the generations that those events will fall in. As we read at the beginning of this lesson, God is in full control over the progression of time and the seasons of mankind. When asked by His disciples, when Jerusalem would be restored back to Israel after being under Roman rule, Jesus gave them an interesting answer…
Read Acts 1:7 KJV
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It is evident that Jesus wanted the disciples/apostles to focus on the task at hand to prepare the saints for His return and not focus on events that weren’t going to come to fruition in their generation. The Bible tells us that the Lord reveals when prophetic events are going to happen when the time is right. In some cases, the information is right before our eyes, but we cannot see it until the Lord is ready to reveal it to the world.
Read Isaiah 42:9 KJV
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Read Isaiah 43:19 KJV
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In the bible, you will find that a great deal of prophetic information can be found in the books of Isaiah to Malachi and the book of Revelation. However, as we have already seen in this study, valuable information is scattered throughout the Old and New Testaments in many other books. One such prophetic text can be found in 1st Thessalonians. It is easy to miss the complete prophetic meaning behind the words in this text, if you don’t take the times that we are living in into account. In the text, the apostle Paul spoke about “the day of the Lord”. The day of the Lord is another way of referring to a “time of judgment”. Paul told the early believers that the day would not take them by surprise because they walked in the light of Jesus; however, this would not be the case for those living in times when “Peace and safety” are spoken of...
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9 KJV ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What does the apostle mean when he tells the people that they are not of night nor of darkness? The word “night” is a symbolic term and “darkness” is pretty much self-explanatory. First, to understand clearly what the two terms are referring to in the text, it is important to understand where the source of "light" comes from.
Read John 8:12 KJV
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When a person has the light of Jesus in their heart, they cannot be overcome by darkness. By accepting Jesus into your heart, praying daily, and reading your bible, the light will live within you. As a result, your eyes will be opened concerning spiritual things, including what’s to come in the future. You will not be surprised when things begin to unfold in the world. The concept of “night” is a little more complex but is not hard to grasp.
Read John 9:4-5 KJV to find out when “night” began and what are the consequences of the night: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Just like we witness the fading of the sun’s light each evening and the gradual progression of darkness as nighttime draws near, so it was after Jesus left the world and was taken up to heaven. The “day” did not turn to “night” straightway, there was a transition time before “nighttime” covered the earth. It is during the “night” when no sound doctrine can be found (2 Timothy 4:3). People “work”, but it’s not the same “work” that was done by Jesus and the disciples/apostles.
It is clear that we are surrounded by deceptions of the “night”. And because we are living in the “night”, the day of the Lord to come will take most of the world by surprise. Clues in the bible tell us that those who were under the old covenant were judged at the beginning of the 1st century, during the time of the Roman/Jewish war of 70AD. The righteous (144000 of Israel) was taken up to heaven and the unworthy from the nation are now spending time in hell, as prophesied in Isaiah 24:21-22. The rest of the world was shaken but continued in darkness. Those early days of darkness, after all the light was taken out of the world, are now known as the “dark ages”.
We continue through the “night”, with the light that God has left for us shining in the pages of the bible. For the most part, this light has been rejected by the world today. For this reason, it is important for those who take hold of this light, to go out and share the light with all who will accept it…
Read 2 Peter 1:19 KJV _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Although darkness rules the night, no other time in history has the declaration of “peace and safety” been declared so much. This is in line with what the apostle Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:3. Unfortunately, most of the world is fast “asleep” and not sober. Only those who have accepted the light of Christ, know and feel that His final return is near and that the Final Judgment is at the door. The powers and principalities that rule the world also know this. This is why ever so often you will hear talk about the Doom’s Day clock being near midnight. When the clock strikes 12, all hell is going to break loose here on Earth. The Bible reassures us that the night will not last forever and that those who believe the truth will be protected throughout the hard times to come…
Psalm 30:5 KJV For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Read Psalm 91 to strengthen your faith in hard times.
Read Genesis 1:14 KJV
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
There is one day mentioned in the bible that was not only useful in helping mankind keep track of each week that passed by. The seventh day was marked by God, in the very beginning, as a memorial to commemorate the grand work that He had finished.
What day was the day that God sanctified after He created the heaven, earth and everything in it? Read Genesis 2:2-3 KJV ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is this special day called? Read Exodus 16:29 KJV _____________________________________________________________________________
What is a sabbath? Read Leviticus 23:3 KJV _____________________________________________________________________________
What day did God tell His chosen people, the Israelites, to remember to keep Holy? Read Exodus 20:8 KJV _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Did the early church come together and worship on the seventh day sabbath? Read Acts 13:42-44 KJV ____________________________________
Did Jesus change the sabbath day to another day of the week? Read Hebrews 4:8-11 KJV ______________________________________________________
We know that the Lord’s sabbath is on the seventh day of the week, which falls on the day that we call Saturday. We know this because it is Saturday that Jewish people today still remember to keep holy; even after the passing of so much time. Some people argue the day change is valid, because "the church" changed it. However, God Himself sanctified the seventh day sabbath and it has been preserved and kept holy by the Jewish people as a testimony throughout the ages. Yes, various calendars have been changed and altered throughout time, but that did not change the day that was deemed holy by God, from the beginning of time. As we saw in the previous lesson study, one of the ways Satan tries to deceive the world is by changing times and laws.
Read again Daniel 7:25 KJV
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Satan is able to accomplish his work by influencing rulers and people in high places to do his bidding. This is seen in the case regarding the Lord’s weekly sabbath day. History tells us the Romans were instrumental in the migration of the Lord’s sabbath day, from Saturday to Sunday. In doing so, God’s instruction to observe the Sabbath found in the Ten Commandments was altered to conform to the day of worship of the Roman sun god. When the Roman Emperor Constantine claimed the Christian faith for his own, he changed the weekly sabbath day from the seventh day of the week (Saturday) to the first day of the week (Sunday). This was done to get the pagans who were worshiping false gods on the first day of the week, to accept the Christian faith that the emperor was forcing upon them.
Although the Old Covenant laws were indeed done away with, after Christ died on the cross, the “laws” found in the Ten Commandments did not perish. Remember, the seventh day sabbath was in existence far before the numerous Old Covenant laws were written up by Moses. The Bible tells us the Old Covenant laws, which were done away with at the cross, were the ones containing the stiff ordinances.
Read 1 Colossians 2:14 KJV
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Read 1 John 5:2-3 KJV
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
So, what is Satan’s purpose in changing the time of the Lord’s sabbath day? The answer is clear: to undermine God and to set up a counterfeit way of worship. The Bible says that all of God’s people should worship Him in spirit and in truth; not in deception.
Read John 4:23-24 KJV
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is not to say that the millions of people who worship God on Sunday are not sincere Christians. There are many genuine Sunday worshiping Christians, who grew up in Sunday church families, and who will be found in the kingdom of heaven when it comes. In fact, the Bible teaches that not all believers will come to the same understanding of things, at the same time. Those whose eyes have been opened to certain spiritual things, should not use their knowledge or understanding to bring others down. This concept can also be applied to the issue concerning what a believer should avoid in their diet…
Read Romans 14:1-23 KJV
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As you read the bible, you will find that “food terms” such as meat, milk, drink, and bread are used literally, but are sometimes also used symbolically to represent “spiritual edification”, “knowledge” or “doctrine”. As young believers, basic spiritual teachings are needed to introduce base concepts and spiritual ideas. As the believer continues to grow, more robust “foods” need to be introduced into their “spiritual diet”. A passage from the book of Hebrews shows that spiritual teachers have an obligation to not only be the possessors of “milk”, but also of sound, spiritual “meat”…
Read Hebrews 5:12-14 KJV
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The truth concerning the weekly sabbath is not something that will cost a believer their place in the kingdom of heaven, but every believer needs to know the truth concerning all spiritual things and doctrines.
Read Hebrews 13:9 KJV
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Like we have seen in the previous lessons, the bible has foretold of what will be on the lips of some believers when Christ returns for the final time…
Read Jeremiah 16:19 KJV
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It is evident that God has given us the sun, moon, and stars to help us keep track of literal time, but we have to look directly to Him and His holy word to tell where we are on the prophetic timeline.
Read Daniel 2:21-22 KJV
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A prophetic timeline has been laid out for us in the bible concerning end-time events. Everything is done in order and at a set time. The Bible tells us that Christ was first raised from the dead, then taken up to heaven. He then came back to take the 144000 saints up to heaven (Revelation 14:1-4). In the future, Christ will return at the “end of time”, with the saints (1 Corinthians 6:2), to establish the kingdom of heaven here on Earth (Acts 15:16). After Christ has put an end to all the corrupt rulers, authorities and evil powers, He will present the kingdom to the Father, who will continue to lead all people of the world in righteousness. Everyone found worthy of everlasting life will prosper.
1 Corinthians 15:20-30 (KJV)
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: 1Christ the firstfruits; afterward 2they that are Christ's at His coming.
24 3Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
Read again, Zechariah 14:9 KJV
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It is clear that there is a disconnect between what is being taught in certain churches and what is written in the Bible. Although we are unable to know the exact day and hour that future Bible prophecy will unfold, the Bible does give us some idea concerning the sequence of prophetic events and the generations that those events will fall in. As we read at the beginning of this lesson, God is in full control over the progression of time and the seasons of mankind. When asked by His disciples, when Jerusalem would be restored back to Israel after being under Roman rule, Jesus gave them an interesting answer…
Read Acts 1:7 KJV
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It is evident that Jesus wanted the disciples/apostles to focus on the task at hand to prepare the saints for His return and not focus on events that weren’t going to come to fruition in their generation. The Bible tells us that the Lord reveals when prophetic events are going to happen when the time is right. In some cases, the information is right before our eyes, but we cannot see it until the Lord is ready to reveal it to the world.
Read Isaiah 42:9 KJV
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Read Isaiah 43:19 KJV
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In the bible, you will find that a great deal of prophetic information can be found in the books of Isaiah to Malachi and the book of Revelation. However, as we have already seen in this study, valuable information is scattered throughout the Old and New Testaments in many other books. One such prophetic text can be found in 1st Thessalonians. It is easy to miss the complete prophetic meaning behind the words in this text, if you don’t take the times that we are living in into account. In the text, the apostle Paul spoke about “the day of the Lord”. The day of the Lord is another way of referring to a “time of judgment”. Paul told the early believers that the day would not take them by surprise because they walked in the light of Jesus; however, this would not be the case for those living in times when “Peace and safety” are spoken of...
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9 KJV ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What does the apostle mean when he tells the people that they are not of night nor of darkness? The word “night” is a symbolic term and “darkness” is pretty much self-explanatory. First, to understand clearly what the two terms are referring to in the text, it is important to understand where the source of "light" comes from.
Read John 8:12 KJV
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When a person has the light of Jesus in their heart, they cannot be overcome by darkness. By accepting Jesus into your heart, praying daily, and reading your bible, the light will live within you. As a result, your eyes will be opened concerning spiritual things, including what’s to come in the future. You will not be surprised when things begin to unfold in the world. The concept of “night” is a little more complex but is not hard to grasp.
Read John 9:4-5 KJV to find out when “night” began and what are the consequences of the night: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Just like we witness the fading of the sun’s light each evening and the gradual progression of darkness as nighttime draws near, so it was after Jesus left the world and was taken up to heaven. The “day” did not turn to “night” straightway, there was a transition time before “nighttime” covered the earth. It is during the “night” when no sound doctrine can be found (2 Timothy 4:3). People “work”, but it’s not the same “work” that was done by Jesus and the disciples/apostles.
It is clear that we are surrounded by deceptions of the “night”. And because we are living in the “night”, the day of the Lord to come will take most of the world by surprise. Clues in the bible tell us that those who were under the old covenant were judged at the beginning of the 1st century, during the time of the Roman/Jewish war of 70AD. The righteous (144000 of Israel) was taken up to heaven and the unworthy from the nation are now spending time in hell, as prophesied in Isaiah 24:21-22. The rest of the world was shaken but continued in darkness. Those early days of darkness, after all the light was taken out of the world, are now known as the “dark ages”.
We continue through the “night”, with the light that God has left for us shining in the pages of the bible. For the most part, this light has been rejected by the world today. For this reason, it is important for those who take hold of this light, to go out and share the light with all who will accept it…
Read 2 Peter 1:19 KJV _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Although darkness rules the night, no other time in history has the declaration of “peace and safety” been declared so much. This is in line with what the apostle Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:3. Unfortunately, most of the world is fast “asleep” and not sober. Only those who have accepted the light of Christ, know and feel that His final return is near and that the Final Judgment is at the door. The powers and principalities that rule the world also know this. This is why ever so often you will hear talk about the Doom’s Day clock being near midnight. When the clock strikes 12, all hell is going to break loose here on Earth. The Bible reassures us that the night will not last forever and that those who believe the truth will be protected throughout the hard times to come…
Psalm 30:5 KJV For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Read Psalm 91 to strengthen your faith in hard times.