Look At What's Happening To You!

But he said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means. [Daniel 12.9-10] 

There are the wise and the wicked. 

The wicked continue in their wickedness. They will not understand end times.

The wise will understand end times. They will understand end times because they turn away from wickedness. They embrace the trials they encounter for purification, cleansing, and refinement. The wise are repentant.

So, whether we understand end times or not, we can be sure of this fact: repentance makes all the difference in the outcome.

Judging by current world events, I would say it is the 'eleventh hour' for repentance. There is only one solution for the chaos that lies ahead: repentance. In fact, any understanding of future events is withheld from all but the repentant.

Unless we have a crystal clear understanding of all Daniel and all the other prophets predicted regarding end time events, we would do well to spend our time in repentance. In repentance, the meaning of end time events will become clear.

What is repentance? Repentance is rightly understanding curses/trials as God's way to turn us back to Him. Repentance is turning back to God. Whatever it is that we must "turn away from" in order to "turn back to God" (the essence of repentance) is an idol. Idolatry is disobedience in raw form and is the repeated downfall of God's people addressed throughout the Bible. To understand this however, we must open our eyes to God's Word in contrast to the knowledge of man. 

What God's Word specifically says about "curses" is found in Deuteronomy 28.15-68. In broad terms, everything listed in Deuteronomy 28.15-68 is everything that man's industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology remediate. What God calls curses for disobedience, man, in his advanced knowledge, calls "life," "just the way it is," or "happenstance." Finance, insurance, medicine and technology do not call us to repentance - instead they demand money in payment for "making things better."

Only those who are wise accept their trials (curses) from God recognizing them for what they are and repent.

The wicked continue in their idolatrous ways treating their trials (curses) with man's industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology, never understanding God's call to repentance because they do not know or they choose to ignore God's Word. They look at their circumstances through carnal eyes instead of through the eyes of the Spirit based on God's Word. They continue in their wickedness - unrepentant. And, they will never understand end times until it is too late.

Similarly, in today's One Year Chronological Bible reading, Haggai said it like this:

This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! [Haggai 1.5]

And, he repeated it:

This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! [Haggai 1.7]

And, what was happening to them? They were experiencing all manner of financial failure and they were doing so without recognizing that they had turned away from God neglecting His Temple - they were only taking care of themselves. They had effectively made an idol of themselves thus turning away from God. And, God said, Look at what’s happening to you!

Every curse found in Deuteronomy 28.15-68 screams out "Look at what’s happening to you!" calling us to repentance!

But only the wise will know what it means. Only the wise (who know God's Word) will see and know that Jesus called for no less "turning away" from ourselves and our idolatrous ways in order to "turn to" and follow Him - the Incarnate Son of God.

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

To give up our own way is to "turn away" from any and every solution of man's design and "turn to" Jesus. The very definition of repentance is to "turn away" from any and everything and "turn to" God. Repentance is as much or more relevant today than ever before!

Father, Your Word is not unclear regarding curses. Every curse we experience today is Your call to repentance ...but instead we turn to finance, insurance, medicine and technology - continuing in our wickedness of idolatry. May we see the error of our ways before it's too late. May we be found repentant so that we might be found wise concerning end times. So be it.