When The Time and Times Are Right

Remember, our next book is 1 Timothy, and I have titled this series — It's Time To Clean Up The Church. We are very close. But for now, our text today is from Daniel 12:5-8, the famed "time, times, and half a time" text. It reads:

Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, "How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?" And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished. I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, "O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?" He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end." — Daniel 12:5-9

There is so much here. People love to get lost in this text.

But here is the essence of this. We are not going to understand this one entirely until that time. There are things that God wants to tell us, but we will not understand. And we have to get over trying to understand them because there are reasons why he doesn't want us to know until the time is right.

So let me make this simple.

Do you remember the movie Karate Kid? There was a long sequence in that movie where Daniel LaRusso came over to Mr. Miyagi's home for training. But Mr. Miyagi had Daniel doing all these chores around the house, like sanding the floor, painting the fence, and waxing his cars. Well, come to find out, there was a reason for this. He told him to do something without disclosing the ultimate meaning behind it because what he wanted from Daniel was willing obedience. He even declared this early on. Yet when the time was right, and his willingness and obedience were tested, Mr. Miyagi revealed the purpose behind the activities. Miyagi connected his training, disciplines, and obedience to the purpose, and then it all made sense to Daniel.

I think this is what the "man in linen" is telling Daniel. He's saying I have told you enough. Stop worrying about the future. Concern yourself with obedience because you cannot handle knowing it all right now. But when it happens, you will know, and God will connect all the dots for you.

Fellas, no matter how much we know about the future and what the phrase "time, times, and half a time" means, we have to remember that the limits of our knowledge will always take us to the cliff of faith where we have to take a leap and trust God. God will never tell us everything because it leads to arrogance and removes our need to trust in him. So get comfortable with being uncomfortable and be obedient today.

In the words of the man in linen — "Get out of here, that's not for you to know, but you will know when the time is right."

ASK THIS: Are you so overly concerned about the future that you've forgotten about daily obedience?

DO THIS: Be obedient.

PRAY THIS: God, I surrender all my life in this time to you!

PLAY THIS: Yes.