Understanding the Times
BY JAMES MONTGOMERY BOICE
Romans 13:11 This study is about "understanding the times," a challenge suggested by the first half of Romans 13:11"And do this, understanding the present time." Let me begin by referring to two other passages of the Bible:
The first is in Matthew 16. The leaders of the people had come to Jesus to ask for a sign from heaven. He replied by saying that they already had plenty of signs and that their difficulty was that they could not understand the ones they had. Then He said:
When evening comes, you say, "It will be fair weather, for the sky is red," and in the morning, "Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast." You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times" (vv. 2,3).His point was, they could not interpret the signs of His coming.The second passage is from I Chronicles 12, a chapter that lists the warriors who came to David when he was king at Hebron. The men of Issachar were among them, and they are described as those "who understood the times and knew what Israel should do" (v. 32).
The contrast. So we have, on the one hand, those who could not "interpret the signs of the times" and, on the other, those who "understood the times and knew what Israel should do." It is against this background that I set our text in Romans 13.
This combination of verses causes us to ask: Do we understand the times? The times in which we live? If not, why not? If we do, what are we doing about it? The bottom line is that if we understand the present time, we will know what to do with our timeand will, if we are wise.
What is the present time?
To determine what is this present time, I want to take you through a few verses that describe it.An evil age. The first is Galatians 1:4, which lays the groundwork for our thinking in this area. It says that Jesus "gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father."
This verse refers to this world's time as a whole, all the time up to the moment when Christ returns in glory. And it is an evil time out of which we need to be rescued.
You will never grow in wisdom unless you begin by realizing that this world, with all its cultural systems, is hostile to God. It opposes the desire for godliness on the part of God's people. Jesus said it clearly on the night before He went to the cross: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world. but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you" (John 15:18,19).
Later in His high priestly prayer, He said, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one" (John 17:15). What this means is that all cultures decline to the degree that they reject Christ. And the more radical the rejection, the more rapid the disintegration. Our own Western culture has surely been declining rapidly.
Day of salvation. Next, the present time is described in II Corinthians 6:2: "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." In other words, although this is indeed an evil age, it is nevertheless also the age in which God has accomplished our salvation.
We also see this in Matthew 16. Right after Jesus had reprimanded the Jewish leaders for failing to interpret the signs of the times, He told them, "A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah" (v. 4). He was referring, of course, to his own upcoming death and resurrection.
As Matthew 16 unfolds, Jesus asked the disciples in verse 13 who the people thought he was. And we read in the next three verses:
They replied. "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."Jesus then explained how Peter's answer was right and that this truth had been revealed to him by God. In other words, God had enabled Peter to interpret the signs of the times correctly. Having observed Christ's ministry, Peter had come to understand that Jesus was the Son of God and to believe on Him."But what about you?" Jesus asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Time for repentance. Another text that describes the times in which we live is Luke 19:41-44. Jesus was approaching Jerusalem and when he observed it, he began to weep, saying:
If you, even you, had known on this day what would bring you peacebut now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you.What Jesus meant was that the people had been given time to repent of their sins and turn to him and be saved. But they had refused to do it. And as a result, the time of their opportunity was drawing to an end.That is exactly the condition of people in our world today, as the destruction of Jerusalemwhich overtook the people of that city within a generation of Jesus' death and resurrectionis a biblical type of the final judgment that is to come upon every member of our race.
Judgment will fall on you if you are not trusting Jesus Christ for your salvation. He will be the Judge. But here is the good news. Today is the day of God's grace. Judgment has not yet come. Therefore, turn from your sin and believe on Jesus. Perhaps this is the very moment of God's coming to you personally.
Age of Gospel proclamation
At the very beginning of the church age, the disciples asked Jesus, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel" (Acts 1:6). They were still thinking in the categories of their age. The Jews expected the Messiah to drive out the Romans, who occupied their country, and reestablish David's dynasty and an independent state of Israel.Jesus answered, "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you: and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (vv. 7,8). In other words, He's saying that this is not what this age is about, this age is one of gospel proclamation.
Going back to Romans 13:11, this means that if you really do understand the present time, which is what the text is asking you to do, you will be in the very vanguard of those who are seeking to lead others to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.
What else is time for, if it is not for that? It is not time for you merely to make money or a name for yourself or to have a good time. How could you even suppose that merely making money or becoming famous or enjoying yourself is what life is about? Life is from God, and the time you have has been given to you by Him. Your role in this present time, if you are a believer, is to live for Jesus and
Time is short. Let's now move on to the second half of Romans 13:11. It reads, "The hour has come for you to wake from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." A succinct statement that fits perfectly with this truth appears in I Corinthians 7:29, where the Apostle Paul says, "The time is short."
The return of Jesus Christ is imminent. It could be at any moment. Nothing stands in its way\witness for Him. The return of Jesus Christ is imminent. It could be at any moment. Nothing stands in its way. If we are believers and if we are going to serve Jesus Christ, we had better do it now, because we do not have forever.
If you are not a Christian, tremble! And know no peace until you do trust Jesus. Since Jesus could return to wrap up this age and usher in the final judgment at any moment, it is urgent that you be ready to meet Him, whoever you are and whenever He may come.
Actually, the time when you must stand before Jesus Christ is close regardless when Jesus will return. Your personal end is very close. You may live seventy or eighty years or more. But you also may die tomorrow. In the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, the master says of the unbelieving person, "Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (v. 30).
Three things to consider. The great American Puritan Jonathan Edwards was aware of how important time is. Even before the age of twenty, he wrote out as a personal resolution: "Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can."
In closing, I would like to quote from a sermon that he preached back in 1734. It is called "The Preciousness of Time and the Importance of Redeeming It." One section of that sermon was on improving the time we have. Among his points were these:
"Consider...that you are accountable to God for your time." Time is as much a talent given you by God as your natural attributes or advantages. If you were really convinced that you will have to give God an accounting for what you do with your time, would you not use it otherwise than you do?
"Consider how much time you have lost already." If you are old or in middle age, you need to pay special care to this. If you have not been active in Christ's service, you have wasted many precious moments. You can never make them up. But should you not then make every effort to use the time remaining well? Should you not "redeem the time" you do have, knowing the evil of the age and the value of the gospel?
Consider how you may "improve the present time without delay." There is nothing you can do about the past, but you should at least make sure that you do not repeat your former errors. Turn from your idleness, sin or unbelief. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and determine to follow Him. Witness for Him. Remember that you are to understand the times and use time wisely. For the time is coming when "time shall be no more." o
Dr. James Montgomery Boice is the speaker of the Bible Study Hour broadcast, 1716 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, and pastor of the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.