Acts 1:6-11 – Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 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.” 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
“Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” The Apostles are no different than we can be. They were taught that when the Messiah came He would be both the priest and the king of Israel. They were taught that He would free them from the tyranny of Israel’s oppressors. Yet, as Jesus was about to ascend and as He was giving them final instructions, Israel was still under the iron first of Rome. At this point, they still did not understand all that Jesus had been trying to teach them. What was it that prevented them from “getting” what Jesus was trying to teach? It was what they had been previously and erroneously been taught. It was the mistaken traditions of what Jews as a community clung to. It was what sweet grandma and dear mom and pop had taught them. They clung so tightly to the wrong, yet commonly believed, tradition and when the truth was presented to them they would not release what man had taught them so God could teach them. It is always amazing how some will now laugh at doctrine (tradition) that was previously taught to them and that is not in the bible, and yet they cling to other doctrines that those same people had promulgated and insisted upon. Some refuse to see what the Spirit would have them see. Even today there are Christians, good ones, who cling to false doctrine that their former teachers, who obviously had erred in some areas, taught them as they were growing up. The Apostles clung to tradition and it slowed their grasp of the truth. Let us be quick to receive the truth of the Word from the Spirit of God, who is our ultimate teacher of all truths of God. Let us let go of traditions and teachings that require the teaching of man to “understand.” This is how people are led astray and are misguided.
“He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” People are curious. It is good that we are curious or we would not know most of what we know. God created us intelligent and so we are curious. Yet, when God states that we are not to know something then that is an absolute that we are not to know it. If God doesn’t tell us something, it is likely we may ponder about it, but in the end we reject our ponderings for what the Word reveals. If God doesn’t tell us something about the Word, it is best to not cling to a guess.
A question may arise about this verse. Who was Jesus referring to when He said to the Apostles that “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set?” Well He certainly was speaking to the Apostles. It seems most likely that if it was not for the Apostles to know then it was not for the disciples of the Apostles time to know. However, does that apply to all Christians until His return? We can certainly know that is not true as we only need to consider that the scriptures state that after the “abomination that causes desolation” (Daniel 9:27, 11:31) it will be three and half years till the return of Jesus (Daniel 12 11-12, Revelation 11:2-3). The Christians who are alive at the time of this “abomination that causes desolation” will know how long they have to endure until the return of Jesus. Perhaps only these Christians will know the date, or perhaps the Christians that are alive when the Antichrist is revealed will be able to determine exactly when the seven years of tribulation starts and so they may know the date of Christ’s return. What is certain, is that the determining of the day of Christ’s return is not what we need to be most concerned about. We need to look for and hope for His soon return, even today, as it is the hope of our faith. However what we need to be busy doing is sharing His Word to the world. Knowing the time and date of the return of Jesus is not important. Instead, be ready for Him when He returns is.
Family, let us look forward to the return of Jesus. It is what is in the heart of all who love Him above all else and everyone else. When Jesus returns then we shall fully receive all that we have hoped for. Jesus is coming for us. Let us call for His soon return while we are busy telling as many as we can what He has done for all who will receive Him. May we do that while praising God and trusting Him. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.