What Time Is It?

What time is it? People ask that question all the time. Time is very important to us. We panic if we forget to take our watches with us. We forget to set our alarms and wake up worried about being late. Time is a creature of God. God gives us life, so time is a gift from God. And time is very limited.

God’s work in time deals with the history of the nations as well as with the redemptive history of God’s people. His work can be represented by two concentric circles: the larger, outer circle represents God’s work in the history of the nations; the smaller, inner circle represents God’s work in the church—the history of the people of God.

What is God doing in time? He is creating a people for himself, a people who are called his treasure, his portion, his inheritance. Paul says that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works (Eph. 2:10). We are God’s treasure.

In the Bible, time is called “this age” in contrast to “the coming age” of the kingdom of God, which is even now breaking into this age. This age is also called this “evil age,” as Paul writes: “Jesus Christ … gave himself for our sins, to rescue us from this present evil age” (Gal. 1:4).

This age is moral darkness; therefore, this age is also called night. The god of this age is the devil, and the whole world lies under his total control. He is an enemy of God, an enemy of all good, and an enemy of Christ and his holy people. The devil has blinded the minds of all the sons of Adam so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.

Every unbeliever in Christ is a child of the devil—a child who does the will of Satan daily and continuously. Every unbeliever is a slave of sin. There are only two types of people in the world, and both may live in the same house. Those who are children of the devil are darkness and so live in darkness. But those who are children of God, children of the light, walk in the light and do the will of God in this present evil age. We who believe in Christ are the children of God, and we alone know the time.

Knowing the Time

In his commentary on Romans, Geoffrey B. Wilson says, “The recognition of the eternal importance of the present season is the factor which regulates the conduct of the believer. This reminder of the forthcoming consummation is therefore a powerful stimulus to ethical endeavor.”¹ Knowing the time is a powerful stimulus to a holy life.

What time is it? It is the time between the first and second coming of Jesus Christ into this dark world. There is darkness and moral evil everywhere. This is the night. Yet Jesus is the light of the world, and his people are the light of the world. We are called children of light. Paul explains, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord” (Eph. 5:8). Elsewhere he says, “For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ [in the gospel]” (2 Cor. 4:6). Therefore, now is God’s favorable time. Now is the year of the Lord’s favor, in which Christ proclaims liberty to captives, sight to the blind, and good news to the poor.

Isaiah says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (Isa. 60:1–3). This is the time of the gospel proclamation. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.

To all the peoples of the world, the gospel reveals the righteousness of God. This is clearly stated in Romans 3:21–26: “But now [i.e., at this present time] a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify… . [and] he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:21, 26).

Peter says, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people” (Acts 2:17a). These are the last days. John says, “Dear children, this is the last hour” (1 John 2:18a). And Paul says, “[Christ] has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:9–10). Only Christians understand the significance of this present time.

Remember the legion-demon man? Jesus cast out all those demons from him, and the townspeople found him clothed, sitting down, and in his right mind, enjoying fellowship with Jesus (Luke 8:35). Even so, God’s people are given sound minds to understand reality. Only true Christians have the ability to think correctly and truly. They understand the holy Scriptures by the Holy Spirit who dwells in them. They are no longer deceived by the devil, the father of all lies.

Unbelievers are blinded by the devil. They are devoid of eternal life. They are without the Holy Spirit. They cannot understand spiritual things. They cannot tell time accurately. They walk in darkness, and they stumble and fall. They hate the light because their deeds are evil. Such people are having great fun even as they are hurling themselves into the Grand Canyon of eternal destruction.

What time is it? The believer answers that it is the time of great darkness, the time when the devil is ruling, the time of evil everywhere. But it is also the time of the gospel light. It is the time when people are being rescued by the message of the cross. Paul says, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Col. 1:13).

What time is it? It is the last days. It is the time when Christ has defeated all his enemies by his death on the cross. It is a time when a believer can resist the devil, and the devil flees from him. Yes, the light has been breaking into this world’s darkness, so it is a time of both darkness and light. And this time will have its terminus in the coming consummation when there shall be no more darkness, but only the light of the noonday sun. This time is the last epoch of world history.

This time is short. Peter says, “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray” (1 Pet. 4:7). Paul writes, “What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short… . For this world in its present form is passing away” (1 Cor. 7:29, 31).

The darkness will end when Christ comes again. His coming is imminent. It is the next event in God’s plan. But no one knows the day or the hour. We are living between the ages when there is both darkness and light. Yet unbelievers, whether scientists, philosophers, politicians, the rich and famous, or anything else, cannot discern the time. They are like the Pharisees whom Jesus rebuked: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?’” (Luke 12:54–56). Elsewhere he warned, “They will dash you to the ground because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you” (Luke 19:44).

Unbelievers are like the fool Nabal, who was incompetent to discern the time and therefore failed to support David, the chosen king of God. (PGM) But there were many others who discerned the time and came to support David instead of the demonized Saul, whom God had rejected. One such group of people were the “men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chron. 12:32). They rejected the kingship of Saul and came to support David.

What time is it? It is the most crucial time for every sinner. It is the time to hear the gospel. It is the time to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. It is the time to be saved from the wrath of God. It is therefore an opportune time for every sinner who is outside of Christ.

The Hour Has Come

Paul exhorts that the hour has come for us to awake out of sleep (v. 11). We must understand that this letter was written to Christians. We find the same exhortation in Ephesians 5: “‘Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (vv. 14–16). Most Christians are asleep. The alarm is sounding, yet they are still sleeping. Parents are preaching the gospel, but their children are sleeping. Pastors are exhorting, yet the church is sleeping. Most Christians think it is still night. But Paul declares that the night is over; the day has come. Saints of God, hear the words of rebuke by the holy apostle: “The hour has come for us to wake out of sleep.” In fact, the hour is already here, so awake from sleep. We are sons of the light (1 Thess. 5:4–8). Are you lethargic? Are you worldly? Do not continue your past sinful life. For us the hour has come to wake up from our slumber.

John says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father and not from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15–17). Paul writes, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were” (1 Cor. 6:9–11). But we must not continue to live this way. Peter declares, “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry” (1 Pet. 4:3). Again, Paul says, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another” (Titus 3:3). But no more! Paul also admonishes, “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking” (Eph. 4:17).

We are not darkness, and we are not in darkness. We were darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. So it is time to awake. The alarm is sounding, and your pastor and your parents are exhorting: Awake out of sleep, and behave as God’s people.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14–16). Wake up! Look up! Your redemption draweth nigh.

The disciples slept when Jesus transfigured before them (Luke 9:32). They slept at Gethsemane and failed to pray, and so they entered into temptation (Luke 22:45–46). The ten virgins slept, waiting for the bridegroom (Matt. 25:5). Friends, we are to watch. We are to pray. We are to awaken the dawn.

Let us take warning from the rebuke that Jesus gave to the church of Sardis: “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you” (Rev. 3:1–3). Do not be like the church of Laodicea. Jesus said, “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Rev. 3:16–17). Wake up, for the hour has come for you to wake up.

We are pilgrims traveling on the highway of holiness to Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to dwell with him forever. We are not to be deflected by the Vanity Fair of this world—its glitz, its fun, its sports, its power, its riches, its partying, its technologies, and its immorality. Jesus said to the rich fool, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Make God your treasure. Be rich toward God.

A sleeping Christian is unaware of what is going on. He is an undiscerning idler. He is not working for God. But we are saved to do good works. We are saved to shine as light in the world. We are saved to witness to Jesus Christ. What are we doing, still in bed? Get up! Get to work! How can you sleep while others are working hard for God?

Be like Jesus. He was a hard worker. He said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34). He also said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working” (John 5:17). Elsewhere he declared, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4). He also prayed, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4). And from the cross he cried out, “The work is finished” (John 19:30).

Time is short. Indeed, it is running out—the eschatological time as well as our personal time. Soon we all must die. Let us work for God, redeeming the time before we die, that the Master may say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your Master’s happiness.”

Get up, get dressed, and get to work. The devil, the demons, and the wicked are working constantly. So we read, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). The devil and demons do not sleep. A sleeping Christian reveals a certain moral indifference, a certain love for this world. He is an antinomian. He is a Christian in name only. He received Jesus as Savior but rejected him as Lord. Beware! Get up! Get to work. Otherwise, Christ will tell you on that day, “Depart from me, you lawless ones!”

Now Our Salvation Is Nearer than When We First Believed

Do you say you believed in Jesus in 1970? I say to you that your salvation, the fullness of your salvation, is forty-two years nearer. Every day brings us closer to meeting Jesus. You were saved in 1970; you are being saved now; and you will be saved any day. Christ may come today, or you may die today and meet him in paradise. Either way, you will be with Christ.

When a Christian dies, it is precious in God’s sight. It is a blessed event. It is a better condition to be in. It is gain, not loss, for us. It is to be with Christ forever. Paul writes, “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thess. 4:17). Elsewhere he says in contrasting death to continued service in this life, “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Phil. 1:23). It is our crowning day. It is the day we will receive the crown of righteousness, the crown of life, the crown of glory.

Yes, our salvation is nearer now than when we believed. Our Lord will come to us, or we will go to him. The question is, have you believed in Jesus Christ alone to serve him alone all your life? The super-arching purpose of our present existence in this present evil age is to believe in Jesus and be saved from God’s wrath.

Two different destinies await every person: eternal life or eternal death. I counsel you to believe in Jesus now. He alone gives us eternal life, for he alone is our atonement.

The Night Is Almost Gone; the Day Is Almost Here

The wicked are in darkness, and they are darkness. They are blind. They always stumble and fall. They are dazed and confused. They do not understand anything correctly. They stumble into hell. Christ has come into this world as the Light of the world. Darkness cannot defeat light. Rather, by his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus Christ defeated all evil powers once and for all. Paul declares, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Col. 2:15).

The prince of this world is defeated. The god of this world is defeated. The devil is defeated. Death is defeated by Jesus Christ. The eschatological day is almost here. The Lord is near; the Lord is coming soon.

Paul says, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near” (Phil. 4:5). Jesus himself says, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me” (Rev. 22:12). He is coming soon. We have been rescued from the dominion of darkness and the devil. We are all sons of light. We are all sons of day. We do not belong to the night. We belong to the day.

The great day—the day of God, the day of the Lord, the day of Christ—is almost here. Soon darkness will be totally eliminated, and the Lord Jesus Christ will throw the devil and all wicked unbelievers into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10–15). But all believers in Christ will be glorified to shine like the sun. There will be no more darkness, no more sorrow, but only joy unspeakable and full of glory. We shall see him face to face, and we shall be like him.

Conclusion

What time is it? It is time to get up, get dressed, and get to work. Many years ago I preached from Isaiah 21:11: “Watchman, what of the night?” (KJV). Who is the watchman? The prophet is the watchman; but the watchmen are also your parents and your pastors. And the watchman, having looked into the Bible, gives the answer: “Morning is coming, but also the night” (Isa. 21:12).

Morning is coming for those who believe in Jesus. To them, there will be no more night. We read in Proverbs 4:18, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” But the watchman again looks into the Scriptures and says, “Wait a minute. I see something else – but also the night: the night of hell without any common grace or gospel proclamation.” Hell is pitch darkness. It cannot be described by any human being. Nothing like it exists in this present evil age. It is a lake of fire. It is sheer misery for all rebels. So we read in Proverbs 4:19, “But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.”

Therefore, friends, I appeal to you:

1. Repent, believe, and be saved. Your eternity depends on it.
2. Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation—now, when you are alive and you are here and you are listening to the watchman.
3. The gospel is clearly presented in this book of Romans, especially Romans 3:21–26. Learn it, study it, and do what it tells you.
4. Live as sons of light, declaring the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, because you are the light of the world.
5. Life and time are gifts from God, and you must give him therefore an account on the last day for every word you thought and spoke and every deed you did.
6. Time is short for all people. It is daily shrinking.
7. You know you wasted already much time.
8. Redeem the time remaining by knowing and doing the will of God with speed. Jonathan Edwards as a teenager resolved: “Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way.”
9. Blessed are you children, if you serve God all your life, like Joseph, Josiah, Daniel, the three Hebrew children, and above all, Jesus our Savior.
10. Think about the great reward that is waiting for you. And so we read from the mouth of Jesus Christ, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” (Rev. 22:12).

It is my prayer that you will know what time it is. May you get up, get dressed, and get to work, for the glory of God and for your own eternal happiness.

¹ Geoffrey B. Wilson, Romans (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1969), 216.