Horn of the Watchman

It is written in Scripture:

When the Pharisees and Sadducees arrived, in order to test Jesus, they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
2 He replied to them, “You say, ‘Red sky at night, what a delight!
3 Red sky in the morning, cloudy and storming.’
You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, yet you can’t interpret the signs of the times?” -Matt 16:1-3

This statement by Jesus ends with an admonition. To paraphrase, “If you can readily discern the signs of weather change, how is it you cannot discern the signs of the times changing?” Afterall, His coming was the greatest sign mankind had ever received.  A sign from God Himself.  A sign of God reaching out His Hand to mankind. Yet, people were generally clueless.  Even those close to Him did not fully grasp who He was and the point of His mission while He was with them. They had all missed the sign, as it were.

Even beyond the physical evidence revealing His authority, notably His miracles, His very presence in time and space itself must have sent shockwaves through the spirit world; the undulations of which would be palpable to the discerning and those with spiritual sight. As spirit beings ourselves, people should have sensed who He was, though He was indeed polarizing.  He affected all those with whom He came in contact in one way or another.

Still, His point is well taken on how we should be able to discern the signs of the times and thereby understand how change will affect us and how we can best deal with it.  A great example of this truth can be found in early 1930’s Germany.  There were some who could read the signs of the times back then who saw the storm clouds of hatred and evil gathering on the horizon.  They recognized the looming danger and fled Germany.  Those who were blind to the signs of the times or refused to acknowledge them fell under the nightmare of the Nazi regime.

In fact, reading the signs of the times is really something we all do regularly in some way or another.  Apart from anticipating the weather, we check traffic conditions in order to avoid difficult “times” of travel, like rush hour or accident delays. Fashion changes can be a reflection of the changing times, such as the rising of skirt hems in tandem with the lowering of moral standards.  Another example is in land development, where changes to the environment may create opportunities, such as knowledge of a planned interstate highway that justifies investment in lands that would otherwise be unprofitable.

We monitor airlines flights, traffic conditions, weather forecasts, stock trends, political developments, news stories, fashion innovations, local events, cultural fads and all kinds of other things, so as to be aware of their potential impact on us or the opportunities they may bring.  As a result, there are people in all these areas who specialize in identifying change, who give or sell this knowledge to others.  These modern-day oracles are a form of contemporary “watchmen”.

In times past, villages, towns and communities often had walls or boundaries to protect its people from open attack by enemies or marauders.  These barriers were always manned by lookouts who would keep vigil in the event of an attack so they could sound the alarm and warn their countrymen.  These lookouts were known as watchmen and carried a great responsibility.  Even today in our modern military, soldiers keep fire watch for their platoons every night, Guards vigilantly man their posts on base, specialists monitor radar screens for in-coming threats and so on.  These and others like them can be considered the watchmen of today. Watchmen have been around in all ages and are still employed today in many ways.

In fact, we are all watchmen in a sense, as it pertains to the safety of our children and ourselves.
For Christians in particular, we are called by Jesus to be “watchmen” with regard to Christ’s return, that we may be prepared.  He even gave us clues of events leading up to His return, so that by watching we may recognize them when they arrive and know His time is near.  Per the Psalmist…

5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word, I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning. -Psalm 130:5-6

Indeed, we were told to keep oil in our lamps, to expect a thief in the night and to cover our doors with the blood of The Lamb.  In other words, to be prepared for His return.  Surely though, this was not just so we would be okay ourselves, but so we could help others to understand what is at stake, especially our own loved ones.  Moreover, the Bible specifically charges Watchmen to be responsible for others.  They will be held accountable for those they failed to warn in time to repent.  As noted by the prophet:

16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so, hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. -Ezekiel 3:16-19

So, those who are aware must give a warning to others or risk losing their own security. A warning for us all to repent of our sins and turn to God through His Son; for Jesus is the only hope to avoid the condemnation and judgement that is coming. Once the Trumpet blast reveals Him and His army of angels descending upon the Earth it will be too late to repent and the separation will begin.

Now, while there have been watchmen in every era who have sounded the alarm believing Christ’s return was imminent (and of course they have been wrong so far), that does not mean we were to stop keeping vigil.  One day someone will sound the alarm and it will be Providential, leaving little time to get our houses in order before He comes back in His Glory.  So, in every era the people of those times were wise to at least consider the possibility of Christ’s return against the backdrop of the times they lived in and to heed the admonitions of the watchmen of their day.

While no one knows when Christ will return, some of the key prerequisites prophesied in scripture appear to have been met in our time.  Notably, the internet has made the gospel available to every nation on Earth for the first time.  Also, the breakdown of moral standards globally (e.g., international sex trafficking, drug cartels, street gangs, organized crime, dissolution of the family unit, racial angst, desensitization to violence, wayward youth, etc.) is at a level of lawlessness prophesied for the end times. Additionally, hostility against Christians, the rise of the cancel culture, the prevalence of the occult and the wide acceptance of new age philosophies are all in line with the warnings about false prophets and the blatant idolatry that were to lead people away from God as the end times approached.

For these reasons it is fair to wonder how much longer things could continue to denigrate as they are before God would say, “Enough!” and intercede.  Perhaps man’s folly can endure on its current trajectory for a thousand more years, but that is highly doubtful.  Therefore, if the signs of the times indicate that Christ’s return could be near are there any other indications?  Does time itself provide any potential markers that would align with such an event?  In fact, yes. At some moment in the near future, it will be exactly two thousand years since Christ completed His mission on Earth.  The exact day and time are not known of course, but we have a timeframe.

In Western civilization, the calendar was reset to the year zero to recognize Christ’s First Coming.  This year was known as Anno Domine (aka., A.D. or The Year of Our Lord) and began in the year Christ was thought to have been born.  If Jesus were born in year zero as originally believed, began His mission at age thirty and was killed at thirty-three, as classically believed, then the year two thousand and thirty-three would be the anniversary of His crucifixion and resurrection.  However, Bible scholars, archeologists and historians have long said the year of Anno Domine was off due to errors in how the calendar was kept over the centuries, including the effect of the leap year.

Since no one knows the exact year Christ was born or how old He was when He died, there is speculation among experts that lie within a range.  The range is based on Jesus potentially being born as early as 6 B.C. or as late as the year 0.  The range is also affected by His age at the time of His death, which is thought to have been between 33 and 38 years old.  If we use the earliest parameters of Jesus being born in 6 B.C. and dying at age 33, His death and Resurrection would have been in the year 27.  If we use the later parameters of Him being born as late as year 0 and dying at age 38, His death and resurrection could have been as late as year 38.  So, there is good reason to think that Jesus completed His mission between the years 27 A.D. and 38 A.D.  That means the 2,000th anniversary of that event would be sometime between the years 2027 and 2038.

Regardless of the exact time, one might marvel that more has not been made of these anniversaries. Perhaps that is the reason why, because the actual date is unknown.  Christmas in the year 2,000 was just another yule; it was not commemorated in any special way as the 2,000th Christmas.  I expect even less fanfare from the world to commemorate the 2,000-year anniversary of His Passion and Resurrection. Even if we were certain of the exact day and time, the world would not care, nor probably most Christians even.  All the more reason why God might choose to honor the occasion Himself in some grand way, perhaps through Christ’s return?

Even if the scholars and experts are all wrong, based on other historical records corroborating those times, the Bible’s account cannot be too far off from that timeframe.  So, it is fairly certain that 2,000th anniversary Christ’s Passion is looming in the not-too-distant future as we get further into the third millennia A.D.  And while God does not have to tie Christ’s return to His First Coming, there’s no reason why He would not.  Afterall, it’s in line with His character that He might want to honor tradition and commemorate the occasion of Christ’s first coming through the culmination of His Salvation Plan. Especially if the timeframe aligns in some way with His most Holy numbers.  And so, it does…

It would be the dawn of the third day, in God’s time, since Christ’s First Coming (a thousand years on Earth being equal to one day by God’s measure).  It would also be the start of the seventh day, in God’s time, since He completed Creation, based on the Jewish calendar’s origin in 3,760 B.C.  While that date technically would place us in the sixth millennia of human history (or late on the sixth day by God’s reckoning) in the year 5,783, how far off might the seventh millennia or seventh day actually be?  The dawn of God’s third day since Christ first came and the dawn of God’s seventh day since Creation may well be at hand, as well as the anniversary of Christ’s resurrection.

However skewed man’s record keeping turns out to be, it appears the Holy numbers 3 (Trinity) and 7 (Completeness) are applicable to this timeline by God’s measure.  Since Jesus rose as The Lamb on the third day in Earth time; why not rise again as the Lion on the third day in God’s time?  Also, God rested on the seventh day after creating the universe, why not end man’s labor after six days as well (6,000 years of toiling on Earth) and have him also rest on the seventh day; in the Millennial Kingdom no less?

When considering all these factors: the proximity of a Holy anniversary, God’s love of ceremony, the spread of the gospel worldwide, the waning belief in Jesus, the lack of common decency and the moral degradation of “enlightened” societies around the globe, it is reasonable to consider that the “times” are ripe for Christ’s return.  Afterall, He is now largely forgotten by the world and fading fast in the public consciousness.  Yet, the very mention of Jesus’ name these days just causes most people to feel uneasy. Funny how people can feel so uneasy about something they do not believe in.  There is great power in that Name!

One thing is for certain though, whenever He does return, He’s not coming back meek and mild as The Lamb of God as He did last time, but rather He is returning with power and authority as The Lion of Judah. He will be coming to bring judgement and to destroy evil.  When He does arrive it will be too late for those who had not accepted Him before that to avoid God’s wrath.  The only hope is to recognize His authority and call upon Him for salvation before He gets here. Which is where the watchman comes in.

God would prefer that none perish; He is open to people repenting and coming to Him at any point, even up to the last minute before He returns in Holy Judgement. That is why the watchmen of their time must sound the alarm when they believe the time is at hand and like all alarms it is a call to action.  For Christians it is a call to arise from our apathy if we are true Believers in Christ.  It’s time to get intimate with God if we are not already and to help others to find him, not least of which our own loved ones.

Certainly, we should want our loved ones to share in the salvation we have found in Jesus.  So, it is prudent to share our faith with those we care about most.  Let us shine our light before them by living an active faith.  We need to take God into account on an on-going basis, each day.  We need to learn to listen to Him, both through the Spirit speaking to our hearts and through His written Word.  We need to actively seek His Will in our day-to-day lives and let Him be Lord of our comings and goings.  Then our witness will bear substance and fruit when we reach out to others.

Consider these words and take a good, hard look at the world as it is today.  Is it not apparent that this is a time for soul-searching, revival and renewal?  A time to fully commit to giving our lives to Christ.  A time to fill our lamps and help others to do the same.  A time to watch for the rebuilding of Solomon’s Temple.

The spiritual battle lines are being drawn and every person will find themselves on one end of the battlefield or the other.  On which side will you be when our King returns?  And will you have your loved ones at your side in the battle ranks or will they be staring at you from across the field?