6 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.” Acts 1:6-8 NIV
My mom loved to ask about her birthday and Christmas presents. She hated to wait not knowing what she would receive, and I always refused to let her know. I would even joke with my mom and say she would receive a backscratcher as a gift. When I was a kid, I would look at the size of the presents under the tree and shake them. It is human nature to be curious.
On the other hand, the Lord tells us that we do not know everything: we need faith, hope, patience, and perseverance. I sometimes have the same impatience with the Heavenly Father that my mom and I had with Christmas presents. The Israelites and disciples also had trouble with having faith and leaving the future to the Lord.
Some Israelites turned to divination to find hidden knowledge about the present and the future. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines divination as “the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers.”
What happened when they turned away from the Lord and turned to divination? The Lord Almighty reveals in 2 Kings chapter 17 why He exiled Israel. One of the reasons is that “they sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.”
In Acts chapter one, Jesus explains that the disciples are not to know the dates and times of when He will return. Do we accept by faith the promises of the Triune God or do we like children try to find out what it is not meant for us to know? Please beware of anyone who says exactly how or when the Savior will return. Beware of anyone who offers further revelations and hidden knowledge that does not align with the Bible.
Prayer: Lord please teach us to trust, and to obey you more each day. Father we know that the future belongs to you, and we have a blessed hope. A god that we can fully understand, is not a deity worthy of worship. May we humble ourselves trusting in the One who created the stars. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, amen.