Someone should host a “Top Ten Most Misused Bible Verse” competition, ‘cause 1 Chronicles 12:32 would be right up there near the top!

 32 men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;

Humor aside (or attempts thereof) – I am tired of hear people quote 1 Chronicles 12:32 as an excuse to plot out an end of the world timeline. I mean, come on – have you read 1 Chronicles 12!!!! It has NOTHING to do with the end times or with creating timelines!

It is actually very simple – Israel is in a civil war and the men of Issachar want to be on the winning side. Period.

That’s it.

200 warlords recognized that David was going to be the next king of Israel – so they move their loyalties from Saul to David, most likely so that they could gain wealth, prestige or land when the war was over.  [@more@]

  38 All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel.

In other words, the whole “men of Issachar who understood the times” deal is nothing more then a political power play.  As such, please not quote it to me to justify your un-Biblical desire to map out the end times. Just be honest – you want know how much longer you have to put up with this crappy world before you can escape to the glory realm of heaven.

Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you – but we are going to be on this planet a long time. Heaven is coming to earth; not the other way around. Granted, the earth will be renewed, death, sin, evil and all “crappiness” will be removed (Praise the Lord!) – but it will be this earth nonetheless.

As such, I pray that we will stop trying to create timelines and start doing the work of the Father. Sure it is ok to look up time to time and see what God is doing as Jesus himself said “keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” (Matthew 24: 42).

Note that “keep watch” means just that – keep watch. Not “here is a cryptic road map of the future, good luck at figuring it out”.