These are notes on the sermon, God Can Reverse Time For You, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 19 January 2020, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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This is the Year of Time and Space for our church, and it is based on Pastor Prince’s teaching on the winding staircase in the Temple of Solomon. A church member who is a certified architect did her own study and proved that a winding staircase, compared to a straight staircase, allows one to climb the maximum height, in the smallest possible space, in the shortest amount of time. See slides 18 and 19.
This is the Year of Time and Space for our church, and it’s a year in which God wants to manipulate time and space in our favor.
He can accelerate time for you when you’re going through a trial.
He can suspend time for you when you’re experiencing precious moments with your loved ones.
He can reverse time for you when you feel like you’ve wasted or lost valuable years of your life.
What about space?
In the Hebrew culture, the word “space” carries the idea of deliverance, salvation, and help. Constricted space carries the idea of difficulty and danger.
This year, God is bringing us to broader spaces.
The theme of this year, Time and Space, is based on the Temple of Solomon—where the chambers get progressively bigger the higher up you go. The first-floor chamber is 5 cubits, the second-floor chamber is 6 cubits, and the third-floor chamber is 7 cubits (see 1 Kings 6:5–6).
This year, God will bring us to broader spaces, and He will do it by leading us step-by-step via the winding staircase.
The secret of the winding staircase is that God will lead us one step at a time. Because the stairs are winding and not straight, sometimes it might seem like God’s leading you in the opposite direction of where you want to go, but you’ll find that the next step turns around and leads you to where you need to be.
Being led step-by-step in the area of parenting
God can lead you in how to best parent your child. He knows exactly what your child needs from you at any given time.
Sometimes, you might feel like your child needs discipline, but God might prompt you on the inside to just listen to him/her. In these moments, God knows that what your child needs is empathy. And when you follow His leading, the problem will be solved.
Other times, you might want to go easy on your child, but God might lead you to put your foot down and not indulge him/her in that situation.
There’s no formula for this. It’s all about following the Lord’s leading. He will lead you because He loves you and your child. And you will find time being saved/restored and space being broadened in the area of raising your child.
Recap of last week’s message: God can accelerate time for you
Last week, Pastor Prince shared about how God can accelerate time for you.
It is when the tabernacle of David is restored that time will be accelerated. Things will happen so fast for you that you’ll see your harvest even as you are still sowing and plowing (see Amos 9:13).
For our church, 2006 was the Year of Acceleration and 2007 was the Year of New Beginnings. We saw how in these 2 years, the world also experienced massive acceleration and new beginnings in the area of technology (where we saw the worldwide launches of iPhone, Facebook, Twitter, Kindle, etc.).
God releases prophetic words for His church that also reveal what He’s going to do in the world.
A “kairos” moment is a special point in time where God does what He wants to do. The inventions in 2006 and 2007 now allow the world to communicate with each other in a way that transcends time and space.
2007 was also the year where Pastor Prince’s TV ministry began and Destined To Reign, his first book, was published.
The purpose of all technological advancements is to further the gospel.
The first 2 miracles that Jesus performed in the gospel of John happened in Cana of Galilee:
Jesus is the Lord of time and space. He holds everything in this created world together.
There’s a force that holds atoms together that science still hasn’t figured out. But we know that it is Christ because the Bible tells us that in Christ, all things are held together (see Col. 1:17).
When Mary held baby Jesus in her arms, she held the One who holds all things together.
Jesus turning water into wine proves that He's the Lord of time because good wine takes decades to produce, and He produced the very best wine in an instant. This was actually a miracle of luxury. It was just to save the bride and groom from embarrassment. There’s no mention of anyone being saved or healed.
Jesus healing the nobleman’s son just by speaking shows that He's the Lord of space. We don’t need Him to come down now to be with us physically to heal us or touch our situation. He can just speak the word and we will be healed. Actually, He has spoken, and we can hear and know His Word today by opening our Bibles. God’s Word is so powerful, it transcends time and space. The Lord just wants us to believe Him like the nobleman believed Him concerning the healing of his son.
Pastor Prince shares a testimony from a lady who was healed of a chronic neck condition.
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Jesus’ 2 miracles of time and space speak of what He will do for our generation
There are no insignificant details in the Bible.
“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.”
— John 2:1 NKJV
“On the third day” — Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding happened on the third day. This number is significant.
The third day is the day that Jesus was raised from the dead.
In Bible prophecy, “the third day” it is also the day that Jesus will come back for us, and we will be raptured and rise in our new bodies.
We are living in the third day now because “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years” (2 Pet. 3:8–9). To God, it has been 2 days (2000 years for us) since Jesus died and rose from the grave.
We are the generation that will experience the rapture.
“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
— 2 Peter 3:8–9 NKJV
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish” — Some people scoff at the rapture because they haven’t seen it. But it is because of God’s great heart of love for the world that He is tarrying. He wants as many people as possible to be saved.
God has to judge the world. Jesus will judge the world in His second coming, which is after the rapture. The earth will be judged, but we won’t be. We who believe on Him have passed from judgment into life.
So many people today are trying to save the earth, but actually, it’s the earth’s people who need to be saved. The earth is being destroyed because of the evil in the heart of man. Only the gospel can bring about true transformation from the inside out.
The gospel is this:
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“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.”
— John 2:1 NKJV
“On the third day there was a wedding” — On the third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. On the third day, when we are raptured, there will also be a wedding. It will be the marriage supper of the Lamb. It will be the wedding of Jesus and His Bride, the church (see Rev. 19:6–9).
We will see this happen in our generation. Many of the Bible prophecies that must take place before the rapture have already happened.
Jesus’ 2nd miracle (healing of the nobleman’s son):
“Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. … So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast. So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.”
— John 4:43, 45–46 NKJV
“after the two days” — Jesus met the nobleman “after two days,” which is on the third day too.
Both Jesus’ miracles of time and space (turning water into wine and healing the nobleman’s son) happened on the third day, and they reveal what the Lord will do for us now.
Pastor Prince shares how even though last year was the Year of the Latter Rain, latter rain blessings still continue for us. The God-given themes for all the past years don’t have an expiry date!
The latter rain verse:
“Be glad then, you children of Zion,
And rejoice in the LORD your God;
For He has given you the former rain faithfully,
And He will cause the rain to come down for you—
The former rain,
And the latter rain in the first month.
The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,
And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.
“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.”
— Joel 2:23–25 NKJV
“Wheat … wine and oil” — Last year was full of wheat and wine (a picture of the holy Communion) and oil (a picture of the anointing of the Spirit).
“So I will restore to you the years” — Notice that right after the harvest of wheat, wine, and oil comes the restoration of time.
The different locusts represent the different ways in which our years have been stolen.
“What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten;
What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten;
And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.”
— Joel 1:4 NKJV
Joel 1:4 describes having one problem after another.
“The swarming locust” — When swarming locusts attack, they attack in one fell swoop and destroy everything at once. There’s no more greenery left; everything is gone. This speaks of devastating problems that take place suddenly, like a shocking doctor’s report.
It can also speak of overt attacks of persecution from the devil. We see this kind of open aggression against Christians happening in some nations of the world.
“The crawling locust” — This locust destroys bit by bit, bit by bit, bit by bit. This speaks of little doubts that wear away at us from the inside. The devil feeds us doubts about God’s Word, e.g. “Are you sure that’s what God said? Are you sure the rapture is coming?”
In today’s world, when so much information is rushing at us, we need to know what God’s Word says above all.
“So I will restore to you the years…”
— Joel 2:25 NKJV
Let’s take God at His Word when He says that He will restore to us the years we have lost!
When you pray, God will transcend time for you. He can go into your past and heal the hurt that is the root of your fears today. He can go into your future and preserve good things in your future for you.
Pastor Prince shares how God restored time to him by giving him his son Justin. Today, Pastor gets to relive fathering a young child. He asked, and God answered. God renewed his youth. And it was this verse, Joel 2:25, that God gave him.
You can be healthier, stronger, and more intelligent at your current age than you were when you were in your 20s.
Believe God for that. He can do it!
“Then He is gracious to him, and says,
‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit;
I have found a ransom’;
His flesh shall be young like a child’s,
He shall return to the days of his youth.”
— Job 33:24–25 NKJV
“His flesh shall be young like a child’s, he shall return to the days of his youth” — God restored Job’s physical body and made His flesh young like in the days of his youth, and He can do it for you too!
This is a miracle of time too.
Actually, all of Jesus’ miracles have got to do with the manipulation of time and space.
For example, Jesus healed a crippled man at the pool of Bethesda who was crippled for 38 years (see John 5:1–15). Many sick people sat around the pool to wait for the season when an angel would stir up the waters because whoever stepped in first would be made well. But this crippled man, being crippled and with no one to carry him into the healing waters, always missed the opportunity. He missed the right time, so he could not step into the space he wanted to be in.
Jesus transcended all of that and healed him in an instant.
“He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him,
He shall see His face with joy,
For He restores to man His righteousness.”
— Job 33:26 NKJV
This promise of renewal of youth is for those who are saved through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is for those of us who believe that God gives HIS righteousness to us.
How do we receive the renewal of youth and the restoration of health? The secret is in the Temple of Solomon.
In John 13, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. Now, He is in heaven washing our feet with the water of His Word (see Eph. 5:26).
Our sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus once and for all. But in our daily walk through life, our feet get dirty with wrong believing and negative influences from this world. Jesus, our High Priest, uses His Word to wash our feet.
In the Temple of Solomon, there was a laver (a great round basin) called “the Sea”:
This laver was:
The priests are a picture of us (see 1 Pet. 2:9). Today, we only need to wash our feet, not our hands. The way we access the water we need to be washed is through the mouth of the oxen—which is a picture of preachers and teachers.
When we listen to the preached Word, we are being cleansed.
Being cleansed by the water of the Word removes diseases, just like showering removes bacteria that can cause infections and diseases.
The ritual for the cleansing of a leper in Leviticus 14 includes blood and water. So water has to do with healing.
The 12 oxen represent the 12 tribes of Israel but also ministers of God’s Word.
The apostle Paul likens ministers of God’s Word to oxen (see 1 Tim. 5:17–18) when he encourages the church to support their pastors by giving them a salary.
Oxen speak of those who labor in God’s Word.
Jesus Himself is also likened to an ox in the gospel of Mark. The ox is a picture of a strong and tireless servant.
There are many people who think they can just receive from God’s Word directly by reading the Bible on their own. Of course, it’s good for us to read the Word on our own, but God’s Word itself says that God gave gifts to the church—including prophets, preachers, and teachers (see Eph. 4:11).
These people who expound on God’s Word are gifts to the church. We should appreciate them. They might be imperfect men with clay feet, but they are anointed by God nonetheless to open up the concentrated Word of God for us to understand.
God only gives good gifts. If He said that He’s given preachers and teachers as gifts to the church, we’ll benefit by making use of them.
It’s good to read the Bible for yourself, then listen to a sermon or read a devotional where the Word of God is being expounded on through the gift of teaching.
So the priests in the Temple of Solomon (a picture of us) receive water from the mouth of the oxen (a picture of preachers and teachers).
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
— Romans 10:17 NASB
“faith comes from hearing” — In the original Greek language, this verse tells us to hear and hear over and over again.
If you’re going through a difficult season where your faith is being challenged (e.g. when you are believing for healing in the face of a serious disease), prioritize listening to the preached Word of Christ.
Hearing the Word will fortify your heart. It will give you faith. It will give you protection.
The devil doesn’t take off days, so we shouldn’t take off days in listening to the Word either.
“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”
— Romans 10:14 NASB
“how will they hear without a preacher?” — You hear God the clearest with the sounding board of the pastors and leaders God has appointed over you.
Listen to the preachers who preach and exhort by the gospel of grace.
Your mind is not a garbage truck. Guard what you’re feeding it. Instead of opening a social media app the moment you reach for your phone, go to an app that will bring God’s Word to you.
Pastor Prince encourages those who are preachers and teachers to drink for their own satisfaction first. The 12 oxen that supported the great round basin had to have water flowing through them. The water had to be inside them first.
Ministers need to spend time with Jesus to personally receive from Him. They shouldn’t just come to the Lord to draw for others. When you keep drinking for yourself, out of your belly will flow rivers of living water that will bless others (see John 7:38).
Pastor Prince shares how God gave him this revelation a few years ago that he hasn’t shared until now. The Lord told him, “If you spend time in My word, I will reverse time for you.”
The Lord reveals this in 1 Kings 7:25.
“It stood on twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward.”
— 1 Kings 7:25 NKJV
Notice how the arrangement of the oxen is described. It starts with north, then goes west, then south, then east.
From the top view, we can see that the arrangement of the oxen is described in an anti-clockwise direction.
The verse tells us that when we spend time being washed with the water of God’s Word, God will reverse time for us!
Another example of God reversing time for His people is in King Hezekiah’s story.
King Hezekiah was a great king who brought about one of the greatest revivals in the Old Testament. He restored the Temple of Solomon after it had been abused by kings who did not honor the Lord in the past (see 2 Chron. 29).
There came a time in Hezekiah’s life when he was extremely sick because of a boil and about to die. So he called upon the Lord and God heard him.
God told the prophet Isaiah to go to Hezekiah and tell him:
“Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.”’”
— 2 Kings 20:5 NKJV
“On the third day you shall go up” — This happened on the third day, just like the first 2 miracles of Jesus.
Remember: We are living in the third day.
The verse says “on the third day you shall go up” just like how we are going up when we are raptured.
“And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What is the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD the third day?” Then Isaiah said, “This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?” And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees.” So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the LORD, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.”
— 2 Kings 20:8–11 NKJV
“let the shadow go backward ten degrees” — Hezekiah asked God for a sign, which was for God to cause the shadow on the sundial to turn backward. He was literally asking God to reverse time. And God did it for him.
God can reverse time for you. And it will be in your favor.
Pastor Prince shares a testimony from a woman who had her marriage restored.
For Joshua, God made the sun and moon stand still so that the army of Israel could finish their battle and win instead of allow their enemies to recoup their strength overnight (see. Jos. 10).
Don’t listen to the mockers and cynics who try to reason you out of believing God. They live in the realm of time and space. You have a God who controls time and space.
When God brings restoration, it’s always greater than what you had before.
If you’ve lost items, His restoration will be greater in quantity.
If you’ve lost health, His restoration will be greater in quality.
If you feel like you’ve wasted years of your youth, God will turn back the clock for you.
Pastor Prince prayers for restoration over many areas, including time, youth, and health.
“This coming week, the Lord bless you and the Lord keep you. The Lord keep you from every virus and the Lord protect you and your families from every danger, harm, accident, and tragedy throughout this week. The Lord favor you and protect you from the power of the evil one. The Lord smile on you and lift up His countenance on you and grant to you and yours His wonderful shalom well-being and peace. In the name of the Lord Jesus, and all the people say, Amen.”
We hope these sermon notes blessed you! If they did, we encourage you to get the sermon and allow the Lord to speak to you personally as you watch or listen to it.
© Copyright JosephPrince.com 2020
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.
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