Last Days Signs Exposed: How to Discern the End Times Before It’s Too Late

Excerpted from The Spirit of Elijah.

Of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command (1 Chronicles 12:32).

Understanding the time and season you are living in is, according to Jesus, the opposite of hypocrisy, and it is a requirement.

Jesus mentioned this with direct clarity in Matthew 16:3 by saying, “…Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” When referencing the sons of Issachar, most have an idea that they were the ones who knew the times or could indeed read the signs of the times. A point of interest is that the uniqueness of their ability to discern the signs of the times had two additional and crucial aspects to their operation.

Who Were These Sons of Issachar?

Issachar in Hebrew is yiśśaśḵār. He was Jacob’s fifth son by Leah (Genesis 30:17-18; Genesis 35:23) and the seventh son of Obed-edom. He was a doorkeeper to the temple, and his name carries the meanings “man of hire” and “he will bring a reward.” As a side note, Issachar is often paired with Zebulun (Genesis 49:13-14, Deuteronomy 33:18- 19) and his wealth with maritime riches.

Issachar had four sons: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron (1 Chronicles 7:1). Through these four sons, the tribe grew, as is indicated in 1 Chronicles 7:1-5.

The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron—four in all. 2 The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father’s house. The sons of Tola were mighty men of valor in their generations; their number in the days of David was twenty-two thousand six hundred. 3 The son of Uzzi was Izrahiah, and the sons of Izrahiah were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Ishiah. All five of them were chief men. 4 And with them, by their generations, according to their fathers’ houses, were thirty-six thousand troops ready for war; for they had many wives and sons. 5 Now their brethren among all the families of Issachar were mighty men of valor, listed by their genealogies, eighty-seven thousand in all (1 Chronicles 7:1-5).

Issachar Understood Public Affairs

During David’s reign, the tribe of Issachar provided many soldiers and leading commanders to the kingdom. These sons of Issachar understood public affairs, the nation’s temper and zeitgeist, and the tendencies of present events. They also adhered to Saul while he lived.

The Sons of Issachar Waited for King David

Recognizing that David had yet to take possession of the kingdom, they could not join him. Much of this was due to Abner, who commanded the other tribes surrounding Issachar. As soon as Saul died, they could declare themselves on the scene in favor of David and align with him as their king.

These men of Issachar were noted for their understanding and actions by the time of David (1 Chronicles 12:32). It is interesting to note that Issachar was allotted a place in Ezekiel’s vision of a new Temple and a New Jerusalem, which has future ramifications (Ezekiel 48:25-33).

It Could Be Said Issachar Helped Get David to the Throne

These sons of Issachar were those who navigated the signs of the times. They were not necessarily in conflict with whichever administration was in power. Instead, their knowledge and understanding prepared them for the proper king to come. They prepared and awaited David’s reign in the instance of Saul and David. That is, they were capable and intelligent men who understood the signs of the times, were well- versed in political affairs, and knew what was proper to be done in all the exigencies or current pressing, even urgent issues of human life in their generation, and during the time of Saul and David. These perceived that it was both the duty and in the best political interest of Israel to advance David to the throne. You might say they, with all their abilities, helped get David elected!

Notable Figures from the Tribe of Issachar

• Deborah

And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; as Issachar, so was Barak sent into the valley under his command; among the divisions of Reuben there were great resolves of heart (Judges 5:15).

• Tola (a minor Judge)

After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim (Judges 10:1).

• King Baasha (although he did evil, he was still listed in the lineage of Issachar)

Then Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha killed him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon (1 Kings 15:27).

Astronomers, Astrologers, and Statesmen

Similar to the wise men or Chaldeans that Daniel oversaw and who ultimately found their way to Jesus, the sons of Issachar also operated by discerning the heavens and much more.

According to the Targum, the collection of Aramaic interpretative translations of the Old Testament was made when Hebrew had ceased to be the standard medium of speech among the Jews.

According to the Targum, they were all astronomers and astrologers: “and the sons of Issachar, who had under- standing to know the times, and were skilled in fixing the beginnings of years, the commencement of months, and the intercalation of months and years; skillful in the changes of the moon, and in fixing the lunar solemnities to their proper times; skillful also in the doctrine of the solar periods; astrologers in signs and stars, that they might show Israel what to do; and their teachers were two hundred chiefs of the Sanhedrin: and all their brethren excelled in the words of the law, and were endued with wisdom, and were obedient to their command.” –T.

It appears that in their wisdom, experience, and skill, their brethren had the fullest confidence; and nothing was done but by their direction and advice.

Traits Of Issachar—Understanding the Times

According to the Targum, this extraordinary tribe had a unique and specialized set of skills. They had an understanding of the times. In1 Chronicles 12:32 where it says, “of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know,” the Hebrew word for “had” and “know” is yāḏa‛ H3045: A verb meaning to know, to learn, to perceive, to discern, to experience, to confess, to consider, to know people relationally, to know how, to be skillful, to be made known, to make oneself known, to make to known.

All these insightful and prophetic traits gave them a unique and highly trained ability to read the terrain of the current and upcoming seasons and their general narrative.

The Targum offers insights into the set of skills and points of operation by which the sons of Issachar operated. Consider the importance of what these traits mean and how they might, in some form, help us understand our generation’s times and what to do about them.

Twelve Issacharian Traits as They Apply to Their Season

• Able to learn

• Able to perceive

• Able to discern

• Able to experience

• Able to confess

• Able to consider

• Able to know people relationally

• Able to know how

• Able to be skillful

• Able to be made known

• Able to make oneself known

• Able to make to know

The Door of Revelatory Understanding

Empirically, through their eyes and experiences, they would learn from the world around them, observing patterns and trends through their developed and trained mechanisms of discernment. One of the Hebrew pictographs for this Hebrew word, again observing the Hebrew word yāḏa‛, we see that it also represents a door and an eye, meaning the door of the eye.

The eye is the window into the human’s very being. Experience and discernment are often gained through visual observation. Knowledge is achieved through these experiences, and revelation is acquired for those who have ears to hear.