What Of The Future?

David Falk

If we have the opportunity to travel, there is one thing that soon becomes clear. There is a lot more happening in the world than what is reported on our nightly news. Very rarely are we aware of the full extent of the natural disasters that occur around the world. In many ways, we do live in quite an isolated and incubated society. Our media deems this to be so. How do we get a wider world-view?

Many things happen in the world for one reason; ‘that men might know that God rules in the affairs of men’. Dan 4:17. As we look at everything that is happening in the world today, do we believe that? If God rules in the affairs of men, then what is He doing? God is doing something but are we able to broaden our world-view so we can understand what He is doing?

We read in Peter that ‘in the last days mockers will come…saying, all things continue as they have from the beginning’. 2 Peter 3:3-4. Right across the world, we are potentially facing an employment crisis, a health crisis and an infrastructure crisis. There is a very real risk of wide-spread influenza epidemic. However, one thing is for certain; the world will NOT remain the same as it is today. This is the lesson of Noah. Everybody in Noah’s day assumed that everything would continue as it always had. ‘For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking’. Matt 27:38. Then, suddenly it rained!

We need protection

The generation commonly referred to as the ‘baby-boomer’s is a very unique generation. It has known probably the longest period of peace experienced by mankind. In many ways, this has helped breed the attitude that ‘all things will continue as they always have’. We are currently living on the tail end of half a century of apathy. However, the peace that we currently enjoy won’t continue indefinitely.
Letters offering us more credit seem to land in the mailbox more and more frequently. 25 years ago a bank would generally lend someone the equivalent of one year’s gross income over 25 years. Nowadays, banks will quite readily lend up to five years gross income over the same period. This certainly helps in buying a house, but it means that personal debt is increasing exponentially. In fact, the whole of the western world is experiencing excessive debt. So what happens when the economy collapses?

There is no security in possessions. For most people, the greatest asset they own is their house and land. The title deed for any property effectively sits on a government computer. What happens when the names of everybody in a particular Christian grouping are no longer found on the government computer? They only have to lose the file and there is no longer any record that we own our houses. ‘They gladly accepted the seizure of their property knowing that they had a better and enduring possession for themselves in Heaven’ Heb 10:34.

What happens if the Asian bird-flu becomes an epidemic that spreads around the world? In all of these scenarios, we should be very clear on one thing. We need Christ, and we need protection.
Christ is God’s gift to mankind and when we receive Jesus Christ through faith, we receive His ability to love and give. This is to be the foundation of the Christian Church.

Enter by tribulation

There is no doubt that we are approaching very turbulent times. Paul taught on his first missionary journey, ‘that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God’. Acts 14:22. We enter the kingdom when life afflicts us and we show virtue, continue to love, and continue to give. If under affliction, we withdraw love and giving, then we are not Christian.

Are we prepared?

To many people, the events described in the Bible concerning the days ahead are nothing more than a fairy tale. If we assume that everything will continue as it always has, then one thing is certain. We will be unprepared.

What is our goal? We need to set our heart to know what God is doing, so that when He does it, we are ready. During the last six months of His ministry, Jesus tried to prepare His disciples for what was coming. ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things…be killed, and after three days rise again’. Mark 8:31. Peter rebuked Him for saying this and Jesus replied, ‘Get behind me Satan’. Understandably, Peter would have been quite upset. However, the simple reality was that he was blind. He didn’t know what the Lord was doing and was in no way prepared for it.

There is only one way to prepare ourselves for the days ahead. We need to receive the Holy Spirit and be empowered to love and give.

Adapted from “Fruit of the Vine”