By Dave Breese

Once again the world is asking, “What does the future hold?” “What will tomorrow bring?” There has always been a degree of interest in the future, but it is certain that that interest will grow. That growing interest is bound to be heightened by the people of the world itself, who will be announcing that the past is obsolete and the future is where it all is. In fact, the doctrine of an obsolete past may well soon be used to apply to sacred things, like the Bible. We can be sure that when man rejects what the Bible says about the future and attempts to produce a future of his own making, that will be trouble indeed for all of humanity. There are wonderful sources of confidence on which we should meditate that come to us from remembering some principles at this time. Some of them are the facts that . . .

God still presides above history. Whatever politicians, princes or presidents may say, God is in charge. In a political year, we should remember Nebuchadnezzar's testimony, which grew out of his experience of being humbled like an animal, “And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He does according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say to Him, what do You?” (Dan. 4:35).

God absorbs all events into his providence. Whatever man may do, he cannot finally cancel or even seriously disturb the ongoing plan of God.

God is forebearing, but he will judge the world. In this Day of Grace, He keeps open the door to life so that as many as possible will come and believe in Him. The love of God is eternal, but His patience is not. One day, the King of the Universe will cancel all human politics and will Himself come to rule the world. Then the Day of Grace will be past and judgment will come upon all mankind. The Great Tribulation comes before Christ takes His throne. Human politics is fairly serious business, but the lordship of God is the ultimate reality. In the meantime, we will heed the instructions of Scripture, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (I Tim. 2:1-4).

The politician that has Christians praying for him is advantaged indeed. The leader who has Christians praying against him is in deep trouble.

Just so we don't forget, what does the Bible say about the future? . . .

1. It says that we Christians who live in the last days will face danger and great opportunity. To the Church of our time the Bible says, “Behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it” (Rev. 3:8).

2. It says that the world of the wicked will deteriorate into instability, and then anarchy. In this regard the Scripture says, “Only He who now restrains (the rise of evil) will restrain, until He be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked one be revealed” (II Thess. 2:7,8).

3. It says that we Christians at the end of this age will be caught up to be with Christ. How wonderful is the promise, “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible” (I Cor. 15:51,52).

4. It says that the world will move into the period of the Tribulation, which develops then into the Great Tribulation. Jesus Himself said, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24:21). Christ then said, “Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved” (Matt. 24:22). So it is that humanity itself will bring—by its own activities—such results as would jeopardize the very life of humanity. Mankind, therefore, ought not to look forward to a human utopia, but rather, a world that is increasingly characterized by the rise of iniquity.

5. The Tribulation will then end with a spectacular event. That event is called, “the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.” Concerning this, the Apostle John was given a vision which he described by saying, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He does judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood” (Rev. 19:11-13). It is interesting then to note that Christ does not come alone, but rather returns with “ten thousands of His saints.” In that every Christian is a saint, we can anticipate quite a number returning from heaven. Talk about a spectacular event, it is impossible to conceive anything that is much more spectacular.

6. Christ and His Church, upon that glorious return, will deliver the nation of Israel from the dread clutches of the Antichrist. Yes, the Church will save Israel. At that time, the Antichrist will be thrown into the lake of fire and the devil put into the bottomless pit.

7. With those events there will be initiated the greatest period of peace and righteousness that the world has ever known. It is the millennial reign of Christ. Yes, the Messiah will rule from the city of Jerusalem and re-establish the throne of David.

8. Finally, when time is no more, eternity will be the portion for all who have come to know the Lord. About that period the Scripture says, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him” (I Cor. 2:9). So, there lies before us a heaven that is indescribably wonderful. It will bring a thousand delights that will be beautiful beyond description. It is then that we will fully learn that to have chosen Christ in this world was to initiate a marvelous life in the joys of eternity that will never end.

In briefly reviewing these things, we Christians ought to rejoice with joy unspeakable at the things that we have in the Lord Jesus. When we are Christians, there is no cause for sadness or dark foreboding. Rather, we should “rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4) as the Apostle Paul admonished us.

We also do well to remember that the thousand delights that come to us because we know Christ are ours by grace. We did not merit them, earn them, or anything like this. Rather, we have come to know the Lord because “by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8,9). How pitiful it is that the sad doctrine of “salvation by works” still lingers like an incubus in so many of our churches. Many Christians need to read again that “if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Gal. 2:21).

“Who Owns You?” The proper answer to that question would straighten out many of the problems of the world. For want of the proper answer to that question, the world is committing itself to many a ridiculous, dangerous, and ultimately, fatal course. Autonomous man thinks he can run the world, but in fact, there is no such thing as autonomous man. Does someone powerful and great own us all? As any fool should know, the answer is yes! This tract tells all about it. If you would you like to have this tract to distribute to friends, neighbors, and others just let us know. Its simple message may appeal to many and some may come to Christ. Write or call 800-777-8806 today for more information about the tract “Who Owns You?”

Spirituality in the workplace is another surprising development in our time. Corporations are hiring counselors, and even chaplains, to bring to sometimes tired, discouraged workers a needed spiritual ingredient. Interesting, is it not, that the world is always forced to remember by one development or another the truth of Scripture. Our Lord Jesus was certainly speaking about everything when He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” By this He meant, of course, that physical food is necessary for life, but without that which is spiritual, man simply cannot live. Millions in today's world are in the process of dying from “cosmic loneliness,” whereby they feel detached from everything. For them, life begins to pale, and then soon seems not worth living. The result is alcoholism in the workplace and a mounting number who commit the great insanity—suicide. The workplace is not merely mechanical things, but human hearts and human lives which are looking for the answer to mounting desolation. The aforesaid principle is still true; “nothing really works without the Gospel.”

I hope that we really believe this! Christianity is not simply a small, measured piece of life, but it is life itself. To know Jesus Christ as personal Savior is the absolute foundation of reality and there is no other. The person who would do something, therefore, for suffering, starving, dying humanity, is to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. The world lives on nonsense and is beginning to discover that. It is dying of a hidden hunger. Recognizing this, we Christians must redouble our labors to bring people to faith in Christ while there is still time.

This is a time to be very excited about the possibilities of the work of God across the world. The upsets and confusions of our time have caused more people than ever to ask what the Bible might have to say about these things. In our time, there is a mounting concern about national leadership, economics, morality, the purpose of life, and even the dangers of living. The world of our time has no answers concerning these issues in which we can be confident. Consequently, people are looking to us Christians for a word about these prophetic days. As a consequence, the phone rings constantly and the mail comes in increasing waves to our Christian Destiny headquarters. Many are asking, “In what can I believe?” and “What does the future hold?”

Despite the many voices of our time, only the Bible can adequately answer these questions. The Word of Life, therefore, becomes a more strategic source of information than ever. It tells us about this passing world, about heaven that is to come and especially informs us of the Gospel, the way to get to heaven. Yes, we Christians have a corner on the market when it comes to the questions of life that really matter. Because of this, in the ministry of Christian Destiny, we face increasing numbers of concerned and curious people who wonder about spiritual things. With the wonderful help of God, we are responding.

We rejoice, therefore, in such letters as many recently received saying, “In these confusing times, we appreciate the stand that you take on the Word of God and the nature of the Gospel. Keep it up and we will be praying that God will help in an ever growing fashion!” The prayers of the people of God are the imperative foundation of any ministry. Believe me, the promise of your prayers is a most encouraging resource in our time. Pray that God will continue to give us both the wisdom and the wherewithal to properly represent you in these challenging and opportune times.

Carol and I have regularly expressed our thanks to God for you and the part that you are playing in the ministry of Christian Destiny. You have been a partner in a most significant outreach and we are grateful beyond words. I trust that you will continue to pray for the strategic ministry and make your investment in others coming to know God's Son as personal Savior. Thank you for your prayers and what you will continue to do. You mean more to us than words can tell.