Looking to the Future

By Colly Caldwell

   “¹But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. ²For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. ³For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. ⁴But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. (1Thes. 5:1-4).

   How do you suppose the headlines would read if the world came to an end today. The Wall Street Journal might say, “Market Closes Early.” The Tampa Tribune might say, “No Traffic at the Airport.” Sports Illustrated would say, “Wimbledon Ends Championship after First Week.” And USA Today might say, “Forget Green: Earth Burns Up.” Of course, that is silly. No paper will be printed. No television newscast will air. Even Facebook will stop sending messages.

   When Paul wrote the Thessalonians, he gave them about as much information as God has revealed concern-ing the last day of planet earth. I suppose most people get a chill when seriously thinking about the end of the world and the second coming of Christ. Religious leaders have for centuries tried to determine the date of it and their deluded followers have sold their homes, cashed in their insurance policies, and looked up into the skies for signs. At the website bible.ca/pre-date-setters.htm there is a listing of more than 200  historical references  to attempts to set the time of the end of the world. On other websites, there are major current predictions. These predictions bring panic and dismay to believers: panic beforehand and dismay after the date passes when things continue as before. Personally, I have recently talked with more than one person who believes that the book of Revelation describes the end of the world in such a way that we at least know certainly it will come in our lifetime.

   We Cannot Know the Future. Think about our own recent history. Would any of us fifty years ago predicted the influence of computers in our lives? Would we have imagined cell phones, cable TV, or smart phones and TVs as they are today?  Would we have predicted the changing political climate or the advancement of Covid as a challenge to masses among the population of the world? What will existence on planet earth  be like for our grandchildren after we are gone? We simply cannot imagine.

   Our Scripture says specifically that such is true with regard to the time of Christ’s coming. Apparently many brethren were convinced that Jesus would come in their lifetime. That did not happen in the first century. Nor has it happened until today. That doesn’t mean that it cannot or will not happen at any given time the Lord chooses.

   God Knows. Perhaps no scriptural truth is more certain than this: God only knows!!! This is our source of comfort. Some things are basically unpredictable for us. There is a relatively new area of science identified as “Chaos Theory.” It studies structure in dynamic systems, such as cloud formation, where it appears impossible to predict long-range conditions. It has described the fact that there is unpredictable behavior in nature. Yet computer models tell us that even this behavior appears chaotic, following patterns so huge and complex that we cannot predict them, even with computers. Our solution to this:  God knows. He is in control of His universal and everything in it. Therefore all his children and all things are alright.

   We Must Use Today. Sometime back, a judge in Richmond, VA let petty offenders roll a pair of dice to determine the number of days they would get in jail. After the judge’s death, the secret came out: the dice were loaded.

   It sometimes appears that God has given men unlimited time and total freedom to govern their own lives on earth. Wrong! How are you using your days? Let me give you a hint: “The dice are loaded.” That does not mean that there is some predetermined day for you to die or that there is nothing you can do to be involved in the number of your days from the perspective of good health and safety.  But it means, your future Is in God’s hands, and you are unable to control every aspect of your future on this earth. At any moment, you could have a deadly accident or be diagnosed with a terminal disease. And never forget that God could send the Lord in the clouds to end this earth and fulfill His promises. Believe it!

   In the 1987 NCAA regional basketball finals, LSU was up by eight points with just a few minutes left in the game. As sometimes happens when holding a lead, they went into a defensive mode and started watching the clock rather than wholeheartedly playing the game. Indiana beat them and went on to become the national champions. God does not want us “watching the clock.” He wants us to use our days fully in His service.

   In “The Dead Poets Society,” Robin Williams plays an English teacher who takes his class into the hall to the trophy case where he shows them the past heroes of the school. “Do you want to be one,” he says. “Then Carpe Diem… seize the day!” And we must do the same because we do not know how many days we may have or the Lord’s hour when he may come.