A
prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are
punished — Proverbs
22:3; 27:12 (NKJV)
If you consider the
nature of our world today, it is very strange. Common sense is in short supply,
the exception is the rule, minority or individual rights trump community
welfare, and the once respected Christian Church is held in ridicule.
What is happening in
our world and why? For starters, we need prudence if we are going to face the
future with confidence. By definition, ‘prudence’ means ‘the state of being
careful in decision-making as to avoid unnecessary risk; careful thought for
the future’. Indeed, without prudence, there may be no future at all.
In this series, we want
to learn about the TEN TRENDS that are changing our world forever.
Before we even begin with the first trend, we need to understand the over
arching premise. It is this:
We are in the Last Days
First, what does this
phrase mean? It does not mean a literally 24 hour day or few days. It is a
period of time. In its simplest form, the Biblical ‘Last Days’ means the
transitional period from human government to divine government. This is
summarised in Revelation 11:15 (NKJV) ‘The kingdoms of this world have
become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever
and ever!’ Transitions can often be turbulent, but they are still
necessary. Without them, you cannot get to the next level. The good news is
that you don’t have to be shaken by the turbulence. Like the seat belts on an
airplane, you can go to the Rock that cannot be shaken.
Everyone has a
worldview, which are the coloured glasses by which we view life. If you wear
pink sunglasses, everything will look pink. If you wear humanist ‘glasses,’
everything will be seen from that prism. In this case, we base our worldview on
the Bible, God’s holy and eternal world (Isaiah 40:8).
The Bible clearly
states that we are in the last days. Hebrews 9:26 states that Calvary
and Christ’s atoning death for us occurred at the ‘end of the world’ or
‘the end of the age.’ I John 2:18 is even more explicit: ‘Little
children, it is the last hour.’
Acts 2:17 says ‘And it shall come to pass in the
last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; We
have been seeing this universal Holy Spirit outpouring since the beginning of
the Pentecostal revival in 1901.
You will learn that
many of the TEN TRENDS are very much part of end-time prophecy. But there are
other tell-tale signs. These include:
1.
The
‘Last Days’ will have falling standards: Civility, rule of law, etiquette,
integrity, respect for authority truth, all thee will be under assault;
2.
Evil
will rise up and temporarily triumph. Anti-Semitism and persecution of
Christians is increasing worldwide. Ungodliness is practiced and godliness
mocked. In the public square of the western world, we see Godly people being
attacked for standing up for simple things like marriage integrity, traditional
family, freedom of speech, and peace in the Middle East. No matter how vicious
and erroneous the attacks are, the attackers seem to strike with impunity.
3.
The
nature of the unredeemed will be as follows: II Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJV) 1But
know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2For men
will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3unloving, unforgiving,
slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4traitors,
headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having
a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! Does
this look familiar?
4.
Acceleration
of time: everything seems to be going faster and faster.
5.
Intensity
of evil also occurs. Evil is not new, but it is being tolerated and even
celebrated in ways that were impossible to imagine a few years ago.
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