What Time Is It?

It’s the best of times. It’s the worst of times.

The stock market is back up and the Iraq war is winding down. However the Afghanistan conflict seems like it’ll never end and terrorism is spreading around the globe.

But, in spite of economic uncertainty, people are still buying technology toys—flat-screen televisions, computers, and smartphones—like there’s no tomorrow.

Well, what if there was no tomorrow? Frankly, I think there will be a tomorrow. But what if tomorrow brings a very different world than today? That’s a more likely scenario.

Now hold on for just a minute. Could the world be all that different tomorrow? Absolutely.

We know from recent history that the world can change overnight. It happened several times in my lifetime. It’s just a matter of time before it happens again.

The day after President Kennedy was assassinated, our world was a different place. It changed forever the day after the Columbine School shootings. After 9-11-2001 people talked about a “New Normal.” And nine years later we’re still learning to adjust.

It seems like every day the media reports a catastrophe somewhere: Earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist attacks planned, thwarted or perpetrated. Every night the news from the Middle East is more troubling than the day before.

Does anyone really understand the times we live in?

Someone does. More than 2,000 years ago, God told the prophets of Israel about what would happen in our times. They recorded this “future news” in the Bible for our benefit. Author Joel C. Rosenberg calls Bible prophecy “Intelligence intercepts from the mind of God.”

God revealed to the Biblical Prophet Ezekiel that in the last days Russia and Turkey would become allies with Iran against Israel. For thousands of years there hasn’t been a Russian-Turkish-Iranian alliance but it’s developing now. (Turkey was a friend of Israel until recently.)

God also said that Babylon (Iraq) would one day rise again to be a world power.

Jesus Christ spoke to his disciples about the end times. He said war and earthquakes would multiply. He talked about the rise of false religions and cults. He said evil would increase and then there would come a time of great distress, unmatched in human history.

The Prophet Joel talked about all the nations turning against Israel and seeking to divide it. In the Bible book of Revelation, one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse causes a devastating worldwide food shortage, which leads to massive inflation.

These events sound as if they were ripped from today’s and tomorrow’s headlines!

One of the Bible’s purposes is to help us understand what is happening and why from God’s perspective. It also tells us that part of God’s plan is for Jesus Christ to return one day and fix the mess we’ve made on planet earth.

Students of Bible prophecy tell us that recent history and current events seem to line up with many of the Bible’s predictions. Our world could change overnight.

What should we do? How should we live in such a time as this?

The Bible tells us Peter, the disciple of Jesus, wrote that since “the day of the Lord will come like a thief,” that is suddenly and unexpectedly, “you ought to live holy and godly lives.”

What time is it? It depends on your relationship with God. If you are far away, now may be the right time to seek the Lord. If you are close to him, encourage others to trust in Christ.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!