And in the morning, “There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.” You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but are you unable to discern the signs of the times? (Matthew 16:3, NASB)
Golf technology is moving rapidly and changing the game. I still remember the start of the golf ball revolution in the 1990s. The ball started to go farther and straighter. The golf clubs engineered a new game with larger sweet spots and more forgiving for mishits. And now we are understanding swing speeds, launch angles, and spin rates. The GPS range finders on my phone are amazing. I can look and see that I am 171 yards from this pin location and the slope and grain run away to the right. I used to just look the green and figure it is about a 5 iron.
How about our world today? It is moving rapidly as well, but are we getting any better? It’s a good question with a complicated answer. I believe as Charles Dickens did in 1859 when he penned A Tale of Two Cities—“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity…”
So, take courage, and stand firm. We are living in the best of times and the worst of times, but we must be compelled to tell others the Good News about the end times.
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The world is a better place today than it has ever been for more people than ever before. Fifty years ago, life expectancy was 68 compared to 79 today. Think about all the diseases we have virtually eradicated in the last 50 years. Human rights, women’s rights, and racial discrimination have come a long way.
More people have access to clean drinking water than ever before, and human poverty is as low as it has ever been around the world. That is the good news.
Now the more sobering bad news. Where is our direction and focus today? I know there are always pockets of enlightenment, but the trend is going in the wrong direction. All of this is happening at the same time. Technology is getting better, but there is more death by suicide than ever before. The social and moral issues of today tend to be sliding downhill with the masses who don’t believe in God or absolute truth. We are becoming lonely and self-absorbed in the middle of the technological revolution. And the Bible tells us that we are not going to fix it with our intellect and wealth. Jesus is coming back to make all things new. He said there will be a new heaven and a new earth.
So, take courage, and stand firm. We are living in the best of times and the worst of times, but we must be compelled to tell others the Good News about the end times. There has always been good times and bad times mixed into the same cauldron. The survivors and thrivers have one thing in common—they know Jesus.
These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (John 16:33). We and every other generation have had tribulation and a lot of it. But we know the end of the story. Only because we know the Author of the end can we have that peace now that transcends all understanding. Worst of times and best of times can be argued. End times are assured. Jesus said so, and I believe Him.