The Best of Times; The Worst of Times

Charles Dickens wrote in his novel ‘A Tale of Two Cities,’ “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…” I wonder if that might be said of our day? Paul wrote to his young convert Timothy, “There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power.” II Timothy 3:1-5

Let’s first try to answer the question, ‘Are we living in the last days?’ I’d like to answer that question by saying, ‘Yes, maybe.’ The author of Hebrews said, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.” Hebrews 1:1,2. In the sense that the Son has come and the Son has given to us the words of God we are absolutely in ‘the last days.’ Of that fact there is no argument. Now the question is: are we in the ‘last days’ before the coming of Christ? That’s the ‘maybe’ part of the equation. We simply don’t know and it’s foolish for anyone to predict we are. On this point the Scripture is again clear. The disciples asked Christ, “‘Lord, are You at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority.’” Acts 1:6,7. If man cannot know the hour in which Christ will come to fulfill God’s promise to Israel (II Samuel 7:16), we certainly have no way of knowing when He will return for what we know as the ‘rapture of the church,’(I Thessalonians 4:13-18). Knowing full well that the Lord could tarry for another thousand years, it is my opinion that we are living in the hour of His coming. (That has been the opinion of most every generation.) The world is certainly set for His return. And I agree with John when he says, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20.

This brings us to the last question we want to consider. Are America’s best days behind her? Sadly, I believe that just might be the case. I would like to quote from two, what I believe to be, excellent articles in the May/June, 2009, issue of the Voice Magazine. Both articles are addressing the current economic issues we are facing today. The first article I will quote from is entitled ‘Crisis of Wealth or Wisdom?’ “Without a doubt, right now the greatest topic of discussion and the preoccupation of most people’s private thoughts is the concern over the loss of personal wealth. Unemployment statistics are nearing an alarming 10%, and some states have already crossed that threshold.” A bit later into the article the question is asked, “Are we in a crisis of wealth, or a crisis of wisdom? We find ourselves in a national crisis. But I do not think it is really a financial crisis. I think it is the consequence of a spiritual breakdown – a wisdom crisis. Psalm 33 indicates that a nation’s security is not found in its wealth, but in its worship. And not in worship in general, but in its worship in particular of the Lord. ‘The Lord,’ sets Him apart, and above and beyond the other lesser and false gods of the nations. The Psalmist has written, ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord’ (Psalm 33:12). There are no ‘Christian nations,’ but a given nation can experience the blessing of God when its leadership and populace submit to Him. Perhaps our day is like the day of Amos. Maybe our day is a day of the judgment of God as proclaimed through the voice of Amos: “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord God, ‘When I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord’ (Amos 8:11).” Our nation, which was founded on Christian principles, has abandoned everything godly. We are a nation who has lost its moral bearings and as we drift further into moral decay our chances of recovery grow dimmer with each day. The second article I want to quote from is entitled ‘Christians and the National Meltdown.’ Here we find this observation made: “The epicenter for the global economic earthquake is in the United States, with effects felt in every country. And yet no one in our society and I mean no one I have seen on television or heard on the radio – is considering the idea of turning to God and repenting. With millions in America claming to be born again Christians, sadly it seems that most Americans function as practical atheists while the specter of fear and panic pervades our nation. Should not believers and the true Bible believing Church of the Lord be beacons of light at this dark hour in our nation? Yes. But as unbelievers scan Christendom in America what do they see when they look at us? Are they drawn to Christ through our powerful faith, testimonies, and heavenly perspective? Or do they see the same panic and materialistic mindset of our culture?” There is much in both of these articles worthy of quoting, but I move further into the article to quote, “Romans 1:24-32 tells us that the final sign that judgment has already arrived upon a nation is when God ‘gives them up’ to rampant and legitimized sodomy. Therefore, based on that one biblical criterion alone, our nation is not headed for judgment we have already been judged!”

Whether we are living in the hour of Christ’s return I can only speculate. But, I do believe that without a national revival, and soon, America, as we know it, will come crumbling down, collapsing in her own moral decay.

President Obama said on a recent visit to Turkey, “We do not consider ourselves to be a Christian nation, or a Jewish nation, or a Islamic nation.” There is some truth to that statement. However, what is left out of that statement is the fact that we were founded on Christian principles. And now, as we continue to flee all that is godly, sadly, I fear I must agree with the above mentioned, “based on that one biblical criterion alone, (Romans 1:24-32) our nation is not headed for judgment we have already been judged!”

All of this sounds like the worst of times, so, where does the best of times come in? That part is easy. Every day we are one day closer to the Lord’s return. The world may be headed for ‘hell in a hand basket,’ as the saying goes. But, I’m not! I live in a win win situation. I have the same hope as all true believers. The trumpet may sound and I will be caught up in the air to be with Christ forevermore. Or, I will leave this life and enter heaven where my Savior awaits my arrival. That will be the ultimate ‘best of times.’