For years, we began this ministry’s television program with the words, “Yesterday’s prophecies; today’s headlines.” We recently refocused the program to more of a teaching format rather than an emphasis on current events. It seemed appropriate to change the wording of the intro. It now says, “Yesterday’s prophecies for today’s world.”
The two openings have this in common. They emphasize the accuracy and timelessness of God’s word. Thousands of years ago, Bible prophets described our time. They gave details that are nothing short of miraculous. They described our technology and the results of that technology. They described wars that were not possible then, but today hang ominously over our world.
Their prophecies leave no doubt in my mind that we are living in the “latter times.” The end of this age is near. That’s wonderful news. It means Jesus is coming soon. But living in these times presents a host of challenges. Jesus said these would be times of deception (Matthew 24: 4, 5, 11, 24), persecution (Matthew 24:9), and lawlessness (Matthew 24:12 among other dangers.
2 Timothy 3 specifically describes the last days as “perilous.” It talks about the results of men turning away from God. Among other dangers, it says the men of our time will be “without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless” (2 Timothy 3:3-4). Those descriptions are a recipe for heartbreak and pain.
We live in perilous times. But these are also times of wonder. Everywhere we turn, we see examples of God’s sovereignty rolled out before our eyes like a scroll. Because He told us all these things in advance, we don’t have to live in fear. We don’t have to focus on the perils, but on the promises.
One night, the disciples were in trouble. They were in a small boat and a storm had risen. The waves threatened to engulf them. Then they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water, and that sight terrified them even more. The New Living Bible says, “In their fear, they cried out, ‘It's a ghost!’ But Jesus spoke to them at once. ‘Don't be afraid,’ he said. ‘Take courage. I am here!’” (Matthew 14:26-27)
That’s where a lot of Christians are right now. A storm is rising. The world system they long trusted seems to be falling apart all around them. And many have forgotten the Lord’s promise in Matthew 28:20 — “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
“Even to the end of the age” includes today. He’s with us in all of it, and He will stay with us. He’s saying to all those who are in Him, “Don't be afraid…. Take courage. I am here!”
Hal Lindsey
In June, Business Insider magazine called planet earth, “A world on fire.” Over the course of this year, people have taken to the streets in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chili, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hong King, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Iran, Japan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Kenya, Nigeria, Scotland, Senegal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and more.
I’m not talking about the justness of their causes. That varies. What I want you to see is the incredible level of unrest and agitation reaching across the world. People are outraged and afraid. They feel that evildoers control many of the world’s governments. And in too many cases, they are right. These are the days the prophets predicted. We should not be surprised at the deception going on in the world.
The word “fret” is a translation of the Hebrew, “charah.” It means to glow or blaze up in anger or jealousy. The scripture here is clear. This kind of fretting leads to evildoing. And we see this kind of evildoing all over the world at this moment in history.
The first verse in Psalm 37 gives us this clear instruction. “Do not fret because of evildoers.”
Are there evildoers working for the candidate you oppose? Does the communist party in China seem filled with evildoers? Have evildoers taken political control over much of the world? God says not to fret about evildoers because that kind of fretting leads to your own evildoing, and then to your own undoing.
Even when their actions are outrageous, do not be outraged. Keep your poise. Stay calm. Be cool. Trust God. A lying media or a corrupt Washington establishment might be frustrating, even agonizing. But God says not to fret over them.
Psalm 37 goes on to say, “Trust in the Lord and do good… Delight yourself in the Lord… Trust also in Him… Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him… Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret.”
In God, we are the ones with real power, so let us act in confident joy rather than worry or fear. This is a good time to read all of Psalm 37… and then read it again. Do not fret because of evildoers. Commit your way to God. Trust, delight, and rest in Him. Let Him be your “strength in time of trouble.”
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