Our Future

By Grant Phillips

Most everyone wants to know what the future holds. What does the future hold for me and my family in particular? What will be the future breakthroughs in the fields of medicine, electronics, science, society, education, and finances for example? What waits out there for my country? What type of clothes will be popular ten or twenty years from now? What will the new cars look like thirty years from now?

On a personal level, we sometimes wonder; how will I die, what will my children be like when they are adults, will I have a job tomorrow, will I be blindsided by an unexpected divorce that I didn’t see coming, where will I be five or ten years from now, will I be able to retire, how will I be cared for when I am old, who will take care of my family when I’m gone, and the list goes on?

Christians may be asking, “How much worse will the world become before Jesus returns for me?” “Is He coming soon?”

Even those who do not claim Jesus as their Savior are wondering, “What does the future hold. Is there any hope for better things to come, or just a continued slide into chaos?”

I personally feel that God is very kind by withholding from our knowledge some of the answers we may seek. It’s called grace. For example, in most cases, not all, we do not know how we are going to die and that is a blessing. If I die before the Rapture, do I really want to know how I will leave this earth in physical death? I personally would rather not know until I’m actually faced with it. The Apostle Peter was not so fortunate, for Jesus told him exactly how he would die.

“¹⁸Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.¹⁹This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.” (John 21:18-19)

I used to wonder how Peter dealt with that frightening knowledge. Crucifixion was an unimaginably horrible way to die. The answer is obvious. He dealt with it the same way any Christian of today would deal with dying. His strength did not come from himself, but from within himself. The Holy Spirit of God provided the strength.

“¹⁶And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; ¹⁷ Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you comfortless: [emphasis mine]I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)

On the other hand, Jesus, as God, knew exactly what He would be facing, not just the anguish of crucifixion, but the judgment for our sin. However, because of His great love for us, He drank of that cup. When He died for us, He was not comforted by God as Peter was, but instead condemned and alone because of our sins.

Jesus knew what was ahead of Him. Often, “thank you Lord,” we do not.

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