Life is full of the past.

Look around. It’s everywhere and pretty hard to miss.

My car testifies of each of the times I parked too close to someone else’s. My body reveals the evidence of surgeries, accidents, and injuries with each scar having it’s very own story to tell. The trees carry within their rings a living history of the good and bad winters and even the stars shine their past every single night.

The past. It’s hard not to notice it because God has chosen to record it in so many ways. Must be important. Perhaps that is why even the Eternal One, the perfect Son of God has scars that remain on his glorified body. He has a story that needs to be remembered.

But what of the future?

The world around is strangely silent when we look in the other direction. “What happened?” is far easier to answer then “What’s next?” You can’t look at your body too see it’s future or up at the stars to see some distant tomorrow. No, the future lies veiled in a mystery that is beyond man’s ability to sneak a peak into. Or does it?

God throws down the gauntlet and challenges the many “gods” of this world with these words “Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods.” (Isaiah 41:23)

Only God has knowledge of those things that have yet to take place. God knows the future as well as we know the past. Indeed, better. Sometimes I forget the way things happened. My memory improves or even exaggerates the past. I find I am a poor record keeper of even my own life! God’s memory  on the other hand is crystal clear and absolutely correct. He always remembers perfectly and knows the future accurately.

Better yet, God has given us previews and peeks into the future. These prophecies in scripture reveal enough of the future to encourage us as well as to motivate us to believe His Word and obey His will.

In an old song a little girl asks her mother some questions “Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?”. Her mother tells her “Whatever will be will be, the future’s not ours to see.”

God chooses to leave the particulars of most of our lives concealed. However, The bigger picture of world events including the future of His people and the future of those who reject Him are not as shadowy question marks. No, God has lifted the veil and told us boldly in advance what we can expect. He has given us significant detail about the time right before the end. We who live in it will be hard pressed to miss it if we will open eyes open and look for it.

The future isn’t as much a mystery for the child of God as it is for the unbeliever. When they shake their heads and say “What is the world coming to?” We should be ready and say “I’m glad you asked.” Then, simply add “If you have a few minutes I’d be happy to tell you!”