I am sure that you often read with interest and a fair amount of amusement the predictions of the people who look into crystal balls and read tarot cards, trying to predict the future. Throughout the course of any year, people say, "We can tell you what is going to happen for tomorrow."

These things have great commercial value, because there is an innate curiosity on the part of people for the answer to the question, "What's ahead?" We don't like to be taken by surprise concerning the future. So, we ask, "How can I understand tomorrow? Where can I get some good information as to what is breaking in my world?"

Do not trust fortue tellers and philosophers of time. Thay may make guesses about the future. But, the way to discover what the future holds is to read the Bible.

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy, unto which ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts," 2 Peter 1:19.

The Apostle Paul said he was ". . .reaching forth unto those things which are before," (Philippians 3:13). There are certain things which God has told us will come to pass. That you can trust. That is a set of predictions that you can put in the bank, and plan your life around. Scripture cannot be broken.

What's ahead for the Christian? The Christian is a very special person, a creature of eternity. He has the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began. God has very special things to say about believers and their future.

". . .we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope; And hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us," Romans 5:3-5.

The problems of life should not scare the Christian. The Christian says, "God is infinite, and He is on my behalf. I wonder how He is going to get me out of this one. I'm looking forward to the events of life, however adverse they may seem, as a great adventure.

I plead with you to look at life in that way: not as an impossible set of problems bound to do you in before it is all done, but as an adventure that is wonderful indeed.

1. Perilous Times

May I suggest, however, that the adventure in living in a world like this is characterized by both the advent of perilous times and also the coming of great opportunity.

Paul wrote, ". . .in the last days perilous times shall come" (2 Timothy 3:1), and, ". . .evil men and seducers shall become worse and worse. . ." (2 Timothy 3:13). In fact, he predicted the future would bring the advent of the rise of Antichrist, characterized by several things.

First of all, it would be characterized by apostasy, the betrayal of the truth of the Bible by the religious establishment (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Don't you see that today? We have, in our present world, weird religious ideas, many of them growing up within Christianity, that are apostasy, a part of the rise of Antichrist.

Paul also wrote that day will be characterized by anarchy and strong delusion. May I suggest that these perils are already upon us as never before.

2. Great Opportunity

As we see this time of peril arise, we must also think of our world as being characterized by great opportunity. Man's importunity is God's opportunity. When man becomes frustrated, he says, "Who can I trust? What is left that's real? What can I build my life on?"

You as a Christian have the answer. And having the answer to such a great question, having the bread of life in the midst of such great hunger, is a fantastic opportunity indeed. God has made you the custodian of the life of this world, because you have the substance without which the world simply cannot live. That substance is the Bible, the Word of God.

The Christian has the chance to live the great adventure in the midst of perilous times. Don't be afraid. Look for opportunity breaking upon us now, as never before.

I am breathless with anticipation every day that I live, asking the question, "What amazing thing is going to happen to me today?" I hope that you are possessed of the same sentiment. We live in an exciting generation, and in the midst of a culture that provides perhaps the greatest opportunity we have seen in history.

Whatever you may say about our culture, we must remember that this country has put more missionaries in the field, and done more to spread the Gospels, than any other nation in history.

However, we also need to face the fact that, however wonderful this life may be, it is still characterized by deterioration. ". . .the world passeth away, and the lust of it; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever," 1 John 2:17.

3. Departure

Our great adventure will one day yield to the tremendous step that will take us from time into eternity. We call it "the departure."

There will come a time when the confined halls of this world will yield to the spacious dimensions of eternity. We are going to go to Heaven some day! The "departure" needs to be understood in two ways, for there are two possible ways we will go to Heaven.

One is physical death. The outward man does perish. ". . .it is apponted to men once to die. . ." (Hebrews 9:27).

There is a second manner in which we may depart from this world: The Rapture of the Church.

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words," 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Christ is coming again for His Church. When? Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe before this week has gone by. So be ready for the end of this life, because it is permanent. One way or another, we are going to depart from this world. And ours is the generation that especially should look forward to the second way, the Rapture.

4. Evaluation

After this departure, there will be an evaluation.

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad," 2 Corinthians 5:10.

Our faith assures our salvation the moment we believe. But the evaluation will be, "I wonder if I have done my best for Jesus?" Are you prepared for the evaluation? As a believer, you are going to Heaven some day; that is settled. But what is not settled is the degree of reward you will obtain when you stand before the Lord. "So run, that ye may obtain" (1 Corinthians 9:24) when you get there. Rewards come as a result of that evaluation.

5. Celebration

There's going to be a celebration when we get to Heaven. It's called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The Lord knows how to put in a party, believe me. The best party in this world is as nothing compared to that coming celebration.

You must have the right outfit on to be at that occasion. It's a "black tie" affair. Actually, it's a "white robe" affair. Those who are clothed in the white robe of the righteousness of Jesus Christ will be invited to be part of that great event, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

6. Return

When we get to Heaven, there's unfinished business we have to take care of in this world. And so, Christ is going to come back to this world in power and glory. But He is not coming alone. We are coming with Him.

The Apostle John says that he saw heavens opened, and Christ came riding forth on a white horse (Revelation 19:11). An army followed Him, riding on white horses as well. Who is this army? Jude tells us by saying, ". . .Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints," (Jude 14).

Christ's saints will return with Him when He comes back to set straight the things of this world. I hope that you intend to be in that army. A saint is any person who has believed the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you are a Christian, you are a saint. You will return with Jesus Christ as a part of that conquering army from Heaven. What a privilege that will be!

That responsibility that God gives us to conquer this world from the devil in the name of Christ is a prelude to the eternal responsibilities that we are going to have out in the wilderness of eternity. I know as you hear these things, you may say, "What's ahead for the Christian is fantastic." But you may also wonder, "Is there some wonderful advantage that we have by being Christians even now in this world? The answer is yes, a thousand times yes.

Think for a moment of the remarkable capabilities you have as a believer in Jesus Christ. You have ". . .Christ in you, the hope and glory" (Colossians 1:27). God Himself works in you, to will and to do His good pleasure, producing remarkable capability on the outside. That's why the Bible says,

"Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:5

We have the presence of Christ, the power of the Holy spirit, and the privilege of prayer. We have a remarkable set of blessings which make us equal to any challenge we face in the course of living for Christ in a world like this.

What a hope! What's ahead for the believer? Tremendous things. Don't miss them.

Utopia! This is the promise that the world gives itself. "We will bring to pass a magnificent society in which everything will be so splendid that you won't believe it." Will the world bring to pass Utopia?

Well, the answer to that question cannot be found by listening to the promise of politicians or educators. It can only be found by checking the Bible. Listen to what the Bible says about the world in which we live.

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust of it; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever," 1 John 2:15-17.

If you want to know about the future of our world, remember those words: "the world passeth away." There is a different future for the world than there is for the Church. What about the future of the world in the days to come? The answer is very clear in the Bible.

7. Decline of Culture

First of all, we face a decline of the culture of this world. Let me ask you a question. Is the world of today better than what it was when you were a small child? Is the world today more sanguine, more safe, more moral, more cooperative now, than it was 10, 20, 50 years ago? Of course not.

We have moved into a time of dark degeneracy being poured out into every home by the awful vehicle of commercial television and other ways. The world is corrupting itself so speedily that we wonder, not about Utopia, but about survival. The Bible says that ". . .in the last days perilous times shall come. . .evil men and seducers shall become worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived," (2 Timothy 3:1, 13).

8. Economic Confusion

The world will see come to pass economic confusion.

". . .Take heed, and beware of covetousness; for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth," Luke 12:15

The Bible says to ". . .be content with such things as ye have. . ." (Hebrews 13:5). It talks about greed, avarice, and self-seeking as things that ruin the personality of an individual. That will become endemic in culture, so that total economic consternation will set in before it's all done.

". . .A measure of wheat for a denarius, and three measures of barley for a denarius, and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine" (Revelation 6:6). This predicted economic manipulation that will produce economic collapse.

Are we on that road today? Take the United States: we are more than 4 trillion dollars in the red, with no possibility of change. In fact, there is no promise that we will not have further deficits. No political party in the United States knows what to do about this.

Economic collapse, when you can no longer pay your bills, is a terrible thing for an individual. When you see it happen to a nation, you are talking about famine, pestilence, and people dying of many things that a viable government once prevented. Economic confusion is a fearful thing to see happen.

Will the banks survive? The answer is "no," 200 of them will not survive the next year. Will the S&L's survive? Many of them will not. It's taken $500 billion to rescue them so far. Will the insurance companies survive? Many people, approaching the time when they want to collect on their life insurance, now find that it's not there. Economic confusion is setting in as of now.

9. Political Disarray

When you see economic confusion, you will also see other forms of subversion move into society. People, in desperate plights, and lovers of their own selves, do things they would not do otherwise. Finally, the political structure often leads to anarchy. Are we moving in that direction today? I fear that we are.

What's ahead for the world? The world is promising Utopia, but it is seeing progressive decline. The spoiling of its substance is happening today.

That is leading to political disarray. When the political leaders see the population turn to deep disillusionment, they wonder what to do. The politician is happy when things are stable. But alas, there is coming a tremendous political disarray, where even the leaders will be men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning any kind of faith.

10. Spiritual Declension

Why do we have economic and political disarray? Because the basis of life is moral, and behind that basis of morality is spirituality. The world is not finally made out of things that are seen, but things which are not seen.

"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal," 2 Corinthians 4:18.

When man turns from God, there sets in a time of Divine discipline. Christ spoke to the nation of Israel upon the occasion of its rejection of Him, and said, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate," (Matthew 23:38).

He speaks now to the whole world that rejects the leadership of the Lord, and says, "Desolation: that's what's going to become of your culture."

Many people sense this. They are disillusioned with political and economic leadership even here in the United States. People as never before are voting against the establishment. They are saying, "Throw the rascals out. Let's have a limitation of political terms." Politics has been a great disappointment because we have looked to it for the answers. There is no answer in politics without a morality that stems from spirituality.

11. Man's New Day

You can be sure that there are men even now meeting around conference tables and saying, "What can we come up with? Is there a scheme, is there a plan, is there something we can do to bring about a new day?"

Will they come up such a plan? Yes they will. In fact, you are already hearing people in places of leadership saying, "We are going to bring to pass a 'new world order.'"

Will it be good? Will it improve things? Will it bring to pass a bright new and beneficent day for people? The answer is no!

Man's new day in the Bible is called the Tribulation. Man's new day will bring to pass the Day of the Lord, in which God judges the nations of the world. It will also bring the rise of a new world leader.

12. Rise of the World Leader

The Bible speaks about an individual who will step upon the world scene in the midst of the world's disillusionment, and say, "I have a plan for the future. I have a wonderful design for you to follow. We will resolve the problems of injustice, lack of financial capability, and food distribution. We will produce a bright new world that will be wonderful indeed."

The world will buy into this man's plan. He will be received with ecstasy. His name is Antichrist. He will move first to the leadership of the European complex, the revived Roman Empire. Then he will become a world leader. He will operate on the premise that autonomous man can bring to pass a perfect society.

13. Promise of Peace

The core of his promise is peace. He will promise that no longer will there be war and desolation coming upon mankind. Have you seen the war pictures on television these days? Battles are taking place in Eastern Europe, in Northern Ireland, in the Middle East - - awful scenes of carnage. The look of pitiful refugees, weeping, because life as they knew it is all over: it's happening again.

14. The Last Battle

The promise of peace will not bring peace. Rather, it will bring to pass an awful confrontation in the world, the most terrible battle in all of history: the Battle of Armageddon.

The Bible says the world will see the decline of its culture. The world will come up with a scheme of global government. A great world leader will promise peace to the ends of the earth. But alas, there is still that perverse disposition within the heart of man.

"From where come wars and fightings among you?. . ." (James 4:1). Come they not because of the attitudes of your hearts? The answer is yes! Antichrist will not be able to change the hearts of the men.

Consequently there will be a last battle in which mankind, under the leadership of this evil king of the world, will march not simply against one another, but against God.

The kings of the earth bring armies of the world to a place called Armageddon, a valley in northern Israel. There, the battle of the world against God will take place. There is such carnage that blood flows to the level of horses' bridle straps. That battle, the great attempt by Antichrist to take over the world and the universe, will be rebuffed by the return of Jesus Christ in power and great glory.

15. Appointment with God

What will happen to the world's vaunted achemes and arrogant promises? What will happen to the world's boasts of Utopia? Ultimately, they will fail, washed away in the tide of God's judgment.

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judges out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. . .And whosoever was not found in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire," Revelation 20:12, 15.

This world is not on its way to Heaven. This world is on its way to Hell. And seeing that, I hope that you are open to a very earnest invitation to come to Christ. Get off, as it were, the downward escalator of this world that is leading to hell, and get on the upward escalator that will take you to Heaven. There is a Person waiting to pick you up and carry you to His home on high. That Person is Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World.

I hope right now that you are asking the question, "What must I do to avoid that terrible judgment that is coming upon the world?" You can avoid the awful judgment of God by knowing Christ, believing the Gospel and accepting God's son as your Savior.

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36

Please, do not join the future of this world. Come to Christ. Believe the Gospel, and you are on your way to Heaven's glory with the hope of eternal life, ehich God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began. That's my prayer for each of us today.

We will be delving into each of these areas in more detail as we go along. This is basically more of a brief summary of this world's future according to the Prophetic Word.