Articles
Looking Ahead
In the first century, Roman engineer Sextus Julius Frontinus was so impressed by his world that he said, “Inventions have reached their limit, and I see no hope for further development.”
In 1895, British scientist Lord Kelvin declared, “Heavier than air flying machines are impossible.”
In 1932, the great physicist Albert Einstein said, “There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable.”
In 1977, computer industry pioneer Ken Olsen remarked, “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.”
It’s hard to tell what the future will bring, isn’t it? “No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after him?” (Ecclesiastes 10:14).
The future’s uncertainty is exciting. Each day brings new opportunities and challenges. Lay hold of them. “Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:24).
The future’s uncertainty is also humbling. “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow… Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that’” (James 4:13-15).
But some aspects of the future are certain. We know that “it is appointed for men once to die,” and that “after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Not knowing when makes it all the more urgent that we prepare now to meet God. “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13). Are you ready?
