GN Commentary: May 7, 2009 - The Times They Are A-Changin'

Truly, the times they are a-changing. But what does that mean for you and me? Where should we turn for comfort and reassurance in this unstable, uncertain and changing world?

Related Resources

You Can Understand Bible Prophecy
Prophecy is an integral part of the Bible, God's inspired revelation to mankind. Through it God reveals Himself, His plan for humanity and why we are here.

The Purposes of Prophecy
Does God use prophecy to punish humanity out of some perverse sense of enjoyment? Of course not! But if there are positive purposes to prophecy, what are they?

Can You Believe Bible Prophecy?
Can you believe in the Bible as what it claims to be—the inspired Word of God? Can we know for sure? Its pages issue a challenge to skeptics: Who but an almighty, all-powerful God can predict the future, then bring to pass what He has foretold? Are you willing to take God up on His challenge, to see whether prophecy indeed proves the Bible is the Word of God?

Why Prophecy?
Some people spend too much time digging into Bible prophecy, at times becoming unbalanced. Others say that prophecy has little to do with the practical side of life, so it's not that important. Yet just living in these uncertain times should tell us that we need to understand the real purpose of prophecy.

Video Transcript

OK, I confess: I'm old enough to remember Bob Dylan's hit song "The Times They Are A-Changin'."

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A skinny American folk singer in his early twenties poured these prophetic words into the ears of teenagers, and teen wannabe's. Remember this? "Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call. Don't stand in the doorways, don't block up the hall, for he who gets hurt will be he who has stalled. There's a battle outside raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls, for the times they are a-changing."

It's worth rehearsing the words, isn't it? It seemed vaguely prophetic back then in 1963, and disquietingly so. The prophetic words struck home just after the record was released, as US President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November of that year.

Almost 46 years have elapsed since the release of Dylan's hit record, and surely the times have changed, and are changing still. Now, in 2009, it seems times are changing faster and in a more threatening way than they were in 1963. Back then, there were no airplane hijackings, while today we worry about terrorists working evil in the hearts of our cities. Back then, the economy was at least stable, even if unemployment was higher than we would have wished; today each day brings news of economic upheaval. Back then, most children were born to a monogamous married couple; by 2007 some 40 per cent of babies in the United States were born to unwed mothers, with the number rising.

Truly, the times they are a-changing. But what does that mean for you and me? Where should we turn for comfort and reassurance in this unstable, uncertain and changing world?   

Bob Dylan disclaimed being a prophet, but a true prophet once declared on behalf of the Creator almost three millennia ago: "I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times what is still to come" (Isaiah 46:9,10). 

Yes, the times are changing, and in ways we may not like. But Bible prophecy opens the door for us to learn of the future, both the short-term pain and anguish this world will yet experience, and the long-term future God has planned for all of us. Better times will come, and they're going to be far better than anything we can even imagine. The future of humanity is in God's hands! He has good things planned! And that's the really good news!

For GN Magazine, I'm Ralph Levy.