When Looking Back IS Looking Ahead :: By Dave Hubley

(There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.)

A distinction must be made between the context of looking back for followers of Jesus Christ in a spiritual sense as opposed to looking back in a “worldly” sense.

“Looking Back” in a Worldly Sense:

We are cautioned by God’s Word about looking back in the worldly sense in terms of regretting having to leave physical possessions, money, our “comfortable” lifestyle, or even unsaved family members behind (as hard as that is to contemplate, it must be considered). “Clinging” to them first in our hearts is what is meant.

These three verses provide understanding of how this might look:

“But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God’” (Luke 9:62).

The young man who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life received this response from the Lord:

“Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property” (Mark 10:21-22).

We are all familiar with what happened to Lot’s wife when she looked back toward Sodom. In that case, the consequences of this regret were instantaneous

“But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26).

That “kind” of looking back applies to anyone or anything that we value more highly than following the Lord Jesus and that once we have received Him as Savior and been saved by His sacrifice, we should put them in their proper order in our lives.

The error of this “mis-evaluation” is made clear by Jesus.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19).

“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:7).

In the modern-day lexicon, “you will never see a U-Haul truck in a funeral procession.”

Looking Back in the Biblical, Spiritual Sense:

There are two kinds of “looking” in the Spiritual sense: Prophecy fulfilled (looking back) and Prophecy yet future (looking ahead).

Prophecy fulfilled:

God has provided us with a wealth of fulfilled prophecy to “look back at.” I believe He has included these markers in order to give us hope and confidence in Him.

These are only two of hundreds of His gifts of fulfilled promises.

“Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?
Can a land be born in one day?
Can a nation be brought forth all at once?” (Isaiah 66:8).

On May 14, 1948, this prophecy of Isaiah, after approximately 2,600 years, was fulfilled:

The oldest prophecy directly referring to Messiah Jesus from early in Genesis:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15).

In this verse is found the promise of the Messiah and our means of Salvation. Unsaved humans born of the flesh by the will of man and under the curse of sin (the seed of Satan) are promised that we can become saved from this hopeless state through repenting of our sins and believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, thus experiencing a spiritual (not physical) rebirth.

The “seed of woman” is the sinless Son of God, conceived not by the normal means of man and thereby carrying the sin-filled nature, but by the Holy Spirit, just as God Promised Mary, the pure virgin. Thus comes about the sinless nature of Christ.

The sinless seed of the woman can become our new and permanent spiritual state in this life whereby we dwell in the flesh but live by the Spirit. Our “spiritual, born-again, renewal” brings about our glorification when we are called Home when we die either individually or are taken up corporately in the Rapture if we receive Jesus as Lord while we are in our living years.

Now, we are able to look back, not in regret or longing for the things of this life, for they are now in their proper perspective, but in anticipation of the future life we will experience when we dwell in the Lord’s House, and that is guaranteed by Him in His Word of Truth.

This merciful gift of renewal in repentance provides us with yet another incredible gift: The promised indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me” (John 15:26).

The Holy Spirit is promised to give us understanding of God’s Prophecies as well as the Truth of His Word in its entirety. This fact confirms the importance of His prophecies.

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” (John 16:13). Emphasis added by me.

In this and by Him, we can “look back” to the past recorded in God’s Word, see the Truth of already completed prophecy, see the future that is promised us, and thus “look ahead” with full confidence that every last “jot and tittle” of the Law (Matthew 5:18) and every last Promise of Prophecy future will occur down to the smallest detail.

The already fulfilled prophecies about our Lord Jesus, that have been completed in perfect detail, are the very Signature of God on the covenant He made and swore to bring about by His own Name.

They are the irrefutable Truth and proof of His Power and certainty of His Promises.

“Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9-10). Emphasis added by me.

Thus, we can look forward to that moment when we will experience that which we so long for:

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Our strength for this life in the reality of Prophecy:

As we observe this world unraveling in front of us, and even more, behind us out of our view but affecting every aspect of our lives, we also find an additional gift of God included in His fulfilled prophecies. We receive the confidence to live patiently and powerfully in this moment while He brings about His purposes for His creation: the salvation of every human who is willing to seek His face and receive the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus.

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me but raise them up at the last day” (John 6:39).

In this we understand that God has, according to His own Word, foreknowledge of who His Son will redeem before He closes out the final dispensation of His creation so corrupted by man.

“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified” (Romans 8:28-30). Emphasis added by me.

For this tumultuous time, I offer this reminder of the prophetic Promise spoken by the Lord Jesus Himself to all who will receive Him during this Age of Grace:

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3).

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Emphasis added by me.

Be strong and resilient, sisters and brothers. God keeps His every promise.

The special message I promised you:

For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life.

You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding.

It requires that you come before God on His terms.

And, what are His terms according to His Word?

• Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
• Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
• That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
• To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
• Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross and rose from the grave three days later, conquering death, just as He promised.
• To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.

God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.

• No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
• No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
• Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.

If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.

“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).

There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.

The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God, with all your heart, He will hear you.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Pro Salvator Vigilans

To contact me: [email protected]

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