The title of a Country song from the 1970’s comes to mind, “Makin’ the Best of a Bad Situation.”

Let’s count up the bad situations… wars in Europe (Ukraine) and the Middle East (Gaza), disease epidemics (Ebola), plus rampant, militant sexual immorality focused on destroying the divine institutions of marriage and family, as well as an uptick in violent protests. There is no other way to view it—our world is in a bad situation! And because you are knowledgeable about end-time, Bible prophecy, you know all too well that bad news, and then some, is on the horizon.

Yet as a young adult, you have a life to live, happiness and success to seek. So how do you cope with the keen awareness that the society around you, on which we often depend for a sense of stability, is wobbling dangerously close to destruction? How do you make the best of this bad situation? How do you personally turn bad news into good news?

Here are the first two of four important strategies:

1)  Acknowledge the excitement

Normally we’re drawn to exciting events, personalities and situations. The end of the world as we know it is certainly going to be exciting... in a devastating, painfully destructive way. On the other hand, there is excitement in knowing that you live in the age leading up to the second coming of Jesus Christ. This time He is not coming as the Savior of all mankind, but as the conquering King and eternal Ruler of the Kingdom of God on earth. Consequently, there will be “…great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).

Ball games and sports, music concerts, videogame “victories,” noisy social events…boring by comparison! You live on the sad, sobering, terrifying cusp of history—no generation before or after will live at such an auspicious time! There is a certain true excitement in that—so acknowledge it because you’ll need to be able to see these things coming.

2)  Be the bridge

Based on all the prophetic markers in Scripture, the younger generation living today will bridge two distinct worlds—the world today will all its perversions, traumas and troubles, and the much more wonderful, world tomorrow. You are a vital part of that bridge.

Your role in God’s plan will include interfacing with (also known as talking to and working with) the remnant of the descendants of the nations descended from the tribes of ancient Israel and with all the non-Israelites from other nations. Those who survive the world war and supernatural  chastisement will need help to relearn to think and live God’s way—the way of living that they never understood before. You will be that kind and gentle, teaching voice behind them that says, “…this is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:20-21).

Study the prophecies about the 1000-year rule of Jesus Christ. Make them an intrinsic part of the fabric of your life now. Prepare today to be the bridge tomorrow.

To learn more about the next two strategies that will help you turn “bad news” into “good news” check back at Verticalthought.org  for Part 2 in this series…