“Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.”
I was asked once by someone what it was that I found so interesting about studying history (incidentally, I quite enjoy history, especially ancient Rome, but a great variety of other things as well, particularly wars). My answer was simple: history teaches us about human behavior, and with enough knowledge of history one can prepare for the future. It has been said, ‘Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.’
There is some truth to that. What makes it more certain is what the Scripture itself has to say: if there’s anything which seems ‘new’. It’s not new. It has been already of old time.
Whether it’s in inventions that man has made, which incidentally is always a copy of something already existing in Creation, or in the deeds, actions, and depravity of humanity. There is no new thing under the sun.
It’s important to remember in an age when evil seems so often to triumph, that history has already recorded the downfall of evil. Every society caves under the weight of immorality. Whether its the antediluvian world, Sodom and her cities, Jerusalem and Judah, the Amorites, Babylon, Tyre, Assyria, and the list goes on, there is a place and time when evil takes hold to a level that brings judgement.
Whilst some act shocked and horrified at how some of the evil we see could happen, if one was to understand what the Preacher was saying, perhaps it would not be so much of a shock.
There is something that I’ve found particularly fascinating in history – the shadows of the antichrist. Throughout history there are types, if you please, of what the Bible prophesies in the antichrist. It’s a fascinating pattern that develops when you read their stories, and its my firm belief that they are the forerunners of the ultimate antichrist. You can see how entire nations change from being ‘civilized’ to committing some of the most horrendous atrocities. That’s just one facet.
Or perhaps you could read Jonathan Cahn’s book, ‘Return of the Gods’, which traces the reappearance of ancient gods in our civilization, including Baal and Ashtaroth. Once again, what might seem new is not new at all, but it has been of old time.
You know what has also been of old time? God. God before anything. God speaking order into chaos. God. That’s why in Jeremiah 6:16, God tells his people to ‘search for the old paths’. If you go searching for the old paths, you will find yourself coming before the Ancient of Days, for there is none older than Him.
There is gold hidden in our history waiting to be dug up, and some of it may just be what you need to keep you safe.
Talking Bible 
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