It is an age-old question: When will the good times come? Or reappear? Today the question often arises with those who feel that times were better in the past, when individuals were not as fractious and communities less divided, or when the cost of living was more manageable and the economic situation felt more secure. This is also a question people often ask on a more personal level in terms of health or relationships.

A version of this question echoes all the way back to biblical times, when religious leaders challenged Christ Jesus, asking him when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus answered, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20, 21).

A version of this question echoes back to biblical times, when religious leaders asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come.