Many of us can't help but wonder what the future holds for us and our planet. Are we on the threshold of a brave New World Order, with peace and plenty for all? Or are we tottering on the brink of unprecedented chaos and disaster?--Or both?

This series of articles provides answers that will prepare you for what's ahead.

A remarkable fact about the description of today's world in these articles is that much of it was written thousands of years ago. We will examine specific predictions and prophecies that are two to three thousand years old, which accurately depict conditions and events that have taken place--or are soon to take place--during our lifetime.

Among the prophecies we will be looking at are predictions describing our modern rapid transportation systems, today's unprecedented increase in world travel, as well as the explosion in knowledge of all kinds.

The effects of global warming, as well as the outbreak of modern killer diseases such as AIDS and cancer, were also foretold.

Awareness of these predictions will give you a new perspective on the radical transformation the world is currently undergoing, as well as prepare you for the cataclysmic changes to come.

The Big Question

On a hillside just outside the ancient city of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, a small band of truth--seekers gathered around their Teacher, a carpenter-turned-preacher known as Jesus of Nazareth. The question they asked Him prompted a response that spans the centuries and zeroes in on the days in which you and I are now living:

And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, "Tell us, what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?" (Matthew 24:3, KJV)

What His followers were asking Him about is often referred to as the Second Coming, the dramatic personal return of Christ to take over the world and establish the Kingdom of God on Earth. The term "the end of the world" is used here not to signify the end of the planet, but the end of the current unjust and inhumane reign of man.

Jesus answered their question with not only one sign that would indicate when "the end" would be near, but He gave dozens of specific indicators to be on the lookout for. Outstanding predictions by a number of other biblical writers help fill in the picture. It is these prophesied "signs" that we will now focus on.

The Even Bigger Answers

(Jesus speaking:) "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. ... For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:6--8).

Everyone knows that the world has experienced wars, famines, plagues and earthquakes for millenniums. However, you may be surprised to learn how the severity and frequency of all of these things have radically increased in recent years. Take the first part of this passage, for example:

A World at War

"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. ... For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom."

The world has never been completely free from the scourge of war, but no period in all of history has witnessed the escalation of wars as did the 20th century. The International Red Cross estimates that over 100 million people were killed in wars during the 1900's.

Prior to 1914, war had never been universal, but in both World Wars I and II, global war was waged. In the latter, only 12 small nations of the earth were not militarily or technically involved.

Since World War II, which was supposed to be "the war to end all wars," there have been over 150 major wars (conflicts resulting in over 1,000 deaths a year), as well as hundreds of smaller conflicts, armed rebellions, and revolutions. Together they have claimed more than 23 million lives. (1)

Since the Fall of the Wall

The world hoped the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 would not only signify the end of the Cold War between the superpowers, but usher in a new era of global peace. Unfortunately, this has not been the case.

In its annual report, the National Defense Council Foundation, a U.S. research and lobbying organization, counted 71 wars in 1995. (2)

"Ethnic Cleansing" and Tribal Terror

The Greek word for "nation" originally used in this prophecy, "nation shall rise against nation," is ethnos, which is more accurately translated "a race" or "a tribe." In other words, Jesus was saying that ethnic groups would rise against each other. This has been tragically fulfilled in recent times.

During the 20th century, the murders perpetrated by nations against their own people have exceeded the deaths caused by wars with rivals outside their borders. Examples include Stalin's purges, China's Cultural Revolution, Cambodia's "killing fields," the so-called ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, and the horrors of Rwanda. This was the century that coined the term "genocide." (3)

Although the outlook may appear bleak, the day is soon coming when God Himself will intervene in this violent world and war shall be forever abolished. (See Isaiah 2:4.)

Footnotes:
1. AP, 10 Nov 1993
2. "Group: 71 Wars Exist Worldwide," AP, 2 Jan 96
3. Levinson, Arlene. "20th Century Awash in Blood," AP, 16 Sep 95

Excerpted from The Future Foretold