Many Bible prophecies predict the conditions and events of our day as “signs” of the end of the world—today’s headlines written nearly 2,000 years ago. Consideration of these prophecies establishes: (1) that the Bible is indeed the inspired Word of God; (2) that we are living in unprecedented times prophesied in Scripture as the “end of the world”; and (3) that man is standing at the threshold of lasting peace and economic security in a pollution- free earth.

Daniel 12:1 and 4 give four signs that mark the “time of the end,” or end of the world (this age):

• 1. “A time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation;”
  2. “Many shall run to and fro;”
  3. “Knowledge shall be increased;” and
  4. Your (Daniel’s) “people [Israel] shall be delivered.”

Unprecedented Trouble—Daniel 12:1

The first sign, unprecedented trouble, is the hallmark of our time and confirmed by historians. True, the world has always had trouble, but never before has it been in such staggering proportions.

Wars: In the 20th century over 400 million people died in wars, genocide, or mass murders. Political scientist Rudolph Rummel estimated 262 million deaths were caused by democide (government-sponsored killing for political purposes). From 1990 to 1995, 70 nation-states involved in 93 wars killed 5.5 million people. Forty wars were waged in 1999 alone.

Wars in the 21st century have continued to escalate. From 2011 to 2021 the Syrian Civil War alone has taken five hundred thousands of lives, with over 7.6 million people displaced and 5 million refugees fleeing the country for both neighboring countries and Europe. ISIS/ISIL continues to plague countries in the Middle East, affecting worldwide terrorism. The more recent events by Russia against Ukraine give further evidences of man’s prideful spirit to kill his fellow man.

Unprecedented terrorism carried out by non-government forces has also escalated from under 600 terrorist attacks in the 20th century to over 2,300 terrorist attacks in the first 15 years of the 21st century.

In his book Out of Control, Zbigniew Brzezinski observed that the 20th century became the century of insanity in which 175 million “were slaughtered” in the name of “politics of organized insanity.” It is horrific—“175 million were slaughtered” in one century because of mankind’s hate, greed and ruthless craze for power.

Total all the deaths from natural disasters in the 20th century and what do you have? It is a drop in the bucket compared to man’s killing machine of the insane 20th century. It Is Horrific! Brzezinski continues his analysis:

“Contrary to its promise, the Twentieth Century became mankind’s most bloody and hateful century of hallucinatory politics and of monstrous killings. Cruelty was institutionalized to an unprecedented degree, lethality was organized on a mass production basis. The contrast between the scientific potential for good and the political evil that was actually unleashed is shocking. Never before in history was killing so globally pervasive, never before did it consume so many lives, never before was human annihilation pursued with such concentration of sustained effort on behalf of such arrogantly irrational goals.”

The population explosion and industrialization of Third World nations accentuate the demand for oil. Nations will go to war for oil. Many Third World nations have the poor man’s bomb—chemical warfare—and are working on actual nuclear warheads. Such volatile weaponry in the hands of these regimes spells trouble.

Population Explosion: Before A.D. 1650 the population doubled every 1,000 years. In A.D. 1804 the population was one billion. It doubled in 1927 (123 years later), and doubled again in 1974 (only 47 years later). In 1990 the world population was 5.5 billion. By 2022 it increased to 7.9 billion.

The UN Refugee Agency reports that globally nearly 80 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide. More than half were uprooted by conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, and Somalia. Half of all refugees are children.

Over 900 million people do not have enough to eat. Each day over 25,000 people die of hunger of which 40% are children. It is sad to note that Americans spend over $109.6 billion a year on pet food, care, etc.

Pollution: The U.S. has 4.25% of the world’s population, but generates 12% of the world’s garbage, uses 20% of the world’s oil, 19% of the world’s coal, and 20% of the world’s natural gas. The U.S. releases 18% of the world’s nitrogen oxides and produces 28% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Air pollutants from car exhaust and industry spawn disease. Deaths from respiratory disease double every five years. The World Health Organization estimates that about 7 million people die each year as a result of air pollution exposure. This finding more than doubles previous estimates, confirming that air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk.

Skin cancer and cataracts caused by ozone depletion are increasing. From 1950 to 1980 melanomas increased by 500%. One person dies of melanoma every hour (every 57 minutes), making it the seventh most common cancer in the US—and incidence is increasing. Between 2000 and 2009, incidence climbed 1.9 percent annually and by 2040 it will be the second most common type of disease.

Solid wastes, radioactive and toxic chemical wastes: These by- products are contaminating our rivers, lakes and oceans. In the last 200 years, the U.S. has lost 50% of its wetlands, 90% of its old- growth forests, and 99% of its tall-grass prairies.

The world is losing tropical forests at a rate of about 1 acre each second, or 31.5 million acres per year, an increase of 50% from a decade ago. 80% of the ancient forests have been destroyed. Only 20% of the ancient forests remain intact. At the current rate, tropical forests will be gone within 115 years.

Even though rain forests cover only 7% of Earth’s dry land surface, they sustain over 50% of all species. We lose 50 species every day—2 species per hour—due to tropical deforestation.

Tropical rainforests act as a global air conditioner by storing and absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, storing the carbon, and producing about 20% of all the oxygen in the world. They maintain global rainfall and regulate climate patterns worldwide. Acid rain is destroying our forests, which in turn will produce “global warming.”

Global Warming: “Except for nuclear war or a collision with an asteroid, no force has more potential to damage our planet’s web of life than global warming.” Time Magazine, April 9, 2001

In the 141-year global temperature history, 2016 was the warmest with +1.80°F departure above the average and 2020 was in second place with +1.75°F, according to the National Climatic Data Center, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Global warming is ever increasing since 1980 without relief in sight.

All but one of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred in the 21st century (1998, when there was a very strong El Niño, is the exception). Earth’s steadily rising temperatures are the result of the buildup of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, in the planet’s atmosphere. Warmer climates have widespread effects on the environment.

• • The sea level will rise as oceans absorb heat from the atmosphere and expand.
  • Polar ice caps will melt. Increases in sea level will flood and erode coastal areas inhabited by half the world’s population.
  • Tropical storms will become more frequent and intense.
  • Weather patterns will become extreme, causing flooding.
  • Soil moisture will decrease, impacting crop failures and life-threatening droughts.
  • “Breadbasket farmland” (like our Midwest) will become barren desert.
  • Markets and food supplies will be disrupted. Severe food shortages will result.

The 21st century witnessed the devastation of giant hurricanes like Rita, Katrina, Sandy, and Harvey as well as tornadoes of historic killing proportions that roared across the country. Unprecedented weather patterns wreaked havoc across the world.

Cities Could Disappear: Another crisis is looming in the United States that will have its parallel elsewhere in the world. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated the following alarming concerns in their April 19, 2022 report.

• • The global sea level has risen 8–9 inches since 1880.
  • The rate of sea level rise is accelerating: it has more than doubled from 0.06 inches per year throughout most of the Twentieth Century to 0.14 inches per year from 2006–2015.
  • In 2020, global sea level set a new record high—3.6 inches above 1993 levels.
  • In many locations along the U.S. coastline, high-tide flooding is now 300% to more than 900% more frequent than it was 50 years ago.
  • On a pathway with high greenhouse gas emissions and rapid ice sheet collapse, models project that average sea level rise for the contiguous United States could be 7.2 feet by 2100 and 13 feet by 2150
  • If we are able to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, U.S. sea level in 2100 is projected to be around 2 feet higher on average than it was in 2000.

Many national sources give examples of twelve major cities to show how the United States and other nations in turn would be devastated in the next 100 years. The U.S. cities are Miami FL, Atlantic City NJ, Fort Lauderdale FL, Honolulu HI, New Orleans LA, Sacramento CA, Los Angeles CA, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Seattle WA, Virginia Beach VA, San Diego CA.

The White House issued a global warming alarm. From the top of the atmosphere to the bottom of the ocean, Global Warming spells utter disaster unless something is done immediately to control it.

Time is running out, according to Lester R. Brown, president of the highly respected Worldwatch Institute. “Preceding generations have always been concerned about the future, but ours is the first to be faced with decisions that will determine whether the earth our children inherit will be inhabitable.”

Scientists are now concerned that the population explosion could hasten and increase the effects of global warming. Drastic climate changes resulting in economic disaster in many nations could trigger wars for survival.

Drugs: We are losing the drug war because the huge profits are too corrupting. From large corporations to the smallest drug dealer, selfishness is at the core of these profits.

There are more than 4 million hard-core (more than weekly) drug users in the United States. In 2020 31.9 million Americans age 12 or older used illegal drugs, up from 19.7 million in 2006.

The 2018 National Survey Drug Use and Health study found that 20.5 million people drove under the influence of drugs compared to 10.2 million in their 2006 study. The drug-related crime rate is spiraling. There were 1,552,432 arrests for drug related crimes in 2012 alone!

According to a 2017 study by the University of Michigan, one dependent newborn is born every hour in the United States. More than 20,000 babies are born to drug addicts each year.

Economic chaos: The U.S. entered 2022 with a staggering debt of over $29.9 trillion and a perilous foreign trade imbalance. Outstanding consumer debts have increased from $1.4 trillion in 1999 to over $4.38 trillion in 2021. Yet there are 657 billionaires in the U.S.

World public debt reached $226 trillion in 2020! Yet in 2021, the world’s billionaires have swelled to a record number of 2755 with an aggregate net worth of $13.1 trillion.

Is Now the “End Times”?

According to the 2013 Barna Group poll of all the adults in the U.S., 54% of Protestants and 77% of Evangelical Protestants expect our civilization to fall apart within 150 years. Also, 45% of practicing Catholics believe the world is now living in the End Times. Most startling is that 41% of all participants, whether religious or not, even some atheists, said conditions in the world are so disastrous we are in the biblical End Times. Incredible! It has been observed that there has never been a poll like this on End Times. It sparked unprecedented preaching by Evangelicals warning our world is in the end times.

Indeed, our generation is experiencing a “Time of Trouble such as never was since there was a nation.”

Increased Travel—Daniel 12:4

Increased travel is the second sign drawing the entire world together as one. Transportation has expanded rapidly because of the automobile. George Selden made the first automobile in 1877. Today there are over 1.4 billion cars in the world. Through numerous modes of transportation millions are crossing and re- crossing each other’s paths around the world. In the past 100 years, man has increased his travel from 30 mph to 25,000 mph when traveling to the moon.

Knowledge Increased—Daniel 12:4

If the increase of knowledge (the third sign) from the dawn of history to the 1880s is given a value of one, then knowledge has doubled 16 times within the last 10 years. With the advent of the Internet, knowledge was doubling approximately every 18 months to 2004, according to the American Society of Training and Documentation (A.S.T.D.). Today knowledge doubles every 13 months. Interestingly, IBM predicted that information will double every 11 hours.

One hundred years ago, 90% of the world’s population could neither read nor write. Today, 84.1% of the world’s population can read and write, and in the Western world literacy has reached nearly 90%.

Over ninety percent of all scientists who have ever lived are alive today. Over fifty percent of the world’s inventions have been created in the last decade.

Communications: Sophistication in communications allows man to see and hear throughout the world instantly. From 1876 when Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone to today’s cell phones, the use of phones has soared. There are almost as many cell-phone subscriptions (6.8 billion) as there are people on this earth (7.9 billion). There are over 96 cell-phone service subscriptions for every 100 people in the world today.

Additionally, smartphone users worldwide totaled 1.75 billion in 2014, having surpassed the 1 billion mark in 2012, and during 2022 over 83% of the world’s population has a smartphone. These phones are used for emailing and texting, listening to the radio, browsing the web, taking photographs, banking online, getting directions, listening to music, watching videos, ordering groceries, checking their heart rate, starting their car remotely, answering questions, carrying on a conversation, and more!

Computers: From the first modern analog computer invented by Sir William Thomson in 1872, the use of computers in the world has skyrocketed. In 1995, 31.7% of households had personal computers; by 2000, 53%. The size of computing devices continues to decrease while the computing power grows exponentially. The computer on the Apollo lunar module operated 100,000 times slower than many laptops today.

In 1993 there were 14,161,570 Internet users in the world. By 1999 there were 280,866,670; by 2014 there were 2,925,249,355. Today there are over 6 billion Internet users—75% of the world population! This is largely due to the advancements with smartphones capabilities.

Today’s fear is that artificial intelligence (a computer that thinks like a person but does not have to eat or sleep) may turn against man uncontrollably. Recent experiments found the machines becoming secretive and deceitful, bent on self-preservation without conscience. The Artificial Intelligence Revolution, by Louis Del Monte

Medical Advancements: Today humans can move robotic limbs using only their thoughts and get sensory feedback from their robotic hands. Biomedical engineers are revolutionizing the medical world by developing 3-D printing to construct human ears, kidneys, heart valves, blood vessels, skin grafts, and bones from actual human cells.

The noted historian, Barbara Tuchman has observed,

“Man entered the Nineteenth Century using only his own and animal power, supplemented by that of wind and water, much as he had entered the Thirteenth, or for that matter, the First. He entered the Twentieth with his capacities in transportation, communication, production, manufacture and weaponry multiplied a thousand-fold by the energy of machines.” The Proud Tower, Foreword, xvi

Unprecedented travel and the increase of knowledge mark our day as the “time of the end.”

Israel Becomes a Nation—Daniel 12:1

The fourth sign which marks us at the “time of the end” is that the Lord will stand up for Daniel’s “people,” the Jewish nation. If we are living in this “time of the end,” we should expect dramatic evidence of God’s favor on behalf of the Jewish people.

Against this background, Matthew 24 becomes meaningful. “What shall be the sign of your coming [Greek, Parousia, presence], and of the end of the world [age]?” Matthew 24:3

Matthew 24:32-34 gives the deliverance of Israel as one of these signs:

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh: So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”

Israel Restored

Students of prophecy from many denominations generally recognize that the fig tree is pictorial of the nation of Israel. (See Jeremiah, Chapter 24.) In Matthew 21:19, Jesus cursed a fig tree because he found no fruit on it. As a result of his cursing, the fig tree withered.

Several days later Jesus applied the lesson of the withered fig tree. He proclaimed judgment on the nation of Israel, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” (Matthew 23:38) Why? Because like the fig tree, Israel had not borne fruitage to God. Israel was subsequently scattered and persecuted.

Israel’s restoration is an outstanding sign of the end of the age. The fig tree coming back to life and putting forth leaves represents Israel coming to life as a nation, and receiving God’s increasing favor. Historians agree that Israel’s rebirth is a miracle of history.

Never before has a nation been destroyed, its people dispersed to the ends of the earth and then—nearly 2,000 years later—its descendants regathered to their homeland and re-established as a nation.

Compare Luke 21:29-32 with Matthew 24:32-34. The restoration of Israel means the kingdom is at hand. The Luke text states:

“And he spoke to them a parable: Behold the fig tree, and all the trees [other new nations]; When they now shoot forth, you see and know of your own selves that summer is nigh at hand.So likewise you, when you see these things come to pass, know you that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.”

The generation (the people living in the end time) that witnesses Israel restored as a nation will also witness the complete end of the age, and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God.

Scriptures are charged with signs that have become the headlines of our day. Jerusalem is no longer trodden down by Gentiles. (Luke 21:24) Many new nations have gained independence. (Luke 21:29, 30) Evil is exposed as never before. (1 Corinthians 4:5) Most people, even the professedly religious, lack faith. (Luke 18:8)

Men love themselves, have no respect for parents, and have no natural affection. (2 Timothy 3:1-5) Turmoil grows between labor and capital. (James 5:1-4) Wars and war preparations intensify. (Joel 3:9-11) All the while men proclaim “peace.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3) Men’s hearts fail for fear. (Luke 21:26)

All of these prophecies mark us at the “time of the end.” But one more sign bears consideration.

Nations on the Run—Another Remarkable Prophecy

“Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! To what end is it for you? The day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.”–Amos 5:18, 19

In Amos’ prophecy the fleeing man represents the world’s experiences in this dark “time of trouble.” At the dawning of our era, Great Britain ruled the most expansive empire on earth. The “lion” in this prophecy, Britain’s national symbol, appropriately illustrated the mighty nation that devoured (colonized) weaker nations. Colonialism’s suffocating grasp led the world on flight to another form of government.

The man in Amos 5:19 escaped the lion only to meet the bear— a form of government diametrically opposed to the grasping greed of colonialism—communism! The former Soviet Union, the “bear” of Amos’ prophecy, offered man another hope for safety in this time of trouble. Communism’s failure to rescue man was underscored by its precipitous fall. Nations are now seeking another hope of security—nationalism.

Entering the “house” of nationalism has been anything but comfortable for the nations of the world. Bosnia, Serbia, Germany and other nations seeking safety in nationalism have suffered civil war, economic malaise, the rise of new “hate groups” and other ills. While in the supposed security of ultra-nationalism, centralizing all authority including the church, the people place their hand on the wall. Those seeking rest in the supporting structure of human government will result in being bitten by the serpent.

That old Serpent, the Devil and Satan, which once deceived the nations into thinking that they were Christ’s Kingdom (Revelation 12:9) will bite them again. Then the nations will feel the rebuke of Jehovah in the great time of trouble.

All of these prophecies mark the time when the present evil world is being destroyed. God is now revealing Himself as never before in history, a revelation which will climax with the establishment of the Kingdom of Christ on earth.

Take heart! Even though things must get worse before, it is the unprecedented severity of world problems (Matthew 24:21) and the paralysis of hopelessness (Luke 21:25) that mark us at the threshold of the great Kingdom blessings which God has in store for man.

Just as urban renewal requires the demolition of old structures, so the full establishment of Christ’s Kingdom requires the removal of our corrupt civilization (Hebrews 12:28). Then the people will say,

“Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.” Psalm 45:6

And they will agree with Jesus’ words,

“Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” Matthew 13:43

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What Will Be the Signs of Man’s Returned Blessings?

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people [Daniel’s people was Israel] shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro [like cars and planes], and knowledge shall be increased [like computers and cellphones].”– Daniel 12:1-4 (KJV)

Will Evil Ever End?

YES as promised!

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven [to earth] from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’”– Revelation 21:2-4 (NASB)

“And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.” Haggai 2:7 (KJV)

Waiting for Thy promised earthly Kingdom to come with its Restitution of all things.