An Overview of End-Time Prophecy

There are as many end-time scenarios based to some degree on Bible prophecy as there are prophetic teachers. Is there a singular overview of end-time prophecy that can help protect you from end-time catastrophes?

The Left Behind series is one of the most popular religious book series in recent history. Their fictional theme takes advantage of a culture hungry to escape prophesied catastrophic events.

The series started in 1995 with the release of Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days, a fictional book about what supposedly happens on earth after believers are raptured away prior to Jesus Christ's second coming. The series, written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, eventually stretched to 16 novels, of which 65 million copies have been sold.

Ironically, those who believe in the Left Behind concept—supporters of the rapture theory—may well find themselves confused and wondering as the true biblical end-time events unfold.

Why? Because Jesus Christ's outline of end-time prophecies does not include a secret rapture. His return will be obvious, preceded by heavenly signs, a global earthquake, worldwide volcanic activity and angels sounding trumpets with supernatural piercing blasts. Christ will not sneak back to this earth; He will return in great shining glory and well-deserved honor.

Jesus Himself said of His return, "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30, emphasis added throughout).

Jesus revealed that everyone throughout the planet will see Him coming back to earth. The hidden rapture theory contradicts this, saying He will take away the elect earlier and secretly. Don't you believe it.

When you know the overview of end-time prophecy, you will know the truth about the major events that precede Christ's return, including how God will protect His true servants—and it's not through a secret rapture (Revelation 12:13-17). To learn more about this doctrine, download the free reprints "The Rapture—A Popular but False Doctrine" and "Have You Been Misled by the Rapture Theory?"

Bible prophecy comes from God alone. "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation" (2 Peter 1:20, New International Version).

The best way to gain a proper overview of end-time prophecies is to let the Bible speak for itself.

What is prophecy?

Prophecy is sometimes described as history written in advance. God foresaw many trends and events to come—in part because He perfectly understands what people will do in given circumstances and also because He guides and directs some circumstances.

To some extent, prophecy is God's advance warnings against ongoing human sin. Since sin harms us and can destroy us, God proclaims prophetic warnings to get the attention of human beings. Prophesied punishments are the results brought on by human beings. God wants to spare humankind, not destroy us.

Most people assume that prophetic warnings against human beings come from a vengeful God who cannot tolerate a weak and disobedient humanity. They reason that since God is holy and all-powerful and we aren't, and since we can never make ourselves holy, then God loses patience with our pathetic state and punishes us—perhaps even unfairly.

But that is not why God proclaims end-time prophecies. This is a false notion from the god of this world, Satan the devil, who has deceived humankind about God in many ways. As long as he can keep humanity blind to the true God's intentions, he can remain in his place as "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4).

People need to realize that Satan, who was "a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44), wants all of mankind dead—forever. At the very end of this age of human misrule, Satan will attempt to destroy all humanity through two great military forces that will converge on Jerusalem to make war against the returning Christ, the Messiah (Revelation 16:14; 19:11-21; 14:14-20).

Prophecy shows that God is ultimately in charge, that He has a plan for humankind's future, and that human life has a great purpose. God's will is to save, not destroy, mankind.

Prophecy shows that God pleads with those who resist Him and that He will reward those who honor Him.

Prophecy's misunderstood purpose

Let's consider, then, the purpose of prophecy.

People from time immemorial have wanted to know the future, mostly for their personal benefit. For example, Jesus' disciples wanted to know what signs would precede His return. "Tell us," they asked, "when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3). Human beings want to know what's coming, if for no other reason than their personal protection.

Though people want to know the what, when and where of prophecy—good of itself—this is not the primary purpose of prophecy. The purpose of prophecy, rather, is to help people evaluate their personal conduct in light of God's Word—before the prophesied circumstances come to pass. Without the warnings and fulfillments of prophecy, humanity would have no reason to question and stop its self-indulgent path to self-destruction.

If people read and heed God's warnings, they could look to Him to protect them during the coming days of the Great Tribulation and His wrathful just judgment against the tyrants of this world. As Jesus said, "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial [the Great Tribulation, see Matthew 24:21-22] which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth" (Revelation 3:10).

God is merciful and loving. His Word is full of warnings to sinning human beings to get them to turn from sin and avoid its painful and inevitable consequences. God derives no pleasure from the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). He also promises to reward, bless and protect those who follow His will (Deuteronomy 28:1-2).

The backstory of prophecy

The Bible gives the backstory of prophecy in Deuteronomy 28. This chapter shows the blessings and curses that automatically follow from either obeying or rejecting God's laws. These laws are spiritual (Romans 7:14) and apply regardless of whether one knows about them or not (Romans 2:12). God promises to bless everyone who honors Him and, alternatively, He allows curses to come on those who dishonor Him. Understanding this fundamental aspect of God's laws is foundational to understanding prophecy.

This one chapter, Deuteronomy 28, is pivotal to all prophecies. Know this chapter and you will know the purpose of prophecy. Again, the purpose of prophecy is to help human beings to turn from their sins and seek God for His blessings.

Many Bible stories validate this backstory of prophecy, but few highlight it better than the story of Judah and Babylon. For many years God warned the kingdom of Judah not to follow the way of her kinsmen, the neighboring kingdom of Israel.

Israel's sins brought about its own demise, just as foretold in Deuteronomy 28:15. Eventually God allowed the cruel nation of Assyria to conquer and carry Israel away from its homeland in two massive deportations—in 733 and 722 B.C.

Nearly a century later, God gave Judah a righteous king, Josiah, as a last-ditch hope to save the Jewish nation from imminent captivity (2 Chronicles 34:1, 26-28). God also sent the prophets Jeremiah, Zephaniah and Habakkuk. Sadly, after Josiah's untimely death the people of Judah quickly returned to their sinful ways, like a washed hog that wallows in its slop and a dog that returns to its vomit (2 Peter 2:22). Like Israel, they, too, were invaded and taken away into captivity.

Again, the purpose of prophecy is to motivate people to question their conduct in light of clear Bible teachings. That applies to all people, whether they profess Christianity or not. Some will heed the warnings of God's end-time prophecies, and many will remain ignorant of them.

Jesus said that He spoke to the religious types of His day in parables because they refused to honor and obey Him:

"I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull, their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn [back to God in repentance], so that I should heal them'" (Matthew 13:13-15).

Strong end-time prophecies are like shots across the bows of rudderless societal ships, adrift on a sea of humanism, cast about by materialism. If there were no prophecy, and especially no end-time prophecies, humankind would have no one to challenge its dangerous drift into self-destruction.

An overview of end-time prophecy

The Bible gives an overview of end-time prophecy. Details are scattered throughout Scripture.

Jesus Christ Himself gave an overview of end-time prophecy shortly before His crucifixion. In it He foretold end-time events or the end of the age of human self-rule under the influence of Satan.

He shared with His disciples the major signs of the end of this age. Major events of His prophecy—recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21—correspond to the seals of the book of Revelation. Once Christ opens a seal (Revelation 6:1), it remains open to the very time of the end of human rule and Christ's return.

For a more detailed guide to the major end-time prophecies, download or request our free booklets The Book of Revelation Unveiled, You Can Understand Bible Prophecy, The Middle East in Bible Prophecy and Are We Living in the Time of the End?

The first seal, in Revelation 6:2 and corresponding to Matthew 24:4-5, signifies the emergence, spread and domination of a false Christianity, which began shortly after Jesus' resurrection and the beginning of the New Testament Church. This false Christianity is a religious mixture derived partly from the Bible and partly from nonbiblical beliefs and traditions originating in ancient pagan religion.

We know that this counterfeit Christianity began in the first century because a number of the New Testament writers spoke of it (Acts 20:16-17, 28-31; 2 Corinthians 11:4, 13-15; Jude 3-4; 1 John 2:18-19; 1 John 4:1). This false religious system, which the apostle Paul labeled "the mystery of lawlessness," continues to the end, where it plays a major role in end-time deception leading up to Christ's return (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12).

The second seal, in Revelation 6:3-4 and corresponding to Matthew 24:6-7, reveals that there will be "wars and rumors of wars." Though there have always been wars and rumors of wars, Jesus said they would continue to the end and escalate into a final bloodbath that will take the lives of no less than a third of mankind (Revelation 9:15-16).

The great final conflict, which Scripture describes as "the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Revelation 16:14), does not take place at the infamous Armageddon (the hill of Megiddo in northern Israel), where great military forces gather (Revelation 16:14, 16), but near Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:1-4, 12-14). Conditions will be so dangerous that if Christ didn't intervene in human affairs, no flesh would be saved alive (Matthew 24:21-22).

The third seal, in Revelation 6:5-6 and corresponding to Matthew 24:7, shows that the earth will be plagued with major famines, starvation and hunger. While there have always been famines in various regions, as time goes on they will grow worse and worse. Famines follow hard on the heels of war. Multiple millions will die from starvation.

The fourth seal, in Revelation 6:7-8 and corresponding to the next sign in Matthew 24:7, reveals that the world will be plagued by deadly diseases and terrible disasters. Famine, of course, leads to diseases. And both flow from man-made carnages and natural catastrophes. Widespread pandemics will decimate large populations, as the bubonic plague did in the 14th century, when it killed a third of the population of Europe, Russia, China, and cities on associated trade routes.

The fifth seal, in Revelation 6:9-11 and corresponding to Matthew 24:9-12, represents great persecution and martyrdom of God's true and faithful servants. Persecution is the lot of God's saints. As Jesus Himself said, "A servant is not greater than his master, if they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20). Paul similarly wrote, "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12).

Persecution of God's people has been a fact of life throughout the ages, but it will increase in the time of the end. In times of societal turmoil, it's common to seek a scapegoat. As in earlier times, religious authorities will find in true Christians a convenient group on which to fix the blame.

This commences the time of the Great Tribulation. Other passages reveal that the intensifying persecution will extend to not just Christians but to the physical descendants of ancient Israel. The Israelite peoples will experience terrible devastation from enemies at this time, as prophesied in Deuteronomy 28 (see our free booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy).

The sixth seal of Revelation 6:12-17 corresponds with Matthew 24:29. Both describe terrifying signs in the sky—the sun and the moon darkened—and what appear to be meteor strikes on the earth. This introduces the time of God's wrath (Revelation 11:18; 14:10, 19; 15:1, 7; 16:1; 19:15), what Scripture also calls "the day of the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 5:2; Malachi 4:5). This leads directly into Jesus Christ's climactic second coming.

All these major prophetic events lead to and are a part of the very end time, referred to by such terms as the last days, latter days, last times, latter times and the Day of the Lord (see "Just What Is the End Time?").

Real-time events and end-time prophecy

Not all prophecies are understandable today, but they all will become clear in the future as geopolitical and technological changes transpire. Who could see the advancement of communications through the vehicle of the computer and Internet? Still, God promises to reveal the future to His faithful people sent out to proclaim His truth: "Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).

And God has indeed revealed to His followers a few end-time conditions that must be in place before Christ Jesus returns. These conditions have been met only within the last century.

• First, the real possibility of human annihilation must exist.

Humankind now has the ability to wipe out human life through nuclear warheads. That prospect already exists with the United States and Russia; and Britain, France, China, India, and Israel also have sizable nuclear arsenals. Especially dangerous is the development of nuclear weapons by unstable states like Pakistan and North Korea, possibly soon to be joined by Iran.

Jesus said of the time of the end: "It will be a time of great distress; there has never been such a time from the beginning of the world until now, and will never be again. If that time of troubles were not cut short, no living thing could survive; but for the sake of God's chosen it will be cut short" (Matthew 24:21-22; New English Bible).

Humankind has always fought wars, but until recently we've never had the ability to exterminate every human being from the earth. Since 1945 and the detonation of the first atomic bombs, followed by even more destructive hydrogen bombs, humanity now has the ability to destroy all human life many times over.

Jesus Christ must intervene to save humankind from itself—from self-annihilation!

• Second, a Jewish nation must be in place and in control of Jerusalem for some end-time prophecies to be fulfilled.

This was not possible before 1948, when the modern state of Israel was born—something thought impossible over preceding centuries.

The Jews' culture and religion has survived major periods when they were dominated or defeated by Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. Noted 19th-century historian Heinrich Graetz said, "A nation . . . which has witnessed the rise and decay of the most ancient empires, and which still continues to hold its place in the present day, deserves . . . the closest attention" (History of the Jews, 1895, p. 705).

The French emperor Napoleon, when passing near a synagogue and hearing Jews weeping inside, remarked, "A people that longs so much for its city and its temple are bound to restore them one day!"

Jesus prophesied that as the end time approached, the Jews would once again control Jerusalem and the "holy place." Later Jesus said the holy place would be desecrated with the abomination of desolation, as the prophet Daniel had earlier written about (Matthew 24:15-16).

The Jews today control Jerusalem. After the Six-Day War in 1967, when the Jews took possession of Jerusalem, they allowed the Arab Muslims to continue to control the Temple Mount. Since 1989, some Israelis have begun to prepare for the building of a new temple or "holy place." Periodically devout Jews have attempted to place the first stone, but to no avail. The conditions of Jesus' prophecy are partially in place, but more must change before prophesied events can proceed.

• Third, a final revival of a major European geopolitical power must come to pass.

A final revival of the ancient Roman Empire, foretold in the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation, must surface. Daniel 2:40-44 shows that a kingdom of iron, fourth in succession from ancient Babylon, would rule until the end time. That can apply only to the ancient Roman Empire and its 10 revivals, the last seven of which were influenced by the Roman church (compare Revelation 17).

At the end time 10 "kings" or rulers align themselves in a final world superpower that Scripture calls "the beast," led by a powerful dictator also called the Beast (verses 12-13). The time setting of this prophecy is clear from the fact that these 10 rulers "will make war with the Lamb"—the returning Jesus Christ—"and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings" (verse 14).

Only Europe can fill this role. Only Europe and the Roman church have worked together throughout the previous revivals of the ancient Holy Roman Empire. No other kingdom or continent can boast of such a 1,500-year-long relationship.

Newsweek journalist Michael Elliot reported that "in January 1957, six nations signed a treaty on the site of the ancient Roman Capitol, and brought into being the European Economic Community" (Newsweek, Jan. 29, 1996). Paul-Henri Spaak, the then Belgian foreign minister, said of that time, "Do you think that we have laid the first stone of a new Roman Empire?" His aide recalled, "We felt very strongly we were Romans that day" (ibid.).

How can end-time prophecy help you?

The Left Behind series of fictional novels cannot provide true prophetic insight to the end times. Only God can.

God provides end-time prophecies to cause a self-willed humanity to return to Him. He wants us to repent and fulfill our potential to be His children forever! He wants us to follow Him and to share the good news of Christ's return and the Kingdom of God with others. Though, as we have seen, Christians will be persecuted and martyred in the end time, God has a plan to protect many of those who turn to Him from the terrible prophetic events to come.

To many of those who watch world news in light of end-time Bible prophecy, who are alert to their spiritual condition and who pray continually to draw close to Him, God offers protection in these coming perilous times (Luke 21:29-36). As we saw earlier in Deuteronomy 28, we can obey God and be blessed now and, more importantly, in the life to come.

Satan's avowed purpose is to destroy humanity. He thinks that he can destroy all human beings through the Great Tribulation before Jesus Christ can intervene to save us. Though billions will die (to be resurrected later in God's plan), many millions will remain alive to begin a new life, rebuilding the waste places and living in a new global Garden of Eden under the reign of Jesus Christ on earth (Ezekiel 36:33-35).

Bible prophecies are God's blueprint to save humanity from itself. These end-time prophecies can help deliver you and your family from the terrible times to come—if you will heed them now.

Just What Is the End Time?

From the time of the early New Testament Church, people have asked, "When is the time of the end?"

Jesus' disciples asked Him for the signs that would precede His return. "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives [on the east side of Jerusalem], the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'" (Matthew 24:3).

Jesus' disciples were familiar with Old Testament prophecies. They understood that the end of the age meant the end of human misrule on earth, replaced with the righteous divine rule of the promised Messiah.

They knew about prophecies such as the one from Daniel that foretold the coming Kingdom of God: "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (Daniel 2:44).

God promises to end human self-rule on earth because mankind has never produced a peaceful and lasting government. Indeed it cannot (Romans 8:7). Human history is largely a chronicle of wars, emanating from selfish human nature and motivated by "the god of this age," Satan the devil (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Since God has promised to remove all human governments at Christ's return, there is necessarily a "time of the end" or end of the age of man's rule on earth. This is what end time refers to—the end of this present evil age and the dawning of a new age under God.

The Bible uses various terms to refer to the end of the age of man's rule, such as "last day" (John 6:39), "last days" (2 Peter 3:3), "last time" (1 Peter 1:5), "last times" (1 Peter 1:20), "latter day" (Job 19:25, King James Version), "latter time" (Daniel 8:23), "latter times" (1 Timothy 4:1) and "the day of the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). To determine what each term means, one must consider context. For example, "the time of the end" in Daniel 8:17 and 11:35 and verse 40 is the period at the very end of this age of man's rule and the return of Jesus Christ.

The apostle Peter spoke about the last days beginning in his time (Acts 2:17) and lasting all the way to Christ's return, reflecting the fact that the trends Jesus foretold shortly before His death would soon begin, continuing and intensifying up until His return.

Again, context tells us whether the expression refers to such a long stretch of time or the brief period prior to Jesus' return.

To better understand the end of the age, request or download your free copies of the booklets You Can Understand Bible Prophecy, The Book of Revelation Unveiled and Are We Living in the Time of the End?

Is a Global Food Crisis Brewing?

You've likely noticed recent increases in the cost of food, and no end is in sight. Are we seeing the beginnings of growing food shortages? What's behind this trend, and where is it leading?

Food. It's something many of us have long taken for granted—given that we've been able to go down to any grocery store or restaurant and buy basically whatever we want to eat and that we've had a seemingly endless variety of foods in unlimited quantities to choose from.

But that may be changing. Just take a look at your grocery bill. Many of us simply cannot afford to buy whatever we want, or as much as we want. Food costs are skyrocketing! Prices for fruits and vegetables, milk, coffee, sugar and beef have all reached record highs.

The Wall Street Journal reports: "Food prices are rising faster than overall inflation. The consumer price index for all items minus food and energy rose 0.8% over the year to September, the lowest 12-month increase since March 1961, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said. The food index rose 1.4%, however" (Julie Jargon and Ilan Brat, "Food Sellers Grit Teeth, Raise Prices," Nov. 4, 2010, emphasis added throughout).

Food inflation hits families hard

Many believe the food inflation rate will be even higher this coming year. In November, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a report predicting food prices will soar 10 to 20 percent in 2011 and warning the world to be prepared for "harder times ahead" unless production of major food crops increases significantly.

The FAO report indicates that world grain reserves slumped 7.2 percent in 2010, with barley plunging 35 percent, maize (corn) 12 percent, and wheat 10 percent. The decline is due to dismal fall harvests. Most disappointing was the Russian wheat crop, which was a third smaller than expected and caused Russia—the world's fourth largest wheat exporter—to impose an export ban on wheat. These supply shortfalls have sent grain prices soaring.

With escalating grain costs, several food manufacturers, including Kraft Foods, Sara Lee and General Mills, recently announced or implemented price hikes on their product lines. Several U.S. supermarket and fast-food chains, including Safeway, Kroger and McDonald's, announced that they plan to pass these higher costs on to consumers.

Yet not only is food becoming more expensive, but in recent years many Americans have experienced shortages of certain types of foods for the first time in their lives. For instance, for most of 2010 it was almost impossible to find canned pumpkin for sale in the United States due to the heavy rainfall and flooding that rotted the pumpkin crop of the nation's largest supplier.

Rice was in short supply in 2008, prompting large retailers like Walmart and Costco to ration the bags of rice sold to consumers. Also in 2008, major retailers in New York were limiting purchases of flour, sugar and cooking oil, as demand was outstripping supply. Many agriculture experts believe these shortages are precursors of much more serious food shortfalls in the years ahead.

Chronic hunger plagues many

Of course, throughout much of the world food has never been taken for granted. According to the FAO, more than 1 billion people, or 15 percent of the world's population, suffer from chronic hunger and malnutrition—either because they cannot afford to eat a healthy diet or the food is simply not available where they live. The number of those who are hungry in the world has been steadily increasing in recent years, up from 825 million in the mid-1990s, and continues to edge upward.

Nearly all of the world's undernourished live in developing nations. The FAO and World Food Programme estimate 642 million people in Asia and the Pacific to be chronically hungry, 265 million in sub-Saharan Africa, 53 million in Latin America and the Caribbean, 42 million in the Near East and northern Africa, and 15 million in developed countries.

Rising food costs worldwide, while challenging to people in industrialized nations, are particularly tough for those in poor countries.

"When food prices shoot up, the low-income people of the developing world are the most vulnerable, as the share of food in their total expenditures is much higher than that of wealthier populations," notes Dan Gustafson, Ph.D., director of the FAO's Liaison Office in Washington, D.C.

Food represents about 10 to 20 percent of consumer spending in industrialized nations, but as much as 60 to 80 percent in developing countries, according to the FAO. For example, when the price of a bag of rice goes up 20 percent, that extra cost will take up a much larger portion of household income for a family in Bangladesh than it will for a family in Canada.

Ominously, the situation does not look like it's going to improve in the immediate future. "We're not growing enough food, and too many of our crops are failing or having disappointing yields, so we're not able to put as much food into reserves," warns Gustafson. "Yet, at the same time, demand for food is increasing."

Concerns intensify when looking at the long-term picture. With a world population expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, demand for food will rise by 110 percent, according to Julian Cribb, professor at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, and author of the 2010 book The Coming Famine.

He believes severe food shortages are inevitable, particularly in developing nations and the large "megacities" where most of the population growth is occurring. Wealthy nations will primarily be impacted with food shortages and higher costs (food scarcity causes inflation in food prices). In poor nations, however, it will cause greater numbers of people to starve.

But even if certain regions are not directly affected by famine, hunger will still be a worldwide problem, according to Professor Cribb. That's because of secondary issues that will arise. "Shortages of food, land and water will spawn wars, political unrest, and mass migration as people flee from the worst-affected regions," he writes.

"Even places that are physically remote may face refugee tides in the millions or tens of millions, threatening profound change to society. Governments in many countries may collapse under the onrush of people fleeing regional sustenance disasters. Every nation will face heavier aid and tax burdens and soaring food prices as a result" (The Coming Famine, p. 147).

Biblical prophecies of famine

Certainly mankind has faced food shortages throughout history. But most were relatively short-lived and had a definite end in sight. The food crisis we're facing now, however, is different. Never before have more than a billion people been threatened with hunger and malnutrition. Never before have food shortages been a concern for the entire world.

In His major prophecy of the end time given shortly before His death and resurrection, Jesus told His followers that famines would be one of several signs of the end of this age (Matthew 24:7). Food shortages, along with warfare, disease epidemics and various natural disasters, would escalate prior to His second coming. This warning is repeated in Mark 13:8 and Luke 21:11.

Perhaps many of the wars during this time will be over food supplies, and diseases will spread due in part to malnutrition. It's also probable that the prophesied natural disasters may bring on agricultural shortfalls.

Of course, famines arise not just from natural causes but also from wrong government policies. In the past century, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's attempt to seize Ukrainian farmland resulted in some 4 million peasants starving to death (The Sunday Times, Nov. 13, 2009). And according to Scripture, things will be even worse in the years to come.

Famine is among the terrible end-time occurrences personified by the infamous four horsemen of the Apocalypse, which are described in Revelation 6. The third horse and its rider, described in verses 5-6, represent famine and severe economic conditions: "When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, 'Come and see.' So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.'"

At the time this was written, a denarius was the average pay a laborer would receive for a full day's work. The Expositor's Bible Commentary says the following about this passage: "This amount [of money] suggests food prices about twelve times higher than normal . . . and implies inflation and famine conditions . . . A quart of wheat would supply an average person one day's sustenance. Barley was used by the poor to mix with the wheat." The instruction to not harm the oil or wine implies that they also would be in short supply.

This prophecy foretells a time when people will be able to afford only the barest of necessities—just to survive. It will be a period of severe famine unlike anything in the past and global in its impact.

How close we are to this ultimate, end-time famine is uncertain. We may be witnessing the beginnings of a growing food shortfall right now. At the very least, we are seeing food shortages increase in severity, as Jesus long ago foretold in this prophecy.

Major threats to the world food supply

Not only do we have Bible prophecies relating to food shortages, but we can also see various factors at play in the world around us, each driving this trend of global food scarcity. It should be pointed out that some of these factors arise from governments and polices that interfere with production and distribution, distorting markets and denying people the economic liberties that could prevent or alleviate some of these problems. With that kept in mind, some of the biggest threats to the world food supply are:

Overpopulation. In recent years, the world population has been growing by 1.3 percent a year. That is a slower rate from the peak that occurred a few decades ago (2.1 percent per year in 1965-1970). However, since this growth rate acts on a much larger population base, the absolute number of new people per year (90 million) is at an all-time high, according to World Bank statistics. The vast majority of the world's population growth—roughly 90 percent—is in poorer developing countries.

In The Coming Famine, Cribb quotes agricultural scientist Derek Tribe: "If allowed to continue unchecked, exponential growth—albeit at a declining rate—will ultimately spell disaster for planet Earth. Finite resources such as water, soil, plants, forests, animals, energy and minerals, upon which all human life depends, will inexorably be destroyed, degraded, exterminated or used up" (p. 154).

Many scientists are echoing the same warning—that our earth will not be able to sustain an infinitely growing population of people, especially on Western-style diets. And while markets free of government interference would allow for the better accommodation of a considerably larger population, that is not the way of the world.

Consumer demand. Meat consumption is soaring globally, particularly in the emerging economies of China, India and Brazil. "Their incomes have grown, and they can now afford a 'Western diet,' meaning a lot more meat," Gustafson notes.

In the last 30 years, China's annual intake of meat has quadrupled to 109 pounds per person, while Brazil's per capita meat consumption has doubled to 197 pounds a year. Per capita consumption of meat has also been rising in the United States, from 234 pounds a year in 1980 to 273 pounds today, according to the USDA.

"This dietary shift requires much larger quantities of grain to feed the livestock and poultry, compared to the more traditional grain-based diet they were eating before," Gustafson explains. By some estimates, it takes 8 to 10 pounds of wheat to produce a pound of beef, and 3 pounds of corn to produce a pound of chicken. This, in turn, puts a lot more demands on world grain supplies.

Overfishing. The world's fish stocks are dwindling, devastated by modern factory fishing techniques that use cutting-edge technology to target and harvest large populations of fish. "The demand for fish has become so high in some parts of the world, that fish are being taken from the oceans faster than they can reproduce," Gustafson says.

Globally, per-capita fish consumption has increased from 23 to 36 pounds per year over the last three decades, according to a report by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. At the same time, fish stocks have declined in all oceans to the point that they are "near or exceeding their maximum sustainable level of exploitation," the report says.

The FAO issued a similar warning in 2008, stating that "the maximum wild capture fishery potential" for the world's oceans as well as freshwater lakes and rivers, has probably been reached.

The international ocean conservation organization, Oceana, warns that ocean fish catches could collapse by the 2040s due to overfishing of wild stocks. This would be at a time when food production needs to double. If the billions of people who are used to getting their protein from fish can no longer get it, they will need to get it from the land—putting more demands on the livestock and poultry industry.

Water shortages. In many farming regions, usable water is scarce and likely to get scarcer in the years ahead, says David Molden, deputy director general for research at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). The grain-growing regions of northern China, India and Australia's Murray-Darling Basin, as well as farming areas in the western United States, Mexico and Pakistan, face "really tight" water situations, he warns.

Presently, farmers use about 70 percent of the world's freshwater to grow food. Crops are irrigated from rivers, lakes, reservoirs and aquifers, which are starting to be pumped dry in some areas.

By 2030, as cities expand in area and population and demand for water increases, the IWMI figures farmers will have about half as much freshwater available to grow their crops—paradoxically at a time when the world's food needs will have increased by 50 percent.

"Agriculture and irrigation methods must change for the world to produce enough food," Molden says. As much as 70 percent of water used by farmers never gets to crops and is lost through leaky irrigation channels. More precise water delivery systems would make irrigation more efficient.

Of course, the reality is that there is no shortage of water on earth. The atmosphere and oceans are filled with water. The issue of making use of this water is one of cost. A truly free market under a proper rule of law would enable the cost to come down, making more usable water available to those in need. But that is not the world we live in.

Loss of arable farmland. Many countries are running out of agriculturally useful land, severely limiting food production. The FAO warns that almost a quarter of the world's farmland is affected by serious degradation, up from 15 percent two decades ago.

The Futurist ran an article that explains the seriousness of the situation: "Soil erosion is currently lowering the inherent productivity of some 30% of the world's cropland. In some countries, it has reduced grain production by half or more over the last three decades.

"Vast dust storms coming out of sub-Saharan Africa, northern China, western Mongolia, and Central Asia remind us that the loss of topsoil is not only continuing but expanding. Advancing deserts in China—the result of overgrazing, overplowing, and deforestation—have forced the complete or partial abandonment of some 24,000 villages and the cropland surrounding them" (Lester Brown, "How to Feed 8 Billion People," January-February 2010).

At the same time, the world's cities are sprawling, gobbling up some of the earth's best farmland. In The Coming Famine Cribb notes: "In all, it is estimated, between 20,000 and 40,000 square kilometers (77-154 square miles) of good arable country is turned into 'concrete jungle' every year" (p. 58).

The result is a decrease in the amount of land, per person, in which to grow food. Cribb lists the findings of a study done by Rabobank, stating that "the area of food production has declined from 0.45 hectare (1.1 acres) per person in the 1960s to 0.23 hectare (0.6 acre) currently and will keep on falling as population rises, to around 0.18 hectare (0.4 acre) in 2050" (p. 48).

Cribb sums up the farmland crisis with a very astute observation: "Modern cities, which once supplied quite a lot of their own food, especially in the form of fresh fruit, vegetables and poultry—notably in Asia—have lately been planned and developed in ways that expel agriculture from within the urban perimeter. This is a piece of extraordinary blindness on the part of today's urban planners . . . which could well turn some of these giant cities into death traps in the event of serious future disruptions to food supplies" (p. 59).

Fertilizer crisis. Since the 1960s, farms around the world have been dependent on the use of chemical fertilizers, which many credit for the tripling of food production in the last 50 years. But now fertilizer is in short supply, and its cost is escalating, further driving up the price of food.

The problem is, the rise in demand for crop production has increased the price of fertilizer as nations hoard supplies for themselves. Adding to concerns is that one of the primary ingredients in fertilizer, phosphorus, is becoming scarce. Some have predicted that as early as 2035, the demand for phosphorus will outpace the supply.

Writes Cribb: "The world's main food crops are estimated to take up around 12 million tonnes (13.2 million U.S. tons) of phosphorus every year, whereas only 4 million tonnes of phosphorus are generated from natural weathering of rock or atmospheric deposition. This highlights civilization's critical dependency on the supply of artificial fertilizers, and our increasing vulnerability to any shortfall or disruption in supply . . . Worldwide, farmers today use seven times more fertilizer than they did a half century ago" (pp. 71-73).

Cribb and other agriculture experts worry there may not be enough fertilizer to go around in the future.

Biofuel production. Following the 2005 surge in U.S. gas prices, grain has been increasingly used to produce biofuels rather than food due to intrusive government policy. Many, like David Pimentel, an agricultural scientist with Cornell University, are concerned that the move toward such fuels is taking useful farmland out of food production in the United States. "Devoting land to growing biofuels exacerbates the problem of malnourishment worldwide by turning much-needed food grain into biofuel," he warns.

Not only has this resulted in less grain available for consumption, it has also caused an increase in food prices. "Using corn for ethanol increases the price of U.S. beef, chicken, eggs, breads, cereals and milk by 20 to 30 percent," Pimentel says.

Any food that has grain or even corn syrup as an ingredient is going up in cost. That includes meat, since grains are used as livestock and poultry feed. The whole situation seems to many to be a catch-22—we need fuel for our vehicles, but we also need food to live. However, as long as petroleum costs remain high, it is doubtful biofuel production will cease anytime soon.

Underinvestment in agricultural science. The rate of growth of agricultural research spending has been steadily declining since the end of the 1970s. National and regional governments, donors and investors, and academic institutions have all slashed funds for this kind of research.

Writes Cribb: "The powerhouses of agricultural knowledge—the United States, Germany, France, Japan, Canada and Australia—have turned away from agri-science in pursuit of other technological El Dorados. A report by Alex Evans for Britain's Royal Institute for International Affairs says that between 1980 and 2006 the proportion of the world's aid budget devoted to raising food output fell from 17 to just 3 percent" (p. 104).

Adds Gustafson: "The lag between research and increases in agricultural production is up to 35 years, which is why in some cases we are just starting to see evidence of this decline in R&D spending through falling productivity." This means farmers will have far less new technology to help them between now and 2030—at a time when we really need it.

Changes in climate and weather patterns. It's important to remember that some factors farmers are dependent on to grow their crops and raise livestock are beyond human control—namely adequate levels of rainfall, sunshine and temperate weather. With increasing occurrence, these factors seem less reliable. "Weather patterns have been changing, and are becoming more extreme and more unpredictable," observes Gustafson.

This past year, record-breaking heat and drought, often leading to wildfires, have plagued agricultural areas throughout the United States, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, India and Brazil, decimating crops. Heavy rain, monsoons or hurricanes have flooded farmland in Pakistan, China, Niger, the United Kingdom, Europe and much of the United States this past summer, literally washing away fields or causing crops to rot. Other countries have lost crops to late frost, unseasonably frigid weather, hail and cyclones.

Sub-Saharan Africa, the world's poorest area and one heavily dependent on subsistence farming, is the region of the world most threatened by changes in weather patterns, according to the FAO. About 95 percent of the region's cropland is rain-fed, making it particularly vulnerable to drought, which has been an intensifying problem for many decades.

Emerging agricultural diseases. With increased international travel and transport, changes in farming systems and weather patterns, and the clearing of previously untouched forests, many new agricultural pests and diseases have emerged in recent decades. The list includes mad cow disease, foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, African swine fever, avian influenza, Newcastle disease, and Rift Valley fever—all of which have wreaked havoc for livestock and poultry farmers, causing huge losses in production.

As far as crop diseases go, a huge concern right now is UG99, a rust fungus that attacks wheat and other grains, killing 90 to 100 percent of crops that become infected. UG99 produces red pustules on wheat stems, which can burst and spread countless spores on the wind.

The Southeast Farm Press reports: "UG99 was first detected in Uganda in 1999—hence the name—in eastern Africa. It has since spread to other African countries and was recently found in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan . . . Virginia Tech plant pathologist Erik Stromberg notes getting UG99 in the U.S. is likely more a matter of when, not if. 'With all the military personnel we have circulating through the Middle East, it's going to be difficult, if not impossible, to prevent the disease-causing spores from coming back to the U.S on equipment or clothing,' Stromberg says" (Roy Roberson, "UG99 a Future Threat to U.S. Wheat Growers," July 7, 2010).

It is estimated that 85 percent of the world's wheat varieties are susceptible to the disease. There is no known cure.

Spiritual causes. Ultimately, what's behind our modern-day food crisis is spiritual in nature. Mankind as a whole has rejected God, and He is not blessing the nations with the conditions needed for bountiful harvests and healthy livestock.

This is nothing new. Thousands of years ago, when God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses told the people that if they obeyed the laws of God, they would be blessed with "rain in due season" and plentiful agricultural yields. However, if they rebelled against God, their crops would suffer and disease epidemics would afflict their flocks and herds (Leviticus 26:14-22; Deuteronomy 28:18).

God also warned that, because of disobedience, "you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it," and He further warned that He would "cut off your supply of bread" (Leviticus 26:16, 26).

As society's morals, values and behavior deteriorate at the end of this age, food shortages—due to bad weather, natural disasters, agricultural diseases, etc.—are once again a tool God will use to get humanity's attention.

A world of plenty is coming!

The world definitely faces enormous food-related hurdles. Cribb succinctly sums up the challenge this way: Worldwide food output needs to double in the next 40 years, using far less water, land, energy and fertilizer, and with less new technology available.

In the next 20 years, experts project a 33 percent growth in worldwide population. "Combined with increased consumption of meat as the global middle class grows larger, [this] means that food production must grow by at least 50 percent in that same period," Cribb warns. Put another way, world population and consumer demand are together rising at about 2 percent a year. Yet food output is only growing at about 1 percent a year.

Some agricultural research is now underway, but "not nearly enough," Gustafson says. Crop researchers are breeding new varieties of wheat in the hopes of finding some that are immune to the UG99 fungus. Livestock scientists are working on ways to produce meat with less feed. Researchers are trying to develop biofuels that use less corn. Genetic engineers are trying to develop new kinds of high-yield and pest- and drought-resistant crops. (Of course, even if they are successful, there is still a great deal of opposition to genetically modified crops in much of the world.)

Scientists may be able to make some improvements in the global food supply before we see the fulfillment of Revelation 6. Ultimately, though, science can't save us. Only God can provide the true solution to food crises and famines. And He will.

Someday in the future, Jesus Christ will return to set up God's benevolent government on earth. It will be a rescue mission to save humanity from itself (Matthew 24:21-22). Christ will rule the earth for 1,000 years with His Spirit-transformed saints, who will teach humanity about God's way of life (Revelation 20:4-6). This includes principles of true liberty—including economic liberty.

The nations will be blessed with good weather, abundant crops and productive farms. Amos 9:13 tells us, "'Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord, 'when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.'" Even the deserts will become fertile and blossom like a rose (Isaiah 35:1-2, 6-7). It will be an age of peace, prosperity and abundance. Hunger and famine will be a thing of the past.

Certainly the news related to agriculture today is not terribly pleasant and can even be downright frightening. Yet we don't need to fear food shortages or any of the other serious problems this world faces. God is in charge. He is well aware of the problems on earth and will intervene when the time is right.

We always need to remember that. A new world is coming in which God will change the curses to blessings. What a wonderful time to be able to look forward to!

Europe Braces for Terrorism

The news that the Eiffel Tower had been closed for a bomb threat gave me a bit of concern as we prepared to board our flight for Paris in early October. We were on the last leg of a two-week trip to Europe and looking forward to spending a few days in France's capital city seeing some of its world-famous sights.

A few days earlier, French police responded to a bomb threat by closing the symbol of the city. On the same day a public transportation hub was closed when an unattended package was sighted.

Warnings issued for European travel

On Oct. 3, 2010, the U.S. government issued a warning for Americans traveling to Europe to be "vigilant." Intelligence forces had determined that al-Qaeda was planning attacks on European cities similar to those carried out in Mumbai, India, in November 2008. There attackers invaded hotels frequented by Westerners, and it took three days to repel them—after massive loss of life.

While this warning contained nothing specific—and it came short of advising Americans not to travel to Europe—it nonetheless gave me, as I mentioned, a bit of concern and raised my level of situational awareness a little higher. While traveling in and around Paris over the next few days, I did observe security personnel in the tourist locations, and I did keep a sharper eye out for anything suspicious.

While it pays to be alert while traveling, there will most likely be little we can do to avert any well-planned terrorist operation. Security experts know there is not much they can do to prevent a determined group from mounting a terror attack.

Having been in an international city when terrorists struck (suicide bombers blew themselves up in three hotels near where I was staying in Amman, Jordan, in November 2005), I know from personal experience that there is little you can do other than react.

Facing an impossible challenge

These recent warnings reflect the dilemma that governments face as they combat terrorism. First, while they are extremely vigilant to target groups and questionable individuals, it is impossible to monitor and control all behavior. Determined terrorists will find a way to evade detection. You cannot monitor everyone at all times. People will slip through the net.

Second, when officials find and detain a terrorist operative, they can often extract valuable information about impending attacks. But they have to be careful in how they use that information. To reveal all they know could end the flow of information. To be too specific in a public warning will let terrorist groups know they are being monitored. That is why we often hear only general warnings without the specifics. Governments do not always reveal all they know, but they have a duty to inform the public.

Since the 9/11 hijackers crashed jets into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, we have seen smaller attacks and attempted attacks, but nothing on the scale of that day. No doubt that is in part because of the increased vigilance of world governments to hunt down terrorist operations at the source and wherever they spread. The nine years of intense vigilance has worked to a considerable degree.

But security experts know that it's an impossible task to prevent any and all terrorist operations. It would require watching millions of people and the ability to monitor every meeting of a group of people bent on planning a terrorist strike. Again, this is impossible. No one, not even the United States, can police the world in this manner.

The key to winning the war on terror is to change the radical ideology that drives it. No one has the solution for this monumental task. So the threat of attack remains, and governments must be vigilant.

Terror threat to France and Europe

French officials know they are overdue for an attack. It has been five years since the riots in Marseille, in the south of France, highlighted the growing divide between Muslim immigrants and the French.

The French government has recently placed a ban on some clothing worn by Muslim women. The ban pertains to the burka, a full-body covering that includes a mesh screen over the face, and the niqab, a full-face veil that leaves an opening only for the eyes.

French courts have upheld the law, supported by the French public by a margin of 4 to 1. Women will be fined if they break the law when it goes into effect next spring. Many suspect this law will provoke unrest, possibly even an attack by Muslims or a terrorist group. France has about 3.5 million Muslims, totaling about 6 percent of its population.

Stratfor, a global intelligence company, has recently assessed the threat to Europe and the United States and concluded that further attacks are inevitable, with accompanying loss of innocent life.

An article on Stratfor's website titled "Terrorism, Vigilance and the Limits of War on Terror" (Oct. 5, 2010) states: "The United States and Europe are going to be attacked by jihadist terrorists from time to time, and innocent people are going to be killed, perhaps in the thousands again. The United States and its allies can minimize the threat through covert actions and strong defenses, but they cannot eliminate it . . .

"[They] are therefore dealing with a threat that cannot be stopped by their actions. The only conceivably effective actions would be those taken by Muslim governments, and even those are unlikely to be effective. There is a deeply embedded element within a small segment of the Islamic world that is prepared to conduct terror attacks, and this element will occasionally be successful."

The report goes on to say that Western nations will have to live with the terrorist threat for several years to come and that America's focus on the threat will leave it vulnerable in other critical areas.

The article concludes: "The United States and the West in general cannot focus all of its power on solving a problem that is beyond its power to solve. The long war against terrorism will not be the only war fought in the coming years. The threat of jihadism must be put in perspective and the effort aligned with what is effective. The world is a dangerous place, as they say, and jihadism is only one of the dangers."

This threat to Europe from radical Islam is not to be ignored. When—not if—an attack happens, it will trigger a reaction from key nations that could set in motion what is sometimes called "unintended consequences."

Unassimilated immigrants a growing problem

France is not the only nation with a large Muslim population that has not integrated into European culture. The Netherlands is facing a similar crisis (see "Eurabia: A Voice Cries Out in Defense of Europe's Heritage" in the November-December 2010 Good News).

In mid-October German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave a speech addressing the problem of multiculturalism in Germany. Germany has had decades of immigration from Muslim countries. They came in the 1960s to provide workers for the postwar economic boom. Although many stayed, they did not blend into German culture. Many of these foreigners do not speak the native language adequately, lack many skills and have become a drain on the country's welfare system. Some politicians are calling for policies that would force immigrants to assimilate into German culture.

Chancellor Merkel's outspoken comments highlighted what many feel.

"This is a country that brought guest workers to Germany in the 1960s," she said. "For a while, we kidded ourselves into believing that they wouldn't stay and would leave. Naturally, the notion that we would become 'multiculti,' that we would live next to one another and be happy about one another, failed" ("Merkel Enters Immigration Fray," The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 18, 2010).

The fear in Germany, as with other European countries, is based on the decline of the native birthrate and the rise of the immigrant birthrate. If the trend continues, in a few years immigrants, primarily Muslim immigrants, will outnumber native populations and dominate culture and politics. With 80 million people, Germany is Europe's largest nation. But it has a very low birthrate. Immigration and the growing Islamization of Germany is a serious issue of discussion.

Catalyst for future events

The historic clash between the East and West has its front line in Europe. In the eighth century the armies of Islam, having overrun North Africa, swept up into Europe, conquering Spain and pushing into France before being defeated by Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours in 732. Martel's grandson, Charlemagne, came to rule over much of Central Europe as a powerful Christian king who forged a bulwark against further encroachment. The pope and the Catholic Church lent support to ensure the boundaries were maintained.

In the 16th century the armies of the Ottoman Empire under Süleyman the Magnificent conquered areas of Central Europe, sacking Budapest in 1526 and twice trying to breach the walls of Vienna before being turned back. More than once in history, armies have come from the south attempting to conquer Europe.

Radical Islam has a plan to drive Western military personnel and the influence of Western culture from the Middle East. Other areas where the foot of Islam once trod are still considered part of their world. Spain, which they called and still call "al-Andalus," was for centuries a Muslim domain. In the minds of al-Qaeda commanders, Madrid lies in Muslim territory. Whole sections of Europe, including Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia and Croatia, were once Muslim lands. Radical Islamic leaders would like to see them returned to the fold.

The mix of radical attacks and millions of unassimilated Muslim immigrants throughout Europe pose a potential catalyst for yet future events that could set the stage for one of Bible prophecy's key events.

The push from the south

Daniel 11 describes an attack in the end time from "the king of the South" against "the king of the North." This is clearly understood from history and the Bible to be forces coming from the present-day Middle East against modern Europe. History follows along prophetic pathways, and this future event will trigger key end-time movements leading to the return of Jesus Christ. Our booklet The Middle East in Bible Prophecy explains the details of this future event.

An attack by radical elements coupled with the fears generated by an unassimilated foreign population could lead to larger reactions from an as-yet-to-arise political force in Europe.

The stage is being set, and for years we have followed what we believe to be our duty in discussing this scenario in this publication. Europe will not continue to sit by and idly watch its future be threatened by an outside power. Historically, Europe eventually moves with force when threatened, even when it is divided by religion and politics and competing ideologies.

The 16th century saw Europe divided religiously by the Protestant Reformation and unable to act to prevent the loss of land to the Ottoman Empire. But it eventually came together to draw a line and to push back the threat of domination. Religion and political forces inevitably unite to preserve their culture.

Though present-day Europe has achieved a measure of political and economic unity in the EU, it is still not a union that can act decisively to project full political or military power beyond its boundaries. That can change when outside forces raise the threat to an unacceptable level. Forces can be unleashed to bring a yet unseen union together, thus creating a major geopolitical power to be reckoned with. It is, again, the matter of "unintended consequences."

That is why we pay attention to even the small threats of possible terrorist attacks. It is good to be vigilant to safeguard your immediate welfare as well as to see the larger picture these events are drawing.

Spiritually Ignorant Americans Are Regularly Angry at God

Americans in general believe they are a religious nation on a mission of doing good in the world. The United States is a superpower, a leader among leaders. But it also has some of the world's highest rates of divorce and domestic violence, percentages of people in jail and burdens of public and private debt. There is an obvious disconnect between what Americans profess and the reality of how they live.

Starting off 2011 with a lot going wrong, it is not surprising many Americans are mad at their spouses, criminals and Wall Street bankers who have plunged them into the worst economic problems in 80 years.

But surprisingly, many of them are also mad at God. They are blaming Him for the mess.

A CNN report on Jan. 1 said that a recent series of studies show a surprising number of Americans are angry at God, especially about life's personal disappointments.

Many Americans get angry at God when what they want to happen doesn't happen, even after they pray. Julie Exline, Case Western Reserve University psychologist and lead author of the report, was surprised that even atheists and agnostics also feel anger toward God.

From the beginning, many Americans have believed they are "God's people." But that idea is wearing off, as 20 percent of Americans now say "none" to the question: What is your religion?

Perhaps not surprisingly, young people, strongly affected by an entitlement culture of instant gratification, are particularly angry at God according to the study. He doesn't give them everything they want when they want it. They think He should deal with people on their terms. In other words, they would like God to be different than they think He is. But how would they know?

What is the cause for anger against God?

Religious people today know less now about the substance of faith—spiritual knowledge of the Bible—than any other generation in American history. It is because they don't understand Him that they have less confidence He is there on their behalf. And without biblical understanding, they will not understand the terms of His relationship that brings blessings. Without the Bible, they can't see the causes for their problems or understand that He will not bless them when they expect it.

They don't know how to think about God. They don't know how to relate to Him and be heard and blessed. Without the Bible, they have lost the terms of relationship. In their ignorance, they get angry.

A false grace for an ignorant America

For over a decade, researchers have noted a shocking decline in knowledge and belief in the Bible by Christians in America. Even before 9/11 in 2001, religious researcher George Barna concluded that 90 percent of American Christians no longer had a "Christian worldview."

"The Christian body in America is immersed in a crisis of biblical illiteracy," he warned. "How else can you describe matters when most churchgoing adults reject the accuracy of the Bible, reject the existence of Satan, claim that Jesus sinned...?"

In a substitution for biblical truth, Americans have broadly adopted a fuzzy idea that Jesus gave them cheap grace. Knowledge and obedience to biblical truth is now irrelevant in many people's minds. The Bible does not teach that "all you have to do to be saved by grace is believe in Jesus." This is a false assumption and untrue.

This "pop" grace is not biblically defined but has become a meaningless catchall for permission to define the relationship with God and other people in our own self-indulgent terms. This false grace sets up a false premise, making it possible for people to rationalize sin and disrespect toward God.

When the false belief systems this grace spawns fail to deliver success, people become angry. Unfortunately, they direct their angry disappointment against God. But He is not the cause. Their spiritual ignorance is the cause. That is exactly what the Bible says: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children" (Hosea 4:6).

True grace establishes God's law in your heart

The gospel of the Kingdom of God brought by Jesus Christ is a message of true grace—based upon active faith in the message He brought (John 1:14; Mark 1:15).

Americans broadly believe that God is a God of grace. But the devil is in the details of false teachings, assumptions and many sins that have developed under a false concept of grace.

Some American clergy preach a biblically illiterate grace devoid of Christ's teaching that you must be willing to forsake your sins and repent. They don't teach that sin is the transgression of God's law of love expressed in the Ten Commandments, which the apostle Paul called "holy and just and good" (Romans 7:12). Jesus said just calling Him "Lord, Lord" without doing what He says is vain (Matthew 7:21). He also said, "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments" and, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets" (Matthew 19:17; 5:17).

The Bible is a book of spiritual truth that explains the will of God and how life really works. But you have to read it, know it and believe it. So make sure you are reading and believing it every day. Why not start with Lesson 1 of our exciting new Free Bible Study Guides?

Jesus' Warning to "Watch"—Just What Did He Mean?

Jesus and the apostles exhort us to actively "watch"! We need to understand all that they meant and the wide-ranging implications. Our survival and salvation could depend on that understanding and action!

The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13). The rest of the verse is clear, but what does "watch" mean?

Paul wasn't telling us to be passive spectators—of entertainment or anything else. He meant something far different.

This article focuses on New Testament scriptures with the verb "watch"—important scriptures that are often misunderstood, ignored and neglected.

How important is it that we "watch"? Consider this: The biblical command to watch is several times coupled with the command to pray. Is prayer important? Extremely so! And so is the command to watch!

Watch means to stay wide awake

When the New Testament commands us to "watch," it is usually the translation of one of two Greek words (gregoreuo and agrupneo), which have similar meanings—to "stay awake" and to "be sleepless." They are usually meant in the metaphorical and spiritual sense—to be vigilant and on guard, fully awake, aware, alert and intently focused—with several applications and implications.

In Matthew 26:37-40, the meaning of "watch" is primarily physical. Jesus was chiding the disciples for not remaining awake during the hour preceding His arrest.

But what Jesus next said to Peter had a deeper, spiritual meaning: "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing [i.e., intentions are good], but the flesh [mere human willpower] is weak'" (Matthew 26:41).

It is spiritual watching coupled with prayer that gives one the strength to survive temptations and difficult situations.

"Awake to righteousness, and do not sin" (1 Corinthians 15:34). Being awake is equated with righteousness and not sinning. Paul was writing to the church at Corinth, which shows that even true Christians can be spiritually asleep to varying degrees.

Paul also wrote: "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11, emphasis added throughout).

In other words, the closer we draw to the second coming of Christ, the more urgent it is that we awake out of spiritual sleep! Indeed, we have entered the fearful end-time years that are the grand climax of human civilization. If ever there was a time to pay attention and get prepared, it is now!

Furthermore, none of us knows when he or she will die. Being spiritually prepared for the end of life should be our top priority.

Watching means properly using our minds

God gave us marvelous minds to use—to study, learn, observe, analyze, judge and think.

Life is time. To waste time is to waste life. Many people are mentally lazy—wasting a tragic amount of time on the trivial and temporal, mundane and materialistic. Many squander countless hours vegetating in front of their TV or computer seeking only to be entertained.

Real readers are becoming rare. A society becomes shallow and superficial when most citizens rely too much on pictures and images rather than words. In-depth learning requires language.

It is quite significant that God's true religion is based on spoken and written messages that were compiled into what we call the Bible. God's people are to be "people of the Book." In contrast, most pagan religions emphasize images, idols, symbols and rituals.

You see, God wants His people to zealously read and study, to think and meditate. He wants us to be well-informed regarding the major geopolitical, cultural and spiritual issues and events of our time. God deplores ignorance, indifference and being "dull of hearing" (Hebrews 5:11).

This is where the Bible comes in, providing the essential framework for a godly worldview. The Bible is God's divine revelation of absolute truth, which is just as relevant today as it ever was.

Because of this, the Bible should be the prism, lens and filter by which we can accurately perceive and judge all other information. It enables us to develop a godly worldview—the framework and foundation by which we can accurately interpret all that is going on in the world. We can then understand our confusing world scene with amazing clarity, sense and logic!

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees for their hard-hearted mind-set. If they had not had evil attitudes and had believed the Scriptures, they would have been able to "discern the signs of the times" and to realize the Messiah had come (Matthew 16:1-3).

We need knowledge of end-time prophecy

To know where to focus our attention, we particularly need to know the Bible prophecies of the end time, especially the prophecies surrounding the second coming of Christ.

We are to "eagerly wait for" Christ's return, not just passively wait around (Hebrews 9:28). Jesus was emphatic that His followers should hope for His return, expect His return and pray for His return! In addition, our enthusiastic anticipation and excitement will intensify as we see more and more world events fulfilling Bible prophecies—especially those that point to the increasing nearness of Christ's return.

Note the watching, waiting, anticipation and preparedness in the following passage: "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching" (Luke 12:35-36).

Jesus concluded His message by saying, "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (verse 40).

Much later, Jesus echoed that point: "Behold, I am coming as a thief [meaning suddenly and unexpectedly]. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame" (Revelation 16:15). Wearing garments, especially white raiment, symbolizes a good spiritual condition (Revelation 3:1-5, 18). We must not be caught undressed—unprepared.

Christ's all-important end-time prophecy

Jesus gave a crucial end-time prophecy shortly before His crucifixion, recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. It's valuable to study this prophecy often.

Jesus' disciples wanted to know what to watch for. "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3).

Significantly, the very first thing that Jesus responded with was a somber warning of what to watch out for: "Take heed that no one deceives you" (verse 4). Sadly, many are deceived. Many who call themselves Christians are deceived into thinking that Christ will not literally return to the earth, even though He repeatedly promised He would, or that He will return in some manner different from what He told us.

In the rest of the chapter, Jesus answers their questions by revealing the future key trends and conditions for which it would be critically important to watch.

Jesus then urged His disciples to "watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into" (verses 42-43).

After Jesus' resurrection, He again said, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority" (Acts 1:7). However, in spite of Jesus' statements, countless people have foolishly tried to predict the time of His second coming. It is because we don't know the timing that we must keep watching.

Continuing in Matthew 24, Jesus said, "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (verse 44) Watching reminds us and motivates us to remain ready. That's the main idea!

Shortly after, Jesus warns of the temptation to think, "My master is staying away a long time" (verse 48, New International Version). When a person thinks he has more than enough time to get ready, he is seriously tempted to let down spiritually (see verses 49-51).

The parable of the 10 virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) emphasizes staying spiritually prepared and ready. Keeping one's lamp filled with oil represents staying close to God and staying filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus concluded the parable by saying, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming" (verse 13).

Watching, praying, staying sober and watching out for enemies

In Mark's and Luke's accounts of Jesus Christ's prophecy, we see that Jesus connected watching with praying. There is much to pray about regarding the present and the future. Watching helps our praying, and praying helps our watching.

Mark records Jesus saying: "Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time [of Christ's coming] is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch" (Mark 13:33-34; see also verses 35-37).

Christ was quite emphatic here in commanding us to do four things:

1. Take heed to what He had just said.

2. Watch for the signs He had outlined.

3. Pray regularly and earnestly so that we stay close to God.

4. Keep doing God's work!

In Luke's account, Jesus tells us that "when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near" (Luke 21:31). Then He warns about not letting "that Day come on you unexpectedly" (verse 34).

Jesus concludes by saying, "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36).

"All these things" refers to all that is recorded in this chapter, including the "great distress in the land and wrath upon this people" (Luke 21:23). Mark uses the term "tribulation" and Matthew says "great tribulation" (Matthew 24:21).

Of course, Jesus did not mean that we are to only focus our prayers on our own survival and salvation. He meant that if we keep watching our spiritual condition and world events and praying for the Kingdom of God and for all that God tells us to pray about, we will be changing, repenting and accepting Christ's sacrifice and help. Then we will be accounted worthy to escape the end-time tribulation and to be with Christ in His Kingdom!

Paul urged that we pray "for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence" (1 Timothy 2:1-2). This implies that we know who our leaders are and what issues might impact our lives and our freedoms to worship God and carry out His work.

You can learn more about the connection between watching and praying in Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 4:2 and 1 Peter 4:7.

And watching is sometimes connected with staying spiritually sober, meaning sober-minded (1 Thessalonians 5:6-8; 2 Timothy 4:5; 1 Peter 1:13; 4:7; 5:8). This includes staying alert to our own spiritual condition, as mentioned.

Some scriptures about watching emphasize watching out for spiritual dangers and enemies such as "savage wolves," deceivers who want to take advantage of God's "flock" of followers (Acts 20:29-31).

Peter warns us, "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). Staying aware of the powerful behind-the-scenes role of Satan and his demons enables us to understand the atrocious evil and madness of this world. It also enables us to "resist" them (James 4:7).

Mistaken attitudes that entrap Christians

In light of the above, we see that in addition to concern we should have in personally drawing close to God and over what is happening in God's Church, we are clearly also to watch, listen and read to keep up with world news, events, conditions and trends.

In doing so, we should focus on news that is significant rather than sensational. Let your knowledge of end-time prophecy guide you in your selections. If you're quite busy, and many of us are, still make "watching" a high priority and dedicate time for it.

In spite of Jesus' command, many Christians don't stay well informed. Why? We can name several reasons.

Some feel that paying serious attention to news is not "spiritual" enough. But true spirituality is based on obeying our Master, Jesus Christ, who commanded us to watch!

Some people ignore news because it's mostly bad news that interferes with feeling happy and comfortable. But that's choosing escapism over facing reality and obeying Christ's command to "deny" yourself (Luke 9:23). We are not to selfishly shut our eyes and hearts to the suffering of others, becoming indifferent, complacent or fatalistic.

People get depressed when they feel helpless. But by watching and praying, we are strengthened. We can help others to understand what's happening, plus we are more effective helpers with God's work in other ways!

A Christlike attitude is one of sympathy, empathy and compassion for your fellow countrymen and for all humanity. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4). If we grieve for others, God will comfort us in this life and much more in the next life.

Our God-ordained responsibility is to watch and pray. Ignorance comes from ignoring, and God does not want us to be ignorant and "in darkness" (see 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10). Our Master and role model Jesus Christ certainly understood the issues, politics and personalities of His day. We should do likewise.

At the same time, we must avoid the mistake of going to the other extreme—studying world affairs, history and even conspiracy theories more than the Bible. Without a sound understanding of God's Word and a dedication to live by it, little else matters.

Will you become one of God's watchmen?

God called the prophet Ezekiel to be a "watchman" to the nation of Israel to warn them to repent of their wicked ways or else suffer dire consequences (Ezekiel 3:17; 33:7). God told Ezekiel that He would hold him accountable—that if he didn't warn the people he would share the guilt for their suffering (33:1-6).

So this is another application of Christ's command to "watch." He means for us to act as watchmen! How can we best do that?

First, we must strive to be "the light of the world" by being a godly example for others to follow (Matthew 5:14).

Second, we must study the Bible so that when people ask us important questions, we'll be prepared to give them biblical answers (1 Peter 3:15). Also we should stay well-informed regarding world affairs so we'll be able to help them understand those events from a biblical perspective.

Third, we must learn how God is using His Church to "go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation" (Mark 16:15, NIV). We should learn how we can support and be a part of that great collective commission of "preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God" (Mark 1:14).

The role of the Church has some similarity to the role of the Old Testament prophets. They taught the godly standards of good versus evil, the promise of God's blessings on those who do right, and the warning of God's punishments on those who do wrong.

The word gospel means good news, and the true gospel includes the wonderful news that Jesus Christ will soon return to give us true peace on earth! And before that, God will give forgiveness and protection to those who repent of their sins and make the commitment to obey and serve Him.

Jesus told us to regularly pray to God, "Your kingdom come" (Matthew 6:10). How can we convince others of the urgent need for God's Kingdom if we can't explain what's wrong with the present world?

This magazine is part of the Church's effort to be God's watchman to the world. With each issue, some of the articles bring up-to-date reports on significant world events and trends and explain how they tie in with the Bible prophecies of the end time. We are glad you are reading and learning.

Keep watching! Perhaps the best summary of this subject is this sobering warning from Jesus Christ in Mark 13:35-37: "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"