Bible prophecy gives us an outline of future events. Jesus Christ told His followers to “watch” for the signs of the end-times (Matthew 24:42).
But what are the signs we should be watching? What can we really know from Scripture? We need to be prepared for 2015… and beyond!
In 2014, the drama of human history and its violence and war continued unabated. Coalition forces attacked the extremist Islamic force called ISIS. Military jets from several countries bombed ISIS targets in Iraq and even in Syria. Russia’s military marched into the Crimean Peninsula and claimed it as its own territory. Japan and China clashed over disputed island territories. Palestinian military bases in Gaza fired more than 4,000 missiles into Israel, some as far as Tel Aviv, killing dozens of Israelis, and prompting Israel to send land forces into Gaza to stop this action, killing or injuring thousands of Palestinians in response. Extremists even beheaded journalists, as bloody evil raised its wicked specter. In West Africa, thousands died from the Ebola disease. As many of you know, Jesus of Nazareth warned that there will be terrible disease epidemics in the prophetic end-times, the age in which we are now living! He warned, “And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:7–8).
WARS, CONFLICTS AND TERRORISM
But will we ever see the end of conflict, wars, and violence? And is there anything you can do to escape the dangerous times ahead? Jesus gave an outline of prophetic events in the famous “Olivet Prophecy” (so-called because it was spoken on the Mount of Olives). You can read it for yourself in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. The Savior stated, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all thesethings must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 24:6–7).
Has human nature changed since Christ spoke those words? No! The last hundred years brought us two world wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, several Middle East wars and terrorism across the U.S., Great Britain, and many other nations. Nations against nations, ethnic groups against ethnic groups, religious sects against religious sects—violence continues, and at the very end will increase even further.
World history has demonstrated that governments and alliances cannot produce lasting peace. The Apostle Paul quoted the prophet Isaiah, who stated this troubling reality: “And the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:17–18)
