MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS OF THE LAST DAYS

"Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom." (Matthew 24:7) Millions of people have been killed in wars during the past century.  One  British historian wrote: "The 20th century was the most murderous in recorded history. . . .It was a century of almost unbroken war, with few and brief periods without organized armed conflict somewhere." A report from  the Worldwatch Institute states: "Three  times as many people fell victim to war in [the 20th] century as in all the wars from the first century AD to 1899." More than 100 million people have died as a result of losing one loved one in warfare, we can only imagine such misery and pain multiplied millions of times over.                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                                  
"There will be food shortages." (Matthew 24:7) Researchers say that food production has increased greatly during the past 30 years. Nevertheless, food shortages continue because many people do not have enough money to buy food or land on which to raise crops.  In developing countries, well over a billion people have to live on an income of a dollar or less a day.  The majority of these suffer from chronic hunger.  The World Healthy Organization estimates that malnutrition plays a major role in the deaths of more than five million children each year. 

"There will be great earthquakes." (Luke 21:11)  According to the U.S. Geological Survey, since 1990 alone an average of 17 earthquakes per year have been powerful enough to damage buildings and crack the ground.  And on an average, earthquakes strong enough to cause total destruction of buildings have occurred yearly.  Another source states:  "Earthquakes have claimed hundreds of lives in the past 100 years and improvements in technology have only slightly reduced the death toll." 

"There will be pestilences." (Luke 21:11)  Despite medical advances, old and new diseases plague mankind.  One report says that 20 well-known diseases -including tuberculosis, malaria, and cholera-have become more common in recent decades, and some types of disease are increasingly  difficult to cure by means of drugs.  In fact, at least 30 new diseases have appeared.  Some of them have no known cure and are fatal. 

Next time: PEOPLE OF THE LAST DAYS

From the Book: What Does the Bible Really Teach? 2005 and 2006