Is There Hope for World Peace...Continued from page 2

Another prediction of Jesus, in verse 7, was that there would be famines and earthquakes before the end of history. In the 1940’s, there were 51 earthquakes measuring above 6.0 on the Richter scale. In the 1980’s, there were over 1000. In the 1990’s, the number exceeded 1500.

In recent years famines have been so widespread that it is impossible to keep accurate records of deaths by starvation. It has been estimated that over two million people have starved to death in North Korea alone. (3)

Jesus also predicted that before the end of time Christians would face much persecution. We know for a fact that more Christians were martyred in the 20th Century that in all of the previous nineteen centuries combined.

The Methodist bishop of Indonesia, Bishop Dolok, reports that his congregations have to post a look-out during worship services. If a roving band of Muslim extremists finds a Christian congregation in worship, they will attack them, and the police do nothing. In virtually every country where Christians are a minority, they are persecuted.

We don’t usually think of America as a place of religious persecution, but worrisome signs can already be seen. The ACLU is dedicated to banishing religion from the public sector. Many knowledgeable observers believe that America’s elite media are deeply anti-Christian. Jesus predicted that this kind of public animosity toward the faith would be prevalent before the final end of history.

Another birth-pang that Jesus predicted as a sign of the end-time was that there would be an increase in wickedness. Certainly our soaring crime rate in Memphis would indicate such a trend. Since the most popular sites in the Internet are pornographic ones, it is not surprising that crime and wickedness are increasing.

Jesus predicted all of these trends, but he also said, “Do not be alarmed, for the end is still to come.” (Matt. 24:6) Jesus wanted us to be alert and aware, but not fearful.

The second biblical truth about world peace sounds almost contrary to the first. While the trends of our world do not point toward world peace, nevertheless,

God's People Must Pray and Work for His Kingdom to Come on Earth.

Even though the trends will be against us, we must work for peace.

God has given three mandates to people of faith. The first is an environmental mandate given at the dawn of creation. God assigned mankind to rule or have dominion over his created order. We are to care for it and use it wisely.