Jesus tells us several times to watch out for the Signs of the End and, obviously, we should obey him. Yes, we must avoid jumping to naïve conclusions. But it is equally wrong not to be looking for the Signs of the End. Jesus warns us not to be caught out, unprepared for his Coming.
The early (repeating) signs He referred to were those which one would expect to increase nearer to the Second Coming – false messiahs (Mt 24:4-5), wars, famines and earthquakes (Mt 24:6-7) and pestilences (Lk 21:11).
Jesus also referred to signs nearer his coming, namely worldwide persecution (Matt 24:9), people turning away from the faith (Matt 24:10), false prophets (Matt 24:11), the gospel being preached to all nations (Mk 13:10) and Jerusalem being restored to Jewish control (Lk 21:24). The final sign is ‘the abomination of desolation.’ These we will consider in Part 2.
I seek to keep watch and noted the following facts:
False Messiahs (Mt 24:4-5)
There have been at least 23 false messiahs in the last 100 years, including nine who are still alive in 2023. These nine false messiahs are:
- Laszlo Toth (born 1938).
- Wayne Bent (born 1941), of the Lord Our Righteousness.
- Jung Myung-seok (born 1945), who founded the Providence Church in South Korea, and considers himself the Second Coming of Christ, but not Jesus himself.
- Claude Vorilhon (born 1946), from France, who founded the Rael Movement, and who became ‘Messiah’ in 1972.
- Inri Cristo (born 1948), from Brazil.
- Apollo Quiboloy (born 1950), from the Philippines, who founded the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and claims to be the ‘Appointed Son of God’.
- Brian David Mitchell (born 1953), from Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Maria Devi Christos (born 1960), leader of the Great White Brotherhood.
- Alan John Miller (born 1962), form Australia, founder of Divine Truth.
War (Mt 24:6-7; Rev 6:1-4)
The danger of war is increasing.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, chief of UK defence staff, said in December 2022 that the world is going through an “extraordinarily dangerous time” as war rages in Europe and confrontations escalate between the West and China, and North Korea and Iran. Radakin added that Iran has a rapidly developing nuclear programme, while “nuclear North Korea” has “over 60 ballistic missile launches this year…” China has substantially increased its nuclear arsenal and strengthened its armed forces. Various NATO leaders are warning of a full-blown potential war with Russia.
China has substantially increased its nuclear arsenal and strengthened its armed forces.
The world is facing the highest number of violent conflicts since the Second World War (when 80 million were killed - 17 million in World War 1) and 2 billion people — a quarter of humanity — live in places affected by such conflict.
Researchers from the Institute for Economics and Peace based in Sydney, Australia, calculated that in 2022 nearly a quarter of a million people died in wars and armed conflicts. (This represents the highest number since 1994, the year of the Rwandan Genocide, when well over half a million people were killed). The war in Ukraine has contributed towards this figure, with conflict also worsening in Myanmar and Middle Belt Nigeria – areas of intense anti-Christian violence. Now there is the Israel-Gaza war.
A UN paper published in 2020 entitled ‘A New Era of Conflict and Violence’, stated: “Today, we are witnessing the unravelling of the international arms control architecture and a gradual backtracking on established arms control agreements, which have supported global stability, restraint and transparency. The continued existence of nuclear weapons poses an ever-greater threat to the survival of humanity. … relations between nuclear-armed states are fraying, and divisions over the pace and scale of disarmament are growing.”
In December 2022, Henry Kissinger wrote: “Autonomous weapons already exist, capable of defining, assessing and targeting their own perceived threats and thus in a position to start their own war. …How can leaders exercise control when computers prescribe strategic instructions on a scale and in a manner that inherently limits and threatens human input?”
... in 2022 nearly a quarter of a million people died in wars and armed conflicts.
Famine (Mt 24:7)
Famine is increasing extensively.
In 2023, the World Food Programme said its statistics show more than double the number of people facing severe food shortage than in 2020. This constitutes a staggering rise of 200 million people.
On a worldwide level, up to 783 million people are suffering from hunger and food shortages, according to a July 2023 UN report, with the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean being the worst-affected. Around 2.4 billion people – almost a third of the world's population – are experiencing food insecurity. The report points out that “Conflict is still the biggest driver of hunger, with 70 percent of the world's hungry people living in areas afflicted by war.” It also adds “Climate shocks destroy lives, crops and livelihoods, and undermine people’s ability to feed themselves.”
Earthquakes (Mt 24:7; Rev 6:12) and Fearful Events (Lk 21:11; Rev 6:7-8)
Climate change will increase earthquakes and volcanoes.
The number of earthquakes has not risen, but since the world population has increased and spread dramatically, inevitably more people will die. In the last two years, approx. 67,000 people died in seven earthquakes, of which, approx. 59,500 died in the Turkey/Syrian quake.
The number of earthquakes has not risen, but since the world population has increased and spread dramatically, obviously more people will die
Climate change will affect earthquakes. When glaciers melt, the water can seep into cracks in the earth's crust, causing them to widen and weaken. This can lead to earthquakes, especially in areas that are already seismically active. Climate change will also affect volcanoes, for example, because of melting glaciers, since glaciers and ice caps restrict the flow of magma.
Climate-related disasters are on the rise across the globe. Floods, hurricanes, cyclones, earthquakes, etc., are affecting communities worldwide in unprecedented numbers. A 2022 Ecological Threat Register report states that the world is now experiencing ten times the number of climate-related disasters per year than in 1960.
Pestilence
Current United Nations projections suggest that the world population will reach 9.7 billion people by mid-century, and could peak at nearly 10.4 billion 30 years later. Dr Peter Daszak, a disease ecologist, said: “There's a strong correlation between the risk of pandemic and human population density. We've done the math and we've proved it.” The study found that more than 300 new infectious diseases emerged between 1940 and 2004. Daszak commented “You can predict very confidently as each year moves forward, we're going to see more and more diseases emerge.”
You can predict very confidently as each year moves forward, we're going to see more and more diseases emerge.
Abraham Haileamlak, Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health, wrote: “Despite huge scientific and medical advances, the potential for diseases to spread is actually increasing, and the risk of outbreaks escalating into epidemics or pandemics. Several factors do play a role in the increase in frequency and coverage of pandemics. A huge increase in globalization and connectivity has meant that disease agents can spread from one side of the world to another within a few hours. Other major factors contributing to the increased occurrence of pandemics are: urbanisation, increased human-animal contact and climate change (which affects the spread of disease in a number of ways, such as by altering the natural range of disease carrying insects, like mosquitoes.”
Professor Peter Horby, a scientific adviser to the UK government, said rising global connectivity was “increasing the odds” of future outbreaks.
In May 2023, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, controversial director general of the World Health Organisation, told its annual health assembly in Geneva that it was time to “advance negotiations” on preventing the next pandemic. He added that governments need to prepare for a disease even deadlier than Covid-19. However, we have to remember that the flu epidemic after World War 1 resulted in probably more than 20 million deaths and the Black Death in the Middle Ages resulted in 75-200 million deaths.
However ... the flu epidemic after World War 1 resulted in probably more than 20 million deaths and the Black Death in the Middle Ages resulted in 75-200 million deaths.
Cosmic disturbance (Lk 21:11, 25; Acts 2:19)
In November 2022, astrophysicist Ethan Siegel pointed out that the overwhelming majority of asteroids, including near-earth asteroids, have yet to be found and characterised. He added that this may represent the greatest threat to earth.
Further signs will be considered in part 2.
Tony Higton has been a Church of England Minister for over 40 years, led a ministry among Jewish people in Jerusalem for several years, and since 2015 has led a national ministry encouraging prayer and preparation for Revival.
