[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Can Peace Become Reality?

The Second World War ended 75 years ago and a shrinking number are old enough to remember it firsthand. Those who fought in that terrible war, and those civilians who endured it, are dying off. They were my parent’s generation. The war was etched deeply upon their minds and hearts and I remember them taking me to the American Cemetery in Cambridge England. The Memorial Day ceremonies included a plane flyover to drop flowers from the sky over the precisely aligned white crosses where 3,812 Americans were buried. And a wall contained the names of 5,127 others that were missing in action.

It was an impressive sight, but my twelve-year-old mind couldn’t take in the meaning of it all. And for that matter, who can? While a cemetery is a meaningful reality of the conflict, it hardly encompasses the total brutality of a fight that engulfed the whole world and cut short the lives of some 60 to 70 million people, with far more bearing physical and emotional scars.

After the greatest conflict in man’s history, we’re still looking for the way to peace. There have been dozens of wars in the intervening 75 years, but all limited in scope in comparison. One must ask, “Are we making progress toward a more peaceful world?” Surely, there will never be a World War III! Nations are not that foolish. Or are they?

Have we seen the war to end war? Can mankind learn the way to peace? There are answers to these questions and the answers may surprise you. There IS good news, so stay tuned.

War Is Their Favorite Game

Welcome to Tomorrow’s World where I’m asking whether there will ever be an end to war. Twice in the last century the world was brought into conflicts where tens of millions of lives were lost. Could such a thing happen again in our modern civilized world?

Robert Kagan gives us a warning from the past in his 2018 book, The Jungle Grows Back.

“As the British author and politician Norman Angell observed in 1909, the world’s great, civilized powers, had “passed out of that stage of development” in which any nation could benefit from conquering another by force. Reasoned calculations of self-interest precluded war among them. In a world of growing prosperity, democracy, and increasing connection among peoples, great-power war was obsolete” (The Jungle Grows Back, Kagan, Alfred A. Knopf, 2013, p. 16).

Kagan explains how delusional that thinking was, and in effect, cautions us against similar delusions.

“They could not imagine that the world’s leading commercial powers, so interdependent in the modern global economy, would wage a war for such primitive goals as territory and military domination, that they would be inspired not by rational calculations of interest but by fear, pride, and ambition, and that war would enjoy the enthusiastic backing of their people fueled by nationalism and tribalism” (Kagan, pp. 16–17).

Yet, Angell and the politicians and people of his day were terribly wrong. It would only be five years from when Angell made those predictions until the greatest conflict in humanity’s history up to that time. World War I killed an estimated 20 million with another 21 million carrying with them the physical scars of human conflict. United States President Woodrow Wilson called it “the war to end all wars,” and that too, was an illusion.

Such numbers are staggering and can only be understood properly on the personal level, as brought out so dramatically in Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, where he strips away the glamour of war and brings it down to what it means for the common soldier. The most poignant chapter describes the inner thoughts of Paul Baumer, a German soldier, as he sits in a fox hole with Gerard Duval, a Frenchman he mortally wounded.

Given mankind’s propensity for avarice and the game of war, the future looks bleak, and any realist would conclude that there will never be a time of genuine peace. So, is that the final answer to our question? Or is there a surprise on the horizon? Is there any realistic hope that peace can come to our troubled planet?

Yes, my friends, there is. There is a statue near the United Nations in New York with these words inscribed on it:

“They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.”

Do you know from where these words originate? They come from Isaiah, chapter 2 and verse 4 in the book of all books, the Bible. The same words are also repeated in the biblical book of Micah.

Is this a mere pipe dream? It is, according to one former United States President. Richard Nixon well understood the world and how it operates. He understood the mind of man on a geopolitical scale and how self-interest is at the heart of every nation’s foreign policy. In his book, Real Peace, Mr. Nixon chided poets, authors, and songwriters about such dreamy ideas of peace.

“Those who make peace at the typing table rather than at the negotiating table have the luxury of being peace-makers without having to grapple with complex problems in the rough-and-tumble world of real international diplomacy. To them the only obstacle to peace is the regrettable lack of leaders who are as selfless and idealistic as they claim to be and who are willing to put aside parochial national interest in the interest of bringing peace to the world. They hope that this era will be the one in which self-interest, the force that has driven history since the dawn of history, will simply evaporate” (Real Peace, Richard Nixon, Simon & Schuster, 2013, p. 4).

So we must ask, “Who is correct—the Bible or the late President of the United States?”

Will Humanity Survive World War 3?

Before the break I said I would answer the question as to who is correct—former President Richard Nixon, or the Bible? While he did not have the complete answer regarding peace, Mr. Nixon correctly understood the problem behind why we have war. He recognized it is man’s nature, and he understood that the only hope to change human nature falls in the realm of religion. But, Mr. Nixon never placed hope in religion coming to our rescue. In fact, he attributed religion as part of the problem.

“In the long term we can hope that religion will change the nature of man and reduce conflict. But history is not encouraging in this respect. The bloodiest wars in history have been religious wars. Men praying to the same God killed each other by the thousands in America’s Civil War and by the millions in World War I and World War II. Unless men change, a real peace must be built on the assumption that the most we can do is to learn to live with our differences rather than dying over them” (Nixon, p. 14).

Another pragmatist is former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev, a man who by his actions as well as his words, seeks a more peaceable world. Looking past the COVID-19 crisis, he wrote in Time magazine:

“While it is the national governments that now bear the brunt of making difficult choices, [future] decisions will have to be made by the entire world community. We have so far failed to develop and implement strategies and goals common to all mankind” (“When the Pandemic is Over, the World Must Come Together,” Time, April 15, 2020).

He then asked the following rhetorical question:

“Is it not clear by now that wars and the arms race cannot solve today’s global problems? War is a sign of defeat, a failure of politics.… I’ll never tire of repeating: we need to demilitarize world affairs, international politics and political thinking” (ibid.).

Gorbachev concluded by calling on world leaders to come together at the United Nations to hold an emergency session and revise “the global agenda.” He then suggested that nations cut military spending by 10 to 15 percent as a first step.

But is either Nixon or Gorbachev correct in their pessimism? Mr. Nixon did not understand or believe the biblical message, and neither does Mr. Gorbachev.

But exactly what is that message and how can it come to pass? As we already saw, the prophet Isaiah spoke of a time when men would beat their swords into plowshares, indicating a time of peace. But when? When will we ever see peace? The book of Micah, chapter 4, verse 1 answers this question:

“Now it shall come to pass in the latter days…” (Micah 4:1).

“The latter days” and similar expressions are found in the Bible to indicate a time in the future when God will intervene very directly in human affairs. These latter days will be marked by rebellion and violence and God’s patience will have run out. The Prophet Jeremiah predicted these rebellious times and declares in Jeremiah 23, and verse 20:

“The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days you will understand it perfectly” (Jeremiah 23:20).

All of this will become clear in the latter days, at the time of the end. We’ve quoted numerous times here at Tomorrow’s World the words of Jesus in Matthew 24, where His disciples asked Him,

“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).

After rehearsing major signs, Jesus gives this summary:

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved…” (Matthew 24:21–22).

I asked at the beginning of this section, which view is correct? The Bible or Mr. Nixon? The answer is that both agree that man’s efforts for peace will fail. The Apostle Paul quotes the Prophet Isaiah:

“And the way of peace they have not known” (Romans 3:17).

Jesus even went so far as to predict that mankind would come to the point of self-annihilation. So how can war and peace both be correct?

Very simply, there is a climax coming in world affairs which will lead to a time of trouble such as the world has never known, and World War will be a major feature of that time. However, the Bible predicts something that political leaders fail to see—the literal return of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.

Human Nature Must Change!

Today we are asking whether there will ever be an end to war. Students of history have little confidence that real lasting peace will ever come to pass. Even now, we see raw human nature on many fronts. Can mankind discover the path to peace? Tolstoy’s War and Peace may make a good read on a rainy day, but it’s the Bible that gives the real story of war and peace. Based on history, how can the Bible predict so confidently that peace is in our future?

Richard Nixon came very close to the answer. He saw the problem, but not the solution. As he wrote:

“In the long term we can hope that religion will change the nature of man and reduce conflict” (Nixon, p. 14).

However, he observed the utter failure of religion to change “the nature of man.”

“But history is not encouraging in this respect. The bloodiest wars in history have been religious wars. Men praying to the same God killed each other by the thousands in America’s Civil War and by the millions in World War I and World War II” (ibid).

Thousands of years of man’s history prove that religions of all stripes, including professing Christianity, have failed to solve the problem, but the object of right religion—that is, God—can solve the problem. The true Creator of mankind IS able to change human nature and He reveals that He will.

The Bible tells us that God made a covenant with the ancient nation of Israel. In short, He said, if you obey my law, my commandments, I will bless you above all people on the face of the earth. So He revealed to the children of Israel Ten Commandments. Most people are more or less familiar with them, but let’s review them in a shortened and paraphrased form:

You shall have no other Gods before the only true God

You shall not use images in the worship of the true God

Don’t take God’s name in vain

Remember the seventh day to keep it holy

Honor your mother and your father

You shall not kill

You shall not commit adultery

You shall not steal

You shall not bear false witness

You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor’s

These commands seemed simple enough, and Israel wanted God’s protection and blessing, but there was a problem—human nature. Notice how God figuratively groaned at Israel’s lack of respect for the covenant—Deuteronomy 5:29:

“Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).

God is not very flattering toward Israel, and by Israel I don’t mean only the small nation called by that name at the East end of the Mediterranean Sea. Israel refers to far more than the Jews in that nation and those scattered abroad. It refers not to the tribe of Judah only, but to all twelve tribes, a distinction that even students of the Bible fail to recognize. And God describes all twelve tribes in the most unflattering terms:

Backsliding

Treacherous

Rebellious

Impudent

Hardhearted

And He describes Gentile kingdoms as wild devouring beasts in Daniel, chapters 7 and 8; and Revelation, chapters 13 and 17. The problem of the human heart, our nature, transcends race, nationality, tribe, and gender. So the question remains: “How to change the heart of man?” Religion has been around for thousands of years, but all have failed to change human nature on a scale necessary for peace.

But there IS good news my friends. There is coming a change of the human heart. Notice Ezekiel 11:19:

“Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh…” (Ezekiel 11:19).

But what is the purpose of that new heart? The answer is found in the very next verse:

“… that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God” (Ezekiel 11:20).

The Apostle Paul explains the problem very succinctly in Romans 8 and verse 7:

“Because the carnal [that is the human, fleshly] mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be” (Romans 8:7).

Why is it my friends that people think the New Covenant does away with the law of God? As we have just seen, God gives a new heart for the very purpose,

“… that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments.”

Jeremiah 31:31–34 describes the New Covenant, but let’s read it in the New Testament. After explaining that the problem of the first covenant was with the people, Paul quotes Jeremiah:

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts…” (Hebrews 8:10).

Now can anyone explain how this in any way does away with the law of God as many evangelicals profess? Here is what The New Bible Commentary Revised says about this exact same statement as it was originally recorded in Jeremiah:

“What, then, will the Lord do? He must either reduce His demands until they are within the range of human powers, or else He must change the heart of men. It is to the latter that He commits Himself” (The New Bible Commentary Revised, Jeremiah 31:33, Inter-Varsity Press, 1970, p. 645).

Explaining the words “My law” in this passage, the commentary goes on to say:

“The law reflects the nature of God, and therefore is unchanging. God cannot reduce His standards without ceasing to be Himself, but now the whole inner constitution of men, their hearts, is to be fashioned by God to match the requirements of His law, and in this way the great covenant promise, I will be their God, and they shall be my people, will be fulfilled” (ibid.).

That which changes the heart is the Spirit of God in us, but if that is the case, why don’t we see real peace among those who claim to have that Spirit?

A Restoration of Peace and the Removal of the Real “God of War”

As explained in our booklet “The Beast of Revelation,” the Bible predicts the rise of a power in Europe that will bring a level of warfare on a scale we can hardly imagine. This will necessitate the intervention of God to stop the insanity, and this in turn will make peace possible. A new spirit will be poured out on mankind, but that’s not all. The spirit that currently rules this world must in turn be removed. We read about that rebellious spirit in Ephesians 2, verses 1 and 2:

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:1–2).

As long as that evil spirit, Satan the Devil, is still around, there can be no peace! One of the first things Jesus will do upon His return is to have that being removed, no longer allowing him to influence mankind. We read of this in Revelation 20, verses 1–2.

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven.… He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years…” (Revelation 20:1–2).

Peace will be possible once the Prince of Peace returns and pours out His spirit on all flesh and the current prince of the power of the air is removed. The laws of God that bring peace will be written in the hearts of men. And that, my friends, is how human nature will be changed!

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Trouble in the Streets and Around the World

The scenes are gripping. Streets filled with protestors. Buildings burning. Clashes with law enforcement. Masks and pandemic warnings. Racial tensions. Experts at odds. And the leaders we expect to bring order, balance, and solutions doing little more than tweeting, blaming, and posturing--inadequate, ineffectual, and focused on internal divisions and discord.

It seems as though civilization itself is going up in flames.

On our program today, we will review the state of the world right now, and we will seek to do what others won’t: We’ll look at the causes of this chaos--causes that most are unwilling to admit.

Join us for this episode of Tomorrow’s World, where we examine a world on fire.

Why is There No Peace?

Greetings, and welcome to Tomorrow’s World.

I know that some among our hundreds of thousands of weekly viewers all over the world have had the horrifying experience of waking up to discover your house is on fire. You’ve gone to bed in otherwise peaceful surroundings, only to be shocked awake by the sounds of home fire alarms, the scent of smoke burning in your nostrils, and the terrifying sight of flames beginning to engulf the walls around you. Few experiences can be as frightening.

In a collective sense, we are experiencing such a moment today. The world we lived in only months ago is no longer the world we inhabit. That previous world is on fire all around us. What is happening? And why?

Today we will identify some KEY CAUSES for the fires of violent self-destruction raging throughout the world--causes that few in ANY political party have the wisdom to discover or the will to admit!

We will also give you several opportunities to request our free DVD resource, “A Culture in Crisis.” This DVD is already paid for and completely free to all who request it. Be sure to watch for the information you need to order your free copy.

If it seems to you that unrest and chaos are increasing in society, you are not crazy. They are.

In May of 2020, international news resource EURACTIV noted the results of a survey of civil unrest across the globe. These results match what most of us already believe:

“Civil unrest has doubled in the past decade as citizens protest against issues ranging from economic hardship and police brutality to political instability, according to this year’s Global Peace Index.”

The Global Peace Index is published annually by the Institute for Economics and Peace, headquartered in Sydney, Australia. The Institute notes that over the last decade

• …riots across the globe had increased by 282%
• …and general strikes had increased by 821%.
• And in 2019 alone, 58% of countries around the world had experienced violent protests.

Institute founder, Steve Killilea stated, “It’s likely that the economic impact of COVID-19 will magnify tensions by increasing unemployment, widening inequality and worsening labour conditions--creating alienation from the political system and increasing civil unrest. We therefore find ourselves at a critical juncture.”

But when we speak of a world on fire, few need an international think tank to send us a report. We see the flames on our own television screens and social media feeds. In fact, some of us see them in the streets of our own cities, outside our own windows, and even within our own homes and workplaces.

In a world already burdened by concern, depression, unemployment, and fear, stirred by the COVID-19 pandemic and government restrictions, came the shocking, video-recorded death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The resulting protests that began in the United States were soon joined by others in London, Rome, Paris, Madrid, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro--cities all over the world. While crowds initially seemed focused on addressing questions of policing measures and concerns of racial prejudice in law enforcement, protests rapidly began to expand to include multiple actors from multiple walks of life with diverse purposes and motives. Some targeted capitalism and economic change. Others wanted to see police forces completely abolished. Others, still, inserted their own social cause, such as the transgender movement and bringing down cultural and historical institutions. And, sadly, more than a few seemed interested in little more than causing destruction and generating anarchy.

Businesses in many urban areas were looted, demolished, and burned, destroying livelihoods and upending lives. Portions of Seattle were seized by protestors and declared “independent” of the United States. Many of us will never forget the images we have seen of individuals assaulted, beaten, and killed in the streets of our own cities by lawless individuals who seem freed from the bounds of human conscience.

Meanwhile many politicians and news anchors merely pointed fingers and attached blame. While accusations flew, no one provided the answers that suffering families needed.

As the world burns around us, the most important question we must ask is WHY? Why does the world seem to be engulfed in flames? What are the real causes of the tragedies that we see unfolding?

Those questions have answers! They are not popular, to be sure, but they are the TRUTH. And the day is long past when we could afford to indulge in the lies, ignorance, and pretense we see coming from politicians seeking to win elections and news channels seeking higher ratings. We will dare to give you those answers, beginning in the next portion of our program.

Hating What Was Made in the Image of God

Yes, the world appears to be engulfed in the flames of violence, chaos, confusion, disorder, and destruction. The flames die down for a season, only to return hotter, hungrier, and more widespread.

Many factors play into the problems we see today, and many temporary solutions could be offered. But any REAL, PERMANENT SOLUTION must address the CAUSES and not just the SYMPTOMS! Let us look at three of the deeper causes behind the flames that are engulfing our world. Any solution that does not address THESE THREE ISSUES may work for a short while, but will ultimately be DOOMED TO FAILURE.

First, Humanity has abandoned the truth that we are created in God’s image.

The Bible declares this fundamental truth in its opening pages:

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:26–27.

Every single one of us has been created in the very image of God. This fact sets mankind apart as the pinnacle of creation and endows humans with a dignity and value far above anything possessed by the animals.

Yet this marvelous truth has been cast aside in favor of the baseless and untenable idea that life “just happened”--that there is no Creator and nothing truly special about mankind.

We increasingly experience the consequences of that terrible lie.

When you see people as individuals bearing the image of God, you cannot commit the sort of atrocities against your fellow man that we have seen in cellphone footage from riots and violent protests. You can’t drag someone out of his car and beat him to death with a skateboard. You can’t loot his business and burn down his livelihood. You recognize that he, too, is a potential child of God, just like you are--a human being whose life has value in the eyes of His Creator.

When you know each and every member of the human race is made in the image of God, there is no room for seeing someone as somehow “less” than you are just because of the color of his skin. Rather, you see him as someone whose standing before God reflects your own--as both of you reflect the image of the One who made you. As Paul told Christians in his letter to the Galatians, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Yet when we only see each other as animals, we begin to behave like animals and treat each other as nothing more. And it goes beyond what we see in our streets.

Consider the curse of abortion. What happens when we forget that all human beings--even those in the womb--are created by God in His image?

Out of every 1,000 children in the womb, the Guttmacher Institute estimates that 35 children are aborted. Compare that to the World Health Organization’s estimate that only 29 children out of 1,000 die within a year after they are born. That means we now live in a world where a child is in MORE danger of being killed in his own mother’s womb--what should be the safest place of all--than dying outside it!

In the free DVD we are offering today, Gerald Weston covers that topic thoroughly--with both fairness and compassion--in his program “Tiny Fingers and Toes!”

But the confusion doesn’t end there. For instance, why is there such chaos in society over concepts such as sex, gender, family, and marriage? Because we have abandoned the truth that humanity is created in GOD’S image and see ourselves as completely free to RECREATE OURSELVES in WHATEVER IMAGE WE FANCY!

But there are profound consequences to abandoning the divine design of humanity. Consider the impact of dissolving biblical marriage and redefining family. The National Center for Fathering gathered research on the impact of fatherless families on children, and the results were staggering. As they noted, “… children from fatherless homes are more likely to be poor, become involved in drug and alcohol abuse, drop out of school, and suffer from health and emotional problems. Boys are more likely to become involved in crime, and girls are more likely to become pregnant as teens.”

Think about that. To what extent does the growing epidemic of fatherlessness, alone, contribute to what we see in the burning world outside our windows?

Abandoning the truth that humanity is created in the image of God has PROFOUND consequences.

Forgetting the Ten Commandments

Let’s look at another reason--one that involves a source of wisdom more than 3,000 years old, which modern man has cast aside to its own self-destruction.

Humanity has abandoned the Ten Commandments.

More than three millennia ago, God delivered to the ancient Israelite people a collection of Ten Commandments that would provide the core of an approach to life and worship that would guide their entire civilization.

Listed in Exodus, chapter 20, these ten rules represented divine, God-given laws that superseded all human law--an objective moral guide against which our own ideas of right and wrong could be measured and tested.

God’s commands that…

• We should have no other God but Him,
• We should not make idols,
• We should not use His name in vain,
• We should remember and keep His seventh-day Sabbath,
• We should honor our parents,
• We should not murder,
• We should not commit adultery,
• We should not steal,
• We should not bear false witness,
• And we should not covet…

…have formed the basis of legal codes in Western civilization for centuries.

However, mankind has abandoned the Ten Commandments as a divine code--thrown out the idea that God commands us anything at ALL concerning right and wrong, deciding that we OURSELVES, should have the right to decide what is good and evil. After all, why should the modern world owe any allegiance to a set of rules and morals listed in some dusty old book written tens of centuries ago?

Yet, after throwing out God’s definitions of what’s right and what’s wrong, what do we use to replace them?

Some would claim that SCIENCE is the answer, as if morality can be discovered through the microscope or the test tube. The perverted experiments performed by Nazi scientists during the Holocaust should give us pause before turning morality over to the scientific realm. Some appoint GOVERNMENT as the moral authority and LEGISLATURE AND COURTS as the deciding factors in what is good and evil. Yet, again, how many wicked governments have sprung up among men, even in democracies, and on what basis do we judge such governments? Was slavery in the American South a MORAL GOOD just because it was legal? Of course not!

The end result of casting aside God’s divine authority is a world in which every individual decides for HIMSELF what is good and evil--a world of moral chaos. Or, as we see today, a world on fire.

The Bible describes a brutal period in the history of ancient Israel, before there was a monarchy, as just such a time. It was violent--even barbaric--and God’s summary of WHY such brutality existed should get our attention. We see it at the end of the book of Judges, in chapter 21 and verse 25:

“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

In a society where every individual independently decides right and wrong as he or she sees fit, the result is CHAOS--exactly what we see flickering in the flames of civil unrest that are breaking out with increasing frequency in our world today.

In fact, the consequences are far larger than many realize. Abandoning the Ten Commandments involves abandoning the idea that God is the ultimate lawgiver, whose laws and commands must be obeyed. So, for example, His laws listed in Leviticus 11 concerning clean and unclean animals are cast aside--yet the causes of many of the flus and contagions that have devastated the health and economies of nations around the world in recent decades, such as the recent coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic--are directly related to abandoning these laws and eating unclean animals! Tomorrow’s World presenter Gerald Weston has detailed this connection in multiple programs for our viewers. The laws of God are more than a mere academic philosophy about ethics and morality--as the coronavirus pandemic has made abundantly clear, obeying His laws is a matter of life and death.

At the heart of the confusion and mayhem we see in the world today is a REJECTION OF GOD’S AUTHORITY IN OUR LIVES. Humanity has rejected the Ten Commandments--and with them, we have rejected any hope of understanding right and wrong.

Losing the True Teachings of Jesus Christ

Yet, even if mankind were to embrace these causes, it would be insufficient. After all, ancient Israel understood they were made in God’s image, and they were given the Ten Commandments. Yet they could not stay the course, and their own civilization experienced the same self-destruction we see happening to us today. We need something more, and that something more is the rulership of the Savior of the world.

The third reason the world around us is on fire is that Humanity refuses to submit to Jesus Christ.

Now, some of you might disagree, saying, “What a minute--isn’t Christianity the largest religion in the world?” And you’d have a point. The Pew Research Center noted in 2017 that 31 percent--almost one-third of all humanity--claims to be Christian.

But true Christianity is more than a label.

Does one-third of humanity truly embrace the actual teachings, faith, and message of Christ? The message He brought to this earth 2,000 years ago and commanded to be preached today? NOT AT ALL! In fact, most of what the world calls “Christianity” today would be unrecognizable to Jesus Christ, running exactly counter to His teachings! In fact, the teachings of modern Christianity are often a SOURCE for the sort of problems and confusion we see in the world, not the SOLUTIONS!

For example, much of modern Christianity has embraced the idea that Jesus wants us to come “Just as we are,” as the old hymn proclaims--that all that matters is that you “love the Lord” and accept salvation, regardless of your way of life. My friends nothing could be further from the truth! In fact, in Luke 14:33 Jesus explicitly says that those who are not willing to forsake ALL THEY HAVE literally CANNOT be His disciples! His Apostle John wrote in 1 John 2:4 that those who claim to know Jesus but who do not KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS are liars and the truth is not in them! And BOTH Peter and Paul explained that the TRUE Gospel, not the false “Gospel” of this world, is not only a message which must be believed, but a message which must be OBEYED. 2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17

The apostate forms of Christianity that have provided the basis of Western culture are all essentially bankrupt of the deepest foundations of the truth and life that Jesus Christ intended His Church to carry into the world--foundations that you hear every week on this program.

Jesus gives us a way of life to LIVE--a way of life that is the exact opposite of the brazen arrogance we see in our culture today. It is a way of life filled with humility, obedience to God, and seeking peace, even in the face of oppression. It is a way of life in which, even in persecution, we look to the coming of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom for our solutions, not in what we can accomplish ourselves with our fists, our rage, and our anger.

And it is a way of life, love, and peace that Christ will bring to the whole world--not through political power or protests--but through reigning over the earth in power and majesty upon His return as King of kings and Lord of lords. May that day come quickly!

But we do not have to wait on the world to change--and that is truly Good News. We can come under the reign of Jesus Christ in our lives TODAY and put out the fires of our own inner rebellion and turmoil. God is calling a small group of people to do just that--those willing to live His way of life under the authority of Jesus in their lives in today’s world, so that they can help Him rule the earth in His way of peace in tomorrow’s world. Perhaps some of you are among those He is calling right now. That’s a question only you can answer.

Thanks for watching. We hope today’s program meant something to you. Be sure to click subscribe, and click on the bell for notifications whenever new videos come out. And, if you’re interested in the DVD related to today’s program, just click the link below the description. Again, thanks for watching!

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Hell A Terrifying Mystery

Atheists, agnostics, and secular materialists ridicule the religious concepts of heaven and hell. To them, and other non-religious people, it appears totally illogical to condemn people to an ever-burning hellfire when they had no way to avoid it. Why do the vast majority of professing Christians believe that sinners who never even heard the name of Jesus Christ are being tormented forever?

Today’s common idea of hell comes mostly from the famous poem by Dante Alighieri, La Divina Commedia or The Divine Comedy. It was written more than 700 years ago. Dante’s poem consists of three parts, Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso—or Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. His vivid description of souls writhing in agony colors the beliefs of millions even to this day.

What does your Bible really teach about hell? Are there immortal souls even at this moment writhing and screaming in the flames of hell? You may be shocked to learn from your own Bible that no one is burning hell right now! That’s right! And you can prove it from your own Bible!

Perhaps you have wondered about your future. Have you asked yourself, “Will I go to hell when I die?” Perhaps someone has even cursed you and told you to go to hell. My friends, let’s understand! The Bible refers to three conditions or three states of hell. But what is hell? And will you go there? Stay tuned for the surprising answer!

Who Believes in Hell?

Warm greetings to all our friends around the world!

What happens to you when you die? Will you go to heaven, or hell? Or will you just sleep in the grave until the resurrection? Think of all the billions who have ever lived. Did their lives have any purpose? Will they have a future hope? What is the truth? Is death the end? Is there life after death?

On today’s program, we’ll answer those questions. And we’ll be offering you an inspiring free booklet titled, Is This The Only Day of Salvation? My friends, you need to know the truth about life after death! This booklet reveals from the Bible the inspiring hope we ALL have beyond death! Are all those who never heard the name of Christ burning in hell? Wouldn’t that be unfair? This booklet explains the truth about those billions of people blinded over the past several thousand years, and reveals their future hope of salvation! This free booklet, Is This the Only Day of Salvation?, answers that question and explains the resurrection from the dead, and the amazing White Throne Judgment described in Revelation 20. Relatively few professing Christians understand the inspiring truth of the White Throne Judgment. You need to understand! This free booklet will give you comfort and encouragement from your own Bible, and it’ll give you hope for the future. Contrary to what many believe, there is hope for the thousands of disaster victims whose life was cut short. And there is hope for your deceased loved-ones. You need this inspiring booklet. You need the truth about hell and what happens when you die! Just request YOUR FREE booklet, Is This the Only Day of Salvation? You can order this free booklet on our Web site at tomorrowsworld.org, or you can call the number on your screen. Be sure to write down the address and phone number to order your free copy. Just ask for the booklet on salvation.

The idea of a tormenting hellfire can be troubling to anyone. What do people believe regarding the existence of hell? According to a 2015 Pew Forum report, 58 percent of Americans believe in Hell (“Most Americans believe in heaven … and hell,” Pew Research Center, PewResearch.org, November 10, 2015).

That’s a big drop since a Gallup Poll in 2007 found that 69% believed in Hell. The Pew study found that 82 percent of evangelicals profess a belief in Hell. Even 27 percent of “nones”—people claiming no particular religious affiliation—say they believe in Hell (“Americans More Likely to Believe in God Than the Devil, Heaven More Than Hell,” Gallup News Service, News.Gallup.com, June 13, 2007).

But where did their beliefs come from? The most common idea of hell today was popularized in the famous poem by Dante Alighieri, La Divina Commedia or the Divine Comedy written in the 14^th century AD. The poem consists of three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso—or Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. The poet Virgil guides Dante on his journey through hell. At the entrance to Hell is the foreboding sign, ABANDON ALL HOPE, YOU WHO ENTER HERE (Elio Zappulla trans., Inferno, A New Verse Translation, Canto III, p. 39).

Virgil tells Dante about his tour of hell: “I’ll be your guide, and you will follow me / And I will lead you through a world of pain / Where dead souls writhe in endless agony / And clamor, as they cry, to die again” (Canto I, p. 24).

My friends, what is the source of your belief? Is it the colorful imagination of a medieval poet? Is it from ancient doctrinal traditions with pagan roots? Is it something you heard from a preacher, taken from a false idea of the Bible that you’ve never proved for yourself? What does your Bible really say about hell?

What really is hell? The word “hell” in your Bible, actually has three different meanings! From the biblical perspective it’s three different places or conditions: FIRST: Sheol (in the Hebrew) or Hades (in the Greek) means “pit” or “grave.” SECOND: Gehenna means the valley of Hinnom. Symbolically, it refers to fiery judgment, the lake of fire. And THIRDLY: Tartarus, which signifies the confining of fallen angels.

So you see, to use the word “hell” for all three meanings does NOT accurately communicate the truth of the Bible! You need to ask, “What particular hell are you talking about?” We’ll discuss the truth about biblical hell in the next part of our program, but first I’d like to offer you our free eye-opening booklet, Is This The Only Day of Salvation?

Who Goes to Hell, According to the Bible?

In the first part of our program we saw that today’s POPULAR idea of a tormenting hell-fire came from a 14th century poet, Dante Alighieri. My friends, false ideas of life after death come from a false premise. The false premise and teaching of an immortal soul leads to all kinds of wrong conclusions.

Jesus told us that God is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna fire, that’s in Matthew 10:28. But can the soul be destroyed? Don’t you have an immortal soul? You may be surprised to learn that the early Roman Catholic teachers such as Origen and Tertullian adopted, from ancient Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras and Plato, the philosophy of the immortal soul. The philosopher Tertullian wrote: “For some things are known, even by nature: the immortality of the soul, for instance, is held by many…. I may use, therefore the opinion of Plato, when he declares: ‘Every soul is immortal’” (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. III, p. 547).

My friends, we believe in the Bible, not Plato! Let’s see what Jesus said in the most famous verse in the Bible. It’s called the golden verse of the Bible. The most precious verse of the Bible. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should NOT PERISH but have everlasting life.” Jesus came that we might NOT perish or be dead for eternity. He came that we might NOT be destroyed forever or lose our life forever! Yes, the Bible teaches that humans are Mortal, not IM-mortal. As it states in 1 Corinthians 15:53, “[T]his mortal must put on immortality” at the Resurrection.

So, what happens to the mortal body at death? Does it go to Hell? First, remember that there are four words (one in Hebrew and three in Greek) translated “hell” in the English Bible. And each has a different meaning. What’s incredible in most discussions of the subject of Hell, is the assumption that the word “hell” automatically means eternal fire! It does not!

In the New Testament, there are three Greek words translated “hell”—and each has a different meaning. They are: Hades, Gehenna, and Tartarus. The Greek word “hades” also means “grave” or “pit” as does the Hebrew word Sheol. It does NOT mean a place of fire. So when someone says the word “hell” it COULD SIMPLY MEAN (based on the Bible) THE GRAVE—NOT an ever-burning fire. In fact, both the NKJV and the NIV, as well as other more up-to-date translations, often leave the word “hades” un-translated. Be sure to underline those words in your Bible as you study this subject. Listen! The word Gehenna refers to the fire that will destroy the soul—that’s what Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” or Gehenna fire.

The fourth word translated “hell” in the Bible is based on the Greek word “Tartarus.” This denotes a condition of restraint—and it does NOT apply to humans, but to fallen angels. Notice 2 PETER 2:4, “…God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment….” Tartarus is the hell for fallen angels.

But what happens to humans? Where does the body go when it dies? In the King James Version of the Bible, the Hebrew word often translated “hell,” is Sheol—which simply means pit or grave. It does not mean a place of ever-burning Hell fire! The Hebrew word Sheol occurs 65 times in the O.T. and in the King James Version it is translated as “grave” 31 times; “hell” 31 times; and “pit” 3 times. The New International Version of the Bible translates the word SHEOL as “grave” and never translates SHEOL as “hell.” The word SHEOL simply means a “pit” or a “grave.”

So, if we ask the question, “Who is BURNING in Hell?”—if we mean SHEOL, or THE PIT, or THE GRAVE—the answer is: “No one!”

We asked the question, “Will you go to hell?” Let’s realize, my friends, that every human being who has ever lived AND died, IS STILL DEAD. As it tells us in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment….” Yes, generally speaking, unless one is cremated, every human being who dies will be buried in a grave, or the hell of hades or sheol. So, in one sense, we all go to the hell of the grave, waiting a future resurrection. And no one right now, is burning in the hell of Gehenna or the lake of fire described in Revelation 20:14–15, which takes place at the end of the White Throne Judgement period.

Again, what is hell? As we saw, from the biblical perspective, it’s three different places or conditions: FIRST: Sheol (in the Hebrew) or Hades (in the Greek) means “pit” or “grave.” SECOND: Gehenna means the valley of Hinnom. Symbolically, it refers to FIERY judgment or the lake of fire. And THIRD: Tartarus, which signifies the confining of fallen angels.

But certainly there is a fire that will destroy the incorrigibly wicked?

What Does it Mean to Be Cast Into the Lake of Fire?

We’ve seen that the word hell in the Bible refers to three different places or conditions. The Hebrew word sheol and the Greek word hades in your Bible simply refer to the grave. But when the Greek word Gehenna is used, it refers to a fiery judgment as in Matthew 10:28. When and where is that fiery judgment? Long time viewers of Tomorrow’s World are familiar with God’s plan for all nations. First, we look forward to the Kingdom of God in the near future with the return of Jesus Christ to rule all nations for a thousand years. At the end of the Millennium or the thousand years, God will resurrect billions of people to physical life in the general judgment referred to as the White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20. At the completion of the judgment period, a full lifetime, every human being will have been given his or her full complete opportunity to be saved from eternal death. Read about this judgment in Revelation 20. Revelation 20:11, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, [this is the Resurrection to Judgment] and books [Greek, biblia, meaning the Bible] were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Revelation 20:11–12).

Yes, billions of people will have their first opportunity for salvation, to be saved from eternal death. The Book of Life will be opened to them! However, at the end of that judgment period, those who refuse to obey God, those who have sealed their character as evil, will be thrown into the lake of fire. Read that in Revelation 20. “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14–15).

My friends, incorrigibly wicked human beings will be resurrected from Hades, the grave, given their final judgment, and completely destroyed in the lake of fire. They will perish. They will die the SECOND death, from which there is no resurrection. As Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, God is “able to destroy both soul and body” in Gehenna fire. That lake of fire will eventually encompass the whole earth, and it will purify the earth as you read in 2 Peter 3. God will prepare the earth for the New Jerusalem that will come down from heaven as you read in Revelation 21. Let’s read about that fire that will purify the earth, and how we should respond to that warning, 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

The hell of Gehenna fire will eventually encompass the whole earth, preparing us for the NEW heavens and NEW earth. And who will be in that lake of fire? Turn in your Bible to Revelation 21. Faithful Christians will have inherited the earth, and eventually “all things” or the entire universe, as we’ve explained on previous programs. But the wicked will be destroyed. Revelation 21:7, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. [And WHO will be in the lake of fire? Verse 8] But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

My friends, you will not want the lake of fire. If you strongly desire to change your life, if you want to repent of your sins and be baptized according to Acts 2:38, we have representatives in many regions around the world. Just contact the nearest regional office listed in Tomorrow’s World magazine, or contact us at Tomorrowsworld.org.

The Apostle Peter gives us encouragement, and a warning. “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:11).

But what about the scriptures that talk about an eternal fire?

Hope for the Dead

We’ve seen that the Bible plainly speaks of the SECOND death, the death from which there is no resurrection. The wicked, both their soul and body, are destroyed forever. They experience “everlasting punishment,” as Jesus said in Matthew 25:46. They will be dead forever. But some may ask about the expression in the epistle of Jude, the seventh verse. Jude writes concerning the judgment of evil people. Jude 7, “…as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

So, isn’t there an everlasting or eternal fire? Obviously, the fire is not still burning in the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Greek word for “eternal” in this verse is aionion, meaning age-lasting. This is the way Young’s Literal Translation renders it: “as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, in like manner to these, having given themselves to whoredom, and gone after other flesh, have been set before—an example, of fire age-during, justice suffering.” In other words, the fire of judgment lasts only for the age in which it was intended.

After the earth is finally purified with fire, the fire will cease and the new heavens and earth will prevail. There will be a fire burning on the earth throughout the Millennium, which will eventually engulf the entire planet. That is the fire into which the beast and false prophet will be cast, as you read in Revelation 19:20. A thousand years later, Satan the devil and his demons will be cast into that fire also—and they, Satan and his demons, will be tormented forever as it states in Revelation 20:10. “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are….” Notice that the word “are” in the NKJV is in italics. It should read, “where the beast and false prophet WERE CAST.” Yes, Satan the devil and his demons will be tormented forever. Revelation 20:10 “…And they [Satan and his demons] will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Yes, the lake of fire was “prepared for the devil and his angels” as it states in Matthew 25:41. By contrast, the wicked human beings thrown into it will perish and be destroyed!

Thank God for His awesome plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. One of the most amazing truths of your Bible is the White Throne Judgment. It gives hope for billions now in their graves. Our inspiring free booklet Is This The Only Day of Salvation? will help you understand the true hope of the resurrection. Be sure to request your free copy. Is there an ever-burning hellfire? No, there is not! My friends, the good news is that no one is now burning in hell. All are in the grave awaiting the resurrection. God is just! Eventually, the incorrigibly wicked will be thrown into the lake of fire and will be destroyed forever. We pray that all of you will choose God’s way of life, and receive the GIFT of eternal life!

A 2015 Barna Research report polled people who said they had made “a personal commitment to Jesus” and discovered: “About one in seven admit they don’t know what will happen after they die (15%)” (“What Do Americans Believe About Jesus? 5 Popular Beliefs,” Barna, Barna.org, April 1, 2015).

But YOU CAN know! You need to know the truth about hell and the afterlife! Again, this inspiring free booklet Is This The Only Day of Salvation? is vital to understanding life after death. You need this booklet. Call now for your free copy.