This week Pope Francis made a highly anticipated visit to the World Council of Churches (WCC) headquarters in Geneva. In an earlier interview, Evangelical pastor Martin Robra, a senior WCC official, commented, “[I]t looks as if we have reached a new spring with Pope Francis and his initiatives” (Vatican News, May 31, 2018). He stated further that “there is so much more that unites us than what separates us.” Concerning the future, Mr.

Public health officials are preparing for what they call “Disease X”—a hypothetical disease that would be virulent and infectious, with the potential to become a pandemic (a worldwide epidemic) and kill large numbers of people (The Economist, March 23, 2018). This disease might be manmade, a brand-new disease or a genetic variant of an existing disease.

The amount of plastic waste in our environment is skyrocketing worldwide, and it is having a devastating impact. In Thailand, a pilot whale recently died “after swallowing more than 80 plastic bags” (The Guardian, June 2, 2018). Experts estimate that over 100,000 marine animals die each year as a result of plastic ingestion.

While commentators in the media and government debate the consequences of rapidly developing world events, Bible prophecies provide unique insights about the future that are missing from these discussions. The Bible predicts the rise of a European “beast” power at the end of the age. This “beast” will be a political and religiously supported entity that will become an economic and military powerhouse (see Revelation 13).