The world is at a crossroads. Some predict we have only decades to go before society falls to pieces. They say environmental disasters, depletion of resources, and economic inequalities may lead to the end of civilization. In an article for the BBC website, Rachel Nuwer noted, “It should come as no surprise that humanity is currently on an unsustainable and uncertain path – but just how close are we to reaching the point of no return?”
That’s a good question. Truly, world conditions are more precarious than they’ve been for decades. Consider the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists from January 24, 2019, which assessed the world’s nearness to nuclear Armageddon as only “two minutes to midnight”.
We should be concerned about the future. And we're all in the same boat. We all live on this planet and if calamity comes, it’s going to affect all of us.
So, will civilization collapse? Is there really a source we can turn to, to really know?
And how have we gotten here in the first place? Why are we even talking about something as horrifying as societal collapse?
We’ll examine these questions today on Tomorrow’s World. And we’ll be offering a free DVD entitled, “A Culture in Crisis,” later in the program. So get ready to write down the information! You don’t want to miss this DVD.
So, will civilization collapse? I’ll be right back with the answer.
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Welcome to Tomorrow’s World. When it comes to daily life, everyone’s got an opinion about everything. And most are eager to share it. From what car to drive, to where to shop, to how we feel about the issues of the day. The people we’re around help form our opinions and perspectives about these things. So who do you listen to? Most likely, it’s family, friends, and co-workers. Or maybe celebrities or opinion-makers in the media. Or possibly successful people in business and government. But we all listen to people who influence how we think.
The problem is when we let others around us frame our thoughts on more important matters. On questions like, will our civilization collapse? This question is far too important to just entrust to the opinion of a best friend or a radio talk show host.
No, we really must look elsewhere… and there's only one source that speaks with authority about the future. It’s the Bible. You can trust the Bible. It’s full of prophecies that already happened. And it speaks of things yet to occur. So, what does the Bible say about what will happen in our day? Go get a Bible, and read along with me. We make no apology on Tomorrow’s World that we uphold and we live by the Holy Bible to the best of our ability. Let others insult the Bible and tear it apart. It doesn’t change the fact it’s God’s inspired word. And it always will be.
So what does the Bible say about our day? In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus Christ said some remarkable things to His disciples. They had asked Him, “What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” [Matthew 24:3]. And then He described a number of things that would happen. Wars and rumors of wars. Famines and pestilence. Lawlessness and love growing cold. It sounds like civilization coming apart. And then He said in Matthew 24:21, “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.”
Now stop for a moment and think about this. Some people look at prophecy as rants by crazy people and religious fanatics. But who is giving this warning? The Savior of all mankind. It’s a message straight from Jesus Christ, as preserved by His faithful disciples. And notice what He said next, in verse 22: “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” [Matthew 24:22]
Jesus said humanity is going to the very brink of utter destruction. Now think again: was it ever possible for man to wipe out all mankind, before the nuclear age? No way. That’s one of the proofs that we are living in the prophesied last days today. Because total annihilation is possible. And as I said before, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists concluded we’re closer to that happening than we’ve been for decades.
Mankind will take the world to the edge of annihilation. Your Bible predicts that it will happen. But it will be stopped before all life is destroyed. Jesus Christ will come back to earth, just as He left after His resurrection. And this time He’ll return as a king. All nations will fall in line and obey Him. They'll have no choice.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves in the story. The Bible says in the mouth of two or three witnesses a matter is established. So, let’s see if there’s another reference in the Bible to an end-time collapse of society.
Turn in your Bible to Jeremiah 30:5, “For thus says the LORD: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask now, and see, whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor, and all faces turned pale? Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.”
Ok, so let’s think this through. Jesus said at the end of the age, there will be a time like no other in history. And Jeremiah said the same thing. Could there be two times that are the worst in history? Of course not. So, it has to be referring to the same event. Both Matthew 24 and Jeremiah 30 are referring to the prophesied Great Tribulation at the end of this age. These are two voices prophesying of the same upcoming event.
But notice an additional fact here that we didn’t have in Matthew. Jeremiah says it is the time of Jacob’s trouble. But who is Jacob? Jacob was one of the patriarchs in the book of Genesis, in the Bible. He was the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham. He was originally called Jacob but then God changed His name to Israel. His descendants, the children of Israel, became a nation, and, over time, a number of different nations. So, what we’re reading here is that the Tribulation is going to be especially difficult for the modern descendants of Jacob, or Israel.
But who are the descendants of Jacob and Israel? The people who came out of Western Europe and the British Isles, including many English-speaking people all over the globe today. Those people who’ve had such wonderful blessings over the last two or three centuries, and have risen to incredible power. Those people who’ve enjoyed material wealth and prosperity like no others on earth.
Could America, Britain, Canada, and other Western nations collapse? Absolutely. Frankly, when we look at history, we see rise and fall is a normal pattern of every civilization. In an article for the BBC website, entitled “Are we on the road to civilisation collapse?” Luke Kemp analyzed the rise and fall of civilizations over a period of more than 3,000 years. His conclusion was that the average lifespan of a civilization or empire is about 336 years. Are any civilizations immune from decline and fall? He would argue no. He wrote this: “Collapse can be defined as a rapid and enduring loss of population, identity and socio-economic complexity. Public services crumble and disorder ensues… Virtually all past civilisations have faced this fate. Some recovered or transformed, such as the Chinese and Egyptian. Other collapses were permanent...”
We in the western world are not immune to the possibility of collapse. And when we look at Bible prophecy, what we find is we're going to bear the brunt of the tribulation. That’s what Jeremiah 30 is saying. But the whole world will also go through great difficulty. The book of Revelation speaks of warfare and plagues like the world has never known.
But why will it happen? That’s a vital question, which we’ll answer in this program. But before that, let me offer you our free DVD, “A Culture in Crisis.” It’s a compilation of three Tomorrow’s World programs, and it discusses major changes going on in our societies right now. Prophesied events are going to take many by surprise. You need to understand what’s happening and why. So give us a call, or order one by clicking the link in the description. Also, remember to click the "like" button. And if you don't want to miss another Tomorrow's World video, be sure to subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell.
So we've asked the question, will civilization collapse? And we went to the only source there is to know the future, the Bible. In two different places, it referred to a global upheaval that will take place in the end-times. But why is this calamity coming?
To answer that question, let’s go back to another of the Old Testament prophets. The prophet Ezekiel was among the second wave of captives taken by the Babylonians around 597BC. Ezekiel began prophesying from Babylon in the sixth year of that captivity. Jerusalem fell in 586BC. Ezekiel foretold the fall of Jerusalem. Look at what he said, as recorded in Ezekiel 5, verse 5, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her. She has rebelled against My judgments by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her.’” [Ezekiel 5:5-6]
God, through Ezekiel, told the people why they were going to be overthrown. They were supposed to be a model nation. They were supposed to show the rest of the world how to keep God’s law, and how to be moral and upright. Other nations were supposed to see their example and look up to them and want to emulate them. But instead of that, by Ezekiel’s time, he said: “you are worse than the people around you.” What a tragedy.
Are there any parallels for our day? Western civilization was built on a Judeo-Christian foundation. It’s based on principles found in this book, the Bible. Many of our laws are based on moral principles found in the Bible as well. But are we turning our backs on that foundation? Are we casting aside basic principles that preserve society and ensure a certain level of stability? Do we pass laws that directly contradict principles found in the Bible? Who gives us the right to say it’s lawful to take the life of unborn children when God created life? Who gives us the right to proclaim marriage is any arrangement whatsoever, instead of what God created between a man and a woman? And how come this is so confusing when we have it so plainly spelled out in our foundational moral book, the Bible? And what kind of example do we set to the world?
Ezekiel told the people of Jerusalem they had corrupted themselves even further than the people around them. Today, Western nations have the benefit of a foundation of principles found in the Bible. But we are casting them aside, and for what? What are we losing in the process?
This hits even closer to home than you might think. Because Ezekiel didn’t just prophesy to the people of his day in Jerusalem. He’s prophesying to us. Let me explain.
Let’s back up a little bit to Ezekiel’s time and before. Back in the 10th century BC, Israel was a unified nation. Under the reign of Rehoboam, however, it split into two: a northern house, still called Israel, and the southern house, now called Judah. In 721BC, the northern house of Israel was attacked, overcome and deported by the armies of Assyria. This northern house was taken captive and never returned. Many people today think this house of Israel just sort of disappeared.
But Ezekiel warned the house of Israel of impending destruction over 100 years after they were taken into captivity. How could he prophesy to them when they were already overtaken and gone? It must be a dual prophecy and be referring to a yet future time.
Notice what he specifically predicts about the house of Israel, in Ezekiel 6, and verse 2, “Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD!’ Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: ‘Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places… In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate....’” [Ezekiel 6:2-3, 6]
Ezekiel predicted that Israel’s cities would be destroyed. But Israel was already in captivity over 100 years earlier! And, in that captivity, Israel’s cities weren’t destroyed, they were repossessed by other groups of people brought in by the Assyrians. So Ezekiel was prophesying of a time yet future when the land of Israel will be so devastated that its cities are leveled.
Who is the modern house of Israel? Well, nations coming from the British Isles and Western Europe, and comprising much of the English-speaking people around the world. So Ezekiel was describing a shocking and horrifying collapse for these people, yet to come. When you see the writing on the wall, and the direction of our morals, it’s chilling.
And this is why we’re presenting this program today. Our anti-God, anti-Bible culture is going the wrong way. And is surely headed for disaster. Our culture is tossing aside the Biblical morality that is the strength of any people that hold to it. The principles found in the Bible regulate relationships and enable strong and stable families. They provide for a strong home life for raising healthy and happy children. It’s God’s way of life, that brings happiness, and blessings, and good things.
You need this special DVD “A Culture in Crisis.” It’s a compilation of three Tomorrow’s World telecasts. It outlines in detail where our society is going wrong, and it reveals the origins of the sea changes that are going on today. It will help you understand why things are happening as they are. You and your family need this DVD. We’ll send it to you free of charge. Just call the number on the screen or click the link below for our DVD, “A Culture in Crisis”.
We've examined why God predicts calamity to come on a people. And we've asked the question, could that be ahead for us?
Now let’s take an even closer look. The message Ezekiel was to deliver to the house of Israel contained a very heartfelt and compassionate appeal from God. When God said He would allow the house of Israel to be militarily overthrown and taken captive, notice what else He added. We read in Ezekiel, chapter 6, “Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries. Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me…” [Ezekiel 6:8-9]
Many portray God as scary, vindictive, and monstrous. But look at God’s reaction to the disobedience and obstinance of Israel. It says He was “crushed.” He was greatly distressed. God doesn’t want our blind obedience. He wants a relationship. He showed us His love by sending His Son as a sacrifice. He wants loyalty in return. And when He does so much for a people, it hurts Him and it grieves Him to see those people reject Him and in turn self-destruct.
The point is, we as a people are coming to the point in our history, where we’re not only redefining morality and godly behavior, but are full-scale rejecting the God of the Bible Himself.
But where is God today? Have we cast Him off like an old shoe? When people, by and large, reject the idea that there is a sovereign God in Heaven who fashioned us all, and governs over all, calamity is inevitable. A godless society will not stand.
Notice what the prophet Isaiah said, in Isaiah chapter 1. “Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward… Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire; strangers devour your land in your presence; and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.” [Isaiah 1:4, 7]
What was God saying? When a people reject God as their sovereign head, they're headed for trouble. And their civilization is headed for disaster. He will no longer protect their land or guard their cities. They're on their own.
Again, we want you to understand why our civilization is in decline, and yes, why it will fall. It’s not a mystery. We all need to get our house in order, and understand how God wants us to conduct our lives. So order our special DVD offer, “A Culture in Crisis.” It will open your eyes to what’s happening in the world, and why. And also don't forget to "like" this video and subscribe to our channel.
So what should we do? How should we approach the future?
The Bible reveals cataclysmic events will happen to the generation leading up to Christ’s return. But what should you and I do? What can we do? Daniel 12 provides insight. The timing is the time of the end. Notice what is says, in Daniel chapter 12, “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.” [Daniel 12:1]
Remember, earlier in the program we read of two Scriptures that speak of the worst time of trouble ever. Here now is a third. They can only be speaking of the same event: the worst time of trouble—The Great Tribulation in the end-times. But is there hope? Of course there is! For those who are walking with God, faithful to Him, and have their names written in the Book of Life.
Going further, there’s further proof that this is at Christ’s return because he speaks of the resurrection of the saints. Read in Daniel 12:2; “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake… Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”
The time we’re entering isn’t all bleak and hopeless. It’s a time of great opportunity for those who catch the vision to be faithful to God and stand for His way of life. And, to get involved in backing and supporting the work of preaching the true Gospel of the Kingdom to the world. As he said, those who turn many to righteousness will shine like the sun forever. What calling could be more important than being a beacon of light to an ever-darkening world? That’s why we’re doing this Work. To preach and publish the gospel of the kingdom while we draw breath.
Thanks for joining us. Whether you watch us on network TV, YouTube, or some other platform, we are doing this because we want you to know the truth. Our hope and prayer is it changes your life. And even inspires you to take steps in your life to a closer walk with God, in every possible way.
Be sure to join us again next week, as Gerald Weston, Richard Ames, Wallace Smith, and I will continue to share this Good News with you of the coming Kingdom of God, of Christ’s reign on earth, and the powerful prophecies your Bible holds.
See you next time!
