Basic HTML Version
by
Herbert W. Armstrong
How can you know whether we are
near " the end of the world"? Can we prove it?
A
we now in the bibli–
ca l ly prophesie d
"time of t he end"?
President Reagan ,
of the United States, spoke of
world conditions seemingly indi–
cating we may be nearing "Ar–
mageddon."
The atomic scientists sorne time
ago set the doomsday dock one
more minute forward from four to
only three minutes till " midnight."
An editorial in a major American
news magazine referred to this
seemingly imminent time, saying it
would seem that the world's only
hope now lies in the sudden ap–
pearance of "a strong hand from
sorne place."
Time was, when only a wild-eyed
freak shouting a "doomsday"
warning was ridiculed as "off his
rocker." But today serious world
leaders and scientists are saying
grave things about the current drift
in world conditions. Sorne promi–
nent scientists have said the world' s
only bope now rests in a single
world government, with only one
military force, yet in the same
breath they admit the utter impos–
sibility of mankind being able to
forro such a one-world super gov–
ernment.
Strikingly, biblical prophecy
says just such a super one-world
March 1986
government is to appear. But do
these prophecies imply that our
present living generation is the one
to live into that time?
Even the original first century
apostles expected this end of the
world as we know it to occur in
their lifetime. I ndividuals in every
century since have believed the
world was at. "the time of the
end"-that " Armageddon" was
near.
But how may we know? How
may we be SURE? Or can we
know?
J esus said in Luke 21:28: "And
when these things begin to come to
pass, then look up, and lift up your
heads; for your redemption
draweth nigh. " These things he
was talking about include many
prophesied events now occurring
for the first time in history.
One cannot look at one or two
superficial signs or events and
jump to any sure conclusion. We
must comprehend God 's overall
PURPOSE and how he is working out
that purpose. Many propbecies
must be considered. We must not
guess or surmise, or jump hastily to
conclusions.
The Modern World
T he modero world really began
only about 150 years ago.
Tf
we
have the chronology of human exis-
tence about correct, the first hu–
man , Adam, was created nearly
6,000 years ago. T he Bible shows
that God 's Master Plan for work–
ing out his purpose here below is a
7,000-year plan-with sorne 6,000
years allotted to this world of Sa–
tan, followed by 1,000 years of
Christ 's reign over all nations of
the earth. Somewhere around
1,600 years from Adam's creation
carne the earthwide Flood. How
civilization developed prior to the
Flood we do not fully know. But
we may assume the material civi–
lization progressed no further than
in a similar span after the Flood.
So far as we know, therefore, the
development of human civilization
continued on a comparatively even
keel until about 150 years ago.
There was little major advance–
ment in human knowledge and ma–
terial progress until after the in–
vention of the printing press about
1450. Printing made possible the
spread and diffusion of knowledge.
This diffusion expanded slightly
until the middle of the 19th cen–
tury. Most modero inventions and
facilities have appeared since 1850.
Knowledge and invention of me–
chanical facilities have since multi–
plied with constantly increasing
momentum. It is almost as if
mankind first appeared on earth
about 150 years ago and has been
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