News and Prophecy Staff

As the end of the age draws closer, real life seems to blur with science fiction. Today’s realities are becoming scenes out of a dystopian movie or political espionage novel. The last two decades have witnessed monumental advances in the field of genetics. Scientists are learning how to turn genes on and off and how to program organisms in the language of genetics. In their work, some scientists buy and sell the genetic sequences of various bacteria and viruses.

For forty years, the United Methodist Church (UMC) has banned the ordination of homosexual clergy. However, in April, the church overwhelmingly voted to overturn the ban by a landslide vote, 692 to 51 (BBC, May 2, 2024). As one UMC clergy member proudly observed following the vote, “With the approvals and acceptance of the things today...

With the Arctic on its northern border, Canada is looking into options to protect “the longest coastline in the world” (The Canadian Press, April 10, 2024). The Canadian defense strategy that originally called for conventionally powered submarines has led to further discussions centering on nuclear-powered submarines.

Continuing research is demonstrating that farmers in the Great Plains of the United States—America’s “bread basket”—are losing the battle against weeds (Reuters, January 16, 2024). Once-powerful herbicides are increasingly less effective. Twenty-one weed species globally are already “showing resistance to dicamba, the most recent major U.S.

What would happen if nations of the globe stopped fighting wars? How would this change the world, economies, and societies? Most people on earth long for a time when there will be no more war, but will that ever happen? The biblical prophet Isaiah wrote about such a future: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4). According to the Bible, a time of no more war will eventually come.