What is ahead for the world's cities?

In 2008, an epochal event passed mostly unnoticed.  For the first time in history, more than 50% of humanity now lives in cities.  What are some issues and some predictions for our growing cities, and for civilization as a whole?

The world's burgeoning cities have brought new challenges. For example, one in five people lack safe drinking water, so waterborne diseases are spreading with increasing intensity, especially through poor, urbanized areas. And, as the global economy worsens and aid availability and local infrastructures further deteriorate, these problems will exacerbate.

Additionally, changing weather patterns continue to adversely affect agricultural output. In a world where less than 15% of the earth's surface is habitable and where less than 10% of the surface can sustain crop production, humanity is finding it increasingly difficult to sustain itself.

The International Monetary Fund warns that the consequences of water scarcity and climate change will intensify in the years ahead, and the food-exporting nations "will experience sustained drought and heat-related crop problems" resulting in "reduced yields, production shortfalls, and hunger – and 1.2 billion more people vulnerable to lack of water" (IMF Survey Magazine, October 22, 2008).

Reporting on rising food prices and increasing poverty in "wealthy" nations, Scotland's Sunday Herald reported, "for the first time in history, say experts, the impact is spreading from the developing to the developed world" and poverty is spreading "from rural areas into cities" (December 2, 2008).

Furthermore, the FBI reports that for 2007 there were more than 1,408,000 violent crimes in the U.S., up from approximately 1,360,000 in 2004. Additionally, serious resource management issues confound city planners. IBM estimates that 40% to 70% of electrical energy in most cities is lost because of inefficient electrical grids, that U.S. traffic congestion accounts for a loss of $78 billion dollars and 4.2 billion work hours wasted annually, and that this congestion accounts for an annual waste of 2.3 billion gallons of fuel in the U.S. alone! This is enough fuel to fill 58 supertankers (IBM study paper, December 2008, "Conversations for a Smarter Planet").

In short, the earth and its cities are a mess … and things are getting worse. But, God has a plan for a healthier earth and for healthier, happier cities.

In God's coming Kingdom, government, economics, farming, and all aspects of life will be brought into obedience to God's laws and people will experience true prosperity (Jeremiah 31:33-34). Additionally, scripture shows that God will massively reengineer the earth's topography and will reestablish healthy weather patterns.

For example, Nahum 1:3-6 and Isaiah 35:6-7 illustrate that God will dry vast areas of the oceans, will make the immense deserts fertile, and will flatten mountains to create bountiful farmland and expanses for a growing population. And, Ezekiel 36:9-11, 33-35 shows that cities will be rebuilt and that land once destroyed through centuries of over-farming, decades of pollution and coming world war will again become verdant.

Finally, we see that in God's Kingdom the nations of Israel (which include people of the U.S., U.K., British-descended nations and much of Northwest Europe), Egypt and Assyria (modern-day Germany) will be blessed and will prosper. Notice that these nations will peacefully trade, as commerce flows safely between them on super-highways (Isaiah 19:23-25).

Unfortunately, humanity will continue to descend into turmoil, culminating in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord spoken of in Matthew 24. God's faithful church is promised protection during this traumatic time (Revelation 12:13–14) and will then reign with the triumphant Christ to establish His Kingdom over all nations (Daniel 7:18, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54).

The Eternal God has revealed through scripture that a beautiful, abundant future is in store for the entire earth, including its sprawling cities. If you haven't yet, please register for our very instructive Tomorrow's World Bible Study Course and read Armageddon and Beyond for much more insight into God's plan for all humanity!