News

The book of Revelation prophesies that, prior to the return of Jesus Christ, animals will cause death and devastation. The four prophetic seals opened by Jesus Christ, picturing the famous “four horsemen of the apocalypse,” will bring death to up to one-quarter of mankind. This death will come through warfare, hunger and disease, and from “the beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:1–8). But how might animals cause such widespread death and destruction?

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, more than a million acres of land in the U.S. have burned so far in 2022—more than double the acreage that saw fires by this time in 2021. “The agency’s accounting also shows that more fires have ignited this year than any other in the last decade and burn totals are more than 71% higher than the ten-year average” (The Guardian, May 1, 2022).

If you are watching world news, you cannot help but see the recent rise in food scarcity around the globe. Escalating food prices are part of this reality. And recently, 29 U.S. states have been culling chickens to prevent the spread of avian flu that is impacting nations around the globe (The Guardian, April 28, 2022). Millions of birds have been slaughtered, with over five million killed at just one egg factory in Iowa!

Violent clashes have erupted in Jerusalem related to the Temple Mount. While religious tension in Jerusalem is not unusual during Jewish Holy Days, this year Passover, Easter, and Ramadan all coincided (AP, April 17, 2022).

In its latest assessment of China’s military capabilities, the U.S. Department of Defense estimated China’s nuclear weapons stockpile will triple by 2030 (The Atlantic, February 16, 2022).