We must be those who know the age. If we truly know the Bible, we will be able to see what kind of age we are in according to the prophecies in the Bible and the world situation today. When I was first saved more than sixty years ago, I loved the Bible very much and studied the Bible diligently. At that time some books concerning prophecy had been published in Europe, so I bought some and read them. There are many prophecies related to the world situation, especially prophecies regarding the Jews, the Middle East, and the Persian Gulf nations. These prophecies speak mainly about two matters. The first matter is the restoration of the Jewish nation, and the second matter is the return of Jerusalem into the hands of the Jews.
Jerusalem fell into the hands of the Babylonian king in 606 B.C. For more than two thousand five hundred years, it was fully possessed by the Gentiles without ever falling back into the hands of the Jews. Six to seven hundred years ago, Jerusalem fell into the hands of the Moslems and was possessed by them. During the Six-day War in 1967 the Israelis defeated tens of thousands of Arabs, a numerically superior enemy, and regained Jerusalem.
If we know the prophecies in the Old Testament, we will see that as the Lord’s coming approaches, the focus of the world situation will not be on the countries bordering the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans but on those bordering the tiny Mediterranean Sea. The focus will be especially on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea where petroleum is being produced today. When we read the prophecies over sixty years ago, no one paid attention to the matter of petroleum. But in October of 1973 there was a petroleum crisis in the world because the Middle Eastern countries that were producing petroleum froze the supply. Today the economy of the entire world is controlled by petroleum. Although most of the world’s industrial and commercial development is occurring in the countries bordering the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the focus of international dispute is in the Middle East because of the matter of oil. Every nation is competing for petroleum for their economic benefit, so the Middle East has become the place where much of the world’s wealth has accumulated. Hence, the powerful nations are focusing on the Middle East. Everyone is competing for the place where the wealth is.
No one ever imagined that the Persian Gulf region would be in the kind of situation it is in today. One of the greatest and most powerful naval vessels of the United States, the U.S.S. Missouri, will go to the Persian Gulf if needed. Undoubtedly, the unpredictable changes in the Persian Gulf region are highly significant. If this situation continues to develop, no politician in the world will be able to tell how the situation will turn out. However, what is certain is that a climax to the situation in the Middle East is imminent, and once the situation explodes, it will be hard to handle.
In 1918 at the end of World War I, various nations signed a peace treaty, but peace was maintained on the earth for only thirteen years. On September 18, 1931 Japan invaded Bei Da Ying in Shenyang, Manchuria. In 1935 Mussolini, the prime minister of Italy, invaded Ethiopia. A few years later in Germany Hitler instigated war in Europe. Thus, in 1939 World War II broke out. In 1941 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, causing the United States to declare war on Japan. Therefore, in less than twenty years from the time of the amicable settlement of World War I, another war had broken out. It was not until August of 1945, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, that Japan unconditionally surrendered, bringing World War II to an end.
From that day until today, a period of more than forty years, there have been no international wars because no one has dared to initiate war. Even if there have been some wars, they have been scattered. With the invention of atomic weapons in this new age, the consequences of an international war breaking out are unimaginable. Hence, most nations dare not initiate a war. However, the Bible clearly says that wars will get fiercer until the world is unable to handle them. Then our Lord will come back.
After World War I the League of Nations was established, but it did not help to maintain a peaceful world situation. Twenty years later World War II broke out. This war involved more nations and was even fiercer. The United Nations was established after this war, but during the past forty or more years, it has not borne much responsibility. The problem of the world situation is very complicated and confused, and no one can solve it.
Due to the two world wars, people have learned not to wage wars, but when the time comes, they will still have to fight. I dare not say that this will happen today, but all those who understand the world situation know that world war is imminent. The Persian Gulf region in particular is like a fuse. Apparently, the entire world situation is stable, but actually, it is very dangerous. Two hundred years ago nations were able to tend to their own business, but today the whole world is connected together. If there is warfare in the Persian Gulf, it will be impossible for other places to be unaffected. The issue of oil will hinder industry, causing economies to collapse. Ultimately, the entire world will be unable to escape this catastrophe.
People from the Moslem countries are generally the descendants of Ishmael. In a prophecy in the Bible, Ishmael is likened to a wild donkey running around crazily, having no regard for its own life, being impossible to tame, and being very unreasonable (Gen. 16:11-12). Today Iran is the same. As a nation it has no regard for its own life. In addition, Soviet Russia may be plotting behind the scenes. Revelation 16 speaks of three unclean spirits as frogs going forth into the whole inhabited earth to stir up wars (vv. 13-14). Behind Soviet Russia is a spirit that never does anything good but instead does evil things, stirring up the world into chaos. Ezekiel 38 and Revelation 20 both speak of Gog and Magog, which, as most Bible expositors acknowledge, refer to Russia and are in the northernmost part of Asia. Rosh and Meshech in Ezekiel 38 correspond with Russia and Moscow (cf. Rev. 20:8, note 1). After the millennium Satan will instigate mankind’s last rebellion against God, and Gog and Magog will take the lead. This is a cursed place where man rebels and opposes God. The situation in the Persian Gulf today was stirred up by Soviet Russia. If Soviet Russia had not played a role behind the scenes, there would not have been such a situation in the Persian Gulf today. This is the world situation.