We are living in interesting times!

Have you heard about the new troubles in Ireland? Stress in Ireland, north and south, has grown to become world news this year. A social trend is growing, and expanding, and there is a lesson for us all in the news. 

Brace yourself.

Apparently, our world population is about eight billion, but some experts claim that it is closer to ten billion. Who knows?

The world around us is changing quickly, and the changes are huge.

Here is a list of new things:

1. Billions of people, more than at any other time in history.
2. Easy mass communication. Most of us have cell phones in our pockets, and most cell phones are connected to the Internet.
3. Mass transportation. Most of us could find a few dollars and get to an airport, where we could fly quickly, to almost any place in the world.

There may be other things that I have missed, but it’s safe to say we are living with a ticking bomb. With so many people, and easy communication, and convenient transportation, governments everywhere are struggling to control mass migration.

If people are unhappy with life where they were born, they can easily learn about other places in the world, and move to a new place, easily.

We all have opinions, and I don’t want to start an argument here. It is enough to agree that our world is changing, and we are dealing with problems that we did not have, a few years ago.

We are told in the Bible, that a prophet named Daniel was to:

“Shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” (Daniel 12:4) 

Yes, that is the same Daniel, as in the lions’ den, and in his book, he tells us how God spoke to him.

Most of us just ignored his words about the end of our time in history, when people would travel, or “run” on the earth, and human knowledge and technology would increase. Those are only a few words, but the experience will be life changing.

We have other words about the “end times” in the Bible. One example is from Jesus:

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.” (Luke 21: 34 and 35)

We have been warned about alarming changes, that will come on us at the end. It has always been convenient to ignore these small notes in the Bible. I think it is always easy for most people to ignore the whole Bible.

What is not easy to overlook is the news about these events in our modern world. Those obscure footnotes in the Bible, describe a radical change in life for the whole world.

For example, did you know there are demonstrations, and even riots in Ireland, because of immigration? This is true for both the Republic of Ireland, and the smaller region of Northern Ireland:

There is some religion in this anger. The majority religion in Ireland, is Roman Catholicism, with large minorities of Protestants, especially in the north.

There is a long history of “Irish Troubles” but it seems that society was returning to something like peace and stability. With the increase in knowledge and communication and the mass movements of people, many moved to Ireland to make a new home there. Not all, but many of these people are Muslims who practice their religions openly. 

It is easy to see, from this one example, how a small note in Bible prophecy, predicted a huge change in our world. And this change was predicted for every place in the world.

We all know about ICE raids, in the United States. We may also know about immigration stress in other places, including Europe.

Did you know, there is also a huge cultural shift in some conservative parts of the world?

Apparently, the younger generation in conservative Muslim societies is very interested in western societies. I know this from personal experience. I was an instructor and coordinator for teaching academic English to foreign university students. Years ago, our classes were filled, and many of our students were from conservative societies. They were all interested in new knowledge, and their new language removed the barriers.

Now, a new linguistic trend has been reported among young people in places like Saudi Arabia. People who are educated will have conversations in two languages, usually Arabic and English. It is common to switch between languages in casual conversations. This is a strange linguistic trend, and it shows profound changes in culture and society.

With tools like the Internet, this trend to increase knowledge has grown.

As the Bible predicted, we are on the edge of a social explosion. I hope we can learn this lesson from places like Ireland.

Here is one more of those prophetic notes, in the Bible: “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24: 12 and 13)