Prophecy In The News

I think as we look around the events that are taking place in the world today, I think it's fair to say that Bible prophecy is being fulfilled in the news all around us today. Do you recognize it? Why bother to pay any attention to what's going on in world events? Is it important? Is it something that we need to be a part of our life? Well, when you think about Christ's example, he said something interesting back in Matthew 16. And in verse 2, he was talking to the Pharisees. And even in that day, he drew their attention, I suppose you could say, to the news, to what was going on in the world even at that day. Take a look at what he told them in Matthew 16, verse 2. They did have a certain level of understanding. He said to them, when it's evening, you say, it will be fair weather, for the sky is red. And in the morning, it will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening. So the Pharisees had an ability to recognize certain things in the future. But then he said, hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. So the weather they were okay with, but recognizing events that were going on and the implication for fulfilled prophecy, they didn't seem to have a clue. So how does that impact us? What about today? Let's fast forward a couple of thousand years and ask ourselves, can we discern the biblical signs of our times? Oftentimes, in Jesus' preaching, he described the troubles and the difficulties to come, those things that would lead up to his second coming, because ultimately, he predicted those events to happen. And yet, did he give us any responsibility in that?

Well, if you turn over to Luke 21, we find something interesting that he brings to our attention, not only for the people of his day, but for us today. Notice what he says in Luke 21.

Verse 36 is where we'll begin. Luke 21, 36. After describing events that were long into the future, Christ says this, verse 36 in Luke 21. He says, Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass. But not only that, he says, and to stand before the Son of Man.

So if we're to be there when Christ returns, if we're to stand before the Son of Man, he says, we better be watching and praying always. So I think it's a fair question to ask, what are we supposed to watch? What should we be watching? I mean, what exactly was he telling us to look out for? I mean, can we see these things? Can we know that we're in the middle of prophecy being fulfilled as these times approach? I think those are valuable questions that we need to answer. Because certainly as we look at Christ's words and what He taught, they gave broad overview of events that were to happen, just preceding this in Luke 21, Mark 13, Matthew 24. He talks about all kinds of things. Some were very, very specific. Others were more general, things that would develop over long periods of time, and then ultimately come to a peak at the end time.

And it's interesting to note that He encouraged us to keep an eye on these prophecies, because certainly that's a part of what He meant when He told us, and followers of His day as well, to watch and pray. So it's fair to say we have a responsibility to watch the fulfillment of prophecy in the news. We have that obligation. But I think we better ask ourselves, how do I do that? How do you watch prophecy in the news? I mean, there's so much of it, isn't there? I mean, we live in an era of 24-7 news. It's happening all around us, and it's impossible to watch it all. I mean, there's so many news sources, so much media out there. There's so much clickbait. You get a notification on your phone, and they want to get your attention and want you to click on that link. A lot of it's useless. A lot of it is just degrading. It's divisive information, oftentimes discouraging. It's depressing. Why do I want to read about that? That just sounds totally useless and undermining to the Word of God. Yes, and there's those that have an agenda out there that they're pushing. And noticing some of the news, it could hurt your mental well-being. There's no doubt about that. And so with such an overabundance of information, how in the world could we possibly take it all in? How could we understand it?

And to put it in context, it's like trying to get a little drink of water out of a fire hose.

You just can't do it. So what should we do? And how do we put that into the context of what Christ said to watch? Where do you focus your attention? Can we have a strategy to watch prophecy in the news? The answer is yes. Yes, and we should. So how do we handle it? What should we do? I think first and foremost, we have to target the truth. We have to focus on the truth.

Anyone ever heard of fake news? Yeah, fake news. Yeah, there are so many news items, so many opinions out there, so many coverages that slant perspectives, unverified stories, things that just are reports that are false or maybe edited or exaggerated out there. We're surrounded by it, it seems. Do we recognize where it started? Where did fake news begin? Well, we go all the way back to the garden. The first fake news was given by the serpent. Oh, you won't surely die. You know, God gave the truth. God targeted the truth for Adam and Eve. He told them straight up, this is what life is all about. Here's the best choice to make. But the serpent came along with his fake news and said, oh, you eat from the tree, you're not going to die. No way. In fact, not only did he slanted that direction, he even told them, it's going to be much better. Don't believe God, believe the news I'm telling you. Your situation is going to be so much better if you listen to my version of the truth. He told them, God knows the day that you'll eat it, your eyes will be opened.

Oh, wow. What a great story that is. That sounds so good. You're going to know the difference between good and evil. You won't surely die. And so what story did they believe?

Well, they bought into the fake news. And ever since that time in the garden, people, mankind, has been engaged in spreading fake news. Now, of course, God tells us we can't buy into the fake news story. In fact, He made it one of His top 10.

You know, you shouldn't bear false witness. Right? That's one of the biggies. And in fact, He expounded on that a little bit after giving those 10 commandments. We know there in Exodus 20 is one of the accounts of the 10 commandments. But if you look over at Exodus 23, notice the very beginning of Exodus 23. He expounds a little bit more on that idea of fake news and false witnessing.

Lying, in other words. Bearing a false witness. Well, if I have to appear in court, just bearing a false witness is the only thing that's against God's commands, right? Well, no, not at all. Exodus 23 verse 1 puts a little more meat on those bones of false news. Notice what it says.

Exodus 23 verse 1, you shall not circulate a false report. You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand to the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. All right, you add that to being a false witness circulating false reports. Spreading false news. Fake news. Same thing, isn't it? And you know what we find with humanity? People like fake news.

They like it because I'd rather hear a false report than the truth. Tell me smooth things.

The things that I want to hear. And so oftentimes, fake news confirms people's biases. Well, I think that too. And so I like that report, even though it hasn't targeted the truth. It's not reality.

But hey, I'll deal with that. Oftentimes, it targets our emotions. Don't we get caught up in that? You read something on Facebook or TikTok or hey, I like that. I like that. Wait a second.

What's behind that report? Who is the individual that's promoting... is that the whole truth? Or is that just a little minute portion of something that sounds truthful? But I like it, not knowing the story behind it, not knowing that person's complete perspective. Is that what I'm supposed to do? Is that targeting the truth? Or is that accepting fake news that's easier than doing your own research? We tend to be lazy people. And I'll just accept that because, well, it sounds good.

And those that promote fake news, those that pass it on, oh, it's easy to give that facade of credibility. It seems like it's good. And what happens? Oftentimes, people like that, they get a following. Now we call them an influencer, an influencer. They have gained followers. Do we just take those things for granted? I think we have to be so careful.

Here's something that may describe you. I ran across a study that Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism did, and in their annual digital news report, they said this, quote, when it comes to news, audiences say they pay more attention to celebrities, influencers, and social media personalities in networks like TikTok, and Instagram, and Snapchat. Is that targeting truth? Now, it's not saying all is evil, but we have to ask ourselves, how much have we verified truth?

If you look over to 2 Timothy 4, the Apostle Paul described these times that we live in. Notice what he encouraged this young minister, Timothy, in the second letter, 2 Timothy 4, verse 3. Interesting as chapter 4 begins, Paul targets truth. He says, preach the word.

Focus on truth. Target the truth. That is so critical as we consider prophecy in the news, as we consider the signs of the times that we live in. And then he says this, which is really amazing, verse 3. He says, the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.

So oftentimes we say, oh, sound doctrine, that's talking about religious truth. That's talking about biblical truth, doctrine, the truth of the word. Well, not exactly. Yes, it can mean that, sound, but literally sound doctrine in the Greek is healthy teachings, healthy instruction. And when you have news that's passed on that isn't healthy teachings, that isn't sound instruction, we're fulfilling part of the scripture. The time will come. They don't endure it. They don't want to hear the truth. They don't want targeting what is right. But it says here, according to their own desires, they don't endure sound doctrine because they have itching ears and they heap up for themselves influence, oh no, personnel, teachers. Yeah. Have we done that today? Is that where we're at in society? And I think it's such a reminder for us as we are impacted by these posts, by the news, we have to recognize a lot of it is fulfilling exactly what prophecy says. A lot of it is fake news. And as God's people, we better step back and we better evaluate the news, the posts, our likes with discernment. We have to have godly discernment. And so if we're going to target the truth, then we have to concentrate on the highest quality reports, journalism, if you want to call that, from a whole spectrum of sources. Because if we only get our information from one source, it's probably going to be all kinds of algorithms that come into play that target us with the things we want to hear. That's the way it works these days. Yeah, they figure that out. When we look at this, then you must like that. So we'll send more of this to you. And we get wrapped up in our own little world. So we better get our information from a variety of reliable sources, and we better be aware of the biases of those sources, whether they're right leaning, or whether they're left leaning, or whatever stance they may take. And probably the most critical thing is, we need to evaluate those sources, evaluate those posts, evaluate what we're listening and looking at and reading from the viewpoint of Scripture. That's where it has to be. Not my opinion, not my thoughts, or whether I agree with that or not, not whether it's conservative or liberal. We better focus on the Word and recognize this meets God's standards. This is evaluated in the light of Scripture.

Otherwise, we could be part of the problem. If we fall for the soundbite analysis that's out there, well, I heard this. Where'd you hear that? Well, it was 10 seconds of a little quote that I heard from that. Wow! That tells the story? Well, oftentimes we fall. It can't possibly tell the story.

And all too often, then, social media just amplifies that little soundbite, that little snippet. And so we can get totally the wrong idea, the wrong impression, when we can fall for those short little snippets of what all too often is just fake news. And we see this is a fulfillment of Scripture. It is a fulfillment of Scripture as we watch these things. Paul said this was what was going to happen, and we see it happening around us. Jeremiah said the same thing to Judah. If you want to turn with me over to Jeremiah chapter 9. Judah was falling into the same problems. They didn't want to listen to the truth of God. They didn't want to listen to the prophets. They didn't want to see what was on the horizon. They didn't want to see the prophetic weather report. They didn't want to consider the fact that their behavior was out of line, and they were headed for disaster and captivity. They wanted to ignore that. Tell us the smooth things. We don't want to hear that stuff, Jeremiah. But Jeremiah targeted the truth. God gave him that truth, and he passed it on to Judah. And he told it like it was from God's perspective. In all chapter 9, he's describing what society had become. So when you notice Jeremiah chapter 9, no wonder difficulty was on the horizon, because we have this description of what society had become.

And God could not allow that to continue. And what's interesting, that mirrors what's happening today. Because prophetically, we see a dual fulfillment of these prophets. It wasn't only for Judah of that day. This is for us as well, because we face a similar time. So here in Jeremiah, notice verse 9. Notice verse 9. Jeremiah said, They weary themselves to commit iniquity. It says, your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit.

Yeah, is that where we live? We live in a society of lies and deceitfulness. And it says, through deceit, they refuse to know me. They don't want to target the truth. They don't want to hear the truth. They don't want to understand the truth. And so what's interesting from our perspective, then, is we look at prophecy in the news. We look at fake news and how it impacts us.

How do we handle those things? I think one thing it speaks to is that we better be very careful about what we post, about what we pass on, what stories, what headlines, what quotes, what likes we may have. And we better fully investigate them to make very sure that it is truth, that it is accurate. Do we do that? No. No, we don't. Website called security.org did a study on sharing posts on social media. How many people share posts without ever verifying the facts? Many more than half of the people they found share stories or posts without ever verifying the facts. They found that Americans are the worst when it comes to passing on information and thinking information on television, especially, is truth without ever double-checking anything.

Well, what about us? There was a study that Psychology Today did. What percentage of us share information on social media without ever reading the story ourselves? Wow, I saw this headline. I'm going to put that out there. I'm going to share that with my friends. I'm going to put that out there for everybody. How many of us do that? Saw this headline, saw this snippet, but never actually read the story for ourselves. What percentage of us do that? Psychology Today found that 59% of us do that. So, what does that tell us? Three out of five posts that you see haven't even been read by the person that posted them. Three out of five! It's fake news! It's fake news! And something we better be on our toes about. Are we passing on falsehood? Are we promoting? Oh, I would never pass on fake news. Wait a second. You probably are, according to statistics. And so, are we fulfilling prophecy, as Paul said to Timothy or Jeremiah? I mean, this is something that if we're on our toes, we can recognize this. In fact, my grandmother recognized this way back when I was a little boy. She knew. You know what she used to say? She used to tell us as little kids, well, don't believe everything you read in the newspapers. Yeah, that was grandma. Grandma used to say that all the time. Don't believe what you read because she even knew back then, just because it's written, just because it's posted, just because somebody liked it, just because it's an intriguing notification, doesn't mean it's true. Doesn't mean it's verified.

And so, for us, we better read it before we share it. And we better make sure what we are sharing is accurate. We better target the truth because it's going to portray who we are.

It's a reflection of who we are. And so, God is telling us, don't be the problem.

Don't add to the problem. Posting and reposting without investigation and without verification is only contributing to the spread of fake news. So, we better be careful about this.

And so, think about that. I think just the spread of fake news itself is certainly reminding us that what the Bible says about prophecy is absolutely true.

We were looking in Timothy. If we go back to 2 Timothy, you should have had your hold your place there. 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 13 is a good reminder of this, and especially the explosion of this type of posting and reposting and news that's out there. Even news that you see from supposedly reputable reporters oftentimes we have to take with a grain of salt until we verify the truth. It is a fulfillment of prophecy. Paul told Timothy, 2 Timothy 3, 13, evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse. It's not just that they're influencers or fakes or phonies, but we see the results of that information. It says it'll grow worse and worse, and it's deceiving and those that are being deceived by it. And so, the emphasis here is it's an evil thing to report something as though it's true when it is not. And so, it's a reflection of who we are as a society because that's what people are doing, continually deceiving and then being deceived. And so, when you think about that, the fact that we better be discerning what is truth, it's going to become even more difficult as time goes on and get more confusing as time goes on unless we target truth, unless we emphasize and focus on the truth, on the Word of God. In fact, there's such a difference that was reflected in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Notice what was said about Christ Himself. Matthew 22, verse 16. Matthew 22, verse 16. Here's an interesting paradox of what was said about Christ, comparing it to the times that we live in or comparing it to the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the religious leadership of the day, their perspective, and what people thought and what was really truth. Matthew 22, verse 16. We see how different Christ was. Matthew 22, 16. It says, "...they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, teacher, we know you are true." Now, I find that amazing. Well, here's the Herodians, one version of Judaism, and you've got the religious leadership coming to Christ. It says, their disciples, their followers, and what did they say? Well, we know you're true. You're true.

Your posts are accurate. You are truth. It says, you teach the way of God in truth.

They recognize that. They recognize the fact that it says, nor do you care about anyone, for you don't regard the person of men. And so, Christ, being a beacon of truth, we could say, stood out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the world, the rest of the religious leadership. He was truth. He was representative of truth. This idea, you don't regard the person of men. That's saying, he wasn't a respecter of persons. He didn't show favoritism to anyone. He treated people alike. He treated them truthfully.

And so, I think this sets a perfect example for us if we're going to target the truth.

I mean, ultimately, the answer to fake news is the good news. It's the gospel of Jesus Christ in the kingdom of God. And it's such a reminder for us to really recognize the impact of this. It's not just recognizing certain things. It's not thinking, well, I'm so much better because I see the fake stuff. I recognize the hypocrisy out there. Boy, we have to be careful when it comes to that. To think that we're somehow better just because I have a certain understanding of God's plan and His purpose. Boy, that's a trap we can fall into and one we have to be very careful about. In fact, one that certainly ties into the subject of prophecy in the news. And we'll talk about that in just a moment. Certainly, as we see here, Christ always and perfectly targeted the truth. So that's an important place to begin.

But as we think about watching prophecy in the news, I think another aspect is we have to recognize and concentrate on the topics that the Bible stresses, that the Word of God stresses.

What is God's Word most concerned about? What is the focus when it comes to prophecy in the news? Let's think about that for a moment. Let's kind of give a little bit of an overview. Let's focus on a couple of trends in prophecy that Christ intended us to keep our eye on. Prophecy that we see in the news today. A good place to begin is the Middle East. Focus on the Middle East.

That's a topic that Bible prophecy certainly stresses. You can go all the way back in time where the prophet Daniel dealt with the prophetic sequence of events. What was going to happen as we draw closer to the time of the end of man's government? Closer to the time when man will no longer rule and Christ is going to return? Well, if we look at Daniel 11, it focuses on the Middle East and it focuses on military conflict. There is going to be war and there's going to be rumors of wars. And in Daniel 11, there's this amazing prophecy about two powerful leaders. One is the king of the north, the other the king of the south. And these specific leaders are leaders of not just one little area, but leaders of regions, geographic regions of north and south in comparison to Jerusalem, you know, the very center of the Middle East, you might say. And so if you've made your way over to Daniel, notice Daniel 11.

Verse 40. Here we have a description of watching news that is prophetic. Daniel 11, verse 40. It says, at the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships, and he'll enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through them. He shall also enter the glorious land. That's Judea. That's the area around Jerusalem. And it says many countries shall be overthrown. And so we have prophetic news that hasn't taken place yet, but certainly we see the rise of conflict surrounding the Middle East. And so what's going to happen there? What's going to happen with Palestine? What's going to happen in Iran? What's going on there? Certainly Christ said, focus on these things. Daniel prophesied about these things. Christ said, watch. Watch these areas. What happens here in the Middle East certainly will focus us on the events to come.

Christ said specifically in Luke 21, come with me over to Luke 21 verse 20, Christ focused on the Middle East and told his followers, told us by extension, watch out for these things. Are you aware of what's going on? Do you recognize the flow of prophecy? And these things are on the horizon? Luke 21 verse 20, this is part of the Olivet prophecy. Christ gave these words on the Mount of Olives as well as what's recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 13 as well. In Luke 21 verse 20, he says, when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. These are the days of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

And so we can begin to see these times are just ahead. But Christ also emphasized, just don't hang out and wait for these monumental things to occur in order to be aware, especially in order to be ready, in order to be ready. But he certainly said, here's a topic that we should concentrate on when it comes to watching prophecy in the news.

Now, there's much more to the story, but that's just one, just one trend, one focus on end-time prophecy. When we watch prophecy in the news, another topic that the Bible stresses is Europe.

What's going on in Europe? That is certainly a focus of Bible prophecy. The Bible predicts a government, a government that will be a union of 10 nations or 10 groups of nations, and they'll be based in Europe, and there'll be one leader, one dictator, one president, one man that is called the beast, and his system, his government will be called the beast as well.

And it's a reflection of the ancient Roman Empire. That's on the horizon. Are we recognizing the trends that are leading to a union that could take place? Well, Revelation 17 reminds us, this is coming. This is coming. Do we see the weather report? Do we see the prophetic things that are leading to this? And really, how should it impact us? How should it impact us as we watch prophecy in the news? Well, notice Revelation 17, 12. Here it describes this union of nations or groups of nations. Verse 12 in Revelation 17, explaining this vision that John saw. It says, The ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast, with the dictator, with the leadership, with that man who is in ultimate authority. It says, These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. They'll make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them. For He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are called chosen and faithful. Those are God's saints that are coming with Him. Skipping down to verse 17, it says, God's put it in their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one-minded, give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And so we see Europe as a central focus for Bible prophecy. So what events are leading up to the ultimate fulfillment of these specific prophecies? Are we aware of them? Do we know what's on the horizon? Do we see the skies are red and threatening? Or are we so wrapped up in our own little world that we don't see it coming? Christ certainly warned against that. Now there's a third area, I think, that the Bible also focuses on. In fact, it stresses Bible prophecy as an important topic to keep our eyes on. Christ warned about threats to our existence. Could mankind be exterminated? I mean, for most of mankind's existence, it wasn't even a possibility. Couldn't happen. It wasn't going to be even possible.

But in the 50s, we entered the era of mad. Everybody got mad. What was mad?

Mutually assured destruction. M-A-D. That the Soviet Union could destroy the United States many times over, and we could destroy them many times over. And because it was a mutual thing, we wouldn't do it. Because if we pull the trigger, you'll pull the trigger, and that'll be the end of everything. That mutually assured destruction was supposed to be a deterrent to save humanity.

Will it? But we know Christ talked about these things. He was very clear that God is going to have to intervene. And so as we think about the threats to human existence, some of this we put in the back of our minds. Some of us remember the time that you had nuclear drills in school.

Well, if there was a nuclear attack, we all have to get under our desks and cover our heads. And it's grade school, kid. That was going to save us. Yay! Or we'd go down into the basement of the school, because that's where the structure is best. And that's going to assure we'll have safety.

Of course, we've forgotten about all of those kinds of things these days, it seems.

Well, maybe until more recently. Have you been watching the news at all?

The whole Ukraine conflict that's going on between Russia and the Ukraine of Vladimir Putin has made some amazing threats. He's threatened to pull the nuclear trigger. Now, will he do it? Is it just a threat or not? I mean, oftentimes we just say, yeah, let's just talk. I don't know that he's actually going to do that. But sometimes we just even forget the capabilities that are out there.

Have you heard the name of the weapon that's at least the nickname of the weapon that he's proposed to use? It's nicknamed Satan II. Satan II. It's an intercontinental ballistic missile, IBM. That means it can go long between continents. So this this operational range is over 11,000 miles. So it can reach anywhere. And it can carry, in fact, it's one of these MIRVs. It's a MIRV. M-I-R-V is the designation. You heard of mad, mutually assured destruction. Well, this is a MIRV, which means it can carry multiple warheads. And this particular Satan II ballistic missile can carry 10, 800 kiloton nuclear weapons. Ten of them. And the reason they call it a MIRV is that means it's multiple, independently, targetable re-entry vehicles.

So in other words, those 10 nuclear weapons, once that rocket is off with them, they can pick all kinds of targets. They can pick 10 different targets and target those specific areas individually with these 800 kiloton warheads. And that's what he's threatening to use.

Each of them capable of striking different targets. And just one of them, just one of them, would completely engulf the area that it would strike in a fireball up to 10 miles away.

It would just be a gigantic firestorm. And that's just right around one of them.

And so when we think about the possibilities there, it's a little scary. Will he try to minimize? Maybe he used a smaller weapon and yet the destruction that's possible. And then to think, what's been in the news when you talk about threats to human existence? North Korea keeps firing all kinds of weapons, firing them towards Japan, putting them into the ocean. What's going on with Iran? They may have nuclear weapons. Pakistan already does. What about the war instruments that they have out there, like the killer drones that can target? In fact, you can watch targets being destroyed as these drones target different individuals or areas. It is amazing not to say much about killer designer diseases. We've had a little bit of that in the past. Well, what's on the horizon? And then add to the military challenges, what's going to happen with artificial intelligence and AI? You've been following that in the news at all? Just a couple of weeks ago, a man who became known as the godfather of artificial intelligence, he had been working for Google for 10 years as they were developing artificial intelligence. Have you noticed it's just taken off unbelievably just within the last, really, just the last few months it's taken off? Now you've got all kinds of versions of artificial intelligence, whether it's from Google or whether it's from Microsoft or... Yeah, everybody's in a rush to get it out there because it's such an amazing technology.

But this Jeffrey Hinton, called the godfather of AI, developed some of the base programming for artificial intelligence. He quit. He quit Google. It's interesting to read about him because he said things like, you can't prevent a bad actor from using AI for bad. For evil purposes, in other words.

He recognized you can't stop it because people are in such a rush to get it out there, they're not worried about the consequences of things. And so he's come to believe AI will become smarter than people. And so what does that mean when you think about threats to human existence?

It's interesting. He comes to the conclusion, and in fact, he was quoted to say, I used to, you know, take heart in the fact that if I hadn't created this, someone else would have.

He says, now I can't say that any longer. And so it's interesting, from his perspective, that he wanted out. But it was also interesting, one of the things that he was quoted to have said, they asked him, well, what's the best hope then? What's the best hope? Well, he said the best hope is for scientists to collaborate on ways to control artificial intelligence technology. You think that's going to happen? Can mankind control itself?

What is human nature like, after all? You know, the heart is deceitful among all things, is what God says. And so are we watching these prophetic things that are in the news?

One other topic that we should focus on as we consider prophecy in the news is just the moral decline in our world today. Has mankind been in a downward slide? Anybody think there's been any moral confusion in our world today? Any corruption in our world today? I mean, you could look at it just about any poll that's done, and they come to pretty much the same conclusion. Do you know how many Americans, what percentage of Americans believe we're in moral decline? Now, whether we are or not could be up for debate. Now, you might think, well, they probably think everything's pretty good. But I was surprised to see 83% of Americans believe we are in moral decline and that our country is in poor shape when it comes to moral values. Even a majority feel that way. And so in a recent Gallup poll, they said Americans' views of the state of moral values in the U.S. are dismal, and the expectations for the future are grim. And I think what we find when we look at what are the trends in our world today? What are the trends in... Well, we glorify immorality, don't we? We name organizations after immorality. We not only support it, we encourage it. And I can't help but think of passages like Isaiah 5, verse 20, where it says, "...woe to those who call good evil and evil good." I think the state of our world is described in Romans chapter 1, if you turn there with me. Romans chapter 1, verse 28. What a reminder. What a reminder of a fulfillment of prophecy that we see in the news. Even if you go to Disney World, you can't escape the moral corruption of our world. Even on the happiest place in the world, it's there. And it's because of what's described here prophetically in Romans chapter 1. Notice verse 28. It says, "...even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting." And these trends are pushing our world ever farther along that prophetic timeline that we are drawing closer and closer. So Christ said, watch these things. We better be aware of these things. No doubt, that's part of the emphasis of what Christ said. Yet, does God want us just to passively watch prophecy in the news? Is it just about knowing?

Well, I'm aware that these things are happening. Yep. Oh, I see it. Did you recognize that? I mean, is that what it's about? Are we just supposed to see it, passively recognize it, and then think that we're just fine? Well, I'm glad I'm not like those people. You know, should that be the conclusion that we come to? Now, I think that leads us to the real reason and, I think, the most important God-intended reason for watching the fulfillment of prophecy in the news.

Because God intended it to accomplish a much more important purpose than just being aware, or just knowing, or just seeing it. Why watch prophecy in the news?

Well, one of the things we begin to notice, if you turn with me over to Matthew 24, Matthew 24, we're given an outline of the most important aspect of what God wants to accomplish as we watch, as we watch. Notice what Christ said here, Matthew 24.

One of the things Christ points out here is that we're to watch prophecy in the news so we won't be deceived. We won't be fooled. Notice what Christ said and warned about in Matthew 24, verse 4. He warned about fake news in religion, counterfeit religion, false prophecies. And he answered, he says in verse 4, Take heed, no one deceives you. So we watch prophecy so that we won't be fooled. We won't be deceived. We know by watching verse 24, false Christ and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive if possible even the elect.

So if we're ignorant, we're not watching, we're not paying attention, we could be taken in. We could be, it's going to look good. It's going to seem right. It's going to seem godly.

But if we're aware and watching, we're taking heed, we're following Christ's directive here, we won't be fooled. So part of watching involves our safety and our security, our spiritual well-being. So Christ says, watch so you won't be deceived. In fact, He also says, verse 13, He who endures to the end shall be saved. Second important aspect of what will be accomplished when we watch prophecy in the news, we can endure. We can endure. We can recognize God's ultimate purpose. We're warned about persecution. We're warned about war. We're warned about trouble. We're warned about tribulation. We're not going to be surprised by it. We know it's coming. We recognize it. And we then, when we see, yes, that is exactly what God says, that should give us the encouragement and the confidence and an abundance of faith to recognize God also is going to fulfill His promises to His people as well as these events are being fulfilled around us. So we will endure and we can endure. And in fact, we'll know what to do. God wants us to watch so we will know what to do. We won't be deceived. We can endure and we'll know what to do. Here in this particular prophecy, look at the specific instructions He gives those in Judea. Verse 15, He says, hey, get out of there. Get out of there. This is what you better do.

So you'll know what to do when these things are happening. And so responsibilities are given to us. Warnings to the entire church and to each of us as individuals, we can know what to do as these events are taking place. And I think one of the keys as we watch prophecy in the news, a greater purpose, a greater thing that is accomplished as we watch an important purpose is motivation.

Motivation. And there are a number of aspects of motivation that God gives us through watching prophecy being fulfilled in the news. Some of it's described right here. Notice verse 14. A motivation that we should be engendered to have is to support the work of God, to support the work. Here it says, verse 14, the kingdom of God, the gospel will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end shall come.

We should be motivated to do that, to support God's work, and not just support it. We know, we know we have a part to play in doing just this, to preach the gospel to the world. That's certainly the duty of the church, and the church is us. The church is each one of us collectively. Every one of us has a part to play. We are a part of the body of Christ, and every part has its share. We are joined and knit together by what every joint supplies. Ephesians 4, 16 reminds us of that. And so we should be motivated not only to support God's work, but to do our part in being that light, in witnessing to the world what the gospel is all about.

Which then, I think, leads us to probably what encapsulates the biggest motivation we should have. And really, the biggest purpose in all of this is to be spiritually prepared. Watching prophecy in the news should motivate us to be spiritually prepared. In fact, we see this here in Matthew 24. Look all the way down to verse 45. Christ speaks separable about a faithful and wise servant. That should be describing who we are, what we're all about.

One who works diligently, one who serves wholeheartedly, one who is not complacent, one who is not oblivious to what's going on in the world, not one who's just surrounded by their own interests, but recognize the spiritual challenges that we're surrounded by. One who's not lethargic, one who is not self-willed. In fact, He goes on then in chapter 25 and gives three parables to help motivate us, continuing that very theme of coming to spiritual preparedness, being ready as an individual who loves God and loves Jesus Christ and is reflecting the character of Christ.

And so three parables are given in Matthew 25, really that speak to being spiritually ready and serving. And so we see a direct correlation to the kinds of people we are as we watch prophecy. And so that more important overriding purpose is striving to be a godly individual.

And that reflects what Peter said. If you'd like to turn with me over to 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 11. Peter describes, I suppose we could say, prophecy in the news. He describes events that are going to take place. He describes the condition of our world. He describes morality that we face today. And recognizing these things, Peter speaks to this purpose of striving to be spiritually prepared. 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 11, as a concluding thought, reflecting all the challenges that we face in our world prophetically in the news, he says, since these things will be dissolved, since we face these challenges, since we're surrounded by these events that are taking place, he says what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?

He says that's what it's about. Holy conduct and godliness, putting on the character of Christ. Not waiting for Jerusalem to be surrounded by armies to be spiritually prepared. Now, that's not going to happen. We know other parables that Christ talked about. He says that's too late. You've been sleeping and the oil's gone out in your lamp. It's too late to buy. Too late to be ready.

You have to be ready now. And so Christ focused on that very thing, being spiritually prepared, being a Christ-like individual now. And of course, that also motivates us to really have hope. Because it's not all about doom and gloom.

It's not all about those prophetic challenges that lie ahead. It's about the answer to man's wrong type of leadership, to man's evil governments, to Satan's influence in society.

No, God's got the answer. There is hope. And we have encouragement because God's given us the power and the authority to overcome. And when we get to the very end, God gives encouragement. God gives encouragement. You get to the very end of the book of Revelation, and it even says right there, blessed is He who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.

We follow God. We do His will. No doubt. We will be blessed. And so when we recognize prophecy, we see it being fulfilled before our eyes. Motivation becomes a key, motivating us to change, motivating us to continually be seeking the Kingdom of God, to be excited about it, to be encouraged about it, to be inspired to fulfill our part in it, to move us to action, growing in our relationship, drawing closer to God, praying, praying to God. That's how we draw closer to Him, continue not just to know His Word, but to put it into practice and draw closer, having a relationship with Jesus Christ and God the Father, knowing them intimately, striving to have a deeper relationship as each day goes along. Because we always have to be—we don't know. We can say we don't know the day or the hour, but we don't know our day or our. We don't know how long our life will last. And so the time is now. The time is now to be motivated and to be spiritually ready to meet our Maker. Now's the time. And so we have to always be prepared to welcome the returning Christ and serve Him. And so we see the implications of how important our own spiritual condition plays into watching prophecy in the news. No wonder Christ commanded this, that we maintain that spiritual readiness. And part of that good news is He's given us the ability to do just that. He's given us the ability to overcome sin by the power of His Spirit. And so because we have God's Spirit, we can fulfill His calling. We can be spiritually ready. And so as we watch prophecy in the news, yeah, we got to be careful. We don't want to let watching prophecy and just the news consume all of our time, and that should be all our attention.

No, can't be our top priority. Our top priority is God's got to be first. Our family's got to be second. Jobs and everything else come later, right? Got to put first things first. And so as we recognize the purpose of prophecy, yes, we watch events take place, but God wants us to change.

He wants us to grow. He wants us to be more like Him. He wants us to submit to His Holy Spirit and become like Jesus Christ. He reminds us, in fact, in Christ's own words, Mark 13, verse 34.

He tells us to take care and recognize the signs of the times. And He tells us in Mark 13, verse 34, giving us an example. Give us an example of what it's like, what it's like, and what should be our priorities. Mark 13, verse 34, He said, it's like a man going into a far country who left his house, gave authority to his servants. And so here, Christ in a way, talking about Himself, going to a far country and leaving his house and his authority to his servants, to us, and each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. So we're to be watchmen. And He says, watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, at evening, at midnight, the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning. But in verse 37, He summarizes it and He says, and what I say to you, I say to all, watch.

So Christ certainly told us we have to understand the signs of the times, but it's not just an intellectual exercise. That's not it at all. Let's pray and ask God to help us to have the vision to see ourselves as God sees us, certainly to see the urgent need of what is happening in events around the world, but also the more important need to put on the character of Christ. Let's strive to really fulfill His direction where He says, watch and pray always.

So we draw closer to God. We put on His perspective. We have His mind and we grow in that grace and knowledge and guard our spiritual condition. And if we do these things, no doubt we will recognize the importance of watching prophecy in the news.