The next point for consideration in this prediction is the Christian Dispensation, which is mentioned in Luke 21:9: "And when ye shall hear of wars and tumults, be not terrified: for these things must needs come to pass first; but the end is not immediately." Not only would there arise false messiahs after His return to heaven, but also during this period of His absence from the earth there would be wars and tumults. When one of these comes to pass, the disciples are not to be fearful, because "these thing's must needs come to pass first; but the end is not immediately." In other words, wars and rumors of wars and revolutions are to characterize the age during cur Lord's absence. These are to be recognized as local wars that arise between nation and nation. Matthew speaks of this phase of the prophecy in the following words: "And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet (Matthew 24:6).

The reason that there will be wars and rumors of wars is that the causes of war are still operative in the world. So long as they exist there will be wars. But what are the two principal causes of war? First, Satan is the great instigator of wars. Moreover, the heart of man is corrupt and deceitful above all things and is exceedingly corrupt. So long, then, as Satan is the prince of the powers of the air--the spirit that works in the sons of disobedience, and so long as man is unregenerated, unsaved, just so long will there be wars. The causes of war must be removed in order to have a warless world. Man's planning a peaceful world will not bring about that glorious era of joy and peace. Satan and his hosts must be removed from this world and incarcerated in a place from which they cannot operate and thus influence the minds of men. Moreover, men must be regenerated and saved, must he born again. Till they are thus genuinely and gloriously saved, they will seek to take advantage of others. So long as these evil conditions exist, there will be wars and rumors of wars. But when the Lord Jesus Christ comes, He will incarcerate Satan and his hosts in the pit of the abyss and will confine them there for the thousand years of His reign. Moreover, all the people of the world will accept Christ and be regenerated and saved. Then, and only then, can we have a warless world.

The next item of this prophetic program, as outlined by our Lord, is the time of the end of the age, which is mentioned in Luke 21:10,11: "Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 13 and there shall be great earthquakes, and in divers places famines and pestilences ..."

Having in a general way set forth the entire Christian Dispensation, which is characterized by wars, upheavals and tumults, our Lord next gave us what may be properly called the sign of the end of the age, which is mentioned in the verses just quoted. It seems however, to be plainer in the parallel passage in Matthew which I now quote with the preceding and following verses: "And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places. But all these things are the beginning of travail (Matthew 24:6-8). The entire Christian Dispensation is, as we have already learned, set forth in verse 6, which speaks of wars and rumors of wars (local wars in contrast with a world war.) These wars must needs come to pass, but the end (the end of the age) is not yet, for "nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom." Two conflicting interpretations are placed upon the prediction in verse 7. One explanation is as follows: In verse 6 wars and rumors of wars are foretold as being characteristic of the present Christian Dispensation. In order to explain this, Jesus said, "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom." Thus nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom is explanatory of the wars and rumors of wars foretold in verse 6. If we take verses 6 and 7 alone, apart from their context, such an interpretation is possible. But when we take it in the light of the immediate context, especially verse 8, this interpretation cannot be accepted as the true one.

The other, and correct, interpretation sees in the expression, "nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom," a prediction of a world war--a global conflict in contra-distinction to a local struggle. This idea is arrived at by an investigation of the idiom used by our Lord. What is the meaning of the expression, "nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom''? Let us remember in this connection that our Lord was a Hebrew, and that He was familiar with Old Testament phraseology and used the same. Moreover, the Apostles were Hebrews and were familiar with the terminology and phraseology of the Old Testament. This idiom appears twice in the Old Testament. The first occurrence is found in II Chronicles 15:17. In this chapter the prophet Azariah, the son of Oded, who lived in Judah during the reign of Asa, made a prediction. He explained God's dealings with His people in the recent past.

"And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Jehovah is with you, while ye are with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law: But when in their distress they turned unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in; but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the lands. And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity. But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack; for your work shall be rewarded (2 Chronicles 15:1-7).

Note the fact that God is with His people while they are with Him. If they forsake Him, He forsakes them. If they seek Him, on the other hand He will be found of them. Azariah, furthermore, informs us that Israel had been a long time "without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law." But when, in their distress, they sought the Lord, He was found of them. During these times when they were without God and without the law, there was no peace to him that went out of Judah into a neighboring country, nor to him who came from some of the surrounding nations into the land of Judah; for "great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the lands." Azariah discusses in this passage the situation that existed both in Judah and in the surrounding nations. The reason he stated that there was such great vexation was that "they [the land of Judah and the adjacent nations] were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city.'' There was a general dog fight of nations in that part of the world. This upheaval and spread of the conflict to the surrounding nations is described by the clause, "And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city." Let us clearly bear in mind that our idiom in this passage indicates a general war that broke out by one nation's rising up against another and by the spread of the conflict to the nations adjoining the kingdom of Judah, until it affected all the countries surrounding it. Hence, the idiom in this connection signified a general war affecting all the territory before the prophet's mind when he used the idiom.

In Isaiah 19:1-4 appears a prediction concerning a civil-war that would rend the entire country of Egypt from end to end, which has been fulfilled: "The burden of Egypt. Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a swift cloud, and cometh unto Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. And I will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst of it; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek unto the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. And I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts" (Isaiah 19:1-4). In describing this general conflict within the land of Egypt, Isaiah said that God would "stir up the Egyptian, against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom."

Egypt originally consisted of original city-states, or small kingdoms. Moreover, in the Hebrew language the word that is rendered "Egypt" is in the dual number and is a reflection of the fact that at some time in the past there were two great kingdoms which had been welded together into one, namely, the kingdom in the southern part of the country and another in the northern section. But they were eventually united under one crown. Yet, in the word Egypt is fossilized the thought of the original condition of the country politically. In this prediction Isaiah speaks of Egyptians' rising against Egyptians, everyone against his neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. Thus, in describing a civil war that would affect the entire land of Egypt, the prophet used this idiom.

From these two cases we draw the conclusion that this idiom, employed by our Saviour, indicated a general war that would break out and spread over the territory which was before the prophet's mind when he used this special idiom.

When we examine the Lord's use of our idiom, we see that He had a world outlook. As proof that Jesus had such an outlook when He used this idiom, we find throughout the discourse certain expressions that point positively in that direction. For instance, in the same breath in which He used this idiom, He spoke of "terrors and great signs from heaven" (Luke 21:11). After a digression in thought, (Luke 21:12-24) He enlarged upon this prediction in the following words: "And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken" (Luke 21:25-26).

In this quotation Jesus had a world outlook: "upon the earth distress of nations,'' which general idea pervades the entire discourse. He concluded His message, according to Matthew's account (Matt. 25:31-46), with a prediction regarding His judging all nations at His second coming.

Since He had a world outlook, and since He used this idiom, there is but one conclusion to which we can come, and that is, that He was talking about a world war, attended by famines, pestilences, and great earthquakes in different places of the world. In view of the significance of this idiom, it is impossible for us to make Matthew 24:7 to be explanatory of verse 6, which, as we have already seen, speaks of local wars. Verse 7 is explanatory, not of the entire thought of verse 6, but of the last clause of the verse, "but the end is not yet." Such an explanation is the normal, logical course of reasoning, and is the natural development of the thought. But to jump over this last clause and to make verse seven explain the first part of verse 6, "ye shall hear of wars and rumors of war," is to reject the normal, natural construction of the sentences and to force an unnatural meaning upon the words without justification from the facts of the context--a procedure to which resort should never be taken.

Moreover, it is impossible for us to interpret verse 7 as explanatory of verse 6 because verse 8 states that all these things (a world war, attended by famines, pestilences, and great earthquakes in different places) "are the beginning of travail." The word travail in the Old Testament was the regular term used frequently by the prophets and psalmists in referring to the Tribulation Period. All of these things, said Jesus, are the beginning of travail. What is "the beginning of travail" in the ordinary meaning of that term? Instantly one replies that it is the first birth pain that comes upon the expectant mother, notifying her that the time of her being delivered is close at hand. If nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, is explanatory of the local wars that characterize the Christian Dispensation, we have the warning pains being given throughout the entire dispensation. This idea, of course, is absurd and not to be considered for one second. When, however, we interpret, this special idiom, "nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom," according to its usage in the Old Testament as a prediction of a general war which affects all the territory that was before the Saviour's mind when He used it, namely, a world war, and when we take the obvious meaning of the expression, "the beginning of travail" in the light of its nature and its historical usage, we can come to but one conclusion, namely, that "nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom" is a prediction of a world war which is, as the verse continues, attended by "famines and earthquakes in divers places." Luke, in the parallel passage, uses the expression, "great earthquakes, and in divers places famines and pestilences." In the light of the facts, we are driven to the irresistible conclusion that Matthew 24:7 and Luke 21:10,11a, are a prediction of a world war, attended by famines, pestilences, and great earthquakes, which serve as the sign of the end of the age. The Apostles had asked what would be the sign of the end of the age and of His coming. Jesus, in answering this question said that local wars signify nothing prophetically, because they characterize the entire period of His absence. The disciples are not, therefore, to be alarmed when they hear of a local war. But, on the other hand, whenever they see a world war, attended by famines, pestilences, and great earthquakes in different places, they are to conclude that these four things combined are the sign the infallible, the unmistakable sign, of His coming and of the end of the age.

Three World Wars

There have been, as is acknowledged by all, two world wars. At the present, men are jittery, fearing that a third world war may burst forth upon the world at any time. Moreover, we know from the various prophecies that there will be three more world wars that will plague this sin-cursed earth. These three will occur after the rapture of the Church, in the Tribulation. One will be near the beginning of the Tribulation, one in the middle, and the last one at the very end of that period of judgment. Whether or not there yet may be a third world war before the rapture of the Church one cannot say. It is altogether possible, but should I express an opinion--but let it be understood clearly that this is simply an opinion--I would rather think that it is more likely that there will not be another world war, than that there will be, before the Tribulation. There will be wars, without doubt, but it is altogether possible that there may not be another, a third, world war before the Tribulation. Since there have been two world wars, and since there are to be at least three more, there is a series of world wars that plague the earth. The question arising in the mind of the thoughtful reader is this: Which of these five world wars did Jesus have in mind when he delivered this discourse? Certainly He was not talking about any of the three that will occur in the Tribulation, because He said that the world war of which He was speaking would be the "beginning of travail"--the first birth pain, the warning pain notifying the world the time for it to be delivered from the bondage of corruption is close at hand. A simple illustration will set forth in bold relief what Jesus meant: Suppose I live out in a rural district. You are coming to my home. You are on the highway and meet a man and ask him concerning my place. He tells you that I live on that highway, some distance down the road. He calls your attention to the fact that there is a telephone line beside the road, that there are only two wires attached to the poles, and that there are no crossarms on these poles. You are, according to his instructions, to keep looking at the telephone line. When you come to a pole that has a crossarm, you are to look on the opposite side of the highway. There you will see a gate. This, he tells you, is mine. You thank him and continue motoring down the highway. Finally, after a long distance, you notice a telephone post with a crossarm, but the next one after that has a crossarm, and the next, and so on. I ask you, opposite which of these posts would you expect to find my gate? Everyone to whom I have put this question answers immediately, "The first one." This is the manifestation of ordinary intelligence. Yes, my gate would be opposite the first telephone post that has crossarm. Jesus knew that there would be this series of at least five world wars. He was answering the question as to the sign of the end of the age, and He said, in substance: Pay no attention to local wars when they break out, for they have no prophetic significance.

When, however, you see a world war, attended by famines, pestilences, and great earthquakes in different places occurring, then you can know that those things are the infallible sign of my coming and of the end of the age. Have we had such a conflict as that? Most positively--World War I, 1914-'18 fills out the picture of the world war that is mentioned by the Saviour as the sign of the end of the age. It began and developed just as was indicated by the Lord--one nation rose up against another, then another one came into the conflict, followed by another. Thus, nation was rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom, until the conflict spread all over the world and included every nation on the face of the globe with the exception of seven of the smaller and more insignificant ones. At the same time, there were soldiers from these nations actively engaged in the conflict. Thus, in every sense of the term, there was just such a world war as the one foretold by Jesus occurring in 1914-'18. But how about the famines? The reports show, and history demonstrates that there were unprecedented famines at that time in Eastern Europe and in Asia. How about the earthquake? I have seen statements to the effect that there were more earthquakes that occurred in connection with World War I than had taken place during the entire century preceding that catastrophe. How about pestilences? There were outbreaks of cholera and typhus fever that swept hundreds of thousands of people into untimely graves.

But the greatest pestilence of all was the influenza epidemic, which counted as its victims something like twenty-odd million people all over the world. Thus there was just such a war as Jesus foretold, a war attended by famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, in 1914-'18.

As we have already seen, that which is given by the Lord Jesus Christ as the sign of His coming and the end of the age is a world war attended by famines, pestilences, and great earthquakes in different parts of the world--a definite composition of concurrent catastrophes which stands out in plain view like a lone mountain on a plain. But the Scriptures also speak of the signs of the times--a number of events and trends that are indicative of the approaching end of the age. For instance, in Psalm 92:6,7 we have the following prediction:

6 A brutish man knoweth not;
Neither doth a fool understand this:
7 When the wicked spring as the grass,
And when all the workers of iniquity do flourish;
It is that they shall be destroyed for ever."

Accordingly, when wickedness springs up like grass, we may know that the time for God's judgments to fall is at hand. Again, when we see the Jews returning to their own land, we are told that the time of the end is near at hand. (As proof of this position, often we are told that the fig tree is a symbol of the Jewish nation, and when it, figuratively speaking, puts forth its leaves [Matt. 24:32,33], we may know that Christ's coming is at hand. In certain passages the fig tree does symbolize the Jewish race. The facts of each context where the word "fig tree" occurs must show that the term is used symbolically, if we are to interpret the passage figuratively. The facts of Matt. 24:32,33 indicate plainly that the fig tree here is used literally and not symbolically; hence, we cannot use this passage as a proof text dealing with the signs of the times.

The prevalence of demon activity is one of the signs of the times (I Tim. 4:1-3). The general letdown of morals and a lax religious formalism characterize the end of the age (II Tim. 3:1-5). The amassing of great fortunes and the conflict between capital and labor are likewise signs of the times (James 5:1-6). Also the appearance of mockers, who deny the second coming of Christ, make their presence known, and are vociferous (II Peter 3:1-7), is a sign of the times. Finally, the great apostasy, the falling away, foretold by Paul (II Thess. 2:1-12) is another one of the distinguishing signs of the times. There are other events and trends that distinguish the closing days of the present age, but these are sufficient for the present.