World News and End-Time Prophecy: The People

It’s easy to get lost in doomscrolling, viewing story after story of never-ending apocalyptic news. We seem fascinated with reports that point to the end of the world.

Consider the following news headlines:

• “Earth on Verge of Five Catastrophic Climate Tipping Points, Scientists Warn” (Dec. 6, 2023).
• “‘People Are Worried’: The ‘Prepper’ Shops Serving Britons Who Fear Doomsday Is Coming” (Nov. 11, 2023).
• “Sun to Reach Solar Maximum in 2 Years, May Lead to ‘Internet Apocalypse’” (July 12, 2023).
• “How Will the World End? The 10 Most Likely Triggers of the APOCALYPSE Including Asteroids, Supervolcanoes, Killer Robots and Even ALIENS” (May 14, 2023).

As human beings, we hate uncertainty. Many keep their eyes glued on the news to keep up with what’s happening in the world. There is a sense of unease as nations are going to war, preparing for war and facing endlessly worsening economic and social conditions. 

This is the first of a four-part series of blog posts designed to help you put news in its proper prophetic context.  

We need to understand who these prophecies are about so we can avoid misunderstanding them. 

Biblical prophecies can be divided into two main spheres: the secular world and the religious world. 

The secular world

Some prophecies describe general conditions that will affect everyone. An example would be the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, which identifies the trends of religious deception, war, famine and death from pestilence and natural disasters. 

These trends have been ongoing for thousands of years but will intensify as this age draws to a close (Revelation 6:8). (To learn more, read “What Are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?”)

Other Bible prophecies are for specific nations or areas of the world. Jesus described the end times as the “times of the Gentiles” when “Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles” (Luke 21:24). 

Gentile empires have dominated much of history, as God showed Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2 (see “Daniel 2: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream”). But since about 1800 the world has been dominated primarily by Israelite-descended nations. 

The United States is unraveling due to internal divisions, moral depravity and massive debt, even as the gentile nations continue to rise.When you think of Israel, you may think of the tiny nation in the Middle East. However, Israel is actually more than one nation. God promised Abraham that he would be a “father of many nations” (Genesis 17:4-5). Jacob’s descendants would become “a nation and a company of nations” (Genesis 35:11).

However, these Israelite nations, which include the United Kingdom and the United States, are gradually growing weaker and losing their global influence because of their sins. (To learn more, read “Times of the Gentiles” and “Who Are the United States and Britain in Prophecy?”)

The United States is unraveling due to internal divisions, moral depravity and massive debt, even as the gentile nations continue to rise, moving our world toward multipolarity. 

The Bible shows what those poles will be like in the end-time era. 

The gentile powers will war with one another, as described in a prophecy dated with the phrase “at the time of the end” (Daniel 11:40). Daniel describes a battle between the “king of the South” and the “king of the North,” and the latter will be the overwhelming victor. 

This will set off another power bloc “from the east and the north” (Daniel 11:44), which the book of Revelation refers to as the “kings from the east” (Revelation 16:12) who will come against the European power (the “king of the North”). 

(To learn more, read “The King of the North,” “The King of the South” and “Russia and China Continue to Rise and Challenge the West.”)

Most of the Bible’s end-time prophecies are about nations that can be put into the following four geopolitical groupings:

• The Israelite nations. Primarily, these refer to the nation of Israel (the house of Judah), the United Kingdom and the United States (Ephraim and Manasseh, the house of Joseph), God prophesied that these two houses will ultimately be reunited with King David again ruling over them. This will occur when Jesus Christ returns to this earth (Ezekiel 37:16-28).
• The king of the North. This power bloc will form north of Israel in Europe as the 10th and final resurrection of the Roman Empire, also known as “the beast.” It will be made up of 10 nations (or 10 groups of nations). This bloc will fight Christ at His return (Revelation 17:12-14).
• The king of the South. This bloc will be based to the south of Jerusalem and be made up of primarily Islamic nations. This bloc might possibly be led by a leader claiming to be their long-awaited Mahdi. This bloc will attack Europe, the “king of the North,” triggering an overwhelming response (Daniel 11:40).  Catholic Europe and Islamic forces have a long history of clashes, and these will resume in the end times.
• The kings from the east. Another power bloc from the east and north, likely led by Russia and China, will retaliate against the “king of the North.” This power bloc will field a massive 200-million-man army (Revelation 9:16). 

The religious world

One of Jesus’ first warnings about the end times was of religious deception (Matthew 24:4-5). This deception will come from a great charismatic leader, other false prophets and even self-deception.  

The Bible says much about counterfeit Christianity. 

The Bible prophesied four ruling empires: Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, all depicted as four furious beasts (Daniel 7). But Rome was “different from all the beasts that were before it” (verses 7, 19). It would rise and fall 10 times, and out of it would arise a “little horn”—a religious power shown to be “making war against the saints” and “prevailing against them” (verse 21). 

This church will lead the world into a final religious deception and greatly influence the final resurrection of the Roman Empire. The Bible gives this coming deception and its leader many names: the white horse (Revelation 6), the man of sin, the false prophet, a two-horned lamb and the mother of harlots. (Read “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT” and “The End-Time Ride of the White Horse of Revelation” to learn more.) 

Since its ascendance in the fourth century, the Roman Catholic Church has splintered into the Orthodox and the Protestant churches. This is why Revelation 17:5 refers to this church as “THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS.” These splinter churches have most of the same false beliefs as their spiritual mother, including a triune God, worship on Sunday instead of the Sabbath, pagan-derived holidays, heaven as the reward of the saved, and hell as an ever-burning place of torment. 

The Bible calls this church a spiritual harlot because of her unfaithfulness to God and His Word.

In the Bible, we find prophecies about the true Church of God (often pictured as a chaste and pure woman) and the false, counterfeit church. (To learn more, read “Who Are the Woman, Child and Dragon in Revelation 12?”)

What’s next?

Now that we’ve identified the main groups of people in end-time prophecies, we can look at the specific events that pertain to these groups. By understanding who these groups are and what they will do, we can be better equipped to watch for prophetic trends in world news. 

Stay tuned for Part 2: “World News and End-Time Prophecy: Prophecies for Nations.”

Date Posted: March 4, 2024