Reality


Testing the truth of the Bible by observing reality

1. Defining Truth


The Copernican Principle essentially states:

"The Earth, and the life it sustains exists without purpose in the Universe"

Is this 'true'? Indeed, what do we mean by 'truth'? Many hold to one of the following viewpoints:

  • Scepticism: - no one knows or can know what is true
  • Relativism: - truth is relative to persons, times and circumstances
  • Pragmatism: - truth is what works
  • Subjectivism: - only I can know what is true for me

Taking these into account, worldviews on truth reduce to essentially two positions:

  • Absolute truth exists (Theism)
  • Absolute truth does not exist, only relative, tentative or culturally defined truth exists (Atheism and Postmodernism)

The worldviews on truth for a number of beliefs are as follows:

  • Christianity: Absolute, revealed, Christ the source, Bible is inspired and so true
  • Islam: Some Bible text contains truth, Quran fulfils Old and New Testaments
  • Atheism, Postmodernism: Needs scientific proof, needs to be observed and sensed, no ultimate truth, a mental construct meaningful only to one's culture
  • New Age, Hinduism: Personal, beyond rational description and thought, an experience of unity with 'the oneness' of the universe

A perception of truth that is generally acceptable to different beliefs (even to Atheists) is:

"A statement is true if it agrees with reality (knowledge or fact), or is logically correct, or both"

For example:

  • "Light travels faster than sound" is true since it is a scientific fact (it can be measured)
  • "6 is less than 7" is true since it is an arithmetic law
  • "The Roman Empire existed" is true since it is verified by history

Biblical claim on truth: The Bible claims absolute truth exists in Jesus Christ, and that truth is revealed to man today by the Holy Spirit. For an in-depth study of truth see What is Truth?.

2. Observations on the World


We will now make five distinct observations on the world. In each case we will see that biblical statements agree with reality, and so, on the above perception of truth, the Bible must be speaking TRUTH.

Observation 1: Social Aspects

1.1 Increased lawlessness (Mat 24.12):

"Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold"

Recorded annual offences in England and Wales: 1920: 0.1m , 1950: 0.5m , 1980: 2.5m , 2005: 10.8m [HO,BCS].

Aggravated assult per 100,000 people in the USA: 1957: 60 , 1992: 440 [FBI].

Each day 135,000 American children bring a gun to school.

'Significant' terrorist attacks worldwide: 175 in 2003, 655 in 2005 [US government], and 9/11 was the worst ever act of terrorism.

1.2 Increased knowledge and travel (Dan 12.4):

"(at) the end of time many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase"

Knowledge Increase:

New in the last 100 years: radio, TV, telecommunications, computers, satellites, radio telescopes, nuclear power, cars, planes, spaceships ....

Inventions: US Patents: 1900-1920: 25,000 , 1995-1998: 150,000 [University of Maryland].

Medical knowledge increase: DNA, organ transplants, vaccines against major killers (typhoid, cholera, polio, smallpox ...). The US saw a 14-fold reduction in death from infectious disease over the 20th century [University of Maryland].

Travel Increase:

Car ownership in the US (% of population): 1900: 1% , 1997: 91%.

Annual air travel in the US: 1950: less than 100 miles/person, 1978: 1000 miles/person, 2000: 1500 miles/person.

Worldwide, air travel is projected to grow by 5% annually until 2015 [IPCC]. Aircraft fuel consumption: 130 million tonnes in 1992, increasing to 450 million tonnes by 2050.

Tourism is the world's largest industry: annual revenue of $500 billion, and is one of the major sources of foreign exchange in 83% of countries.

International tourism: 1950: 25m , 2003: 693m , 2020: 1.6 billion [WTO].

1.3 World-wide trading (Rev 18.11-20):

"The merchants of the earth ... became rich"

Globalisation in terms of international trade probably started with the trading empires of Spain, Portugal, Britain and Holland.

Now telecommunications and the Internet support vigorous international trade.

Export growth in 2002: France: 8% , Germany: 8.8% , Japan: 15% [OECD].

Huge trans-national companies go for mega-profits, often at the expense of communities and individuals.

Policies that spawn economic inequality rather than free trade could bring about a global economic crash [Global Policy Forum]. See Rev 18.

1.4 False Christs (Mat 24.5,11):

"Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many"

Over the past 2000 years there have been dozens of people who have claimed to be the prophesied Christ, or a Messiah under the umbrella of Christianity. To name a few:

  • Aldebert (8th century)
  • Tanchelm of Antwerp (c1110)
  • Haile Selassie of Ethiopia (1892-1975)
  • Sun Myung Moon (born 1920)
  • Inri Cristo (born 1948)
  • David Koresh (1959-1993)

1.5 World-wide proclamation of the gospel (Mat 24.14):

"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world ... and then the end will come"

Besides conventional missionary activity e.g. the Gideon Bible ministry to households and hotels, the gospel message is now proclaimed via:

  • Local AM and FM radio in towns and cities worldwide
  • International shortwave radio e.g. via HCJB and FEBC
  • Digital satellite platforms carrying Christian radio and TV
  • The Internet

Result in the Developing World:

During the 20th century there was a dramatic increase in the number of missionaries: 62,000 to over 400,000. Also during this time the number of Christians in Africa, Asia and Latin America increased ten-fold. In 1988 there were 18,000 people groups with insufficient numbers of Christians to remain strong without missionary assistance. This reduced to 1,700 groups by 1998.

Result in the Westernised World:

Anglican and Protestant denominations are stable in UK, Australia and Holland. Four out of five people say thay are affiliated in some way with organised religion (as opposed to no religious belief) [HO].

Result Worldwide:

People are giving their lives to Jesus at nearly 1 million/week. There are now some 2.1 billion Christians in the world. Assuming appropriate translation, over 99% of the world can now hear the gospel if they have a radio, TV or the Internet.

1.6 Persecution of Christians [Lk 21.12-19]:

"They will lay their hands on you and will persecute you"

Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world [Focus on the Family].

1 billion Christians live in countries where their religious liberty is restricted [Open Doors, UK].

1998: 500 Christian churches burned down in Java.

2000: 800 homes and stores owned by Christians destroyed in Poso, Central Sulawesi.

2005: over 150,000 Christians were martyred worldwide.

Over 200 million Christians are being persecuted [Idea, EA, October 2006].

In China, 60-100 million risk their lives and liberty to worship in underground house churches [Focus on the Family].

In the USA, persecution is growing via the media, entertainment industry, educational authorities, and even the police.


The Bible predicts today's events - it predicts reality
- the Bible is speaking truth

Observation 2: World Environment

The Bible gives an accurate (true) picture of environmental and cliamtic conditions at the end of this age (see also Is God Changing Our Climate?):

2.1 Increased Pollution (Isa 24.5):

"The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants"

Air pollution from power plants, heavy industry and burning:

Satellite sensors show high distributions of nitrogen dioxide over N. America, Europe, China, S.E. Asia and Africa [ESA]. In the UK, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide emmissions from 30 million vehicles is a major problem. Air pollution fatalities now exceed traffic fatalities 3:1 [Earth Policy Institute]. The view from space is becoming marred by smoke and dust [NASA]. Mercury pollution (from coal-fired power stations is a huge threat to health [UN].

Chernobyl: an area some 80 km x 80 km around the nuclear plant is still an exclusion zone due to soil pollution by Caesium 137.

2.2 Increased Temperature (Isa 24.6, Rev 16.8,9,21):

"The inhabitants of the earth are burned ... men were scorched with fierce heat"

"Climate change is the most severe problem that we are facing today" [Sir David King, UK Government Chief Scientific Advisor]

CO2 concentration has risen sharply since the industrial revolution: there has been a 45% rise in the highest CO2 concentrations (275 ppm) in the long-term cycle. Today it is fast approaching 400 ppm. [Nat. Geographic].

Mean world temperature (deg C): 1880: 13.8 , 2000: 14.4 , 2100: 16-19 [TIME].

2005 was the hottest on record.

2.3 Increased Storm Activity (Lk 21.5):

"There will be ... dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves"

Increased temperature brings increased storm severity. Hurricane forecast models indicate a tendency for more intense hurricanes. This is due to increased energy obtained from warmer seas [RealClimate].

Since the 1970's there has been a marked increase in the intensity and duration of tropical storms, including North American hurricanes. The number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes has nearly doubled since 1970 [MIT].

Sea level rise could be 1m by 2100 [Nat. Geographic].

2.4 Increased Drought (Isa 24.1-4):

"The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers"

The area of the earth's surface affected by drought has more than doubled since the 1970's [Nat. Geographic].

Lake Chad in Africa has shrunk to 5% of its size in the 1960's [Nat. Geographic]

Partly due to over-exploitation of groundwater, water tables are falling on every continent: 1.5m/yr in China, 1-3m/yr in India.

New wells for Beijing now have to reach 1,000 meters [Executive Intelligence Review].

Two out of every three people will be short of water by 2025 [WWI & Tearfund].

Increased aridity may be an natural response to climate warming [The Earth Institue].


Bible prophecy accurately describes today's environment
- the Bible is speaking truth

Observation 3: World Government

The Old Testament of the Bible mentions four specifc empires that would reign over Israel (Dan 7.1-8). These are the historic Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman empires. But the fourth empire is also in existence at the end of this age (Dan 2.34,44).

The New Testament confirms this by referring to seven major empires or kingdoms (Rev 17.10). These can be identified as the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman empires, with one empire to come. Taken with Dan 2, this suggests the one to come must be a revived form of the historic Roman Empire. Moreover, this final world empire will be in alliance with ten other world authorities or governments (Rev 17.12,13) and will probably embrace a corrupt church (Rev 17). As an expansion of historic Rome, this final empire will be brutal and powerful, devouring and crushing the whole world (Dan 7.23).

Do we see this today? The European Union (EU) has many of the characteristics of a 'revived Roman Empire':

  • A Roman revival and 'Christianised' empire has been at the heart of Europe's leaders and aristocracy for well over 1,000 years. Constantine I 'Christianised' the Roman Empire in 313 AD. Charlemange was crowned 'Emperor of the Romans' in 800 AD; Otto the Great was crowned 'Holy Roman Emperor in 962 AD; Emperor Charles V (1519-1556) pursued the concept of a unified Christian Empire, and Mussolini declared the resurrection of the old Roman Empire in 1936. Today, noble European families (such as the Habsburgs) see a future Holy Roman Empire
  • The EU flag (12 gold stars on a blue background) was inspired by the halo of stars around pictures of the Virgin Mary in Strasbourg Cathedral
  • The EU essentially embraces the geographic region of the historic Roman Empire
  • The EU uses the 'Europa and the bull' symbol - which correlates highly with the 'woman on the beast' in Rev 17
  • The EU Parliament building in Strasbourg is modelled on the unfinished tower of Babel in Gen 11
  • The EU Constitution is essentially pagan (as was Rome), with the word 'God' omitted
  • The EU has progressively removed power from member governments and EU law is now dominant in many areas of life
  • The EU Maastricht Treaty forced all citizens of member countries to become citizens of the EU (with consequent obligations)
  • The EU is creating a 60,000 strong European army, independent of NATO. This is co-ordinated by the European Defence Agency based in Brussels
  • The EU is emerging as a powerful trading block to rival America. It will have its own space programme and satellites (the Galileo Project)
  • The EU probably has computer systems to monitor and control every individual in Europe

One of the most interesting prophecies is found in Dan 2.43:

"They will combine with one another ... but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with clay"

This refers to the divisions in the final world empire; the iron makes it strong and crushing, but the clay makes it brittle and weak. It is a good picture of the EU! Whilst member states combine, they certainly do not adhere, and according to the prophecy, they will never adhere.

The strength is seen in another prophecy referring to a world dictatorship:

"... and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him." (Rev 13.7)

Note that the end-time world empire will "crush the whole world" (Dan 7.23). Democracy will be a thing of the past. It is interesting to observe that the EU is removing democracy and imposing law generated by unelected Commissioners. The European Parliament has voted for a system of corpus juris that does away with the more democratic system of habeas corpus, jury trials and the presumption of innocence in criminal cases. Continental law allows citizens to be imprisoned for long periods without the need to produce evidence! [EuroFAQ].

The world is looking for a 'New World Order' or 'One World Government'. Leaders such as Winston Churchill, Jimmy Carter, Gorbachev, George Bush, and George W. Bush have all called for a New World Order. Even the World COuncil of Churches is looking for "an international order of justice and peace". The EU could be the seed for this final world empire, as it forms an alliance with other world governments.

For an in-depth study of the end-time world system, see End Times.

Observation 4: Electronic Trading

  • Cards: Cashless transactions via magnetic-stripe cards were introduced in the 1980's. This period saw the deveopment of debit- card-based transactions using electronic funds transfer (at) point of sale (EFTPOS). Even then it was foreseen that smartcards with chip technology would replace the simple magnetic-stripe card. Today 'chip and PIN' cards are used in the UK
  • Biometrics: Cards can be lost or stolen and a way of avoiding this is to link a person's identity to their physical characteristics (Biometrics). A favoured technique is fingerprint identification, but other biometric techniques are facial recognition, hand recognition, and iris recognition. Biometric iris recognition is becoming widespread and measures the physical iris patterns unique to a person. Biometric techniques are being introduced at airports. Whilst the International Biometrics Group envisage biometric revenue to be $5.7 billion by 2010, biometric techniques are not 100% accurate. Clearly, a method of identifying each person by number, possibly backed up by biometrics, seems less prone to error
  • RFID: A seemingly attractive trading system would be to number each individual and then detect their number remotely. This can be achieved by using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips. These low-cost chips (the size of a grain of rice) can be embedded in the individual. A scanner energises the chip, which then returns a radio signal containing the person's ID number. This number is then fed to a computer data base. An example of this technology is 'VeriChip', from Applied Digital Solutions (http://www.adsx.com). Similar technology can provide a GPS-trackable implant. Potential problems: The ability to remotely scan personal data could be a security risk. Also, implantation in humans could be a health risk. Despite this, some people already have this implant (http:www.techworld.com)

The Bible clearly predicts electronic trading, although the ID appears to be on the individual rather than in the individual:

"And he causes all ... to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead ... and no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark ..." (Rev 13.16,17)

Bible prophecy predicts electronic ID
- the Bible is speaking truth

Observation 5: Israel

By 586 BC the whole of the nation of Israel (all twelve tribes) had been exiled and scattered amongst the nations (see also Israel). But the Bible predicts that one day Israel will return to her promised land:

  • In the last days, Israel will be gathered from many nations, from the north, south, east and west (Isa 43.6)(Ps 107.3)
  • Israel will be placed in her own land (Ezek 37.12,14)
  • Jerusalem will be placed under Jewish rule (Lk 21.24)

This has been born out in recent history:

  • 1882: first wave of emigration (first 'Aliyah or ascent) to Palestine, particularly from Russia and Romania
  • 1917: General Allenby liberated Jerusalem from the Turks, giving Jews access to the city
  • 1948: State of Israel established, David Ben Gurion became the first Prime Minister
  • 1950: Law of return passed by Israel's Parliament - opening Israel to Jews from over 60 countries
  • 1967: Jersualem came under Jewish rule
  • Population Growth: 1900: 0.5m, 1935: 1m, 1958: 2m, 1983: 4m, 2005: 6.5m (a 1200% increase since 1900)

The Bible also predicts that:

  • Israel will have increasing wealth and prosperity (Isa 60.5,17)
  • Israel will blossom and sprout and fill the whole world with fruit (Isa 27.6)
  • Israel will have God's protection (Isa 54.15-17)(Zech 2.5,8)

This too has been born out in recent history:

Between 1958 and 1965 Israel's mean annual growth rate reached 13.6%. Today, Israel has high-tech, electronics, diamond, textile, clothing and food processing industries. She mines natural gas, potash, magnesium, copper, gold and phosphates. In terms of infrastructure, she has highly developed banking, health, and University systems. Between 1990 and 2000 Israel's forest area increased by +61%, compared to a world change of -2% [Earth Trends 2003]. Israel's agriculture produces apples, pears, peaches, apricots, bananas, mangoes, dates, olives, grapes etc., and produced 571,000 tons of fruit in 1997. And it is well known that Israel has a powerful, technically advanced defence force. In May 1967 the armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon (with Iraq as collaborator) declared the end of Israel. Israel defeated them in 6 days with inferior aircraft and tanks. Major attacks on Israel (1948, 1967) ended with Israel gaining more land.

Finally, it is also well known that Israel is hated by her neighbours:

"Israel has continued too long .. the battle has come in which we shall destroy Israel" [President of Egypt, 1967]
"Our goal is clear - to wipe Israel off the map" [President of Iraq, 1967]
"Israel should be eliminated from the pages of history" [President of Iran, 2006]

The Bible also predicts this:

"I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem ..." (Zech 14.2)(Ps 83)

Bible prophecy predicts Israel's restoration
- the Bible is speaking truth

Conclusion

At the end of the age the Bible predicts:

  • Increased lawlessness
  • Increased knowledge and travel
  • World-wide proclamation of the gospel, plus persecution
  • A polluted world and a dramatically changing climate
  • A revived form of Roman Empire, possibly seeded by the EU
  • Electronic trading
  • The regathering and blossoming of Israel

We see all this before our eyes - it is reality.

TRUTH = REALITY

THE BIBLE PREDICTS REALITY

THE BIBLE SPEAKS TRUTH

Lastly, don't be troubled. Put your trust in the one who loves you and knows you - Jesus Christ. Jesus said:

"My peace I give to you - don't be troubled or fearful (Jn 14.27)"

Bible quotations are from the New American Standard Bible