the end of time, page-13

The End—When?
Jesus’ disciples asked him for a “sign” to identify when this world, or system of things, would end. “When will these things be,” they inquired, “and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?” (Matthew 24:3) You can check “the sign” Jesus gave in answer to this question. It is recorded in the Bible in Matthew chapter 24, Mark chapter 13, and Luke chapter 21. Some of the major events making up that sign are as follows:
GREAT WARS: “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:7) We have certainly seen this part of the sign fulfilled. “The First World War [beginning in 1914] was the first ‘total’ war,” noted one historian. Yet, World War II was many times worse, claiming some 50 million victims. And war continues to ravage the earth.
FOOD SHORTAGES: “There will be food shortages.” (Matthew 24:7) World War I was followed by terrible famine, and since then famine has continued to run rampant in many parts of the earth. Even in wealthier nations, hunger and malnutrition are widespread.
GREAT EARTHQUAKES: “There will be great earthquakes.” (Luke 21:11) Consider only a few major ones: 1920, China, 200,000 killed; 1923, Japan, 143,000 lives lost; 1970, Peru, 66,800 killed; and 1976, China, 240,000 (some say 800,000) casualties. A specialist in earthquake-proof engineering called the 1976 China quake “the greatest earthquake disaster in the history of mankind.”
DISEASE: “In one place after another pestilences.” (Luke 21:11) Right after World War I, some 21 million people died of the Spanish flu. Science Digest reported: “In all history there had been no sterner, swifter visitation of death.” Since then, heart disease, cancer, AIDS, and many other maladies have killed hundreds of millions.
CRIME: “Increasing of lawlessness.” (Matthew 24:12) In many lands crime is out of control. Murder, robbery, rape, terrorism, corruption— daily we hear about such crimes or we experience them ourselves.
Whereas Jesus highlighted events, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 foretold attitudes of the last days as did 2 Peter 3:3,4.