Tuesday, February 04, 2025
How close are we to the end of the world?
What is the Doomsday Clock, and who decides what time it is?
What does the Bible say about all of this?
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first atomic weapons in the Manhattan Project. Two years later, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists created the Doomsday Clock, using the imagery of counting down to zero to convey threats to humanity and the planet. The Doomsday Clock is a metaphor set yearly by the Bulletin's Science and Security Board. Last week, the board moved the clock from 90 seconds to 89 seconds before midnight, or what they say is 89 seconds until the end of the world.
The Bulletin's Doomsday Clock
In a public press release, the board said, "In setting the Clock one second closer to midnight, we send a stark signal. A move of even a single second should be taken as an indication of extreme danger and an unmistakable warning." The Bulletin's Doomsday Clock is based on three main areas: nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies, especially AI and developments in biotechnology. What connects these topics is a driving belief that because humans created them, humans can control them. The Bulletin says its community is international, with more than half its website visitors coming from outside the United States. Those visiting the Doomsday Clock website are also young, half being under the age of 35.
7 Minutes Before Midnight
In 1947, the Doomsday Clock started running as it was set at 7 minutes before midnight. In 1953, because the United States decided to pursue the hydrogen bomb, the clock was set to 2 minutes before midnight. In 1963, the clock was set to 12 minutes before midnight due to the Cuban Missile Crisis a year before and a decade of almost non-stop nuclear tests. The United States and the Soviet Union signed the Partial Test Ban Treaty, which ended all atmospheric nuclear testing. However, the treaty did nothing to outlaw underground testing.
India Tested its First Nuclear Device
In 1974, because India tested its first nuclear device, giving South Asia the bomb, the clock was set to 9 minutes before midnight. Ten years later, in 1984, because the United States threatened to provoke a new arms race by seeking a space-based anti-ballistic missile system, the clock was set to 3 minutes before midnight.
In 1991, with the Cold War officially over, the United States and Russia began making deep cuts to their nuclear arsenals, so the clock was once again set to its original time of 7 minutes before midnight. In 1998, India carried out a series of nuclear tests that caught US intelligence off guard. The tests provoked worldwide outrage; the clock gained 2 minutes as it was set to 9 minutes before midnight.
North Korea Conducted a Nuclear Test
In 2002, after 9/11, the clock was once again set to 7 minutes before midnight. In 2007, after North Korea conducted a nuclear test, and many in the international community worried that Iran was working toward a bomb of its own, the clock was downgraded to 5 minutes before midnight.
In 2018, because of the threat posed by the misuse of information technology, the clock dropped to 2 minutes before midnight, and in 2023, because of the war in Ukraine, the clock was set, not to minutes but to seconds, being set to 90 seconds before midnight. Now, in 2025, the clock is set to 89 seconds before midnight. In 78 years, the clock has gone from a high of 17 minutes to a low of the current 89 seconds.
Believers' Biblical IQ
What about the Bible? Do people understand what Scripture says about the end of days? In a poll by the Barna Group, half of those who described themselves as Christians didn't believe that satan exists, and one-third were confident that while He was on Earth, Jesus sinned. This research is deeply concerning as it reveals a rise in biblical illiteracy among those who claim to follow Jesus. It seems believers' biblical IQ has never been lower. Our worldview, which should center around what we believe biblically, will determine how we live life. It sets boundaries, defines our behavior, and establishes our values and morals. Without solid biblical understanding, one's worldview cannot be thoroughly biblical.
Pastors Who Lack a Biblical Worldview
Just when you thought the news could not get any more discouraging, this 2022 nationwide survey by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University found that only 37% of American Christian pastors hold a biblical worldview. If that is the case, one must wonder what the other 62% believe. This research shows a majority of pastors, especially younger pastors, hold to a hybrid belief system known as syncretism, which combines elements from various religious and secular philosophies. If the shepherd's worldview is not situated on a solid Biblical foundation, what does that do for the sheep?
Faith Comes by The Word of God
Remember, Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Isaiah 28:23 says, "Give ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my words." Luke 11:28 declares, "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." And Proverbs 8:32 gives us these words of wisdom: "Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, for blessed are they who keep my ways."
State of Theology Survey
This 2022 "State of Theology" survey also recorded that 43% of respondents agreed that "Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God." Statements like that directly contradict fundamental Christian doctrine. John 1:1-3 clearly acknowledges, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being." Philippians 2:8-10 explains, "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
I won't disagree that we may be minutes, even seconds away from the world changing and transitioning into the worst time in human history. It is not scientists or a secular think tank that gives me that perspective. It's God's Word, as He has told us of the days to come. I just pray that your understanding and belief in Jesus come from the Bible and not from secular philosophy.
Maranatha Lord Jesus
Founder of Interpreting the Times
My heart and my passion are for Bible prophecy and end times. Why? Because of the hour we live in but also because I have found there is a great need for solid Biblical teaching on this topic.
Get to know Dr. Bowen here.
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