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A Remarkable Change for the Better

“The world in 1900 was poised on the threshold of one of the most remarkable periods of change in human history. An old order was giving way to a new.”—The Times Atlas of the 20th Century.

EARLY in the 20th century, “the world entered upon an era of exceptional turbulence and violence,” says the above-quoted atlas. This century was to see more wars than any other century, with over 100 million killed.

In this era, wars have killed more civilians than ever before. In World War I, 15 percent of the dead were civilians. But in World War II, in some countries civilian dead surpassed the military dead. Of the millions killed in wars since then, most were civilians. All this violence has fulfilled Bible prophecy about the rider on “a fiery-colored horse,” who “was granted to take peace away from the earth.”—Revelation 6:3, 4; Matthew 24:3-7.

Change in Values

The 20th century has fulfilled the prophecy at 2 Timothy 3:1-5, which says: “In the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power.”

To a certain degree, imperfect humans have always shown those characteristics. During the 20th century, such attitudes have intensified and spread. People who conduct themselves in the above-described ways were once considered antisocial—if not downright wicked. Now even people “having a form of godly devotion” increasingly view such behavior as normal.

At one time religious people considered it unthinkable for couples to live together outside marriage. Unwed motherhood was regarded as shameful, as were homosexual relationships. For most people abortions were out of the question, and so was divorce. Dishonesty in business was reprehensible. But today, as one source notes, “anything goes.” Why? For one thing, “it serves the self-interest of those who do not want to be told by others what not to do.”

The abandonment of high ethical standards in this century has caused priorities to change. The Times Atlas of the 20th Century explains: “In 1900 nations and individuals still measured their worth in non-monetary terms. . . . By the end of the century nations measured their success in almost entirely economic terms. . . . Similar changes occurred in the way people thought about wealth.” Today widespread gambling fosters a love of money, while radio, television, movies, and videos encourage material desires. Even game shows and advertising contests send the message that money is, if not everything, at least almost everything.

Together but Apart

At the beginning of the 20th century, most people lived in rural areas. It is said that early in the 21st century, more than half the population will live in cities. The book 5000 Days to Save the Planet says: “The task of providing a decent standard of living for today’s city dwellers, let alone those of future generations, poses seemingly insurmountable problems.” The UN magazine World Health observed: “The proportion of people in the world living in cities is escalating. . . . Hundreds of millions . . . are now living in conditions that are detrimental to their health and even endangering their lives.”

How paradoxical that while moving closer together in cities, people are also moving apart! Television, telephones, and the Internet, along with on-line shopping, although useful, bypass face-to-face relationships. The German paper Berliner Zeitung therefore concludes: “The 20th century is not only the century of overpopulation. It is also the century of loneliness.”

This leads to tragedies like the one in Hamburg, Germany, where the body of a man was found in his apartment five years after he died! “No one missed him, neither the relatives nor the neighbors nor the authorities,” said Der Spiegel, adding: “For many citizens this symbolizes the appalling extent of the everyday anonymity and lack of social contact of the big city.”

The fault for such deplorable conditions does not lie just with science and technology. It lies mainly with people. This century has produced more people than ever before who are “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, . . . unthankful, . . . having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, . . . without love of goodness, . . . lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.”—2 Timothy 3:1-5.

1914, a Marked Year

According to Winston Churchill, “the dawn of the twentieth century seemed bright and calm.” Many thought that it would bring an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity. Yet, in 1905 the Watch Tower of September 1 warned: “There will be more war ere long,” also stating that a “great cataclysm” would start in 1914.

In fact, as early as 1879, that publication pointed to 1914 as a significant date. In later years it noted that Bible prophecies in the book of Daniel pinpointed that date as the time when God’s Kingdom was established in heaven. (Matthew 6:10) While 1914 was not the time for the Kingdom to take complete control of earth’s affairs, it was the time for it to begin its rule.

Bible prophecy foretold: “In the days of those kings [existing in our time] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom [in heaven] that will never be brought to ruin.” (Daniel 2:44) That Kingdom, with Christ as King, started gathering here upon the earth God-fearing people who were desirous of being its subjects.—Isaiah 2:2-4; Matthew 24:14; Revelation 7:9-15.

Coinciding with what happened in heaven, 1914 saw the beginning of “the last days,” the beginning of a time period that would end with the destruction of the system of things now prevailing. Jesus foretold that the start of this period would be marked by world wars, food shortages, disease epidemics, devastating earthquakes, and increased lawlessness as well as the cooling off of people’s love for God and man. All these things, he said, would mark the “beginning of pangs of distress.”—Matthew 24:3-12.

An Entirely New World Soon

We are now 85 years into “the last days,” and we are swiftly nearing the end of this present unsatisfactory system of things. Soon God’s Kingdom, under Christ, “will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms [now existing], and it itself will stand to times indefinite.”—Daniel 2:44; 2 Peter 3:10-13.

Yes, God will wipe out wickedness from the earth and usher righteous-hearted people into an entirely new world. “The upright are the ones that will reside in the earth, and the blameless are the ones that will be left over in it. As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth.”—Proverbs 2:21, 22.

What a joyful message—certainly one that deserves to be proclaimed far and wide! God’s Kingdom will soon solve the problems that the 20th century has only intensified: war, poverty, sickness, injustice, hatred, intolerance, unemployment, crime, unhappiness, death.—See Psalm 37:10, 11; 46:8, 9; 72:12-14, 16; Isaiah 2:4; 11:3-5; 25:6, 8; 33:24; 65:21-23; John 5:28, 29; Revelation 21:3, 4.

Does the prospect of living forever in a righteous world of indescribable happiness appeal to you? Ask Jehovah’s Witnesses for more information. They will show you from your own copy of the Bible that the critical years of change that marked the 20th century will soon end and that you can thereafter enjoy unending blessings!

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An entirely new world soon