“When I observed this attitude of the people in America and very similar attitudes of people all around the world,” John continued, “I knew that the words of Jesus were being fulfilled in my own lifetime. Sadly, I was seeing the sign of Noah and the sign of Lot.”

“But, Jack,” Carl interjected, “surely the United States and the countries of Europe and Asia weren’t as bad as the world of Noah that we just read about.”

“Maybe not,” John answered, “but maybe so. People were extra-ordinarily violent in Noah’s day, but not so violent that they couldn’t hold weddings and have time for dinner. Please keep in mind that we killed more people in just twenty-seven years in this country, through abortion, than the total number of people in the whole world during Noah’s day.

“Hitler, who was a demonic madman, killed about six million European Jews in the thirties and forties, during what we call the Holocaust. Supposedly sane, peace-loving Americans killed about seven times that number between 1973 and the end of the century. How violent do you suppose we have to be to parallel Noah’s time?” John Edwards sighed. “And there were many more signs beside these.”

“Jack,” Lori said, “if it’s possible, Carl and I really want to know what’s coming next in our lives. Are there any signs about that?”

“I’ll give you one more that is very timely, and then we’re going to have to call it quits for a while,” John answered. “This one will be fulfilled in the next couple of days. Let’s read Luke twenty-one, verses twenty-five through twenty-eight.”

Lori read the words aloud: “‘And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.’”

John said, “Do you see what Jesus said about nineteen hundred and seventy years ago, that describes today?”

Dave Busby exclaimed, “I can’t believe it! Jesus said that, before He came back, the nations of the world would be in distress and perplexity because of the roaring and tossing of the sea. Good Lord!” he added in a reverent whisper. “The sea just wiped out California, and another monster wave is coming down on Asia even as we speak. Most of the ships in the Pacific are probably sunk by now. People all over the world must be going out of their minds with fear.”