When it comes to the Rapture of believers from the earth, many ask the question, “What makes our generation so special? Why are we any different from generations past who suffered such grave persecution from the times of the Roman Coliseum to the Roman Catholic Inquisition?”
The remainder of the article will attempt to answer this question by pointing out some major differences between our modern culture and the culture of generations past.
WORLD POPULATION
We as people are no different than our ancestors, but the times in which we live are. It is of no small consequence that the world population is exploding like a giant volcano.
The current world population is approx. 35 times greater than it was at the time of Christ. (Most demographers estimate that the world population was approx. 200 million during the time of Christ. Currently, world population is estimated to be 7.2 billion and rising.)
.2 billion in A.D. 40
.3 billion in 1000, (960 years later)
.5 billion in 1500, (500 years later)
1 billion in 1804, (304 years later)
2 billion in 1927, (123 years later)
3 billion in 1960, (33 years later)
4 billion in 1974, (14 years later)
5 billion in 1987, (13 years later)
6 billion in 1999, (12 years later)
7 billion in 2011, (12 years later)
If you were to convert the text above into a “hockey stick” graph, you would see a line that appears as fairly flat and level near the bottom of the graph, moving from left to right. The line would represent the steadiness of world population from the time of Christ until about the Middle Ages, when you would see the line start to curve slightly upward. Then around the early 1900s, the line rockets straight up, like it’s on its way to the moon. (Just do an Internet search for “world population graph.”)
We can no longer make calculations based on how much untouched fertile land is available on earth and determine how much each family of the world could be given to live on. (Example: Take the total number of square miles of fertile land and how many acres fit into each square mile on the earth and then divide that by the total number of people on earth to calculate that each person would have x amount of land to live on.) The land is not free. The days of homesteading are long gone.
PRE-INDUSTRIAL TIMES
During pre-industrial times most everyone from peasants to nobility, lived within walking distance of a natural food source. From plants, nuts, and berries to fish and livestock, most people had enough independence that they did not have to depend on a long journey to obtain basic sustenance.
Taking North America as a like example of the history of other indigenous peoples around the world, the Indians of North America had free access to the land (until about the 1800s that is). They were able to roam about the continent hunting large animals like buffalo, deer, antelope, and wild birds while gathering nuts, fruits, seeds, and plants to meet their needs. They also had wide access to lakes and streams for use as a food and water source.
The early settlers took advantage of the same freedoms. When they moved west, adding new states to our country, they brought their food supply with them in the form of livestock and seeds. They cultivated farmland, planting crops like corn, beans, squashes, sunflowers, wheat, etc.
If people were willing to plant the seeds of hard work, they were usually able to reap the reward of sustenance. (Do you currently have enough land of your own to plant seed on?) If you do, I know you consider yourself blessed!
Most people didn’t have to vote, they didn’t have to watch the news, they didn’t have to keep up with current events, and they did not have to be as weighed down with the cares of this world. (Of course many of the good people voted, worked hard, and took care, but they were not weighed down by the affairs of the outside world on a daily basis.)
MODERN TIMES: URBANIZATION AND INDUSTRIALIZATION
Life and culture in America changed greatly during the late 1800s. Most American cities were overrun with slums. During this time, America was transformed from a mostly rural and agricultural nation into an urbanized and industrial nation. By comparing 19th century paintings of cities like New York or Washington D.C. with modern day photographs, the impact of urbanization is manifest.
With the invention of farming equipment like the tractor and the combine harvester, vast amounts of land were purchased in order to keep up with the food demands of an exploding urban population.
Now, with the modern global market economy, we the people are dependent upon the speculators gambling with our life-sustaining commodities while playing the game of supply and demand.
CONCLUSION
So in conclusion, you can see that although our current generation is no different in “respect of persons” than generations past, we are different in respect to our environment. Just as God stepped into cities past to relocate His people when the environment was ripe for judgment, so He will soon do the same for our generation. The signs are just too obvious. The writing is on the wall for all to see.
Sudden destruction will come upon them, not us. The dawning of the Day will not catch us off guard for we are not children of the darkness. We are not appointed to destruction, “but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
God said that we are not to worry about the basics of food and clothing. He did not mean we were not to put forth effort to obtain these things, He told us to take comfort that they would be there after our day’s work was complete.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25)
It is my opinion that when most all of God’s people on a mass global scale, honestly have to start being concerned about what they will eat or drink tomorrow, God will step forward and remedy the situation.
I currently see no other remedy than for God to relocate His children to His land!