An informational overview of the themes most associated with biblical end-times discussion — earthquakes, wars, pestilence, economic upheaval — and the secular parallel of the Doomsday Clock.
The Doomsday Clock, maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, is a secular measure of how close humanity is to catastrophic risk. In January 2025 the Science and Security Board set the Clock at 89 seconds to midnight — the closest to midnight it has ever been — citing nuclear risk, climate change, biological threats, and disruptive technologies.
The Clock is not a biblical symbol; it is a modern, science-policy indicator. It is included here only because it is the closest secular parallel to the "signs of the times" conversation, and it anchors our Doomsday Clock tracker.
Earthquakes in "diverse places" appear among the signs listed in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8, Luke 21:11). The prophecy literature treats unusual seismic activity as one of the recurring "birth pains" imagery — not as a date-setting tool.
Our watch page: Earthquakes in the Bible · Live data: Earthquakes Today.
"Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled" (Matthew 24:6). Prophecy discussions typically reference large-scale conflict — including the Ezekiel 38 and Revelation imagery debated by scholars — as signs of geopolitical instability, while stressing that the texts themselves caution against treating any single war as proof of the end.
Our watch pages: Wars & Rumors of Wars · End Times Watch.
Luke 21:11 groups "great earthquakes, and famines, and pestilences" among the signs. Revelation 6:8 gives Death authority "over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." Modern prophecy commentary connects this theme to pandemics and disease outbreaks.
Our watch pages: Pestilence · Outbreak Map.
Revelation 6:5–6 pictures a rider with scales, and a voice: "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." Interpreters commonly read this as famine pricing and economic distress. Some also point to Revelation 13:16–17's "mark" passage in discussions of controlled commerce.
Our watch page: Economic Upheaval · Recession Risk.
The main watch page for end-times signs and timelines.
The checklist of signs traditionally associated with the last days.
Key verses and a neutral summary of the three main timing views.
Volcanic imagery in prophecy texts and what commentators note.