Billy Graham Answers: What Will the World Be Like In 2117?

These days, it seems like we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, much less the next few years. 

Mornings greet us with news of shootings, terrorist attacks, the rise of gender identity crises. Where is God? How can things possibly get worse? Are these the end times?

Even in the last few years, technology rapidly increased to a point of mind-boggling. 

“Some of us were talking the other day about what the world will be like 100 years from now. There have been so many changes in the last hundred years that we couldn’t help but wonder what the future holds. Do you have any ideas about this?” one reader asked famed evangelist Billy Graham.

Here’s what Graham had to say:

It’s an interesting question, of course—but only God knows what the world will be like a hundred years from now. Could anyone a hundred years ago have predicted what the world would be like today? I doubt it.

The Bible does, however, tell us several important truths about the future. First, it reminds us that someday the world as we know it will come to an end; Christ will come again in glory to rule the world in perfect peace and justice. Could this happen before another century has passed? Yes, of course. As the Bible says, “For now our salvation is nearer than when we believed … the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:11b-12b). 

The Bible also reminds us that no matter how much scientific or technical progress we make, some things will never change. The human heart does not change; our capacity for conflict and evil does not change; our need for God does not change. Yes, in some ways we’ve made startling progress in the last hundred years—and yet there never has been a bloodier century.

But something else will never change—and that is the good news about Jesus Christ. By His death and resurrection, we can be forgiven and reconciled to God—and when we put our trust in Him, we can face the future without fear. Yes, it’s interesting to speculate about the future—but what about today? Turn to Christ and put your life and your future into His hands. {eoa}