Can a book that speaks of swords, spears and pruning hooks have any relevance in the age of nuclear weapons, computers and the Internet? This apparent technological gap is widened by the archaic language of thee's and thou's in the widely popular King James version of the Bible.

The Bible claims divine inspiration by the Creator and Designer of human life (II Timothy 3:16-17, II Peter 1:20-21). God inspired the prophet Isaiah to challenge others who would make such a claim, "Let them show the former things, what they were, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them, or declare to us the things to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know you are gods" (Isaiah 40:22-23).

Prophecy is like history written in advance. Many Bible prophecies accurately describe events and conditions of our current civilization. What better description of our frantic, frenzied pace of life in "The Information Age" than, "Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase" (Daniel 12:4)? The "times of stress" described in II Timothy 3:1-9 can be documented by simply reading today's newspaper.

Jesus' disciples asked Him to describe the end of the age. His answer, recorded in Matthew 24, is a prophetic blueprint of world events and trends from that time forward to the end of the age. Jesus spoke of an unprecedented time of trouble when all human life could be destroyed, were it not for God's intervention (Matthew 24:21-22).

The ninth chapter of the book of Revelation graphically portrays weapons of mass destruction capable of killing a third of mankind. The apostle John saw these weapons in a vision and described them in first century terms as fire and brimstone (sulfur) and the sound of many chariots running to battle (Revelation 9:1-19).

The impressive technological advances which have made life more comfortable have also brought us to the brink of universal disaster. Peace and happiness seem to elude us, because many of our problems are deeply rooted in the nature of man. Technology is ever changing, but human nature doesn't change.

The Bible is an instruction book for life--now and forever. It contains timeless values which bring positive results when applied. It tells us how to treat others, even those who mistreat us. It also tells us how all nations can, and some day will, get along with each other. All this wisdom is based on the simple but profound principle of love--an outgoing concern for others. This includes treating others as we would like them to treat us. In the words of a current country song, "Even in this modern age, it works."

Bible prophecy indicates that mankind will continue to reap the self-centered fruits of human nature. However, the Bible also speaks of a better time ahead after Jesus Christ returns to bring peace and happiness in the kingdom of God (see Daniel 2 and 7). In fact the legendary prophecy about turning swords into pruning hooks speaks of that very time (Isaiah 2:1-4).

Until that prophesied time takes place, however, what can we do? We can make life more meaningful for ourselves and those whose lives we touch by striving to live by the eternal truths of the word of God. The personal testimony of changed lives is the greatest, most inspiring proof that the Bible is not only relevant for today, it is the most relevant book for these troubled times.