Today, in the city of Aleppo, Syria, a child can see little more than blown-up buildings, burning cars and an increasingly violent war. He routinely witnesses the death of friends and family members. He sees people crying, mourning and running for their lives. He lives a life of constant fear, with no certainty of what tomorrow will bring. He sleeps in ashes and ruins. Each night he tumbles from nightmare to nightmare and lives on—or doesn’t.

The present reality is staggeringly bleak. Syrian children see no hope. But the truth is, there is hope in the midst of the Aleppo battlefield.

That hope does not come from speeches and conferences. Despite international efforts to resolve the conflict, the casualty numbers are not declining. With each passing day in Aleppo, more civilians and more children are added to the Syrian civil war’s death toll. Just in the past month, more than 400 people have been killed in the war-torn city. Residents live in constant fear.

Each day brings new reports about the horrific suffering Syrians are enduring and succumbing to. World leaders discuss solutions. Yet every ceasefire is broken, every intervention fails to halt the killing, and every glimpse of promise turns to ashes. The media foresee little to no hope for this to change. While the pictures of the dead refugee child on the Turkish coast is still fresh in the collective memory, new pictures of newly slain Syrian children are being snapped right now.

cnn asked on September 21, “Is there any hope left for Syria?”

Most newspapers and politicians have little hope that the situation will improve. The bbc reported, “Hopes fade for truce as violence flares.” After another ceasefire ended, the New Daily reported, there is “no hope for Aleppo.” The Middle East Eye’s take: “No supplies, no surgeons, no hope: Aleppo medics overwhelmed.” Christian Today reported that Christian Syrians live in a “terrible climate of fear and hopelessness.”

So what hope does the Syrian child have?

His family cannot give him the comfort he needs, the media see no hope for him, politicians’ promises fail, and his hopes for refuge in Europe are increasingly rejected. Is there any reason for hope in the midst of the tragic headlines?

The hope does not lie in today’s politicians but rather in a Bible prophecy which politicians and policymakers reject.

In Matthew 24, Jesus Christ’s disciples asked Him when He would return and bring an end to this present violent age. In reply, Christ gave them a timeline of the events that would precede His coming. Among other things He warned of deceit, wars, famine, pestilence, earthquakes and much tribulation. But He also told them these comforting words: “See that you be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass” (verse 6).

Christ knew that conditions would appear hopeless in these last days before His return. But wars such as the ongoing carnage in Syria actually indicate the imminence of His return! Christ actually says that His Father’s plan for mankind is to save the overwhelming majority of all human beings. If you understand that long-term plan, there is much reason to have hope.

Behind the dark headlines lies great hope! To understand the great hope each of these children shares with you, watch Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s Key of David episode “Matthew 24 Unlocks the Seven Seals.”