Friday, September 30, 2016

The Biblical Feast of Trumpets Foretelling 'the Day of the Lord'

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The Biblical Feast of Trumpets

Foretelling 'the Day of the Lord'

 by Gary Petty 1 comment Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
An older man's hand on an open Bible. Photos.com
Most Christians find little meaning in God's Holy Days, but could they hold an important message for you and your future?
Every autumn the Jewish community observes a holiday called Rosh Hashanah (meaning “head of the year,” because it begins the Jewish civil year). This is a biblical festival, known in Scripture as Yom Teruah, the Day of Trumpets, because the Israelites were to blow trumpets on that day (Leviticus 23:24). A shofar, or ram’s horn, is blown calling the faithful to 10 days of repentance culminating in another biblical festival, Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement.
Most Christians find little meaning in these days, but could they hold an important message for you and your future?
In ancient Israel the shofar was blown for various reasons, including a call to war. Jewish leaders in the first century had to take care when they blew the shofar on the Feast of Trumpets so that the occupying Roman soldiers didn’t think a rebellion was being launched.
The Bible speaks of a time before Christ’s return when the earth will be engulfed in war, famine, disease epidemics, earthquakes and other colossal disasters. This era, called “the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14; Matthew 24:21), will bring humanity to the brink of total destruction—necessitating God’s promised intervention in human affairs.
The period of God’s intervention is called “the day of the Lord.” It is also a time known for the blowing of trumpets.

The prophetic Day of the Lord

The Day of the Lord includes a series of cataclysmic events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ and His forceful suppression of humanity’s rebellion against God.
It’s important to understand that prophecies concerning the Day of the Lord can at times have a former and later fulfillment. What that means is that the messages of the ancient prophets applied in part to the people to whom they were preaching, but many of these prophecies also refer to a future time when God will intervene in the affairs of mankind—a time that is yet to occur.
Many references to the Day of the Lord in the biblical books of Isaiah and Joel refer to punishment God poured out on ancient Israel and Judah. But when reading these prophecies, and comparing them with historical information, it is clear that they are dual in nature and were only partially fulfilled. These verses primarily look to the future when God will pour out His judgment on an unrepentant humanity before the second coming of the Messiah.
This may not be a popular message in today’s environment of feel-good religion, but, as we always do on Good News Radio and in our publications, we turn to the Bible as the Word of God in our search for truth.
Many centuries ago, the prophet Zechariah was inspired to write: “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
“Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two …” (Zechariah 14:1-4).

God’s future intervention

God is a God of love and mercy. But He is also a just and righteous God who doesn’t compromise with evil. Instead of repenting and acknowledging their Creator, most of humanity has been snubbing their collective noses at Him in a pretense of religion and suffering the consequences. But a time is coming when He will intervene by sending Jesus Christ to rule over the nations and save us from ourselves.
Many Old and New Testament prophecies describe the coming Day of the Lord, including those of the seven trumpets in Revelation 8-11. They create a composite picture of a time of blowing of trumpets, a time of catastrophic war, and a time when all nations will be brought together to be judged by God.
The Feast of Trumpets contains an important message for Christians. In fact, it is the most important news on the globe today. It heralds the gospel’s emphasis on repentance and judgment, the warning blasts of the shofar, the Day of the Lord and the proclamation that the Messiah is returning to establish God’s Kingdom on the earth.
Jesus Himself makes a key statement in His Mount Olivet prophecy recorded in Matthew 24: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:29-31).
Notice that the return of Jesus Christ is accompanied by the sound of a trumpet.
The apostle Paul encourages Christians to keep the coming Day of the Lord in mind. He writes to the church in Thessalonica: “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
“But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
“But let us who are of the day be sober … For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-10).
Indeed, the resurrection of the saints to reign with Christ in glory will come at the sounding of the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
The prophesied Day of the Lord is coming. The trumpet will sound, the saints will be raised from the grave and Jesus Christ will return to establish His Father’s Kingdom on the earth. The Feast of Trumpets isn’t just for the Jewish people. It is a very special day for all those who wait for the Messiah.
Feast of Trumpets God's Holy Days End Times

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Thursday, September 29, 2016

Major Change in Internet Control!

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Major Change in Internet Control

 by Darris McNeely Estimated reading time: 1 minute
 I had a recent post where I mentioned the European Union's attempt to wrest control of the internet from the United States. It appears it will happen. This article from The Guardian reports that this week in Geneva a group of nations, some not too friendly toward America, supported a move to put control of the world wide web into the hands of an international consortium.

The U.S. was resisting the move but it appears the final decision was taken out of its hands. Here is a key paragraph from the article:

A number of countries represented in Geneva, including Brazil, China, Cuba, Iran and several African states, insisted the US give up control, but it refused. The meeting “was going nowhere”, Hendon says, and so the EU took a bold step and proposed two stark changes: a new forum that would decide public policy, and a “cooperation model” comprising governments that would be in overall charge.

You probably won't hear much about this. But as the article concludes, with international governments controlling the future of the internet things will not be the same again. Read the whole article here.
Geneva The Guardian European Union Internet News and Prophecy Governments

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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Why should Christians celebrate the Feast of Trumpets?

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Why should Christians celebrate the Feast of Trumpets?

 by United Church of God 1 comment Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Sunrise over the crest of a hill Philipp Reiner/Unsplash
Christ's return is announced by the seventh and final trumpet
The fourth festival of God (after Pentecost) is the Feast of Trumpets (or a “memorial of blowing of trumpets,” Leviticus 23:24-25), which falls in September or October. This festival is called Rosh Hashanah by the Jews today. Ancient Israel understood that trumpets were used as a way of announcing special, very important messages (Numbers 10:1-10).
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ reveals that before His return to the earth, there will be the blowing of seven trumpets, announcing progressive stages of the downfall and overthrow of this world’s kingdoms, ending with the return of Christ to take possession of the earth. Christ’s return is announced by the seventh and final trumpet (Revelation 8:2; Revelation 11:15). This day also pictures the time when faithful Christians will be resurrected to eternal life at the time of the seventh trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16) to reign with Jesus Christ for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6).
Interestingly, it was around this time of year that Jesus was born—not in the dead of winter (see “Biblical Evidence Shows Jesus Wasn’t Born on December 25 “). And the fall feast season represents the time when Jesus Christ will come to the earth again to reign in glory.
The remaining fall feast days describe steps in the establishment of the prophesied Kingdom of God on earth and judgment of humanity after Christ’s return. The Feast of Trumpets is followed by the Day of Atonement.
For more information, please read our booklet God’s Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind .
Feast of Trumpets God's Holy Days Kingdom of God

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Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Current Events & Trends Iraq pushes back against ISIS, regains some ground

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Current Events & Trends

Iraq pushes back against ISIS, regains some ground

 by Milan Bizic, Rudy Rangel, Tom Robinson Estimated reading time: 1 minute
“‘The liberation of Tikrit was carried out by the efforts of the Iraqi army and police, public mobilization units, tribal forces and the people of Tikrit city,’ Mr. Abadi [i.e., Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi] said on state television. ‘It was carried out under air cover and concentrated bombardment by the Iraqi air force, army air force and the international coalition against the terrorists of ISIS’” (Matt Bradley and Julian Barnes, “Iraq Recaptures Tikrit From Islamic State,” The Wall Street Journal, March 31, 2015) .
At the point where the Iraqi army started to stall, the United States began air strikes to aid in the operation. The Americans want the Iraqis to continue to partner with them instead of Iran and the Shiite militias it’s backing, as the latter could well lead to Iraq eventually coming under Iranian dominion.
As for the Islamic State, Tikrit was a major loss, but ISIS is able to regroup in various areas—and more terrorists in other places continue to declare loyalty to what they see as the restored Islamic caliphate.
Of course, the Middle East will continue to be a hotbed of military and religious strife. And the ongoing struggle will, despite breaks in hostility at times, lead in the end to the return of Jesus Christ. Finally, an ultimately just and wise Ruler will bring peace to the most contentious area of the world. (Source: The Wall Street Journal. )
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Friday, September 23, 2016

A Dangerous New Trend: Police Under Attack

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A Dangerous New Trend

Police Under Attack

 by Michael Kelley  
MP3 Audio (16.85 MB)
An emergency vehicle's flashing lights. artolympic/iStock/Thinkstock
The picture of growing disrespect and hatred toward police and authority figures is impossible to ignore. But is there an even deeper, more fundamental cause?
For many years, the answer little boys would give when asked what they want to be when they grow up has been “I want to be a policeman.” They recognized that the police are protectors, friends, the people who put their lives on the line every day to protect society.
Today, however, the police officer’s job has suddenly become much more dangerous. Police are themselves under fire, battling growing resentment and distrust by large segments of a society they are sworn to protect.
Recently, many have cited a rise in resentment against police and authority figures as the cause of the wave of anti-police violence. What should be our attitude towards authority?
In late August, Harris County (Texas) sheriff’s deputy Darren Goforth was ambushed and killed at a suburban gas station. While fueling his patrol car, a lone gunman walked up to him and shot him in the back of the head, then shot him repeatedly as he lay dying. Goforth, 47, left a wife and two children.
One week later, New York Police Department officer Brian Moore was shot to death when he stopped to investigate a man suspected of carrying a gun on a New York street. Just 25, he left a wife and two small children. The young officer had already been awarded two medals for meritorious service.
Near Atlanta, Fulton County police officer Terrance Green was killed in another ambush-style attack by a man who assaulted a group of officers after having “gone on a rampage” throughout south Fulton County, Georgia.

“War on America’s police officers”

Through early November, 2015 witnessed the slaying of 34 police officers. September was a particularly deadly month, with seven officers giving their lives in the line of duty.
“War has been declared on America’s police officers,” says Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke.
Across the country, police feel themselves under fire, their role in society maligned, their safety threatened. Speaking for the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents more than 300,000 police officers, FOP President Chuck Canterbury said, “It’s almost a radical rhetoric causing officers to say, ‘Wait a second, I’m out here to serve the public. I saved a little old lady from a purse snatching. I gave CPR on the highway and saved somebody. Now, I’m a villain?’” (quoted by Ed Payne and Artemis Moshtaghian in CNN, “Attacks Leave Police Feeling Under Siege,” Sept. 4, 2015).
Across the United States, a string of highly publicized confrontations between police and mostly minority youth has ignited a wave of animosity against law enforcement and law enforcement officers. Major American cities are the battlegrounds, where police themselves feel threatened. A sinister piece of graffiti painted on the side of a Houston building near the Harris County police station showed a picture of a police officer with a gun pointed at his head.
Hollywood has piled on, with celebrities such as movie director Quentin Tarantino calling cops “murderers” over the recent media-hyped shootings in minority neighborhoods. Sadly, the Hollywood police haters and rabble-rousers seem to get no end of publicity in a celebrity-obsessed nation.

The Ferguson effect

Observers have noted the long-standing distrust and animosity between police and largely African-American inner city youth, especially young men. Those simmering tensions exploded after the August 2014 shooting of Michael Brown, a young African-American man shot by Ferguson, Missouri, police office Darren Wilson. Brown had just robbed a convenience store, and evidence showed that he attacked Wilson just before he was shot.
Brown’s death touched off a wave of racial violence in Ferguson’s minority community, resulting in night after night of widespread violence, burning and looting. Confrontations with police produced dozens of injuries to both rioting citizens and the police, tens of millions of dollars in property damage, and more than 100 arrests.
Now, what is being called “the Ferguson effect” has caused police to be far more cautious, especially when operating in minority neighborhoods. The Wall Street Journal reported this effect in chilling terms:
“Almost any police shooting of a black person, no matter how threatening the behavior that provoked the shooting, now provokes angry protests … Arrests in black communities are even more fraught than usual, with hostile, jeering crowds pressing in on officers and spreading lies about the encounter” (Heather McDonald, “The New Nationwide Crime Wave,” May 29, 2015)

Police more cautious, crime rates up

Across the nation, some mayors and officials in cities with heavy minority populations have themselves accused police of racial bias and excessive use of force. In New York, Mayor Bill De Blasio alleged the New York Police Department used excessive racial profiling, a charge echoed by many minority mayors across the nation.
Faced with criticism from city hall, the media, popular culture, and minority communities, police everywhere report being more cautious and reserved in their responses. One example: In many cities, officers now wait in their patrol cars for backup before confronting crime suspects.
Police cautiousness has emboldened criminals, leading to a spike in crime rates across the nation. After falling for two decades to just over 300 in 2014, murder rates in New York City more than doubled during the first six months of 2015. In Baltimore, gun violence rose more than 60 percent compared to the same period last year—its 43 homicides in May 2015 the deadliest month since 1972. Statistics show this pattern across the country in 2015.

What’s behind it?

Events in inner-city neighborhoods have shown that the right provocation can fan smoldering embers of resentment into a full-blown blaze. But is this a new development or something that has been growing for years?
History has a way of repeating itself. With the rise of highly emotional racial conflicts in the late 1960s, police began to hear themselves referred to as “pigs,” an epithet that continued in inner-city neighborhoods long after the violence subsided. White college students picked up the term, screaming it at police who were called to keep order in often-violent protests against the Vietnam War.
We can add the effects of modern mass media, whose ranks today are filled with the products of modern Western education, which denies the existence of any moral authority, and, therefore, challenges all authority.
And we have seen incidents in which law-enforcement officers have acted rashly, unwisely, abusively or even criminally, leading to unnecessary injuries and deaths. Some have been charged with and convicted of murder, manslaughter and assault, among other crimes.
Advancing their own media narrative, television news coverage of the Ferguson incident and others too often demonize police officers, painting pictures of alleged “police brutality” while totally ignoring barrages of rocks and debris hurled at officers, accompanied by taunts and threats. And usually agitators are in the background egging on the crowd.
The picture of growing disrespect and hatred toward police and authority figures is impossible to ignore. But is there an even deeper, more fundamental cause?
Few recognize, and even fewer will acknowledge, the sinister ultimate cause behind today’s violence and disrespect for authority. Your Bible identifies a powerful and evil adversary who, incredible as it may sound, casts his influence over all mankind today. “You He made alive, who … once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience …” (Ephesians 2:1-2, emphasis added throughout).
This being has the world under his sway, influencing millions in attitudes of rebellion and strife (1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9). Read our free booklet Is There Really a Devil ? to learn more about this being and his influence on the world.

The prophesied solution

Human beings, it seems, have always had a problem with authority, which gives rise to the question: What should be our attitude towards authority and authority figures? The apostle Paul addressed this issue in his letter to the church in Rome:
“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil” (Romans 13:1-3, New American Standard Bible). Paul went on to exhort the young pastor Timothy to give thanks for “all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
Thankfully, despite today’s violence, your Bible proclaims a soon-coming time when people will live at peace, a time when God’s law will guide all of humanity. Study the prophecies of Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:6-9 and Isaiah 35:5-7. It also foretells the time when Satan, this great adversary, will be restrained—no longer able to influence mankind:
“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having … a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years … and shut him up … so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:1-2).
At that time, when God’s long-foretold Kingdom is established on earth, Satan’s influence will be replaced with attitudes of cooperation, giving, and true justice for all. Notice in particular what the prophet Isaiah foretells of Christ in Isaiah 11: “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord… with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth” (Isaiah 11:2-4, New American Standard Bible).
Millions who today feel, whether rightly or wrongly, that they are denied justice will be treated fairly. The entire world will respect authority and live secure, peaceful lives under the supreme law of God, which will ensure justice, peace and tranquility. God speed that day!
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Thursday, September 22, 2016

Thirty Sobering Minutes “O Say Can You See" to Freddie Gray

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Thirty Sobering Minutes

“O Say Can You See" to Freddie Gray

by Victor Kubik 1 comment Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
A looted CVS store in Baltimore. Victor Kubik
We passed by the looted landmark CVS drugstore and other businesses shown on national television.
Memorial Day this year was unlike any other Memorial Day for me. It started out simply as my wife and I traveled to Baltimore, Maryland, to observe the Christian Day of Pentecost with our congregations there. The following day was Memorial Day, so we stayed and toured historic Ft. McHenry in Baltimore. The fort holds a strategic location in the city’s harbor and is well known for its defense of Baltimore during the War of 1812. It successfully defended the city from an attack by the British Navy. Some say it preserved the independence of the United States from Great Britain because Washington, D.C. had already fallen, and the potential loss of Baltimore might have dealt a fatal blow to a young nation. It was during the bombardment of the fort that Francis Scott Key was inspired to write what became known as “The Star-Spangled Banner.” He witnessed the huge 40-foot wide American flag that was still flying over the fort on the morning after the bombardment as the British were withdrawing.
The Bible explains cause and effect, elements that drive the rise and fall of nations. When nations live righteously, decently and lawfully, the society is strong.
While we were there on Memorial Day there was a special flag hoisting, and playing of the Star Spangled Banner by a virtuoso 11-year-old trumpeter. It was moving to be on the very spot where such a historical event took place. The people manning that fort in 1812 put their lives on the line for a higher cause. After being here, I will always remember this day and this spot where I heard the national anthem played with such dignity and meaning.
After touring the fort and its various buildings and armaments, we drove back through Baltimore, including the neighborhood where there were recent riots. In the past month alone 35 people have died.
If you’re not familiar with the riots that engulfed Baltimore recently, here’s a short summary: On April 12, Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black resident, sustained injuries to his spine and neck following his arrest by policemen, which led to a coma, then death a week later. His death was declared a homicide by a prosecuting attorney. Legal charges were issued against the six officers involved in the incident.
Protests were organized after Gray’s funeral service. But tragically, the protests collapsed into barbaric rioting. Looting and burning spread through the neighborhood.
Driving through this neighborhood shortly after experiencing the patriotic feeling of living in a country of freedom was a depressing experience. We were sobered as we passed by the looted landmark CVS drugstore and other businesses shown on national television. Many policemen were injured and hundreds more have since been arrested.
The burned out buildings seemed to symbolize the loss of key elements in society, elements that are needed to guarantee the liberties that collectively have made us into a great nation. The United States is truly great, but there are underlying problems that are unraveling us as a society. What’s going to happen? Will it get better? Or worse?
The answers can be found in the Bible. Really. The Bible explains cause and effect, elements that drive the rise and fall of nations. When nations live righteously, decently and lawfully, the society is strong. Additional blessings come directly from God. Conversely, poverty, violence and even captivity appear when fundamental principles of living are violated.
I could write more, but these two contrasting experiences—barely an hour apart—inspired me to offer you a popular Bible study guide called The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy . This booklet will give you remarkable insight about where the blessings of our nation have come in a world that is strangled economically and politically. The story is eye opening. You need to read this to gain a perspective of what is happening before our eyes. God is on His throne and remains involved in human affairs in a remarkable way. I hope you will read it. We will gladly send it to you free of charge.
P.S. What concerns you about the apparent decline of America? Write to me at victor_kubik@ucg.org .
Memorial Day United States

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Wednesday, September 21, 2016

The Global Power Vacuum

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The Global Power Vacuum

 by Scott Ashley  
MP3 Audio (33.08 MB)
A man holding up the American flag. CJ Johnson/Snapwiresnaps
As the United States disengages and draws away, the absence of its leadership makes the world a much more dangerous place.
Power vacuum is a term that not that long ago was rarely heard or seen. Lately, however, it’s showing up regularly in headlines, news articles and geopolitical analyses.
Of course, we’re not talking about a “power vacuum” as a household tool used to suck up dirt. We’re talking about a condition when governments or leaders are absent or have lost control, and nothing or no one has stepped in to fill the void.
Can anyone seriously argue that America’s withdrawal from world leadership has led to a better, more sane and stable world?
Throughout history, power vacuums have been dangerous. They lead to great uncertainty and apprehension as people wonder what will happen next. Within nations, they sometimes lead to social unrest or chaos, and at times outright civil war, as individuals step forward to grab power. Internationally, they can lead to regional or even world wars as nations see opportunities to gain more for themselves at the expense of their neighbors.

Nature abhors a vacuum

The Greek philosopher-scientist Aristotle (ca. 384-322 B.C.) is thought to be the first person to note that “nature abhors a vacuum,” recording his observation in a collection of discussions about philosophy and the natural world. He proposed that true vacuums don’t exist because something will always fill any void.
Aristotle likely never contemplated that his observation about science would also hold true in the arena of geopolitics and international relations.
Why is this important to us? And how does it explain what we are seeing all around us on the world scene?
To use an analogy, imagine what would happen in an average town if local law enforcement officers hung up their badges and guns, walked off the job and went home, making it clear they had no intention of returning.
The result isn’t hard to predict. We’ve seen it when budget cutbacks or political pressure have led some police forces to stop enforcing some laws—so violations of these grow, right along with more serious crimes.
We’ve also seen what happens when breakdown in government leads to crippling or disbanding of local law enforcement. Criminal gangs and warlords fill the void, and soon it’s every person for himself. People band together and arm themselves to the teeth for protection in a lawless society. It’s a matter of self-interest and self-preservation.
And we are now seeing this on a global scale. In our analogy the whole world is the town, and the United States is the sheriff who’s walked off the job—leaving the world to fend for itself. This has created a worldwide power vacuum, and the global gangsters and bad guys are filling the void.

“The world has never seemed as dangerous and leaderless as it does now.”

How serious is today’s world situation? Former U.S. senator Joseph Lieberman, onetime Democratic party vice-presidential candidate and author of the legislation that created the Department of Homeland Security, recently described how the world has become much more dangerous as a result of America’s disengagement from its long-held position of world leadership.
“The world has never seemed as dangerous and leaderless as it does now,” he wrote in a recent Washington Post editorial. “Only the extremists and bullies act boldly, and therefore they have seized the initiative … There is more instability in the world today than at any time since the end of World War II.
“The threats come from emboldened expansionist powers such as Iran, Russia and China, and also terrorist aggressors such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida. In short, the enemies of freedom are on the march.
“At the same time, the United States … has chosen this moment to become more passive in the world. The absence of American leadership has certainly not caused all the instability, but it has encouraged and exacerbated it” (“The Absence of U.S. Leadership Makes the World More Dangerous Than Ever,” Feb. 24, 2016, emphasis added throughout).

“Fundamentally transforming” the United States

In late 2008, shortly before Barack Obama was elected president of the United States, he described his goal of “fundamentally transforming” the country. And transform it he did—not just domestically, but also in the area of international relations.
He soon embarked on what some characterized as a worldwide “apology tour,” traveling to a number of nations in which he criticized America’s previous powerful role in international affairs. He promised to withdraw American forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, where long and bloody wars against terror-sponsoring regimes had finally forced Islamic jihadists into retreat.
Most bewilderingly, he dramatically changed course with U.S. allies. As the “Arab Spring” unfolded across the Middle East, he refused to support longtime Egyptian ally President Hosni Mubarak, who was swept from power by the terror-supporting Muslim Brotherhood and its candidate Mohamed Morsi. (Morsi was himself quickly driven from office and replaced by military general Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, but Obama has remained distant from him as well.)
In nearby Israel, relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly changed from cool to frosty to hostile. The situation wasn’t helped by revelations of U.S. spying on not only Israel, but other close allies Germany and France.
While punishing longtime allies, President Obama inexplicably began rewarding longtime enemies. He negotiated a deal with Iran—perhaps the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism—that paves the way for Iran to possess nuclear weapons in a decade and rewards them with billions of dollars of funds frozen for earlier international misconduct.
While Obama was negotiating with Iran on its nuclear program, he was also working to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba, a communist dictatorship since the 1960s. Cuba gave up nothing in return, and in fact cracked down on pro-freedom protesters just before the president’s March 2016 trip there.
On that trip, he allowed himself to be photographed in front of a huge mural of Che Guevara—a hero and icon of the left, but a man who in reality was an enthusiastic enforcer for Fidel Castro who oversaw or participated in the brutal executions of hundreds of regime opponents.
Later in his trip, on a visit to Argentina, Obama told Argentinian students that there’s little difference between socialism, communism and capitalism—that they “should just decide what works” and choose that system. He followed up by praising Cuba for providing free access to education and health care.

American weakness and disengagement

The picture that has emerged is one of American weakness and disengagement. Time after time America’s foes have sensed lack of resolve and pushed for greater power and influence. Time after time the U.S. response has been weak or nonexistent.
To cite a few examples from recent years: In Ukraine, Russia agitated for Crimea, a strategic Black Sea peninsula, to break away from Ukraine, after which it was annexed by Russia. Russia then supplied other separatist rebels with arms, resulting in a large portion of Eastern Ukraine falling under control of Moscow-allied forces.
In the South China Sea between the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam—through which 40 percent of the world’s merchant ships pass over the course of a year—China has been building new islands out of formerly unoccupied reefs.
Dredging thousands of tons of sand and piling it onto the reefs, China has created space for aircraft landing strips and military fortifications on these new islands and claimed them as Chinese territory to project Chinese power and influence in the region—at the expense of Japan, the Philippines and the United States. U.S. response to date has been negligible.
North Korea has recently repeatedly threatened America with nuclear attack even as it tested a new nuclear device and new, longer-range missiles.
In Syria’s civil war, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad crossed President Obama’s declared “red line” against using chemical weapons against defenseless civilian populations. Again Obama did essentially nothing, other than open the door to Russia volunteering to remove the Syrian government’s chemical weapons—thereby giving Russia a major role in the Syrian conflict on par with America’s.
Russia soon took on a role far greater than America’s, moving in men and heavy weaponry and beginning massive airstrikes that for now appear to have turned the tide and at least temporarily preserved Assad’s grip on power.
This isn’t the only Mideast area in which Russia has expanded its influence. In addition to this major foothold in Syria, where Russia has built up its presence on the western coast around a major Russian naval base to project power into the Mediterranean Sea, Russia has signed agreements with Iran to help Iran build more nuclear power plants and modernize its military with the latest Russian arms.
Meanwhile, the overall Middle East chaos continues following Obama’s withdrawal of American forces. With the rise of the Islamic State or ISIS, Iraq and Syria may well become the latest failed states. And Turkey has been flooded with hundreds of thousands fleeing these countries, making it a pipeline of refugees to the offshore Greek islands and thence to European Union nations—refugees infiltrated with terrorists.
The EU, desperate to avoid the problems from the massive influx of immigrants, recently agreed to pay Turkey billions of euros to keep refugees there in exchange for giving millions of Turks the right to freely travel to EU countries—from which millions might choose never to return.

Winners and losers

Senator Lieberman, in the opinion piece cited earlier, described the net effect of American inaction, or in some cases the wrong actions, on the Middle East:
“The military and political disengagement of the United States from Iraq after the success of the surge and our failure to intervene to stop the slaughter in Syria have conspired to create a vacuum in the heart of the Middle East. This vacuum has been exploited by the region’s most dangerous anti-American forces: totalitarian Sunni fanatics and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The result is the creation of a terrorist sanctuary of unprecedented scale and Iranian domination over multiple Arab capitals.”
He went on to explain: “This fits a broader pattern. In too many places in recent years, the United States has treated its adversaries as essential partners to be courted, while dismissing or denigrating its historic allies and partners as inconveniences or obstacles to peace.”
Who have been the big winners as a result of American inaction or wrong actions? In no particular order, Russia, China and Islamic fundamentalism—none of which bodes well for world peace and freedom.
Who have been the big losers? Most notably, the United States, Europe and Israel. Although the ultimate big losers may end up being several smaller nations along the periphery of these countries—weaker nations like Ukraine, the Baltic states, other former Soviet republics, the Philippines, and the long-suffering peoples of the Middle East.
As much or more than anything, what we’re seeing is that we’re suffering from a leadership vacuum. Where have strong leaders such as Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher gone? They’ve been replaced by men and women who think the world is a better place when they “lead from behind”—which in truth means not leading at all and squandering the opportunity and obligation to influence the world for the better.
America’s leaders seem to have lost sense of proportion and of what danger truly is and isn’t. While America seems to view its military more and more as a grand experiment in social experimentation (allowing homosexuals to openly serve, aggressively promoting minorities and women, integrating women into frontline combat units, forcing men and women into close quarters aboard ships and submarines, etc.), its power is degraded further and further.
America has become a nation where a major presidential contender can claim that climate change is a greater threat than global terrorism (and even causes the latter!). A year ago political leaders and media reporters obsessed over gay rights, and then moved to the next supposed outrage, currently transgender rights. As one pundit wryly commented, “I’m sure we’ll be talking about transgendered bathrooms when the [Iranian] mullahs nuke us”!
Surveying today’s chaotic and depressing world scene, can anyone seriously argue that America’s withdrawal from world leadership has led to a better, more prosperous, more sane and stable world?

What is really going on—the untold story

But what is really going on with this major shift in global power? Believe it or not, what we are seeing was foretold in the pages of your Bible several thousand years ago.
Between a fourth and a third of the Bible is prophecy, much of it with an astounding record of precise fulfillment. Much of Bible prophecy concerns “the end time,” “the time of the end” or “the end of the age,” referring to the end of this period of man’s misrule over the earth leading to catastrophic conditions just before the return of Jesus Christ to save us from human extinction. (To learn more, download or request our free study guide Are We Living in the Time of the End? )
Many of those prophecies also concern the modern-day descendants of the ancient kingdom of Israel, which was conquered and its people taken into captivity by the Assyrian Empire in the 700s B.C., after which they largely disappeared from history. But long before that happened, God foretold that these same people would be a world-dominating power blessed with incredible material prosperity and military strength in the period leading up to the close of this age.
How is that possible? The remarkable story, revealed in our free study guide The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy , is that those same people, exiled from their own land and adopting foreign cultures from those around them in their new land, lost the knowledge of their true identity. Migrating westward, they settled in northwestern Europe and the British Isles, from which they spread further to eventually form the nations of the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
These nations were indeed blessed with abundant material resources, fertile agricultural lands, great mineral wealth, and inventive and resourceful people who contributed greatly to world culture and civilization in such areas as medicine, technology, education and the arts. They also contributed enormously to world freedom in the face of the Nazi menace of World War II and the communist threat during the Cold War and Korean conflict.
But now, as we see amply demonstrated around the globe, America and its major allies have largely gone into a posture of retreat—having lost their will to win and exert their power and influence in the right way.
The United States has not won a major war since World War II. Korea ended in a truce. Vietnam ended with an ugly withdrawal, followed soon by a communist takeover. The first Gulf War against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq ended in quick victory, but the dictator was left in power. The war in Afghanistan and the second war in Iraq also ended in military victories, but America lacked the will to follow through—with the result that both descended into chaos and anarchy.

Why is this happening?

But why? Why is this happening? Why can’t the world’s most powerful and advanced military force defeat rebels armed with little more than AK-47s and improvised roadside bombs?
The answer, if we have the heart to understand it, is sin. The same God who so greatly blessed the descendants of Israel and promised them national greatness also warned of what would happen if they turned their backs on their Creator. Notice what He said in Leviticus 26:
“If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit … I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid … You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you … I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you … I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people” (Leviticus 26:3-12).
For the last few centuries the major English-speaking peoples that descended from ancient Israel received these great blessings. For the most part they understood where these blessings came from and gratefully acknowledged God as their source. The United States and Canada even established national holidays for this purpose.
But then astounding societal changes began taking place. In 1962 and 1963 the U.S. Supreme Court declared school-sponsored prayer and Bible readings in public schools to be unconstitutional. In 1973 the same court legalized abortion, which has led to the murder of tens of millions of unborn babies. In 2015 the court declared homosexual marriage legal.
All four decisions overturned long-held moral and societal standards enshrined in state laws for many decades. All four declared the judges’—and society’s—contempt for God and His Word.
With God banned from public life, and murder and perversion legalized as the law of the land, it’s no wonder that hostility toward God has grown by leaps and bounds. Now all too often those who stand up for biblical standards of morality are condemned as bigots, homophobes and “haters.”

We reap what we sow

As these examples show, some want to will God away or pretend that He doesn’t exist. But what is God’s response? “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7, New International Version 1984).
Yes, America is reaping what it has sown in denying God and willfully rejecting His laws. And yes, the consequences are growing more evident by the day.
We read above of the blessings God promised to pour out on His people for honoring and obeying Him. But He also promises that curses will follow denying and rejecting Him.
He warns in Leviticus 26: “If you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do this to you …” (Leviticus 26:14-16).
The list of curses that follows sounds remarkably like our headlines on any given day!
“I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it” (Leviticus 26:16).
How often do we see the word “terror” in our headlines? God foretold this nearly 3,500 years ago! What about strange diseases that consume us and bring heartbreak? The Zika virus is one of several frightening new maladies affecting us. Our hospitals are plagued with strange new infections that are impervious to most antibiotics. Long-vanquished diseases like tuberculosis are making a comeback—often due to our own government bringing or allowing in thousands of infected immigrants.
“I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you” (Leviticus 26:14-16).
Why has the United States so suddenly lost so much of its respect and world standing? Why do our enemies not only no longer fear us, but mock us? Terrorists and terror states like North Korea and Iran openly threaten to attack America and its allies with weapons of mass destruction. Even Fidel Castro, Cuba’s former longtime dictator, mocked and ridiculed President Obama barely a few days after his visit to Havana!
God further says: “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. I will break the pride of your power … And your strength shall be spent in vain …” (Leviticus 26:18-20).
As noted earlier, America possesses the world’s most advanced and powerful military capabilities. Yet it hasn’t won a major war in decades. In the last decade it’s again been worn down by outgunned and outmanned guerilla fighters. America still has great power, but it simply no longer uses it—for reasons of fear, of guilt, of political correctness, or just because its leaders no longer believe in the rightness of its cause.
And the result is an incredibly dangerous power vacuum into which the forces of chaos and darkness are rushing headlong!

What will you do?

None of this makes any sense—until you realize that powerful spiritual forces are at work, including spiritual laws that, when broken, break the lawbreakers. We are indeed reaping what we have sown—and denying it doesn’t do away with the terrible consequences!
America is heading down a dark and dangerous path, and so is the rest of the world. Bible prophecy reveals where this path will lead—to a terrifying conclusion where, if not for God’s direct intervention, human life would be exterminated from all the earth (Matthew 24:21-22).
You don’t need to tread this same path. You’re offered a much different way, a far better way, revealed in the pages of this magazine and your Bible. Instead of a vacuum of purpose in your life, you can fill your life with the understanding and real power that comes only from God.
We hope and pray that you’ll choose wisely!
United States Bible Prophecy

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