Memorial Day for Servants of God

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Memorial Day for Servants of God


A commentary by Jerold Aust





God remembers His faithful and fallen servants. In Hebrews 11 we find a list of some of the true heroes of faith.



A grieving mother expresses her pain for the loss of her son who died in Iraq in July 2007. From usatoday.com, here are her words:



"It has been three months today that you have been laid to rest. The pain still persists and has not eased one bit ... I have cried and cried until my eyes have dried.



"But because of our loving God and the Grace he provides us, I am able to get out of bed and care for your brothers. I am able, by his Grace, to lift my head high and be PROUD of my son, Dane, for he IS a HERO in the minds and hearts of so many.



"Love, Mom"



Memorial Day in America

America has just observed another Memorial Day to commemorate its fallen servicemen. This custom began following the Civil War when families in local communities gathered to honor those who had lost their lives in that struggle.



Congressman John A. Logan, a retired general, was exceptionally instrumental in officially instituting Memorial Day on May 5, 1868 as a time for the entire nation to honor its fallen soldiers.



A Book of Remembrance

God also remembers His faithful and fallen servants. In Hebrews 11 we find a list of some of the true heroes of faith. They include some of His outstanding servants from the time of Abel to Enoch and from Noah to the time of Abraham and Sarah. Tribute to Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses is also given (verses 4-11, 20-26).



Unable to list every biblical hero, the author of Hebrews comments: "And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets ..." (verse 32).



God also memorializes all of His faithful servants with a special book of remembrance. "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name" (Malachi:3:16Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.).



The hope of the dead

Yes, God never forgets His faithful servants (Luke:12:4-7[4]And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.[5]But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.[6]Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?[7]But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.). He never forsakes them (1 Samuel:12:22For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.). He knows those who are His (2 Timothy:2:19Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.). He views them as the apple of His eye (Zechariah:2:8For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.).



He also shows that the present world is not worthy of the ultimate sacrifice made by so many of His faithful servants (Hebrews:11:38(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.). Were it not for their faithfulness we are told that no flesh would saved alive at the end of the great tribulation (Matthew:24:22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.).



Yet Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live ... Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment" (John:5:25-29[25]Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.[26]For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;[27]And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.[28]Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,[29]And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation., New American Standard Bible).



Spiritual warfare

All Christians have battles to fight. The apostle Paul explains the purpose of that spiritual warfare.



"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians:10:3-5[3]For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:[4](For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)[5]Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;, New Revised Standard Version).



Dedicated Christians are told: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but ... against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians:6:11-12[11]Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.[12]For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.).



Where are the trumpets, the bands, the readings, the speeches and the fanfare for those who gave their lives in the service of God? Even though at the present time there may be no special ceremonies to honor them they will never be forgotten by God.



A mother's grief turned to joy

This commentary began with a mother's sorrow for her fallen son. The Scriptures assure us that she and her son will one day be reunited; and their reunion will be joyous.

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What Have We Learned?

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What Have We Learned?


A commentary by Darris McNeely



This weekend marks the 60th anniversary of the Normandy landings by Allied troops. Leaders from the United States, France and Britain, and, for the first time, Germany, will gather to commemorate one of the most important events of the 20th century.



I have a ritual every year on Memorial Day. I pop into my VCR an animated Peanuts special entitled, "What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown"? It's a program that takes the beloved Peanuts characters through a tour of famous European battlegrounds. Their tour includes a visit to Flanders Field from World War I where, according to the poem, "the poppies blow, between the crosses row on row."



The words of this haunting poem continue, "We are the Dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and were loved, and now we lie in Flanders fields."



Sadly, mankind did not learn the lesson from this "War to End All Wars." Only 21 years later, the world plunged into another global war. The Peanuts characters move on to the scene of another great battle of that conflict—Normandy, where allied troops stormed the French beaches to begin the liberation of Europe from Nazi control.



As the camera looks over the calm white beaches and rocky cliffs, scenes from the invasion are superimposed. The characters visit the American cemetery where thousands of young soldiers are buried. This plot of land was permanently deeded to America by the French government. As the characters walk among the graves, the words of Dwight Eisenhower, who commanded the allied forces that June morning, serve as a fitting testimony to the action.



Eisenhower had returned to Normandy 20 years after the invasion and recorded a documentary for American television. He said: "Many thousands of men came here to storm these beaches for one purpose only. Not to gain anything. Not to fulfill any ambitions that America had for conquest. But just to preserve freedom, systems of self-government. Many thousands of men have died for ideals such as these. In the 20th century, for the second time, America, along with the rest of the free world, had to come across the ocean to defend those same values.



"But these young boys . . . over whose graves we have been treading . . . contemplating their sacrifices . . . They never knew the great experiences of going through life. I devoutly hope that we never again have to see scenes as these. I pray, think, hope that humanity will have learned more than we learned up to that time. We must find some way to work for peace and . . . gain an eternal peace."



This weekend marks the 60th anniversary of the Normandy landings by Allied troops. Leaders from the United States, France and Britain, and, for the first time, Germany, will gather to commemorate one of the most important events of the 20th century. It is likely to be the last big commemoration of this event. Thousands of World War II veterans, called by some "the greatest generation," die each week. In a few short years their voices will be silenced.



My father landed in the first wave on Omaha Beach as a combat engineer. He survived while many of his buddies died on the beach. One of his friends, from his hometown, was shot in the legs and carried onto the beach by my father. Years later I would hear him say that he did not wish to see any young man have to go through the experience of war as he did. For this veteran, war was a life-altering experience. It was one he would have rather not gone through.



What have we learned? Not enough to bring peace among nations. Wars and conflicts continue to create new graves with the same echoes of unrealized hope.



We continue to look and wait with hope for the time when Jesus Christ will restore a government of peace upon the earth as described by the prophet Isaiah. It is his thoughts found in Isaiah:2:4And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. that offer us a different future. Those words state, ". . . Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."



To better understand the hopeful future Jesus Christ and the Bible reveal, request or download your free copy of The Gospel of the Kingdom.

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Jerusalem's Deep Divide

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Jerusalem's Deep Divide

A commentary by Darris McNeely

If you go to Jerusalem as a tourist today, you can visit the Western Wall, the Temple Mount and other sites throughout the city virtually unencumbered.



Overshadowed by the passage of a health care bill this week was the growing rift between the United States and the state of Israel over plans to continue building additional housing in portions of Jerusalem long contested between the Israelis and Arabs.



The problems erupted a couple of weeks ago while Vice President Joe Biden was in Israel at the same time the planned expansion was announced. This created an embarrassing furor. This week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington and held more than three hours of private talks on Tuesday with President Obama.



At issue is not only this planned housing expansion, but also the special alliance between the two countries. America has been Israel's biggest supporter, something that takes its toll on American relations in the Arab world. Israel will push ahead with its housing plans, but it cannot afford to lose America's support.



I have been watching this carefully. In recent trips to Israel I have clearly seen the growth of the city and the new housing springing up in disputed neighborhoods. I have a personal interest because I spent a summer living in one of the Arab neighborhoods of east Jerusalem, which is now the focus of this expansion. In the Sheik Jarrah section sits the now abandoned Shepherd Hotel where, in 1971, I lived while working on an archaeological dig. The building is slated to be torn down and a 20-unit apartment complex is due to be built by a wealthy Jew from New York.



Since 1967 Jerusalem has been a unified city under Israeli control. During the period it has gone through unprecedented growth while being the focus of religious and ethnic strife. It is the capital of Israel while Palestinians want part of the city to form the capital of their independent state. It is an impenetrable conflict that threatens the stability of the region, which is always on the verge of a wider conflict. What began as a conflict between two peoples has become a clash of civilizations.



Regardless of how one falls in the arguments between Palestinians and Israelis, and I have personally heard the stories of both Palestinian refugees and Israeli settlers, there is the undeniable fact that since 1967 all major faiths have had access to the religious and historical shrines of the city. If you go to Jerusalem as a tourist today, you can visit the Western Wall, the Temple Mount and other sites throughout the city virtually unencumbered. You could not do this before 1967. It is now an open city. But it is also a city of dispute and contention because of the politics and religious tension.



Jerusalem today is far from being the "City of Truth" (Zechariah:8:3Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.). It is still a "heavy stone" before the nations (Zechariah:12:3And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.). It is a city I love to visit and one in which I feel safe and quite comfortable. Jerusalem gets in your blood and excites the senses. It takes nothing more than a walk through the narrow streets of the Old City or across its sprawling hills to see why it has been a magnet through the centuries for pilgrims and prophets and all who seek to understand God's will on earth.



Jewish tradition calls Jerusalem the center of the world. One day it will indeed be the center of a world at peace under the reign of Jesus Christ the Messiah. All nations will stream to it to learn of God's eternal way of truth (Isaiah:2:3And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.).



God speed the day when Jerusalem truly becomes the City of Peace.



Keep watching!

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World News and Trends: Stubborn problems afflict America

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World News and Trends: Stubborn problems afflict America


article by Jerold Aust, John Ross Schroeder





On the surface, March was a very good month for the ambitions of President Barack Obama. First the health-care legislation he called for passed the U.S. Congress, and shortly afterwards a deal to reduce nuclear arsenals was concluded with Russia.



On the surface, March was a very good month for the ambitions of President Barack Obama. First the health-care legislation he called for passed the U.S. Congress, and shortly afterwards a deal to reduce nuclear arsenals was concluded with Russia.



But will cuts in military spending even begin to pay for the enormous costs of his health-care legislation? Will America ultimately have to trim its defenses much more to deal with its incredibly high national debt? Is Washington still on a slippery slope when it comes to lowering its debt level to a reasonable amount?



Bronwen Maddox, chief foreign commentator for The Times of London, summed up the American debt conundrum: "To cut a budget deficit that reached a record of $1.4 trillion in 2009, defence is an obvious target. The share of costs going to military personnel is rising—and that will squeeze the amount free for new equipment. It inevitably undermines any willingness even to contemplate new wars" ("America Counts the Cost of Going to War," The Times, March 29, 2010).



As if to underline a determination to pull back on American military power, on April 6 President Obama announced a dramatic change in U.S. policy, allowing U.S. nuclear retaliation only if America were attacked with nuclear weapons. His new policy forbids U.S. forces from using nuclear weapons to retaliate against non nuclear countries even if the country were to be hit with biological or chemical weapons or crippling cyberattack. At the same time he announced that America would not develop any new nuclear weapons.



On another front, an international report strongly indicates that American educational standards are slipping. Said New York Times correspondent Sam Dillon: "One of the world's foremost experts on comparing national systems has told members of the U.S. Congress that many other countries are surpassing the United States in educational attainment, including Canada, where he said 15-year-old students were, on average, more than one school year ahead of American 15-year olds" ("Many Countries Pass US on Education, Global Experts Say," International Herald Tribune, March 11, 2010).



The enormous educational advantage the United States had over other nations after World War II has evaporated with time. Andreas Schleicher, a senior education officer at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), stated, "Among OECD countries, only New Zealand, Spain, Turkey and Mexico now have lower high school completion rates than the U.S." (ibid.).



Foreign policy is another area of serious concern. Jay Solomon and Peter Spiegel focused on some of America's diplomatic difficulties in a Wall Street Journal article written from Moscow. They pointed out that "leaders from Brasilia to Beijing sling arrows at the Obama administration ..."



They also stated that "a string of public rebukes of U.S. foreign policy in recent weeks, from Jerusalem to Red Square, is highlighting how the global goodwill U.S. President Barack Obama enjoyed on taking office last year has often failed to translate into foreign-policy wins ...



"White House diplomatic initiatives aimed at wooing adversaries such as Iran, Syria, and North Korea into renouncing their weapons systems and support of terrorism are also showing little signs of progress" ("Nations Decline to Follow U.S.'s Lead," March 22, 2010). (Sources: The Times [London], The Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune.)

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In Brief: Global Political Trends Threaten America's World Leadership

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In Brief: Global Political Trends Threaten America's World Leadership


by Fred Nance and John Ross Schroeder

Americans appear to be very edgy these days. According to a Gallup Poll sponsored by USA Today, "Almost three-fourths of them...don't like the way things are going in the country. Given economic deprivation and political division, plus war [and] terrorism..., who would?" (Jan. 6, 2010).



Gideon Rachman, a regular columnist for the Financial Times, provides us with some specifics. "Ever since 1945, the US has regarded itself as the leader of the 'free world.' But the Obama administration is facing an unexpected and unwelcome development in global politics. Four of the biggest and most strategically important democracies in the developing world—Brazil, India, South Africa and Turkey—are increasingly at odds with American foreign policy.



"Rather than siding with the US on the big international issues, they are just as likely to line up with authoritarian powers" ("America Is Losing the Free World," Jan. 5, 2010, emphasis added throughout).



For a short time following the collapse of the Berlin Wall in late 1989, the previous bipolar world of the United States and the Soviet Union became the undisputed unipolar world of an economically and militarily unchallenged America.



This didn't last long. British journalist Bryan Appleyard observed in The Sunday Times Magazine: "Japan, having grown rich since 1945 under the umbrella of American security..., began to look to China for its trading future. And auto-cratic regimes are realising they may not have to listen to Western lectures about human rights any more. They can turn to the pragmatic Chinese" ("The Gathering Clouds," Dec. 27, 2009).



During the past 100 years, the United States has been accorded a singular opportunity to provide leadership in the world at large. Now, American influence is rapidly beginning to wane in the world. Why?



One pivotal reason, often discounted by a largely secular media, involves our disappearing moral standards. Paradoxically this most prosperous of the nations also ranks among the most immoral. Larger numbers of Americans increasingly ignore the plain teachings of the Bible—casting aside the Ten Commandments as a basic moral code and guide to our national conduct.



The essence of the whole American story—historically, morally and prophetically bound up in its legacy as one of the major modern descendants of the biblical patriarch Joseph—remains relatively unknown to the general public. To understand the implications of this intriguing truth, read our booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy. WNP

May 21 Judgment Day?

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May 21 Judgment Day?


A commentary by Michael Snyder




Many individuals, past and present, have made false and misleading claims about the end times. Harold Camping is the most recent of these. While such people feel like they are doing the work of God, in reality they are producing skepticism and a lack of faith when their prophecies fail. We must treat God's Word with respect and care when teaching about prophecy.





"Judgment Day" billboard near Cincinnati, Ohio.

Source: Aaron BoothIn recent weeks a considerable amount of media attention has centered on the assertions of Harold Camping, an 89-year-old minister who believes that the world will experience a kind of "judgment day," beginning on May 21, 2011. Camping, who is a founder of a California-based media network called Family Radio, bases his assertions on his personal understanding of the Bible.



History shows that many, many people have developed personal interpretations of certain passages from the Bible, leading them to believe that Jesus Christ would return or other events of divine origin would take place over the past centuries. To date, none of these personal interpretations have come to pass as predicted.



We must handle prophecy carefully

The United Church of God recognizes that a considerable portion of the Bible is devoted to prophetic teachings, specifically including a recognizable sequence of events that will presage the return of Jesus Christ. Jesus will return to set up the literal world-encircling Kingdom of God, which Jesus Himself declared through many biblical passages. The United Church of God also holds true to what Jesus Himself firmly stated regarding when these events would take place. As He told His disciples: "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority" (Acts:1:7And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power., emphasis added throughout). This reflects what Jesus had told His disciples earlier, preserved in what is known as the Olivet Prophecy. Concerning the time when God will intervene in human affairs, Jesus was very specific: "But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matthew:24:36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.). Christ urges His followers to always be prepared, "for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Matthew:24:44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.).



False prophets don't properly handle God's Word

As students and scholars of the Bible know, both the Old and New Testaments show that God Himself has a plan for all of humanity, and it is God's will that all should be given the opportunity for salvation. Neither God nor Jesus espouses "universal destruction" in biblical accounts. Instead, many biblical accounts point to an incredible future time when peace and prosperity will engulf the earth under the benevolent and loving reign of Jesus Christ as "King of kings" in the literal Kingdom of God.



The Bible does speak of a time ahead in this human age when chaos will erupt, leading up to the time when Jesus Christ will Himself return to cut short devastating global turmoil (Matthew:24:22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.). Unfortunately, when some people ignore the teachings of Jesus that no man or woman can know the specific hour or day of prophetic events, the magnitude and importance of these prophetic teachings can seem a bit diminished. When the events don't happen as some predict, the credibility of God's message may be temporarily affected. That is indeed unfortunate, as they will come to pass, and—as Jesus plainly stated—at a time when many will not expect. They will be caught off-guard.



The Church's responsibility

Thus the United Church of God recognizes that it is the duty of the Church to openly teach and proclaim these true prophetic messages. It is the responsibility of the Church to do so in a way that people gain real understanding—that these prophetic events will come to pass as a result of humanity's wholesale disobedience to God's way of life, as revealed in the Law of God and the teachings of the Bible. God and Jesus are very plainspoken in biblical accounts: If you obey God, keep His commandments and do them, then you are promised many good things, both in this life and in the life to come. That is why God declared first to the ancient Israelites and today to us: "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life" (Deuteronomy:30:19I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:).



Sadly, unlike what has presently attracted much attention, May 21, 2011, is not the prophesied "Judgment Day." That day will come, but in a completely different manner and for a completely different reason. God is a God of love, and as Jesus noted, it is His good pleasure to give us the Kingdom of God (Luke:12:32Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.), a time of peace and plenty without end.



For more information, you are invited to review these short topical summaries published by the United Church of God: "Are We Living in the Time of the End?" "God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind" and "Does the Bible Teach 'A Secret Rapture'?"

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Where Are China and India Really Headed?

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Where Are China and India Really Headed?


Western foreign policy increasingly has to take the Asian nations into account. As one astute observer recently put it, "The center of geostrategic gravity has shifted eastwards." So an important question lies before us: Is another Eastern axis power going to emerge on the world scene and dominate all of Asia just as Japan did during the Second World War?

by John Ross Schroeder

China is no longer an isolated power, and India has recently emerged as a world economic force to be reckoned with. Some financial experts believe that China could overtake America economically in another 25 years and India will be number three, just behind the United States .



How will the West react? Noted Financial Times writer Philip Stephens recently gave this assessment: "The questions that will vex Mr. Blair's successors [in Britain] will be about if and how China, India and other rising powers can be peacefully accommodated in a new international order; or whether we will see the return in Asia and elsewhere of the balance of power politics once familiar in Europe" (emphasis added throughout).



Diplomatic relations with these Eastern nations will gradually move from the margins of Western foreign policy to the center. There will be no other viable choice.



Two rising economic giants



Certainly both China and India will be having increasingly greater impact on the global economic order. Consider this important fact that we cannot ignore: In excess of a third of the world's population resides in these two Asian countries. Both are growing at substantially faster rates than any nations in the Western world.



Surprisingly, this growth is not exactly new in nature. According to Martin Sorrell, cochairman of the India Economic Summit, "If we go back to 1825, we would find that India and China represented the same proportion of worldwide GDP that they are forecast to represent in 2025. And this is a 200 year economic cycle that we are seeing" (World Economic Forum).



This rapid growth is occurring in spite of enormous social problems in both countries, particularly the AIDS epidemic in India. Still, some observers expect economic growth rates to reach double-digit figures before long.



A Sino-Indian accord



We should not forget that these two countries share a 3,500-kilometer (more than 2,000-mile) border. In 1962 in the Sikkim province of northeast India, a two-month armed conflict broke out between China and India. Serious tensions continued long after the truce.



As Dan McDougall of Scotsman.com news reported: "For the past 43 years both nations have bitterly contested their territories on the roof of the world." That is, until late last summer when the two countries signed a joint declaration with so-called "cartographic diplomacy" becoming the order of the day.



Both China and India compromised on key points soothing long-standing border disputes. But this was not all. Among the wide-ranging agreements were bilateral trade, joint petroleum, gas and space exploration and, perhaps much more disturbing, additional accords of joint cooperation between China's 2.5-million-strong army and the 1.3-million-man Indian defense force.



What all this means is patently obvious. As long as there are serious tensions between China and India, the rest of the world might breathe a little easier. But united, these two Asian powers constitute a formidable force from the east. We also must not forget that both nations possess nuclear arms.



As the "World View" feature in Newsweek magazine recently stated: "Thirty years of lectures on nonproliferation and sanctions have done nothing to stop, slow down or make safer India's nuclear program."



Still, President Bush is currently trying to put a cap on the number of Indian nuclear weapons. According to Asian Age, "U.S. President George W. Bush has made it very clear that all 'partners' under his new $250-million 'Global Nuclear Energy Partnership' proposal will have to agree to use nuclear power only for civilian purposes and forego uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities that can be used to develop nuclear weapons."



Yet at the same time, France and India are currently strengthening nuclear ties and have recently forged a new bilateral defense agreement.



The "kings from the east"



Where are all these events taking us in the long run? Prophetically, the Bible speaks specifically of the "kings from the east." It tells us that near the time of the very end of this age of man, the great Euphrates River will be dried up "so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared" (Revelation 16:12).



This passage is referring to the movements of massive armies that will attack the coming European-centered superpower not long before the second coming of Jesus Christ.



A giant Asian superpower is prophesied to emerge, perhaps comprised of several large nations supported by an array of small ones. This heavily populated power bloc will execute one of the key events that will bring this age of man to an abrupt end and ironically help pave the way for Christ's coming millennial reign.



Trade and economic expansion will precede the main military effort. The armies of the east are currently nowhere near as large as they are biblically prophesied to become. Meanwhile the People's Republic of China is gradually pulling those levers that will eventually put it in a position of undisputed leadership among the Asian nations (at the expense of the United States).



Where is this world headed?



It is enormously important for us to understand how these future events fit together in a coherent manner. Only the Bible gives us accurate information about the overall destiny of nations. No other reliable source is available to humankind.



The United Church of God has published several key booklets about Bible prophecy. They draw these future events together, showing us the ultimate outcome of present world trends.



For starters, please request You Can Understand Bible Prophecy, Are We Living in the Time of the End? and The Book of Revelation Unveiled. All three are free for the asking. WNP