Our time truly fulfills the words that  Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke at the beginning of the Great Depression: “This  generation has a rendezvous with destiny.” Far more than the 1930s generation,  which was then fast approaching the most destructive war in the world’s  history, we, today, truly have a rendezvous  with destiny! A world-shaking crisis is inexorably building and  will, in the near future, explode the appearance of normalcy that still  pervades Western civilization at this time.

Presently, the news media is randomly  reporting tragic events, explaining their significance in a way that the  average man or woman can understand. You need to know that the progression of  disturbing news stories is not random and inconsequential. In fact, they foreshadow  remarkable key trends and specific events that will change everything you are  familiar with in the next few decades!

How can anyone know the future for sure?  Who really understands the big picture?

There is one Source who really knows  what will happen. Did you realize that about one-fourth of the entire Bible is  prophecy, and that about 90 percent of all prophecy is for “the end time”—the  time just ahead of us?

These predicted events  are sure. Of course, some  people are not interested in Bible prophecy. But they should be, since it will  affect their own lives, their families, their jobs and their futures. There is  a real God, and the Bible speaks for Him. God inspired the words of these  prophecies, and they are sure. We  had better wake up and believe they will happen! By the time you finish reading this booklet your eyes will be opened to  understand the significance of today’s news and where it is all leading.

Notice what the Apostle Peter wrote  about the Bible’s prophecies: “So we have seen and proved that what the  prophets said came true. You will do well to pay close attention to everything  they have written, for, like lights shining into dark corners, their words help  us to understand many things that otherwise would be dark and difficult.… For no  prophecy recorded in Scripture was ever thought up by the prophet himself. It  was the Holy Spirit within these godly men who gave them true messages from  God” (2 Peter 1:19–21, The Living Bible).  Why did God preserve these prophecies for us? Because the great God is working  out a marvelous purpose here below, nationally and individually. We need to  study God’s inspired prophecies if we wish to understand His purpose!

Do you know what the most important news  story of our generation will be? What is the biggest event that will shake the entire earth within the lifetime  of most of you? The Second Coming of Christ will be the most important event of this generation.  Christ is coming back!

Make no mistake about it. Jesus’ return  will not happen secretly off in some cave with no one knowing about it. Jesus  Christ will literally come back to the city of Jerusalem, to the top of the  Mount of Olives, to begin governing the entire earth! There will be a divine, one-world government. What a  shock that will be to all humanity!

This event is specifically predicted  throughout the Old and New Testaments of your Bible. Hundreds of millions of  people at least superficially believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. The Second Coming is  predicted in each of the four Gospels, in the book of Acts and in the epistles  of Paul, James, Peter and John. Jesus’ return is the focal point of the entire  book of Revelation. If you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, then  you must believe in the Second Coming of Christ.

If the King of kings is soon returning  to establish the Kingdom of God upon this earth, you should be getting ready  for it. You should know how it will affect your business, your economic future,  your personal safety and everything around you.

You can know what the signs are that will precede Christ’s  coming and watch for them. Why stay in  ignorance about the meaning of the events taking place around you?  Jesus commands His genuine  disciples to watch and to be ready. “Watch therefore, and pray always that you  may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to  stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).

Your entire life is about to change.  Events will unfold soon to destroy the Western world’s way of life as we have  known it.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke  each contain an account of Christ teaching His disciples what to watch for  before He returns. Luke wrote: “So you, likewise, when you see these things  happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all  things are fulfilled. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words  will by no means pass away” (Luke 21:31–33).

Jesus Christ gave a series of signs that  must occur before He returns. Evidently, the fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy  would happen within the lifetime of one generation—once the signs relative to  that specific prophecy begin. So Christ is coming back to this earth, but not right away. Not until these signs have occurred! People who go running around  mouthing their own ideas and predictions about Christ’s return “tonight” are  false prophets. They are not heeding the words of Jesus Christ. The signs  listed in Jesus’ words must occur first.

Soon, mankind will suffer through the  most devastating, bloody war in human history—called, in biblical terminology,  the “Great Tribulation.” “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has  not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall  be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved [alive]; but  for the elect’s sake [for the sake of God’s repentant, obedient people] those  days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21–22).

We are now approaching that time, and  these things are now being revealed. “Many shall be purified, cleansed, and  refined [God is examining you and me, testing us to see who is willing to obey  His word], but the wicked shall continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked  shall understand, but those who are wise  shall understand” (Daniel 12:10, NRSV).

Do you understand that our degenerate,  corrupt nations are headed for a big fall? Do you fully realize that America’s  national debts are almost out of control and that, proportionately, Canada’s  indebtedness is even greater? Can you grasp the full meaning—in God’s eyes—of  the spiritual and moral toboggan slide of our entire Western civilization?

If you consider yourself a follower of  Jesus, then you should pay close attention to His instruction to you: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you  may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to  stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). Read on, dear reader, to see what  things to “watch” for!

Watch for wars—big wars, little wars,  ethnic wars, wars of all sorts and escalating violence and increasing  lawlessness—which will increasingly affect all of the world, especially the  English-speaking nations.

A common perspective is that the world  will somehow get better. Former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, talked often  about a “new world order” as though there was going to be peace. National  Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor to former U.S.  President George W. Bush, described her vision of U.S. foreign policy as to  “help developing countries move from war to peace, poverty to prosperity, poor  governance to democracy and the rule of law” (Foreign  Affairs, July/August 2008). Yet increasing numbers of people around  the world consider the U.S. a threat to world peace. An April 2007 poll by the  Forsa Institute found that German citizens consider the U.S. the greatest  threat to world peace, with 48 percent naming the U.S. as the main instigator  of war and lawlessness around the globe.

This post–Cold War time is unstable and  extremely volatile. Will peace emerge from the chaos? Brian Urquhart, former  United Nations Undersecretary-General, reminds us that “in the age of  humanitarian intervention, the human catastrophes of failed states and civil  wars will continue to come before the Security Council” (“A Force Behind the  U.N.,” The New York Times, August  7, 2003). Indeed, the “new world order” is only producing a faltering, fading  peace. Events will grow worse, not better.

Why is our civilization bankrupt of  workable solutions to global, peaceful cooperation among nations and ethnic  groups? Norman Lear, long-time television producer and political activist,  clearly delineated the problem in a speech addressed to the National Press Club.  “At no time in my life,” said Lear, “has our culture been so estranged from  spiritual values.… Our problems lie beyond the reach of politics alone.”

The Gospel of Matthew contains Jesus’  prophecy to His disciples about the state of the world just prior to His Second  Coming. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not  troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For  nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 24:6–7).  While humanity has lived with warfare over the millennia, our time in history  is unprecedented because of the massive annihilative potential of modern  weapons and the massive global scale of potential conflict.

Verse 22 is a prophetic qualifier that  only points to our time of high  technology and its awful, brilliantly evil weapons of mass destruction. “And  unless those days were shortened [the time of world war using these new  weapons], no flesh would be saved [human extinction]; but for the elect’s  [God’s repentant, obedient saints] sake those days will be shortened.” Today’s  world is full of widespread wars and rumors of wars. There are many ethnic wars  taking place—not only in the former Yugoslavia, but also in the former Soviet  Union and in many places throughout Africa and Asia. Dozens of regional wars  are now being fought around the world!

America will not escape this increasing  intra-national and international strife. The day will come when the Los Angeles  riots of 1992 and the destruction of the World Trade Center towers in 2001 will  seem like minor skirmishes as America’s old allies become unstable, and its old  alliances fall apart. Civil wars and wars between nation-states will increase.  There will be little wars and big wars, resulting finally in a great war that  will culminate at the battle of Armageddon in the Jezreel Valley in Israel—at  which point Christ will return.

Some think this is alarmist, pessimistic  thinking, unwarranted because of mankind’s innate goodness. Such naïve people  exude a quirky kind of optimism, proclaiming in the best “Pollyanna” tradition,  “Oh, things are going to get better.” Well, as a minister of God, I am  commissioned to tell you they are not going to get better until after Christ returns. Yes, there is  a wonderful Tomorrow’s World, but realistically you should realize that life  will grow very dark and desperate before a new world dawns.

Have you noticed the completely  inexplicable outbreaks of violence—random shootings, murders and mass killings?  Jesus Christ predicted this societal breakdown just before his return. “And  because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew  24:12). In the United States, we used to think we were a Christian society;  perhaps some still do. But today, our leisure time entertainment—television,  movies and the Internet—rivals ancient Rome’s lust for sex, drugs (including  alcohol), violence and brutality.

Paradoxically, the United States and  Canada have remarkably high percentages of their population who say they  believe in God and go to church regularly. This hypocritical national behavior  was foreseen as characteristic of the human society existing just before the  Messiah’s return.

The Apostle Paul was inspired to write:  “But know this, that in the last days perilous  times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,  boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of  good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of  God, having a form of godliness but  denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1–5).

Men deny the authority of God, despite a  show of religiosity. Paul commands, under inspiration of God, “From such people turn away” (v. 5)! Get  away from people who talk about religion, but deny the authority of God,  because they will mislead you. They will confuse you. This sassy, sarcastic,  lust-filled generation is headed for big, big trouble. You need to recognize  that and not be a part of it.

The sign of wars, increasing violence  and lawlessness is the first thing to watch for.

Drought and famine—lack of rain and lack  of food—will stalk the earth on a massive scale never seen before. Yes, these  things will become much, much worse.

When there is drought you also have  wildfires—range fires and forest fires. After the fires have burned off the  brush, there is always the danger of floods when it resumes raining because  there is no vegetation in the burned area’s watershed to retain the  precipitation. These catastrophes of drought, famine, fire and flood naturally  tend to go together. In Matthew 24:7, Jesus predicted: “And there will be famines.” Worldwide  famines will engender vicious competition and strife among nations over food.  This will mean increased political and military danger, especially for the  United States, Britain and the British-descended peoples, whose lands have  typically been seen as the breadbasket of the world.

Those of us living in the advanced,  developed world have thought these things would only occur in places like  India, Bangladesh or Africa. How could famine happen to us? It is practically  unthinkable to suggest that one dark day the supermarkets and restaurants would  have to close due to lack of food! But famine, the pain of empty stomachs, will  occur in the United States of America, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, Australia  and elsewhere among the English-speaking peoples of the world. Let us  understand what God says and why.

Most people just do not understand that  it is God Almighty who controls the weather and that He sometimes uses this  power to punish nations that displease Him! King Solomon knew this. During the  dedication of God’s temple in Jerusalem he acknowledged God’s power, “When the  heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they [the people] have sinned  against You…” (1 Kings 8:35). Does God collectively punish a nation for mocking  or ignoring His moral, ethical standards? You bet He does! “For we know Him who  said, ‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord  will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the  living God” (Hebrews 10:30–31).

The book of Revelation confirms this  coming famine. “When he had broken the third seal [shortly before the coming of  Christ], I heard the third Living Being [an angelic personage] say, ‘Come!’ And  I saw a black horse, with its rider holding a pair of balances in his hand. And  a voice from among the four Living Beings said, ‘A loaf of bread for $20, or  three pounds of barley flour, but there is no olive oil or wine’” (Revelation  6:5–6, The Living Bible).

Yet God is merciful and patient with  individuals and nations that have a change of heart. Solomon also understood  this point when he prayed, “…when they [the people] pray toward this place and  confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, then hear  in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You  may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and give rain on Your  land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance” (1 Kings 8:35–36).

We need to recognize that God controls the weather! He punishes His  own people when needed. If our nations would return to God with heartfelt  repentance, and begin to keep His laws and live His way, then these plagues  need not come. But how many of you believe this will really happen? How many of  you believe that our nations will have a heartfelt repentance and get back to  the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel? I think most of us know better. I wish  they would, but I doubt that they will. Regrettably, our nations have some very hard lessons to learn about thumbing  their noses at God.

God prophesies that earthquakes and other natural catastrophes  will increase as we approach the end of this age.

Los Angeles is regarded as the media  capital of the world. More rotten, vile movies and television shows featuring  murder, mayhem and illicit and perverted sex are produced in Los Angeles than  in any place else in the world. California has long been regarded as the  “leading edge” of almost any form of perversion known to man. So the great God  who guides the affairs of men and nations has every right to punish such degeneracy and rebellion  against His laws and His ways by a people He has blessed so much. And the  people in California—as in most parts of the English-speaking world—have had many chances to learn the Truth in the  past if they had any genuine interest.

“Why pick on Los Angeles?” some local  journalists have asked. The better question would be, “Why not?” Maybe a good  shaking up will get people’s attention!

Yet earthquakes affect people all around  the world—not just in southern California. And Scripture tells us that, before  Jesus Christ returns, there will be increasing “earthquakes in various places”  (Mark 13:8; Matthew 24:7). In the last few years, most of you realize that  there have been frequent earthquakes, sometimes in unusual places. This trend  will continue because the Bible indicates that it will. Jesus Christ prophesied  of them. And you, too, should be expecting them. Watch, as the number and  magnitude of earthquakes grow, because they will become extremely devastating.

There had been earthquakes even in  ancient times, as mentioned in the writings of Josephus (Antiquities, bk. 15, chap. 5, sec. 2). The  Bible records specific instances of earthquakes in the past and predicts them  in the future (Zechariah 14:4–5).

These earth-jarring occurrences arise  from natural shifts and changes in the earth’s mantle, especially along  worldwide earthquake belts or fault lines. As journalist William Broad pointed  out, a million people died in earthquakes during the 20th century, and  scientists acknowledge that the 21st “might see 10 times as many deaths, with a  million lost in a single blow” (“Earthquakes: A Matter of Luck, Most of It  Bad,” New York Times, September  28, 1999).

U.S. Geological Survey scientists  reported in May 2008 that a 7.8 magnitude quake along the San Andreas Fault  would likely result in more than 50,000 injuries, thousands of deaths, and $200  billion in quake-related damage (“The ShakeOut Scenario,” U.S. Geological  Survey Open File Report 2008-1150). That is in a region where for decades there  has been extensive warning about, and extensive preparation for, earthquakes.  Yet human nature often leads people to ignore warnings. In the wake of China’s  devastating May 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, Chinese scientists have  been quick to point out that they have for decades known the risk of a  potentially catastrophic quake along the very fault that gave way. “But they  say preparations for a quake there were cursory at best, and building codes  remained well short of the codes that have become standard in other well-known  earthquake zones” (“Experts Warned of Quake Risk in China,” New York Times, June 5, 2008).

In the near future, there will be more  earthquakes even in places where they are not normally expected. A report by  the Federal Emergency Management Agency in September 2000 warned that while  California is at greatest risk of severe economic harm from earthquakes, cities  across the U.S. are also at risk of heavy damage—yet are not doing enough to  prevent or prepare for such harm. Earthquake expert John Nance put the matter  into perspective: “The Eastern Seaboard is in more danger than the West because  they are abysmally unprepared, with building standards far less stringent than  California which is ‘earthquake country’ in the thinking of many people. An  earthquake in the American Midwest or somewhere in New England, for instance,  could be devastating because there is so little readiness and the shock from  the unexpected so overwhelming” (“Superquake May Lie Ahead Almost Anywhere in  U.S.,” March 25, 1989).

In recent years, scientists have come to  a better understanding of the immensity and magnitude of the tremendous fault  systems that trace themselves underneath the whole earth. However, not all the  earthquakes of the near future will be natural disasters—the usual groans and  strains of planet earth’s crust. Some will be directly induced by God as a sign of His power, and will be designed  to help people wake up. God will  take a direct hand in the affairs of men. The earthquakes specifically mentioned  by Jesus Christ as a foreshadowing sign of His return will be unusual by their location or unparalleled magnitude.

Why? Most  of us understand. But remember that Jesus Christ directly predicted, “For  nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences,and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7). Have there not always been earthquakes?  Of course. So Jesus must have been speaking of more earthquakes than usual—and more powerful earthquakes. And certainly that is exactly what  has been happening over the past several years!

In Isaiah 29:6, God says of Jerusalem:  “You will be punished by the Lord  of hosts with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with storm and tempest and the flame of  devouring fire.” God says, “I do not change” (Malachi 3:6). He did punish  ancient Jerusalem with earthquakes and storms. Now, He is beginning  to punish modern Israel in the same way.

Dear readers, please watch for increasing  earthquakes as a sign that Christ is coming soon. And if you would  like to know more about God’s intervention in natural phenomena, write for your  free copy of our booklet Who Controls the  Weather?

A plague of disease epidemics is  beginning to worry public health officials all around the world. AIDS is only  the most discussed of these “new” diseases—the ebola virus, “mad cow disease”  and many others scarcely heard of just ten years ago are now worrying public  health experts worldwide. And many old scourges of humanity (malaria and  tuberculosis to name just two) are reemerging as super, drug-resistant diseases  that ignore penicillin and other drugs that were formerly used to combat them!  Of course, degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart disease continue to  affect greater numbers of people, as our food and water supplies become  increasingly tainted with the pollutants of our technological age.

The Bible indicates clearly that future  disease epidemics will be, in part, spread by wild animals (Revelation 6:8).  Some of the worst plagues of humanity have been animal borne, like bubonic plague. Bubonic plague is a  naturally endemic problem among wild animals in certain regions. It is only due  to society’s diligence in maintaining sanitary standards that such problems  stay at the fringes of civilization.

People are aware that whenever society  is disrupted due to war or natural calamities, there is always the threat of  disease. But these disease problems are just a small foretaste of the deadly  contagious pandemics that are  prophesied to sweep the earth. “I heard the fourth Living Being say, ‘Come!’  And now I saw a pale horse, and its rider’s name was Death. And there followed  after him another horse whose rider’s name was Hell. They were given control of one-fourth of the earth, to kill  with war and famine and disease and wild animals” (Revelation 6:7–8, The Living Bible).

The Greek word translated “pale” is chloros, which signifies the pale green or  sickly yellow-greenish color of severe disease. Jesus Christ predicted that  great “pestilences” would be one of the signs to mankind to warn of His  imminent return (Matthew 24:7).

Would God afflict the earth with lethal  disease plagues? Moses was inspired of God to write this: “Now it shall come to  pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord  your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today,  that the Lord your God will set  you on high above all the nations of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:1). God,  speaking directly through Moses, is saying that if His people today would obey  Him, and diligently observe to do His commandments, He would set us on high  above all the nations of the earth. That is exactly what God did for the  ancient Kingdom of Israel at the time of King David. When King David turned to  God with all his heart, He began to bless and prosper Israel magnificently.

But what happened when “the anger of the  Lord was aroused against Israel”  because they were disobeying? (2 Samuel 24:1). “So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the  appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died.  And when the angel stretched out his hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and  said to the angel who was destroying the people, ‘It is enough; now restrain  your hand’” (vv. 15–16). We, whatever our descent or ethnicity, are no better  than those ancient Israelites.

The Old Testament Israelites, who  accepted a relationship with Almighty God, promised to live by His word. They  praised His name with their mouths and thought of themselves as God’s people.  The great God of the universe, however, is not impressed with hypocrisy—mere  words of loyalty and love—but requires us to back up our words with action,  genuineness and honesty.

“What does  it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not  have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute  of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and  filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body,  what does it profit? Thus also  faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.… For as the body without  the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:14–17, 26).

We must show ourselves as being fully  faithful and engaged in our commitments to God. We must do, or at least make  serious efforts to do, all that God requires of us in our family, sexual  relations, business dealings and every other area of life. Why? Notice what God  inspired to be written for our benefit: “But it shall come to pass, if you do  not obey the voice of the Lord  your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I  command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.… The Lord  will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe  burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall  pursue you until you perish.… The Lord  will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with  the itch, from which you cannot be healed. The Lord  will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart” (Deuteronomy  28:15, 22, 27–28). Disease epidemics are clearly a tool used by God to punish disobedient people.

Yes, God will do all  these things to this world, including the modern descendants of Israel, unless  we turn back to God in profound, heartfelt repentance in a way that few people  have ever done.

Awesome times are bearing down on us. We  are not talking about some little thing to be done off in a corner. We are  talking about the most massive, event-by-event intervention by the Creator in the history of this earth. Nothing in the past  can even remotely compare to this. Can you grasp the massive effect these  events will have on your life, and on  everything you have ever known?

Listen! God  is trying to get your attention! These soon-coming events are real.  They will happen. Do not just believe me. Believe  what is written in your Bible. Check up and prove it. That is how  you come to know God. You must know God to receive His protection in this  coming time.

Remember, these coming events will not  occur primarily somewhere off in Africa, Asia or remote from the Western  nations. Disease epidemics will begin to strike America, Britain, Canada, New  Zealand and Australia in a worse way than they have ever done in our entire  history.

In the time of the end, the Bible  predicts that there will arise, in North Africa or the Middle East, a  charismatic personality who will be able to unify, harness and lead a powerful  block of nations in which Egypt will have a key role.

“At the time of the end the king of the  South shall attack him [a power  located north from the king of the South]; and the king of the North shall come  against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and  he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.… He shall stretch out his hand against the  countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall have power over the  treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also  the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at  his heels [will be at his feet or footsteps]” (Daniel 11:40, 42–43).

This is a good example of why you need  to watch the daily newspapers. Your newspaper reading will be very interesting  if you understand Bible prophecy. You will begin to realize, from now on, what  is the significance of the massive arms purchases by Middle Eastern countries  from weapon-producing countries like North Korea, China, Russia and the U.S.

Presently, the whole Islamic world in  the Middle East and North Africa is being enveloped by a wave of resurgent  Islamic fundamentalism. Islamic fundamentalist insurgencies, funded by rogue  states and terrorist organizations, are trying to destabilize the moderate,  Western-leaning, secular regimes currently in power, and are seeking to replace  them with a unified, resuscitated Islamic caliphate (empire)—the prophesied  “king of the South.” The final leader over these reinvigorated Muslim nations  will be a tremendously powerful religio-political false Messiah or “Mahdi” who  will draw his power from a confederation of those nations. He will provoke the  key events written in Daniel 11, which must occur before the return of Jesus  Christ to this earth.

Mideast analyst Michael Slackman  observed: “From Cairo, to Rabat, Morocco, to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the order  that emerged after World War II—long accustomed to encouraging domestic anger  against Israel—has seen its influence and grip on power challenged in the wave  of instability washing across the Middle East. That has roughly coincided with  the rise of the insurgency in Iraq. This region has long been defined by conflict,  and leaders are unafraid to use force to crush opposition. But the current  level of instability has unnerved them. They are not about to be toppled, not  as long as they retain firm control over their security operations. But they  find themselves fighting to maintain stability and credibility, political  analysts said. ‘The ruling regimes cannot disregard or dismiss the influence of  Islamist movements in their countries,’ said Gamal Abdel-Gawwad, who runs the  International Relations unit at the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic  Studies in Cairo. The empowerment of the Islamists has been propelled by events  large and small—the occupation of Iraq, Israel’s war with Hezbollah, the United  States’ support for Israel in that war, Danish cartoons lampooning the Prophet  Muhammad, and most recently comments about Islam made by Pope Benedict XVI”  (“Islamists’ Rise Imperils Mideast’s Order,” New  York Times, September 18, 2006).

Do you think that fanatical Muslims will  not use nuclear or biological weapons if they have the opportunity? You had  better believe they will. And Bible prophecy shows how it will all turn out.  This great charismatic “Mahdi” (Messiah) will gather together the forces of  Islam in a final jihad (holy war)  against the morally corrupt nations of the West, whose religion, lifestyle and  values represent a deadly challenge to the Islamic dream.

He will feel emboldened to provoke or  attack the European Union (Daniel 11:40). This will anger the fierce “king of  the North” and the forces of the king of the South will be completely crushed by this European power.  The king of the North will then come down “like a whirlwind” (v. 40) and take  over the Middle East, including the Holy Land (vv. 41–42). The king of the  North’s armies will seize control of the region’s vast oil reserves (v. 43).

These soon-to-happen events will be  awesome to witness. The “king of the North,” a future European Napoleon or  Hitler type of powerful, dynamic leader, will react mightily with a blitzkrieg  retaliation. This dramatic military response  against the king of the South will set off a chain of other events.

“And they shall defile the sanctuary  fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation” (Daniel 11:31).  As this dual prophecy shows, there will, at the end of this age, either be a temple or a special altar in Jerusalem. The priests of the  family of Aaron will again offer the daily animal sacrifices prescribed in the  Old Testament until a great military power comes in and places there what is  called the abomination of desolation.

The description continues: “At that time  Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your  people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was  a nation, even to that time” (Daniel 12:1). This is talking about the American,  British Commonwealth and Jewish peoples. The great Muslim “king of the South”  will cause a war, and the European “king of the North” will conquer much of the  Middle East. This king of the North also comes west against God’s people at the beginning of the Great  Tribulation. This is the same time Jesus described in Matthew 24:21: “For then  there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the  world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

We need to realize where all these  things are leading, and how they will affect our lives—your life, your family,  your children, your job and your future.

Watch Europe! Revelation 13 describes  the revival of a great military power. The symbolic language that the Apostle  John used—about a fantastic beast rising  up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns—depicts a recurring, evil  political system which has greatly oppressed and heavily influenced the peoples  in Western civilization, and through them, the entire world.

The seven heads represent seven distinct  revivals of this evil empire over a long period of time. The ten horns  represent the ten leaders (kings) of the constituent nations that will make up  this ungodly federation that will, first of all, fight against God’s saints.  “And it was granted to him [the leader of the ungodly empire] to make war with  the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe,  tongue, and nation” (Revelation 13:7). These ten leaders will also fight  against Christ Himself at His return! “And the ten horns which you saw are ten  kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one  hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome  them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful”  (Revelation 17:12–14).
  This final seventh revival will be similar in form to today’s  European Union—ten different nations or groups of nations will be represented  by ten different kings or presidents. These ten heads of state “receive  authority for one hour as kings  with the beast” (v. 12). In other words, they will rule for a very short time along with the final  “Hitler.”

That is shocking! The Bible is  discussing a wholly evil empire that is yet to arise—not some political power  way back in history somewhere. Life in the future will not be “kinder and  gentler.” This final
  system is just ahead of us, and the men and women in this oppressive government  will literally fight Jesus Christ at His  coming!

Right now we are living in an unstable  transition time in world history. Momentous changes are afoot in Europe. More  than 40 years ago, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson remarked, “Europe has been  at peace since 1945. But it is a restless peace that’s shadowed by the threat  of violence.” Now, with the Cold War behind us, and the Berlin Wall a fading  memory, Europe is proceeding toward a unification that would have seemed  improbable to most on that day in March 1957 when France, Germany, Italy and  the Benelux nations signed the Treaty of Rome, establishing the European  Economic Community.

Condoleezza Rice, former National  Security Advisor in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, stated  in the July/August 2008 issue of Foreign  Affairs: “The goal of a Europe whole, free, and at peace is very  close to completion. The United States welcomes a strong, united, and coherent  Europe. There is no doubt that the European Union has been a superb anchor for  the democratic evolution of eastern Europe after the Cold War.”

Yet a “strong, united and coherent”  Europe represents an economic threat to the U.S. economy.  As writer Carter Dougherty pointed out on the  occasion of the tenth anniversary of the European Central Bank, “Paris, Lisbon,  Madrid, Rome and Berlin were each, at some point, the political and economic  capital of an empire, containing the power of New York and Washington combined.  And they all surrendered a piece of their sovereignty to a common currency.…  the euro is the currency of 15 countries and 320 million people, and as  gilt-edged an investment as can be found in the current tumultuous global  economy” (“An Impossible Dream, the Euro Finds Its Way,” New York Times, June 3, 2008).

One of the major characteristics of this  European federated union, described in the Bible as “Babylon the Great,” is its  enormously attractive economic prosperity and wealth. Material goods will  abound for those who cooperate and submit to “Babylon.” The Bible says this  about the coming, wicked federated union, “For all the nations have drunk the  fatal wine of her intense immorality. The rulers of earth have enjoyed  themselves with her, and businessmen throughout the world have grown rich from  all her luxurious living” (Revelation 18:3, The  Living Bible).

Humanity will become seduced by one of  the oldest of false gods—the golden calf of materialism and pleasure.  Revelation 18:12–13 gives a partial listing of the commodities being traded in  “Babylon.” At the end of verse 13 it lists, “…and bodies and souls of men.” The  original Greek text is talking about not only living human beings being sold as  slaves but also the dead corpses of  men.

In Hitler’s Third Reich, human bodies  were sold. Dental gold was picked out of the mouths of gas chamber victims for  remelting into ingots. Skin was used for lampshades. Hair was used to stuff  pillows and make fabric. Could this happen again? Perhaps you did not grow up  during World War II as I did. This is exactly what happened in what was  supposed to be the most educated, cultured nation on earth—Germany! That was  the nation with the greatest number of people with master’s and doctor’s  degrees, proportionately, of any peoples on the earth.

Do not think these things cannot happen  again! God says these things will happen. There will be a revival of an evil  empire in the same spirit as the pagan Roman Empire. It will hate God’s people  and His word.

As of mid-2008, there were 27 nations  associated with the European Union. Yet Scripture describes “ten” nations or  groups of nations as comprising the final “Beast” power. So we can expect old  national boundaries to shift, or some current EU members to quit.  Since EU law requires all 27 nations to  ratify certain important policy documents that would shift greater control away  from individual nations and toward EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, the  resistance of several key states has so far posed a problem for the most  vigorous advocates of European unity. France, Great Britain, Ireland and the  Netherlands have all at one time or another failed to ratify key EU unification  proposals. This has led some EU advocates to call for a “two speed” Europe,  with Germany and other key nations forming an “inner core” of EU members, with  closer economic, military and political cooperation than other EU nations that  retain misgivings.

We do need to understand the momentous  times in which we live. A new world order is in the process of emerging. Will  the present European Union transform itself into “Babylon the Great”? Watch!  The Bible’s prophecies will be  fulfilled before Christ returns—that is the whole point.

A crucial element that will be essential  to the creation of “Babylon the Great” is yet missing from the picture. All of  the awesome empires of the past were led by charismatic, dynamic leaders, such  as Adolf Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte, Charlemagne, Justinian, Julius Caesar,  Alexander the Great and Nebuchadnezzar.

The Bible does give us some information  about this coming “great” leader who will assume political and military control  of “Babylon the Great.” Notice the time setting of this prophecy: “And some of  those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purge them, and make them  white, until the time of the end; because it  is still for the appointed time” (Daniel 11:35). The context of this  prophecy is the end-time. Also, it is important to point out that the nature of  many prophecies is dual. That is to say, there was one preliminary fulfillment  of a prophecy in antiquity, and there is to be a yet future fulfillment of that  scripture.

We learn in Daniel 11 that a powerful  leader is yet to come on the world scene. This “king,” who will rise up in  Europe, “shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself  above every god; shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods…” (Daniel  11:36).

Some Bible students assume this is  talking about the great, end-time false prophet, who will be contemporaneous  with the rising political-military leader. But there are to be two different  individuals involved. Verse 36 is about the secular-power leader—the coming  dictator—who will be a charming flatterer, cunning, egotistical and ruthless. This leader is destined to exalt himself  above any other religious entity. He will be “full of himself.” “Then the king  shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above  every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for  what has been determined shall be done” (Daniel 11:36).

God uses vicious leaders like the coming  “king of the North” to punish His hypocritical people, who say they worship Him  and print His name on their money (the Americans), but do not do the things He
  commands. This future “Hitler” will execute God’s wrath, especially upon the  peoples of America and the British countries, because as nations they have  rejected God’s values and chosen sinful pleasures and conveniences.

“And you, son of man, thus says the Lord  God to the land of Israel [whose  descendants are now living in the U.S.A. and the British countries and other  places]: ‘An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. Now the  end has come upon you, and I will  send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will  repay you for all your abominations. My eye will not spare you, nor will I have  pity; but I will repay your ways, and your abominations shall be in your midst;  then you shall know that I am the  Lord!’

“Thus says the Lord God: ‘A disaster, a singular disaster;  behold, it has come! An end has come, the end has come; it has dawned for you;  behold, it has come! Doom has come to you, you who dwell in the land; the time  has come, a day of trouble is near, and not of rejoicing in the mountains. Now  upon you I will soon pour out My fury, and spend My anger upon you; I will  judge you according to your ways, and I will repay you for all your  abominations. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will repay you  according to your ways, and your abominations will be in your midst. Then you  will know that I am the Lord who strikes’” (Ezekiel 7:2–9).

This coming king of the North “shall  regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any  god; for he shall magnify himself above them all” (Daniel 11:37). This  despicable political leader will cooperate with a false church system for a  time, but he is not attracted to its religious teachings personally, and only  wishes to use it to achieve power. He sees himself above it. In his enormous  ego he tries to make a god out of himself.

“But in their place,” this coming Hitler  type will “honor a god of fortresses,” or a god of munitions, as some  translations have it; “and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor  with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things” (v. 38). This  powerful individual will dedicate tremendous amounts of international resources  to building up his military machine. And he will worship his power and that  military machine. “He shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a  foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall make more wealthy, and shall  appoint them as rulers over many, and shall distribute the land for a price”  (Daniel 11:39, NRSV).

Here is this awesome power of a coming  “Hitler,” and, as we explained, there will be exactly ten nations or groups of  nations eventually in Europe having ten kings or rulers over them. They will  give their power and strength to this coming dictator, this “Hitler,” for a  short time just before Christ’s return. And as verse 40 shows, this European  power-bloc will also fight against the Islamic power block to the south.

One of the definite “signs of the  end-times,” which will herald the close of this present evil age, is the  arrival on the scene of a great false  religious leader, called in the Bible the “false prophet” (Revelation 19:19–21). This religious leader  will possess great charisma, and will exercise a very powerful influence over a  political power—the soon-coming “Beast” (Revelation 13, 17, 19). He will be the  long-prophesied, influential head of  a great, militant church in Europe. Together, this combination of personal  charisma and awesome power to influence others, will have an enormous effect on  the future of the nations of the Western world.

This coming false religious leader—a leader who is prophesied to sit  astride the end-time “Beast” (the revival of a governmental system having  characteristics similar to the old Holy Roman Empire, which was a combination  of church and state) is described in Isaiah 47. “Come down and sit in the dust,  O virgin daughter of Babylon” (v.  1). Notice this is a daughter of  ancient Babylon. A modern sort of Babylon is to rise up! “Sit on the ground  without a throne, O daughter of  the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate” (ibid.)

Who, then, is this “lady” mentioned in  Isaiah 47? Scripture gives us a clear answer. “Sit in silence, and go into  darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called the Lady  of Kingdoms” (v. 5). This woman is called the “Lady of Kingdoms” because she  has a fornicating political relationship with, and actually rules over, quite a number of different kingdoms or governments of this world.

Now, read on in this important end-time  prophecy. God says, “I was angry with My people” (v. 6). Who are God’s people?  There are two ways this can be  properly understood: one is the  Church of God, the other is God’s  physical people, Israel—“You [Israel] only have I known of all the families of  the earth” (Amos 3:2). This prophecy is definitely speaking nationally, so this is not talking about God’s true Church.  Clearly, this is speaking about the end-time nations that comprise modern Israel.

So God says, “I have profaned My  inheritance, and given them into your [the Babylonish system’s] hand. You  showed them no mercy; on the elderly [‘ancient’ people, Israel—KJV] you laid your yoke very heavily” (Isaiah 47:6).

Notice the word “yoke.” This is a yoke of slavery laid upon us by the  daughter of the ancient Babylon. “And you said, ‘I shall be a lady forever,’ so  that you did not take these things to heart, nor remember the latter end of  them” (v. 7). And so this modern “lady,” this false religious system, will put  a yoke on God’s birthright people—those  who have received their tremendous national inheritances from God Almighty.

God speaks of this woman as being a “Lady of Kingdoms,”  putting a “yoke” on the neck of God’s chosen people, Israel, and says this  Babylonish “lady” will not think she is doing any terrible thing when she  afflicts God’s people. Then He says: “Therefore hear this now, you who are  given to pleasures, who dwell securely, who say in your heart, ‘I am, and there  is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know the  loss of children’” (v. 8). “But,” God says, “these two things shall come to you  in a moment, in one day: the loss of children, and widowhood” (v. 9).

That is what God says! But where is this explained in the Bible? How  can we know that this is an end-time prophecy?

Turn back again to the book of Revelation,  where He is talking about this same system. God says, “For all the nations have  drunk of the wine of the wrath of her  fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of  the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury” (Revelation  18:3). A great religio-political trading system!

Well, what is that trading system? Verse  2 says, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit.” Yes, this modern Babylon, which is now in the process of  forming in Europe, will be a very sophisticated, wealthy system that will soon  dominate most of Europe. Yet it will be heavily  influenced by Satan!

Notice God’s warning to His people: “Come out of her, my people” (Revelation  18:4). Dwelling in this Babylonish system will be some of God’s people (this  applies both physically and spiritually)—and they are commanded:  “Come out… lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities”  (vv. 4–5). And so this Babylonish system and the people in it will be warned!

Now notice verse 7: “In the measure that  she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment  and sorrow; for she [this modern  Babylon] says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see  sorrow.’” Do you remember those words? That is quoting directly from Isaiah 47.  Yet modern Babylon will say those words!

“Therefore,” God says, “her plagues will  come in one day [just like God  said back in Isaiah 47:9]—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for  strong is the Lord God who judges her” (Revelation 18:8).

But first, the modern descendants of  ancient Israel will be brought down and punished by God through this system.  These people will be punished as no peoples  have ever been punished in  modern history, because of their flagrant disobedience, and their going after  every ungodly abomination.

The great false religious leader will rise up very soon now—in our very  day! He will deceive not a few  hundred people—like David Koresh and his Branch Davidians—but hundreds of millions! Yes, prophecy indicates that hundreds of millions of people will be  deceived! That is exactly what will occur before Christ’s coming.

The Apostle Paul, in a letter concerning  the Second Coming of Christ, wrote: “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of  our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him…” (2 Thessalonians  2:1). He then cautioned God’s people “not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or  by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come” (v. 2). Some  were even writing letters purporting to be from Paul. “Let no one deceive you  by any means; for that Day will not come  unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of  perdition [or son of destruction]” (v. 3).

Clearly, a great false religious leader will rise up before  Christ returns to this earth. What will be the attitude and modus operandi of this great false  prophet? “Who opposes and exalts himself  above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits  as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (v. 4).

This man will have supernatural power to  deceive! He will have the ability to perform great  miracles such as causing fire to come down out of the sky  (Revelation 13:13–14). Will you follow such a man? Or, will you now begin to  study and understand your Bible so you will know what is ahead? “And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by  those signs [miracles] which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the  earth to make an image of the beast who was wounded by the sword” (v. 14).

This great false religious leader will  have tremendous impact on the Western world—make no mistake about it! You need  to watch for these things so that you will not be misled or deceived by him  (the soon-coming great “false prophet”) or by any  man! “Take heed that no one  deceives you” (Matthew 24:4)! Keep alert! Keep your eyes open! Be on  the lookout for a great, charismatic false  religious leader—a “false prophet”! He, like the early New Testament  false prophet, Simon Magus (Acts 8:9–11), will deceive hundreds of millions  into thinking he is a great servant of God.

If you know God’s word—and obey it—you will not be one of those many millions who  will be deceived by the soon-coming, great “false prophet”!

The great “Olivet prophecy” of Jesus  Christ is pivotal in understanding future events. In Matthew 24:3, Jesus was  asked by the disciples, “Tell us, when shall these things be? And what will be  the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” As we have seen, Jesus  first warned them about false prophets, wars and rumors of wars leading to  world war, famines, disease epidemics and earthquakes, and said, “All these are  the beginning of sorrows” (v. 8).

“Then they will deliver you up to  tribulation” (v. 9). The coming Great Tribulation will affect the Church as  well as national Israel. “And [they will] kill you, and you will be hated by  all nations for My name’s sake.” This verse is quite significant because it  says, in effect, that God’s true Church and Work will be known by all nations. People will not hate it  unless they know about it, will they? They will hate the true Work of God  because they will hate its message.

“But he who endures to the end, shall be  saved” (v. 13). The end of what? Well, certainly the end of our physical lives  individually, but this also applies to those alive at the end of this age. By this statement,  Jesus intended to signify the end of 6,000 years of human experience and sin  under the influence of Satan the Devil, which is heralded by the Second Coming  of Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords.

In verse 14, Jesus mentions another sign  that must happen before His Second Coming—and is happening right now. “And this gospel of the kingdom”—the Good News  of the coming Kingdom or world-ruling government of God, based on God’s  laws—“will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations.” This  Gospel is good news, but it contains a warning. Every nation on earth, not just  a few, will hear about this as a “witness,”  not to convert them, but as a testimony of God’s future intentions.

This is not the time when God is trying  to convert everyone, as many ministers, who are trying to “save” the world now,  would have you believe! God is not going around like a lonely hound dog,  wagging his tail and hoping someone will pay attention to him. Through his  sins, man has cut himself off from God (Isaiah 59:1–2). Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father  who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44).  This is the only way one can come to God. God’s Church is proclaiming the  Gospel, witnessing to humanity so that those who are willing can seek Him.  Whoever has their mind opened by God can understand. You are reading part of  God’s “witness” right now!

Watch for persecution of Christians and the Church of God that keeps  the Commandments of God (Revelation 12:17; 14:12). Jesus said, “Then they will  deliver you up to… kill you” (Matthew  24:9). Here He is speaking to His people, His genuine disciples. The Apostle  John gave the Church (and anyone who reads the Bible) a test that can be used to determine who is  a bona fide Christian and who  only masquerades as one. “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His  commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is  a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3–4).

It is these commandment-keeping  Christians who will be persecuted. “Then they will deliver you up to  tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s  sake” (Matthew 24:9). Jesus clearly foresaw that the world would be full of  religious confusion during the end-time. “Then many false prophets will rise up  and deceive many” (Matthew 24:11). Only the few seem to understand; only those  called by God. What is the result of this spiritual blindness and confusion?  “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (v. 12).  So, at the end, there will be widespread chaos and lawlessness—and God says  much of it can be traced back to false teachings and religious confusion from a  “Babylon” of religions and denominations.

God’s people will be persecuted at the  time of the end, just as the early Christians faced vicious attacks. “If the  world hates you,” Jesus told the disciples—and this certainly applies to us,  His disciples today—“you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were  of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the  world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John  15:18–19).

This present society around us will become increasingly hostile to God’s people and the  moral standards they live by! The political, business, media, cultural  and religious elites will feel condemned by  the true Church of God, which will not compromise regarding God’s word. God’s  Church will be politically incorrect. This world will feel guilty.

How about you? If Scripture reveals to  you some Truth that may be inconvenient, embarrassing, or personally or  financially costly—what would your reaction be? Will you become angry at God  because He is meddling? God says He has a right to tell you what is right or  wrong in the most sensitive areas of your life. Some people will even start  spitting in hatred at the mere thought that Someone else seeks to impose His  values on them! And they will not like it. All animals and human beings blink  when suddenly exposed to light when they have been in darkness. They do not like  that bright light. So it is with the light of the Truth.

“Remember,” Jesus said, “the word that I  said to you. ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me,  they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also”  (John 15:20). Did the religious and political authorities of Jesus’ time keep  His word? No, they did not. They crucified  Him instead. But Jesus continued, “But all these things they will do  to you for My name’s sake, because they do  not know Him who sent Me” (v. 21).

Watch! The modern nation of “Israel,”  populated by the descendants of the biblical tribe of Judah (plus significant  remnants of Levi and Benjamin) will suffer serious military losses with part of  its territory occupied by enemies just before the Second Coming of Christ. This is of utmost significance! Many  students of Bible prophecy declare that 1948 saw the great regathering of  Israel in the Holy Land and the final establishment of the nation of Israel. That is absolutely wrong! This was just a precursor, a small forerunner of the gigantic regathering of  the remnants of all twelve tribes of Israel that is yet to occur. Meanwhile,  the hard-pressed Jewish people in Israel will be attacked and defeated once  again. This is difficult to say, but the Bible makes that very, very clear.

“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” (Zechariah 14:1–2).

“For behold, in those days and at that  time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather  all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter  into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom  they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land. They  have cast lots for My people, have given a boy in exchange [as payment] for a  harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink” (Joel 3:1–3).

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded  by armies, then know that its desolation is near” (Luke 21:20). Jerusalem has  been partially surrounded by armies in recent years, but we will see Jerusalem  completely surrounded by armies. Notice this prophecy: “Then let those in Judea  flee to the mountains” (v. 21). Those who trust in God, those who believe in  Christ, those who are true Christians will  understand what to do when these things occur because they will have  been studying these various signs as Jesus said. They will have been watching  and praying. They will flee to the mountains. “Let those who are in the midst  of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these  are the days of vengeance” (vv. 21–22).

So in the future, Jerusalem, the  political and emotional capital of Israel, will be overrun by her enemies,  until Christ returns and fights the aggressor nations (Zechariah 14:3). Once  again the city of prophets, kings and the Messiah will be brought down and  punished horribly. This major event in the prophetic end-time scenario will  witness further outrage.

When the city of Jerusalem is attacked  and conquered, the foreign occupying power will begin what the Bible calls the  “abomination of desolation.” What is that? Jesus Christ describes this  abomination of desolation in Matthew 24:15–20. Start with verse 15: “Therefore  when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’ [a loathsome contamination],  spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place… then let those who  are in Judea [today known as the modern state of Israel] flee to the  mountains.” The people in Judea are instructed, when they see this terrible  abomination of desolation, to flee to the mountains.

Prophecy foretells that Jerusalem is  again to be surrounded by armies (Zechariah 12:2), and an idol will be set up  in a holy place. Jesus warns those who are faithful to escape quickly when this  desecration takes place. “Let him who is on the housetop not come down to take  anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get  his clothes” (Matthew 24:17–18). In other words, you are to get out immediately when you see this  happening, because if you wait, it will be too late to escape safely. “But woe  to those who are pregnant and to those with nursing babies in those days! And  pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath [God’s people will  be keeping the Sabbath]” (vv. 19–20).

There is a historical parallel to this  end-time overthrow of Jerusalem and the erection of an idolatrous object on the  Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, some 160 years  before the First Coming of Christ, the pagan Seleucid Greeks sacrificed pigs as  offerings upon the altar of God. A statue of Zeus, the chief Greek god, was set  up. Something similar will occur once again. We are living during a time that  is like the calm before a menacing, destructive storm. If you had been a Jew in  Germany in 1935, would you have been alert to your people’s future destiny?  Would you have taken appropriate action to save the lives of your family  members? You need to be paying attention to what is happening in world events!  The cost of ignorance, laxness or a dilatory attitude will be extremely high.

Remarkably, an important implication of  Matthew 24:15 is that there will once again be animal sacrifices on an altar at  Jerusalem’s Temple Mount dedicated to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel!  Another scripture confirming this states: “And from the time that the daily  sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up…” (Daniel  12:11).

Since there is prophesied to be a place  of sacrifice, many wonder if there will be a great temple raised up in Jerusalem. An alternative idea would be  that there will be merely an altar set up, as happened when the Jews returned from their captivity in Babylon  (Ezra 3:2). Watch for this in your world  news. Prophecy clearly shows that the Jews will once again be  sacrificing at Jerusalem. Whether in a temple or at a simple altar is not yet  clear. The Jewish people—remember the Six Day War—move swiftly and courageously when they are urgent about  something.

From the time that the daily sacrifices  to God are stopped by a foreign aggressor (possibly by the coming “king of the  North”) and the abomination of desolation is set up—“there shall be 1290 days” (Daniel 12:11). This scripture  discusses a certain period of time after the abomination of desolation until  the end of this present civilization when Christ returns to this earth as King  of kings to usher in a genuinely new world order, the Kingdom of God.

“Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the  1335 days. But you,” God told Daniel to “go your way, till the end; for you  shall rest” (Daniel 12:12–13). In other words, Daniel would not himself see the  fulfillment of the prophecies God inspired through him. Daniel was to live out  his days and die, never having understood the prophecy he was inspired to write down. But today, we can read Daniel’s  words and understand, if we begin  to walk with God and study these things thoroughly. We need to realize that we  are living in momentous times when all these things are about to occur. Let  that motivate us to really study the Bible. And most importantly of all, let us obey our God in all things!

Before the glorious Second Coming of  Jesus Christ to establish His Kingdom, watch for the decline and eventual  conquest of the English-speaking nations by their enemies! The biblical  terminology for this event is “The Great Tribulation.”

Your Bible reveals that the worst, most  indescribably terrifying time in the entire history of this planet is soon to  occur. This terrifying time (the Great Tribulation) is also spoken of as the  time of “Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). It will be such an awful time that  the destruction and genocide of World War II will seem like a picnic in  comparison!

Let us, therefore, examine the  scriptures dealing with this dramatic alteration in the world’s power  structure—which, like a powerful steel trap, will suddenly spring upon an  unsuspecting world! Most of us will live to see these cataclysmic times,  whether we realize it or not. “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those  who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the  land and wrath upon this people” (Luke 21:23). When you really understand this  prophecy, you can see that Jesus was speaking nationally of not only the Jews,  but also of the other modern-day descendants of the ancient nation of  Israel—among whom are the American and British-descended peoples.

Notice this same prophecy in a parallel  account in Matthew: “For then will be great tribulation, such as has not been  since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would  be saved [alive]; but for the elect’s sake [for the sake of God’s people] those days will be shortened” (Matthew  24:21–22).

In the past, it was not possible to exterminate all human life from this  earth. You might have had a devastating war in Europe, or in the Middle East,  but you would still have millions of people untouched elsewhere in the world in  Africa, Asia or Australia, or in North and South America. But Jesus prophesied  of a unique time in the history of humanity. No nation can feel secure from the  utter annihilation that is now possible by thermonuclear warfare!

In the 1950s, it finally became possible  to blast all human life off this planet. During the last half-century, we have  now multiplied our ability to assure our destruction many times over.  Scientists tell us today that we now can erase all human life from this earth  at least 20 times over! Christ is describing our time today! No Roman army of  Jesus’ day could ever boast of such murderous power.

Here is what the prophet Jeremiah said  about this same time: “Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel [whose modern descendants include the United States, Great  Britain and other nations of northwestern Europe] and Judah.… ‘We have heard a voice of  trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask now, and see, whether a man is  ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins  like a woman in labor, and all faces turned pale? Alas! For that day is great  [Jeremiah prophesied under inspiration] so that none is like it’” (Jeremiah 30:4–7). There has never been a time  of trouble in human history like this one. Whose time of trouble does this  terrible tribulation pertain to? It is the time of “Jacob’s trouble” (v. 7).

It will be a time of trouble so great  that none is like it. There cannot be two  times of trouble like this. This is the same time of trouble  described in Matthew 24:21, the same time described in Mark 13 and Luke 21, the  same time of trouble described back in Ezekiel 36 and Daniel 12 and elsewhere  as the “Great Tribulation.” It is the time of God’s intervention to chastise His chosen people. Nevertheless,  speaking of that woeful time of trouble, God says: “I will not make a complete  end of you” (Jeremiah 30:11). So he will not utterly destroy us, but He will punish us severely—to shake us to the  roots of our very being in order to wake us up. He will correct and humble His  people in order to wake them up before it is too late!

This unprecedented time of trouble will  be directed primarily against the American and British-descended Commonwealth peoples,  though the other modern-day descendants of Israel will also have troubles. But why against these nations? Because the  American and British-descended peoples have been recipients of God’s tremendous birthright promises as the descendants of  the patriarch Joseph (Genesis 49:22–26). For more information,  please request our booklet on this subject, The  United States and Great Britain in Prophecy. In God’s eyes,  blessings also impart responsibilities. We are not a favorite or pet people,  but we have been chosen by God for a very  special purpose. Regrettably, we have failed to fulfill that  purpose. Let us understand why and what will happen.

“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”  (Matthew 24:30)! May God Almighty speed that great day!

The Americans and British-descended  Commonwealth peoples have been materially blessed above all nations on the  earth for the last 200 years. Beginning a little more than 200 years ago, the  English-speaking peoples wielded power that thwarted the belligerent,  aggressive nations—the Central Powers in World War I and the Axis Powers in  World War II. Twice in the 20th century, the English-speaking peoples have  restored a warring world to a measure of peace and security. Yet in spite of  that, most Americans and Britons, individually, have turned away from the true  God. At most, they continue to praise the Lord  hypocritically. “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is  written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from  me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines’” (Mark  7:6–7, NRSV).

There are numerous end-time prophecies  that reveal to the American and British-descended peoples exactly what God  Almighty says will happen to them—if they do not turn from their present  wayward course of disobedience to Him and His commandments.

The pivotal scripture for understanding  end-time prophecy is found in the Old Testament, in chapter 26 of the book of  Leviticus. When we rightly understand our national identity, this prophetic chapter takes on new, urgent  meaning. Here is basic, foundational information for modern Israel—among whom are to be counted the American  people, and British-descended peoples of the Commonwealth nations. Those  peoples are among the descendants of the so-called “Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.”  This prophecy is talking about ancient Israel, and it is also speaking of their  children and grandchildren at the end of this age!

We should watch for the fulfillment of  those prophecies that foretell the downfall of the United States and Great  Britain, insofar as their national prestige and power are concerned, even before their cities are totally demolished  in a future round of world war—World War III—which will be the most deadly time  humanity will ever experience.

Speaking of the coming end-time Great  Tribulation, God says: “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. 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. 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 26:14–17). God Almighty says He will bring  us down very low. If we continue transgressing His commandments, He will  discipline us in more ways than we can begin to imagine. He goes on to say:  “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more [or “sevenfold more” as  many versions render it] for your sins. I  will break the pride of your power” (vv. 18–19).

Our competitors for global power and  influence are looking down on us with increasing glee as we stumble in  resolving domestic and international problems. These things are happening to us  because we have turned aside from God. We have not obeyed the God of our  fathers.

In Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 are  powerful prophetic warnings for us today, because God does not change (Malachi  3:6; Hebrews 13:8). God promised that if we would obey Him, He would set  us “high above all nations of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:1). However, if we do not obey God and keep His commandments: “Cursed shall you be in the city” (v. 16). Are we cursed in our  cities? Think about it. Millions of Americans are afraid to go out of their own  homes at night. Elderly people and women and others all over this land are  afraid to venture out in the evening—in this “land of the free, and the home of  the brave.” We are locked in our homes like prisoners! No, we are not blessed  in our towns and cities.

Further, our disobedience would bring  upon us curses in our food supply, curses in sexual relations and curses in whatever policies or programs that we  nationally attempt because we have turned aside from the Great God.

The growing effect of our national sins includes escalating crime, violence, marital infidelities, sexual perversions of all sorts,  lying, cheating, stealing and every foul thing imaginable that is disgusting in  the sight of a just and holy God. The selfishness and decadence of our “modern  lifestyle”—which is based on egotistical pride and vanity—are gnawing like  voracious termites at the structural frame that holds in place the edifice of  our national greatness. How long before our house collapses? Look around you  and consider.

In spite of our great material  blessings, the American and British-descended peoples have turned away from  God. These once-great nations have plummeted in their moral standards and  become nations of perverts, liars, thieves and murderers. And God will chastise  these nations for their own good, as He rebukes and chastens every son He loves  (Hebrews 12:6).

God says: “Therefore you shall serve  your enemies, whom the Lord will  send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness” (Deuteronomy 28:48). In  other words, these English-speaking nations (including the Jews and others  residing in them) will be taken into a terrible captivity. God says we will be “in need of all things; and  He will put a yoke of iron on  your neck until He has destroyed you” (same verse). Is that plain enough? God  will take us into national slavery. The Holocaust of World War II will seem mild in comparison. The  English-speaking peoples will not all die, but they will no longer exist as nations, not as the United States of America and the British-descended nations of the  Commonwealth, after an awful punishment from God Himself: “‘The Lord will bring a nation from far away,  from the end of the earth, to swoop down on you like an eagle, a nation whose  language you do not understand, a grim-faced nation showing no respect to the  old or favor to the young” (Deuteronomy 28:49–50, NRSV). This aggressor will not be Mexico or some other  nation nearby, but one from “afar”—from the end of the earth—from way over in Europe. This enemy will be “as swift as  the eagle flies.” It is  interesting that three major  nations on earth use an eagle as their symbol. One is the United States, another is Russia and the  third is Germany. This aggressor  will be “a nation whose language you will not understand” (v. 49), “a nation of  fierce countenance” (v. 50)—meaning a very warlike nation.

God reveals that the American and  British-descended peoples will be besieged in their own gates (v. 52), and will  be so desperately hungry that they will resort to horrific measures in the  times to come—even turning to hideous cannibalism (v. 53).

Finally, these peoples will be taken into  slavery by a coming great power that is now beginning to rise up in Europe!

God says He will humble us and correct  us, but He also promises to deliver us from all our troubles—when we truly  learn our lesson and turn from our many  abominations!

“And at that time your  people [all the  descendants of the patriarch Israel] shall  be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. And many  of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting  life, some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:1–2).

The time setting is unmistakable. Daniel  is talking about the resurrection to immortality of the saints of God, which  shall occur at the seventh or “last trump” when Jesus returns to this earth with  all His mighty angels, to establish the Kingdom of God to rule for 1,000 years  (1 Corinthians 15; 1 Thessalonians 4; Revelation 20:4). Daniel is not writing of something that happened  way back in the Middle Ages. This prophecy concerning the Great Tribulation  period leads right up to the glorious Second Coming of Jesus Christ at the very  end of this present evil world (Matthew 24:21–30).

As the foregoing prophecy reveals, God  Almighty Himself will order one of His mighty angels, Michael, to stand “watch  over” the people of Israel, who  at that time will have had their power broken, and will have been scattered  into many nations as captive slaves.

God’s miraculous deliverance of His  people is clearly revealed: “‘Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says  the Lord, ‘nor be dismayed, O  Israel; for behold, I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return,  have rest and be quiet, and no one shall make him afraid. For I am with you… to  save you; though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you,  yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I  will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished’” (Jeremiah 30:10–11).

God goes on to explain how He will  greatly bless His people, once  they have truly learned their lesson: “Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they  shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small” (v.  19).

What will be the final state of the  peoples of Israel, after God delivers them from their captivity at the hands of  a cruel oppressor? “Hear the word of the Lord,  O nations, and declare it in the isles afar off [includes the British peoples], and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will  gather him, and keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’ For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and ransomed  him from the hand of one stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing  in the height of Zion, streaming to the goodness of the Lord—for wheat and new wine and oil, for the young of the  flock and the herd; their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, and they  shall sorrow no more at all.

“Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young  men and the old, together; for I will turn their mourning to joy, will comfort them, and make them  rejoice rather than sorrow. I will satiate the soul of the priests [God’s  servants] with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness,  says the Lord” (Jeremiah  31:10–14).

However, the bad news prophesied in Scripture—of a terrifying time of  trouble that will soon spring upon an unsuspecting, heedless world—must come first! What a tragedy that we  will not hear and return to our God! That time will be the worst time of  trouble this earth will ever experience (Matthew 24:21; Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel  12:l)!

But the ultimate  in good news is that Scripture also predicts the imminent return of  Jesus Christ to this earth. He will deliver the modern-day descendants of  Israel (of whom the nations of northwestern Europe, and also the Jewish people,  are part) from a horrible time of captivity and trouble. God says He will sweep aside all human governments (Revelation  11:15–18; 19:11–21). Christ will then banish Satan, so that he will no longer  be able to mislead the nations (Revelation 20:1–3), and after removing Satan  from power over the nations, the Great God will establish the Kingdom of God  upon this sin-cursed, war-torn earth (Isaiah 11:1–9; Revelation 20:4).

The prophet Daniel also wrote the good  news of the establishment of the glorious Kingdom of God: “And in the days of  these kings the God of heaven will set up a  kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be  left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms,  and it shall stand forever” (Daniel  2:44).

Furthermore, Daniel says: “Then the  kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,  shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions  shall serve and obey Him” (Daniel 7:27).

Finally, the nations shall have passed  through the Great Tribulation, and will have arrived at the time the prophets  foretold—the establishment of the Kingdom of God to rule all nations—bringing  peace, prosperity, health and happiness to all nations!

Next—after the Great Tribulation—there are to be dramatic astronomical signs in the  heavens visible to everyone on earth. “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” (Matthew 24:29).

God really will intervene in human  affairs! And He will even intervene with nature and show this generation that there is a real God. Even after the modern nations of  Israel go into captivity, God will not be through yet. Though our nations have  professed to being “Christian,” they are in fact filled with deceit, vanity,  avarice and violence.

Notice: “I looked when He opened the  sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black  as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven  fell to earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty  wind” (Revelation 6:12–13).

Here are incredible parts of a crescendo  leading up to Christ’s return. Almost like a vast fireworks display in the  evening sky, we will literally see the transition from the Great Tribulation to  intensified punishments directly from God on any who are still unrepentant in  defiant rebellion against their Creator. Notice verse 17: “For the great day of  His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

The six seals outlined here describe the  same events that Jesus had told His disciples would occur at the end. As the  seals are opened we first find false  prophets; second, wars; third, famines; fourth, disease epidemics; fifth, a Great Tribulation (including the martyrdom  of the saints). The sixth seal is the heavenly  signs. In Joel 2, we also see that the heavenly signs occur before the great and terrible Day of the  Lord. “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and  terrible day of the Lord” (v. 31).  We already saw in Matthew 24 that the heavenly signs come after the Great Tribulation. What yet  remains before the Kingdom of God can be fully established?

What will happen after the first six  seals of Revelation 6 are opened? “For the great day of His wrath has come, and  who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:17).

Revelation 7 then describes the  protection of the 144,000 and
  the great multitude, Revelation 8 describes the opening of the seventh  seal—God’s direct punishment on a rebellious world. This consists of the seven trumpet  plagues described in chapters 8 and 9 of
  Revelation.

Finally, in Revelation 11:15, the  Seventh Trumpet—the famous “Last Trumpet”—is sounded. Christ returns in power and glory. But even as He returns, the deceived nations of mankind will fight and curse Him who is their very Creator! (Revelation 16:21; 17:14).

So, as He comes, Christ pours out the  awesome seven last plagues described in Revelation 15:1 and 16:1–21. Study these passages. These plagues will  be indescribably horrible!

But even here, God—who rebukes and  chastens every son He loves (Hebrews 12:5–6)—is doing this to bring men and  nations to their senses! As you read the passages in Revelation, you see that every mountain and every island on earth will be shaken.  There will be virtually nothing left of their former world for hard-headed,  vile, rebellious men to hang on to. Everything around them will be removed or  destroyed. Proud men will come to realize that they are nothing compared with  the Creator God of the universe.

Hundreds of millions of men and women  will finally acknowledge, as did Job: “I have heard of You by the hearing of  the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore  I abhor myself, and repent in  dust and ashes” (Job 42:5–6). In a way they have never done before, human beings will truly repent and be  willing to listen to the Truth—to  listen to God’s true ministers and teachers and obey their Maker.

Then they will truly understand these statements of God in  Isaiah: “For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and  holy place, with him who has a  contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive  the heart of the contrite ones. For  I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would  fail before Me, and the souls which I have made” (Isaiah 57:15–16).

Finally, then, humanity as a whole will  have been made humble and teachable. It will yield to the Living  Christ and the resurrected saints who will join Him in ruling this entire earth in Tomorrow’s  World. This world government established by Christ will be known as the Kingdom  of God and it will be the active, hands-on, governing  leadership of God on this earth!

So, what will happen? Unless we, as nations, fully repent of transgressing God’s laws,  the future of America and the British-descended Commonwealth countries looks  grim indeed. For every great nation and empire in history that has descended  into the depths of immorality, like we are now experiencing, has come to an  end.

Will America’s or Britain’s preachers wake up and begin to preach obedience to the laws of God? Will our political leaders turn to their Creator in  true godly fear, making God and His ways a vital part of our national life?  Will the educators, the  psychologists and sociologists begin to build their concepts on the foundations  of Scripture? What do you think?

The answer seems obvious. We, along with  most of our fellow English-speaking nations around the world, are in for a time  of national calamity—actually, national punishment—unprecedented in the annals  of modern human history. Month by month, year by year, more and more things  will somehow go wrong for us. Our national debt will increase. Our immorality  and crime rate will increase. Our cities will become even less safe,  increasingly being racked by lawless hoodlums, gang  warfare and race riots—and  finally food riots, because of the impending drought and famine prophesied to  strike our nations.

Describing this very situation that will  occur in the “latter days,” God states: “And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be  left few in number among the nations where the Lord  will drive you. And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood  and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. But from there you  will seek the Lord your God, and  you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come  upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for  the Lord your God is a merciful  God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your  fathers which He swore to them” (Deuteronomy 4:27–31).

Yes, if we do not heed—nationally or  individually—the warning going out now and over the months and years just  ahead, we will have to absorb the full brunt  of God’s corrective punishment.

At the same time, you can be certain  there will be other voices of  lying deception saying not to worry, everything will be fine. “‘For the house  of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously with Me,’ says  the Lord.… and said, ‘It is not  He’” (Jeremiah 5:11–12).

In other words, people will say “these  prophecies are not real, God is not speaking; this is just some doom and gloom  preacher talking nonsense.” The skeptics will say, “Neither will evil come upon  us, nor shall we see sword or famine” (v. 12). Yes, even false ministers will  speak evil of God’s true ministry. “And the prophets become wind, for the word  is not in them.” In modern jargon, they are saying that God’s servants are a  bunch of “windbags” to whom they should not pay attention, “for the word [of  God] is not in them” (v. 13).

God clearly forewarned us that there  will be cynics and doubters who will contradict and ridicule God’s warning  through His true servants: “Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle…  that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets…  knowing this first: that scoffers will come  in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying,  ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all  things continue as they were from the beginning of creation’” (2 Peter 3:1–4).

Now, you should realize that our nations are in mortal peril. Everything  you have ever known will be changed over the next decade or two. Your future,  and the future of your children and grandchildren, is really at stake.

There is a real God in charge. He rules  over men, and over the nations of men, perhaps more directly and more  profoundly than many of you have realized. Turn to Daniel 4:25 where Daniel,  talking to King Nebuchadnezzar, said: “They shall wet you with the dew of  heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till  you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.” God  speaking through Daniel said, “The Most High rules in the kingdom of men.” God  gives office and authority to those whom He chooses. “Blessed be the name of  God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times  and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings” (Daniel 2:20–21). God is  in charge of governments and He often determines the outcome of elections and  the rise of literal kings, monarchs and dictators in the nations throughout  this earth.

We need to have faith in God’s power.  The Eternal God is the true God who rules  over all, and He does intervene in  this world’s rotten, misguided society in order to accomplish His purpose.

So, notice what God says about these  societies and about your near future: “But take heed to yourselves,” Jesus  said, “lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing” (Luke 21:34). Perhaps  you might say, “Well, there are a few years yet to go.” Yes, there are a  few—maybe very few. But do not let your heart be weighed down with carousing,  drunkenness and the cares of this life and that day come upon you unexpectedly. For it will come “as a  snare”—like a deadly trap that catches an animal before it realizes what hit  it. Do not let that happen to you. Christ is coming and His coming will be “as a snare on all those who dwell on  the face of the whole earth” (v. 35) who are unprepared or deceived.

Even if our nations as  a whole will not repent, you can certainly change—and  you can be forgiven and protected during the coming Great Tribulation. Jesus  Himself gave this assurance. Write to the regional office nearest you to  request our free booklet, Restoring Original  Christianity. You can also read it online or order a copy at our Web  site, http://www.tomorrowsworld.org. This  informative booklet will tell you in much greater detail what you should do.

Jesus commands us to “watch.” Prove the  things in this booklet from the very word of God. Look these things up so you  will understand. Let the Bible talk to you. Those who trust in God—those who  believe in Christ, those who are bona fide Christians—will understand when these things occur, because they will have been  studying these many signs as  Jesus said.

So, we are to watch these events, praying that God would help us surrender  our lives to Him and His Son Jesus Christ, and that we will accept Him as our  Savior and our Boss, our Lord, our Master, our High Priest and our coming King.  Then, through His Spirit within us, we must keep His commandments and do those  things that are pleasing in His sight (1 John 3:22). Thus, we can begin to walk  with the God who gives us life and breath and truly prepare for the Second  Coming of Jesus Christ.

Personally, you can awaken yourself to  an intense awareness of what is happening. You can begin to diligently study  the Bible and see what it really says. Cry  out to God in earnest prayer! Ask Him for guidance and strength to  do what is right! Seek Him for deliverance for you and your family in the  turbulent years ahead! Then you can turn to Him with all your heart and start  obeying His laws. You can accept the true Jesus Christ as your personal Savior  and surrender to let Him live His life in you.

As you sincerely seek God and believe in  the true Gospel—which Jesus Christ Himself taught—you will learn what the Lord  requires of you. Do it and He will enrich your life with understanding and  purpose. He will grant you the gift of eternal life in His soon-coming Kingdom  (John 3:16; Romans 6:23). And He will deliver you from the coming worldwide  catastrophe Jesus so vividly predicted.

As Jesus Christ Himself instructed: “Watch therefore, and pray always  that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to  pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36)!