Headlines for a day

Ahmadinejad: Mideast upheaval will spread to West

Qaddafi launches jihad with sea barrage: blocked oil exports

The dawn of a new Libya? Gaddafi on the brink: Protesters seize control in east and foreigners flee after 1,000 deaths

Flashpoint in the Gulf: Tiny Bahrain Poses Big Headache for the West


All eyes on Bahrain as Gulf tremors frighten oil markets
A few quotes from this one:

"We believe the unrest in Bahrain may be of far greater importance to the strategic balance in the Middle East and to the oil market."
The risk group Exclusive Analysis said there is a "moderate risk of an extremely violent transition" in Bahrain, the linchpin of stability in the Gulf and host to the US 5th Fleet. "There is a significant probability that the present order is completely overthrown and replaced by a new order aligned with Iran," it said.

Iran is clearly hoping to bring Bahrain into its orbit.

Libyan unrest rattles oil markets

Alarming number of dead dolphins being studied

Peculiar geese deaths baffle wildlife officials

Fear of 'Catastrophic' Crash Rising Despite Bull Market

Palestinians fire mortars, IDF fires back

Peres: All of Europe under nuclear threat

Palestinian FM: Statehood by September

Iranian naval vessels sail through Suez Canal

And the day is still young.

Is it just me, or does it appear that the entire world is just on the brink?

"On the brink" - what does that mean exactly?

It is hard to describe - but combining daily headlines for several weeks now we can see the following shaping up:

- Collapse of the U.S. dollar, world financial crisis
- Continual calls for a central currency
- Turmoil spreading throughout the Middle East - with "stable" governments falling to radical Islam
- Israel under increasing threat - almost on a daily basis
- Approaching the "deadline" for a "PA State"
- Earthquakes spreading around the world
- Christian and Jewish persecution growing throughout the world
- Famine spreading and promising to become worse due to droughts, flooding, severe winter, etc.
- Energy prices skyrocketing
- Israel facing a "forced" PA State with new (shrinking) borders, making them more vulnerable than they have been since 1948.
- The EU forming military forces to be used for border control around Europe and the Middle East
- Pending changes in leadership in both the EU and the Med Union
- Oil shortages and dramatically rising prices
- Concerns about another stock-market crash in the U.S.
- Mysterious mass animal deaths - still unexplained
- Rapidly shifting magnetic poles in the world with unknown consequences
- Unusual solar storms approaching from the sun
- Coalitions forming and uniting against Israel
- Iran approaching the ability to produce nuclear weapons, while promising to destroy the U.S. and Israel
- North Korea threatening war against South Korea
- China's rise to world power status


Did I leave anything out?

It is clearly a world that is literally on the brink.

And what we know from biblical prophecy, is that this represents the beginning of "world turmoil" - turmoil which will be dramatically worsened by events which we know are coming, such as:

- The destruction of Damascus (Isaiah 17), presumably triggered by the events described in Psalm 83
- The massive battle/war of Gog-MaGog (Ezekiel 38-39)

And a worsening of every item mentioned above.

Throw the Rapture of the Church into this volatile mix and we can easily foresee a world that will be looking for a powerful, charismatic leader who can "explain" such events and offer solutions. Solutions that will immediately become embraced by the world, who will be willing to give up almost all freedom in the effort to gain security. He will even come up with a peace plan for the Middle East after so many years of constant turmoil.

But we know what happens then (after the Church's removal from this earth) - after the initial period of stability in the beginning of the Tribulation - as described by the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:

"Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

While people are saying, 'Peace and safety', destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman and they will not escape."

They will not escape, because they missed the one and only opportunity to escape - via the Rapture of the Church. The apostle Paul was very careful in this passage to describe the difference in those who believe in Christ vs those who rejected the message of the gospel.

He now turns his attention to the Church to reveal the difference in our future vs. the rest of the non-believing world. It is quite a contrast:

"But you brothers are not in darkness...You are sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness...For God did not appoint us to suffer the wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."
(1 Thessalonians 5:4-9)

We clearly have a different future in store. Our instructions during these days of approaching darkness are as follows:

"...and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead - Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath."


Note what the apostle Paul didn't say.

He didn't say to worry. He didn't say to have a spirit of fear. He didn't say to hoard necessities and to prepare for the Tribulation era. Nothing like that.

He said to look up and watch for Christ - because His return would be imminent - and because He would come for His people.

These words are bolstered by the the written words of Luke:

"When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
(Luke 21:28).

As things get worse on earth, and as we see the prophetic signs increasing in leaps and bounds - we have specific instructions biblically:

We should be focused on Christ and His return.

It couldn't be more clear.