By Ed Hindson

What kind of things do we find interesting today, in terms of the possible fulfillment of Bible prophecy? Certainly, there are the large and obvious things, like the shifting sands of national alliances. (A Communist leader once confided that there are no such things as permanent national alliances...just passing conveniences between nations that last only as long as their shared interests do.)

Iran
Of particular interest right now, is the determination of Iran to pursue nuclear technology “for peaceful purposes” like the generation of power, etc... And while Iran asserts that it has no interest in developing weapons of mass destruction in conjunction with that program, Iran also maintains that the assumed possession of nuclear technology by Israel has placed the security of the entire region in jeopardy. It is that very rationale that has been used so successfully before, to justify building weapons and launching armies to fight against the modern state of Israel in our time. And we must remember that the end-time Islamic invasion of Israel, prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39, lists Iran (Persia) as one of the leading nations in that ill-fated invasion. As you watch the news, you would do well to keep an eye on developments in Iran.

Israel
Israel, on the other hand, exists on a tiny sliver of land placed right in the midst of a billion hostile Arab and Islamic enemies. On numerous occasions since Israel’s rebirth in 1948, those enemies have launched attacks and invasions from both air and land, in the effort to drive the Jewish “infidels” from the land and into the sea. Terrorist attacks and suicide bombings have been used to “soften up” Israel’s solid resolve and weaken Israel’s economic strength.

History has taught Israel that it must remain militarily strong and stay close to its few allies. However, history has also proven that in the final analysis, Israel must be prepared to use whatever it has at its disposal in war should it be necessary to “go it alone.” Throughout history, Israel has been at the center of the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. The final wars will take place in dispute over Israel. So if you want to know about the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, where better to watch than at its center?

Europe and the United Nations
By far, the greatest influence on the end-time world will come from the burgeoning one-world government...an entity that many are convinced will rise from European roots. Europe will most likely produce the one-world ruler, the Antichrist.

Europe is also destined to make a peace treaty with Israel and may even be the force behind the rebuilding of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. And, in all probability, Europe will be the center of the one-world economic system that will help cement the power of the Antichrist over the people of the world.

Those are just a few suggestions “for starters,” of things in the realm of politics that could provide a fascinating indicator of how close we are coming to the rise of Antichrist. And we would do well to remember that, just as the appearance of Christmas decorations in the stores tells us that Thanksgiving is coming even sooner, so do signs that the Antichrist could be on the way warn us that the Rapture will come even sooner!

The Cashless Reality
One of the best ways to gain mastery of the world would be to control its economic system. And if a person really set out to do that, it would be especially important to be able to monitor and control the finances of individuals as well as corporations and nations.

Not very long ago, that type of control would have been totally impossible. There were so many people in the world, with so many different types of monetary exchange, that simply balancing the differences would have been prohibitive, let alone trying to track and keep record of individual transactions.

However, in recent years, we have seen those former impossibilities made possible by the explosive growth of technological capability. The average laptop computer is far more powerful than all the banks of computers combined that filled the rooms of NASA when American astronauts were first sent to the moon!

Today, with years of practice in using ATMs, and through massive investment in “electronic banking” that now takes place “on line” via the Internet and over the telephone, a global financial grid has been built. Its technology is totally capable of monitoring every dollar that is spent by every person in the world—no matter what his medium of exchange truly is.

Monetary conversion rates can be automatically factored in, based on what is happening moment-to-moment on the fully computerized exchange and stock markets. Thus any onlooker doesn’t have to compare dollars with yens and euros and pesos. . . it can all be represented in terms of one single monetary unit of choice.

And so it didn’t surprise us when the latest step towards a cashless society was taken right here in America. A new financial policy called “Check 21” is about to be implemented by our government, and it subtly but substantially changes the way we have used our personal checks in the past.

It has been cheered as a step towards financial honesty and integrity, cutting to zero the lag time in paying debts with checks and having that money taken from our accounts. Our broadened technology has made it possible. The increasing damage to our economy created by bounced checks and bad debts has made it necessary.

Because of “Check 21” we will abandon our expectation of hard-copy paper-trail confirmations of our financial activities, and simply trust in the electronic records of exchange that will be generated with each transaction. When a check or debit card is used to purchase groceries, it will be scanned through some device as usual. But from that point on, “paperwork” will be useless. If the money is in the account, it will be instantly deducted.

No more floating checks. No more returned checks. No more post-dated checks. No more cancelled checks to file and save. It’s probably a wonderful thing for business, but it’s also one more step in the direction of a truly cashless society that can be controlled completely from one location...by one person!

Prophetic Reality
Above all else, we must realize that we are living in a world where the things we see and experience are ultimately less real than the things we cannot see and must experience through our spiritual eyes. We have become masters of illusion here on Earth, and must expect that those who will rule the world in the future will certainly use those illusions to move their agendas forward.

What is real is biblical truth. What is real is eternal life. What is real, is the fact that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, died for our sins in our place and is coming back again.

Bible prophecy reveals the amazing events that will break upon the world as it prepares for Christ’s return. It all will be very real, and it really is the most important thing you’ll ever have to consider in your life.

Are you prepared to face the reality of Christ’s return? Are you watching for prophetic developments in the news? Things are going to get very interesting in the world, very soon! I hope you’re ready to meet the Savior, and will help me, in the meantime, to take the vital message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ to the whole wide world!