Sometimes we take the blessing of our freedom for granted, but each election reminds us of the privileges of living in a free country. At its core, America was founded on the principles of liberty and was shaped by Christian thinkers. In his inaugural address as the first President of the United States, George Washington remarked, “No People can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the Affairs of men more than the People of the United States.”

Doom and gloom? That’s how many think of the book of Revelation. Oftentimes, Christians shy away from the study of prophecy because they believe it is too complex or irrelevant to spend time examining. But this is not true. Revelation gives us insight into things that will come to pass and helps us understand the things that are happening in our world. It gives us heavenly insight on what the future holds and changes our perspective as we go through our everyday lives.

The nature of the Millennium is arguably the most controversial subject in the study of biblical future, but most of the views can be summarized in three major perspectives. It is critical to know these viewpoints because what we believe about this thousand-year period affects everything else we believe about biblical prophecy, the future, and the events leading up to the return of Christ.

As history hurtles toward the Last Days, we find ourselves trying to navigate through an increasingly hostile world. Politics are dividing our country and even our churches. People are becoming more cold-hearted, selfish, and angry. We are experiencing a breakdown that feels irreversible. Our problems do not have simple solutions, but we can find guidance in Scripture.

Yes, Christianity has emphasized the biblical message of grace for two thousand years, and the spread of the Church has been extraordinary. But that message is ours because it was passed down from the Jewish people. The Gospel was born in Israel. It was nursed and cradled by the Hebrew nation in the land promised to their ancestors. It was Jewish apostles who carried the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The first churches were established by Jewish missionaries. Our faith—from beginning to end—flows through Israel.

Without Scripture and the promises and presence of God to depend on, where would one turn as a parent? When we have principles to go by from Scripture, we have a target for our faith. We are not left to flounder or to pick a book off the shelf at a bookstore in order to find a parenting philosophy to go by. Rather, we go by God’s words to us—principles for husbands, wives, and children.

As you know, the leaders of Iran adhere to an apocalyptic form of Islam, and they’re doing everything possible to discourage this revival. Anyone suspected of being a Christian is arrested or oppressed. But do you know what’s happening? Plans are unfolding for Billy Graham to preach in Iran! Yes, Dr. Graham’s sermons are being dubbed into Farsi and broadcast into the country. It’s believed his sermons will reach over twenty million Iranians in the safety of their own homes. 

When that first group of people gathered in Bethlehem, all of them had left home. They didn’t realize their gathering would be immortalized and celebrated every year for the next 2,000 years, but it has been. Remembering their absence from their homes reminds us that we are also away from our true, eternal home this Christmas. With each Christmas celebration, the Lord’s return draws nearer as does our arrival at our own heavenly home. 

There is hope in the headlines. And while what is happening in the church shocks us, it is not a surprise to God. The falling away of the church is prophesied in Scripture and points to the soon return of Christ. And for His own, the faithful and redeemed, salvation is secure. This shift away from biblical faith has become so common that the term "exvangelicals" is now used to describe these defectors from evangelicalism. Why is this happening, and what does it mean?

I grew up in a Christian home, and I’ve been to many Easter celebrations in my lifetime. My father was a preacher, and he was a good teacher, but I did not have a full understanding of the priority of the Resurrection until I was a second-year student in seminary.

The nature of the Millennium is arguably the most controversial subject in the study of biblical future, but most of the views can be summarized in three major perspectives. It is critical to know these viewpoints because what we believe about this thousand-year period affects everything else we believe about biblical prophecy, the future, and the events leading up to the return of Christ.

Have you ever pondered over the striking paradox that the Messiah, the mighty ruler, was also prophesied to be a man of sorrows in Isaiah 53? Why was the expected deliverer, portrayed as the suffering servant?

God is faithful and committed to completing the work He has begun in us. It is the finished work that Jesus did on the cross and His great faithfulness that we are dependent upon for salvation, not our own efforts or abilities. Once trust is genuinely placed in Jesus Christ as Savior, eternal salvation is eternally secured.

The Rapture is the biblical prophetic event where all who have put their trust in Christ, living and deceased, will suddenly be caught up from earth, be joined with Christ in the air, and taken to heaven

I can say with certainty that we are closer to the Rapture and the Tribulation than ever before. And, even as the world hurtles toward earth’s Last Days, we can find hope in God’s Word.