North Korea recently attacked South Korea with an artillery barrage that nearly destroyed an island and killed at least four Koreans. The South might retaliate and bring about a larger scale conflict.

An all-out war on the Korean peninsula would be very costly, and a surprise attack on South Korea is possible at any time. The North reportedly has 500 artillery guns aimed at Seoul, the capital of the South. This metropolitan area has over 22 million people, which is about the same size as New York. Casualties could run into the millions quickly.

Mexican drug murders and a bailout for Ireland

Closer to home for Americans, the Mexican newspaper Reforma reported that drug cartel-related murders along the border exceeded 10,000 so far this year. This is almost twice the number of military fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan combined, and we still have several weeks to go.

The bloodletting and murder of Mexican youth, political office holders and policemen is rampant in border towns such as Ciudad Juarez, which borders El Paso, Texas. The tally includes over 800 killings after torture and more than 300 decapitations. The violence is spreading into the United States every day, and the root cause is the ever-increasing market for illicit drugs in the United States.

Ireland was on the edge of bankruptcy just days ago, but was bailed out at the last minute with huge loans that come with a high price. Why does it make sense to loan people who cannot pay their current loans more money, and then pronounce the problem "solved"?

Portugal, Greece, Spain and Italy are also unable to pay their debts. As a result, the Telegraph newspaper reported that much larger bailouts are coming. "Spain's former leader Felipe Gonzalez warned that unless the European Central Bank steps into the market with mass bond purchases, the EMU system will lurch from one emergency to the next until it blows up" (Dec. 2, 2010). One has to wonder, where will all this money come from?

WikiLeaks embarrassments

As if these stories are not concerning enough, the news is full of the contents of 250,000 secret U.S. State Department communications that have been posted on WikiLeaks. Some of those messages reveal systemic corruption in Afghanistan, likely sales of 19 BM-25 long-range missiles to Iran by North Korea, covert military operations in several locations around the globe, and spying on foreign leaders and slanderous comments that are embarrassing for the U.S. government.

Cash for climate change?

While the above and much more was going on, representatives from more than 190 nations, the United Nations and the European Union were attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference at a resort in Cancun, Mexico. Most of the talk reportedly centered around money and how the G20 developed nations might be coerced into sending enormous amounts to the underdeveloped countries. What these nations have done to deserve the money is not explained.

A world gone crazy?

Is the world going crazy? Problems everywhere appear to be getting worse and seem to have no solution. Why is the world unable to deal with problems at virtually every level?

There is a very real spirit world that influences mankind more than we know. God's Word speaks specifically about "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). The prophet Isaiah tells us that this same being is one "who weakened the nations!" (Isaiah 14:12).

2012—year of disaster?

Many people believe that the year 2012 could be one of epic disaster for the world. Some base their predictions on the Mayan calendar and some astronomical events that will happen during the year. There was even a recent movie about the possible cataclysms of 2012.

Jesus Christ did not reveal to us the specific time or year of end-time events. But His words ring loud and clear about a coming time of great trouble. "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" (Matthew 24:21).

This coming time of tremendous upheaval and suffering is mentioned by several other writers in the Bible. If you know it is coming, how can you prepare?

To find out more, download or order our free publications The Middle East in Bible Prophecy and Is There Really a Devil?