As we witness world events and continue to watch and pray, we can at times see events that are very obvious, while other prophetic signs can seem veiled to our understanding.

On the front page of a recent Wall Street Journal was the headline, “Germans in Talks to Buy Big Board (NYSE).” The article went on to point out that for 219 years the citadel of American capitalism, the New York Stock Exchange, was, by world standards, one of the greatest exchanges for trade. To those to whom prophecy is veiled, this would just be another headline and more than likely of no significance. And we must ask ourselves, is this a significant event or not?

Years ago, I worked with an older gentleman who posed the question to me, “How do you eat an elephant?” As a young man at the time, I pondered the question, rather confused, only to have the elderly gentleman simply state to me, “One bite at a time.”

We know that within the scriptures we have to search to find “here a little and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). Precept must be upon precept. And knowing that when we gaze out at our prophetic horizon, the mountain range of time is not a smooth, uphill climb, but a continual ascent marked with peaks and valleys.

The information we are receiving now could play a vital role in the dominance of the soon-to-arrive European power. With the unrest in the Middle East and the ever-weakening US, the prophetic horizon could become more of a vertical climb. That will lead to the epic moment when we reach the summit and our soon-coming King will be standing on the Mount of Olives.

So, what is our responsibility? As the end of this age approaches, our true desire must be (more than ever) one of seeking God’s will so that He will find His servants doing what is required (Matthew 24:46). We must be humbly serving, giving of ourselves, and preaching the Gospel as a witness until the end comes (Matthew 24:14). We do not get to decide when the work is over. We are instructed “until the end” and we are to be doing His will and proclaiming the gospel of the good news of the world tomorrow.

Many religions have sought to speed the return of Christ. Some have proclaimed that He will be here on such and such a date, only to be disappointed by these predictions. Scripture reveals that the prophetic events that lead up to the return of Christ will not be of any private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20), nor will there be any doubt as to the ultimate return of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:27).

Preparedness, along with a humble, serving attitude will allow us to see the events that are coming to pass, and know with confidence that He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

As the dominos of prophetic events continue to fall, as we get closer to the mountain range and start to climb, we must trust and rely, not on ourselves or our own understanding, but maintain a vigilant search of the scriptures to bring us to the oneness in serving Jesus Christ our Lord.