This year, 1999, brings a special tinge of anticipation as we count down to midnight on Dec. 31, 2000, which will mark the end not only of century but a millennium. Only a tiny fraction of humanity has ever heard the clock strike that magical moment that separates any one 1,000-year period from the next.

The start of a new year is a time for reflection, for considering where we have come from, where we are and where we are going. So what lies ahead for us?

Much of The Good News is devoted to news—especially significant news events and articles about world conditions. But there's more to the magazine than just that. We like to think of The Good News as a news magazine with a difference.

Many magazines and newspapers report the news. Many do an admirable job of keeping us informed of events in far-off corners of the world. But few if any of them explain why these events occur. They have no basis for explaining why certain things come to pass or why some conditions never seem to change in spite of our best efforts to find solutions.

In spite of our ingenuity, we human beings are frustratingly incapable of solving some of our most basic problems: our inability to get along with one another; the seeming impossibility of erasing poverty and hunger; our governments and leaders focused on preserving and expanding their own power rather than empowering their citizens to better their lives; the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

Writers, editors and publishers have their sources to help them make sense of events in the news. So have we at The Good News. We have a primary source. Although our source has never been proven wrong, most people remain suspicious of or flatly reject the source of most of our knowledge. Most writers, editors and publishers pay no attention at all to our source. As a result, although they can tell you the who, what, when, where and how of the news, they cannot tell you why.

Our source explains the why of world events. We relay that information on to you.

The main source for The Good News is the Bible. The articles in The Good News, including our regular news features "Behind the Headlines" and "World News and Trends," are written from the perspective of God's Word. That scriptural understanding of God's purpose and plan for mankind, and His working out of that plan on earth, gives us the edge in explaining why our world faces the many problems that threaten our peace and safety.

What will the next century—and the next millennium—bring? Will it be a time of peril, or will it be a time of man-made paradise? There are at present several ways in which human and animal life could be extinguished.

Without the knowledge provided by study and understanding of God's Word, we could never know in advance whether our planet is destined to be a smoking, lifeless cinder hurtling through space or a long-awaited utopia, a shining, light-filled time beyond our imagination.

We can understand where this world is headed—and why. We can understand the factors that influence events around us. But it takes something that we do not have on our own. Psalm 9:10 explains what we need: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments."

Continue reading The Good News to gain this understanding we so desperately need. GN