• "Alas, for that day is great, so that none is like it, and it is the time of Jacob's [Israel's] trouble..." (Jeremiah 30:7, emphasis added throughout; compare Ezekiel 5, especially verse 9).

• "And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time..." (Daniel 12:1).

• "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; see also Mark 13:19).

While we're not there yet, current events should remind us this time is coming. The news of just this past year reflected frightening trends. These disturbing developments should cause us the soberest contemplation. Events like the radical reshaping of Europe, German domination of the European Union (EU), the clash between Western and Islamic civilizations, Islamic hatred of Israel, the Iranian nuclear threat, the rapid rise of China and the continuing decline of American influence demand the deepest introspection.

Above all, we desperately need to keep our heads out of the sand, for we live in a unique time of signs that herald the end of the age (see Matthew 16:2-3; Luke 12:54-56; 21:11, 25). Truly, Christians are duty bound to watch world events in the light of Bible prophecy (see Luke 21:24-36; Mark 13:32-37).

Where are the events of 2012 leading the world? Will the year ahead simply bring a further intensifying of political forces already well in motion?