QUESTION: Do the events taking place in the Middle East have significance to the Christian today?

ANSWER Yes, they certainly do. We see the stage being set for the tribulation period. The chief actors are about ready to step out on the world stage. Note the following facts:

1. The majority of nations unified in condemnation of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, and the assembling of some of these nations's armies in Saudi Arabia. This cannot help but remind the Bible student of what will happen when the King of the North (Syria?) invades Israel during the last half of the tribulation period. There will certainly be unified condemnation against the aggressor followed by a large assembling of armies at a place called Armageddon. These armies will be there to defend Israel against the invader but in reality will be fighting against God and His Son Jesus Christ (see Daniel 11:36-45; Revelation 16:12-16; 19:11-21).

2. As a result of this cooperation among the nations of the world (including Russia), President Bush has had a vision of a new world order. He said in an address to Congress: "The crisis in the Persian Gulf also offers a rare opportunity to move toward an historic period of cooperation. Out of these troubled times … a new world order can emerge."

The Bible does speak of what could be called a new world order, but it will be different from what many world leaders envision. The Bible tells us that there will be a revival of the old Roman Empire in a ten-nation confederacy. The twelve nations of the European Economic Community fit the pattern of this revived empire. They are growing in power economically and soon it will be politically. The Economist (September 22, 1990) stated the following: "Mr Gianni De Michaelis, Italy's flamboyant foreign minister, claims that more has been done for Europe's political union in six weeks than has been done for its monetary union in two years. … Mr. Hussein has revealed a latent European instinct for joint action, and a heightened resolve to harness it." Yes, there will be a new world order, but it is one where the balance of power will shift from the United States and Russia to Europe. It is not hard to see that this has already begun.

3. The amazing speed with which events have changed the whole picture in Europe. It prepares us for the fact that this new world order may very suddenly arise out of the sea of nations, surprising the whole world. That is just what the Bible says will happen when this terrible God-defying world power, called the beast out of the sea, appears on the stage of the world. "All the world wondered after the beast" (Revelation 13).

Conclusion: The great significance of these events for the Christian is that they point to the nearness of the coming of the Lord Jesus for His heavenly people. This will precede the tribulation period for which the stage is now being set. The Lord Jesus has said three times in the last chapter of the Bible, "I come quickly." May our response be "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20), and may we serve Him faithfully until His return.

—John D. McNeil