GN Magazine: Middle East Unrest

May 1, 2011

May-June Good News: What’s Behind the Unrest Sweeping the Middle East?

The May-June Good News has been printed and should be in your mailbox shortly. It addresses a crucial question: What’s behind the turmoil in the Middle East?

A more basic question is this: Why is the Middle East so often in the news?

The answer is simple—the Middle East is the ground zero of Bible prophecy. Yes, Bible prophecy is global in its scale and reach. But it begins in and is centered on the Middle East—the Holy Land and its nearby neighbors.

The Bible story begins with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden somewhere in today’s Middle East. The stories of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Israelites, David, Solomon, the biblical prophets and Jesus of Nazareth are set there. Prophetically, the events that lead to the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God are set in motion by events triggered in the Middle East. So it’s vitally important that we understand what’s taking place there, and what is foretold to happen in the future!

As is obvious from the news, a major trend is sweeping the Middle East. The leaders of Tunisia and Egypt have been swept from office in popular uprisings. Libya is engulfed in civil war. Yemen and Syria are approaching or are on the brink. A swath of unrest stretches across North Africa and the Middle East from the Atlantic Ocean to Afghanistan, affecting virtually every country in an arc extending some 3,000 miles.

The big question is, as these governments and leaders fall, what will replace them?

At this point it’s too early to tell, as elections are still some time off. But it’s obvious that the region is seeing a resurgence of Islamic militancy, with its leaders demanding the establishment of a revived Islamic empire destined, in their thinking, to eventually dominate the entire world.

Does this sound far-fetched? Not to students of Bible prophecy. They understand that the Hebrew prophet Daniel foretold a new end-time power that will arise from the Arab world, leading to a clash of civilizations between East and West.

As these Arab strongmen are toppled in the Middle East, what will replace them? Will we see the region swept by a new wave of Islamic fundamentalism leading to the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy? You need to read this issue!

Several eye-opening articles will help you understand what is happening now in the Middle East, where it might be leading, and what Bible prophecy foretells for this region. We deeply appreciate the faithfulness of those whose generosity and dedication to the good news of the coming Kingdom of God make it possible to share these truths, and we hope you’ll join us in praying that many others will have their eyes opened and to see the seriousness of the times in which we find ourselves.

Scott Ashley—managing editor, The Good News