The apostle John wrote that when Jesus appears we who believe in Him shall become like him, and everyone having this hope in Him purifies himself (1 John 3:2,3). He also wrote that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10). So two benefits of studying Bible prophecy and comparing it to world events are personal purification and a better understanding of Jesus. Besides, in 1 Th. 4:18 Christians are commanded to encourage each other with words about the return of Christ. Hebrews 10:24,25 says that as we should regularly meet to encourage one another, especially as we see the Day of Jesus’ return approaching.

Although we cannot say with certainty how today’s events are related to Bible prophecy, it is unwise to ignore them. Following are 10 for your consideration:

1. False saviors
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”  (Matthew 24:4,5) 

Here are some examples of people who are openly claiming to be Christ:

• In China, a woman claims that she is Christ and has gathered a large following called Eastern Lightning.
• In North and South America, Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda says he is greater than Jesus of Nazareth. He teaches there is no sin, no devil, and no hell, and he has followers in 20 countries. (2 min. video)

2. Wars and rumors of wars
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:6,7a) Since World War II, many countries have been building up massive arsenals of conventional and nuclear weapons. The potential for war grows day by day, especially as we see decreasing supplies of oil and clean drinking water on our planet. In many places religious tensions also cause wars, especially since militant Islam has become strong due to money from oil revenues.

3. Famines, Pestilence, Earthquakes
“And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:7b,8) In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning that infectious diseases are emerging more quickly and spreading faster around the globe than ever before, and they are becoming increasingly difficult to treat. The UN said in its 2007 annual world health report that an outbreak or epidemic in one part of the world can easily threaten billions of people in other parts due to large numbers of modern day air travelers. The UN agency warned that in coming years diseases like AIDS, SARS, or Ebola fever could easily kill millions of people.  See also Vaccines as Biological Weapons? Live Avian Flu Virus Placed in Baxter Vaccine Materials Sent to 18 Countries 

4. People of Israel will return to their land
“Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel.’ ” (Ezekiel 37:21,22). During the last 126 years Jews from 108 nations have migrated to the land of Israel.· In 1882 the first wave of modern immigration to Israel started as Jews fled persecution, or followed the Socialist Zionist ideas of Moses Hess. From 1882 to 1919 around 75,000 Jews immigrated to Palestine, mostly from Russia. They bought land from Ottoman and individual Arab landholders and established agricultural settlements. During this period the Hebrews language was revived, newspapers and literature were published in Hebrew and political parties and workers organizations were established.

• In 1917 during World War I, the British government in its Balfour Declaration supported plans for a ‘national home’ for the Jews in their promised land. Later, the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) lost control of the Middle East. This made it possible for hundreds of thousands more immigrants to arrive from Europe. Anti-Semitism drove most there. Many more would have come had it not been for Arab protest and resulting British restrictions on immigration.
• During World War II, the Nazis killed around 6 million Jews in the Holocaust, so it became clear to the Jews that they needed a homeland. Many Holocaust survivors immigrated illegally to Palestine. When the British pulled out of Palestine in May 1948, the state of Israel formally declared its independence. It was immediately recognized by the USA, followed by Guatemala, Nicaragua & Uruguay. A few days later, the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and South Africa did the same. No Arab states have ever recognized Israel, but several have attacked them. However, Israel has successfully defended itself against numerous Arab attacks. As a result, Jews throughout the Middle East have also been forced to immigrate to Israel, and the nation has grown strong. It has turned a desert into an agricultural success, and it’s technology industry exports cutting edge innovations.
• Today, Israel's population is over 7 million, including around 267,000 who live in Judea and Samaria (sometimes called the West Bank) and 180,000 in East Jerusalem. In 2008, Israel will celebrate it’s 60 anniversary in the face of Arabs who hate it and want to ‘wipe it off the map’. It is still mostly a secular state, but it has a growing percentage of Orthodox Jews.· Today, the Aliyah immigration movement continues to embrace Jewish newcomers, help them become a part of communities and help them learn Hebrew.
• Tough US Economy is Promoting Aliyah (Prophecy Today, July 9, 2008)

5. Increased wickedness & loss of love
“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12) Today, more and more couples are divorcing, and children are growing up with deep unmet needs as a result. Many couples are not even marrying but living together in fornication (any form of sex not sanctioned by God). A recent poll in 2007 showed that 78% of Secondary 4-7 students in Hong Kong plan to live in fornication and not marry in the future.

6. Jewish temple rebuilt in Jerusalem
Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. (Revelation 11:1,2)

There are many groups already working on preparations for the new temple. The blueprints are already done, and there have already been attempts to lay the cornerstone of the temple. The only thing standing in the way of the construction of the new temple is Islam's third holiest site, the Dome of the Rock and government support for such an undertaking. Some archeologists believe that Herod’s temple was actually just south of the Dome of the Rock site, putting the Dome of the Rock within the Court of the Gentiles. If this is decided upon, then the temple may be constructed next to the Dome of the Rock rather than first demolishing the Dome of the Rock. A group in Israel called the Temple Mount Faithful is preparing for the building of the temple already, and Jews all over the world pray for it regularly.

7. Strong delusion
And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie. (2 Th. 2:11 NKJV)

The primary focus of the deception is use of the media by the Prince of the Power of the Air.  TV, radio, Internet, cell phones, PDAs, etc. keep people completely preoccupied and oblivious to the fate that awaits unbelievers. The goal is also to prevent people from hearing the Gospel of Jesus, and if they do hear it to forget about it and be entertained constantly.  Most people in developed countries are now in a fog due to the impact of these mediums that lull them into a false sense of security and into a false sense of right and wrong.  This delusion can be seen in three areas:

• Spiritually, the Emerging Church has become so pervasive that most churches in developed countries will tolerate abortion (murder), fornication (premarital sex, adultery, homosexuality) and almost any other violation of God's law.  Just think: how many churches will excommunicate a person for involvement in these sins?
• Financially, most people are unaware that government / banking cartel partnership is stealing their wealth and using the funds to control the world.  (See How Some Rich Bankers Tricked the American People and Gained Control of the World's Economic, Political, Legal and Educational Systems)  The stealing is done through the printing of fiat money (money not based on gold or silver but on debt), through interest on money that does not exist (due to fractional reserve banking laws) and through the saw tooth effect of markets that draws people into bad investments over a long period of time and then makes them lose large portions of their life savings when the markets drop.  (See 200 Year Dow/Gold Ratio, and note how it became much more dramatic after the creation of the Federal Reserve System in 1913.)
• Politically, most people are also unaware that the international banking cartel has taken over all governments and is quietly re-organizing borders and power centers throughout the world.  Evidence of this can be seen in the 911 deception.  Most people think that airplanes caused three steel-frame buildings to fall down into their footprints at almost freefall speed, when this has never happened in all of known history.  Jet fuel is not hot enough to do the job.  It had to be done by controlled demolitions.  This was probably part of a plan to cause a second Pearl Harbor and justify the US military getting a foothold in the Middle East and justify the US government in taking away many constitutional rights of the US people.  (For more information, see http://www.question911.com/, http://911truthseekers.org and http://www.brasschecktv.com/.)

8. One world government

9. One world ruler and an assistant emerge
I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon [Satan, or the devil] gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:1-4)

It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:7,8)
  
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in teh temple of God, showing himself that he is God.  The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:3,4,9-12)
  
Most religions expect a savior or a man who will bring world peace, justice and unity. Here are three examples:

• Muslims are waiting for the Mahdi or the 12th Imam. Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated that his mandate is to pave the way for the coming of this Islamic messiah.
• Buddhists are waiting for the Buddha of compassion, Maitreya, or a world teacher and unifier, the 5th and coming Buddha of the present era.
• Hindus are waiting for their completer and savior, Kalki, the name of Vishnu in his tenth and last avatar.  According to the Usborne Encyclopedia of World Religions, "The tenth and last avatar has not yet appeared.  It is said that at the end of the present age, Vishnu will come to Earth as Kalki, riding a white horse, to destroy the wicked and re-establish order."  Have you seen the cartoon about the last avatar called Avatar: The Last Airbender? In this show, a boy named Aang shows how he is good and "can save the world."  See also, Maitreya Rising

A false prophet emerges to assist the world ruler and savior. “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” (Revelation 13:11-15)

Muslims are waiting for Isa Bin Jesus to appear with the Mahdi, praying behind him …Jews are still waiting for their Messiah, Emmanuel.  Christians are waiting for the second coming of Jesus, but most no longer believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible, so many will be deceived.
  
10. Technology to control the world
“He [the second beast] causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.”  (Revelation 13:16-18) 

Today, smart cards are popular, but they can be lost or stolen. It is likely that the eventual solution will be an implantable RFID chip. Already, 99% of commercial transactions in many countries are done without cash. Most paper money is not even backed by gold or silver anymore, so it’s value is purely psychological. When the current monetary system crashes, technology is available to redefine currency and commerce in a seamless way that people will want as a solution to their need for quick spending.

Further study:

• RFID Verichip Commercial (1 min.)
• Microchip Implant Controversy: a Mark of the Beast or the Coming "Singularity"? (Oct. 9, 2009)
• The cover charge at this club? An RFID implant (June 29, 2009)
• CNBC Analyst: Global Bank, Global Currency Within 15 Years (Feb. 27, 2009)
• Humans ‘will be implanted with microchips’ (Jan. 30, 2009)
• NBC News clip (2 min.)
• Verichip is being implanted in humans (4 min. video)
• 666 prophecy Mark of the Beast (8 min. video)
• 666: The Mark of the Beast (evidence that the technology is ready)
• Mandatory chips in animals, humans next
• Microsoft wants to get under your skin
• Rich Mexicans chip themselves in case they are kidnapped
• RFID - Watching You (from a 2002 movie)
• Iron Mountain Report and the Rise of the Antichrist (2 hr, 21min video)