News and Prophecy Staff

“‘Yo no creo en nadie’ (I believe in no one). The phrase has become part of the Venezuelan lexicon… The expression was usually uttered in an offhand way by Venezuelans as a joke, a motto of our characteristically joyous disregard for authority” (New York Times, May 21, 2016). In Venezuela, vigilante justice is becoming more commonplace (ibid.).

“Sweden and Finland have taken part in their first-ever Nato foreign ministers’ meeting… Their participation was hailed as a sign that the two non-aligned countries are moving closer to Nato and US security structures…” (EU Observer, May 20, 2016). On May 13 at a White House summit meeting, “Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden” reaffirmed their commitment to a “deep partnership based on shared fundamental values” with the U.S.

A recent British study reports, “About a fifth of all adults around the world and a third of those in the UK will be obese by 2025” (The Guardian, April 1, 2016). With obesity comes a host of health-related issues: diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, joint problems, cancer, shortened life span.

For nearly two thousand years, the foundation of Western civilization rested upon Judeo-Christian values found in the Bible. Those fundamental values set the West apart from the rest of the world. Yet, in recent years, that foundation has crumbled under the relentless onslaught of secular forces that permeate our increasingly godless societies.

For decades, the European press and influential politicians have proclaimed that nationalism is dead in Europe and an “ever closer union” is the real hope for all Europeans. However, a surging wave of nationalism is threatening to swamp that dream. In Austria, a nationalistic candidate nearly captured the presidency “for the first time in postwar history” with over 49 percent of the vote (The Wall Street Journal, May 23 and May 24, 2016).