As this commentary is being written, an elected county clerk in Kentucky has been sentenced to jail due to the conflict she perceives between her duty as a public official and her personal religious convictions about same-sex “marriage.” This raises many vital, fundamental questions—and, for students of God’s word, it should bring to mind many dire prophecies.

“Almost half of British girls have required help with their mental health, according to a new survey. The Girlguiding UK research into the pressures facing girls today found self-harming was one of the biggest health concerns for girls aged 11-21, followed by mental illness, cyber-bullying and depression” (The Telegraph, August 24, 2015).

This year is shaping up to be a record year for hurricanes or typhoons. “NASA’s Terra satellite saw Hurricanes Kilo, Ignacio, and Jimena, all Category Four Hurricanes, lined up across the Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean on August 29 at 22:25 UTC (6:25 p.m. EDT). This is the first time there have been three active hurricanes in the Eastern or Central Pacific Ocean this season, and they’re all major hurricanes” (NASA, August 30, 2015).

Tensions between Britain and Argentina continue to grow over the fate of the Falkland Islands, also known in Argentina as the Malvinas. “Britain has ordered £47 million of new mobile air defence radars to protect the Falkland Islands against possible attack by Argentine jets.

Recently, many of us shared in the grief at the tragic accidental death of a much-loved young woman during her service at a Church-sponsored summer camp. In her short lifetime, she touched the lives both of those who knew her and of those who only came to know her after her death.