Editor's Note: This article, originally published on September 29, 2014, has been republished in its entirety. In the wake of the past two years, we believe this content still has incredible relevance for future events based on Bible prophecy.

By the early light of Friday morning the result of the Scottish Referendum had become clear. By a decisive majority—55 percent to 45 percent—the citizens of Scotland rejected the prospect of independence from the United Kingdom. Why did they do so, and what will come next?

As EU leaders met in Brussels earlier this month, former German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, thrashing the Europeans for their grandiose ideas and their chronic inattention and inaction. He noted, “One hundred years ago, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, setting in motion a swirl of events that brought decades of devastation to the entire continent.

The Canadian weekly Maclean’s recently ran a sobering article on the USA by Scott Gilmore (Maclean’s, September 10, 2014).

As EU nations met in Wales to discuss the ISIS crisis in Iraq, former Israeli president Shimon Peres met with Pope Francis at the Vatican. Mr. Peres’ aim was to encourage the Pope to create “a ‘United Nations of Religions’ to counter the rise of religious extremism” (The Times, September 5, 2014). “Mr.