Christmas: Why Are We Doing This?

Have you ever stopped and found yourself asking why? Why are we doing this? Why are we spending all this money, even burdening ourselves with debt carrying over into the new year? Is Christmas even worth celebrating?

"Black Friday." "Cyber Monday." What strange terms have come to be associated with the start of the Christmas season! The day after Thanksgiving, "Black Friday," is so named as the day many retailers hope to break even for the year, and start making a profit by using the Christmas shopping season to move out of the red and into the black. Last Friday, some 195 million people visited stores and online shopping sites on "Black Friday," up from 172 million in 2008. Shoppers on average spent more than $340, down from the $372 they parted with last year.

"Cyber Monday," on the other hand, marks the supposed start of the online buying season. This year online retailers rang up over $900 million in web-based sales in the United States, a record figure.

But even with total Christmas spending down this year, the season still accounts for a lot of money – some $417 per shopper this year, at a time when many consumers are saddled with thousands of dollars in credit card debt.

But in this crazy, year-end spending frenzy, have you ever stopped and found yourself asking why? Why are we doing this? Why are we spending all this money, even burdening ourselves with debt carrying over into the new year?

Is Christmas even worth celebrating? Believe it or not, early immigrants to the New World once banned the celebration of Christmas. Massachusetts Puritans in the seventeenth century prohibited the celebration of this year-end festival. In England, Christmas was forbidden by an Act of Parliament in 1647. Why? They identified it as a time of waste, greed and self-indulgence that dishonored Christ. Another reason was that the Savior wasn't even born in late December, a fact clearly understood in secular and religious sources.

The New Testament makes that fact clear. We're told that a census took place just before the birth of Jesus. Hard to do in the coldest, darkest days of the year. We also read that shepherds were keeping their flocks out in the fields by night when the Savior was born, something they would not have done in the dead of winter (Luke 2:1-5, 8).

So you see the Savior really wasn't born in winter at all. Frankly, Christmas is more commercial than religious, just as it was in the seventeenth century. So the big question is: why be part of it? And are we really doing the right thing when we drop all that cash, to pay for a festival not even mentioned in the Bible? Now's a great time to reconsider.

Et Tu, Tiger?

The Tiger Woods high-profile sexual scandal have captured headlines around the world. This should serve as a sober reminder to all of us of the danger of letting down our own moral guard, and lead us to ask ourselves if we could do something similar.

The tawdry details of another high-profile sexual scandal have captured headlines around the world. One of today's most respected athletes, Tiger Woods, has suddenly found the intimate details of his personal life laid bare under the harsh glare of public humiliation. In a statement posted on his web site he admits heartfelt regret for private "transgressions," offers a profound apology to his family and those who have supported him, and promises that he will strive to be a better person and husband and father. Most of all he pleads for family privacy to allow healing to take place.

Undoubtedly some of the more salacious allegations will prove to be untrue, and we frankly have no need to know the details of his admitted transgressions. But when someone has betrayed the sacred trust that lies at the foundation of every marriage, when we see apparently innocent victims like his wife and children, it's difficult to feel a great deal of compassion for those who caused their heartache.

How did this tragedy happen? Did Tiger Woods leave home one day intending to bring shame on himself and emotional devastation to his family? Of course not; no one ever does. So how did that family end up where they are today? Some may decry the invasiveness of tabloid journalism, but the tabloids didn't cause this problem.

Certainly we all extend our heartfelt wishes for healing to those who are suffering and sincerely trying to make amends and regain the trust and love that have been so deeply wounded. A part of that healing process will include an honest examination of the small, seemingly inconsequential moral compromises that brought them to this place. For any of us, the path to self-destruction begins with small choices made in the total privacy of our own minds.

Most of all this should serve as a sober reminder to all of us of the danger of letting down our own moral guard, and lead us to pause—at least for a moment—to ask ourselves if we could do something similar. A second, even more important question comes to mind as well: "What can I do to protect myself and my family from that kind of pain?"

King Solomon's warning about infidelity, calling it "playing with fire," has become a common metaphor in daily language. Have you ever read what he wrote a few verses later? "But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself. Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away…" (Pro 6:32-33, NIV)

We wish the very best for the Woods family, but we must always remember that anyone who starts down that seductive path of immorality will discover it's a dead-end road with nothing but broken hearts and lives waiting at the end.

This week on 'The Hal Lindsey Report'

On this week's edition of "The Hal Lindsey Report": The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has discovered traces of "highly processed plutonium" at the Syrian nuclear site that was bombed by Israel in September, 2007. The Agency now admits that Syria's nuclear program was apparently further along than it had previously thought.

Syria is trying to deflect attention by accusing the international community of ignoring Israel's nuclear arsenal. Now, nobody knows for certain that Israel has a nuclear arsenal. The Israelis have long followed a policy of "nuclear ambiguity." I'll explain why this week.

But is it any coincidence that newspapers in the Arab world have noted that just before and during the invasion of Iraq in 2003 (where no nuclear weapons were found), Saddam's sons were shipping unknown materials fast and furiously by truck and train convoys into the very Syrian province where, four years later, Israel's airstrike destroyed a nascent nuclear facility?

Also, this week, the IAEA, by a vote of 25-3, censured Iran for its nuclear program and the deception surrounding it. In a move meant to demonstrate that it had received the IAEA's message, Iran's parliament immediately authorized the construction of TEN new nuclear enrichment facilities! With construction to begin as soon as possible! And, for good measure, it tossed in $20 million to fund and enlarge terror groups willing to take on the US and Britain. So much for all that chat that's taking place between Iran and the West. If you ask me, the nation that invented the game of chess is playing another, far deadlier game.

By now, who hasn't heard of "Climategate?" Oh, yeah, everyone who gets their news from the Mainstream Media. The Climategate cover-up is beginning to rival Climategate itself! Find out what Climategate is and why most of the Left thinks Climategate is an invention of the 'Diabolical Right.' In fact, California Senator Barbara Boxer thinks the more disturbing scandal is "E-Mail Theftgate!"

But, metaphorically speaking, the man-made climate change alarmists are starting to sweat.(Physically, they're feeling an unexpected chill in the air.) With their big power-grab convention coming up in Copenhagen this month, the wheels may be starting to come off the wagon. Let's pray our wagonmasters wake up and steer us away from the cliff before some real damage is done to our sovereignty and depleted treasury.

I will have to give them one thing, though, climate change is real. Of course, we used to just call it 'weather.' And anyone who's even casually read through his or her high school and college history textbooks knows that weather changes seem to occur in cycles - some of which last for years or decades. But did you know that climate change is prophesied in the Bible? I'll tell you about that this week. And Al Gore just thinks he knows what 'global warming' is. I'll show you some REAL global warming!

Springtime in Israel

Iran is getting closer to having a viable nuclear weapon capable of reaching Israel and Western nations. Negotiations to curb Iran's project are proving fruitless. Iran is steadily advancing to the day it will become a nuclear power. This day is coming, probably sooner rather than later.

The nation of Israel knows that when this day arrives, their existence is in grave danger. Iran has threatened to wipe the Jewish state from the face of the earth, and Israel believes Iran means what it says.

The question is, Will Israel take preemptive military action to destroy Iran's nuclear production capacity? The Israeli air force took such action once before when it attacked an Iraqi facility suspected of building a nuclear bomb. The Israelis have shown the will before. Whether they have the sustained ability is another issue.

There is one power that does have the ability to wipe out the Iranian facilities. It is the United States of America. A few days of shock-and-awe bombing like that unleashed on Iraq in 2003 could do the job. Does America have the will to attack Iran? Many suspect it doesn't.

So, if diplomatic talk fails, and it appears it will, then Israel could feel it has no choice but to launch an attack to preserve its existence. The results would be catastrophic. Iran would launch terrorist attacks on Western targets and possibly hinder the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. The impact on the world economy, still struggling to come out of recession, would be significant.

All this could occur next spring, which is why I told my friend it would be a good idea to take out trip insurance in case his long-awaited journey is called off. It would be nice if we could take out insurance policies to guard against every risk and contingency in our dangerous and complicated world. But we can't. All the reports indicate a dangerous road imminently ahead for the Middle East.

Is there another type of "insurance" we can procure for the dangerous times that lie ahead? Yes, there is, but it is not underwritten by any mortal agency. Jesus Christ indicated that the only available refuge would be provided by understanding what is coming and making sure our lives are aligned with God's way of life.

Luke 19 records Jesus' words as He approached the city of Jerusalem. "Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, 'If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation'" (verses 41-44).

We can know the things that make for our "peace" in this, our "time of visitation." They are revealed through the teachings of Christ. God can be as near as your next prayer. It is the best form of "insurance" we can take out during our journey in this life.

A New Superpower? Europe Takes a Big Step Forward!

Newspaper headlines on both sides of the Atlantic heralded the Irish ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. "Ireland's Yes vote creates a more powerful Europe," said the Scotland on Sunday. The New York Times headline even contained prophetic overtones: "Gaining a Powerful Presidency, European Union Seeks a Job Description and a Leader." What is the long-term biblical significance?

Why do World News and Prophecy and its sister publication The Good News spend so much of their magazine space and journalistic time analyzing current events on the European continent and in the British Isles?

Noted Daily Mail columnist Melanie Phillips helps us explain: "Europe is not some marginal issue that belongs to a discredited and best forgotten past. It is the meta-issue, the one that underpins all other [political] issues. The British people know this. That is why 70 per cent want a referendum on the treaty. It's why no fewer than 40 per cent want to come out of the EU altogether" ("David Cameron and the Spectre of 'President' Blair," Oct. 5, 2009, emphasis added throughout).

About a month ago I journeyed by train and boat from London to Dublin on a church assignment. Boarding a bus from the Dublin docks to a city-center railway station, I noticed prominent posters urging a "yes" vote on just about every block. The advertising campaign has overwhelmed Irish voters. Millions of euros were poured into the "yes" campaign. Substantial concessions to EU law were also granted to the Irish government. Melanie Phillips' frank assessment was: "The Irish people have had their arms twisted to deliver the required 'yes' vote on the EU's constitutional Lisbon treaty" (ibid.).
What happens now?

Only the Czech Republic remained a potential obstacle to complete ratification. Czech President Václav Klaus, after staunch opposition to the Lisbon Treaty, finally signed on Nov. 3. Stated The Wall Street Journal last month: "The European Union's Lisbon Treaty, meant to streamline the bloc's decision making and increase its global clout, has been approved by 27 national parliaments...For it to come into effect, one more man needs to say yes: Czech President Václav Klaus, a committed euroskeptic who so far has refused to sign on" ("A Leader Delaying Lisbon Treaty?" Oct. 19, 2009).

But the leaders, diplomats and chief supporters of the European Union were frighteningly relentless in their dogged determination to push this treaty through to final completion. The Sunday Times stated: "In faraway Brussels furious diplomats were calling for his [Klaus's] impeachment and even his country's expulsion from the European Union because of his obstinate refusal to sign the Lisbon treaty...European leaders were told he was not available to take their calls" ("Germans Seek Ways to Oust Czech President Václav Klaus Over EU Treaty," Oct. 11, 2009).

President Klaus clearly stated, "I have always considered this treaty a step in the wrong direction." This remark was not well received in Paris, Berlin and Brussels. French and German diplomats were exploring ways to "impeach him or change the Czech constitution to take away his right of veto...Jiri Oberfalzer, a member of the Czech senate and Klaus's closest ally, said Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, had already threatened the Czechs with expulsion from the EU" (ibid.).

These alleged threats from the French and the Germans were probably little more than empty rhetoric, but it is frightening to contemplate what Brussels might do to EU member states if it gains the power to carry out these threats.

Klaus knew signing was inevitable after the Czech Constitutional Court turned down the last objection. "The Eurosceptic Mr Klaus had recently said he would no longer attempt to block the treaty, after receiving the promise of an opt-out from the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights. Mr. Klaus said the opt-out was needed to avoid property claims from ethnic Germans expelled from Czechoslovakia after World War II" ("EU Reform Treaty Passes Last Test," BBC News, Nov. 3, 2009).
Losing yet more national sovereignty

The big issue for Britain remains in the realm of the continual erosion of national sovereignty—the ability of a country to effectively govern itself relatively free of outside interference. Melanie Phillips pointed out the high stakes for the United Kingdom in her weekly Daily Mail column: "Frankly, unless the Lisbon treaty is stopped, there is little point in [Conservative Party leader David] Cameron or anyone else busting a gut to win the General Election, since Parliament will be reduced to the status of Westminster regional council in the empire of Euroland" (ibid.).

Mrs. Phillips further pointed out that "even without the constitution, the EU has already paralysed our ability to govern ourselves in myriad different ways" (ibid.).

This is not the only point of view on the Lisbon Treaty. U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband sees it quite differently. He stated in a recent Times article: "Our role in Europe magnifies the power of our ideas, which strengthens our international clout in Washington, Beijing and Moscow...The Lisbon Treaty gives Europe the chance to be an effective force defending the gains of the last 60 years" ("Britain Is Still a Big Player. Europe Needs Us," Oct. 26, 2009).

At this juncture, former Prime Minister Tony Blair enters the picture in a paradoxical way. He has been considered a leading candidate for the European Union's first president, even though many in his own country basically oppose a European federation and potential world superpower. By comparison, the other candidates in continental Europe appear to most as little more than faceless bureaucrats.

Polls have consistently shown that the Conservative Party is likely to assume power in the next British general election in May (or perhaps even before). Its more vociferous spokesmen have promised their opposition to Tony Blair if he becomes the EU's president, as described in a major feature article in The Sunday Telegraph titled "Tony Blair Becoming EU President Would Mean 'Permanent Warfare,' Tories Warn" (Oct. 11, 2009).

Melanie Phillips summed up her view of the effects of this new treaty (or constitution) on national sovereignty: "If this constitution comes into effect, Britain and the other EU member states will no longer be self-governing nations. Foreign policy, defence, social, economic and welfare policies, immigration, internal security—every national interest will be subordinated to this new anti-democratic entity" (ibid.).
What God sees

God's political and geographic vision is many times sharper than our own. He understands and sees Europe as no human being or nation does. He has revealed His thoughts in the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments.

The Hebrew prophet Daniel foretold future occurrences in Central Europe hundreds of years before the time of Christ. His prophecies were later complemented and fleshed out in the book of Revelation revealed to the apostle John near the end of the first century.

In summary, there were to be seven distinct resurrections of the original Roman Empire. A superpower consisting of 10 nations or groups of nations would be the seventh and final resurrection. The first six have already passed into history, and the final one may not be that long in coming. (Please see the accompanying sidebar, "A New Superpower to Emerge.")

At the very end time, all nations will be severely chastened by tragic events to come. But they will finally come to realize that God Almighty is the ultimate Ruler in the kingdoms of men. A number of times the prophet Ezekiel quoted God saying, "They shall know that I am the Lord" (Ezekiel 7:27; 25:17; 29:21, etc.).

This understanding will reach its zenith when Jesus Christ returns as King of kings and Lord of lords. "Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'" (Revelation 11:15). Jesus Christ Himself will then set up His ruling family on earth (Revelation 5:10; 20:4-6).

Out of the Rubble

The next time you face the storms of hardship, try to look at them from a different perspective and determine to make it an opportunity for greater growth.

A few years ago, my in-laws hometown was devastated by an F4 tornado. Violent winds destroyed the small Missouri village. The old town square – gone; historic downtown buildings – consumed.

The twister damaged so many properties, left scores of homes ruined, not to mention the countless number of trees that were left with completely leaf less limbs.

In the months following the huge tornado the town began reconstruction. Ultimately, the town square was rebuilt with a modern, yet hometown appeal. Out of the rubble has risen a beautiful quaint little town that has a forward-looking approach.

Now imagine this: some townspeople say that the tornado was the best thing that ever happened to the little city.

Thinking of this circumstance, I'm reminded that we should be cautious in how we view tragedy. Personal losses, family misfortunes or even unexpected adversity in life can be like a purifying fire in our lives.

When your personal F4 whirlwind is raging, or after it leaves what seems like total disaster behind - it may just make new growth and greater development possible.

Jesus taught this principle in John 12:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain."

So the next time you face the storms of hardship, try to look at them from a different perspective and determine to make it an opportunity for greater growth.

A New Superpower to Emerge

An important biblical prophecy deals with the end-time revival of the Roman Empire, prophesied extensively in both Daniel and Revelation.

Daniel, interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a colossal human image, spoke of a series of "kingdoms" to arise on the world scene. The first of these, said Daniel, was the Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar himself (Daniel 2:28-38). It was to be followed by three other kingdoms (verses 39-40). Comparing history with other prophecies, we can understand that these four kingdoms were, in order, the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greco-Macedonian and Roman empires.

Speaking of the fourth and final kingdom, the Roman Empire, Daniel said it would be "strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others" (verse 40). Rome indeed proved to be more dominant and enduring than its predecessors, swallowing up their remnants in a reign that lasted for centuries.

However, Daniel also revealed fascinating prophetic details of this final kingdom. The Roman Empire was represented by the legs and feet of the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The image had feet and toes composed "partly of potter's clay and partly of iron." This indicated that "the kingdom shall be divided" and "partly strong and partly fragile." Also, "just as iron does not mix with clay," the components of this kingdom would not adhere firmly together for long (verses 41-43).

Describing Jesus Christ's return and His overthrow of all human governments, Daniel says: "In the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed...it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (verse 44).

The Bible prophesies that a group of 10 "kings" or leaders, through alliances or other arrangements, will give rise to a union that will fulfill these end-time predictions. Daniel's prophecy indicates these leaders will preserve their cultures and languages, so it will not be one integrated group of states, such as the United States, but 10 individual political and cultural entities united for a common purpose. Some will be much stronger than others.

Notice that the book of Revelation gives more details: "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful" (Revelation 17:12-14).

The current moves to expand and solidify the European Union appear to be a precursor to this prophesied power. It is interesting to let history reveal the roots of the movement to unify Europe.

In the Jan. 29, 1996, issue of Newsweek, Michael Elliot reported: "In January 1957, six nations signed a treaty on the site of the ancient Roman Capitol, and brought into being the European Economic Community...An aide to Paul-Henri Spaak, the then Belgian foreign minister, remembers that his boss said, 'Do you think that we have laid the first stone of a new Roman Empire?' Recalls the aide, 'We felt very strongly we were Romans that day.'"

Certainly the idea of establishing a new Roman Empire was on the minds of the founders of the current organization of European nations. It has continued to prosper as barriers to integration tumble and greater cooperation and unity in economic and military affairs come about. Time will tell where these trends will lead—and how quickly.