To predict the future, you need to take a step back and look at where we have been and identify the trends that brought us to this point. Are those powers or paradigms still at work? Yes, they are. We can analyze them and make projections.

    After reviewing history, I like to go an aerial shot. What did the Architect say would happen to humanity during this era? Amazingly, God’s authorized forecasters, the prophets, gave us predictions in the Bible that have proven to be accurate.

    Where are we? Technology is advancing, human structures are fracturing, a lot of nations are disintegrating, the world is warming up, our economy is slowing down, while many politicians ignore the chaos and keep saying, “Vote for me again!”

    I was born in 1948, the same year Israel was reborn. I’ve seen the post-WWII boom, the invention of television and antibiotics, the moon landing, Kennedy being killed, the dollar no longer backed by gold, the creation of the internet, nuclear bombs, personal computers, cell phones, and now the rise of Islamic fascism.

    There are significant social trends, too. We’ve witnessed the rise of a media culture, the disintegration of family life, the decline of education, and the choking of America’s economic engine …  the middle class.

    On a positive note, more people now reject statism- the totalitarian rule of life by authority. People want freedom. More parents are opting for school choice or home schooling, for family and church, for a small farm or owning a business.

    Where are we headed? There’s a battle being fought for the hearts and minds of the people of the world.  An ancient evil is inflaming violence. It’s making a play for the people of the Middle East and Europe. It wants total control. We see the precise scenarios as were predicted by the prophets. Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, John in Revelation, Paul’s letters, and our Lord Jesus in the Gospels… they gave us descriptions of events that are now unfolding in the news.

    America?  We’re bankrupt and beset by lawlessness. If I were forecasting trends that impact our lives, I’d watch for emerging leaders, both civil and church. Who will project a vision worth following? Can we defeat despair? I see thoughtful conservatism, a Christian counter-culture, rising from the ruins.

    In the Middle East, watch Iraq. Iraq needs to unite its factions and defeat ISIS so democracy can take deep root. When this is done, I expect to see a period of prosperity, maybe three to four years. Then suddenly- all hell breaks loose as the armies of Islam attack Israel. Israel will call on God for help. America – experiencing a spiritual awakening and an economic boom – will come to their aid.

    I don’t pretend to know everything about the future. Humanity has prophets that left us with a legacy, insight from God about the future. These prophets had the Spirit of Christ in them. The Holy Spirit tells us of things to come. Still, we only see through a glass darkly. However, some facts are crystal clear.

    At the end of day, atheistic humanism fails. Communist ideologies disintegrate. Islamic fascism uncovers its grotesque nature so that its veil of deceit is cast off. Israel finally accepts their true Messiah. The Church, so loved by the Lord, returns to its heritage of faith and power, endures until the end, and honors King Jesus who has returned in glory and power to rule the nations.

    Ron Wood is a writer and minister. Write him at wood.stone.ron@gmail.com or visit  www.touchedbygrace.org.