You've read the reports in newspapers across America:

In America's inner cities, motorists sporting gold plated custom car wheels are being murdered by theives in search of the fancy $4,500 rims.

A family takes a wrong turn into gang territory and faces automatic weapons fire that fills a three-year-old and injures a two-year-old.

Multiplied murderd in America's cities include decapitations (beheadings).

Two FBI agents and a police sergeant are murdered in an attack inside police headquarters. The United states is becoming a very dangerous place to live. In fact, according to the American Medical Association, some of the worst human rights abuses are taking place inside America's families.

ABUSE AND CRIME CONTINUE UNABATED

More than 70,000 women are sexually assaulted every year in the United States. That's one every forty-five seconds, making sexual assault the most rapidly growing violent crime in the country. Three-quarters of these assaults are committed by a friend, acquaintance, intimate partner, or family member of the victim.

Domestic violence is more widesspread than ever. Each year between two and four million women are battered; 1,500 women are murdered by their intimate partners; 1.8 million elderly are victims of maltreatment; 1.7 million child abuse reports are filed each year.

All this abuse is expected to result in an explosive crime rate in the next few years when today's elementary-age children become tomorrow's adolescents. The experts say a youth-crime crisis is right around the corner. At the current growth rate, there will be nearly a half-million more adolescent boys in the year 2010 than there are today. That trend would mean there will be 30,000 more chronic juvenile delinquents on the streets in fifteen years.

Though representing only 7 percent of all male teens, these chronic offenders commit 70 percent of all serious crime in their age group.

Our nation is awash in a tidal wave of violence that has reached epidemic proportions, especially among the younger generation. Faith in the criminal justice system to punish the guilty and protect the innocent has eroded even further since the O.J. Simpson trial. One distinguished British journalist, after observing the jury in the case, said "the thought that one day such individuals might actually decide your fate, will, if you are innocent, fill you with absolute terror."

FEAR, FEAR, AND MORE FEAR

In America's urban centers, fear is everywhere. People are fleeing their homes and neighborhoods, their jobs, and their friends to get away from preteen pregnancies, free condom distributors in public schools, drive-by shootings, kiddie pornographers, abortion-on-demand advocates, suicide machines, and child abusers.

Since 1960, there has been a 560 percent increase in violent crime. In the last thirty years, illegitimate births have increased 419 percent. Divorce rates have tripled. The number of children living in single-parent homes has tripled. The teen suicide rate has increased 200 percent.

As bad as it is, these events should surprise no one familiar with Bible prophecy. God's word explains in great detail how badly conditions on Earth will deteriorate in the days just before Jesus returns. Second Timothy 3:1-7 reminds,

"This know also, that in the last days periolous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

Does this not sound like a portrait of the times in which we live? The bad news is that things are going to get worse. But, as we've stated so often, the good news is that Jesus is coming back.

ALL TRUTH IS UNDER ATTACK

There's a virtual "culture war" against the values of the Bible in the United States. While Christians are not yet being locked up for their beliefs in our country, they are being broadly discriminated against in the public square. Is it so difficult to imagine what the next phase might be? The traditional family is breaking down in record numbers. Marriages are dissolving at an unprecedented rate.

In the United States, strangers commit 53 percent of all homicides, according to the FBI. Only 12 percent of all murders take place within the family. Violent crime of all kinds is on the rise, and authorities seem helpless to get a handle on the situation. In the 1960's, the United States had 3.3 police officers for every violent crime reported per year. In 1993, it had 3.47 violent crimes reported for every police officer. Things are about to get worse, much worse.

In the past decade, the most violent and crime-prone age group, fifteen to twenty-four, has been stagnating or declining. But here's what's alarming. Against all projections to the contrart, crime has been rising steadily, and now this is about to explode. By the year 2005, demographers say the population aged fourteen to seventeen will increase 23 percent. As a result, some say there will be an epidemic of teenage crime with 35,000 to 40,000 teenage homicides a year in the United States.

Surely this is the time of which Jesus spose in Matthew 24:12, ..... Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."

This sounds unmistakably like the late-1990's to me. More importantly, the signs of Jesus' return to Earth are coming together as never before. There's a convergence of prophetic fulfillment on all fronts, and it all will affect, or is already affecting, life as we've come to know it:

Changing weather patterns (Luke 2 1:25): "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea."

Jerusalem emerging as an international bone of contention (Zechariah 12:2, 3): "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. \up4 3\up0 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves."

The preparation for Temple rituals in Israel (Daniel 9:2 7; : "He will confirm a covenant with many for one `seven.' In the middle of the `seven'he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."

Matthew 24:1-5: Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, `I am the Christ, and will deceive many."

2 Thessalonians 2:2, 4: "not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God."

The rise of fervently anti-Israel Islamic fundamentalism (Psalm 83:2-4): "See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish."Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more."

Russia's new militancy and adventurism and its alliance with the Islamic worl (Ezekiel 38:2-6): "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: `This is what the Sovereign says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army--your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops--the many nations with you. "

The emergence of a world military power in Asia (Revelation 12:3; 13:1): The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.

Time is growing short. As we approach the third millennium, I encourage you to be alert to the agenda of the globalists, those who would subvert our national sovereignty and out birthright as Americans in favor of a few misguided United Nations proposals. It's happening already, but look for the trend to accelerate in the days ahead as the one-worlders become bolder, and increasingly desperate. Disease, drought, famine, conflict, pollution, and natural disasters- these, sadly, will be the order of the day for the next few years. Many will occur here in the United States.

But don't be discouraged, and don't become alarmed. All of what is happening in our nation points to one very hopeful event, the imminent return of Jesus Christ. The Saviour said in Luke 2 1:9, "When you shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified. For all these things must first come to pass." He adds in verse 28:

"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."