Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its threats to intervene in eastern Ukraine have triggered a sobering response from the European nations—a region where the future Beast of Revelation will arise.

How would you feel if someone aimed a loaded weapon at your children? And yet, in the interests of more than 700 billion dollars worth of annual purchases, many industries are doing just that: loading the barrels of their marketing campaigns with whatever ammunition they can. Their targets: the minds and impulses of children—and if you think it’s just about money, you’re only partly right.

The assigning of animal characteristics to a country is a common practice. The Bible represents Babylon as a lion and Greece as a leopard (Daniel 7:4, 6). Modern-day commentators and journalists also use this type of imagery.

The cover of the March 8, 2014 issue of The Spectator depicts Vladimir Putin as a Russian bear casting his shadow over Western Europe. The European Union appears as a terrified poodle about to be gobbled up.

What is communion? The Apostle Paul explains in scripture that the Passover is the communion of the blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16), that light has no communion with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14), and that the saints have communion with God and Christ through the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14). Some use the term communion to describe a relationship to God that Christians generally enjoy because of the grace of Christ. Others use the term when describing organizational Christian fellowship within the body of a unified church group.