NewsWatch

Landmark UK Abortion Ruling

Until recently, women in the United Kingdom seeking abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy were breaking the law, for which they could be legally prosecuted. British members of parliament (MPs) recently voted to rescind the penalty for having an abortion after 24 weeks in both England and Wales (BBC, June 17, 2025). Although it will still be illegal for health care providers to perform abortions after 24 weeks, this bill paves the way for pregnant women, themselves, who have such abortions—even up until birth—to avoid punishment.

One MP attempted to attach an addendum to the bill, requiring that women receiving abortion pills by mail must have a face-to-face medical consultation prior to receiving a prescription. However, the measure failed, and the “pills-by-post” abortions will continue. Abortion advocates view this new bill as validation that “women’s rights and autonomy matter,” but what about the rights of the unborn child?

The Bible warns that at the end of the age, people will be “brutal” and “despisers of good” (2 Timothy 3:3). Isaiah warned that they would descend to the point where they “call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). As humanity slides further from biblical morality in the selfish pursuit of personal pleasures, we should expect to see a decreasing desire to preserve and protect life—including the life of a defenseless child in the womb. It is difficult to convince people to protect life when they believe that there is no transcendent purpose for that life, as the doctrine of evolution dictates. It will ultimately take the return of the Messiah to teach individuals and nations the true and awesome meaning of life.

Bombs in the Middle East

On June 22, American B-2 stealth bombers flew undetected to Iran and attacked nuclear sites in an attempt to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb (Associated Press, June 22, 2025). Some view the efforts by America to aid Israelis in making the world safer and defending the land of Israel as justified, noting the persistent calls from many in Iran for “death to Israel” and “death to America.” Others, however, worry that these actions by America and Israel against Iran are a dangerous escalation of hostilities that could lead to wider regional or even global conflicts. While the claim has been made that the “12-day war” is now virtually over, the ultimate outcome of these recent efforts to achieve peace through military action remains to be seen.

Numerous Bible prophecies reveal that Israel is not going to have a peaceful future. Jesus foretold that, as we approach the end of the age and His return, Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies (Luke 21:20) and that half of its people will go into captivity (Zechariah 14:1–2). Bible prophecies also record that because modern Israelite nations (including the United States and Israel) have turned away from God, their allies will turn against them (Jeremiah 30:12–14) and whatever they plan to do will come to a sudden and tragic ending (Deuteronomy 28:20).

The Modern “Space Race”

After the Tokyo-based company ispace had its second failed attempt to land an exploration vehicle on the moon, National Public Radio reported, “Long the province of governments, the moon became a target of private outfits in 2019, with more flops than wins along the way” (June 6, 2025). Although the press has sensationalized these failures, companies like ispace, SpaceX, and Blue Origin are confidently poised to continue their efforts to privatize space exploration. Elon Musk has expressed unabated optimism in the face of what are seen as momentary setbacks, viewing the loss of multi-million-dollar machines as all part of the learning process (Reuters, March 7, 2025). “Rockets are hard,” Musk remarked after his own program’s second Mars rocket failure this year (Newsweek, March 7, 2025).

Although failures like these occur, such tremendous advances and efforts cannot help but inspire us. God has created man with remarkable capacity to design, build, and explore! Still, many have also wondered about the feasibility of humanity’s quest to dominate space and colonize what are, for all intents and purposes, wastelands like the Moon and Mars, where it seems as though life could never thrive.

The Bible speaks of a time when “all things” will be given to the faithful as an inheritance (Revelation 21:7) and the entirety of creation will be liberated from futility by the revealing of the children of God (Romans 8:20–21). Perhaps this holds a key to understanding God’s true purpose for the universe.

Germany’s Power and Influence

Germany’s former foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, was recently elected as the president of the United Nations General Assembly (AP News, June 2, 2025). Despite Russia’s call for a secret ballot, Baerbock won the election with an overwhelming 167 votes—nearly double the 88 necessary to win. Her one-year term begins with the opening of the 80th session of the organization on September 9. She may be regarded as the highest-profile leader to fill this role in recent decades, and her election is a major win for both Germany and the EU.

Germany’s influence is also growing around the globe. The country recently deployed 5,000 troops to Lithuania. This is Germany’s first permanent foreign troop deployment since World War II (Deutsche Welle, May 22, 2025). The nation recently signed a defense agreement with the Philippines (Reuters, May 14, 2025) and concluded another deal with Singapore to provide submarines (NavalNews.com, May 8, 2025). Germany and Nigeria also recently pledged to strengthen ties for future mutual benefit (Deutsche Welle, May 22, 2025).

Few today realize that Bible prophecy has long foretold Germany’s rise to prominence at the end of the age. It has dominated European and global politics in centuries past and will do so again.

Pope Leo the Mediator?

Recent developments in the Russo-Ukrainian war have created the opportunity for a new mediator of the conflict. “Pope Leo XIV… has signaled that the Vatican might be willing to mediate. This was further reinforced by Italy’s head of government, Giorgia Meloni, who announced on the social media platform X on May 20 that she had ‘spoken by phone with the Holy Father about the next steps that need to be taken to build a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.’” President Donald Trump of the U.S., along with “some European heads of state,” had requested that Meloni “assess the Holy See’s willingness” to host peace talks in the Vatican between Russia and Ukraine, and Pope Leo confirmed that he is willing to do so (Deutsche Welle, May 25, 2025).

Russia, however, is not keen on this. “Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticised the idea, saying that it would be ‘a bit inelegant for Orthodox countries to use a Catholic platform’” for such talks (Euro News, May 27, 2025).

Bible prophecy tells us that a church with ties to ancient Rome, depicted in Revelation 17 as a harlot riding a great beast, will be a key diplomatic player in geopolitics as the return of Jesus Christ approaches. Leo’s election has excited many about the possibility of a more unified Catholic Church—which would certainly allow him to play a more powerful role in geopolitical affairs.

Massive Bee Die-Off

Sixty-two percent of all commercial honeybee colonies died between June 2024 and January 2025, according to a recent investigation (Science, June 30, 2025). This record-setting die-off followed the death of 55 percent of commercial colonies the previous winter. New research found that almost all the hives tested positive for viruses spread by the varroa mite, which has affected colonies worldwide since the 1980s. More worryingly, all the mites the researchers looked at were resistant to amitraz, the only pesticide that still works on mites without being too toxic for the bees themselves. Efforts by scientists to identify the culprit were slowed by federal funding cuts and layoffs, meaning that the findings may come too late for beekeepers to change their approach ahead of this coming winter. In the U.S., bees pollinate more than 90 commercial crops and contribute greatly to the stability of the American food supply.

This new research fits with certain biblical themes and prophetic patterns. In the Bible, bees are associated with sweetness and blessing as the sources of honey and honeycomb (e.g., Deuteronomy 8:8; Psalm 19:10). Romans 8:22 describes creation as groaning under the weight of sin, and the collapse of pollinators—essential to global food systems—could be a warning sign of human mismanagement of the environment. Revelation 6:6 describes a coming time of famine and soaring food prices, and a bee collapse could wreak havoc on vital food crops.