NewsWatch

Setting the Stage for the King of the South?

Saudi Arabia has announced a 14-nation maritime defense coalition to secure the Bab al-Mandeb, Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden, the corridor linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea (Al Jazeera, July 30, 2026). This union became necessary as Yemen’s Houthis have set up a maritime blockade at the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, disrupting oil shipments rerouted to avoid the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. The Red Sea accounts for up to 30 percent of global shipping traffic and 5 percent of crude oil and refined petroleum products (Al Jazeera, July 30, 2026). These twin blockades have contributed to rising global energy prices, and crude prices jumped more than 30 percent in July alone (Financial Review, July 24, 2026).

Of the 14 countries involved in the Multinational Maritime Defence Alliance, only Turkey is geographically north of Jerusalem. This is relevant in that the “king of the South,” referenced in Daniel 11, will apparently be a confederation of nations south of Jerusalem. Notably, Egypt is one participant in this maritime alliance, after having suffered its first drone strike on Wednesday, July 29, at the Mediterranean port of Damietta. As of this writing, the attack is suspected to have been carried out by Iran, but this has not yet been confirmed (CarnegieEndowment.org, August 3, 2026). The Damietta Port is of major significance in that it lies at the crossroads of international shipping lanes and regional energy networks.

The potential of these events must be understood against the backdrop of Daniel 11, which foretold, “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through” (v. 40). The king of the South has not yet been set up, but the events now occurring in the Middle East may be building toward it.

Will AI Become Uncontrollable?

Companies developing artificial intelligence often test their AI models to see how they will operate in different settings and with different tasks. From these tests, companies can address vulnerabilities and unpredictable behavior and work to prevent AI models from causing problems. But sometimes things go awry, as they did with the company OpenAI, which reported that “an autonomous AI agent powered by its technology went rogue during a test, accessed the open web and hacked a prominent startup” (The Guardian, July 22, 2026), and it did so despite being told not to take such actions. OpenAI said it expects such incidents to increase as AI technology becomes more advanced.

The incident prompted the AI firm Anthropic to review tests of three of its own AI models, leading them to discover that, months earlier, they had hacked into three other companies (BBC, July 31, 2026). In a separate incident, Anthropic’s Mythos 5 model wrote harmful computer code and created false identities to trick a human administrator into accepting the code (Reuters, August 6, 2026). AI models have repeatedly shown their capacity to ignore restrictions and even lie to programmers to solve problems given to them. “As models surpass human ability to craft escape routes, the challenge of containment becomes daunting” (Time, July 24, 2026). And as one employee of OpenAI warned, “It’s impossible to patch every single thing that a creative AI can do.”

Computer experts admit they are struggling to control the programs they create—yet they continue to create even more advanced programs. And as the systems on which society depends become more autonomous, increasing control will be granted to them. But it is not computers that seek to control as much of the world as possible—it is the “god of this age,” Satan the Devil (2 Corinthians 4:4). Thankfully, he will soon be removed and replaced by the returning King of kings (Revelation 12:12; 20:1–3).

Futuristic Weapons of Modern Warfare

The weapons of science fiction are becoming reality. It has been more than 50 years since the United States first used a laser to shoot down a simple drone aircraft in 1973, but laser weaponry is finally coming to the fore as a major technology on today’s battlefields.

China, Israel, and the U.S. are three big players in cutting-edge laser defense systems (Deutsche Welle, May 16, 2026). As the saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” and the world’s great military powers are developing means to counter rapidly advancing attack drone technology. Conventional missiles are very expensive and ineffective at destroying drone swarms—but directed energy weapons promise new defense approaches and are comparatively inexpensive. One defensive missile costs a great deal of money to produce, but one laser shot can cost as little as three dollars.

Laser defense systems from China have been seen in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf states, and laser technology has been used against Iranian drones. The UAE is currently in possession of a “laser system called Iron Beam that Israel apparently loaned the Emiratis, and further reports say the UAE is also trying to buy an American-made laser weapon.” According to one source, “the UAE is slowly becoming the world’s busiest laser weapon market.” While today’s military laser technology is largely defensive, one can easily imagine the new directions that may be explored as military conflicts continue.

As long as there are wars, military technology will advance and become more destructive. However, the time is coming when there will be no more war (Isaiah 2:4). At that time, weapons will be converted to farming tools, and the lasers of science fiction will become part of mankind’s tragic history.

Screen Time Is Endangering Our Children

A recent study from the United Kingdom highlights the dangers of screen time for children age two and under (The Guardian, June 27, 2026). The research, conducted by four UK universities, is “the most comprehensive review yet of all available global research on the subject.” The findings call for stricter guidelines for parents of children under age five. Current government recommendations are that parents completely avoid allowing their babies the use of screens to protect their health, aside from meaningful family time that could include a digital device. The research highlights health risks of screen time for babies, including “reduced opportunities to bond with parents and caregivers, less time for physical play with other children and limited language development.” There is now evidence that even babies “are turning to digital devices for comfort and soothing, rather than to a parent.”

And babies aren’t the only ones at risk. Growing evidence shows that screen time among older children and adolescents “can be associated with worse sleep, decreased functioning in school, less physical activity and weakened in-person relationships” (CNN, May 20, 2026). According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “While screen use can have some benefits, the evidence of a range of risks to children’s overall mental and physical health is mounting.”

Many parents use screens to pacify their children so that they can focus elsewhere. However, parenting is a full-time job, requiring dedication, focus, and intentionality. In a world where Satan is the “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), parents must remember that relying on an electronic device to babysit a child may be inviting Satan to participate in raising that child. The Bible contains powerful principles that can be applied to help raise children effectively.

Britain Has Been Broken

Recently, an article in The Atlantic asked, “Who broke Britain? Someone—or something—must have” (June 24, 2026). The article went on to observe that “the country’s output per person is now only just above that of Mississippi, America’s poorest state—and that slight lead is only achieved thanks to London. Outside the capital, in places where tourists do not visit, living standards fall well below Mississippi’s.” Due to high mortgage rates and the end of a government homeownership support program, demand for new homes has dropped, and home costs continue to rise—making them unaffordable for many (JRF.org, April 16, 2026).

How did Great Britain, a nation whose naval and economic power created nearly a century of robust global commerce and the “Pax Britannica,” fall to such depths? While few make the connection, in recent years “there has been a large fall in the number of people who consider themselves as Christian, dropping below half the population of England and Wales for the first time” (Sky News, November 29, 2022), and two-thirds of those surveyed in the United Kingdom categorized themselves as either “not religious” or “atheist” (King’s College London, May 2023). This coincides with nearly 80 percent approval of the legalization of same-sex “marriage” (Statista, May 7, 2026).

Any society that moves away from biblical values sets itself on a course of self-destruction. The Bible warns that when people forsake God’s laws, especially those nations to whom He has given abundant blessings, grave consequences follow (Leviticus 26:3–43).