My wife and I were patiently standing shoulder to shoulder on the crowded upper level of the Eiffel Tower, waiting to take a picture of the exhilarating view as the sun slowly dipped into the horizon. I suddenly felt a slight tug at my pocket, and in a flash, my wallet was gone—I had been pickpocketed!

What a heart-shattering end to what was going to be one of the most memorable experiences in our lives. How could this person violate me? The nerve and audacity of this thief!

British archeologist and historian Professor Ian Morris of Stanford University once gave an interview to a German magazine, in which he was asked about the meaning of war. He had recently published a book entitled War! What Is It Good For? in which he proposed that wars have made the world a better place (Der Spiegel, January 6, 2014).

A papyrus unveiled in 2012 has just been pronounced “authentic” by archaeologists. The four by eight centimeter fragment known as the “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife” contains the phrase, written in Coptic, “Jesus said to them, ‘My Wife…’” (New York Times, April 10, 2014).

In a recent article for an Anglican publication, Prime Minister David Cameron commented on the need for more Christian values in politics (responsibility, hard work, love, compassion, etc.). He then stated that Britain is a “Christian country”—alluding to Britain’s state church (New York Times, April 21, 2014). But critics jumped on Mr. Cameron’s comments, pointing out that Britain is “not a ‘Christian country’” (ibid.).

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.