When some read Bible prophecies of strange beasts representing world powers or of a miracle-working deceiver or of an overly controlling government that will force its religion on everyone else, they simply dismiss these as crazy stories not to be taken seriously. Like a bad horror movie, some shun these parts of the Bible as mystical, strange and irrelevant in today's world.

What about you? What's your view of Bible prophecy? As a reader of this magazine—whose name encourages thinking about God—you probably already know that God exists and that His Word, the Bible, includes prophecies about the future. So it's likely that you already believe that Bible prophecy is true. Perhaps your view is that Bible prophecy is scary but true. If so, that's a good start!

But with this issue we invite you to upgrade your view of Bible prophecy to that of good news! If you already have this perspective, we hope this issue will reinforce your understanding.

As a vertical thinker, I hope you're already asking yourself the question: What difference does it make how I view Bible prophecy? The answer is that it makes a huge difference. Here's why.

The greatest of all the prophets who delivered Bible prophecies is Jesus Christ (Luke 24:19; John 6:14). He came to this earth "preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God" (Mark 1:14). The word gospel means "good news." As such, Jesus was giving everyone then and us today good news about the coming Kingdom of God.

This good news is the foundation for all Bible prophecy. Everything we read about in prophecy ties in with the establishment of God's government here on earth and God giving human beings the opportunity to be part of His family and assist Him in ruling over the earth.

This good news is God's plan of salvation for every human being. It's the plan God prepared before the foundation of the world (Matthew 24:34; Ephesians 1:4), and it's the plan He has been carefully working out ever since.

To give you more insight into what God is doing now and what He will do in the future, this issue focuses on prophecies about the return of Jesus Christ, how God works with nations, how war and terror will cease, how today's conflicts over Jerusalem will finally be resolved and how to understand the main characters and concepts in the book of Revelation.

The fulfillment of Bible prophecies will bring about a magnificent world free of poverty, disease, warfare, hunger and dishonest leaders. This world will be built on peace, good health for all, financial prosperity and the true knowledge of God's way of life. This future truly is good news!

Of course, the best news is that each of us can ultimately experience the wonderful destiny God has planned for us. As you read the exciting news of how His Kingdom will be established, why not picture yourself in the scenario? It's right where God wants you. VT