It's not often that we can witness the world changing before our eyes—and even less so when it changes in a way that may be setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.

For more than a year our news headlines have been chronicling the so-called "Arab Spring"—a supposed flowering of democracy in Mideast nations long ruled by dictators. Western journalists, commentators and politicians hailed the popular uprisings that ousted such leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

But the Western media have overwhelmingly overlooked the two most important factors in this movement that's transforming the region before our eyes.

The first key factor they've overlooked is what's filling the vacuum left by the ouster of these strongmen. Most of those driven from power—or struggling to hold on—are secular nationalists motivated by personal and national interests. But it's increasingly evident that they are being replaced primarily by religious fanatics determined to set up Islamic theocracies.

They're essentially following in the footsteps of Osama bin Laden, whose ultimate goal was to see the establishment of a worldwide Islamic superpower, transcending national borders, comprised of all Muslim believers. But because so many of our Western media and political leaders don't understand the teachings of Islam, they are blind to the significance of these world-transforming developments.

The second key factor they've overlooked is how these developments relate to Bible prophecy. Scripture reveals that at the time of the end, a new leader from the Arab world will light the match that ignites a new world war, setting in motion a devastating chain of events that will lead directly to Armageddon and the second coming of Jesus Christ.

This is why the subtitle of The Good News is "a Magazine of Understanding." We analyze the world from the perspective of the Bible and Bible prophecy, helping you understand where major world events and trends are ultimately heading. And no region is more important to understand than the Middle East, where so much is foretold to happen in the coming years.

You need to understand what's going on as revealed in the articles "Winter Advisory: The Arab Spring That Wasn't," "Will the World See a New Caliphate?" and "Israel: A Nation in Constant Peril," all in the latest issue of The Good News.