Important Events of the Past Decade: 2000-2009

As we approached the end of 2009, it seemed that many of the news magazines and papers featured a listing of the most important events of the just concluding decade. The lists varied depending upon the particular focus of the magazine or paper.

I, too, have made a list. Perhaps you have as well. I put together my list in the light of those events that I thought had a great prophetic significance. I have identified seven particular events, two of which I have put together in one group.

No. 6: Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip in August 2005. This opened the doors to the eventual control of the Gaza Strip by Hamas and the terrorizing of those Israeli communities that bordered the Gaza Strip. Israel would eventually take action in late December 2008 and early January 2009, with Operation Cast Lead, to try to stop the almost daily rocket assaults. Yet the reality is this: the disengagement proved that the Palestinian leadership does not want peaceful co-existence with Israel, for they turned this area into a terrorist zone.

No. 5: Iran's development of nuclear technology and advancement of nuclear weapons. That development, along with the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005 has sent shivers throughout the rest of the Middle East and beyond. It has led to some alignments of biblical proportions: Russia, Turkey, several southern Russian Republics with Iran. It almost reads like the lineup in Ezekiel 38. And the rest of the world still does not know exactly how to combat this threat.

No. 4: Christmas Day Earthquake and Tsunami (2004) and Hurricane Katrina (August 2005). These two cataclysmic natural disasters showed us how fragile the world could be. The magnitude of death and destruction from these two natural disasters is still being assessed years later. It was a reminder to me of what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8: that the natural world groans awaiting its redemption. And we know from Revelation 6 and 8 that God will use incredible natural disasters during the later days. Could these be the birth pangs? Since those events there have been increased numbers of natural disasters around the globe.

No. 3: The Collapse of the Housing and Financial Markets in 2008. This has led to an increased call for a one-world currency as Russia, China, India, and Brazil worry about how America will pay off its increasing debt. This, along with the increasing demand for an environmental program, will bring about the one-world government that the Bible talks about.

No. 2: The Election of Barack Hussein Obama in November 2008. The worldwide reaction to this relatively unknown politician, with little experience, produced striking images of how the world will receive the Antichrist. The world today is looking for a leader and ready to yield to his leadership.

No. 1: The Attack of September 11, 2001. This marked the beginning of nearly a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also caused a marked increase in the awareness of radical Islam and what jihad is about. It was a wake-up call to Americans that we would not be immune from this threat to dominate the world. Our lives were forever changed because of 9-11.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. One could mention the continued deterioration in morals. One could mention the famines and civil war that threaten life in Africa. Friends, I would encourage you to write your own list of important events for the past decade. It is good to go back and have our minds and hearts revisit what God has been doing. As you create your list remember this: God is in control! There is a purpose in His plan!