There have been major shake-ups in the news since our last issue. The most shocking seems to have been washed away by other coverage—the horrifying attempt to assassinate former U.S. President and current presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally.

The bullet missing by a sudden turn of the head is seen by many, including Trump himself, as a miraculous protection from God. Had it struck and killed him, the country would likely be in a dire situation, with possibly violence and uprisings following.

This event came in the wake of the terrible performance of President Joe Biden in a presidential debate against Trump. All of a sudden, mainstream media pundits were decrying his mental acuity and stamina—as if this had never been witnessed before. Then came calls from his own party for him to step down from seeking reelection. The concern was not to remove him from office as effectively incapacitated, but that he would lose the coming election. Pressure mounted from party bigwigs for him to bow out of the race, and he eventually did, endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, as a replacement candidate. Her favorability rating in polling had been very low—but many in the news media went into full swing to reform her image.

This shake-up was surprising but not totally unforeseen. For some behind-the-scenes insight here, I’ll note that our last magazine cover with the Trump-Biden face-off was selected for that issue rather than waiting until the next issue closer to the election because we thought there was a reasonable chance the candidates might change before the next issue.

But now what? As of this writing in early August, the Democratic convention is yet to happen. It seems Kamala Harris has it locked up, but we’ll have to wait to be sure. There could be more surprises. We should know by the time you’re receiving this issue.

Why should we care about this? The fact is, who our political leaders are is an important matter—as our and many other people’s lives and livelihoods are affected by the decisions they make. And U.S. national politics significantly impact the world. Of course, while we should be concerned, we should not be consumed. For our political leaders are not where true security, prosperity and the answers to our problems lie.

The real answers are with God and His ways—His laws, His truth, and staying close to Him. Our cover story discusses moves by some state governments to post the Ten Commandments and teach the Bible in schools. It’s wonderful to see such acknowledgment of biblical laws, but as explained in the article that’s not enough. The world needs to change. It’s upside down. In other articles, we tackle the deceptions of Satan, as he and his demons seek to draw us into a make-believe paradise redefining not just morality but our very existence. This year’s Olympics in France opened with a hideous drag celebration that many saw as mocking Christianity.

The year may see more shake-ups—with more to follow. We live in uncertain times. Yet it’s certain that at some point the world will be horribly shaken and plunged into worsening darkness with the rise of tyrannical powers and terrible world war and devastation.

But then, thankfully, the world will utterly change—in the greatest shake-up ever. As our article on the biblical fall festivals shows, we’re preparing for something much greater than the next presidential term. We’re preparing for the return of Jesus Christ to take over the reins of government of this world, to establish the law of God throughout the earth, to proclaim His truth to all nations, to lead the way to redemption, and to save the world.

There will be no more celebration of immorality and gender confusion. There will be no more wars, no more assassination attempts. There will be no more poverty and incurable diseases. There will be no more despair. The world will not live by lies, but by the Truth.

As Jesus said, we must repent and believe this good news (Mark 1:14-15). And in that regard, you don’t even need to wait. If God is calling you by this message, you can be free today. You can change. You can experience a measure of that future world in your life now.

Read the articles in this issue. See what God is doing as the world plunges further into confusion. Embrace God’s plan. Learn to live by His will.

We don’t know all the shocking twists and turns that will confront us in the weeks and months to come. But we do know the general direction, and we know where the world is headed thanks to God’s revelation—the revelation of the greatest shake-up that will give us the Kingdom of God.

And that is “a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28, emphasis added).

Let’s acknowledge that in observing God’s fall festivals, and be thankful for His guidance through the turbulence of these times to the brighter tomorrow of the Kingdom that will endure.