Last week's opening session at the United Nations in New York produced a variety of speakers that once again showed how dangerous today's world is—and how quickly things could get out of hand if the balance of power ever shifts. I watched U.S. President George Bush give a sober assessment of the world from his viewpoint. I noticed that delegates sat quietly during the speech then gave a short, polite round of applause when he finished.

Another speaker had a different point of view. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took the podium and gave a talk that attacked America, even to the point of blaming America for the recent Israel-Hezbollah war. He finished the speech with a prayer for the return of the Twelfth Imam, the so-called "Hidden Imam." In the Iranian president's words, he is "the perfect, righteous human being and the real savior who has been promised to all peoples and who will establish justice, peace and brotherhood on the planet."

You may remember that after his speech to the United Nations last year, some have reported that President Ahmadinejad said a white light had surrounded him as he spoke. Most mainstream media outlets did not give coverage to the metaphysical references in the speech, probably because that puts too much focus on religion, and they would not deem that too important.

You have to wonder if most people would really be interested in the arrival of "the perfect, righteous human being." I think most Americans would flip the channel to their favorite television program and go on as if nothing of note had happened. History is full of false messiahs with their claims of utopia on human terms. The scary thing about the Iranian president and his type is that now they have the means, or soon will have, to follow through with their messianic and apocalyptic dreams. Whether everyone takes them seriously is not the point. They believe what they say, unlike others. And they intend to deliver, given the time and opportunity. The world has paid dearly in the past when it failed to take seriously the words of such leaders.

Are we on the verge of another break with civilization? The world seems to be heating up, and whether it will boil over this time is yet to be seen. I take comfort in Christ's clear statements that show He is in charge of world events, and nothing will take place that is not on His timing. Despite the heated rhetoric and the dangerous and volatile Middle East, it is calming to have the understanding of the flow of history that Bible prophecy provides. No matter what happens, we can have grounding in Scripture that helps us steer a steady course through the storm-tossed seas of our time.

Many of you reading this will soon gather with many others to keep the biblical Feast of Tabernacles. This festival, part of God's instruction to Israel and His Church, pictures the millennial reign of Jesus Christ on this earth. It portrays the time foretold by all the prophets of world peace and universal harmony. This festival pictures the time when nations will beat their "swords into plowshares" and war will no longer be learned.

It is a festival with real substantive meaning for those who want to understand what the Bible and God's plan is all about. You cannot fully understand God's message of salvation through Jesus Christ without keeping the Holy Days that outline how human beings will be brought to their fullest potential. The Feast of Tabernacles gives us a foretaste of a world at peace and man learning the ways of peace instead of strife.

This will be my 44th Feast of Tabernacles, and each one is still exciting, encouraging and inspiring. It is the highlight of the year. For seven days (eight including the Last Great Day), God's people devote themselves to a spiritual renewal through fellowship, spiritual instruction and personal devotion to the revealed truth portrayed by this festival. The knowledge of the coming millennial reign of Christ, bringing peace and order to a troubled world, trumps all other human reason, philosophy and knowledge. There can be no better framework to build a life upon. If you have not known, forgotten or strayed from this knowledge, you should read our booklet God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind. It will connect you to this important knowledge.

The world indeed waits for the perfect being to establish justice, peace and brotherhood. That hope will be fulfilled in Christ as the coming King of Kings. The challenge for us all is to live by His teachings today, in advance of God's Kingdom. May you have a wonderful Feast of Tabernacles.

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