World News and Trends
Beyond Today Magazine
Good News Magazine: September - October 2011
Course Content
People desire signs. Signs are very important to an ordered society, like directing traffic and reaching a destination
The Bible speaks of signs. Jesus was asked for the sign of His coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3). Earlier, the Jews tempted Jesus in asking Him for a sign from heaven (Matthew 16:3).
On July 22, 2011, Anders Behring Breivik, a lone extremist, exploded a bomb in Oslo, Norway, and then massacred others on the tiny island of Utoya. These twin attacks together took 77 lives.
These terrible acts show a sign of our times. Over the past few decades we have witnessed many extremist and terrorist bombings, the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., being the most memorable and most horrifying. Your Bible says that the end times will be very dangerous (2 Timothy 3:1). People will become even more savage or fierce (verse 3).
There's a source behind these violent acts. Jesus Christ said the devil was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44) and that he influences the whole world without our being aware of it (Ephesians 2:2-3; Revelation 12:9). Christ said that Satan will unleash his pent-up wrath against human beings immediately before and during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 12:12; Matthew 24:21-22). That time begins the countdown toward the end of his rule on earth, concluding with the Messiah's return.
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
