Tonight on The Hal Lindsey Report

Please join me this week for Part Two of "2015: Prophetic Year in Review." 

2015 was a year of mass shootings in the United States. And each time one occurred, two things followed like clockwork: President Obama called for more gun control and gun sales went through the roof! 

Talk of gun control makes people want to stock up while they still can. But they also buy guns after mass shootings because they don't want to feel vulnerable. And a gun is the logical tool for stopping a shooter. 

That's why the stock of gun-making giant Smith & Wesson has risen 700% since President Obama entered office. 

Mass shootings make people feel powerless. And that sense of vulnerability makes them angry. 

And that anger is what has fueled the stunning success of billionaire Donald Trump's Republican primary campaign for President. 

In a Republican field that began with 17 major candidates, including political veterans who had been highly successful governors and senators, he quickly rose to the top. And he did so by throwing political correctness out the window. 

Trump said things people had been feeling, but were afraid to say. And when he said those things and rose in the polls, it made a lot of people suddenly feel like they weren't alone in their frustration. It empowered them to speak up. 

In 2015, Donald Trump gave voice to anxiety and anger felt by millions of Americans -- frustrations that crossed party and cultural lines. In fact, a new survey by Mercury Analytics shows that 20% of Democrats -- not Independents, but Democrats -- say they would cross sides and vote for Trump. 

I'm not making predictions regarding Donald Trump's future as a candidate for President. I am pointing to his success as an illustration of the deep frustration and helplessness much of the American public has been feeling. 

But his success also shows how that kind of frustration can cause people to turn quickly to unexpected leaders. 

In the first days of 2016, world money markets have been shaken to the core. The problem first showed up in the summer of 2015. 

Over the last few years, China has been building manufacturing facilities at a rate unprecedented in the history of the world. In fact, they overbuilt. 

Even though sales have been booming, in order to cover their burgeoning debt, China needed to increase sales. So in August of 2015, they lowered the value of their currency, making their products cheaper for people in other countries. 

The move infuriated many of the world's nations. So they promised not to do it again, then promptly broke that promise, then again. But it didn't work. Their stock prices have continued to fall. 

China's situation threatens a worldwide depression. Its GDP is still growing, but at only half its former rate. And China's debt has risen to 282% of its GDP. For comparison, America's debt is just over 100% of its GDP. 

Jesus said that the last days of this Age will be marked by pestilences. In 2015, the scientific/medical world was abuzz about "superbugs." Those are strains of bacteria that are immune to modern antibiotics. 

I could do an entire program on pestilences that have arisen or grown dramatically in the last five years. It's a stunning fulfillment of the prophecies of Jesus. 

2015 also saw an increase in the number of earthquakes in odd places, like Oklahoma! And increased alarm in the scientific community about the various volcanoes in key places of the world. 

At the same time that Jesus warned of "pestilences" in the last days, He predicted that there would be "wars and rumors of wars." (Matthew 24:6) 

In Eastern Europe, the Middle East, South America, and all across Asia, there are now either wars or threats of war. 

China is blatantly trying to provoke a response by its aggressive forays into the territorial waters of many nations that border the South China Sea. Those nations are too weak to face China alone, but some of them are U.S. allies. 

As 2015 ended, tensions between India and Pakistan have risen dramatically and North Korea is again rattling the world by announcing it has tested a hydrogen bomb. 

In fact, one easy way to find a region where there are presently rumors of war is to take a world map and just throw a dart at it! 

For several years, I have been telling you about the catastrophe unfolding in Syria. In 2015, the disaster hit new lows. 

In August, the United Nations estimated that 250,000 people had died as a direct result of the Syrian civil war. As many as 4.5 million have fled their homeland. Thousands are dying of starvation in besieged towns and villages. 

Europe and the United States have taken in tens of thousands. In fact, the crush of refugees fleeing Syria is beginning to cause incredible problems in some European nations. But this problem cannot be solved in the U.S. or Europe. It can only be solved in Syria. If we really want to help the Syrians, we should focus our efforts there. 

But that is appreciably more complicated now. In 2015, Russia inserted a large military presence into Syria. 

Though Vladimir Putin insists that Russia is there to fight ISIS, everyone knows he is there to prop up and protect Iran's ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. And it appears he is there at the direct invitation of Iranian General Qassem Soliemani, the leader of Iran's notorious Quds Force. 

Though Soliemani is designated a terrorist by the UN and sanctions against him prohibit travel outside Iran, he blatantly traveled to Russia to meet Putin and lay the groundwork for Russia's "invasion" of Syria. 

The Bible says that in the build-up to the battle of Armageddon, those two nations, Russia and Iran, will lead a massive assault on Israel. To see them allied together and headquartering in a country that sits on Israel's border should be a wake-up call to all Christians. 

In 2015, Israel prepared to deal with lethal existential threats, like Iran, which was allowed by the West to begin its march toward nuclear status. However, it also had to deal with a dramatic increase in "lone wolf" terrorist attacks at home and increased numbers of clashes on the Temple Mount. 

But, it also began to reap the benefits of recent finds in natural gas exploration. Prime Minister Netanyahu predicted that the finds will transform Israel into "an important international energy force...." 

In 2015, the Church essentially kept silent when the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states. The Apostle John tells the sad story of rulers who believed in Jesus, but did not confess Him because they were afraid the Pharisees would put them out of the synagogue. He said, "They loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God." (John 12:43 NASB) 

In America, too many churches value full pews and offering plates above the approval of God. Yet, in other parts of the world, 2015 saw Christians die horrible deaths rather than in any way renounce Christ and His Word. They were crucified, beheaded, beaten, burned, separated from their families, and had their tongues cut from their mouths because they refused to deny Christ. 

Like I said last week, 2015 was a pivotal year in the end-times prophetic scenario. It is stunning how many major events occurred and how many pieces of the puzzle fell into place. 

That can only mean one thing: the return of Jesus Christ for His Church may be right around the corner. Get ready! 

Maranatha! 

Please join me this week for Part Two of "2015: The Prophetic Year in Review." 

Don't miss this week's Report here Sunday.

God Bless,

Hal Lindsey