“Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock,” American novelist Ben Hecht once wrote.

Hecht meant that if we view current events without consideration for the lengthy timeline they take their place upon—without consideration for their historical context—then we cannot understand their significance. And the Trumpet not only looks back at the historical context of geopolitical events, but also forward at their prophetic destination.

For this reason, these two headlines (published Friday) snatched our attention:

“Sudan: Protesters set fire to German embassy over film”

“Protesters set kfc restaurant on fire in Lebanon over pope’s visit.”

Studying these news stories alone—without historic context—a reader is left speculating and wondering, like someone trying to tell time by studying only the clock’s second hand.

So a reader should consider the news in its historical context—remembering the series of bloody wars between Muslim armies and Europe’s Vatican-steered forces that were fought between the 11th and 13th centuries. Viewing Friday’s headlines with that history in mind suggests that these kinds of events—Muslim provocations against Germany and the Vatican—could lead to another confrontation between Islamists and European powers.

But it’s only a suggestion.

The world is now a far different place than it was during the times of the Crusades, isn’t it? Hasn’t the deep-rooted economic intertwining of these nations come to trump religious animosity? Aren’t holy wars a thing of the past? Studying history alone cannot answer all these questions, and cannot guarantee the outcome of geopolitical events.

But there is another dimension that can.

For more than 20 years, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has focused on this prophecy recorded in the biblical book of Daniel: “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over” (Daniel 11:40).

This is a lynchpin of the Trumpet’s message. Connecting this scripture in Daniel with other biblical passages, Mr. Flurry identified the “king of the south” as the forces of radical Islam, led by Iran, and “the king of the north” as a German-led, Vatican-steered European bloc.

On Friday, when the 5,000 Islamist protesters in Sudan stormed the German embassy in Khartoum, it represented a direct and provocative “push” by the “king of the south” against the “king of the north.”

Reuters witnesses said policemen just stood by while the Islamist mob forced its way into Germany’s mission and replaced the German flag with a black Islamic banner that read, “There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet.” They shattered cameras, windows and furniture in the building and then set it on fire.

When violent protests against the pope’s visit to Lebanon resulted in a kfc restaurant being burned to the ground later on Friday, it reinforced the Islamists’ same message.

What message?

That Islam will not tolerate infidels, and that the extremists are now able to mobilize great mobs to rally against any who do not respect Islam’s doctrines and its prophet. The message is a pushy one, saying that there is no room on the planet for non-Muslims.

These events are not the first manifestations of this Islamist push against Europe—even in this present age—but they are deeply significant. Three thousand years ago, Daniel explained that “at the time of the end”—which is now—Islam would “push” against Europe. For a time, Europe will tolerate the pushy foreign policy, the aggressive Muslim immigration into its borders, and even the blatant attacks like the one in Sudan on Friday. But, at a certain point, Europe will lose its patience and will “come against [radical Islam] like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.”

Does this “whirlwind” attack sound like the blitzkrieg-style warfare Germany is renowned for?

The incidents in Sudan and Lebanon are not isolated. Protests began in Cairo on Tuesday—the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. They spread immediately to Libya, where U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three American members of his staff were killed when Islamists armed with mortars and grenades waged military-style attacks on the Benghazi consulate. Protests have also occurred or are currently underway in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Iran, Tunisia, Morocco and Afghanistan.

Most media reports say the chain of protests was sparked by an obscure YouTube video that criticizes Islam and the Prophet Mohammed. But the heavy weaponry wielded by many of the Libyan protesters, and the date of the first attacks—September 11—indicate that the events were pre-planned and well executed. It may well be that the attack on the Sudanese embassy was an unplanned echo of the original attacks on Tuesday, but that will not mitigate the “pushy” nature of the Islamist violence in Berlin’s eyes.

At present, Germany endures the push of radical Islam with measured, Western-world restraint. But when the time is right, and when the patience of European forces has thinned, the nations of Europe—glued together by common support of the Roman Catholic Church—will take decisive and devastating action against the powers of radical Islam.

How can the Trumpet predict such a specific and dramatic conclusion to the events that happened on Friday in Sudan and Lebanon? In part because the history suggests it. But primarily because this future outcome is guaranteed by the sure word of Bible prophecy.

As Hecht said, reading newspapers alone is like trying to tell the time by watching a clock’s second hand. But if a reader will zoom out, he can see the minute hand of history and the hour hand of Bible prophecy.

To understand how you can see and understand the entire picture of events in the Middle East and beyond, watch Mr. Flurry’s eye-opening video “Why Most People Do Not Understand Bible Prophecy.”