Two Shall Oppose

 

“He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. “He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. “But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.”  Daniel 11:42-44  NKJV

As we see the stage being set for the appearance of the anti-christ, it should be noted that while he at first enjoys amazing success at establishing the one world government, relatively speaking his victory is short lived as there are those who also wish to control the world just as he would do.  Much has been said lately on the relationship between Russia and China with regards to them supporting each other’s intentions regarding both the Ukraine and Taiwan.  While these are just the current issues, these two countries have a long history of supporting each other when the need suits both. 

How will this play out in the future after the antichrist takes power?  That remains to be seen but it seems reasonable to speculate neither of these countries would give up their desire to rule the world.  This article by Jack Kelley sheds some light on what is going to happen in the very near future after Satan puts his plan for a one world government ruled by the antichrist in motion and the world approaches the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the seven year tribulation.

 

The Kings of the East

Commentary by Jack Kelley

With the current interest in China and the Far East, let’s review what the Bible says about that part of the world in the last days and see if we can tell what it all means.

First, some background. I’ve found that there’s a great deal of mystery about the origin of the people who populate the Far East. Even they don’t know where they came from. The River Euphrates was a formidable natural barrier that inhibited travel and prevented the flow of information and ideas from moving back and forth. The Scythians, a Central Asian people who raided the Middle East, can be traced to Magog and are the fore bearers of today’s Russians, but they came down from the North. The Great Wall of China was once called the Ramparts of Magog and was built to keep the Scythians out of China. This further isolated the Far East and not only clouded their origins in mystery, but resulted in the development of cultures very different from all others.

The oldest Chinese pictograms (their equivalent to letters of the alphabet) contain characters that depict the Creation story and their belief in one God, so we can assume that at the dawn of history they knew of man’s origin, but their culture developed independently of any influence from those west of the barriers we’ve mentioned. Today there’s very little similarity between East and West, and even less goodwill.

As believers, we know that every race of mankind sprang from the loins of Ham, Shem, or Japeth, the three sons of Noah. But from which one did the Asian peoples come? Genesis 10:17 makes mention of a group called the Sinites, descended from Ham through Canaan. And Isaiah 49:12 speaks of the Sinim (same Hebrew root), a people who according to the Strong’s concordance inhabited the extremity of the known world. (Strong’s commentary on the Sinim suggests that it probably refers to the Chinese.) And that’s about all the Bible tells us until we see a reference to the Kings of the East in the Book of Revelation.

Back To The Future

The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. (Rev. 9:13-16)

At the time of the 6th Trumpet, four angels who’ve been stationed at the River Euphrates for this very purpose will be loosed to agitate the leaders of the Far East against each other causing a huge war with massive casualties to mankind. Two hundred million soldiers from the various armies will clash resulting in the deaths of 1/3rd of mankind. 25% of the Earth will already be under judgment causing much bloodshed and death (Rev. 6:8), and now nearly 2 billion people will perish in this war.

But since the traditional barrier between East and West, the River Euphrates, is not dried up to make way for them to swarm into the Middle East (we’ll see that in Rev. 16) I believe that this judgment is primarily against the 60% of the world’s population that lives East of the Euphrates. There’s no mention of them tangling with anyone out side the region, so this could be a war for supremacy among the Far Eastern nations, as well as a forging of alliances in preparation for the coming attempt to grab the Middle East and all it’s resources.

With the conflicting religions, the crowded conditions, and the abject poverty, that area of the world is always ripe for conflict, so it won’t take much to stir them up against each other. And since China, India, Pakistan, Russia, and North Korea are already nuclear powers it’s easy to project huge casualties.

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. (Rev 16:12)

By the time of the 6th Bowl judgment, the anti-Christ’s plans to control the world will be falling apart and the Kings of the East will be thinking that it’s every man for himself. Like I said, there’s no good will between East and West. I think this is when they will move to seize control of the Middle East.

Remember, Daniel 11:40-45 tells us that after the King of the North (Syria, Iraq, Iran) and the King of the South (Saudi Arabia, Egypt) mount unsuccessful attacks against the anti-Christ, there will be reports of troop movement from the East (China, etc.) and North (Russia) This is the run-up to Armageddon and the anti-Christ will locate his headquarters in Israel to direct his response to this new threat.

Of course we know that while all the world’s attention is focused on these opposing forces, another army will be rushing forth to join the fray. But this one is unlike the others. In the first place it will come out of the sky. In the second place everyone will be dressed in white linen, and in the third place only its leader will fight. His weapon is His Word and with it He will slay all these earthly armies in their tracks (Rev. 19:11-21).

Will The Circle Be Unbroken?

The focal point of Life on Earth originated in the Middle East and was centered there for thousands of years. Then came Gentile Dominion and the focus began moving westward. From Babylon and Persia, world dominance moved to Greece, then Rome, then Spain, England, and now across the Atlantic to America. Some observers say its next move will be to the Far East and finally back to the Middle East for the conclusion of history, having come full circle.

There are several indicators that support this observation. China boasts the world’s fastest growing economy, and on the whole Asian economies are growing at a rate exceeding the world’s average. Since growth attracts capital, money has been moving into Asia in record amounts.  Chain has also been buying gold in record amounts in what some observers see as a coming attempt to replace the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. The Secretary General of the UN is from Korea. India is a world center for “Knowledge Process Outsourcing”.  There are more Christians being born again in the Far East than in any other part of the world. Three of the four most populous nations in the world are in the far East (China, India, and Indonesia), as are almost half of the top 25. As I said, estimates place 60% of the world’s population in Asia. This could very well be the beginning of their time.

https://gracethrufaith.com/end-times-prophecy/the-kings-of-the-east/

While some may disagree, I believe it is reasonable to conclude that the Kings of the North and East mentioned in Daniel 11:44 are Russia and China, and they will decide to oppose the antichrist in his attempt to rule the world.  This will lead directly to the Armageddon scenario and the second coming of Jesus Christ.  The good news for us is that all true believers will have already been raptured before the seven years of tribulation begin and will return with Him according to Revelation 19:14. 

If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to allow Jesus Christ to come into your heart, and accept the free gift of eternal life He has offered you, I urge you to do so right now. You can do that by simply praying this prayer and accepting the gift of eternal life God has offered you by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

 

Keep watching.

The Last Domino

 

“And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.”   Daniel 2:21  NKJV

Today I want to elaborate on a conjecture I made last week concerning the death of Queen Elizabeth, and the possible ramifications it might have with the plans for a new world order and the emergence of the coming man of sin most commonly referred to as the antichrist.  While it will most certainly require a number of events, all working towards a common goal of world domination, there could in fact be one last roadblock which once removed would facilitate the rapid and unchecked rise of the new world order.  Acknowledging that what follows is simply my opinion, I nonetheless believe it is both a logical and plausible scenario for the emergence of the antichrist.

The Word of God states clearly that at the beginning of the coming period of judgment for this world called the tribulation, one man will emerge as a charismatic leader that the world’s leaders will all eventually submit their authority to.  In order for this to occur, it follows that all of these different leaders must be willing to allow him to rule over their respective governments.  The truth is, for many this seems a rather farfetched idea given the independent nature of most governments as well as mankind as a whole, yet we are told that this is indeed what will happen. 

It has been close to thirty years now that I have studied biblical prophecy as it relates to our current geopolitical environment and something which has always been an item of interest is evaluating the current leaders of the major powers and wonder if they would in fact be willing to cede their power to someone else just as the Bible predicts.  While in truth this has simply been a mental exercise on my part as leaders come and leaders go, the passing of Queen Elizabeth brought it back to the forefront given her outspoken faith in Jesus Christ and her steadfast devotion to her country for seventy years.

The truth is, I could never see any circumstance whatsoever which would have made me consider that she would somehow be a party to allowing Her rule to be usurped by the antichrist no matter how eloquent and convincing he might prove to be.  Unfortunately that has changed now with her death and the succession of her son Charles to the throne, especially if you are familiar with something he said in the not so distant past.  While speaking at the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow Scotland in November of last year, he made a rather startling statement.  In discussing climate change and how to fight it, he said this; “Here we need a vast military style campaign to marsh the strength of the global private sector, with trillions at his disposal far beyond global GDP, and with the greatest respect, beyond even the governments of the world’s leaders.” 

I will admit I had to read that over and over again to come to grips with what he was saying but I believe you simply can’t escape the fact that he stated very clearly he is on board with letting one man control trillions of dollars to conduct a military campaign without the oversight or direction of the world’s governments all in the name of climate change.  This is the stated desire of the man who is now the King of England, and though simply my opinion, England now joins the US and all other major powers in their willingness to cede authority for a cause many believe is fraudulent and unscientific.

Yet it is not the cause I am concerned with but rather governments’ willingness, if not eagerness, to band together to fight something as dubious as climate change.  Truthfully, if this is their reaction to what we are seeing today, what will their reaction be when the tribulation starts and God’s judgments begin to fall on this world and those left behind after the rapture of the Church?  Personally I’m beginning to understand the plausibility of the world’s leaders ceding authority to the antichrist just as the Bible tells us they will.

 “And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.”  Revelation 6:2  NKJV

I want to include a portion of an article by Chuck Missler about this coming period of time and hope it might also shed some light on this coming leader who will somehow convince the world to allow him to rule.

 

“In Revelation 13 we learn that the time will come when no one will be able to buy or sell without pledging allegiance to a coming world leader.⁵ Most prophecy buffs assume that there will be a total world government in place at that time.

Well, not exactly. Armageddon involves a four-power conflict.⁶ And we know that there will be some regions that elude his grasp.⁷ But there will arise a World Leader with megalomaniacal ambitions.

The Man on Horseback

He makes his first appearance in Revelation 6 as a conqueror riding a white horse.⁸ (Strangely, he is carrying a bow rather than a sword. The term is toxon - toxon in the Greek, first used as a token of a covenant in Genesis 9:13. Could this be an allusion to the covenant that he enforces in Daniel 9:27?)

The Bible has much to say about this personage. Identified as the "Seed of the Serpent" in Genesis 3:15, there are over 33 allusions in the Old Testament and at least 13 in the New Testament. There is even a physical description of him in Zechariah.⁹

It is remarkable about how much is said of his career. He will be an intellectual genius,¹⁰ a persuasive orator,¹¹ a shrewd political manipulator,¹² a successful commercial genius,¹³ a forceful military leader, ¹⁴ a powerful organizer,¹⁵ as well as a unifying religious guru.¹⁶ Paul declares that he will ultimately set himself to be worshiped in the Temple to be rebuilt in Jerusalem:

...that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

-2 Thessalonians 2:4

("Exalteth himself above all that is called God." That includes Allah, the god of Islam. He is accepted by the world as a false Christ: Antichristo, in the Greek, means instead of Christ as well as against Christ, as we commonly assume. He apparently is initially accepted by Israel as their Messiah. And, somehow, he is also accepted by the Muslim world-perhaps as the Twelfth Imam, which they are presently anticipating. Remarkable fellow. Indeed, Satan's finest hour, it would seem.)¹⁷

Most expositors believe he will be a Gentile, as he is described as a Roman Prince.¹⁸ Some believe this leader will be a Jew,¹⁹ as he is received as a Messiah by Israel.²⁰ (However, let us remember that there are two major players in Revelation 13!)

There are many that believe he is alive today. Some believe he is genealogically related to the Merovingian line from the Franks, and thus ultimately linked to the family trees of the Habsburgs and the Houses of Lorraine, Plantard, Luxembourg, Pontzat, Montesquieu, Sinclair, Stuart, and most of the royal families of Europe. Among contemporary luminaries are Otto von Habsburg of Austria²¹ and his son Karl; King Juan Carlos I of Spain and his son Felipe; and, most notably, Charles, Prince of Wales.²²

https://khouse.org/articles/1999/174/

The expression “the last domino to fall” has been used often in the geopolitical world for years and I believe it is self explanatory when applied to roadblocks stopping or slowing progress in a conflict.  Satan has a plan for this world and the specifics are well explained by the Word of God.  I believe that hindsight might well prove that the death of Queen Elizabeth II was the last domino to fall regarding world leaders who would have opposed Satan’s plans.

Keep watching.

Is Fall the Season of Judgment?

“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:”  Ecclesiastes 3:1  NKJV

I suspect this column will be viewed by many as much more philosophical than my usual offerings, but for some reason that seems to be where the Holy Spirit has taken me the past couple of weeks.  Of course, I have often shared that fall is my favorite season, but lately my thoughts have turned to questioning why that is the case and if there may be more to it than simply watching the colors change.  As you might expect, as I began to think on these things, my first reaction was to search the scriptures to see what thoughts God has chosen to share with us on the subject of the seasons.

The passage above is probably more well known by many as the lyrics to the song “Turn Turn Turn” made famous by the rock group the Byrds in 1965, but truth be told God actually wrote these words much earlier than that.  The first thing that caught my attention as I sat and contemplated this verse was the fact that God said “everything” has a “season”.  In other words, absolutely nothing happens in our lives, or in this world for that matter, that doesn’t occur according to its appointed season.  While most of the world considers the events of history to be random chance, as believers we are told that God appoints and controls everything to occur in its proper time.

The second thing that I noticed was the fact that everything has a “purpose” in God’s plan for this world. As I thought about that I had to consider the possibility that for most of my life I have more or less looked at the events of this life backwards.  While I believed that as Paul told us in Romans 8:28, that all things work together, I realized my perspective was that God reacts to events to cause them to fit into His plan when the truth is He has a purpose for everything before it actually happens.  It matters not if God either allows events to happen, or causes them to happen, the truth is that there is a “purpose” intended for all things.

While the question of why things happen has been around since creation, that particular mental exercise has taken on a life of its own in the past two years as we have seen what many of us consider to be the birth pangs spoken of by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ begin to occur.  Most would probably agree that these events could, and should be considered to be life changing as far as society is concerned.  The pandemic, a questionable election, riots, mass shootings, an unsecured border between the United States and Mexico, the reversal of Roe v Wade, and runaway inflation are just a few of the events we could list which have many wondering just what in the world is going on.

I would answer that what we are seeing is, in fact, God’s plan for this world unfolding in such a way as to get the attention of His creation.  In his letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul said in no uncertain terms that we would know the season of our Lord’s return.  Based upon the passage above where we are told that “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven”, I believe that we could accurately say that what the world is seeing at present is the approach of the season of return where the Church will be raptured and the world will enter the day of the Lord’s judgment.

“For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world [that] then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth [which] are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”
2 Peter 3:5-7 NKJV

What Peter tells us here is simple enough; the world will experience the judgment of God twice. The first was by water, which was as we know the flood of Noah, and a second time by fire which will be during the period known as the Tribulation.   In light of what we are discussing, and the fact that God has said everything has a season, my thoughts turned to when the flood occurred and exactly what season it was in? Fortunately for us, God in His wisdom chose to tell us exactly when the flood of Noah began. If we look closely at the Genesis account we find this;

“In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.”
Genesis 7:11 NKJV

This passage tells us that the flood began precisely on the seventeenth of Cheshvan, the second month of the Jewish civil calendar. Many of you know the fall feasts occur during the first month, Tishri, beginning with Rosh Hashanah which will begin late this month around September 27.  I say around because the Jewish calendar is lunar rather than solar, and each month begins with the first sighting of the new moon. If the new moon is sighted as it should be on September 27, then the seventeenth day of the second month, the anniversary of the flood, should be on November 11 this year placing it squarely in the fall season. 

Now considering the fact we know that God has allowed many events to occur on the same day of the year throughout history, and He has clearly stated that He does not change, is it possible that by knowing the exact day the flood began we can assume the next judgment of the world could begin on the anniversary of the first judgment?  I believe our answer to that could certainly be “why not”?  It would also lend itself to identifying the fall season as God’s season of judgment, as well as following the pattern that God has already established, and might, in light of other passages of scripture, be logical when we know that Jesus talked of His return at the end of the age by referring to the time of Noah and the flood.

“And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.”    Daniel 2:21  NKJV

Could it be that God is preparing the world for His judgment?  This passage states clearly that it is God who places and removes our leaders.  Many have questioned why this country is currently being led by leaders who often have been referred to as “totally incompetent” for the position they hold.  A recent article in the Jerusalem Post actually asked the question “is God judging America?”  This past week saw the death of Queen Elizabeth II of England, who by all accounts was a firm believer in Jesus Christ.  Already we are seeing speculation on the prophetic implications of her death and the possibility that this is an event which will not only remove a potential obstacle to the emergence of the coming anti-christ, but could in fact be the last domino to fall in that process.

Will the fall season prove to be the season of God’s judgment?  The news lately seems to be full of dire predictions of what this world can expect in the coming months, and much of what they predict has an eerie similarity to the events foretold in the book of Revelation.  I personally believe that fall, while my most favorite season to enjoy, could well prove to be the season where God decides to unleash His wrath on an unbelieving world.  The only good news here is that we are told that all true believers will escape this time of judgment by way of the rapture.  As the Bible often refers to this event as a “harvest”, and the next few weeks until the Feast of Trumpets is the time of harvest in Israel, I can’t help thinking now more than ever we should be heeding Jesus’ admonition to be looking up.

If you are reading this today and have never made a decision to accept the free gift of salvation offered by our God I encourage you to do that right now and receive the guarantee that you will spend eternity with the Father in Heaven, and escape the evil which is to come.  Simply pray a prayer like this; Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen.

 Keep watching.