18 items to prophetically watch in 2018

By COGwriter

Are properly understood biblical prophecies coming to pass?

Can you rely on Bible prophecy?

Well, God is clear that He makes prophetic statements and causes them to be fulfilled:

9 Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, 'My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,'
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man who executes My counsel, from a far country.
Indeed I have spoken it;
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it;
I will also do it. (Isaiah 46:9-11, NKJV throughout, unless otherwise specified)

Fulfilled prophecy is part of the proof that God exists and should be real to your life EVERYDAY!

Between 1/5th and 1/3rd of the Bible is prophetic. Since, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God'" (Luke 4:4), knowing the prophetic word is important. All scripture, including prophecy, is important:

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

If you do not understand relevant prophecy, you cannot "be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Notice something else from the New Testament:

9 Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'" And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God." 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19:9-10)

Yet, most discount or misunderstand prophecy.

Some, despite claiming to believe the Bible, either discount or overlook prophecy. But that is not supposed to be the case for true Christians:

29 “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. 31 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:29-36)

Notice that Jesus taught that His followers will always to pay attention to events and prophecies related to His return. Jesus repeatedly told His followers to watch for world events that would fulfill prophecy in other scriptures such as Matthew 24:42, 25:13; Mark 13:9,33,34,35,37, and Revelation 3:3. Jesus did expect His followers to watch. 

But scripture is clear that not all real Christians will be protected (Revelation 12:17), thus those who will not pay proper attention to prophecy will not realizing what is happening until it is too late.

Jesus used prophecy to keep His followers vigilant–He wanted them to be ‘hot’ and not lukewarm (Revelation 3:14-22).

Jesus also taught that the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of truth,” would assist the faithful understanding all truth, including prophetic ones:

12 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when …the Spirit of truth, has come, {it} will guide you into all truth; …will tell you things to come. (John 16:12-13)

Having the Holy Spirit and properly being led by the Holy Spirit helps us understand prophecy.

The Bible also teaches:

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-20)

Yet many do not seem to believe that God’s Spirit is currently working prophetically now. Many also tend to despise biblical prophecies as well as, often, their proper explanation(s).

While some discount the importance of prophecy, notice what the Apostle Paul taught:

11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. (Romans 13:11-14)

Are we not a lot closer to the end now than when Paul wrote that? Paul also taught that true Christians were not to be like others who would not know near when Jesus would return (1 Thessalonians 5:4).

32 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. 34 It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. 35 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming--in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning-- 36 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" (Mark 13:32-37)

Oddly, some interpret verse 32 to mean that they do not need to watch. They foolishly overlook was Jesus said.

This article is intended to cover 18 prophetic trends to watch for 2018.

Here is a link to a related sermon: 18 items to prophetically watch in 2018. 

1. Scoffers and the Modern Media

The mainstream news media seems to relish promoting then denouncing false prophecies. Many in the alternative media do that as well.

Consider that in 2017, we saw false prediction in conjunction with the claim of WWIII for May 13, 2017 (see (see WWIII to begin on May 13, 2017? Will WWIII be between the East and West?), the total eclipse of August 21, 2017 (see August solar eclipse: End of the world, sign from God, or natural phenomena?), claims about planet Nibiru destroying the world on September 23, 2017 (see Doomsayers: Planet Nibiru to destroy Planet Earth in four weeks), and the Great Tribulation and rapture for October 15-17, 2017 (see World to end, great tribulation to start, and Christians to be raptured October 15-21, 2017?).

There were also other false predictions that I denounced, but the list is typical of the types of false prophecies that are out there. Some of which do get significant media attention.

On the other hand, properly understood biblical prophecies, like those in the process of being fulfilled get little media attention--and almost none from 'mainstream' news sources.

Why?

Well, the mainstream media (along with most academics and governmental leaders and internet posters) do not believe the Bible--and even among those who claim to, even less understand and believe biblical prophecies.

The Apostle Peter was inspired to write the following:

1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." 5 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, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 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.

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:1-9)

Despite the fact that properly understood biblical prophecies are coming to pass, there are many scoffers during these last days.

Many have repeatedly and falsely called me a false prophet and said other bad things about me (e.g. Banned by HWA and Ambassador Watch) as well as the Continuing Church of God. While that turns some away from looking at us, we understand that Jesus said this was to be expected:

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:10-12

We are not to turn away from true understanding of biblical prophecies, but rejoice in the going through open door to proclaim the truth while holding fast to the truth (cf. Revelation 3:7-13).

2. Morality Prophecies Being Fulfilled Daily

Some morality prophecies that are certainly being to be fulfilled daily in 2018 include something that the Apostle Paul wrote to the prophetic-evangelist Timothy:

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:1-8)

We see this being fulfilled, not just by terrorists, but by politicians, media experts, academia, and even with scientists. Like so-called scientists pushing aspects of evolution instead of creation (see also Is God's Existence Logical? and Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God's Existence Logical? Part II).

Then, of course, there is the LBGTQ crowd and those that approve of that and/or other forms of sexual immorality that happen a lot:

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:18-32)

It is the last statement above that some would consider to be prophetic. Consider, for example California's drought and wildfires.

As far as the LGBTQ movement goes, consider also the following:

7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. (Jude 7)

26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:26-29)

6…the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly (2 Peter 2:6)

Peter made it clear that there would be those who follow the example of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

While we have not seen that degree of destruction yet in the 21st century, it is coming (consider also watching: Fires and the Wrath of God).

Because of things like the LGBTQ agenda, we are seeing more pressure to control the internet and to reduce biblical speech (watch Internet Control, Famine of the Word, and 666).

It has gotten so bad in Canada that various government officials have essentially stated that certain anti-LGBTQ scriptures should not be taught or publicly quited (watch Canadian censoring of the Bible).

The Bible teaches:

11 "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord God,
That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
But shall not find it. (Amos 8:11-12)

That does not mean that there will be no Bibles. But the time will come when those promoting various biblical teachings will no longer to be able to have access to the internet, etc. as before. We are seeing more and more of this.

And this especially includes Europe, which to pressuring social media companies to censor and remove 'offensive' materials.

3. Weather Sorrows and Troubles

Of course, when thinking about prophecies, most people are concerned about prophecies such as those related to world events, the beginning of sorrows, the four horsemen of the apocalyse,, the great tribulation, the rise of the Beast/Antichrist/666, Armaggedon, etc.

Jesus said:

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:4-8)

5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many. 7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mark 13:5-8)

Rough weather issues (watch Hurricanes and Prophecy), fires (watch Fires and the Wrath of God), strong earthquakes, and civil disturbances would seem to fall under troubles and sorrows. So would a massive eruption of a supervolcano (watch Are supervolcanoes are a real threat?). Then there are also smaller volcanoes, such as Mt. Rainer, which are believed to have massive potential for disasters themselves.

Notice also:

Temperatures hit new high in 2016

January 20, 2017

OSLO • World temperatures hit a record high for the third year in a row last year, creeping closer to a ceiling set by the Paris climate change deal, with unprecedented heat in India and ice melt in the Arctic.

The findings, providing new signs of the impact of greenhouse gases, were issued on Wednesday, two days before the inauguration of United States President-elect Donald Trump, who questions whether climate change has a human cause.

Average global surface temperatures last year were 0.83 deg C above a long-term average of 14 deg C from 1961 to 1990, according to the United Nations-affiliated World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

Temperatures, lifted mainly by man-made greenhouse gases and partly by a natural El Nino weather event, beat the 2015 record, which in turn eclipsed 2014. http://www.straitstimes.com/world/temperatures-hit-new-high-in-2016

October 30, 2017

The 2017 season is one of only six seasons on record to feature multiple Category 5 hurricanes. This was the second season on record (after 2007) to feature two hurricanes making landfall, with Category 5 Irma’s landfalls on multiple Caribbean islands and Maria’s landfall on Dominica.

This season had the highest number of major hurricanes since 2005. Ophelia, a Category 3 hurricane, was the sixth major hurricane of the season and the easternmost storm of such strength in the Atlantic basin on record. Ophelia transitioned into a hurricane-strength midlatitude cyclone that made landfall on Ireland and Britain. http://host.madison.com/wsj/weather/ask-the-weather-guys-how-did-the-hurricane-season-end/article_c36341b3-057a-5d58-89ab-cab4104aa404.html

Look for more extreme weather in 2018.

Weather matters got St. Lucia’s Prime Minister to state, "We continue thinking there’s tomorrow. Tomorrow has arrived."

The Bible teaches:

2 Better to go to the house of mourning
Than to go to the house of feasting,
For that is the end of all men;
And the living will take it to heart. (Ecclesiastes 7:2)

Do you take the damage to heart?

After listing a variety of weather and other curses, God had Amos write:

12 “Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel;
Because I will do this to you,
Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” (Amos 4:12)

Weather actually is to be a motivator for us to change and be ready to face our Creator!

Of course, people say, “The weather always changes.” And while it does, there are two point to consider about that.

The first is that changes in the weather show us that our environment and circumstances can quickly change. As Christians, we need to:

34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36)

And that is a warning to get our spiritual life in order.

The second is to consider that the severity of storms and their devastation has been increasing. Troubles are part of the beginning of sorrows (Mark 13:8; Matthew 24:4-8), and remember that the great tribulation (Matthew 24:21) comes in the same generation as does the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:34).

4. Earthquakes

7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. (Matthew 24:7).

Even some scientists believe that in 2018 and later we will see more serious earthquakes (see Scientists predict increase in earthquakes for 2018:

November 19, 2017

Every so often, the Earth’s rotation slows by a few milliseconds per day. This is inconsequential to the average human, and causes only mild annoyance to the people whose job it is to measure Earth’s rotation with great precision.

That may be about to change, if the hypothesis set out by two geologists proves true. In a study published in Geophysical Research Letters earlier this year, Roger Bilham of the University of Colorado and Rebecca Bendick of the University of Montana predict that, because of Earth’s slowing rotation, the world will see a significant spike in large earthquakes in 2018.

To make this prediction, Bilham and Bendick studied every earthquake since 1900 that recorded more than 7.0 on the moment magnitude scale. They found that approximately every 32 years, there is an uptick in these large quakes. The only factor that strongly correlates is a slight slowing of the Earth’s rotation in a five-year period before the uptick.

“Of course that seems sort of crazy,” Bendick told Science. But think through it a little and it might not seem so outlandish. The Earth’s rotation is known to go through regular decades-long periods in which it slows down and speeds up. Even seasonal changes, like a strong El Niño, can affect the planet’s rotation.

But to have the kind of effect that would produce more severe earthquakes, we have to look deeper. Starting from its very center, the planet is made of a solid iron and nickel “inner core,” liquid iron and nickel “outer core,” a thick liquid mantle, and finally a thin solid crust. Earthquakes occur on the crust, but the crust floats on the mantle.

Though Bilham and Bendick don’t know for sure, they believe that every so often the Earth’s mantle might stick a little more to the crust. That could change how the liquid outer core flows. And because it’s all metal down there, the change in flow will affect planet’s magnetic field, which would ever so slightly affect the Earth’s rotation and thus change the length of the day by milliseconds. The Earth’s rotation has been slowing down for the past four years.

“The inference is clear,” Bilham told the Guardian. “Next year we should see a significant increase in numbers of severe earthquakes.” Instead of an average of about 15-20 large earthquakes, we might see 25 or 30 in 2018. https://qz.com/1133304/as-earths-rotation-slows-2018-could-see-a-spike-in-large-earthquakes/

Notice a related news item:

November 19, 2017

US geoscientists consider it very likely that in 2018, or perhaps in the next few years, there will be a significant increase in the number of strong earthquakes around the world. Their prediction is based on the periodic slowdown in Earth’s speed of rotation around its axis, which minimizes daylight.

We certainly will have more significant earthquakes in the coming years.

Earthquakes could trigger supervolcanoes (see Massive spike in Yellowstone earthquakes: Does Yellowstone pose a major risk? and watch Are supervolcanoes a real threat?) and cause other troubles (Mark 13:8).

Ultimately, a massive one will hit:

18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. (Revelation 16:18-20)

Notice that the above earthquake is so big that the cities of the nations will fall. Mountains will be leveled and islands "fled away" (more on this can be found in the article Islands and Bible Prophecy). This seems to be the biggest earthquake that will ever hit the planet with humans on it. Despite the view of 'preterists' that this already happened (see The Dangerous Rise of Preterists), that is nonsense.

The earthquake of Revelation 16 will be bigger than what the usual "experts" have believed was possible. It will change the planet and humble parts of humanity.

It should be noted since that apparently biggest of all earthquakes seems to take place near the end of the Day of the Lord, it probably cannot happen prior to 2021 (for more on why as well as dates, please see the articles When Can the Great Tribulation Begin? and Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?).

While that one will not occur in 2018, other significant ones may.

5. The White Horse of the Apocalypse

The Book of Revelation teaches about riders of four different colored horses in its sixth chapter.

Notice the following about the first horseman:

1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come and see."

2 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 6:1-2)

This horseman has to do with spreading false religion. The fact that the horse is white makes the religious message being spread look like it is good.

But the Bible warns about that:

12 But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:12-15)

Jesus warned about false religion:

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you.  5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. (Matthew 24:4-5)

In 1973 booklet, the old Worldwide Church of God (WCG) taught:

The long-term condition of false religion described above will culminate in the end-time fulfillment of the white horseman of Revelation 6, in the person of a great False Prophet…He will signal the beginning of sorrows: the first horseman. (Alexander G. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Ambassador College Press, Pasadena (CA), 1973, p. 17)

The late Herbert W. Armstrong taught:

The first horseman is not the coming of Christ; it was the false Christ deceiving the people. For one thing, it was long after Christ had come. John wrote this in 90 AD and Christ had come, and was crucified, and gone to heaven in 31 AD. So you see it's talking of something else, not something that had happened. This is a prophecy for the future. (Armstrong HW. Revelation - Closed Book Until the End. http://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=getbroadcast&InfoID=1371308958 accessed 09/05/17)

Many in the old Worldwide Church of God seemed to believe that the four horsemen began their ride in the first century, yet, the predominant position in its literature was that the horsemen had not began their ride, but it was for the future. And in the latter portion of the 20th century that ride still was.

But that changed. There was an agreement between the Roman Catholics and Lutherans in 1999, but little seemed to change from that for a time (see also Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction!). But since then, in the 21st century we have seen events suggesting that the white horse is moving about.

Even though this first seal is opened up prior to the Great Tribulation (the “beginning of sorrows” precedes the Great Tribulation, cf. Matthew 24:8,21; and it could have officially began as early as the Feast of Trumpets in September 2009; if the first seal, in a sense, was not opened centuries ago—as at least its antetype has been around since Simon Magus of Acts 8:9-24--yet since Simon Magus and others were around BEFORE John saw the Revelation, they were not the final ride of the first horseman as the first seal could not be opened before John saw the Revelation!), yet it will not be until after the beast powers of Revelation 13 are in full control, when the whole world will worship the beast and the dragon (Revelation 13:3-8; 18:23), that this horseman’s conquest will be complete.

Many events in the past several years suggest that “beginning of sorrows” seems to have begun. The following help demonstrate this:

Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware! Compromise has occurred between the Church of Rome and various Protestants. Ken Copeland accepted this in 2014.
Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their 'mother church' in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? See also World Council of Churches Peace Plan.
Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? (And the Protestants) Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster? Is doctrinal compromise good? Here is a link to a related video Should you be concerned about the ecumenical movement?
Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction? Is the interfaith movement going to lead to lasting peace or is it warned against? A video sermon of related interest is: Will the Interfaith Movement lead to World War III? and a video sermon is also available: Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics Unity between these groups will put them in position to be part of the final end time Babylon that the Bible warns against as well as require improper compromise.
United Nations: Humankind's Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? Two related videos include UN's 'New Universal Agenda' is a False Gospel! and United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.

This horseman appears to be gaining ground. There are more and more ecumenical meetings by various Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox (including Coptic and Armenian), and Protestant leaders (e.g. Michael Pence, Pope Francis, Pope Tawadros, Middle East persecution, SDAs, etc.).

In early 2014, claimed Anglican Bishop Tony Palmer quoted an Elijah prophecy and indicated that ecumenism was what the final Elijah would endorse, and then he said:

I have come in the Spirit of Elijah...to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers...to prepare the way of the Lord...

Elijah will come before the Second Coming...

The spirit of Elijah is the spirit of reconciliation…We know for a thousand years, there was one church called the catholic church... Catholic does not mean Rome...

Redeem what belongs to you…We are Catholic…Division destroys our unity…Fear keeps us divided…most of that fear is based upon propaganda…Brothers and sisters, Luther’s protests are over…The protests have been over for 15 years…If there is no more protests, how can there be a Protestant church…We now teach the same gospel, we now teach the same faith…The protest is over, the protest is over.

The gospel that these groups teach is one that the Apostle Paul warned against (see Galatians 1:6-9). It needs to be understood that the Greco-Roman church was NOT Christ's church for the first 1000 years, there was a split no later than the second century (see some details in the free pdf booklet Continuing History of the Church of God). Tony Palmer is NOT here in the Spirit of Elijah (see also Elijah: Past and Prophesied and The Elijah Heresies). The relatively young Tony Palmer, also died, a few months after this in a motorcycle accident (see Ecumenical ‘Anglican’ Bishop Tony Palmer died; Pope Francis continues his ecumenical meetings).

While he was an ecumenical promoter, the promotion was bigger than him.

For example, instead of celebrating a break from Rome, the 500th anniversary of the nailing of the 85 theses on the door of the Wittenberg church by Martin Luther on October 31, 1517 was celebrated as a time of ecumenical unity.

Additionally, the United Nations, World Council of Churches, and political leaders around the world and more and more embracing the movement put forth by those with an ecumenical and interfaith agenda.

We continue to see events around the world confirming that the ecumenical agenda is being promoted.

The Apostle Paul warned about believers being yoked together with unbelievers, including idolaters:

14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

"I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people."

17 Therefore

"Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you."
18 'I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

Having been raised Roman Catholic, as well as having visited many Eastern Orthodox (Catholic) churches, I can testify that their places of worship are filled with idols.

Christians are to be separate from paganism. Those who accept the true God as their Father must realize that. Isaiah wrote:

11 Depart! Depart! Go out from there,
Touch no unclean thing;
Go out from the midst of her,
Be clean,
You who bear the vessels of the Lord. (Isaiah 52:11)

To depart means to separate. Notice that Isaiah's sentiments here are captured in the New Testament in Paul's writing (2 Corinthians 6:17) and the Book of Revelation (18:2-4).

Scripture does not endorse the type of coming ecumenical unity that Pope Francis and various Protestant leaders have been endorsing.

Prophecies are being fulfilled as world events continue to align.

Watch also Ecumenism and the ride of the White Horse of the Apocalypse.

6. Strife and the Red Horse of War

Notice the following:

3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come and see." 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. (Revelation 6:3-4)

Somewhat paralleling the ride of the second horseman of Revelation 6:3-4, Jesus warned about wars and disturbances:

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. (Matthew 24:6-7a)

"Nation ... against nation" is literally "ethnos ... against ethnos" in the original Greek. Notice how the Orthodox Jewish Bible translates the first half of Matthew 24:7:

For there will be an intifada of ethnic group against ethnic group,

So, look for ethnic and racial strife in 2018.

The old WCG taugh about the time of the red horset

John was not speaking about the fall of Jerusalem. That war was already some twenty years behind him. John was referring to future events that would bring 6000 years of human history crashing to a cataclysmic close. … John is referring to a time yet ahead of us when “peaceful coexistence” will be a thing of the past. ...

It's no wonder that Jeremiah, in referring to these tumultuous times, stated: "Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble ..." (Jer. 30:7). (Ritter G. 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse - The Red Horse - War, pp. 48, 52; see also Ritter R. The War that could end it all. Good News, December 1975)

We expect to see more wars, rumors of war, and civil unrest.

Events associated with North Korea, Donald Trump, terrorists, and politics are aligning with that (watch also Donald Trump, Warmongering, and the Red Horse of War).

Notice also the following from German-Foreign-Policy.com:

8 November 2017

According to Germany's Ministry of Defense "notification" for the expansion of THE EU's military cooperation will be given at the beginning of next week. As the ministry announced, "more than 20 EU member countries" are expected to sign up to "PESCO" at next Monday's EU defense ministers meeting. Within the PESCO framework, an EU Army - still opposed by some EU member countries - is to be initiated "from below." First plans include the establishment of a logistics hub and a core element of a military headquarters in Brussels. "We Europeans must finally take our defense into our own hands," says the CDU parliamentarian and foreign policy expert Elmar Brok. These measures taken by the EU are designed to supplement a merger of European armed forces, which Berlin is also promoting within NATO, for example with the subordination of foreign military units to German command. The defense ministry declares that this is "a grassroots issue." ...

As confirmed in a current study by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), "three multinational divisions, with up to five armored brigades each, should be fielded" by 2032; two of these should be comprised from "German divisional staffs and structures" with the incorporation of units from other nations. According to current planning, an aerial task force - to be created - will have "more than 75 percent reliance on German capability," and a "German-dominated naval commando is foreseen for the Baltic Sea." The SWP concludes that "on land, at sea or in the air, Germany's role in these formations and structures will be significant." ...

According to Germany's Defense Ministry, the militarization of the EU is a "grassroots issue." "European citizens" expect the EU to be more active in areas of "security and defense."[10] With the militarization of the EU, Berlin and Brussels are merely fulfilling these expectations. https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/detail/7443/ accessed 11/10/17

7. Trade

Not all warfare is militaristic. There is also economic warfare.

This often involves trade.

Notice some warnings from COG writers:

Trade War Looming to Trigger World War III?

Either we start raising high tariff barriers against other countries, starting a TRADE WAR which in time will trigger the nuclear war that will DESTROY US – or, American workers are going to have to MEET the competition of the workers in other countries , by lowering living standards. Obviously American workers are not going to choose to do the latter. And if they don’t – well, THE HANDWRITING IS ON OUR NATIONAL WALL. (Armstrong HW. Trade War Looming to Trigger World War III? Plain Truth, March 1971)

Dangerous Security Changes

Other experts warn that American political leaders — responding to calls for immediate competitive relief from their constituents — may be ignoring another lesson of the Great Depression: that the severe contraction of world trade gave added impetus to imperialist surges in Asia and Europe, specifically Japan and Germany.

Since 1945 Japan has chosen the mercantile road as its path to power, prestige and national restoration. Germany, specifically the Federal Republic of Germany, is heavily dependent upon world trade, exporting a full third of its manufactured goods.

Access to the U.S. market is central to the economies of Japan and the other nations of the Pacific Basin, writes National Review executive editor John McLaughlin, “and hence perhaps to their stability.” If protectionism takes hold, what would happen to Japan and to Western Europe, whose economic heart is in Germany? Protectionism, leading to a full-blown trade war, would likely break the extensive joint defense relationships between the U.S. and its primary World War II foes, now allies for the past 40 years.

Americans should then prepare to witness the emergence of a nuclear — armed Japan as well as a nuclear — armed united Europe with Germany at its core. It’s doubtful whether the American public and its elected representatives have thought out the likely end results of actions now under way.

Former Senate majority leader Howard H. Baker Jr. sounded this warning: “The disastrous Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 was rushed through Congress… and it took 14 years and a world war to straighten out the mess.” (Hogberg G. Prepare for Trade War! Plain Truth, January 1986)

The Brits will ultimately decide that they are more supportive of the Americans and Canadians. They will be so much more supportive that they will end up in a trading agreement with them (with the Australians and New Zealanders probably also becoming part of that agreement).

The EU will decide that Mexico and the rest of Latin America are in more agreement with it and thus make some type of serious trading agreement with most (or all) of Latin America. The Vatican will also have influence here as Latin America is highly Roman Catholic. (Thiel B. A Combined EU & North American Trade Block Coming? COGwriter.com, March 3, 2008)

Here is something from me a day before Donald Trump took office in 2017:

Trade wars have causalities and tariffs increase prices and can cause inflation.

Various nations will not like the policies that Donald Trump has advocated.

Trade wars have been listed as part of the Twelve ‘grey swan’ events to watch for in 2017?

Trade disputes are likely to be a factor that will lead to World War III. ...

There is a cost to trade wars and tariffs. Those who think otherwise are fooling themselves. (Thiel B. ‘America’s Tariff Trouble’. COGwriter.com, January 19, 2017)

And much happened in 2017 affecting trade and pushing trade away from the USA.

Europe will get more involved.

For a time, Babylon will dominate world trade:

2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury." (Revelation 18:2-3).

While 'Babylon' will not reign in 2018, with the USA pulling out of trade deals and/or wishing to change them, steps are occurring that are pushing Europe to dominate trade (watch Trade Wars: Are COG warnings coming to pass?). The Europeans have been working with Latin America, China, Russia's Eurasian Union, and other areas of the world to try to set up its dominance of world trade as well as standards for world trade.

8. The Deal of Daniel 9:27

Wars tend to precede peace deals.

The book of Daniel speaks of a seven-year deal:

26 And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate (Daniel 9:26-27).

The ‘one week’ time element has generally been understood by prophecy watchers to mean a seven year deal (2520 days, based on prophetic 360 day years), that will be broken in the middle of it (after 3 1/2 years). The Hebrew word translated as "week" literally means "sevened" (OT:7620 literal, sevened. Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.).

The 'with many' referred to in this passage would seem to indicate that 'many' nations, as opposed to one or two, are agreeing to something.

While Daniel 9:26 calls this leader a "prince," he is later is referred to as the king of a developing European empire (Daniel 11:40; see also King of the North and Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation). Daniel 9:26-27 tie directly in with Daniel 11:

31 And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. (Daniel 11:31)

One way to show this is a European empire to realize that it was the people of the Roman Empire of the 1st century that fulfilled the portion of Daniel 9:26 as they destroyed the city (Jerusalem) in 70 A.D. Jewish sources, while not understanding all of this, also agree that it was Roman sources that destroyed the city and sanctuary as the following demonstrates:

“The people of the prince will come and destroy the city and the Sanctuary” Daniel 9:26, refers to the Roman legions of Vespasian and Titus, who destroyed Jerusalem. (Daniel 9 – A True Biblical Interpretation. Jews for Judaism. https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/answers/jewish-polemics/texts/daniel-9-a-true-biblical-interpretation/ accessed 07/30/16)

In the 21st century, the European Union includes much of the land and peoples that were part of the ancient Roman Empire. And it is the "prince" coming from that people that verse 27 of Daniel 9 is referring to. Thus, this prophecy tells us that a lower level European leader will somewhat officially start to rise up about 3 1/2 years before the great tribulation (and yes, according to Jesus, some "tribulation" does happen prior to the start of the Great Tribulation). Another is the fact that the "beast of the sea" of Revelation 13:1 fits with the beasts from the "great sea" of Daniel 7:2--and that sea is the Mediterranean Sea according to the Old Testament. Hence a power in Europe the only region that could have an empire geographically like the old Roman one (for more details, please see Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation). This is not an Arab empire, like some incorrectly claim (see also Can the Final Antichrist be Islamic?).

Notice also the following about the end time Beast leader:

11 He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. 12 Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered. (Daniel 8:11-12)

Consider that it is a 'prince' who takes away the daily sacrifices in Daniel 9:27, and that he is also called the King of the North (Daniel 11:40) who stops the sacrifices in Daniel 11:31.

Daniel 9:27 seems to be discussing some type of peace deal that the Europeans will either propose or at least one leader from Europe will endorse.

Why is this believed to be a type of 'peace deal'?

There are several reasons, but notice some other scriptures that discuss this leader:

25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. (Daniel 8:25, KJV).

23 And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people. 24 He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time. (Daniel 11:23-24, NKJV)

So this leader gives people the impression that there will be "peace" and is involved in some type of deal. This is the same leader that confirms the covenant in Daniel 9:27. The term is translated as "peace" in Daniel 8:25 is from the Hebrew term shalvah and essentially means security. In other words, this leader will destroy "many" who are under the impression that they are secure because of some type of security and/or trade arrangement. Such arrangements are now commonly referred to as peace deals or treaties.

US President Trump, leaders in the Middle East, and leaders in Europe have all discussed various peace deals. Essentially, they tend to be advocating one similar to the deal in Daniel 9:27.

The President of Palestine, in December 2017 stated, "The United States has chosen to lose its qualification as a mediator … We will no longer accept that it has a role in the political process from now." (see Palestine’s Abbas wants UN not USA, Turkey’s Erdogan says recognize Palestinian Jerusalem). He made a similar statement a few days earlier after US President Donald Trump announced the official recogniton of Jerusalem as Israel's capital by the USA. Europe also denounced Donald Trump's decision, which would tend to endear them to the Palestinians (see Donald Trump announces plan to relocate US Israeli embassy to Jerusalem against torrent of world opinion).

This essentially means that Europe will be involved, and may take the lead, on this deal. So, this is something to look out for as that is consistent with biblical prophecy.

Now, once the deal is confirmed for one prophetic week (which could happen some time AFTER a deal is made) by the "prince," the seven-year countdown for the return of Jesus occurs.

But since the deal is broken in the middle of it, by the King of the North, who was once the "prince" of Daniel 9:26-27, the countdown for the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21) will begin. That 3 1/2 period of the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord is the same length of time some have calculated associated with the handwriting on the wall that Daniel wrote of in the 5th chapter of his book.

9. Knowledge Increasing

Notice something from ancient times:

6 And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."

8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:6-9)

While many languages came out of this, notice another prophecy for the end times:

4 "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase." (Daniel 12:4)

We are seeing massive developments in health, robotics, and various sciences.

The arrival and use of automobiles, jet planes, computers, and the internet certainly align with that prophecy.

Computers have also made it easier to communicate, even among people of different languages.

Those who do not accept biblical prophecy seem to consider the knowledge explosion and ability to travel internationally irrelevant.

Yet, those of us who believe it consider this a confirmed prophecy. And this is a prophecy of around 2600 years old!

Expect to see more knowledge and travel developments.

10. Debt

The Bible teaches that the result of debt accumulation will  be far worse than even many pessimists believe. Here is an end-time prophecy given to the prophet Habakkuk by God over 2600 years ago:

2 And the Lord answered me:

“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.

4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but the righteous shall live by his faith.

5 “Moreover, wine is a traitor,
an arrogant man who is never at rest.
His greed is as wide as Sheol;
like death he has never enough.
He gathers for himself all nations
and collects as his own all peoples.”

6 Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say,

“Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own—
for how long?—
and loads himself with pledges!”
7 Will not your debtors suddenly arise,
and those awake who will make you tremble?
Then you will be spoil for them.
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,
for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them. (Habakkuk 2:2-8; English Standard Version)

The USA is the most indebted nation in the history of humanity and those in it should try to understand this prophecy. Perhaps it should be noted that when I checked in 2017, the United Kingdom was listed as having the second highest amount of total debt (about 1/2 that of the USA).

The Anglo-American world order will come to an end. Accumulation of debt, and then having to pay historically 'normal' interest rates will strain the national economies of the USA and UK more than almost anyone will believe.

Those who think the current world order with the USA’s dollar on top will last through the end of this century are in error.

Those who will believe the Bible will take the words that God spoke to the prophet Habakkuk seriously.

Donald Trump has stated:

I’m the king of debt. I love debt. (Egan M. Donald Trump: ‘I’m the king of debt.’ CNN, May 7, 2016)

The Bible warns that debt, and having to borrow from foreigners, is a curse that would hit those who received various biblical blessings as they became more disobedient (Deuteronomy 28:15,43-46).

The debt of the USA nearly doubled under the presidency of Barrack Obama and has been increasing under the presidency of Donald Trump. The admitted national debt is about $20.5 trillion, and this does not include state or local government debt, corporate debt, or personal debt.

Should interest rates ever rise to historical levels, this will cause financial problems for the USA.

When foreigners finally have had enough, it will not end well for the USA.

God told Habakkuk that this should be a very serious matter.

Have you been paying attention to this?

Two related videos are Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA? and Land of 'Free' Abortions and Debt.

11. US Dollar Dominance will Decrease

Consider the following curse from the Book of Leviticus:

19 I will break the pride of your power; (Leviticus 26:19)

While the above undoubtedly has military & economic possibilities, consider that the US dollar is the pride of the USA's power.

It is backed by nothing.

So, it is a prideful thing--plus it does project US power around the world.

Debt, trade, weather, morality, leadership, sanctions, and other issues have given various nations motivations to work to dethrone the US dollar as the world's primary trade and reserve currency.

The economy of the USA has been financed, to a signficant degree, by foreigners willing to provide goods to the USA on credit as well as the USA profiting from much of the rest of the world's international trade that is dollar-based.

When the US dollar ceases to be the world's primary reserve currency,

Here is more about the benefits of being the world's reserve currency:

Michel Sapin, the French finance minister, called for a “rebalancing” of currencies used in international transactions, implicitly criticizing the status of the U.S. dollar as the principal international reserve currency. Sapin joins a long tradition of French finance ministers criticizing the dollar’s privileged status, which goes back to Valery Giscard d’Estaing. In the 1960s, d’Estaing, who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981, said that the United States received an “exorbitant privilege” due to the greenback serving as the basis for much of international financial transactions.

The dollar’s global reserve status does confer some real benefits, ...

The purpose of a reserve currency is to help smooth international transactions. Imagine a company that wants to sells goods to a company in a country with a different currency. When it comes to currency, the companies have two potential problems. First, the exchange rate between the two currencies could shift dramatically and change the price of the good. Secondly, the importing company might use a currency that isn’t used much outside of its borders and trading that currency might be difficult. By using a widely circulated currency, such as the U.S. dollar, the two companies eliminate the two risks.

But the two companies whose transactions are smoothed aren’t the only ones who benefit. The issuer of the reserve currency, the United States in this case, also benefits. More companies and individuals using the dollar means more transactions denominated in dollars, which provides more liquidity for this currency. Liquidity means that financial assets can be priced more easily and loans are more easily provided. In short, U.S. firms get easier access to capital because of the dollar’s reserve status.

These benefits are certainly real and substantial, but there are also costs. ... foreign goods are less expensive to U.S. firms and households, which spurs them to consume cheaper foreign goods and therefore imports increase. (Bunker N. Being the reserve currency has its privileges and costs. July 2014 http://equitablegrowth.org/equitablog/reserve-currency-privileges-costs/ accesed 09/16/17)

The essentially benefits to the USA have included making money on international trades that the USA otherwise would not be involved in, less inflation, a subsized economy, lower borrowing cost, a more attractive investment market, and getting many goods from foreign lands at less cost than otherwise.

This status for the USA will not contine.

What happens to the US economy if the Dollar is no longer the reserve currency of the world?

If US T-bills lose their attraction as reserve investments … it would get harder for the Treasury to sell more of them, requiring higher interest rates to be paid and potentially forcing austerity measures on the US government or triggering classic deficit spending inflation (“printing money” to pay for government, this doesn’t happen now because the deficit is financed through sales of those bonds at extremely low interest rates).

If foreign central banks and governments start exchanging their US dollars for some other currency or currencies, then the value of the dollar in international trade drops, it becomes more expensive to buy imported goods in the US and more profitable to sell exported goods from the US. This could have all kinds of political and social effects, especially if the shift was rapid, severe, and unexpected. https://www.quora.com/What-happens-to-the-US-economy-if-the-Dollar-is-no-longer-the-reserve-currency-of-the-world

The above is warning about inflation, higher interest rates, and troubles borrowing. The USA is the most highly indebted nation of all time. The USA has been essentially on a borrowing binge the last four decades and its economy is now dependent upon borrowing. The Bible paints an even worse scenario that in the time of the end (Habakkuk 2:2-3) the highly indebted will be taken over (Habakkuk 2:2:6-8) and destroyed (Daniel 11:39; USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses).

The time will come when the US dollar is dethroned and this will inflict great pain, though not the “greatest pain” that the North Koreans want, on the USA. But shortly after the US dollar becomes close to worthless, the great tribulation (Matthew 24:21) will come and the USA will be no more (watch Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?).

The Europeans, BRICS's nations, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, and others want to dethrone the USA dollar.

Jim Rickards has been writing that a significant event is to take place on/after January 1, 2018:

January 1, 2018

I promise you, not one American in 100,000 knows about this threat. …

It’s a financial event that will make the end of the U.S. dollar — and by extension, the end of our reach as an empire — inevitable. …

After January 1st, 2018:
Welcome To The New World Order …

the International Monetary Fund. But what’s that got to do with this “trigger event” warning for January?

Consider, the IMF has 189 member countries.

And many of these countries would love to move away from the ONE thing that’s made the American empire so powerful, over these last 70 years…

Not our military might.

Not our diplomatic reach or our ingenuity.

But nothing short of the current worldwide dependence on the fate of the U.S. dollar.

Up until now, it’s the dollar that fills the central banks of the world. And the dollar that’s used for just about every large-scale transaction between nations. …

Up until now, only one country in the IMF’s 189 member countries had enough power to veto a vote against the dollar… and lucky for us, that country was the Unites States.

See, the way the IMF works is each country gets a certain percentage voting clout.

Here, take a look at this chart…

As you can see, the U.S. is the only country with a percentage over 15%.

That’s exactly enough voting power to veto any IMF proposal.

Up until now, it’s why it’s been easier for the U.S. to call the shots.

However, this coming year — 2018 — those quotas are set to “re-balance.”

And they’re going to re-balance away from U.S. interests like, say, keeping the dollar as the world’s #1 reserve currency.

How so?

Two Simple Charts…
And the End of The American Empire

Maybe you remember hearing about the “BRICS” countries.

BRICS stands for Brazil… Russia… India… China… and South Africa.

Not one of those countries is a match for the U.S. on the voting floor. Or in the world economy. But banded together — in 2018 — they’ll finally have us beat.

Consider, our share of the world economy has plunged by nearly half since 1960. We’re now cranking out just 25% of the wealth in the world, each year.

The BRICS have soared in size, with combined economic might that’s nearly triple what it was in the ’90s… bigger than the size of the EU… and nearly equal to the U.S.

When that chart you just saw was made, the BRICS share of the vote totaled 14.2%.

At the G-20 meeting that just happened, it bumped up to 14.89%.

Remember you need 15% at the IMF to get veto power.

In fact Vladimir Putin himself said at that meeting…

“[We’re] a step away from 15-percent blocking threshold. Without a doubt, we have to move forward to carry out an IMF reform…”

This is exactly the move that will get triggered in 2018. …

And believe me, I’m the first to tell you that I’m not the lone wolf with this kind of warning.

Just look at how even the mainstream echo has started to echo a similar story. Here are the actual headlines from the papers that even your typical mom-and-pop investor would follow…

Point being…

The “Fix” Is In For The Dollar
(And It HAS Been
For a Very Long Time)

In case you think this is the first time there’s been a global conspiracy against the U.S. dollar… and against the middle class Americans who earn, spend and save them… think again. https://pro.dailyreckoning.news/p/AWN_dollarreset_0716/LAWNT706/Full?s1=&s2=&s3=&h=true

While Jim Rickards, in my view, often pushes dates that are premature (see also G20, SDR, China, & JR’s ‘Timetable for the Dollar’s Demise’), he is correct that the idea that the BRICS nations expect to be able to bypass the US dollar is not new.

They have taken many steps, including considering a gold-backed system (see Russia, China and BRICS: A New Gold Trading Network).

Dethroning the US dollar will cause massive economic problems for the USA. Much more than almost anyone believes. The standard of living in the USA has been raised/subsidized for years because of the status of the US dollar. That status is weakening. This will ultimately severely hurt the USA.

12. Cash and 666

Notice the following prophecy:

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18)

It will be a European power that will fulfill the above prophecy of 666 (watch Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?).

It will likely take computers aided with artificial intelligence to aid in the fulfillment of the scriptures in Revelation 13:15-18, as well as cyber-spying/monitoring. I do believe that cyber monitoring will be used by the European Beast, King of the North, 666 power.

We are seeing a move to digital/electronic money (watch Blockchain, Karl Guttenberg, and 666 and Sweden going to ‘666’ cashlessness?). Knowledge of financial transactions is greatly increasing.

This type of financial surveillance could not have happened during the time of the Apostle John as there was no real way to monitor many financial transactions then (despite the fact that ‘preterists’ believe this was fulfilled almost 2000 years ago, see also The Dangerous Rise of Preterists). The same was true for all the centuries that followed until the late 20th and now the 21st century. But now not only does the technology exist to monitor most financial transactions, the political will is there as well.

While 2018 will not see a cashless world, expect to see more movements towards monitorable payments.

13. Gold

The fall of the US dollar and the trend towards digital money will concern many.

While some economists have called gold a 'relic,' it still has value internationally.

Alex Stanczyk observed:

Crypto has made its own place in the world by making an amazing leap forward as a medium of exchange, with thus far unrivaled capabilities. But crypto is not gold, and can never be gold. I suggest that BTC and Crypto are better as a medium of exchange, while gold is a better medium for storing value.

This is not because of some dogma I have for the metal. Some will trot out “you are just talking your book” when I mention this.

The simple fact is, out of the near 185,000 tons of estimated above ground gold, someone owns, all of it. Every fine gram of gold above ground belongs to someone already, whether that be in the form of bars, coins, jewelry, the thin layer on astronauts helmets that protect them from solar radiation, or the gold plated contacts in the mining rigs used to mine crypto. New gold mined from the ground is usually spoken for before it ever hits a refinery. My job as a physical gold fund manager is not to convince people to buy gold, that job has already been done.

The reason crypto can never replace gold lies in physics: Gold cannot be destroyed

Everything else can. Computers. Exchanges. Mining Pools. Wallets. Powergrids. Internets. Nations. You name it. If you blew up the planet earth, the gold atoms would still be there.

Unlike anything else you can invest or store money in, gold doesn’t rely on any external force for this to continue to be true over time. It is sort of like a battery with no expiration date.

Gold exists as atomic number 79 on the periodic table. It is chemically inert and does not interact with oxygen. It is the only element with properties that make it completely immune to the forces of entropy. The only way to destroy it would be to fire it into the sun, or somehow put it in the middle of an equivalent fusion reaction that took the atoms apart at a subatomic level. (Stanczyk A. A Gold Guys View of Crypto, Bitcoin, and Blockchain. Medium.com, December 10, 2017 https://medium.com/@alex.stanczyk/a-gold-guys-view-of-crypto-bitcoin-and-blockchain-26e42eeab6b7)

Its 'permnance' from a physical perspective is reassuring to many. But the fact it is not a food and provides no calories shows its value has severe limits.

The Bible prophesies King of the North will get gold which end time Babylon will trade with:

37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. 40 "At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, ... 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt ... (Daniel 11:37-39,43)

10 ... 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' 11 And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. 14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! (Revelation 18:10-16)

While the Bible is clear that gold will, for a time, not be wanted but tossed (Ezekiel 7:19), it is obvious that into the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21-22), which starts in verse 39 of Daniel 11, gold will have value (see also The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold?).

In terms of world events, understand that Germany has been repatriating gold--and even did so ahead of schedule (watch Germany, Gold, and the US Dollar).

December 22, 2017

One law that has stood the test of time is the golden rule – he who has the gold makes the rules. We also like the fact that JPMorgan, the man not the bank, stated in a congressional hearing that “gold is money and everything else is credit”. These two rules/laws working in conjunction with one another make for a formidable alliance. When you have natural rules/laws working together and nations begin forming alliances using these rules/laws as a foundation the rest of the world should take notice, but alias the Western world is more focused on “russia did it” than what Russia is actually doing.

“We (the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and the People’s Bank of China) discussed gold trading. The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are major economies with large reserves of gold and an impressive volume of production and consumption of the precious metal. In China, gold is traded in Shanghai, and in Russia in Moscow. Our idea is to create a link between these cities so as to intensify gold trading between our markets.” Source

At this point it is well documented that China and Russia have been acquiring gold, swapping gold between countries through each nations banking system and recently announced their intentions to assist the three other BRICS (Brazil, India and South Africa) nations in building their gold reserves. China and Russia also announced their desire to open BRICS gold exchange/markets in Beijing and Moscow. Why all this focus on acquiring gold, storing gold and assisting other nations in doing the same? It has been made very clear, by President Putin and the Russian government, that Russia sees the Federal Reserve Note as threat to their national security and decreasing their dependence on Federal Reserve Notes as trade settlement is a top priority.

Now we see the golden fruit of Russia’s gold acquisition efforts in 2017 as being the biggest year ever since Russia began reporting their gold holdings.

In November the Central Bank of Russia added 900,000 ounces (27.99 tons) of gold to her reserves, raising her total to 1828.88 tons or 58.8 million ounces. In October 2017, the Central Bank of Russia added 700,000 ounces (21.77243 tons) of gold to her reserves. In September 2017, the Central Bank of Russia added 1.1 million ounces (34.2138 tons). In August 2017, the Central Bank of Russia added 500,000 ounces (15.55 tons) of gold to her reserves (56.1 million ounces). In July, the Central Bank of Russia added 400,000 ounces (12.44139 tonnes) of gold to reserves after adding 300,000 ounces (9.33104 tonnes) of gold in June and 700,000 (21.77 tonnes) of gold in May. In April, the Central Bank of Russia added 200,000 ounces (6.22 tonnes) after adding 800,000 ounces (24.882 tonnes)in March, 300,000 ounces (9.331043 tonnes) in February and 1,000,000 ounces (31.104 tonnes) in January.

https://thedailycoin.org/2017/12/22/russia-and-china-lay-economic-foundation-based-on-golden-rule/

Russia and China are looking to use gold for trade to bypass the USA dollar (watch US Dollar being challenged by Gold-Petro-Yuan).

14. Europe Will Work to Reorganize and Have a Great Army

The Bible shows that Europe will reorganize:

12 The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. (Revelation 17:12-13).

Various ones are calling for a version of that in Europe (Ten Kings, Catalonia, and the Future of Europe). Even Pope Francis has called for Europe to be creative and think beyond national boundaries (see Catalonians want democracy to work; Pope Francis wants Europe to be more united).

Various ones have called for a "United States of Europe" (see German call for a ‘United States of Europe’ in five years).

One of the "grey swans" that Nomura expects is a United States of Europe:

A United States of Europe

2018 presents a unique political opportunity for the European Union and in particular those countries within the euro area to forge closer ties and perhaps embark upon a political journey that will end with the creation of a ‘United States of Europe’ – the longstanding dream of many federalists within the continent. The reasons for the propitious backdrop are threefold.

Less focus on domestic politics …

Brexit in the background …

Fixing the roof while the sun is shining: One of the lessons learnt from the global financial crisis and the euro crisis that followed is to fix the roof while the sun is shining and don’t wait for when it rains. European growth is at its strongest in years. The EU unemployment rate has fallen from 11% in 2013 to 7.4% currently and shows no signs of stopping. The low in the previous boom period was 6.8% and at the current run rate that could be achieved in under 12 months. Increasing the pace of integration will bring with it some risks and possibly even some J-curve impacts. This suggests there is no better time to undertake this project than now.

Something like a United States of Europe cannot be built in a year. But steps on a path that the market understands to be leading there can be taken. A grey swan event for 2018 is that European politicians understand the temporal opportunity they have been given, and undertaking such a path starting with a treaty change that leads to increased mutualisation of debts and sharing of risks. It is important to note that comments from key European leaders are heading in this direction. You can see it in the rhetoric of Jean-Claude Juncker’s State of the Union address, Macron’s united defence speech and in Martin Schulz’s latest, looking for a United States of Europe by 2025. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-12-18/10-grey-swans-events-2018

As regular readers of the COGwriter.com Church of God News page are aware, the idea of a United States of Europe has been something that Church of God leaders have written about for decades–and Nomura s correct that Brexit is a factor (watch also Forbes’ Brexit Monster is the Beast of Revelation).

The prophesied reorganization will not happen in 2018, but expect calls to reorganize Europe.

Notice the following Catholic private prophecy about a leader rising up in Europe:

St. Francis of Paola (Born in Italy, 15th century). "By the grace of the Almighty, the Great Monarch will annihilate heretics and unbelievers. He will have a great army, and angels will fight at his side. He will be like the sun among the stars. His influence will spread over the whole earth. All in all, there will be on earth twelve Kings, one Emperor, one Pope and a few Princes. They will all lead holy lives." (Dupont, Yves. Catholic Prophecy. TAN Books, 1973, p.38)

Why bother with that? Well, it is consistent wth the following scriptures:

24 He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.

25 “He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army. (Daniel 11:24-25)

Notice that the ‘he,’ which is a European power, will first seem peaceful, but will have a great army!

Catholic prophecy is favorable towards him and calls him the 'Great Monarch.' The Bible warns against him and calls him the Beast of the Sea (Revelation 13:1-10) and the final King of the North (Daniel 11:40).

Europe is working on developing its own army.

One that is independent of the USA.

Furthermore, Europe has been working on technology, like the Large Hadron Collider (see Could the Large Hadron Collider lead to destruction?) and its Galileo satellite system, in order to make this happen.

In December 2017, Europe launched four more satellites for Galileo, plans to launch more in 2018, and expects to be fully operational in 2020 (see Europe’s Galileo system gained four more satellites). This is a trend to watch.

While most do not believe that Europe can or ever will destroy the USA, consider the following prophecies:

5 "Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. 6 I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7 Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations. ... 12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, "I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks."(Isaiah 10:5-7,12).

39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:39)

In the 21st century, it is the USA with the strongest fortresses. The power with the strongest fortresses wll be taken over by the European Beast power. Technology, as well as deception, will be factors in the military takeover of the USA. This will cause the world to marvel.

3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:3-4)

People will be shocked when Europe shows it is a militarily successful power. It is now taking steps that will lead to the fulfillment of various warring prophecies.

15. Steps Towards the Formation of the King of the South Will Occur

The formation of the King of the South is something to look for.

Psalm 83 prophesies a confederacy:

3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
4 They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more."

5 For they have consulted together with one consent;
They form a confederacy against You:
6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined with them;
They have helped the children of Lot. (Psalm 83:3-8)

Most of the peoples listed above are currently in the Middle East and North Africa, with the exception of Assyria--which is mainly in Europe.

Notice that a deal in alluded in Daniel 11 and will be broken:

15 ... the king of the North ... 25 ... the king of the South ... 27 Both these kings' hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time. (Daniel 11:15,25,27)

So, these powers will have make lying deals.

They will then turn on each other:

40 "At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 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. (Daniel 11:37-43)

US and European politicians have called for a confederation or coalition of nations in the Middle East and North Africa to suppress terrorism.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and others have taken steps that will help the ultimate formation of the King of the South (see Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman pushing King of the South? and watch Mystery Babylon USA, Mecca, or Rome?).

Notice something from Saudi Arabia:

November 26, 2017

Riyadh (AFP) – Saudi Arabia’s crown prince vowed to “pursue terrorists until they are wiped from the face of the earth” as officials from 40 Muslim countries gathered Sunday in the first meeting of an Islamic counter-terrorism alliance.

“In past years, terrorism has been functioning in all of our countries… with no coordination” among national authorities, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also Saudi defence minister, said in his keynote address to the gathering in Riyadh.

“This ends today, with this alliance.”

The summit is the first meeting of defence ministers and other senior officials from the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, which officially counts 41 countries and identifies as a “pan-Islamic unified front” against violent extremism. https://www.yahoo.com/news/saudi-vows-islamic-alliance-wipe-terrorists-earth-140228852.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma

So, now there is an alliance. The Bible tells of a coming confederacy.

While the confederacy is not expected be fully formed in 2018, watch for events that will point in its direction. A King of the South will arise, be involved in some deals, later do damage, and later be destroyed (see also Ezekiel 30:1-8).

16. The Time of the Gentiles will Lead to Armageddon

24 ... Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:24)

2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. (Revelation 11:2)

More Gentile-dominated groups and projects are appearing to get the world to move away from an Anglo-American dominated world order (watch The Times of the Gentiles and End of the Anglo-American Order). Basically, part of the objective of the BRICS, EAEU, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and even the European Union is to establish a new world order (SCO, EAEU, and BRICS defining a ‘new world order’?)–an order no longer dominated by the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies, like the UK.

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15 "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame." 16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. (Revelation 16:14-16).

With its One Belt, One Road (AKA Silk Road) project, China is working on making roads that will transport troops to Armageddon (watch Is China paving roads to Armageddon?). China has over 60 nations involved and, on an inflation-adjusted basis, is expected to pour ten times the amount of money into this than the USA did for its Marshall Plan, which mainly helped 6 European nations.

The gathering of Armageddon will not happen in 2018, but some events to make that gathering happen will.

17. Jews Ready to Sacrifice

The Bible teaches the following:

27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate (Daniel 9:27).

31 And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. (Daniel 11:31)

Now, in order for the sacrifices to stop, they must start.

Essentially, since the destruction of Jerusalem and what is called the Second Temple in A.D. 70, the Jews stopped sacrificing animals.

Some claim that this will require what is called a Third Temple in Jerusalem.

Because of Donald Trump’s decision on December 6, 2017 related to recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, some think this will make it easier for a ‘Third Temple’ to be built there:

Laurie Cardoza-Moore, “founder/president of Proclaiming Justice to The Nations” wrote in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz: “Christians recognise the Jews’ biblical connection through King David’s establishment of Jerusalem as the capital of ancient Israel and the location for both the first and second Temples. According to the prophets, Ezekiel, Isaiah and the Apostle John, all Israel awaits the rebuilding of the Third Temple. President Donald Trump may implement one of the most biblically historic initiatives of his presidency by allowing the first step of the Jerusalem Embassy Act to go into effect. “ http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jerusalem-donald-trump-israel-capital-decision-reason-why-evangelical-voters-us-fear-a8099321.html

President Donald Trump’s epic proclamation on Wednesday acknowledging Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Jewish people was a major step towards establishing the Third Temple and bringing the Messianic era, said a number of Jewish activists working to rebuild the Holy Temple.

“What he did … was an enormous step in bringing the Temple,” Asaf Fried, official spokesman for the United Temple Movement, an association of organizations working towards making the Third Temple a reality, told Breaking Israel News.

He added, “This necessarily had to come from a non-Jew in order to bring them into the process, so they will be able to take their part in the Temple.”

Fried compared Trump’s role to that of Cyrus, the Persian King who ended the Babylonian exile and helped build the Second Jewish Temple. Fried cited Proverbs to emphasize this point.

Like channeled water is the mind of the king in Hashem’s hand; He directs it to whatever He wishes. Proverbs 21:1

“There have been amazing advances towards bringing the Temple this year. It was clear that Trump was part of that process, guided by Hashem (God),” Fried declared.

Yakov Hayman, the United Temple Movement chairman, saw Trump’s statement as part of a historical progression joining a number of major shifts in modern history for Israel and the Jewish people.

“1917 was the Balfour Declaration establishing Israel for the nations,” Hayman told Breaking Israel News. “2017 was Trump’s declaration.” https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/99002/trumps-jerusalem-declaration-next-step-third-temple/#Ap8UZx67GjXtkqEp.99

Now, I am aware that many have considered that Donald Trump was a type of modern Cyrus–essentially a non-believer that God would use to do things, in Donald Trump’s case, to reduce abortions, overturn the LGBTQ agenda, etc. Actually, in March of this year Donald Trump did attribute a quote to Cyrus the Great (see Donald ‘Trump of God,’ Cyrus, or Apocalyptic?) which, at least in my view, he was trying to make the Cyrus connection that he must be aware that others have claimed him to be a type of.

Here is the Cyrus prophecy:

24 “This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself, 25 who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense, 26 who carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’ of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’ and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’ 27 who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your streams,’ 28 who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.” ’ (Isaiah 44:24-28)

45:1 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed,
To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held —
To subdue nations before him
And loose the armor of kings,
To open before him the double doors,
So that the gates will not be shut:
2 ‘I will go before you
And make the crooked places straight;
I will break in pieces the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
That you may know that I, the Lord,
Who call you by your name,
Am the God of Israel.
4 For Jacob My servant’s sake,
And Israel My elect,
I have even called you by your name;
I have named you, though you have not known Me. (Isaiah 45:1-4)

We see that this was fulfilled in Ezra:

1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:

All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3 Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.

5 Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. 6 And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.

7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods; 8 and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. (Ezra 1:1-9)

The Pulpit Commentary states about the prophecy in Isaiah:

It is certainly a very marvellous thing that Isaiah, living at the close of the eighth and the beginning of the seventh century B.C., should -mention a king by name who did not ascend the throne till the middle of the sixth; but no one can suppose that God could not have made such a revelation to him if he pleased.

Donald Trump is NOT doing the same thing and the Cyrus prophecy was fulfilled thousands of years ago.

But because 2018 will mark the 70th year of the Jewish state of Israel, and Donald Trump's announcement, they feel that this may open the way for a Third Temple to be built.

Various Protestants and some others have attempted to claim that Donald Trump is a modern day Cyrus and/or the “trump of God” (e.g. http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Has-God-Raised-Up-a-King-Cyrus–.html?soid=1111272225814&aid=n0ARlA9mD3Q).

But unlike Cyrus, Donald Trump was not prophesied by name to get a Jewish temple rebuilt.

Nor is a Third Temple in Jerusalem needed for animal sacrices to resume.

All the Jews are waiting on if official govenment permission.

Biblically, they do NOT need a rebuilt Temple to sacrifice. They only need an altar, a qualified priest, and implements.

They claim to have all of that. Notice that the Bible recorded the following:

6 From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. (Ezra 3:6)

One may argue that since it takes the participation of Jewish religious leaders in order for Jewish animal sacrifices to be resumed, that the above scripture is a moot point.

As it turns out, representatives of both the Sanhedrin and the Temple Institute have told me that they only need government permission to sacrifice, as they are basically otherwise prepared.

So, despite what may happen in Jerusalem with the area called the Temple Mount, the Jews will one day reinstitute animal sacrifices and they do not need a Third Temple to do that (see also Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required? and watch Sanhedrin pushing animal sacrifices).

18. The Fulfillment of Matthew 28:19-20 and Matthew 24:14

Jesus taught:

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)

In the Continuing Church of God, in sermons, I have gone over every thing that the Bible records that Jesus spoke in the New Testament.

Need proof?

Here are links to the sermons that do this:

MATTHEW Here are links to twelve sermons covering the 28 chapters of Matthew: Matthew 1-2: Greek or Aramaic, Jesus, and the Star?, Matthew 3-5: John the Baptist, Temptations, and the Beatitudes, Matthew 6-7: Charitable Deeds, the Rosary, Prayer, the Golden Rule, and Faith, Matthew 8-10: Married Clergy, Faith, Coming Persecution, and the Ecumenical Agenda, Matthew 11-12: John the Elijah, Sodom, Unpardonable Sin, & 3 Days and 3 Nights, -14: Parables, Mustard Seeds, Birthdays, and Faith, Matthew 15-16: Tradition, Signs of the Times, and The Rock & Peter, Matthew 17-18: Transfiguration, Elijah to Come, Taxes, and Forgiveness, Matthew 19-20: Transgender? Divorce? Purgatory? The first shall be last?, Matthew 21-23: 'Palm Sunday,' Come as You Are?, and the Greatest Commandments, Matthew 24: Temple Destruction, Sorrows, Tribulation, and the Return of Jesus, and Matthew 25-28: Midnight Cry, False Christians, Resurrection, & Teaching what Jesus Taught.
MARK Here is a link to a sermon covering all of Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Mark: What did Jesus teach in the Book of Mark? Here is a link to six sermons covering all the verses in the Gospel of Mark: Mark 1-2: Author, Prophecy, & Miracles, Mark 3-5: Healing, Demons, and Parables, Mark 6-9: Tradition, John’s beheading, Elijah, and Restoration, Mark 10-12: Marriage, Divorce, Needle Eye, Greatest Command, & Taxes, Mark 13: Temple, Four Horsemen, Troubles, Great Tribulation, and Gospel Proclamation, and Mark 14-16: Jesus’ Priorities & Betrayal, the Resurrection, Signs, and Reaching the World.
LUKE Here are links to eight sermons covering the entire 'Gospel of Luke': Luke 1-2: John the Baptist, Mary, and the Census, Luke 3-6: John the Baptist, Jesus’ genealogy, Satan’s Influence, and the Sermon on the Mount, Luke 7-9: Miracles, Purpose of Parables, Kingdom of God, and Women Supporting the Ministry, Luke 10-11: The 70, Doing the Work, the Good Samaritan, Prayer, and Signs, Luke 12-13: Priorities, Delayed Fruit Bearing, Little Flock, Prophecy, and the Narrow Way, Luke 14-16: The Lost Sheep, the Prodigal Son, the Rich Man and Lazarus, Luke 17-20: Faith, the Kingdom, Gathering, Prayer, & Rewards, and Luke 21-22: Giving, Sorrows, Persecution, Tribulation, Fig Tree, and Violence. The last sermon also covers Jesus' words in the Book of Acts.
JOHN Here are links to a seven-part sermon series covering the entire 'Gospel of John': John 1-3: Anti-unitarian, Wine, Being Born Again, & Heaven, John 4-6: Jesus and the Samaritan Woman, Miracles and the Bread of Life, John 10-12: Sheep, Hirelings, Lazarus/Soul Sleep and ‘Palm Day’, John 13-15: Footwashing and the Words of Jesus, John 16-18: Truth, Trinity, and Pontius Pilate, and John 19-21: Do not only try, do what God wants.
REVELATION This is a link to a sermon covering words Jesus spoke as recorded in the Book of Revelation and in first and second Corinthians: Revelation: Jesus’ Final Words.

Additionally, this is something I instructed our ministers in Africa and Europe to do while visiting them in Nairobi, Kenya in February 2017.

We also have made literature available, not only on the internet, but in printed form and in multiple languages.

Jesus also taught:

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. (Matthew 24:14-22)

Notice that the Great Tribulation happens after Matthew 24:14 has been fulfilled to God's satisfaction.

In the Continuing Church of God, we have a booklet, The Gospel of the Kingdom of God, available in close to 100 languages. They can be found at www.ccog.org

According to AWStats, our websites have been visited by people from at least 220 nations/territories. According to YouTube our online videos have been viewed by people from at least 220 nations/territories.

More will be done.

The late artist Andy Warhol was known for getting the idea out that people are entitled to their 'fifteen minutes of fame."

The Apostle Paul wrote that God would have a short work:

28 For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth. (Romans 9:28)

In the Continuing Church of God, we are preparing for this through the development of articles and booklets, and in numerous languages.

We believe that when we publicly identify the coming King of the North and explain that he is pushing a false peace and false gospel, and that he will destroy the USA and its Anglo-Saxon dominated allies, as well as an Islamic power, that media attention will be focused on us and what we teach.

This will be the short work, and will lead to the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14.

Are you going to watch or support the work?

Jesus praised the Philadelphians for their work (Revelation 3:7-13), while condemning the Laodicean Christians for being lukewarm about the work (Revelation 3:14-22).

Anglo-American Nations, Debt, 666, European Beast, Time of the Gentiles, Kings of the East, and Armageddon

The Great Tribulation, fate of the Anglo-American Nations, famine of the word, Jewish sacrifices, the new world order, 666, European Beast, King of the South, Time of the Gentiles, Kings of the East, and Armageddon. These are items that tend to attract interest among prophecy watchers.

Many specific items are in progress.

The divorce of the United Kingdom from the European Union is taking place. This is something that Church of God writers have said would happen for decades (watch Post Brexit Prophecy and Forbes’ Brexit Monster is the Beast of Revelation). Problems are arising and this will not turn out well for the UK (watch Brexit and the fate of Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, the UK, and the US).

The end of the Anglo-American order is starting to take place (watch End of the Anglo-American Order). The Brexit vote, US debt, and the election of Donald Trump as US president are all factors.

A new world order is arising and it will no longer be the order dominated by the USA, UK, and their Anglo-Saxon descended allies (watch The New World Order Is Leaving the US Behind).

Jesus foretold of the final times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24). In the 21st century, we are seeing the rise of predominantly Gentile confederations/organizations (see BRICS, Silk Road, SCO, Eurasian Union, and European Union: Final time of the Gentiles?). There is the European Union, China's One-Belt One-Road (Silk Road) project, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS), Mercosur, the Arab League, and the Eurasian Union (now called the Eurasian Economic Union) For more information, see The Times of the Gentiles.

We have made videos related to all of these 18.

watch Sanhedrin pushing animal sacrifices

watch Trump Presidency: Magic 8 Ball or Bible Prophecy?

watch Land of 'Free' Abortions and Debt

watch Internet Control, Famine of the Word, and 666

watch Canadian censoring of the Bible

watch Orwell's 1984 by 2024?

watch Half human, half pig: What's the difference?

watch Trade Wars: Are COG warnings coming to pass?

watch Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?

watch Germany, Gold, and the US Dollar

watch Mystery Babylon USA, Mecca, or Rome?

watch US Dollar being challenged by Gold-Petro-Yuan

watch Sweden going to '666' cashlessness?

watch Could the Large Hadron Collider lead to destruction?

watch Germany ready for military leadership?

watch Pope Francis dreams of a Babylonian utopia

We have seen the formation of the European Union, which ultimately will become lead by the Beast of the Sea of Revelation 13:1-10--despite problems, more nations want to be part of it.

We have seen the formation of the Eurasian Union and more nations want to either be part of it or make trade deals with it (see also The Eurasian Union, the Kings of the East, and Bible Prophecy). The Bible tells of a time when a Eurasian power (Jeremiah 50:41-44) will get together and end up in a place that the Bible calls Armageddon (Revelation 16:12-16).

1. Scoffers and the Modern Media
2. Morality Prophecies Being Fulfilled Daily
3. Weather Sorrows and Troubles
4. Earthquakes
5. The White Horse of the Apocalypse
6. Strife and the Red Horse of War
7. Trade
8. The Deal of Daniel 9:27
9. Knowledge Increasing
10. Debt
11. US Dollar Dominance will Decrease
12. Cash and 666
13. Gold
14. Europe Will Work to Reorganize and Have a Great Army
15. Steps Towards the Formation of the King of the South Will Occur
16. The Time of the Gentiles will Lead to Armageddon
17. Jews Ready to Sacrifice
18. The Fulfillment of Matthew 28:19-20 and Matthew 24:14

But when will the end come?

When God determines that Matthew 24:14 has been fulfilled, and we of the Continuing Church of God continue to diligently work on this.

Here is a link to a related sermon: 18 items to prophetically watch in 2018. 

Thiel B. 18 items to prophetically watch in 2018. COGwriter (c) 2017 http://www.cogwriter.com/2018prophecies.htm

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