Church of God News

Flu virus

COGwriter

Many are concerned that the flu vaccine will not be particularly effective this year:

Flu-pocalypse? 2017 flu season could be worse, vaccine not as effective, expert warns

November 30, 2017

WASHINGTON — Even if you’re not watching a tearjerker, you’re going to want to keep those tissues handy. Experts are warning that this year’s flu season could be even worse than you’re used to. That includes deaths from the virus.

They’re pointing to issues with the composition of the most recent vaccine as the reason for the sneezing.

 The flu shots used in Australia — which are similar to what’s used in the U.S. — were only about 10 percent effective. What concerns experts is that, when it comes to the flu, how the southern hemisphere is impacted tends to serve as a precursor to how hard the U.S. will be hit.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tells WTOP there could be trouble.

“What happened is, in the development of the vaccine, as we grow it in eggs, the virus itself mutated a bit, so that there was almost an accidental mismatch purely on the basis of the virus trying to adapt itself to growing in eggs, which is the way you make the vaccine,” Fauci said.

“That’s what happened in Australia and it is likely that that’s what we’re going to see here.” https://wtop.com/health-fitness/2017/11/2017-flu-season-could-be-worse-vaccine-not-as-effective-expert/

The researchers suggested that the especially harsh flu season that the Southern Hemisphere sustained during its winter months this year may be an indication of what’s to come as flu season gets underway in the Northern Hemisphere.

“Reports from Australia have caused mounting concern, with record-high numbers of laboratory-confirmed influenza notifications and outbreaks and higher-than-average numbers of hospitalizations and deaths,” the medical professionals wrote.

One reason for the severe flu season may be that this year’s currently made vaccine may have mismatched to the flu strains that ended up circulating, making the vaccinations ineffective at preventing the outbreak. Researchers said this points to a potential inherent flaw in the way flu vaccines are made. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/years-flu-season-bad-medical-experts-warn/story?id=51473025

Despite this, the “experts” still advise getting a flu shot. Perhaps it should be mentioned that the ‘Apocalypse,’ which for this post we will define as the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21) will NOT begin this year. Though a bad flu season could be one of many factors that ultimately will lead to it.

What about flu shots?

Personally, I do not get the flu shot–though when I was in the military, I was forced to back in 1978 or 1979 (the military does not allow voluntary declinations of vaccines it mandates for military members). I also have not had any antibiotics or other medications since 1977 as I believe that there are better ways to live and fight diseases.

A few years ago, the European Union called the head of the WHO (World Health Organization) to task for proclaiming severe risks for the flu for a couple of years as he tried to increase vaccinations (he apparently had some type of tie to one or more companies involved in making flu vaccines).

That being said, the flu can be deadly.

In other disease-related news, a couple of readers tipped me off to the following:

November 30, 2017

England is experiencing an unprecedented rise in scarlet fever with the highest incidence for nearly 50 years, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases^[1].

In the study, statutory scarlet fever notifications held by Public Health England between 1911 and 2016 were analysed to identify periods of sudden escalation of the infection, which causes a blotchy, pink-red rash and is most common among children under 10.

The researchers found that population rates of scarlet fever increased by a factor of three between 2013 and 2014, from 8.2 to 27.2 per 100,000. Further increases were observed in 2015 and 2016 when the rate increased to 30.6 and 33.2 per 100,000 respectively.

All parts of England saw an increase in incidence and hospital admissions for scarlet fever increased by 97% between 2013 and 2016.

But, according to the authors of the study, the reasons for this escalation are not currently clear so the priority should be to identify the cause. http://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/news-and-analysis/news-in-brief/scarlet-fever-in-england-reaches-highest-level-in-50-years/20204029.article

Here is some information about scarlet fever from the US Centers for Disease Control:

Scarlet fever is a bacterial infection caused by group A Streptococcus or “group A strep.” This illness affects some people who have strep throat or skin infections caused by group A strep. It is usually a mild illness, but people with scarlet fever need treatment to prevent rare but serious health problems. https://www.cdc.gov/dotw/scarletfever/index.html

My dad got scarlet fever when he was growing up, and it caused some permanent hearing loss.

While the “experts” have no explanation yet for the increase of scarlet fever in the UK, Christians tend to realize that Jesus predicted diseases and pestilences:

7 … And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:7-8)

8 … there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows (Mark 13:5-8).

11 And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences (Luke 21:11).

Also, notice the following by George Ritter back in 1975:

Epidemics Of The Future

The world has yet to see the last of widespread disease epidemics. That, in effect, was what Jesus Christ told His disciples in the pivotal Olivet prophecy recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 21.

Right along with wars and famine came pestilence: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places” (Matt. 24:7). These were some of the prophetic signs that Christ listed in answering the question, “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world [age]?” (Verse 3.)

Granted, pestilence, famine and war have been ongoing problems that have plagued mankind ever since the dawn of history. But the main thrust of Christ’s message is futuristic. The overall context of the Olivet prophecy readily attests to this fact. In verses 21 and 22 of Matthew 24, Christ referred to a time when the total annihilation of human life would be a distinct possibility. Only with the recent development of multiple-megaton nuclear weaponry could such an event have become a reality.

The book of Revelation also underscores the fact that such tumultuous times are yet in store for the future. John’s apocalyptic scenario centers around the events surrounding the Day of the Lord (Rev.1:10). In the sixth chapter we see war, famine and pestilence (the last three of the four horsemen of John’s vision) riding together at this critical juncture in world history.

The Pale Horseman Rides

With both the black horse of famine and the red horse of war riding roughshod over the earth, it is only natural for the pale horse of pestilence to follow hard on their heels. Ezekiel also described the devastating effect this deadly triad can have: “A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part in to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them” (Ezek. 5:12).

Parallel prophecies found in the Old Testament clearly indicate why man will continue to suffer from the ravages of disease. Notice this cause-and­effect relationship as outlined in the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy: “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God,” warns man’s Creator, “the Lord will make the pestilence cling to you until He has consumed you from off the land, which you go to possess. The Lord will smite you with consumption [wasting, degenerative disease], with fever and inflammation [possibly infectious contagions)…. and the tumors, the scurvy [deficiency disease] and the itch, of which you cannot be healed. The Lord will smite you with madness [mental disorders] and blind-ness and dismay of heart [emotional trauma]” (verses 15, 21-22, 27-28, The Amplified Bible).

Misgovernment, greed and oppression over the course of nearly 6000 years of history have saddled the human race with the unwanted burden of disease. For instance, man’s proclivity to crowd into disease — prone cities is indicative of this problem. And it is interesting to note that Bible prophecy seems to indicate that this crowd-at­all-costs policy will eventually backfire on the human race. Notice Leviticus 26:25: “… And when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you… .” Also Ezekiel 7:15: “The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.” (4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse – The Pale Horse – Disease Epidemics. Ambassador College Press, 1975)

In modern times, the spread of diseases is so much easier than in more ancient times. Notice some comments from the Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about this related to the 2011 movie Contagion:

The movie tells the story of a novel virus that spreads across the globe rapidly, with scientists and the public following its every move. The idea of a contagion such as this is very real…the plot of a new, deadly virus spreading quickly is quite plausible. In fact, CDC and public health partners identify, on average, one new or emerging infectious disease each year. The movie is a reminder that public health at local, state, national, and global levels must be supported to quickly detect, investigate, and respond to outbreaks and keep Americans safe from health, safety, and security threats arising in this country or anywhere in the world.

The film underscores that we are all connected by the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink…Contagion shows that fear is also contagious. (Frieden T. CDC Director on ‘Contagion’: Deadly Viruses Could Spread Fast. The Atlantic, September 10, 2011. http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/09/cdc-director-on-contagion-deadly-viruses-could-spread-fast/244849/ viewed 09/10/11)

Notice something from the Book of Revelation:

7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:7-8)

A fourth of the earth–that is something in the neighborhood of 2,000,000,000 people–a huge amount.

Gustave Doré’s The fourth Horseman, Death on the Pale Horse (1865)

According to Jesus, one or more significant pestilences will begin shortly before the start of the Great Tribulation. It biblically appears to be highly likely that the USA and its Anglo-allies will be hit hard by pestilences (likely worsened by their relatively high dependence upon genetically-modified “foods”) just prior to being taken over (Leviticus 26:21-25) by the Beast power (Daniel 11:39).  And while no pestilence will stop the rise of the Babylonian Beast power, the Book of Revelation indicates that the final effect of the fourth horseman will ultimately affect this spiritual city of Babylon, and apparently result in death (Revelation 18:8) and including by the sword (Revelation 19:14-21).

Humankind is at risk. And modern travel and other practices are placing humanity at even greater risk.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse What is the pale horse of death and pestilences? What will it bring and when? Spanish: El cuarto jinete de Apocalipsis, el caballo pálido de muerte y pestilencia.
Ten Simple Rules that Lead to Health Herbert Armstrong gives his opinions on this.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Will the Great Tribulation Start in 2017?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here is a related YouTube video GMO Risks and the Bible.
Chimeras: Has Science Crossed the Line? What are chimeras?  Has science crossed the line? Does the Bible give any clues? A video of related interest is Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?
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? A related video would be United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be: Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?

COGwriter

The German press reported about a new poll from PEW that expects the number of Muslims in Europe to double by 2050:

30 November 2017

The share of Muslims living in Europe may double to more than 10 percent of the population by mid-century, according to new research on the continent’s growing Muslim population.

The projections of the Pew Research Center are likely to fuel further debate over immigration after a record influx of migrants and refugees into Europe in recent years.

The US-based public opinion and demographic research center modelled Muslim population growth in Europe, defined as the 28 European Union countries plus Norway and Switzerland, on three scenarios taking into account natural population growth, future regular migration — such as for work or school — and refugee migration.

Even under the unrealistic assumption that all migration to Europe stopped today, known as “zero” migration, the percentage of Muslims in Europe would rise to 7.4 percent in 2050 from 4.9 percent in 2016. In Germany, the Muslim population in 2050 would rise to nearly 9 percent from 6 percent today. http://www.dw.com/en/muslim-population-in-europe-projected-to-rise/a-41554982

While PEW is basing this on its projections such as immigration and fertility rates, it is overlooking Bible prophecy. I, Bob Thiel AKA COGwriter, do not believe that there will be any significant number of Muslims in Europe by 2050. Because of biblical prophecies, as well as the view that God gave humans 6,000 years from the sin of Adam before Jesus returns is getting closer, I believe things will have to change in Europe prior to 2050 (see also Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? and/or watch 6000 Years: When will God’s Kingdom Come?).

Many in Europe want to see the Islamic refugees gone. Others want to take it a step further and eliminate Muslims from the continent. It is the refugee situation that has caused Angela Merkel trouble according to reports I have seen (her party is hoping to have some type of coalition soon, however–notice a news headline from today: Germany coalition: Merkel and SPD meet in bid to end impasse).

As far as Muslim issues in Europe go, WND reported the following last night:

Almost everyone has heard about the rash of sexual assaults on German women and the string of violent terror attacks using knives and vehicles since Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the country’s borders more than two years ago.

What is less well known is the toll that Merkel’s globalist immigration policy – taken straight out of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – has taken on German police officers.

Attacks against police have skyrocketed since the country welcomed more than 1 million migrants in 2015. Another 500,000 or so Third-Worlders rushed into the country in 2016 and 2017.

The Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA) reported 36,755 attacks against German police in 2016 — or an average of 100 per day, and the preliminary numbers for 2017 are expected to break all records.

All of these attacks have been dutifully covered up or downplayed by the German media. http://www.wnd.com/2017/11/islamic-invasion-leads-to-open-season-on-police/

Even before the increase of Islamic migrants and the recent terrorist assaults, there were protests in various parts of Germany, including Cologne, against Islamic immigration (see Dresden anti-Islamization rally hits record). And back in October 2010, Chancellor Merkel herself declared that multiculturalism in Germany had been a “total failure” (see Germany’s Merkel: Multiculturalism a Total Failure). Multiculturalism is not something that Germany wants.

Many in Germany and other parts of Europe have realized that the Islamic refugees do not want to integrate into European society. Many immigrants want to impose Islamic culture, and that scares (and even angers) a lot of Europeans.

More and more in Germany want to do something about the Islamic situation.

The situation will also change in Syria (cf. Isaiah 17:1).

Some Islamic State terrorists are coming back to Europe:

November 30, 2017

ANKARA, Turkey — The recent loss of its so-called “caliphate” will cripple the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), but the terror threat posed by the extremists is not over yet, the European Union’s counter-terrorism coordinator said. … intelligence services describe the fighters‘ return as “more a trickle than a flow.”

However, people inspired by the ideology remain a threat …

“With no physical ‘caliphate’ anymore, it will be much more difficult for the organization to repeat what they have done and attract so many people,” de Kerchove said. “That does not mean that the game is over. We still have to address the ideology. More and more, we see in Europe (people) inspired by terrorism, home-grown terrorism.”

Addressing the issue of dozens of European women and children in Iraq and Syria whose husbands and fathers joined ISIS, de Kerchove said they should be allowed to return, but spoke of the necessity of putting in place effective rehabilitation programs. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-fighters-returning-europe-trickle-not-flow-eu-counter-terrorism/

Islamic terrorists and their supporters need real repentance more than carnal rehabilitation.

Presuming the government of Germany heeds Angela Merkel’s words, immigrants will one day be told to leave Germany.

Yet, many of the Muslims will not want to go home. Home to lands that are often more dangerous and whose economies are not as productive. This will lead to conflict as well as change in Europe.

The biblical reality is that Germany itself, along with the rest of Europe, will change. Europe will become more religious and less tolerant of Islam and other faiths that do not go along with that of its coming leaders.

The Bible shows that Europe will reorganize and a strong leader will emerge (see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?):

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, NKJV throughout unless otherwise specified)

The final European Beast leader, who is also known as the final King of the North, will ultimately promote his religion (Daniel 11:36-38; which will not be Islam, he will at first feign and claim a form of Roman Catholicism), destroy the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies (Daniel 11:39), and then takeover the predominantly Islamic nations in the Middle East and North Africa (Daniel 11:40-43).

As I have written for years, Islamic issues are likely to be a factor in the rise of this Beast leader.

Catholic writings tell of a time when a ruler will push Islam out of Europe and push a form of Catholicism:

St. Francis de Paul (1470):…From your lordship shall be born the great leader of the holy militia…the Great Monarch…He shall be a great captain and prince of holy men, who shall be called ‘the holy Cross-bearers of Jesus Christ,’ with whom he will destroy the Mahometan sect and the rest of the infidels…He shall be the great founder of a new religious order different from all the others…This shall be the last religious order in the Church and shall do more good for our holy religion than all other religious institutes. By force of arms he shall take possession of a great kingdom. He shall destroy the sect of Mahomet…There will be one fold, one shepherd. He shall reign until the end of time. On the whole earth there will be twelve kings, one emperor and one pope. (Culleton, p. 157-161).

Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (died 1658):…”Are we not to fear, during this period, that the Mohammedans will come again, working out their sinister schemes against the Latin Church? (Dupont, p.39).

Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (died 1658):…”When everything has been ruined by war; when Catholics are hard pressed by traitorous co-religionists and heretics; when the Church and her servants are denied their rights, the monarchies have been abolished and their rulers murdered…There will rise a valiant monarch anointed … “He will root out false doctrines and destroy the rule of the Moslemism. (Connor E. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, pp.35-36)

Bernhardt Rembordt (18th century). “Cologne will be the site of a terrible battle … At that time France will be divided. The German Empire will choose a simple man as the Emperor, who will rule for a short time. His successor will be the man for whom the world has longed. He will be called a “Roman Emperor,” and he will give peace to the world. A good and happy era will follow. God will be praised on earth, and war will be no more.” (Dupont, pp.34-35)

Werdin d’ Otrante (13th century): “The Great Monarch and the Great Pope will precede Antichrist … All the sects will vanish. The capital of the world will fall … The Great Monarch will come and restore peace and the Pope will share in the victory.” (Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, p. 33).

Melanie Calvat (The Seeress of La Salette, 19th century). “After a frightful war a Great King will arise and his reign will be marked by a wonderful peace and a great religious revival.” (Dupont, p.13).

Pseudo-Methodius (7th century): Muslims will be killed and they will know the tribulation…The Lord will give them to the powers of the Christians whose empire will be elevated above all empires…The Roman King (Great Monarch) will show a great indignation against those who will have denied Christ in Egypt or in Arabia (Araujo, Fabio R. Selected Prophecies and Prophets. BookSurge LLC, Charlestown (SC), 2007, p. 103).

The ‘Great Monarch’ that is spoken of above is quite similar to the final King of the North that the Bible warns against. Both Catholic and biblical prophecy teach that this leader will be a European, probably at least partially of German heritage and he will fight those of the Arab/Muslim lands. As the 21st century proceeds, do not be surprised that Islam will be pushed out of Europe to a major degree (Daniel 11:36-38; Revelation 13:4,8,11-17).

There will be conflict between the Europeans and the Arabs (watch also the video sermonette War is Coming Between Europeans and Arabs).

Notice both a Catholic and a biblical prophecy:

Rudolph Gekner (died 1675). “A great prince of the North with a most powerful army will traverse all Europe, uproot all republics, and exterminate all rebels. His sword moved by Divine power will most valiantly defend the Church of Jesus Christ. He will combat on behalf of the true orthodox faith, and shall subdue to his dominion the Mahometan Empire.” (Cited in Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, p.36).

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 11:40-43)

Notice that the ‘great prince of the North’ is expected to subdue an Islamic Empire. Notice that the Bible teaches that the ‘king of the North‘ will go into the Middle East and North Africa and eliminate the leader called the ‘king of the South.’ The lands of the ‘king of the South’ are currently Islamic. Perhaps it should be mentioned that Syria is expected to support the confederation of the king of the South (see also Ezekiel 30:2-8), though the time will come that its capital will be destroyed (Isaiah 17:1).

The destruction of a coming Islamic confederation (see The Prophesied ‘Islamic’ Confederation ) will be part of the result of what is happening in the Middle East and in the West.

The PEW projections of a double Islamic population in Europe in 2050 are wrong. Islam will be effectively eliminated from Europe before then.

The Bible shows that a European power will defeat the predominantly Islamic nations of the Middle East and North Africa per Daniel 11:40-43 and Ezekiel 30:2-8.

Yet, the Bible also shows that the Islamic nations there will first make deals with the Europeans (Daniel 11:27; Psalm 83)–these deals will NOT turn out well for the USA in the long run (cf. Daniel 11:39; see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses), nor ultimately many of the Arabic nations.

Islamic migrant issues will be one of the triggers to get Europe to ultimately reorganize as the Bible teaches it will in Revelation 17:12-13, Daniel 11:21-38, Daniel 2:41-43, and other passages (see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?).

The Bible tells of a confederation involving nations in the Middle East and North Africa in the end times in Daniel 11:40-43 and Ezekiel 30:2-8 that will be defeated by the Europeans. Civil unrest and likely civil war will happen, but a temporal peace will also come before the Islamic forces are defeated (Daniel 9:27; see also The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27).

Now the actual biblical war prophesied in the Bible between Europe and the Arabs will not come until more than 3 1/2 years after a ‘peace deal’ has been confirmed by a ‘prince’ (Daniel 9:26-27) who later will become the final King of the North (Daniel 11:31-44). This leader will be European, and eventually destroy the nation with the strongest fortresses (Daniel 11:39), which in the 21st century would be the USA. He will proclaim peace and safety:

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).

This leader will encourage proclamations of peace, yet sudden destruction will come (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:3). He may rise up, partially, to deal with issues related to Islamic immigrants. Once he has power, he will destroy the USA, etc. (Daniel 11:39), and then he will turn against a power in the Middle East and North Africa (Daniel 11:40-43)–a power consisting of a lot of Muslims.

The Islamic situation and its expected population growth (yes, I do believe that there will be some increase in Muslims in Europe, before the numbers are reduced) in Europe is setting Europe up for more civil unrest. Ultimately, war will come between the Europeans and the Arabs. Islam will not have a doubled population in Europe in 2050.

Several items of possibly related interest may include:

War is Coming Between Europeans and Arabs Is war really coming between the Arabs and the Europeans? What does Bible prophecy say about that? Do the Central Europeans (Assyria in prophecy) make a deal with the Arabs that will hurt the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Do Catholic or Islamic prophecies discuss a war between Europe and Islam? If so, what is the sequence of events that the Bible reveals? Who does the Bible, Catholic, and Islamic prophecy teach will win such a war? This is a video.
Why Terrorism? Is Terrorism Prophesied? What does the Bible teach? Which nations may be affected? Here is a link to a related sermon: Terrorism, Christianity, and Islam.
World War III: Steps in Progress Are there surprising actions going on now that are leading to WWIII? Might a nuclear attack be expected? Does the Bible promise protection to all or only some Christians? How can you be part of those that will be protected? A related video would be Is World War III About to Begin? Can You Escape?
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the former German Defense Minister (who is also the former German Minister for Economics and Technology) one to watch? What do Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest?
Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people? Here are links to two sermon videos Germany in Bible Prophecy and The Rise of the Germanic Beast Power of Prophecy.
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
The Prophesied ‘Islamic’ Confederation Where is an Islamic caliphate prophesied? Will one happen? Should you be concerned about it? A related video is Will an Arabic Calphiphate Destroy the West?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2026 or 20xx? There is also a video titled 6000 Years: When will God’s Kingdom Come? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Will the Great Tribulation Start in 2017?
The Times of the Gentiles Has there been more than one time of the Gentiles? Are we in it now or in the time of Anglo-America? What will the final time of the Gentiles be like? A related sermon is available and is titled: The Times of the Gentiles.
Armageddon Who is involved and when will this gathering happen? Here is also a video from Dr. Thiel, from Tel Megiddo in Israel: Armageddon.
Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy What does the Bible teach about Gaza and the fate of the Palestinians? Here is a link to a related video: Gaza and Palestine in Prophecy.
Differences Between Islam and the Continuing Church of God What are some of the main differences? Are there any similarities? A video of related interest is titled: Islam: Any Christian Concerns or Similarities?
Iraq, the King of the South, Armageddon, and Prophecy What will happen to Iraq? Is it the prophesied Mystery Babylon? What is Armageddon and how does that have to do with Iraq? Here is a related video Iraq, Armageddon, & Prophecy.
How Will Middle East Peace be Brought About? Can humans bring peace to the Middle East? Here is a link to a related video: Middle East Peace? When?
The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation.
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation discusses the largest church since the second/third century, which in a real sense is the eighth church mentioned in the Book of Revelation (it also endorses “eighth day” worship). What church would support the Beast? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? A YouTube video of related interest may be: The Future King of the South is Rising.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse.
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? The Bible tells of Kings of the North, South, and East, but why is there no final end-time King of the West in Bible prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin?

Cardinal Vestments

COGwriter

Cardinals hold a high position in the Church of Rome. Is this an office the Bible lists for the Christian church?

Bitcoin

COGwriter

CNN Money reported the following:

There’s no stopping bitcoin right now.

November 29, 2017

The virtual currency has powered past $11,000 for the first time, capping a jaw-dropping rally of more than 1,000% since the start of the year.

Long shunned by regular investors as a murky domain for cranks and criminals, bitcoin (XBT) has gained growing mainstream acceptance this year, helping propel its value higher and higher.

It’s been smashing through milestones at an increasing rate: it soared above $8,000 just over two weeks ago and only passed $9,000 for the first time over the weekend. By Wednesday morning in New York, it was trading as high as $11,200.

Its stratospheric rise this year has prompted warnings of a bubble. But experts say that the gains in recent weeks have been driven by the expectation that more major investors — like hedge funds and asset managers — are gearing up to start investing in the digital currency. http://money.cnn.com/2017/11/28/investing/bitcoin-hits-10k/

Bitcoin has been doing well. But Bitcoin can be stopped.

And unless it is taken over by the Beast of Revelation 13, it will be stopped.

Bitcoin itself is a bit of a Ponzi scheme. It has been going up in value, because it has been going up in value. That gets more and more people interested in it.

Here is more information related to it:

November 29, 2017

A world of its own

Cryptocurrency proponents argue that the digital coins are a safe investment because they have a “zero correlation” to the stock market. As a result, a dose of cryptocurrency makes investors’ portfolios less volatile.

“We’re starting to see bitcoin as a disaster hedge to the traditional market,” said Chris Burniske, co-author of Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investor’s Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond. “Even though there’s a bull market now, it doesn’t mean that’ll be the case in 2018.”

But David Yermack, who teaches classes on bitcoin at New York University’s Stern School of Business, said the digital coins’ uniqueness brings its own risks. …

In 2013 then Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke wrote in a letter to Congress that bitcoin “may hold long-term promise, particularly if the innovations promote a faster, more secure and more efficient payment system.”

There’s one big reason the government likes cryptocurrencies, Yermack said. “It takes away the ability of people to launder money or evade taxes, because you have a ledger of everyone’s activity,” he said. “This whole asset class is the dream of government.”

Yes, Bitcoin and other cyrptocurrencies can give governments the ability to control buying and selling.

So is Bitcoin related to the ‘Mark of the Beast‘?

The following, from Jim Rickards, hints that it might be:

Interest in Bitcoin is red hot at the moment. It’s impossible to open a website, listen to a podcast, or watch a video in the financial space without hearing about the meteoric rise in the price of Bitcoin. …

Yet the crypto-hysteria is distracting you from a scary truth no one is talking about. There is every indication that governments, regulators, tax authorities, and the global elite are moving in for the crypto-kill. The future of Bitcoin may be a dystopia in which Big Brother controls what’s called “the blockchain” and decides when and how you can buy or sell anything and everything.

Furthermore, cryptocurrency technology could be the very mechanism used by global elites to replace the dollar based financial system. …

Governments have been patiently watching blockchain technology develop and grow outside their control for the past eight years.

Libertarian supporters of blockchain celebrate this lack of government control. Yet, their celebration is premature, and their belief in the sustainability of powerful systems outside government control is naïve.

Governments don’t like competition especially when it comes to money. Governments know they cannot stop blockchain, in fact they don’t want to. What they want is to control it using powers of regulation, taxation, and investigation and ultimately more coercive powers including arrest and imprisonment of individuals who refuse to obey government mandates with regard to blockchain.

Blockchain does not exist in the ether (despite the name of one cryptocurrency) and it does not reside on Mars. Blockchain depends on critical infrastructure including servers, telecommunications networks, the banking system, and the power grid, all of which are subject to government control. https://dailyreckoning.com/global-elites-secret-cryptocurrencies/

Jim Rickards’ comment about “Big Brother” controlling buying and selling is consistent with biblical prophecies. Before going further, let me mention that I tried to explain the points that are in his last paragraph above to someone this week as I asserted that governments can control cryptocurrencies. And I asserted that on this page over four years ago:

There is no way governments will intentionally allow a system that gets around all of their financial espionage. China is starting to publicly state that, and the government of USA has also began to try to figure out how to handle Bitcoin (Congress has held one or more hearings).

FWIW, I have never had or traded in Bitcoins or other alternatives like that.

“Big Brother” will work for more and more financial controls.

Related to financial controls, there are some who have believed that Bitcoin will become fully regulated/taken over to the point that it will be associated with the ‘mark of the beast.’ Here is one such comment from over four years ago:

If I’m allowed to get Biblical…”Rich man or poor man, free or bond, will not be allowed to buy or sell unless he accepts the mark of the beast.”

Bitcoin is a very smooth end run to achieve that objective.

The “mark of the beast” scripture is from the Book of Revelation which makes the following statements concerning the financial controls of the coming Beast power:

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)

The Bible is clear that the time is coming when the Beast power will have implemented some type of strong financial control. (Watch also Sweden going to ‘666’ cashlessness?)

As far as what Bitcoin is, here are comments from what Bitcoin’s website said about it in the past:

Bitcoin is an innovative payment network and a new kind of money.

Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority or banks; managing transactions and the issuing of bitcoins is carried out collectively by the network. Bitcoin is open-source; its design is public, nobody owns or controls Bitcoin and everyone can take part. Through many of its unique properties, Bitcoin allows exciting uses that could not be covered by any previous payment system.

Here is something from Bitcoin’s current home page:

Bitcoin is different than any currency you’ve used before, so it’s very important to understand some key points. Unlike government issued money that can be inflated at will, the supply of Bitcoin is mathematically limited to twenty one million bitcoins and that can never be changed.

Bitcoin is backed by nothing. And although there is a type of limit on it, that is no assurance it will be worth anything. Especially since other cryptocurrencies and alternative forms of electronic payment are also available.

Of course, the USA dollar is backed by nothing. And unlike Bitcoin, there has not been a real limit to how much of that has been made.

There are also other cryptocurrencies.

Former German Economics Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is involved with the Ripple cryptocurrency, which made a deal with American Express earlier this month (see Amex launches blockchain-based business payments using Ripple: Prelude to the Beast and 666?). Ripple was listed this week as the fourth most financially valued cryptocurrency (see https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/300-billion-crypto-market-cap-surges-past-bank-of-americas-total-valuation/).

Notice the following related to Ripple:

The prominent tech figure Michael Arrington announced a new hedge fund on Tuesday that will be denominated in the crypto-currency XRP, a rival to bitcoin that is closely tied to the software company Ripple.

The news, which Arrington announced at an investor conference in New York, is significant because investors will buy shares of the fund and receive distributions in XRP. While dozens of hedge funds have sprung up this year to invest in the white-hot digital currency market, this one, known as Arrington XRP Capital, is the first to be denominated in a crypto-currency rather than dollars or euros. …

not an investor in the fund or a partner. But the company will benefit from the fund’s decision to use XRP, in part because it controls large reserves of the currency (which may get a price boost from Arrington’s announcement) and because the move may burnish Ripple’s reputation as a money transfer platform. http://fortune.com/2017/11/28/arrington-xrp/

Much is happening with these blockchain cryptocurrencies.

We also made a video related to blockchain cryptocurrencies:

12:29

Blockchain, Karl Guttenberg, and 666

American Express just announced a deal with Ripple related to using its blockchain technology. No longer confined to Bitcoin, blockchain technology is moving towards the mainstream. Former German Economic and later Defense Minister, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has long been an adviser to Ripple and has plans for internationally-expanding the use of blockchain money. Jim Rickards, Doug Casey, and others have expressed concerns that blockchain money will give governments too much control over buying and selling. Could any of this be related to biblical prophecies in the Books of Daniel and Revelation? Could any of this help fulfill the prophecies related to buying and selling and 666 in Revelation 13? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.

Here is a link to our video: Blockchain, Karl Guttenberg, and 666.

The time of controlling buying and selling-666-is coming.

The time is also coming when the USA dollar will be worthless. Bitcoin will be worthless at some point. And yes, the Bible tells that for a time gold will be worthless, but that does not happen to gold until years after the demise of the US dollar. But placing too much confidence in gold, currencies, or alternatives like Bitcoin will not truly save anyone (cf. 1 Peter 1:7). Yet, true repentance and turning to the Jesus of the Bible can.

Although the USA is not likely to repent to prevent this nationally, nor can Bitcoin prevent it, personally you can repent as well as physically take steps before the dollar-based economic system collapses.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The End of US Dollar Dominance Is the USA losing its economic status? What about the petro-gold-yuan? A related video is also available: US Dollar being challenged by Gold-Petro-Yuan.
Are You Being Called by God? Norman Shoaf wrote various points to consider.
Is God Calling You? Alfred E Carrozzo wrote this.
What Did Christ Mean  Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen? This article was by Raymond McNair.
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin?
Blockchain, Karl Guttenberg, and 666. American Express just announced a deal with Ripple related to using its blockchain technology. No longer confined to Bitcoin, blockchain technology is moving towards the mainstream. Former German Economic and later Defense Minister, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has long been an adviser to Ripple and has plans for internationally-expanding the use of blockchain money. Jim Rickards, Doug Casey, and others have expressed concerns that blockchain money will give governments too much control over buying and selling. Could any of this be related to biblical prophecies in the Books of Daniel and Revelation? Could any of this help fulfill the prophecies related to buying and selling and 666 in Revelation 13? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video. A related written article is also available: Amex launches blockchain-based business payments using Ripple: Prelude to the Beast and 666?
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet.” Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy. You can also watch a video titled What Does the Bible teach about the Antichrist?
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the former German Defense Minister (who is also the former German Minister for Economics and Technology) one to watch? What do Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest? A video of related interest would be: Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Europe’s Future.
Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 Who is 666? This article explains how the COG views this, and compares this to Ellen White. Here is a link to a prophetic video Six Financial Steps Leading to 666?
The End of US Dollar Dominance Is the USA losing its economic status? What about the petro-gold-yuan? A related video is also available: US Dollar being challenged by Gold-Petro-Yuan.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
European Technology and the Beast of Revelation Will the coming European Beast power would use and develop technology that will result in the taking over of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Is this possible? What does the Bible teach? Here is a related YouTube video: Military Technology and the Beast of Revelation.
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people? Here are links to two sermon videos Germany in Bible Prophecy and The Rise of the Germanic Beast Power of Prophecy.
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? Is this the King of the North, the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-11, or the two-horned Beast of Revelation 13:12-16? Some rely on traditions, but what does the Bible teach? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2? Here is a version in Mandarin: 主编： 谁是’大罪人’？Here is a link to a related YouTube video, in English, titled Who is the Man of Sin?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Will the Great Tribulation Start in 2017?
America’s Day of Reckoning 2017 Dollar Collapse? Economist James Dale Davidson says that a financial bloodbath will hit the USA and there is nothing that Washington can do to stop it. He claims that at least 57 nations have gotten together to dethrone the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency. He claims this can happen any day or in a few months. He mentions China, Russia, the AIIB, and gold. He claims his track record in predicting massive shifts in the past should assure people that he is right about this. He claims that there will be massive unemployment, near elimination of social security benefits, and more. In a post he sent me a link to July 13, 2016, James Dale Davidson wrote, “During the next six months, you will see the stock market plummet by at least 50%, real estate will drop 40%, savings accounts will lose 30%, and unemployment will triple. It’s already starting to unfold.” Is James Dale Davidson possibly right on any of this? Dr. Thiel goes over many of his claims and explains what the Bible shows related to the coming collapse of the US dollar. This is a video.
Sweden going to ‘666’ cashlessness? Sweden continues to reduce the amount of currency notes and coins in circulation as more and more Swedes turn to digital forms of payments. Even ‘farmers’ markets’ take debit and credit cards. Will this eliminate crime or lead to the rise of the Beast and Antichrist power? Could what is happening in Sweden be a prelude to the control of buying and selling that Revelation 13:16-18 associates with 666? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues from Stockholm, Sweden. This is a video.
Can the Bilderberg Group Affect 2017 and Beyond? The infamous Bilderberg Group met in Dresden, Germany from June 9-12 in 2016. This super-secretive group has been meeting since 1954 and has admitted to some subjects it would cover, but blocked out cell phone reception and forbid coverage of the discussions by the media. This is considered THE meeting to be part of for the elites who are working for a global-type of government. It is by invitation only. They are working towards their version of the New World Order as opposed to the good news of the Kingdom of God. At least one top leader apparently attended to try to get the Bilderberg Group’s support for a bid to become the next Secretary-General of the United Nations to replace Ban ki-Moon, whose term ends 31 December 2016. Dr. Thiel explains some of what is going on in the light of end-time biblical prophecies in this video.
Eliminate the $100 bill? Various ones, like Harvard economist and Trilateralist Larry Summers have called for the elimination of the USD$100 bill and the 500 Euro note. In Asia, South Korea is heading towards cashlessness by 2020. Electronic currencies are information and subject to monitoring. Did something God inspired the Apostle John over 1900 years ago now able to come to pass? This is a video.
Collapse of the Euro and Dollar? War in 2020? Larry Edelson of Money and Markets described aspects of current economic difficulties and explained why he felt matters would get a lot worse. He said war, like World War III, could break out as early as 2020. What did he call the ‘granddaddy of all cycles”? Will matters go as he said? What does the Bible teach? Dr. Thiel provides biblical insights that secular sources often miss. This is a video.
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2026 or 20xx? There is also a video titled The 6000 Year Plan: Is the end of humanity’s reign almost up?
The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold? What do economists and the Bible teach about gold? Gold and silver may drop in value. Inflation/deflation? What do Christians need to know about gold?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People.
Donald Trump in Prophecy Prophecy, Donald Trump? Are there prophecies that Donald Trump may fulfill? Are there any prophecies that he has already helped fulfill? Could a Donald Trump presidency be apocalyptic? A related video is titled: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic?
Trump Presidency Magic 8 Ball or Bible Prophecy? BBC reported that one might as well use a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’ to try to predict what will happen in the remaining time of Donald Trump’s presidency. What is a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’? Dr. Thiel not only explains that, but also briefly goes over 10 biblically-based warnings he wrote would happen if Donald Trump were elected that have already began to come to pass. He also goes over something he wrote back in 2008 that the Trump presidency is also helping lead to fulfillment. Should you trust Bible prophecy or not? Dr. Thiel says that Bible prophecy can be trusted, despite the view of skeptics and others that either overlook or despise the Bible. This is a video.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse This 188 page book is for people truly interested in prophecies related to Donald Trump and the United States, including learning about several that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon for $12.99 from the following link: Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition This electronic version of the 188 page print edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition.

View of North Korea’s latest missile launch (VOA)

COGwriter

North Korea continues to develop and test its nuclear-capable missiles:

November 29, 2017

SEOUL — North Korea’s test-firing of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, the first since September, has ratcheted up tensions as Pyongyang announced it can now hit the United States mainland with a warhead.

“The newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-15 has been successfully test-launched according to the political decision and strategic judgement of the Workers’ Party of Korea,” read an announcer Wednesday on North Korea’s state-run KRT television.

Following previous launches, the North has claimed its projectiles can hit any part of the continental United States, but this would be the first time it would be able to do so with this new type of upgraded missile, which both North Korean and U.S. officials said could fly higher than the ones the country has tested earlier.

“The ICBM Hwasong-15 weapon system is an intercontinental ballistic rocket tipped with a super-large heavy warhead which is capable of striking the whole mainland of the U.S.,” said a statement carried by North Korea’s KCNA news agency.

The statement said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched the launch and then “declared with pride that now we have finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, the cause of building a rocket power.” …

“Kim wants us to believe that the new pressure from the U.S. and China has not had an impact. At a minimum, it looks like it forced him to launch at night fearing a preemptive strike,” said Georgetown University Assistant Professor Dennis Wilder, who was National Security Council senior director for East Asian affairs during the George W. Bush administration.https://www.voanews.com/a/n-korea-says-missile-can-reach-us/4141477.html

November 29, 2017

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — After 2 ½ months of relative quiet, North Korea launched its most powerful weapon yet early Wednesday, claiming a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that some observers believe could reach Washington and the entire eastern U.S. seaboard.

In a special state media broadcast hours later, North Korea said it successfully fired a “significantly more” powerful, nuclear-capable ICBM it called the Hwasong-15. Outside governments and analysts concurred the North had made a jump in missile capability.

A resumption of Pyongyang’s torrid testing pace in pursuit of its goal of a viable arsenal of nuclear-tipped missiles that can hit the U.S. mainland had been widely expected, but the power of the missile and suddenness of the test still jolted the Korean Peninsula and Washington. The launch at 3:17 a.m. local time and midday in the U.S. capital indicated an effort to perfect the element of surprise and to obtain maximum attention in the United States. … The analyses of Wednesday’s test suggest progress by Pyongyang in developing a weapon of mass destruction that could strike the U.S. mainland. President Donald Trump has vowed to prevent North Korea from having that capability — using military force if necessary. https://www.apnews.com/d9ad1384e573468499e951571cd60173/N.-Korea-fires-ICBM-it-says-is-‘significantly-more’-powerful

This is another step in a direction that the USA does not like.

China acts like it does not like this either:

November 29, 2017

• China’s Foreign Ministry has expressed what it called “grave concern and opposition” to North Korea’s latest missile launch in an unusual rebuke of its neighbor and ally.
• China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the country hoped “all parties would act cautiously to preserve peace and stability,” Reuters reported on Wednesday morning.
• The comments come after North Korea launched yet another intercontinental ballistic missile, which it claimed was capable of reaching the U.S mainland. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/29/china-north-korea-missile-reaction.html

Now let me state that despite claims that North Korea may trigger World War III, that is not the case. What could better be described as WWIII will NOT happen in the first term of Donald Trump’s Administration (see and When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019?).

China does not want to invade North Korea, but also wants to be able to control its border should there be war involving North Korea and the USA and/or others.

North Korea’s actions brought the following to mind:

9 Proclaim this among the nations:
“Prepare for war!
Wake up the mighty men,
Let all the men of war draw near,
Let them come up.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
And your pruning hooks into spears;
Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.'” (Joel 3:9-10)

Iraq’s Saddam Hussein thought he could continually provoke the USA and get away with it. And he did for a time. He was later killed and his regime destroyed.

As I have written for years, the leadership of North Korea has been playing a dangerous game with its rhetoric and its military tests. It has gotten more of the world willing to do something against it. South Korea is dismayed. Japan is not pleased. US President Donald Trump is also seriously considering many military options against North Korea.

Even those in the US State of Hawaii are concerned:

November 29, 2017

HONOLULU —

As tensions escalate between North Korea and the United States, Hawaii finds itself on the frontlines in preparing for a nuclear attack. Whether or not North Korea has developed the capability of hitting the islands with a missile, state officials aren’t taking any chances.

Starting in December, Hawaii will be testing its “Attack Warning” siren for the first time since the Cold War. The state is adding the signal to its monthly “Attention Alert” test, which warns people of an incoming tsunami or hurricane. …

“Hawaii is a likely target, ‘cause we’re in the Pacific, we’re closer in to North Korea than most of the continental United States,” Miyagi pointed out, “so it’s something we need to prepare for. As we track the news and we see the tests, both missile launches and nuclear tests, it’s the elephant in the room. We can’t ignore it.” https://www.voanews.com/a/hawaii-on-frontlines-of-preparing-for-nuclear-attack/4138336.html

North Korea does pose threats to Hawaii as well as other parts of the USA.

As I have written for years, the USA is susceptible to an electromagnetic pulse and other attacks from North Korea. Over four years ago, I even warned about that over the radio (see also North Korea, Barack Obama, and EMP dangers).

Since then, the North Koreans have demonstrated that they can launch ICBMs into outer space and detonate fusion/hydrogen bombs. Attacks from such could harm the USA and ultimately make it more susceptible to be taken over during World War III.

While the USA could obliterate North Korea, it is at risk of severe damage from North Korea.

A vengeful North Korea may have operatives try to detonate nuclear bombs and/or dirty bombs in the USA. North Korea may attempt to unleash chemical and/or biological weapons against the USA, South Korea, Japan, and/or Guam. Steps to prepare for some or all of this may have been begun by the North Koreans. North Korea’s leaders may well decide that if they are attacked that they should attempt to cause the most damage possible. An EMP weapon attack may well be involved and if North Korea detonates a hydrogen bomb above the Pacific ocean, that would seem to be a step in that direction.

Jesus spoke of a time of wars, rumors of war, and troubles prior to the Great Tribulation (Mark 13:8). North Korea already is causing troubles and rumors of war.

For at least three years, my article, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, contained the following:

There may also be wars in parts of the world that have rarely had them (perhaps, for example, even between some South American nations), as well as wars in areas that have long been especially tense (like Korea, possibly involving other Asian nations). Damascus ultimately will be destroyed and could be a signal for destruction to come for Jacob (Isaiah 17:1-4). There will likely be civil unrest and perhaps rioting in scales not seen before, including within some Western nations (such as in Europe and North America). This will lead to military leaders rising up in various parts of the world. And one European (the final King of the North) will, after making one or more false peace deals/pronouncements (e.g. Daniel 9:26-27; 11:27; 1 Thessalonians 5:3), become the final Beast leader (Revelation 13:4) and he will take over many nations (Daniel 11:39-43).

North Korea, and the USA’s reactions to it, are a threat to peace and seem to be related to the ride of the red horseman of war (Revelation 6:3-4).

As far as war goes, here is information on our latest BibleNewsProphecy video:

22:06

Donald Trump, Warmongering, and the Red Horse of War

Various Europeans believe that Donald Trump has been ‘warmongering’ related to North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. They believe that Europe must lead and that the US President must learn from Europe. Jesus spoke of a time called the “beginning of sorrows” that included wars and rumors of war, are we in the time of sorrows now? Could the red horse of the apocalypse be about to ride? Did the old WCG teach this was a future event in 1985? Does this ride start before or after the start of the “great tribulation”? What does the Bible show? Is Satan involved in this? What about Armageddon? How will all of this end? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.

North Korea poses a variety of threats to the USA. Its continued launching of missiles with claims it can hit anywhere in the USA is putting it at risk.

And North Korea could cause the USA serious damage.

Bust of Vladimir Putin (DIE WELT) and Julius Caesar (Wikipedia)

COGwriter

Notice something reported a couple of years ago:

November 2, 2015

Putin’s desire to reassert Russia’s influence in the Middle East appears to be bearing fruit already. The embarrassing contradictions to USA claims will strike a blow to the U.S. propaganda machine, who have tried desperately to downplay Russia’s ever-increasing important role in defeating ISIS in the Middle East. The vacuum being left behind by Washington is being filled by Moscow. The negotiations in the Austrian capital failed to find an agreement on the fate of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Egyptian Streets reported. Russian Federation may well achieve its core military objectives in Syria – while the United States can not. …

Putin is not planning on sending Russian ground forces into action. Persecution is widespread; the low-end estimate is that one Christian is killed for religious motives every hour of every day. The Russian intervention has put the Syrian army on the offensive for the first time in months, after a series of defeats, particularly in Idlib and Palmyra. Bills Insider http://billsinsider.com/2015/11/02/4589-james-clapper-putin-winging-this-in-syria/

November 1, 2015

Back in February 2012, Vladimir Putin vowed to the Russian Orthodox Church that the protection of persecuted Christians around the world would be a cornerstone of his foreign policy. After he announced plans last month for anti-ISIS strikes, a spokesman for the Church declared it a “holy fight”.

A growing swath of the Christian minority in the Middle East, who are among the primary targets of ISIS, can’t help but respond with gratitude. Last year, the Global Post website quoted a Syrian Christian woman as summing up the sentiment: “Thank God for Russia!”

Traditionally, there was an informal division of labor among the great powers in terms of providing cover for the Christian communities of the Middle East. Russia billed itself as the patron of the Orthodox, France for the Catholics, and Great Britain for the Protestants.

Today, it’s increasingly common among the Christians of the Middle East, and their sympathizers around the world, to say that only Russia seems to be taking its responsibility seriously.

Journalist Melik Kaylan summed up the situation aptly in a May essay for Forbes.

“Putin and Assad have maneuvered to become the explicit protectors of Eastern Christianity,” he wrote. “As the U.S. and Europe are too tangled up in ideological confusion and contradictory goals to step into the breach, we furnish Moscow with easy triumphs in this area as in so many others.”

Allowing Putin to package himself as the best friend of Christians under fire has clear strategic consequences that are hardly limited to the Middle East.

There are 2.3 billion Christians in the world today, which is one-third of the entire global population. Two-thirds of those Christians live outside the West, a share that’s expected to reach three-quarters by mid-century. …

But let’s be clear: Vladimir Putin may be many things, but a 21st-century version of Constantine or Charlemagne he’s not. There’s every reason to suspect his pledge to defend Christians is based far more on Russia’s perceived interests, and his own, than a sincere desire to foster the faith. http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/11/01/the-risks-of-letting-putin-posture-as-charlemagne-in-syria/

October 31, 2015

Many American Christians and conservatives see Putin defending the traditional family and marriage, taking a stand against homosexuality. It does seem as if he is socially conservative or traditional — but is this based on his Christian faith or is it simply a holdover from the earlier times in Russia and the old Soviet Union? If you are old enough to remember the Cold War days, the Soviet regime was puritanical in the extreme. …

Is Putin the hope of Christianity or of the West? Is Russia the hope for the future? I don’t know; I think some Americans, particularly hungry for leadership or for something or someone to idealize, are focusing on Russia and on Putin. It’s sad, because our own country should be producing good leaders and good examples to inspire us — but where are they when we so sorely need them? http://vanishingamericanii.blogspot.com/2015/10/putin-defender-of-faith.html

Let me state that Vladimir Putin has been the most powerful political leader in the world to take a stand against parts of the homosexual agenda, vulgarity (see Russia’s Vladimir Putin takes a stand against vulgar language), and some other sins that plague Western society.

I will also state that he is NOT less religious than Charlemagne as far as I can tell from historical accounts. Charlemagne was considered the first ‘Holy Roman Emperor.’

I will also add that he seems to be more sincere about his Russian Orthodox faith than former US President Barack Obama was about his claimed ‘Christian’ faith. Now, I am not Russian Orthodox nor endorsing carnal warfare, but Vladimir Putin has certainly acted as a defender of that faith more than most Western political leaders have for their professed Christ-claimed faiths.

Billy Graham’s son Franklin Graham made some comments some time ago:

July 12, 2017

In 2014, Graham published an opinion piece about the Russian president’s decision to sign a law barring the distribution of “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” to children. The law, which was widely perceived to be homophobic, stirred controversy ahead of the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi. But Graham defended it anyway, saying America’s embrace of LGBTQ rights amounts to “secularism” that “is as godless as communism.”

“In my opinion, Putin is right on these issues,” Graham wrote. “Obviously, he may be wrong about many things, but he has taken a stand to protect his nation’s children from the damaging effects of any gay and lesbian agenda.”

He also lauded Putin’s pledge to protect Christians in Syria, noting how it was “one justification for his support of the Assad regime in Syria.”

“It’s obvious that President Obama and his administration are pushing the gay-lesbian agenda in America today and have sold themselves completely to that which is contrary to God’s teaching,” Graham wrote. “In my opinion, Putin is right on these issues. Obviously, he may be wrong about many things, but he has taken a stand to protect his nation’s children from the damaging effects of any gay and lesbian agenda.”

“Isn’t it sad, though, that America’s own morality has fallen so far that on this issue — protecting children from any homosexual agenda or propaganda — Russia’s standard is higher than our own?” he added.

“Pray for the President of Russia, [who] defends traditional Christianity,” Graham reportedly said. …

Pat Buchanan — another leader of the Religious Right — published his own piece about Russia potentially replacing the U.S. as a bastion of “Christian values,” asking “Whose side is God on now?” …

Graham still invited a delegation from the ROC to the 2017 event, and it was moved to D.C. at the suggestion of ROC external relations head Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev of Moscow — the same man who helped Graham come up with the idea for the conference in the first place. https://thinkprogress.org/religious-right-russia-3e80e2ea2e4a/

Notice also something else from the past:

Well, it is true, is it not, that President Vladimir Putin stands virtually alone among national leaders of the major powers in publicly proclaiming his Christian identity, and in condemning homosexual “marriage” — while leaders of the so-called Christian West have adopted the politically correct line that these unnatural unions are now sacrosanct? And is it not true that Putin and the Russian government have been spending hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild hundreds of Russian Orthodox churches destroyed during the militant atheism of the Soviet era? Has he not restored sacred holidays of the Julian Christian calendar? Did he not sign a national law last year outlawing advertisements for abortion? To which we must answer: yes, yes, yes, yes; true, true, true, true.

Additional “facts” can be cited to paint an even more striking image of Putin as pious champion of Christianity: crossing himself and kissing the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary that he presented to Pope Francis during his 2013 visit to the Vatican; numerous appearances with (and blessings and endorsements from) Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian church leaders; signing into law a “ban on the propaganda of homosexuality and pedophilia” directed at children, while President Obama promotes the LBGT agenda at every level and every opportunity; speaking out against the persecution and murder of Christians by Islamic jihadists in Syria and Iraq. …

In his current ruse as Defender of the Faith, Putin is not only channeling Stalin, but also Lenin, that original Bolshevik persecutor of the church. Lenin was the supreme pragmatist, happily willing to use “whatever works,” and constantly at odds with rigid communist “purists” who failed to grasp the necessity of operational flexibility in the pursuit of the final objective. http://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/europe/item/19162-putin-defender-of-christian-faith-and-morality

While many in the West do not trust him, Vladimir Putin is being seen as the military hope for many non-Muslims in Syria.

Of course, the Bible teaches that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God should be the hope for Christians, but for most people in the world, they place their hope in the military, and Vladimir Putin is coming through for many that way at this time.

As the photos at the beginning of this post show, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been portrayed as a modern Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar conquered lands and it was basically because of him that Rome became an empire. Julius Caesar was also considered the defender of his faith as well.

Vladimir Putin has long wanted to be the ruler of his version of the Russian side of the ‘Holy Roman Empire’ (Putin claimed to be re-establishing ‘Third Holy Roman Empire,’ but that is happening elsewhere). Notice also:

As Putin slowly expands the borders of the Russian Federation and recovers ancient territory of imperial Russia, he believes he is expanding the Third Holy Roman Empire. http://www.westernjournalism.com/onward-christian-russian-soldiers-putin-believes-resurrecting-third-holy-roman-empire/#Cp5aggpzGoQqYEwJ.99

While some in the West are looking askance at Russia’s support of Assad’s regime in Syria, seeing only the realpolitik of Russian expansionism, others who are concerned about the eradication of Syria’s ancient Christian community tend to see as legitimate Putin’s concern that the Christian minority in that country will be persecuted if Assad is toppled. The beleaguered Christians in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East doubtless see the very recent Russian bombing of ISIS headquarters as a gift from God, and Putin as their potential deliverer from martyrdom.

Is there more to Putin’s intervention in Syria than the desire to save Christians?

Of course. Even Putin admits that, characterizing his policies as having a heavy dose of “common sense” plus faith. Nor should anyone discount his immersion in the deadly and murky politics of the Kremlin.

But again, Putin’s historic view is long. For him, Moscow is the second seat of Eastern Orthodoxy, the first having been Byzantium under the rule of Emperor Justinian. He will not have forgotten that the Byzantine Empire, which was profoundly informed by Christianity, at one time straddled two continents, Europe and Asia. He will also will not have forgotten that the Syrian Church, marked for extinction by ISIS, has been led by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch – Antioch, the apostle Paul’s home base for his missionary journeys and the first place disciples of Christ were called Christians. In other words, Putin’s view, shaped by Eastern Orthodoxy, is Eurasian, not just Russian. Putin sees a geographic component to Christian Orthodoxy that includes the Middle East. …

Putin, likewise, has spoken of the need for religious revival and the valuable role that the Orthodox Church plays. Says Putin: ‘The Russian Orthodox Church plays an enormous formative role in preserving our rich historical and cultural heritage and in reviving eternal moral values. It works tirelessly to bring unity, to strengthen family ties, and to educate the younger generation in the spirit of patriotism.’

Has anyone yet heard Barak Obama speak in similar terms about the Christian church in America? Has anyone noted him speaking about “preserving our rich historical and cultural heritage and reviving eternal moral values?” To ask the questions is to answer them. http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/10/who_will_save_middle_east_christians_obama_or_putin.html#ixzz3qLWJGjYK

Vladimir Putin maintains a close working relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church.

Perhaps it should be mentioned that Vladimir Putin’s Eurasian Union officially began on January 1, 2015. A few nations are in it, and several others have expressed interest in it.

Vladimir Putin wants his version of the ‘Holy Roman Empire’ and is working on it. And Bible prophecy shows that Russia will lead a massive empire in the time of the end (Jeremiah 50:9,11,41-43; Isaiah 13:1, 17-19). Russia is also developing more powerful weapons (see Will Russia’s ‘Satan 2’ destroy Texas or France?).

The Bible also shows that the USA and its closest allies will fall (cf. Daniel 11:39).

That being said, will Russia be the predominant force that will destroy the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand?

No, Bible prophecy indicates that force will be led by a European power (Daniel 11:39), though Asian forces will likely be involved (especially related to Australia and New Zealand). It is highly likely that the next ‘Caesar’ will be German (see also Germany in Biblical and Catholic Prophecy).

But that does not mean that Russia will not have a place as a military power–it will–and it will help defeat the power in Europe that will arise and one day takeover the world (Jeremiah 50:9,11,41-43; Isaiah 13:1, 17-19; cf. Daniel 11:44).

Kurdish Peshmerga Troops on a T-55 Tank (Boris Niehaus)

COGwriter

The Kurds have concerns that the USA may betray them:

November 28, 2017

Syrian Kurdish official to US: Don’t turn your back on us

BEIRUT (AP) — A senior Syrian Kurdish official said Washington would undermine the campaign against Islamic State militants and Americans would lose their place in the region’s fight against terrorism if they “turn their back” on their only ally in Syria — the Kurds.

The comments by Ilham Ahmed, a member of the political arm of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, were in response to the U.S. administration’s suggestion that military aid to the Kurdish-led forces may be halted.

Over the weekend, the White House and the Pentagon said there will be “pending adjustments to the military support” to the SDF, though there was no specific confirmation the arms flow would stop altogether. …

“We can’t judge what the Americans are thinking,” Ahmed said. “But one thing is obviously clear, and that is if the Americans turn their back on their only partners (in Syria), it means they will withdraw from the fight against Daesh in the Middle East.”

“If they really decide to stop the support, this means they are giving a chance for Daesh to re-appear and spread,” she added.

The Trump administration announced in May it would start arming the Kurds in anticipation of the fight to retake the city of Raqqa, the de-facto capital of IS.

The Kurdish-led SDF liberated the city last month. They have been pushing down the Euphrates River Valley, chasing IS militants along the border with Iraq and east of the river, capturing oil and gas fields and securing the Kurdish forces’ hold in northern and eastern Syria. https://www.apnews.com/fa6902edda77487d8652bf174a69d7df/Syrian-Kurdish-official-to-US:-Don’t-turn-your-back-on-us

In the past couple of years, the so-called Islamic State has lost most of the territory it once held. Much of the ground fighting against the Islamic State, outside of that of the Syrian government, has been from Kurdish forces.

The USA has ‘rewarded’ the Kurds, by militarily forcing them to lose control of Kirkuk, a city they earlier liberated from the Islamic State, as well as to not recognize Kurdish proclamations of independence.

The USA has long treated the Kurds differently than many would feel it should. The Bush Administration used to claim that the USA was in Iraq to promote democracy. Yet, when the Kurds voted for independence in September, the USA (and others) refuse to accept that. The hypocrisy of the USA related to the Kurds is obvious to anyone who looks at this.

While the Kurds have tended to be a more loyal ally to the USA than the USA has been to the Kurds, the USA has often tended to defer to the governments of Turkey and Iraq.

The Bible warns that destruction is coming to “an hypocritical nation” which will end up being destroyed (Isaiah 10:5-11, KJV). Those who think that the USA will not reap what it is sowing by often betraying allies (cf. Galatians 6:7-8; Lamentations 1:1-2), are in error (Daniel 11:39).

People from Syria, and this may include Kurds, are prophesied to cause the end time descendants of Israel problems:

8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob, And it has fallen on Israel. 9 All the people will know — Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria — … 11 Therefore the Lord shall set up The adversaries of Rezin against him, And spur his enemies on, 12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. (Isaiah 9:8-9, 11-12)

‘Samaria’ is a reference to the USA (see Spiritual Samaritans: Old and New) and Ephraim to the UK and Canada (see Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel).

But that is not all.

Despite how the USA seemingly defers to Turkey and Iraq on the Kurds (and maybe now Syria’s Assad and the Russians), eventually the Kurds and others in the Middle East and North Africa will plot to eliminate the USA according to the 83rd Psalm.

Notice the following rendering of that Psalm with the modern national identities shown in [ ] which mainly come from an article titled The Arab World in Prophecy from the Plain Truth magazine dated December 1979:

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 [Esau or modern-day Turkey, a non-Arab but Islamic nation] and the Ishmaelites [Saudi Arabia]; Moab [part of Jordan] and the Hagrites [anciently these peoples dwelt in the area known as Syria today];
7 Gebal [Lebanon], Ammon [modern Jordan], and Amalek [part of the Turks]; Philistia [the modern Palestinians] with the inhabitants of Tyre [Lebanon]; 8 Assyria [whose descendants, the Assyrians, migrated to Germany] also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot [Jordan and Western Iraq]. (Psalms 83:4-8, NKJV)

The above shows a coalition of North African and Middle Eastern peoples, like those that will initially support the coming King of the South in Daniel 11:40-43. They will want to eliminate the USA, its Anglo-Saxon descended allies, and the tiny nation of Israel. They will then make a deal with end time Assyria, the main power in Europe (see Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History and Germany in Biblical Prophecy). And this will be successful (Daniel 11:39; see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses), but not completely (Jeremiah 30:7).

As far as the Kurds go, they have long fought for independence. Notice two items from decades ago, from the old Worldwide Church of God:

I know the Kurds are currently at war in Iran. (Knowles B. In the Image of God. Good News, May 1975)

The Soviet Union {expect to} … make themselves secure there against the Moslem Kurds. (Armstrong HW. Co-worker Letter, January 23, 1980)

The Kurds have fought various ones over the decades.

But they will eventually, apparently, decide to support a coalition of mainly Sunni Muslim peoples in the Middle East and North Africa.

Notice the following about a coming confederation involving the Arabs and others in Ezekiel:

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:

“‘Wail and say, “Alas for that day!” 3 For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near- a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. 4 A sword will come against Egypt, and anguish will come upon Cush. When the slain fall in Egypt, her wealth will be carried away and her foundations torn down.

5 Cush and Put, Lydia and all Arabia, Libya and the people of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt. (Ezekiel 30:1-5, NIV).

5 “Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, all the mingled people, Chub, and the men of the lands who are allied, shall fall with them by the sword.” (Ezekiel 30:5, NKJV)

So a confederation will form, Iraq and Syria will be part of it, and many of the nations that enter into a confederation with Egypt will suffer. This includes Iraqi and Syrian peoples, and possibly the Kurds (the Turks escape this per Daniel 11:42; but have other problems later; cf. Obadiah 8-11).

Why might the Kurds be referred to in Ezekiel 30? The word translated in the NIV as Libya, Puwt, may be referring to some of the peoples of Iran as Puwt was a Persian tribe and the Kurds are an Iranian people with mixed heritage. There are estimated to be at least 30 million Kurds, most of which are in the Middle East (with the largest populations in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria). The Kurds could be part of the ‘mingled people’ as the NKJV translates a portion of Ezekiel 30:5.

Although the Kurds themselves have long wanted independence, they have a history of making many alliances. Like the Turks, the majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslims. Despite the fact that the governments in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Iran have caused problems for the Kurds, the Kurds may well support a future Arabic-Turkish alliance (Daniel 11:40-43), especially if they get some protection of autonomy to do so. It is also possible that they could be among those that escape the wrath of the King of the North (Daniel 11:42). But that power also will end (cf. Revelation 11:15; 18).

The time will come when God will call all people in the world, including the Turks and the Kurds. When that happens, there will be a time of peace (Isaiah 2:3-4; Revelation 21). But until then, war and destruction appear to be part of the expected fate of that region of the world for some time (though a temporal peace will come per Daniel 9:27; see also The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27).

But for now, the Kurds are hoping that the USA will not turn its back on them–yet often it has.

Some items of possibly-related interest may include:

Why Terrorism? Is Terrorism Prophesied? What does the Bible teach? Which nations may be affected? Here is a link to a related sermon: Terrorism, Christianity, and Islam.
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi.
The Prophesied ‘Islamic’ Confederation Where is an Islamic caliphate prophesied? Will one happen? Should you be concerned about it? A related video is Will an Arabic Calphiphate Destroy the West?
Iraq, the King of the South, Armageddon, and Prophecy What will happen to Iraq? Is it the prophesied Mystery Babylon? What is Armageddon and how does that have to do with Iraq? Here is a related video Iraq, Armageddon, & Prophecy.
Damascus and Syria in Prophecy Will Bashar Assad hold power as he has it? Does the Bible show that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will be destroyed? What will happen to Syria? Will the Syrians support the final King of the South that the Bible tells will rise up? Which scriptures discuss the rise and fall of an Arabic confederation? Does Islamic prophecy predict the destruction of Syria. This is a YouTube video.
Turkey in Prophecy Do you know the Turkish people descended from? Did the Ottoman Empire possibly fulfill a promise in Genesis? Will Turkey support the European King of the North or Arabic King of the South? Will it betray one of them? Will Turkey be involved in the encouraging the destruction of Israel? Is Turkey going to become Catholic? Is Turkey mentioned in Psalm 83, Daniel 11, and elsewhere in the Bible? A related video is also available: What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy.
Can the Final Antichrist be Islamic? Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out. A related sermon is titled: Is the Final Antichrist Islamic or European? Another video is Mystery Babylon USA, Mecca, or Rome?
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? A YouTube video of related interest may be: The Future King of the South is Rising.
The Bible and the Arab World In History and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam?
Can the Final Antichrist be Islamic? Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out. A related sermon is titled: Is the Final Antichrist Islamic or European? Another video is Mystery Babylon USA, Mecca, or Rome?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2026 or 20xx? There is also a video titled 6000 Years: When will God’s Kingdom Come? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Will the Great Tribulation Start in 2017?
The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation.
How Will Middle East Peace be Brought About? Can humans bring peace to the Middle East? Here is a link to a related video: Middle East Peace? When?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president/prime minister? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand. A video of related interest is available titled: Should Christians Vote?
Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis Do you believe what the Bible actually teaches on this? Will all good things be restored? Will God call everyone? Will everyone have an opportunity for salvation? Does God’s plan of salvation take rebellion and spiritual blindness into account? Related sermon videos include Universal Offer of Salvation I: God is love and Universal Offer of Salvation II: The Age to Come and the ‘Little Flock’ and Universal Offer of Salvation III: All Are to Know Jesus, But When? and Universal Offer of Salvation IV: Will the Guilty be Pardoned? and Universal Offer of Salvation V: All Israel Will be Saved?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be: Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?

COGwriter

This was a tough hurricane season for the Caribbean:

It’s finally over, at least as far as the calendar of the National Hurricane Center is concerned. Nov. 30 marks the official end of the active six-month Atlantic hurricane season that spawned 17 named storms, from Arlene to Rina.
Of the 17, 10 became hurricanes, and six of those were major events, Category 3 or higher.

In the Caribbean, September was the cruelest month, marking the arrival of behemoths Irma and Maria, two Category 5 storms that left a trail of unprecedented destruction and devastation on seven island nations in particular.

Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Puerto Rico, St. Barts, St. Maarten/Martin and the U.S. Virgin Islands all took catastrophic hits to their natural settings, properties and people.

The painful recovery process for some of these countries could take years. … more than half of Puerto Rico remains in the dark, as Virgin Islanders struggle to find cell service and roof tarps and residents of Dominica and Barbuda find they have no homes to return to … http://www.travelweekly.com/Caribbean-Travel/Insights/Hurricane-season-comes-to-an-end-but-its-effects-are-far-from-over

Here is some information about Puerto Rico:

November 28, 2017

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is reportedly planning to unveil a relief package for Puerto Rico, which is still recovering after a hurricane tore through the island earlier this year.

Sanders will unveil the $146 billion bill on Tuesday, according to The Washington Post.

He hopes that 70 percent of the island’s energy needs within the next 10 years will be provided through renewable power sources as a result of the plan, according to the Post.

The bill would also give the island more federal funding for healthcare, education and transportation.“This is the closest we have to a Marshall Plan for Puerto Rico,” said Ramón Luis Nieves, a former member of the Senate of Puerto Rico.

The plan would allot money for helping the island to pay off its debt and for infrastructure. It also targets $51 billion for economic development. http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/362077-sanders-to-present-146-billion-plan-to-help-puerto-rico

About 1/2 of Puerto Rico is still without electrical power. In the 21st century, not having electrical power for months is a burden for those affected.

Hurricane Maria damage in Roseau, Dominica

Here is some information about Dominica:

November 28, 2017

Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has given assurances to Dominicans at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies that his government will do all it can to assist them in completing their studies following the passage of Hurricane Maria in September.

Students have been outlining concerns over their ability to complete their courses, given that their parents at home are now focused on rebuilding their homes and lives, after the category five storm destroyed the majority of houses on the island in September. http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/105116/prime-minister-skerrit-pledges-support-dominican-students-uwi-cave-hill

Since the hurricanes are not active, most outside of the affected areas do not seem to consider that the damage is still affecting many.

Those affected are in my thoughts and prayers.

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?

Do you realize that this is only the beginning of sorrows?

Jesus taught:

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 13:8)

We have had some “troubles,” but the situation will ultimately get much worse.

Devastation is coming to the world in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord (see When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019?).

The Bible teaches:

3 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished. (Proverbs 22:3)

18 Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, But he who regards a rebuke will be honored. (Proverbs 13:18)

Not enough steps were taken before Hurricane Maria hit. Sins were multiplied by looting after Hurricane Maria hit.

As regular readers of this page are aware, I have repeatedly warned of weather problems coming as well as chaos and food shortages. Back in 2009, in my book, 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect, I warned of:

Odd weather patterns result in food shortages and natural disasters. Matthew 24:7 …

The world is actually in a berserk transition … It may be a period of chaos. It is the beginning of sorrows. Matthew 24:8 (Thiel B. 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect. Nazarene Books, 2009, p. 240)

Since that was published, we have had record smashing heat, stronger hurricanes, and odd weather problems. There was a severe food shortage in St. Martin this month because of Hurricane Irma. There has been chaotic looting in the Caribbean and Florida. These issues should serve as a wake-up call (for information about Bible prophecy and hurricanes, here is a link to the video: Hurricanes and Prophecy).

The Bible is full of warnings, but many do not understand them and will not heed them.

Notice the following:

1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5)

Do not think that those in the Caribbean are more sinful than others. Devastation will hit other places (see also Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse).

While most feel that prophesied dangers will not affect them, the biblical reality is that almost all humanity will fail to heed the warnings (see When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019?).

Will you?

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Will the Great Tribulation Start in 2017?
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. There is also a video on the subject: Might Petra be the Place of Safety? Here is something related in the Spanish language: Hay un lugar de seguridad para los Filadelfinos. ¿Puede ser Petra?
Are You Being Called by God? Norman Shoaf wrote various points to consider.
Is God Calling You? Alfred E Carrozzo wrote this.
What Did Christ Mean  Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen? This article was by Raymond McNair.
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
Earthquakes Today and Bible Prophecy Contains a cool up-to-the-hour update of earthquakes around the world from USGS. It also explains what did Jesus teach about earthquakes and how the Bible describes “the big one” (as well as when it is expected).
Islands and Bible Prophecy What’s ahead for islands? What does the Bible prophesy about them?
Hurricanes and Prophecy Hurricane Harvey dropped the greatest amount of rainfall in any USA storm. Hurricane Irma was the strongest hurricane ever in the Atlantic. Hurricane Irma wiped out most of the island of Barbuda, caused a million to lose power in Puerto Rico, devastated St. Martin’s, hit Cuba, and hit Florida. A news headline stated ” ‘Nature’s gone crazy’: Winds, fire, floods and quakes plague North America.” Is there any tie to prophecy? Are heavy winds and rains discussed in the Bible? Any ties to homosexuality and other forms of immorality? What about Donald Trump and Jennifer Lawrence? Does God control the weather? What does God want people to do? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more. This is a video.
Weather Blessings and Sorrows Are weather problems a warning? What should be done? What does the Bible teach about weather? What about floods, droughts, heat, earthquakes, tornadoes, and solar storms? Here is a related YouTube video Does God Use Weather? A related item in the Spanish language would be Bendiciones y maldiciones del clima.
The ‘Unpardonable Sin’ and ‘Climate Change’? On September 7, 2016, Olav Fykse Tveit, Church of Norway Pastor, and the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, essentially declared that those who ignore ‘climate change’ are committing the ‘unpardonable sin’ against the Holy Spirit. Are those two even related? In this video, Dr. Thiel answers that and explains from the Bible what the ‘unpardonable sin’ is and how you can avoid it. He also discusses aspects of Christianity and the environment.
The Bible, Christians, and the Environment How should Christians view the environment? Does the Bible give any clues? What are some of the effects of air, water, and land pollution? Is environmental pollution a factor in autism and death? Do pollutants seem to double the autism risk? What will Jesus do? A YouTube video is available titled Air Pollution, Autism, and Prophecy.
Mexico, Central America, South America, Brazil, and the Caribbean in Prophecy [Español: México, América central, Suramérica, Brasil y el Caribe en la profecía] [Português: México, América Central, Ámérica do Sul, e Brasil na profecia] What will happen to those of Latin America? Will they have prosperity? Will they cooperate with Europe? Will they suffer in the future? What role might the various Caribbean nations/territories play?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse.
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.

COGwriter

A reader sent me the following related to two people once part of the old Worldwide Church of God:

Gregory Doudna (1976) How strange it was… Referring to belief in cosmic things, the shared foundation story at AC. The doctrine, prior to 1973, was: God is a family, but the family relationship between two Gods who collectively were one God only began ca. 4 BCE when God B became the begotten son of God A in Mary … In 1973 there was a little-noticed tweak of the doctrine, in a revision of the HWA booklet, “Just What do you Mean–Born Again?”

James Tabor (1968) I want to thank Greg Doudna for the marvelous post on the unique brand of Bitheism that HWA apparently constructed with its non Father/Son pre-Creation Eternal God A & B (Elohim and the Logos). It is really strange when you think about it–and for monotheists such as myself every bit as objectionable on the same grounds as the classic doctrine of the Trinity. I always thought it odd that we were taught to denounce the false doctrine of the Trinity–Three Gods as One, while advocating the Binity–Two Gods as One–which, as the Arians made clear, suffers from the same textual/scriptural objections. The Christology of Paul and the early non-Trinitarian early Christians was clearly One God, the Father, and then one Son, firstborn of all creation–thus a created Being, prior to the angels and “higher” than the Angels.

The early church was neither trinitarian nor unitarian. Despite claims from Dr. Tabor, the early church was binitarian.

That is, early Christians considered that the Father and the Son were God and that the Holy Spirit was the power of God. And while some dispute this, historically it is a fact.

In “the oldest complete Christian sermon that has survived” (Holmes M.W. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, 2nd ed. Baker Books, Grand Rapids, 2004, p. 102)–outside those in the Bible–sometimes erroneously referred to as Second Letter of Clement, it seems to support binitarianism. It was given perhaps within a year or so of the Apostle John’s death. It states:

Brothers, we ought so to think of Jesus Christ, as of God, as “Judge of the living and the dead (An Ancient Christian Sermon (2 Clement), 1:1. In Holmes M.W. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, 2nd ed. Baker Books, Grand Rapids, 2004, p. 107)

So then, brothers, if we do the will of God our Father…(An Ancient Christian Sermon (2 Clement), 14:1. In Holmes M.W. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, 2nd ed. Baker Books, Grand Rapids, 2004, p.121).

The following quote attributed to him (c. 135 A.D.) shows that he (and thus by inference the rest of Smyrna) was not unitarian:

Now may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the eternal High-priest Himself, the [Son of] God Jesus Christ, build you up in faith and truth, and in all gentleness and in all avoidance of wrath and in forbearance and long suffering and in patient endurance and in purity; and may He grant unto you a lot and portion among His saints, and to us with you, and to all that are under heaven, who shall believe on our Lord and God Jesus Christ and on His Father (The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians in APOSTOLIC FATHERS (as translated by J.B. LIGHTFOOT) 12:6,7).

It probably should be noted that Dr. Lightfoot left out “Son of” in his translation, which is in the Latin. It should also be pointed out that I am aware of another translation of this section by Roberts and Donaldson in Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol, 1 which omitted the term “God” before Jesus Christ, but I verified that the term “deum” is in the Latin version of this epistle {the original Greek versions did not survive pass chapter 10}. Dr. Lightfoot’s translation “our Lord and God Jesus Christ” is a literal translation of the Latin “dominum nostrum et deum Iesum Christum”. The University of Notre Dame Latin Dictionary and Grammar Aid states “deus -i m. [a god , deity]”. The term “deum” is the masculine accusatory form of the word “deus”. Since traditional unitarians do not call Jesus God, it appears clear that Polycarp clearly was not one of them. Furthermore, he did not ever call the Holy Spirit God.

Also, Ignatius, who was known by Polycarp (and praised in this same Polycarp epistle, which is known as Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians), wrote around 108-120 A.D. (during the Ephesus era of the Church of God):

For our God, Jesus Christ, was conceived by Mary in accord with God’s plan: of the seed of David, it is true, but also of the Holy Spirit. He was born and baptized so that by His submission He might purify the water (Ignatius of Antioch, Letters to the Ephesians 18,2–note this is translated the same by at least three separate translations as done by Dr. Lightfoot, J.H. Srawley, and Roberts & Donaldson).

…the fullness of God the Father…and of Jesus Christ our God…God appeared in human form to bring newness of eternal life (Ignatius. Letter the Ephesians, 0.0; 19,3. In Holmes: The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations. Baker Books, Grand Rapids (MI), 2004, pp. 137, 149).

Hence, Ignatius (who apparently lived in the times dominated by both the Ephesus and Smyrna eras of the Church), who received Polycarp’s praise, also recognized Jesus as God, and thus could not have been a traditional unitarian. His statements are binitarian.

Even scholars like the Catholic Mauricio Saavedra Monroy recognize that Polycarp and Ignatius made binitarian statements:

As for the binitarian confessional formula, which confesses the Father and the Son, we likewise find examples in Polycarp and Ignatius. (Monroy MS. The Church of Smyrna: History and Theology of a Primitive Christian Community. Peter Lang edition, 2015, p. 292)

Ignatius wrote:

Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, unto her which hath been blessed in greatness through the plentitude of God the Father; which hath been foreordained before the ages to be for ever unto abiding and unchangeable glory, united and elect in a true passion, by the will of the Father and of Jesus Christ our God; even unto the church which is in Ephesus [of Asia], worthy of all felicitation: abundant greeting in Christ Jesus and in blameless joy (Ignatius’ Letter to the Ephesians, Verse 0. In Apostolic Fathers. Lightfoot & Harmer, 1891 translation).

He also wrote something similar to the Smyrnaeans:

Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, to the church of God the Father and of Jesus Christ the Beloved, which hath been mercifully endowed with every grace, being filled with faith and love and lacking in no grace, most reverend and bearing holy treasures; to the church which is in Smyrna of Asia, in a blameless spirit and in the word of God abundant greeting. I give glory to Jesus Christ the God who bestowed such wisdom upon you” (Ignatius’ Letter to the Symrnaeans, Verses 0-1.1. In Apostolic Fathers. Lightfoot & Harmer, 1891 translation).

It is important to note that Ignatius referred to both the Father and the Son as God in both places (and I verified that it is in the original Greek), but he never called the Holy Spirit ‘God’. The Holy Spirit he referred to as “rope” (Ignatius. Letter the Ephesians, 9,1. In Holmes: The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations. Baker Books, Grand Rapids (MI), 2004, p. 143).

Justin Martyr wrote:

When Scripture says,’ The Lord rained fire from the Lord out of heaven,’ the prophetic word indicates that there were two in number: One upon the earth, who, it says, descended to behold the cry of Sodom; Another in heaven, who also is Lord of the Lord on earth, as He is Father and God; the cause of His power and of His being Lord and God. Again, when the Scripture records that God said in the beginning, ‘Behold, Adam has become like one of Us,’ this phrase, ‘like one of Us,’ is also indicative of number; and the words do not admit of a figurative meaning, as the sophists endeavor to affix on them, who are able neither to tell nor to understand the truth (Dialogue with Trypho. Chapter CXXIX).

A second century apologist named Athenagoras wrote the following:

And, the Son being in the Father and the Father in the Son, in oneness and power of spirit, the understanding and reason (nous kai logos) of the Father is the Son of God…The Holy Spirit…which operates in the prophets, we assert to be an effluence of God, flowing from Him, and returning back again like a beam of the sun…Who, then, would not be astonished to hear men who speak of God the Father, and of God the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Athenagoras. A Plea for the Christians, Chapter X. Translated by B.P. Pratten. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 2. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

Thus Athenagoras explained that the Father and the Son are God, have a onesness of power and spirit, and that the Holy Spirit is the effluence of God. He never called the Holy Spirit God. And he stated that both, the Father and the Son (the term in English refers to two), are both God and distinct–this is a binitarian view.

Near the end of the second century, Melito of Sardis (whom Catholics and others consider to be a saint) wrote

No eye can see Him, nor thought apprehend Him, nor language describe Him; and those who love Him speak of Him thus: `Father, and God of Truth” (Melito. A Discourse Which Was in the Presence of Antoninus Caesar).

Melito also wrote, “For the deeds done by Christ after His baptism, and especially His miracles, gave indication and assurance to the world of the Deity hidden in His flesh. For, being at once both God and perfect man likewise…He concealed the signs of His Deity, although He was the true God existing before all ages” (Melito. On the Nature of Christ. From Roberts and Donaldson).

This clearly shows that Melito considered Christ to be God (though with part of His deity concealed), as well as the Father. There is no indication in any of the surviving writings of Melito that he considered that the Holy Spirit was also God, hence he seemed to hold a binitarian view. Actually, like most binitarians, his writings suggest that the Holy Spirit was simply a manifestation of the power of God as he wrote:

The finger of the Lord-the Holy Spirit, by whose operation the tables of the law in Exodus are said to have been written (Melito. From the Oration on Our Lord’s Passion. Online version copyright © 2001 Peter Kirby. http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/melito.html 9/10/05).

Also near the end of the second century (Circa 180), Irenaeus (who is also considered to have been a saint by the Roman Catholics) wrote this in his famous paper against heresies:

...there is none other called God by the Scriptures except the Father of all, and the Son, and those who possess the adoption (Irenaeus. Adversus haereses, Book IV, Preface, Verse 4. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

Notice that Irenaeus states that only the Father, the Son, and those who possess the adoption (Christians) are God. This is a binitarian, not a trinitarian or unitarian view.

Furthermore another scholar noted:

The argument that Christianity is not binitarian but trinitarian, hence could not be perceived as a two-powers heresy, ignores the fact that it is not so much what Christianity thought of itself that counts but how it appeared to its rabbinic critics. And there we see clearly that it was often described as binitarian or dualistic rather than trinitarian (Summary of response by Alan F. Segal. International Conference on the Historical Origins of the Worship of Jesus. 13-17 June 1998).

Hence, the early Jewish rabbis recognized early Christianity as binitarian, not trinitarian or unitarian.

Regarding the New Testament, trinitarian scholar William Rusch has admitted:

The binitarian formulas are found in Rom. 8:11, 2 Cor. 4:14, Gal. 1:1, Eph. 1:20, 1 Tim 1:2, 1 Pet. 1:21, and 2 John 1:13…No doctrine of the Trinity in the Nicene sense is present in the New Testament…

There is no doctrine of the Trinity in the strict sense in the Apostolic Fathers…(Rusch W.G. The Trinitarian Controversy. Fortress Press, Phil., 1980, pp. 2-3).

Modern scholars, like Larry Hurtado, have realized the Christians who were called Nazarenes, as well as others many considered to be “proto-orthodox” held a binitarian view of the Godhead:

Earliest Christian worship specifies two figures, God and Jesus, as recipients (Hurtado Larry. Abstract: “The Binitarian Shape of Early Christian Worship.” International Conference on the Historical Origins of the Worship of Jesus. 13-17 June 1998).

…”Nazarene” Christianity, had a view of Jesus fully compatible with the beliefs favored by the proto-orthodox (indeed, they could be considered part of the circles that made up proto-orthodox Christianity of the time). Pritz contended that this Nazarene Christianity was the dominant form of Christianity in the first and second centuries…the devotional stance toward Jesus that characterized most of the Jewish Christians of the first and second centuries seems to have been congruent with proto-orthodox devotion to Jesus…the proto-orthodox “binitarian” pattern of devotion…(Hurtado LW. Lord Jesus Christ, Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity. William B. Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, 2003, pp. 560-561,618).

Furthermore, it perhaps should be mentioned that the sacra nomina (generally two-letter abbreviations, perhaps intended to identify the documents as “Christian”) found on early documents associated with Christianity is also believed to support the position that those that professed Christ in the second century were binitarian. Larry Hurtado also observed:

The Christian nomina sacra…differ in form from any Jewish scribal devices…Most significantly, the four earliest Christian nomina sacra are the two key words for God (Theos and Kyrios) and key designations for Jesus (Iēosus, Christos, and Kyrios).If therefore, as is usually believed, the nomina sacra practice represents an expression of piety and reverence, it is a striking departure from pre-Christian Jewish scribal practice to extend to these designations of Jesus the same scribal treatment given to key designations for God.That is, the four earliest Christian nomina sacra collectively manifest one noteworthy expression of what I have called the “binitarian shape” of earliest Christian piety and devotion (Hurtado LW.The Earliest Christian Artifacts.William B. Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids (MI), 2006, pp. 105-106).

And that is true. And he was specifically referring to doctrines like the trinity and other teachings that are contrary to what the Continuing Church of God holds.

Yet, as recorded in the New Testament, Jude wrote:

“…contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered for the saints” (Jude 3).

The faith delivered once for all should not have been changed.

The early church was binitarian and not trinitarian nor unitarian.

If you have not realized this, perhaps you may wish to further look into this.

Some items of related interest may include:

Binitarian View: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning Is binitarianism the correct position? What about unitarianism or trinitarianism?
Is The Father God? What is the view of the Bible? What was the view of the early church?
Jesus: The Son of God and Saviour Who was Jesus? Why did He come to earth? What message did He bring? Is there evidence outside the Bible that He existed? Here is a YouTube sermon titled Jesus: Son of God and Saviour.
Jesus is God, But Became Flesh Was Jesus fully human and fully God or what? Here is information in the Spanish language¿Es Jesucristo Dios?
Virgin Birth: Does the Bible Teach It? What does the Bible teach? What is claimed in The Da Vinci Code?
Why Does Jesus Have Two Different Genealogies listed in Matthew 1 and Luke 3? Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38 seemingly list two different genealogies for Jesus. Why?
Did Early Christians Think the Holy Spirit Was A Separate Person in a Trinity? Or did they have a different view?
Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity? Most act like this is so, but is it? Here is an old, by somewhat related, article in the Spanish language LA DOCTRINA DE LA TRINIDAD. A related sermon is available: Trinity: Fundamental to Christianity or Something Else? A brief video is also available: Three trinitarian scriptures?
Was Unitarianism the Teaching of the Bible or Early Church? Many, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, claim it was, but was it?
Did the Archangel Michael become Jesus? The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach this, and SDA Ellen White did, but does the Bible allow for this?
Binitarianism: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning This is a longer article than the Binitarian View article, and has a little more information on binitarianism, and less about unitarianism. A related sermon is also available: Binitarian view of the Godhead.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.

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COGwriter

CNBC reported the following:

Russia warns of ‘apocalyptic scenario’ on Korean Peninsula

November 27, 2017

Tensions between North Korea and its closest neighbor South Korea appear to be ratcheting up again just as a senior Russian official warned of an “apocalyptic scenario” developing on the Korean Peninsula.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said Monday that the world could not ignore the crisis surrounding North Korea and fears over the country’s suspected nuclear missile development, but that he hoped a peaceful solution could be found.

“A scenario of the apocalyptic development of the situation on the Korean Peninsula exists and we cannot turn our blind eye to it,” Morgulov said speaking at the opening of the eighth annual Asian Conference of the Valdai discussion club in Seoul, according to Russia’s state-run news agency Tass.

 “I hope that a common sense, pragmatism and an instinct of self-preservation would prevail among our partners to exclude such negative scenario,” the Russian diplomat said.

The comments come as the international community watches for the next move from the secretive and unpredictable regime in North Korea and its leader Kim Jong Un. There have been repeated demands for the country to stop its suspected nuclear weapons development program but Pyongyang has repeatedly appeared to have ignored these, carrying out a string of missile and nuclear tests.

President Donald Trump has warned North Korea that the country was prepared to go to war but Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the U.S. not to use military might against the Communist regime, insisting that a peaceful solution can be found. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/27/russia-warns-of-apocalyptic-scenario-on-korean-peninsula.html

Is some type of nuclear attack from the USA a possibility? Consider the following:

November 27, 2017

If Trump Launches Armageddon, Is That ‘Illegal’?

The North Koreans have given Trump all the legal authority he needs to obliterate their regime. So for now, legality is not the issue.

The U.S., which has always reserved the right to use nukes first and in fact did so in 1945, has a publicly announced policy on the employment of these weapons, the Nuclear Posture Review. The most recent review, issued April 2010‍, does not stand in the way of a nuke strike on North Korea.

“The United States is now prepared to strengthen its long-standing ‘negative security assurance’ by declaring that the United States will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapons states that are party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and in compliance with their nuclear non-proliferation obligations,” the Nuclear Posture Review declares (PDF).

Pyongyang takes the position it is no longer a signatory to that global treaty, https://www.thedailybeast.com/if-trump-launches-armageddon-is-that-illegal-3

While a war between the USA and North Korea would not be Armageddon, it could be apocalyptic, meaning pertaining to the second seal of Revelation 6.

Red Horseman of War

Notice what Jesus had the Apostle John record:

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)

The specter of war is haunting the world right now. And though we expect, after conflict, to see temporary peace in places like the Middle East (cf. Daniel 9:27; see also The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27), many are preparing for war.

The fact is that the 6000 years God gave humankind to rule itself is about to come to an end. Because of that, we are to expect wars, rumors of wars, and various sorrows. And then the end of the nations of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies once the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), the great tribulation (Matthew 24:21), begins.

Here is something that the old Worldwide Church of God published back in 1975

4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse – The Red Horse – War

John writes: “And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword” (Rev. 6:4).

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.

The context of the book of Revelation alone demonstrates this. In chapter 9, verse 16, John writes of an army of 200 million men. There were barely that many men, women and children on earth in the days of Christ or the apostle John. Until the nineteenth century

it would have been impossible to field an army this big, even if all the nations of the world had pooled their manpower resources.

During the height of World War II the combined armies of both Allied and Axis forces were only a fraction of this total.

So John is referring to a time yet ahead of us when “peaceful coexistence” will be a thing of the past. But specifically what is it that leads to this intensified period of global wars and conflicts?

In the twelfth chapter of Revelation, John gets right to the heart of the problem. He describes the fall of a great archangel, Satan the Devil: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Rev. 12:7-9).

A Demonic War Maker

This is the same great being who took peace from the earth back in the Garden of Eden. This is the same Satan who had a face-to-face confrontation with Jesus Christ over the eventual rulership of the world. In that particular encounter the devil offered Christ rulership of “all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them” (Matt. 4:8). Satan had them to offer and Christ didn’t dispute that fact.

It is this super archangel known as “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2) who stands as the power behind every national throne (see Dan. 10:12-13). He has been responsible for the war-making machinations that have gone on in virtually every world capital since the beginning of recorded history. But this time he pulls out all stops. Satan with his great perverted intellect can read the signs of the times. He knows that his six-thousand — year-old world dynasty is almost over, and he’s not about to give it up without a titanic struggle.

That means things are going to get extremely hot for the inhabitants of this world. As John writes: “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come

“And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. …”

down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Rev. 12:12).

But that’s only the beginning of the devil’s desperate eleventh-hour campaign. The following chapter continues the narrative of John: “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy . . . . And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (Rev. 13:1, 4.) Satan’s last-ditch stand centers around his favorite instrument of destruction — a revitalized Roman Empire. It is the same system described in the seventh chapter of Daniel, now raising its ugly head for one final fling at world power. Like the ancient empires of old, this one will also be centered around the familiar church — state partnership with the nation, the ruler, and the governing system held in idolatrous esteem (Rev. 13:11-15).

Once it decides to wage war, virtually nothing will stand in the way of this gigantic military juggernaut. Like its predecessors, it will quickly roll up an impressive string of military victories with lightning — like thrusts, this time in the Middle East. Speaking of this yet — future campaign, the prophet Daniel wrote: “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land [Palestine], and many countries shall be overthrown…. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many” (Dan. 11:40, 41, 44).

A Decidedly Unconventional War

Even more terrifying is the way these wars will be fought. Again the apostle John paints a grisly picture in the ninth chapter of Revelation: “And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power . . . . And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breast — plates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months” (Rev. 9:3, 7-10).

Could John have been poetically referring to modern — day weapons such as jets, rockets, or missiles? Why would men be tormented and not die? Could they be suffering from radiation sickness or the effects of germ warfare? What John was referring to is almost impossible to ascertain — but it certainly wasn’t normal, conventional warfare.

Whatever it was, it was only the beginning of man’s future wartime woes. Using stark apocalyptic language, John goes on to describe a massive army of 200 million men in verse 17: “And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.”

Notice the awesome toll these weapons take: “By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths” (verse 18).

Could the lethal smoke John describes be radioactive fallout from future nuclear weapons? And could the fire be the thermal radiation effect? Again, all we can do at this point is speculate on what could happen. But the end results speak for themselves — one third of all humanity dead.

Joel likewise graphically portrays an unprecedented period of chaos and war. “… There hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in the battle array. Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness” (Joel 2:2-6).

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).

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall

“They had … breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. They had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men….”

be.” And were this military madness allowed to continue on to its final bitter conclusion, Christ went on to say that “there should no flesh be saved [Moffatt adds ‘saved alive’]: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matt. 24:21, 22).

The Last Great Battle

Unless God put a sudden stop to man’s misguided activities, Christ plainly states there would be no hope for the survival of the human race.

God’s dramatic, eleventh — hour intervention in world affairs does not come without warning. It is announced by the blowing of the seventh trump in Revelation 11:15: “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.” After 6000 years of human misrule, world power is finally restored to its rightful owner — Jesus Christ of Nazareth. At one stroke this event removes one of the basic factors that has led men to war throughout all of recorded history. It means the final end of divisive, petty, narrow-minded national sovereignty. It means the beginning of the end for human misrule, intolerance and misunderstanding. Here at long last is the real way to peace mankind has rejected.

You would think with this monumental announcement the nations of the world would throw down their arms, shout hallelujah, and receive Christ with open arms. At long last here is the peaceful solution they have desperately needed, but haven’t been able to find.
But nothing of the kind — they do just the opposite. “And the nations were angry” (Rev. 11:18). Satan the Devil is angry. He knows he’s about to lose his cherished seat of power. He figures his only recourse is to fight God. So he gathers his forces for one final all-out battle with the returning Jesus Christ. Again John writes: “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils [demons], working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. . . . And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon” (Rev. 16:13-16).

The Battle of Armageddon

The location for this last climactic battle will apparently be well-chosen for its strategic value. Armageddon, or the “mount of Megiddo,” sits astride three important mountain passes that allow for quick access across the length and breadth of Palestine. It was at Megiddo that Josiah was slain attempting to block passage of Pharaoh Necho of Egypt northward to fight the Babylonians. Gideon and Barak won impressive battles here during the period of the Judges. And General Allenby’s forces surprised the Turkish armies at Megiddo in 1918.

But this time there is no real contest. John records in Revelation 19:19 and 17:14: “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse [Christ], and against his army….and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings….”

Other prophets described the battle in more graphic detail. Zechariah, for instance, states: “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle…. And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth” (Zech. 14:2, 12).

At the same time, Jesus Christ will put a final end to the power-hungry church-state system that has wracked the world with war for 6000 years. John records this earthshaking event in the fourteenth and eighteenth chapters of Revelation. It’s interesting that in speaking of this resurrected system John writes: “And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth” (Rev. 18:24).

Peace at Last

Jesus Christ will then go about the business of establishing real world peace. With Satan the Devil bound (Rev. 20:2), his destructive church-state combine out of the way, and with the nations no longer governed by fallible men, remarkable things will begin to happen. Isaiah writes: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain [government] of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall

After 6,000 years of human misrule, world power is finally restored to its rightful owner — Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears in to pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isa. 2:2-4; see also Micah 4:1-4).
For the first time the vast majority of people will learn what it means to live according to God’s laws. No longer will they be motivated to fight and quarrel, but will learn to love their fellowman. There it is — the final solution to war.

For the sake of all humanity, the sooner it arrives the better.

As the above booklet states, despite wars, ultimately, there is good news as God’s kingdom will come and those issues will be gone (Revelation 7:16).

But before that, Jesus told of the following time:

4 “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)

While we are in the ‘beginning of sorrows,’ the end is not yet. Why? Because other events in the Bible, such as those that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:9-20 have not happened yet (see also When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019?). Jesus spoke of a time of troubles prior to the Great Tribulation (Mark 13:8) and we seem to be in it.

We could be at or near the time of the ride of the red horseman of the apocalypse.

Yet, currently we see a lot of military boasting and posturing–that ultimately will fail. While the USA could ‘win’ a war against North Korea, it could also be harmed by such a conflict–but of itself, a war with North Korea would not eliminate the USA.

The Bible says that allies/friends will do that to the USA (cf. Lamentations 1:1-2). Interestingly, last week US President Trump stated:

November 23, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump gave a bullish Thanksgiving address to troops overseas on Thursday…

“When we sell to other countries – you never know about an ally – an ally can turn,” he said. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-thanksgiving/in-thanksgiving-message-trump-hails-military-gains-and-big-beautiful-fat-tax-cuts-idUSKBN1DN1OT

While North Korea is not an ally, relying on allies will not protect the USA (Daniel 11:39; Lamentations 1:1-2). Donald Trump is correct that an ally can turn.

The Kingdom of God is the Solution.

But that is at least seven years off from now.