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Voice of America reported the following:

North Korea, Russia pledge mutual defense, says Putin

June 19, 2024

North Korea and Russia have signed a treaty containing a mutual defense clause, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced Wednesday, during a rare Putin visit to Pyongyang.

Following a day of highly publicized events, Putin and Kim signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership agreement,” formally upgrading relations that have expanded since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The text of the agreement has not been released. But following the signing, Putin said the deal contains a clause that “provides for the provision of mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the parties,” according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.

Following the signing ceremony, Kim called Russia the “most honest friend and comrade,” insisting the treaty is peaceful and defensive in nature, according to Russian state media.

The development is sure to rattle Western leaders, who have condemned Russia-North Korea cooperation as a violation of international law. https://www.voanews.com/a/north-korea-russia-pledge-mutual-defense-says-putin-/7661781.html

There is a saying that, “the enemy of your enemy is your friend.”

The US has attempted to punish both North Korea and Russia with a series of sanctions over the years. Russian President Putin warned the US about sanctions against North Korea back in 2017 (see Vladimir Putin issues a warning to USA about North Korea).

The Continuing Church of God put out two videos, one in 2018 (watch US Sanctions and Tariffs leading to New World Order?) and the other in 2024 (watch Russia, Sanctions, Transnistria, Europe & Prophecy.) regarding there being costs to US sanctions. And there are.

This announcement from Vladmir Putin, in a sense, looks to be a prelude years ahead of Armageddon.

The term Armageddon is only used once in the Bible. It is associated with the sixth of seven bowls of God’s wrath:

1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.” (Revelation 16:1)

12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. (Revelation 16:12-16)

The place called Armageddon in scripture is located in the tiny nation of Israel.

The kings from the east reference in Revelation 16 refers to Asian nations, including Russia, Korea, and China, whose borders extends to the farthest ends of the north and the east.

The Bible also show that the coming “Babylonian/European” empire will be destroyed by a northern power (apparently Russia and its allies, as Russia is really the only powerful nation north of Europe) and kings from the ends of the earth:

41 “Behold, a people shall come from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Shall be raised up from the ends of the earth.
42 They shall hold the bow and the lance;
They are cruel and shall not show mercy.
Their voice shall roar like the sea;
They shall ride on horses,
Set in array, like a man for the battle,
Against you, O daughter of Babylon.

43 “The king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
And his hands grow feeble;
Anguish has taken hold of him,
Pangs as of a woman in childbirth…” (Jeremiah 50:41-43).

Thus, the European empire (the “daughter of Babylon”) is to be destroyed by a northern (apparently Russian-led) force. And kings “from the ends of the earth” will included Korea as it is part of the eastern end of the earth.

As far as military cooperation between the Koreans and Russians, the July-September 2013 edition of CCOG’s Bible News Prophecy magazine had the following comments from me: