PCG: Two World Powers Are Fighting for the Mediterranean Sea
PCG booklet focused on Iran
The latest post at PCG’s Trumpet website has the following by its Gerald Flurry:
Two World Powers Are Fighting for the Mediterranean Sea
The nation that gets control of the Mediterranean Sea will rule the Middle East. Iran is prophesied to have two big allies in Africa that are located on the Mediterranean Sea: Libya and Egypt. Libya is an ally already; Egypt will be. Egypt is probably within months of becoming an ally of Iran, the prophesied king of the south! …
Germany is prophesied to lead the seventh and final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire. The 10 kings of this empire are uniting even now! Once they take the Mediterranean Sea, they will seize the entire Middle East. …
Though the world doesn’t see it, Germany is secretly planning to lead an alliance of moderate Arab nations to counter Iran (Psalm 83). …
Revelation 17 …. Verse 12 is being fulfilled now: “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.” 05/17/24 https://www.thetrumpet.com/29509-two-world-powers-are-fighting-for-the-mediterranean-sea
The above is filled with biblically inaccurate statements.
So let us look at many of them, mostly in the order they were written above.
First, Iran is not “prophesied to have two big allies in Africa that are located on the Mediterranean Sea: Libya and Egypt.”
Second, Gerald Flurry’s statement, “Egypt is probably within months of becoming an ally of Iran, the prophesied king of the south!” is wrong as Iran is NOT prophesied to become the King of the South.
Iran is basically east, not south, of Jerusalem. Its geographic location is one of the reasons it is not the prophesied King of the South of Daniel 11:40-43 (see also Is the Future King of the South Rising Up?).
Third, the statement, “Libya and Ethiopia are prophesied in your Bible by their modern names,” is not really accurate.
Regarding Libya, yes, there are various references to the word Libya in the Bible. However, many of the translations are questionable, as sometimes a word for an old area of Persia (Phut) is translated as Libya.
Basically Strong’s (from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance) words 3864, 3865, & 3866 means people from the interior of Africa and seems to also include the areas west of Egypt. It is NOT limited to people in the nation currently called Libya (see also Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia in Prophecy).
Regarding Ethiopia, even though translators of the Hebrew scriptures sometimes used that word, that is NOT what the word is in Hebrew. The word translated as “Ethiopians” is the plural of the word Kuwshiy, which according to Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary means descendants of Cush. Or in other words, people of dark color–and it is commonly translated as Cush or Cushite in many Old Testament passages.
Here is how the Literal Standard Version renders several verses related to the King of the South:
40 And at the time of the end, a king of the south pushes himself forward with him, and a king of the north storms against him, with chariot, and with horsemen, and with many ships; 41 and he has come into the lands, and has overflowed, and passed over, and has come into the desirable land, and many stumble, and these escape from his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the sons of Ammon. 42 And he sends forth his hand on the lands, and the land of Egypt is not for an escape; 43 and he has ruled over treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the desirable things of Egypt, and Lubim and Cushim [are] at his steps. (Daniel 11:40-43, LSV)
Barnes’ Notes on the Bible states:
Hebrew, Cushites – כשׁים kushı̂ym… The reference here, undoubtedly, is to the African Cush or Ethiopia, which bounded Egypt on the south. This country comprehended not only Ethiopia above Syene and the Cataracts, but likewise Thebais or Upper Egypt. A subjugation of Egypt would be, in fact, almost a conquest of this land.
It is not necessarily those from Ethiopia, and likely it is NOT referring to the current nation of Ethiopia (though it may include at least some in there).
The late WCG evangelist Raymond McNair wrote:
Daniel 11 also mentions some of the Mideast peoples who will be involved in that struggle among the nations at the close of this age. The belligerents will include the “King of the North,” the leader of the European Union (or its final outgrowth, called the “Beast”). The “King of the South” (an Islamic leader—apparently from Egypt {or} some other Muslim state) is also referred to. The following lands/peoples are specifically mentioned: Egypt, the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine), the Ethiopians (modern Cushites, south of Egypt), Libya, Edom, Moab and Ammon. Many descendants of the ancient peoples known as Edomites or Idumeans now live in the West Bank, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Arabia, Yemen, the Persian Gulf states, etc. (McNair R. Solving the Arab-Israeli Impasse! Copyright Raymond F. McNair 2005, Church of God—21st Century).
Notice that Raymond McNair realizes that Egypt or some other Muslim country is where the king of the South will come from, and that the term translated as Ethiopians really means the Cushite peoples who live in southern Egypt as well as elsewhere (others have said that the Cushites basically mean dark-skinned people, hence this could include peoples from Sudan, Somalia, sometimes called Eastern Cushites), and many of the other Islam-dominated nations in Africa).
So, Gerald Flurry is relying more on mistranslations than what the word of God actually teaches for Libya and the Cushite peoples.
Now, yes, “Germany possesses geostrategic vision” and “Germany is prophesied to lead the seventh and final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire.”
However, Gerald Flurry’s next statement, “The 10 kings of this empire are uniting even now!” is wrong as well as his related statement, “Revelation 17 …. Verse 12 is being fulfilled now.”
Notice what Revelation 17:12 states:
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. (Revelation 17:12)
Revelation 17:12 is teaching of a reorganization.
That has not happened yet.
Nor are we within three years of that happening.
I will also add that Gerald Flurry has also often insisted that those ten kings are 10 currently existing nations, but that is not truly accurate either. For more details, check out the article: Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?
Gerald Flurry’s statement, “Germany is secretly planning to lead an alliance of moderate Arab nations to counter Iran (Psalm 83),” is also wrong.
Notice something that his son wrote back in 2012:
The Psalm 83 alliance not only tells us which nations will be allied with Germany, it also tells us by implication which Middle Eastern nations won’t—because they will have fallen prey to Iran’s radical agenda.
“Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia are missing from this [Psalm 83] list,” my father wrote in that 1994 article. That is because they will be allied with Iran.
That Iraq and Egypt have since fallen into the Iranian orbit is now beyond dispute.
Regarding Libya and Ethiopia, in February of last year, my father prophesied specifically that they would be the next dominoes to fall. Now, a year and a half later, Muammar Qadhafi is gone and the Islamist roots of the revolution are becoming clear.
Here is some of what the old Radio and Worldwide Church of God taught related to Psalm 83:
Notice an amazing prophecy about the Middle East in Psalm 83:1-8. It is a time of war.
“Hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, Thine enemies… have taken crafty counsel against Thy people.”
They have dealt treacherously with Judah and Israel — with the Jews and with America and Britain! We are God’s people, Israel. The Jews are merely the tribe of Judah. But to continue:
“They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation.'” Isn’t this exactly what the Iraqi leaders have said? “For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against Thee…”
What nations are these in confederation against God’s people? Here is the answer of this prophecy! Here is what is yet going to take shape in the Middle East!
“Edom (Turkey), and the Ishmaelites (Saudi Arabia); Moab (part of Jordan), and the Hagarenes (part of Arabia); Gebal (this is the ancient name for Byblos in Lebanon), and Ammon (Jordan) and Amalek (part of the Turks); the Philistines (the displaced Moslems from Palestine) with the inhabitants of Tyre; ASSUR IS JOINED WITH THEM: they have helped the children of Lot.”
Who is Assur? GERMANY!
So Germany — NOT atheistic, communist Russia — is ultimately going to support an Arab union against the Jews and against Israel — Britain and America! This is what prophecy foretells. (Hoeh H. GERMANY in Prophecy! – Part 2. Plain Truth, January 1963)
Notice especially prophetic Psalm 83. Here we find described a coming coalition of nations of the Middle East whose purpose will be to eradicate the name of Israel! They will say, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance” (verse 4). …
But this prophesied alliance in Psalm 83 will not endure long. The Bible reveals that meanwhile, in our time, a great European military dictator — known in the book of Revelation as the “beast” and in the prophecy of Daniel as the “king of the north” — will arise and ultimately descend upon the Middle East. … The beast’s intervention will have dire consequences for Israeli and Arab alike. Both Israel (“the glorious land”) and Egypt will be occupied by the beast’s troops (Dan. 11:40-42). In addition, “many countries shall be overthrown” (11:41 ). (Stump K. LEBANON’S FUTURE Foretold in the Bible! Plain Truth, September-October 1982)
King David of ancient Israel, in a prophetic psalm (Psalm 83) provides additional insight into the coming Mideast picture. Germany (Assyria in Bible prophecy) and perhaps the rest of Europe will be in league in the future with a union of Arab nations — a vast confederacy bound together in an effort to crush out the name “Israel” from the face of the earth! This Arab-Moslem confederacy may very well be the previously mentioned “king of the south” of Daniel 11 — a sphere of power encompassing vast portions of the Islamic world.
“They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: The tabernacles of Edom [Esau or modern-day Turkey, a non-Arab but Islamic nation] and the Ishmaelites [Saudi Arabia]; of Moab [part of Jordan] and the Hagarenes [anciently these people dwelt in the land known as Syria today]; Gebal [Lebanon], and Ammon [modern Jordan], and Amalek [part of the Turks]; the Philistines [the modern Palestinian Arabs] with the inhabitants of Tyre [Lebanon]; Assur [whose descendants, the Assyrians, migrated to Germany] also is joined with them: they have holpen [helped] the children of Lot [Jordan and western Iraq]” (Psalms 83:4-8).
(Stump K. THE ARAB WORLD IN PROPHECY. Plain Truth, December 1979)
Psalm 83 is NOT a prophecy showing that Germany is secretly planning to lead an alliance of moderate Arab nations to counter Iran.
PCG does not have the “sure word of prophecy.”
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
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.
Iran in Prophecy Is Iran in Bible prophecy? If so, what does the Bible teach? What names, other than Persia, may be used to describe Iran? There are also two related videos: Iran In Prophecy and Iran and Israel Conflict.
21st Century Church of God Prophets Are there any true prophets in the 21st century? What about false prophets? What are scriptures and fruits to identify the true from the false? You you prove all things and test the spirits?
Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–here is some of why you should be concerned about them. Here is a related article in the Spanish language ¿Por qué estar preocupado acerca de falsos y heréticos líderes?
Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? Here is a link in the Spanish language: ¿Tiene la CCOG confirmadas las señales de Hechos 2: 17-18? Here is a link in the French language: Est-ce que l’Église Continue de Dieu confirme les signes d’Actes 2:17-18?
Church of God Leaders on Prophets Have there been prophets throughout the church age? Are any supposed to be around in the last days? What have COG leaders stated or written about prophets? Here is a link to a related sermon: Church of God Leaders on Prophets.
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?
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.
Do You Hold to Any of These Laodicean Prophetic Errors? Most real Christians in the last days are Laodicean and hold to prophetic errors which, unless they repent, will prevent them from being protected from the coming Great Tribulation. Here is a link to a related video: 50+ Laodicean Prophetic Errors. Here is also a message translated into Spanish: Errores profecticos ensenado en las otras Igesias de Dios.
Ezekiel 38: For Russia & Iran in Our Day? Is Ezekiel 38 about to be fulfilled? A related video is available titled Ezekiel 38: For Russia, Ukraine, & Iran Now? Another could be Russia, Iran, Syria, & the Bible (Code).
Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God Simply calling oneself ‘Philadelphia’ does not make one so (see Revelation 3:7-9), nor does Gerald Flurry calling himself “that prophet” make it so. This article provides many quotes from this group which tries to look faithful.
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