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Voice of America reported the following:

North Korea Fires 2 Short-Range Ballistic Missiles After US Submarine Arrives in South Korea

July 25, 2023

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — 

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern sea, South Korea’s military said Tuesday, adding to a recent streak in weapons testing that is apparently in protest of the U.S. sending major naval assets to South Korea in a show of force.

In its third round of launches since last week, North Korea fired the missiles just before midnight from an area near its capital, Pyongyang, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It said both missiles traveled around 400 kilometers before landing in waters off the Korean Peninsula’s eastern coast.

Its statement called North Korea’s missile launches a “grave provocation” that threatens regional peace and stability. Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said his government lodged a protest to North Korea over the launches, which is usually conveyed through its embassy in Beijing. He said Tokyo was doing its utmost for surveillance while stepping up trilateral security cooperation with Washington and Seoul. No damage has been reported related to the missiles, which, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry, fell outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.

The launches came hours after South Korea’s navy said a nuclear-propelled U.S. submarine — the USS Annapolis — arrived at a port on Jeju Island. That underscored the allies’ efforts to boost the visibility of U.S. strategic assets in the region to intimidate the North.

Last week, the USS Kentucky became the first U.S. nuclear-armed submarine to come to South Korea since the 1980s. North Korea reacted to its arrival by test-firing ballistic and cruise missiles last week in apparent demonstrations that it could make nuclear strikes on South Korea and deployed U.S. naval vessels. https://www.voanews.com/a/north-korea-fires-2-short-range-ballistic-missiles-after-us-submarine-arrives-in-south-korea-/7194921.html

North Korea continues to send a message to the USA, and the nations that are located near it, that it is dangerous and does not want to be messed with.

The North Korean leadership has long been playing a dangerous game. And while the USA may have costs, the USA is currently the world power with the strongest fortresses, and North Korea is not prophesied to defeat the USA (cf. Daniel 11:39).

North Korea’s actions bring to mind the following:

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)

Now, the context of Joel 3 points to this occurring at the time of Armageddon–see also Armageddon.

But many nations around the world are arming now–though this will increase.

As far as the time we are now in, notice some statements that Jesus made:

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)

7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mark 13:7-8)

Some troubles are bound to affect many should there be a real war with North Korea.

Military issues are expected in these times.

Red Horseman of War

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 in the Orient.

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.

A vengeful North Korea may have operatives try to detonate nuclear bombs, electromagnetic pulse weapons, and/or dirty bombs. 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 begun by the North Koreans.

North Korea’s leaders may well decide that if they are attacked they should attempt to cause the most damage possible.

That said, the situation between North and South Korea will change. The July-September 2013 edition of CCOG’s Bible News Prophecy magazine had the following comments from me:

Koreans have their own tradition about where they come from:

Korean legends say that Tangun, who lived in the 2300’s B.C., was the father of the Korean civilization. Korea developed by itself until Kija, an exile from China, led about 5,000 followers to Korea in 1122 B.C. He founded a kingdom called Chosen (Hu, Charles Y. Korea. World Book Encyclopedia, 50th edition, Volume 11. Chicago, p. 296)

Chosen is also spelled Chosun and means Morning Calm. One of Japheth’s son had a name that ended with an “n” (Javan) and it may be possible that the Koreans may have partially descended from one of his descendants.

Perhaps I should add that because of prophecies involving “the kings from the east” cooperating at the end (cf. Revelation 16:12; Daniel 11:44), I have long felt that somehow North and South Korea would likely be unified (or at least work more closely together) prior to the return of Jesus Christ. The literal translation of Revelation 16:12 is “the kings of the sunrise” and thus this would seem to have to include Korea—which is amongst the most eastern of the nations.

(The July-September edition of CCOG’s Bible News Prophecy magazine is available as a downloadable PDF: Bible News Prophecy, July-September 2013.)

So, yes, I have long believed that some type of unity will come to the Koreans, prior to the return of Jesus and the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

Getting back to that 2013 article, the following was also in it:

The Koreans Will Be Among the First to Recognize the Falsehood of the Beast

Lest any have the misimpression that the Koreans are not a discerning people, it needs to be understood that the Koreans will be among the first to recognize the falsehood of this European power. But before that, there will likely be increased military cooperation among many of the Asian nations. The Koreans will finally see that the European Beast power, also called “the King of the North” in the Bible, is not something to be worshiped or trusted. Why do we of the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God believe that? Because there are certain verses in both the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation that appear to be discussing East Asian nations and the European Beast power.

Notice from the Book of Daniel:

“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. 44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him (Daniel 11:40-45).

Notice that the end time King of the North (the European Empire ) will overwhelm the King of the South (a Moslem empire), but that those from the east and the north shall trouble the King of the North. This appears to be referring to China and Russia, and apparently other Asian nations (including Korea–which is one of the most “eastern” of all nations). And notice that they will be used to help cause the King of the North to come to his end. And it is likely that by the end, both Koreas would be involved. Korea apparently part of the “kings from the east” or more literally “kings of the sunrise” of Revelation 16:12).

It would seem like Korea is likely to support the coming confederation of the east that will have a 200,000,000 man army:

15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. (Revelation 9:15-16)

This will not turn out well for the participants, including any Koreans (cf. Revelation 19:17-21).

However, war is not the ultimate destiny for most Koreans. Deification is.

Despite wars and rumors of war (Matthew 24:4-8), ultimately, there is good news as the Kingdom of God will come and those issues will be gone (Revelation 7:16).

Until then, we will hear of troubles, rumors of wars, wars, and the Great Tribulation. And irrespective of what happens to North Korea, eventually, one of those wars will eliminate the USA (Daniel 11:39; see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses).

The situation with North Korea has the potential to weaken the USA in various ways many have not seriously considered.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 25th, 2023 at 8:00 am and is filed under Prophecy.

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