The Everlasting Hatred (33 page)

The Asian sphere of power called “the kings of the East”

The power prophetically known as the revived Roman Empire heading the West

The power known as “the king of the North,” who comes from the extreme north of Israel

Many Biblical prophets declare God's Last Days warning to the nations surrounding Israel. Great judgment is predicted for these nations because, God says, “They appropriated MY land and mistreated MY people Israel.”
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When I wrote
The Late Great Planet Earth
in 1969, the Muslim nations did not represent anything like the threat to the West that they are now. Because of Bible prophecy, I recognized that with Russian help, they had to be one of the power blocs of the last days. Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt led the Islamic nations then, and he sought to unite the Muslim world under a kind of
secular Arab socialism. The Soviet Union was, at the time, seeking to promote Islam's war against Israel in order to bring the Muslims under communist control. But this was an unnatural relationship, for neither socialism nor communism agrees with the Koran.

Ezekiel's prophesy names Persia, not Egypt, as the leader of the Muslim sphere of power that joins with the “king of the North” (also known as “Gog”) for the final conflict. But at the time, the Shah of Iran was, next to Israel, the United States' best friend in the Middle East.

When the Shah of Iran was driven out and replaced by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, a dramatic change in the Muslim world began to take place. As previously mentioned, the United States inexplicably withdrew help and support for the Shah at a critical time. America has paid and will continue to pay a terrible price for that, for it is Iran that has now become the leader of the whole fundamentalist Muslim world. Not through some secular political system, but through a return to the “pure fundamentals of the Koran.” This is an almost irresistible pull upon the heart of virtually all Muslims.

The Islamic fundamentalist revolution began and continues through Iran. This movement's ability to appeal to young Muslim men to sacrifice their lives for a heavenly reward of fleshly pleasures they can only dream of on earth has produced the most formidable terrorists in history. This movement has the potential of wreaking havoc upon Western civilization—especially America.

When Ezekiel predicted the miraculous Last Days restoration of the land of Israel, he also warned the neighboring nations for
confiscating His land. Just read how accurately the details of Ezekiel's prophecy fit the current situation in “Israel-Palestine”:

And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, “O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Because the enemy has spoken against you, “Aha!” and, “The everlasting heights have become our possession.”' . . . “Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD. Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the forsaken cities, which have become a prey and a derision to the rest of the
nations which are round about
.. . . ‘Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and
against all Edom
[collective name for Arab peoples], who appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for a prey.' . . . “Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘I have sworn that surely the
nations which are around you
will themselves endure their insults. But you, O mountains of Israel, you will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel; for they will soon come [home].'”
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Who owns the land that the Romans out of spite renamed Philistia or Philistina after the ancient enemies of Israel—the Philistines? The Arabs couldn't pronounce “Philistina,” so it came to be called by the Arab pronunciation—“Palestine.” In the prophecy above, God makes it clear that the Arabs don't own the land—and neither do the Jews. He says it is “My land.” The Lord declares that He will only give it to those He has promised it to—the believing remnant of Israelites.

The Lord expresses His fury at the Muslim nations for appropriating His land and desecrating it—reducing it to a state of utter desolation.

God then declares that He will bring His people back to the land and that it will flourish to their touch. In an earlier chapter, I noted that God would give back the land to the Israelites on the basis of His unconditional covenant with them, in spite of the fact they do not deserve it.

As the Lord explains:

Therefore, say to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. . . . For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land.'”
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When God makes a promise, His name is at stake. He will not break a promise, no matter how unworthy the recipients may be. So He sovereignly announces that He will cause a remnant to believe and become the recipients of His ancient covenants with their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

In the same general time of these events, Ezekiel predicts the rise of another key piece to the prophetic pattern. There are three major Biblical predictions about this northern power. They are found in Ezekiel 38 and 39, Daniel 11:40-45, and Joel 2:20. Ezekiel gives three clues by which to identify this power.

First, the Geographic Clue
: In Bible prophecy, all compass directions assume Israel as their base point, unless specifically noted otherwise. The attacking nation in view in Ezekiel will come
against Israel from its “uttermost or extreme north.” This clue is repeated three times. Ezekiel predicts that the invader will come “from the remote parts of the north with all its troops—many peoples with you”
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; that the attacker “will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples”
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; and that the Lord “shall turn you around, drive you on, take you from the remotest parts of the north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel.”
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The Hebrew word translated “remote parts of the north” literally means “extreme north.”

There is only one colossus that covers the entire great expanse to the north of the Middle East and Asia. Take a globe and go to the extreme north from Israel. There is only one nation there—Russia.

Second, the Time Clue
: Ezekiel clearly identifies the time in history this nation would rise to power. He writes, “After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste; but its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them.”
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Ezekiel predicts that this hostile nation will rise against Israel
after
it has been brought back from its worldwide dispersion and reborn as a nation in “the latter years.” That can only be now—since the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948.

Third, the Ethnic Clue
: Ezekiel writes that this northern power will be descended from the ancient tribes of Magog, Meshech, and Tubal. All these people spread north of the Caucasus Mountains at the dawn of recorded history.

The fifth century B.C. Greek historian Herodotus is quoted as mentioning Meshech and Tubal. He identified them with a people known as the Samaritans and Muscovites, who lived at that time in the extreme north of Asia Minor.
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Josephus, a Jewish historian of the first century, says that the people of his day known as the Moschevi and Thobelites were
founded by Meshech and Tubal respectively. He also says, “Magog is called the Scythians by the Greeks.” He reported that these people lived in the northern regions above the Caucasus Mountains.
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These fierce tribes later became collectively known as the Scythians. The Scythians are easily traced in history as the principle forefathers of the modern ethnic Russians.

Russia is not predicted as a world conqueror, but rather as a dangerous regional power with a vast arsenal of deadly weapons. Ezekiel predicts that this people will lead a confederacy of nations, which are all Muslim today, and will equip them with deadly weapons.
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Persia, or Iran, is the first confederate named.
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It is no coincidence that Iran has signed a treaty with Russia that binds Moscow to fight along side the Iranians if the West attacks. Iran now troubles the world with its headlong plunge toward nuclear weapons. Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has defied the sanctions of the world with his relentless pursuit of what he believes is his mission for Allah—to obliterate Israel and to start the last war that will cause the Muslim messiah, “the Mahdi,” to return.

As mentioned in the last chapter, I have sought for years to warn about the Muslim prophecies that are passionately believed by Iran's ayatollahs and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. And how the Russians are now in a treaty that requires them to side with Iran in future conflicts—just as predicted. As predicted in Ezekiel chapter 38, Russia continues to supply all manner of weapons to Iran and the Muslim world.

Also during this same era, predicts the Book of Revelation, the world will see the rise of an enormous power in Asia. The Apostle John writes of “the kings of the East”
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who advance into the Middle East from east of the Euphrates River. In the Apostle
John's era, the Euphrates River was the dividing line between the Near East and the Far East. According to Revelation Chapter 9, this Asian confederacy will cross the Euphrates River with two hundred million soldiers. This advance is apparently to challenge the Russian-Persian invasion of the aforementioned strategic land bridge that connects Africa, Asia, and Europe—along with its vital oil reserves.

I believe China is destined to lead this Asian confederation and become a major world power. At the time of this writing, China is one of the top three economic powers in the world, and its military might is growing in tandem with its economic expansion.

It is important to note that
when
John made this cryptic prophecy of a vast two-hundred-million-man Asian army, there were not that many people in the world.
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This sphere of power is destined to kill one-third of mankind. The Apostle John's first-century prophecy that describes the phenomena that kills this unprecedented number of people is a very good portrayal of the effects of a modern thermonuclear war. Just imagine this prophecy being fulfilled in terms of today's population. A third of the world's present population translates into 2.3 billion people killed in a matter of days. No wonder both Jesus and Daniel said about this time, “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.”