The Identification of the Two Witnesses in Revelation as Elijah and Moses

The identification of the two witnesses in the Book of Revelation as Elijah and Moses is a common interpretation among some Christian traditions. This interpretation is often based on various passages from the Bible, including the account of the Transfiguration in Matthew chapter 17. However, it's important to note that interpretations of biblical texts can vary, and this view is not universally accepted. Here's a study to support the idea that the two witnesses in Revelation are Elijah and Moses:

Title: The Identification of the Two Witnesses in Revelation as Elijah and Moses

Introduction: The Book of Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, contains a vivid description of apocalyptic events, including the appearance of two witnesses. While their identities are not explicitly mentioned, some scholars and theologians argue that these witnesses can be identified as Elijah and Moses based on various biblical passages and theological considerations.

1. The Transfiguration Account (Matthew 17): One of the primary passages that support the identification of the two witnesses as Elijah and Moses is the account of the Transfiguration found in Matthew 17:1-13. In this event, Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, and two figures appeared with Him: Moses and Elijah. This association between Moses and Elijah and Jesus' divine revelation has led some to draw a connection between these two figures and the witnesses in Revelation.

2. Similarities in Miraculous Abilities: The two witnesses in Revelation 11 are described as having the power to perform miraculous acts, such as calling down fire from heaven and having authority over plagues. This aligns with the miraculous abilities demonstrated by both Elijah and Moses in their respective ministries. Elijah called down fire from heaven (1 Kings 18:38), and Moses had authority over plagues during the Exodus (Exodus 7-11).

3. Roles and Themes in Biblical History: Elijah and Moses played significant roles in the history of Israel. Elijah was a prophet who confronted idolatry and called the people to return to the worship of the one true God. Moses, on the other hand, led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and delivered the Law on Mount Sinai. The witness's role of testifying to God's truth and judgment in Revelation resonates with the prophetic roles of Elijah and the lawgiving role of Moses.

4. Theological Significance: Identifying the two witnesses as Elijah and Moses holds theological significance as it connects the Old and New Testaments. It symbolizes the continuity of God's plan throughout history, with the witnesses representing the prophetic and redemptive aspects of God's covenant with His people.

Conclusion: While the identification of the two witnesses in Revelation as Elijah and Moses is a compelling interpretation based on biblical passages and theological themes, it is important to acknowledge that other interpretations exist. The Book of Revelation is a highly symbolic and complex text, and different scholars and theologians may offer alternative perspectives. Nevertheless, recognizing the potential connection between these two witnesses and the biblical figures of Elijah and Moses provides valuable insight into the rich tapestry of biblical prophecy and history.

The correlation between the 42 months mentioned in Revelation 11 and the three and a half years mentioned in the letter of James is significant. In both cases, this time period represents a symbolic duration associated with prophetic activities and divine intervention.

Revelation 11:2: The 42 months during which the Gentiles will trample on the holy city is a symbolic representation of a time of tribulation or hardship. In biblical prophecy, numbers often carry symbolic meanings, and three and a half years is half of seven, which is considered a complete or perfect number. This period signifies a time of trial and testing.


James 5:17: The reference to Elijah's prayer for no rain for three and a half years highlights the idea that this duration represents a significant period of divine intervention and judgment. Elijah's actions were a form of prophetic announcement and a demonstration of God's power.

Connecting these two passages underscores the symbolic nature of the numbers in biblical prophecy and emphasizes the idea that a period of three and a half years represents a time of divine activity, testing, and prophetic fulfillment. This connection further supports the interpretation that the two witnesses in Revelation may indeed be Elijah and Moses, who are associated with similar periods of prophetic significance in the Bible.

Title: The Symbolism of 42 Months and 1260 Days: Unveiling the 3½-Year Period of the Two Witnesses during the Sixth Trumpet

Introduction: The Book of Revelation is rich with symbolism and prophetic imagery, and among its enigmatic passages is Revelation 11:2-3, which speaks of a period of 42 months and 1260 days during which the two witnesses will prophesy. This study aims to explore the symbolic significance of these time frames and their association with the events of the sixth trumpet.

In Revelation 11:4-14, it describes the activities of the two witnesses during the time of the sixth trumpet, which precedes the sounding of the seventh trumpet in verse 15. The events described in Revelation are often structured around a series of seals, trumpets, and bowls, each signifying different stages of God's judgment and divine plan.

During the time of the sixth trumpet, the two witnesses are prophesying and performing miraculous acts, as mentioned in Revelation 11. Their ministry is a significant part of the events leading up to the culmination of God's plan, which is represented by the sounding of the seventh trumpet. This structure is symbolic and signifies the progression of God's divine plan as it unfolds throughout the book of Revelation.

Understanding this timeline within the context of the trumpets and other symbolic elements in the book helps to interpret the sequence of events and the roles played by various figures, including the two witnesses, in the prophetic narrative of Revelation.

1. Symbolism of 42 Months:In Revelation 11:2, we encounter the mention of 42 months, equivalent to 3½ years. This duration holds deep symbolic significance within biblical prophecy.
The number 3½ often represents a period of testing, trial, or divine intervention. It is half of the number seven, which is considered a complete or perfect number in biblical symbolism.
During these 42 months, the two witnesses are actively involved in their prophetic ministry, indicating a time of divine revelation and testimony.

2. 1260 Days:The 1260 days mentioned in Revelation 11:3 is another way of expressing the same 3½-year period. This period is achieved by using a 360-day calendar (30 days per month).
This duration is consistent with the symbolic nature of time in Revelation and underscores the idea of a significant prophetic period.

3. The Sixth Trumpet Context:Revelation 11:4-14 provides details about the activities of the two witnesses and their ministry during the sixth trumpet.
The sixth trumpet heralds a series of events, including plagues and judgments, as part of God's unfolding plan.
The ministry of the two witnesses occurs within this context, emphasizing their role in proclaiming God's message and demonstrating His power during a time of intensified spiritual conflict and tribulation.

4. Interpretation and Significance:The 3½-year period represented by both 42 months and 1260 days underscores the idea of a limited but significant time of divine activity and intervention.
The ministry of the two witnesses during this period serves as a testimony to God's truth and judgment, calling people to repentance and faith.
The connection to the sixth trumpet highlights their role within the broader context of God's judgment and the progression of His divine plan.

Conclusion: The 42 months and 1260 days associated with the ministry of the two witnesses in Revelation 11 represent a symbolic period of 3½ years, emphasizing divine intervention, testing, and the proclamation of God's message. This period occurs during the events of the sixth trumpet, showcasing the integral role of the two witnesses within the prophetic narrative of Revelation as they bear witness to God's truth and the unfolding of His plan.

Title: The Mission of Moses and Elijah: A Prophetic Ministry After the Resurrection

Introduction: In the intricate tapestry of biblical prophecy, the roles of Moses and Elijah hold a distinct place. According to some interpretations, their mission will commence after the Resurrection, directing a company of glorified saints in a transformative mission of instruction to Jews and Christians alike. This study delves into the scriptural foundations and prophetic insights that underpin this concept, examining passages from Jeremiah, Malachi, Matthew, and other key texts.

1. The Resurrection and the Mission of Moses and Elijah:Moses and Elijah's ministry is often associated with a post-Resurrection period, during which they will play a pivotal role in guiding a company of glorified saints.
Their mission is seen as a directive to both Jews and Christians, emphasizing the universality of their message and its significance in the unfolding of God's divine plan.

2. The Inclusivity of "All Israel" in Prophecy:Jeremiah 3:12-18 and Malachi 4:4 are cited as foundational texts. These passages use the term "all Israel," which some interpret as encompassing both natural Jews and the spiritual Israel of God, known as the Church.
This interpretation highlights the comprehensive nature of Moses and Elijah's mission, transcending traditional boundaries.

3. The Associates of Moses and Elijah:Matthew 24:13-31 is referenced to suggest that Moses and Elijah will have associates with them during their ministry. This is likened to Moses being accompanied by Aaron, Joshua, and the 70 Elders of Israel and Elijah being followed by the sons of the prophets.
These associates are seen as instrumental in the dissemination of God's word and the fulfillment of their prophetic mission.

4. The Call to Repentance and Recognition of Yahweh:At the core of Moses and Elijah's mission is a call to repentance, symbolizing Yahweh's mercy and grace extended to Believers.
The nations are summoned to acknowledge Yahweh's existence through actions that entail putting away abominations and confessing their faith.

5. The Return to the Holy Land and the Restoration of Israel:Prophetic passages from Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Isaiah (Ezekiel 20:33-38, Zechariah 9:12-17, Isaiah 11:11-16) depict the eventual return of God's people to the holy land and the restoration of Israel.
This restoration signifies a turning point in the fulfillment of God's promises and the acknowledgment of His sovereignty.

Conclusion: The concept of Moses and Elijah embarking on a prophetic mission after the Resurrection, alongside a company of glorified saints, is rooted in a nuanced interpretation of various biblical passages. These scriptures suggest a mission encompassing repentance, the recognition of Yahweh, and the ultimate restoration of God's people. While interpretations may vary, this perspective offers profound insights into the prophetic tapestry of the Bible and the roles of these iconic figures in shaping the future of God's redemptive plan.

the structure of Revelation

 

The GREAT RED DRAGON , The DRAGON . . . & A FINAL WARNING for BELIEVERS

 Revelation 12 * * PART 2 * * The GREAT RED DRAGON , The DRAGON . . . & A FINAL WARNING for BELIEVERS Missed PART 1 ?? . . . Click this link > > > https://www.prophecynewsdesk.com/the-great-red-dragon Cont . VERSE 4 - . . . “ the dragon stood before the woman , which was ready to be delivered ” In its ancient fulfilment , the great red dragon was ‘ Pagan ’ Rome which persecuted the Christian Church ( woman ) of that time. In its end-times fulfilment , the great red dragon is‘ Communist China ’ which - as an ‘ atheist’state - continues to brutally oppress and persecute Christians today. Pagan Rome was a fore-runner to the great red dragon of our day, China. In the days of the Roman Empire , ‘ the woman ’ of Revelation 12 represented Christianity ( ie. the Church ). In the coming LATTER DAY fulfilment , ‘ the woman ’ continues to be Christianity , but in a pseudo-Christian form led by the apostate Roman Catholic Church. In the ancient fulfilment the ‘ woman ’ ( Church ) was “ ready to be delivered ” of a child. This birth of a ‘ man-child ’ prefigured the ascension to power of Emperor Constantine ( enabled by the support of Christians/Church ). This same scenario will soon play out again as ‘ the woman ’ ( Catholic Church ) will preside over the birth of yet another powerful leader in the last days ( in the similitude of Constantine ) . . . an ‘ iron-like ’ potentate that will rule the world. “ for to devour her child as soon as it was born ” As the ‘ Pagan ’ Emperors of the Roman Empire ( led by Galerius ) sought to undermine , defeat and even destroy ‘ a rival ’ ( Emperor Constantine - whose power and authority was derived from the Church ) likewise China , in its own bid for global supremacy will ALSO seek ( unsuccessfully ) to undermine and subvert the ‘ rise to power ’ of a potential rival ( whose power and authority will ALSO be derived from the Church ) in the last days. The Woman of today is the Roman Catholic Church. The ’man-child ’ soon to be delivered of the RomanMother Church to great power and authority will be the Russian ‘ Gog ’. It will quite literally be an end-times re-enactment ( exact in almost every detail ) of the 4 th century events , the Pagan Dragon of ‘the East’ (Galerius/China ) seeking to devour the man-child of ‘the West’ (Constantine/Russia’s Vladimir Putin ). Yet like Constantine - against great odds the emerging power of ‘Gog ’ will prevail. While Russia and China do have similar communist / socialist governments and ideologies , one crucial ( potentially divisive ) difference between them is ‘ religion ’. China is vehemently opposed to any form of religious faiths and openly suppresses and persecutes such groups. It is all-but completely an atheist / secular state as mandated and brutally enforced by its totalitarian ruling party. It’s the perfect latter-day manifestation of the ancient Pagan dragon. Conversely , President Vladimir Putin places enormous importance in the Russian Orthodox Church. Portraying himself as a defender of traditional values and morality ( ie. opposing homosexuality , divorce and supporting the ‘ traditional ’ family ) his use of traditional Christianity has far more to do with political expediency than religious sincerity. It is generally calculated for political effect , to underpin his popularity at home and justify his legislative reforms and societal dictates. Putin also uses religion to great effect to discredit and delegitimise the West’s influence in Eastern Europe and generally advance Russian expansionism. He views religion as an essential part to the restoration of Russian greatness and recently even built a cathedral dedicated solely to Russia’s military forces. Going forward , with Putin’s moves to further tighten his grip on Ukraine and Belarus ; bring former Soviet republics back under Russia’s control , as well as expand Russian influence further into Eastern and Central Europe he will most certainly continue to promote Orthodoxy. As Putin seeks greater influence over these nations , emphasizing traditional religion serves two of his goals. It establishes a common ground between Russia and Eastern Europe, and, more importantly, amplifies the differences that Eastern Europe may have with the West - especially as the Western world increasingly drifts further away from traditional values. While there may be an ‘ appearance ’ of some level of geopolitical and military cooperation between China and Russia ( being allies with similar ideologies / objectives ) nevertheless - as the current political and economic behemoth globally - China has every intention of bringing Russia under its umbrella through its “ Belt and Road Initiative ”. It will NOT happen. In fact , China’s BRI project and broader global ambitions threaten to put it in direct conflict with both its nuclear-armed rivals . . . with the USA , over China’s continuing threat to annex Taiwan and its aggression toward US allies in the AsiaPacific . . . and with Russia , due to China’s increasingly provocative involvement with Turkey and the strategically sensitive Black Sea region. Both situations could easily explode into hostility and even open warfare between these global titans. A REAL-WORLD OBSERVATION : In 2021 there are 3 great powers globally . . . 1) United States 2) China & 3) Russia ( arguably ). Each have ‘ comparable ’ military capabilities . . . all of which are fearsome. However , in terms of ‘ economic might ’ ( and therefore geo-political influence ) Russia is dwarfed by BOTH China and America. In fact Russia has only the 11th largest economy world-wide compared to USA #1 & China #2. Yet from scripture we know - with absolute certainty - at the “ time of the end ” the Russian Gog will - for a brief period - ‘ reign supreme ’ without any peer or challenger on the planet.. This would suggest within a relatively short period ( between 2021 and Gog’s victory ) there is a truly seismic shift in the fortunes of these powers. The two pre-eminent ‘ global super-powers ’ ( USA & China ) it would seem will be dramatically reduced in economic / military might and influence - allowing Russia to ascend to an ‘ all-powerful ’ global posture. What event/s could possibly enfeeble - not one - but TWO mighty ‘ global super-powers ’ at one time ?? WHATEVER this event/s may be that befall China and America , this scenario is entirely consistent with a clear transition found within the narrative of REVELATION 12 . . . from the end-times GREAT RED DRAGON ( China ) - to - the DRAGON ( Russia ) Once again , the historical fulfilment is a template for the modern-day fulfilment. With the political birth of Constantine described in Revelation 12 , the change in the form of the dragon symbolised the demise of Paganism ( Great Red Dragon ). Similarly , just as Constantine’s enthronement signalled the end of one ruling power , the rise of the latter-day man-child ( Putin ) heralds the emergence of a ‘ new dragon ’ ( Russia ) . . . indicating China will surely fail in its bid for global domination. This transition is later confirmed in the opening verse of the next chapter ( Rev 13 ) by the emergence of another creature . It is described there as a “ beast ” ( distinguishing it from the red dragon ). Just like its dragon-predecessor , this “ beast ” also has 7 Heads and 10 Horns - but most significantly it now has ‘ 10 Crowns ’ upon his heads ( not 7 ) - and upon his heads the name of “ blasphemy ”. These details are highly important and very revealing. It confirms an end-times transition from the Great Red Dragon ( CHINA) - to - the new global order of the Dragon ( Putin’s RUSSIA ) and the Beast ( Catholic EUROPE ). This new “ beast ” which now has 10 Horns/ 10 Crowns is symbolic of the 10 nations of Catholic Europe (10 Toes of Daniel 2 ) which will soon be allied with Russia’s Gog in the last days. Upon its heads the name of “ blasphemy ”, further underlines its connection with the Mother of Harlots , the blasphemous apostate church of Rome whose seat and power resides in Europe as signified by the “ crown of twelve stars ” ( 12v1 ) as seen in the Euro flag to this day. VERSE 5 - And she brought forth a man child , who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron : and her child was caught up unto God , and to his throne. “ she brought forth a man child ” - the ascension to power of Emperor Constantine & the church’s order of men ( Pope’s ) to follow. “ who was to rule the nations with a rod of iron ” - one ‘ iron-rule ‘ that united all elements of the Roman Empire “ her child was caught up unto God ; and to His throne ” - Constantine ascended into the political & ecclesiastical heavens (figurative) she brought forth a man child , who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will be that man-child - brought forth of ‘ the woman ’ - to be the modern day equivalent of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Having recently cemented Russia’s presence in the Middle East , Russia’s Gog will soon harness the power of Catholic states to confederate an unprecedented alliance of nations that will dominate the global landscape. As the Imperial Head of this coalition he will be the unrivalled ‘ ruler of the world ’ just as Constantine before him. It is certainly no co-incidence , the name ‘ Vladimir ’ actually means “ ruler of the world ”. In fact , his full name of birth is Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin with a curious double emphasis on the “ ruler of the world ” element. Who does this ?? Having also in 2021 legislated to ensure ‘ his right ’ to remain as President until 2036 ( making him potentially the longest serving Russian ruler in history ) can there be any doubt , this is the divinely appointed destiny for this long-prophesied king of the north ? “ Art thou he . . . of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel . . . ? ” ( Ezek 38v17 ) The reference to “ with a rod of iron ” (v.5) being an ‘ iron-like ’ ruling sceptre or staff, was a metaphor reflecting the absolute power and totality of Constantine’s reign. For the latter-day Russian Gog , this metaphor of a “ rod of iron ” speaks to the ‘ instrument/s’ that will enable Vladimir Putin to “ rule all nations ”. In fact , it has a ‘ two-fold ’ application and significance. The first allusion is to the Roman Catholic Church . . . this being the sole remaining vestige and remnant of the ‘ Iron-Age ’ Roman Empire , the support of which ( Papacy / Church ) will be a key component to Putin’s rise to global dominion. The second application is as an illustrative metaphor , one that provides an unmistakable vision of the ‘ actual weapons ’ Russia’s Gog will mercilessly use to subjugate the nations - they are Vladimir Putin’s ‘ signature ’ weapons . . . ‘ missiles ’. These “ rods of iron ” are consistently depicted throughout scripture by their own ancient archetypes , in terms such as : ‘ RODS of wickedness ’ / ‘ glittering ’ spears / ‘ bright ’ swords / arrows / bows ‘ of steel ’ / ‘ iron ’ weapons / ‘ flying ’ rolls  [ For more information on this important topic ( Click Link ) : THE BUYER & THE SELLER . . . THE ‘ ROD OF WICKEDNESS ’ REVEALED ] Repeatedly described in God’s Word as “ wicked devices ”, “ mischievous devices ”, “ instruments of death ” and “ ( wicked ) imaginations ” these weapons of mass destruction will be the principle tool this end-times global dictator Vladimir Putin will most assuredly use to conquer the nations and impose his world-wide rule.  [ To see the extensive bible evidence on this topic ( Click Link ) : DIVINE JUDGMENT . . . THRO’ MAN’S ‘ WICKED DEVICES ’ ] and her child was ‘ caught up unto God ’ and to his throne. This is a ‘ figurative ’ statement not meant to be taken literally. Related to events in the days of Rome , it signified the final ascension of Constantine not just to absolute power over the Roman Empire, but also to his claim he had the ‘ divine right ’ to rule , even to preside over and adjudicate matters of church doctrine and ecclesiastical practise. With this presumption , along with his elevation of the Church to the status of ‘ state religion ’ , Constantine himself laid the foundation for the institutional succession of men ( Catholic Popes ) who claim to be ‘ God on Earth ’. In the latter-day fulfilment , Vladimir Putin in his rise to supreme global power will also ascend into the ‘ ecclesiastical heavens ’ as he will personally engineer and oversee the ‘ great unification ’ of the Church - the Roman Catholic (West) and Russian / Greek Orthdoxy (East) - in the same manner as Constantine forged together the Roman Empire. As a matter of prophetic requirement , we know the end-times Russian Gog will be the final aggregate manifestation and fulfilment of ‘ ALL ’ the preceding beasts / kingdoms of men ( Daniel 2 & 7 ). This final end-time Emperor will exceed the exploits of all his predecessors and surpass them in his arrogance. It is therefore not at all improbable he will assert extraordinary control over the newly-unified Western Catholic / Eastern Orthdox Church ( with the help of a complicit Vatican ). Just as many militant political figures down through history who have reigned supreme ( ie. Constantine … and later even Napoleon ) exerted significant power and influence over the state church / religions of their day , similarly Russia’s Gog will do likewise , utilising and even exploiting it for his own political and strategic purposes. Back in verse 2 , the woman “ being with child . . . cried , travailing in birth . . . pained to be delivered ” depicts the traumatic process of child birth. The birth pangs( which begin apx.10 days prior) were a symbol of the 10 year ‘persecution of Christians ’. Just as the ‘ persecution of Christians ’ which began 10 years before ( under Diocletian in AD 303 ) was a direct catalyst to Constantine’s ascension to power a decade later(AD313) these ‘ exact pre-conditions’ will also thrust VladimirPutin to power. It is therefore no co-incidence that - since the 2011 Arab Spring uprising - the ‘ persecution of Christians ’ and their exodus from the Middle East has risen exponentially. In the aftermath of the brutal 2014 - 2016 persecution and genocide of Christians in the MiddleEast (carried out by ISIS/ISIL) Russia has purposefully cultivated and established for itself a reputation as a vanguard and protector of Christians. Asrecently as November2019, it was announced [notably by ‘the Vatican News ’ 1 ] that Russia and Hungary - having met with Middle Eastern church leaders in Budapest - they formally agreed to cooperate together to “protect persecuted Christians ”. In his pressstatement : “Putin . . . stressed that supporting Christians in conflict areas is now ‘ a top priority ’ for Russia ”. Now in 2021, with the sudden withdrawal of US / Western forces from Afghanistan in recent days, the Islamic Taliban terror group has threatened to exterminate all ‘ Christians’ there, whilst Turkey conducts bombing raids on ‘ Christian villages ’ in Iraq and Syria. The dark spectre of widespread Christian persecution and atrocities could well become a ‘ convenient’ pre-tense for the King of the North to launch his own ‘religious crusades’ in the last days. 1 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2019-11/russia-hungary-protect-persecuted-christians-middle-east.html VERSE 6 - And ‘ the woman ’ fled into the wilderness , where she hath a place prepared of God , that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. “ woman fled into the wilderness ” remnant ( Donatists ) fled to remote areas of Empire to escape persecut’n of Constantine & church “ where she hath a place prepared of God ” - escaped to areas away from general habitations ‘ of man ’. ie. North African regions “ they should feed her there a thousand, three score and sixty days - 1260 year separation btwn Donatists & Catholics from 312 AD And the woman fled ‘ into the wilderness ’ , where she hath a place ‘ prepared of God ’, 3 In this instance , the ‘ woman ’ represents the true believers in the 4th century who fled to escape the persecution of Constantine and the newly formed state church , Catholicism. However , this passage is not simply a recounting of events during Roman times , it is also a prophetic projection of events soon to come for the ‘ true believers in Christ ’ living in the last days. Multiple bible passages make absolutely clear that a ‘ remnant of the Jews ’ will flee into the wilderness from the face of ‘ the spoiler ’ ( Gogian invader) who comes from the north country ( Isaiah 16v1-4 , 21v13-15 / Jeremiah 31v1-2 / Son 2v17,4v6 ) and Zechariah 14v5. The last of these bible verses contains a ‘ doctrinalmisconception’ which for generations has created false expectations amongst the faithful. We invite you to consider this ‘ deeply misconstrued passage ’ below : For many years , it has been widely claimed the phrase “ and the LORD my God shall come , and all the saints with thee ” is ‘ proof ’ the newly-glorified saints ( in readiness to accompany him into battle against the Gogian host at Armageddon ) will be gathered together with the Lord Jesus Christ ( “ thee ” ) at this moment as he ‘ stands upon ’ the Mount of Olives. This is false. If we look at the preceding context ( on the most elementary level ) the party being spoken to is the fleeing remnant of Israel. No less than three times in the foregoing words they are addressed as “ ye ” ( with historical context ) to underline it is they who are the subject of this verse , and to whom these words are directed. Therefore , when the text then speaks of the “ thee ” it most definitely is NOT the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the ‘ fleeing Jews’ with whom the saints will be gathered. Zech 14v5 : And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains ; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal : yea, ye shall flee , like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and the LORD my God shall come , and all the saints with thee ” So while still in our mortal bodies , we ( the living & the resurrected ) will be gathered into the wilderness for protection with the fleeing Jews. This is entirely consistent and in accordance with the timing and circumstances of Daniel 12v1-2 : Dan 12v1 And AT THAT TIME shall Michael ‘ stand up ’, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble , such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time : and AT THAT TIME thy people shall be delivered , every one that shall be found written in the book. v2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake , some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. At the precise moment the Lord Jesus Christ ‘ stands upon ’ the Mt. of Olives ready to go to battle against Gog’s forces , the living and the dead in Christ will be gathered together ( completely debunking the doctrine of the saints’ removal 10 years before Armageddon ). This is in perfect agreement with the words of the prophet Job (19v25-27) of the time to come when he will personally witness these events ( while still in his mortal body ) as the Lord Jesus Christ ‘stands up ’ upon the earth : Job 19v25 For I know that my redeemer ( Christ ) liveth, and that he shall ‘ stand ’ at the latter day upon the earth : v26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet IN MY FLESH shall I see God : v27 Whom I shall see for myself , and mine eyes shall behold and not another ; though my reins be consumed within me. ( ie. weakness of ‘ mortal ’ state ) If “ AT THAT TIME ” we (& Job ) are still mortal , clearly this indicates OUR judgment and immortalisation will come at a time ‘ after ’ the Lord stands on the Mt of Olives . . . and ‘ after ’ the ensuing battle of Armageddon involving the Lord and his mighty angels. There is simply no doubt concerning ‘ who ’ are the Lord’s fellow combatants at Armageddon. Significantly , its in his most consequential parable ( Sower/Wheat&Tares) he states with the utmost clarity : “The angels are the reapers ”.  FOR MORE INFORMATION - Click on the following link : THE END OF THE WORLD . . . Parable Of The Wheat & Tares As Christ and his heavenly angels go forth to fight against the Russian Confederacy , the remnant of the Jews and the saints (living&resurrected ) are gathered together into the wilderness (ie. Sinai) to await the judgmentseat . . . after Armageddon. The saints and the fleeing Jews ( “ woman ” ) will be gathered together in a place “ prepared of God ” ( in the wilderness ) protected and fed , away from the horrors of Armageddon. This is the same pattern of events seen in ancient times. After the ten plagues , just as the Israelites were miraculously delivered out of bondage (sin ) and from the land of Egypt ( world ) they were then removed to spend time in the wilderness . . . prior to their entrance into the Promised Land (God’s Kingdom ) So it will be for us. So . . . How long will we spend in the wilderness ?? that they should feed her there . . . a thousand two hundred and threescore days. Here defined is the ‘ precise span of time ’ the saints and the Jews will remain in the wilderness. It’s later repeated again ( symbolically ) in verse 14 “ into the wilderness , into her place , where she is nourished for a time , and times and half a time ” Interestingly , this exact interval is also used in Revelation 11 to foretell a final period of occupation of the Holy City : Revelation 11 v2 and the holy city ( Jerusalem ) shall they tread under foot forty and two months ( 42 mths / 1,260 dys ) v3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses , and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days ( 1,260 days / 42 months ) , clothed in sackcloth. All these various time spans ( being of the same length - ie. 1,260 days = 42 months = 3½ years ) are repeatedly mentioned throughout the books of Daniel and Revelation. Used to signify (in years) the intervals between significant historical events in the development of the Apostasy ( ie. day for a year = 1,260 years) it also makes ‘ perfect sense ’ that in reality these ‘symbolic ’ measures of time - all point to - one final end-times fulfilment in their actual ‘ LITERAL ’ measure ( ie. 3½ years / 42months/1,260days). That is 1,260 ‘ YEARS ’ of the persecution / down-treading of the saints under the apostate church prefigure the 1,260 ‘ literal DAYS ’ of the persecution / down-treading of Jerusalem in the final epoch of man’s corrupt reign. Without exception , in every instance where these peculiar time periods are referred to ( whether in Daniel -or- Revelation ) there are always direct references and clear language connecting these symbolic periods specifically to “ end-time ” events. They point to a ‘ parallel timeline ’ of future events for God’s two witnesses . On one-side 1. the nation of Israel ( Isaiah 43v10 - “ Ye are my witnesses ” ) and on the other-side 2. the true Gentile Believers ( Acts 5v31-32 - “ We are his witnesses ” ). Firstly , their coming period of affliction and endurance of tribulation ( 1. Daniel 12v7 2. Daniel 7v25 , Rev 11v2-3 ) THEN the extraordinary deliverance of both the fleeing Jews and the saints ( Zech 14v5 , Daniel 12v1 ) out of the time of trouble ( great tribulation ) into a place of refuge in the wilderness for a time. For ‘ the woman ’ these two periods ( … of affliction and of sanctuary ) are both 1,260 days/ 42 months/ 3½ years or “ a time , times and a half ” ( Revelation 12v6, 14 ; 11v9, 11) The first period is preliminary to ( …the second contemporaneous with ) the apocalyptic event depicted in the very next verse. VERSE 7 - And there was war in heaven : Michael and his angels fought against the dragon ; and the dragon fought and his angels, “ And there was war in heaven ” - relates the battle for control of the “ political heavens ” in the days of Roman Empire. “ Michael & his angels fought against the dragon ” - symbol of Constantine & his ‘ Christian ’ supporters fight against the Pagan state “ & the dragon fought and his angels ” - the Pagan Emperors ( ie. Diocletian / Galerius / Licinius.) who held political & military power And there was ‘ war in heaven ’ . . . This is a war. It is a battle for control of the ‘ political heavens ’ of the earth. BOTH historically . . . and in the near future. It is a direct and unambiguous depiction of the ‘ battle of ARMAGEDDON ’. While not traditionally understood as such , nevertheless it is absolutely beyond any doubt. A correct understanding of this passage has long been ‘ prevented ’ by a number of erroneous and misleading end-times doctrines ( of men ) , namely : 1. The ‘ SECRET ’ return of Christ 2. The ‘ PRE-tribulation ’ calling away of saints 3. The saints fight with Christ at Armageddon While each of these are ‘appealing ’ notions, NONE of them are supported by God’s Word . . . nor found anywhere therein. IF WE THINK this is too ‘ far-fetched ’ from our traditional beliefs . . . consider the Lord’s own personal disciples , those who were taught at His feet. Even they had a complete and total MIS-CONCEPTION of the impending events He spoke of. Do we believe we are ‘ immune ’ from a similar tunnel-vision ?? The acid test is . . . Which version of events ( in our times ) can ACTUALLY be supported / proven from God’s Word ?? NONE of the three doctrines ( listed above ) can be. Verse 7 of Revelation 12 then proceeds to reveal the true combatants in this metaphorical ‘war in heaven ’ (Armageddon ) : Michael and his angels fought against the dragon : While the name of the arch-angel ‘ Michael ’ is rightly understood to represent Christ , this verse is not merely a reference to those in the 4th century who “ identified with Christ ” ( ie. Constantine and his Christian followers ) as is suggested by some commentaries. This allusion is exceedingly more-powerful and far-reaching than just a historical footnote to the Roman-era. It still has dramatic and consequential ramifications ‘ for the future ’ even in this final age of Gentile dominion. Consider for a moment DANIEL 12v1. Within this monumental passage of prophecy ( which speaks inarguably of the last days) we know the Lord Jesus Christ is depicted as “ Michael ” who stands up to fight against the Russian Gog’s armies at Armageddon. Aside from Daniel 12v1 , the ONLY other occasion in all of scripture where Michael’s name is invoked to directly reference the Lord Jesus Christ is here in Revelation 12v7. This is not merely a matter of co-incidence. Being both deliberate and purposeful, there is an underlying reason why these two unique passages have this same indelible feature . . . They are CONTEMPORANEOUS and PARALLEL records . . . of the same ‘ end-time ’ event. They have the same personage . . . the same events . . . the same outcome. ( Yet we do not recognise this. ) Given this irrefutably is a prophecy concerning the battle of Armageddon , we can be assured that the other accompanying details are also completely accurate. First and foremost , as specifically mentioned it is ‘ the angels ’ ( Gk. G32 ‘ angelos ’ ) who are Christ’s fellow combatants that fight with him ( Matt 13v30,39 / Psa 68v17 / 2Thess 1v7-8 ) against Russia’s confederate forces. It is NOT the saints , who having ‘ faithfully endured ’ through the Time of Trouble / Great Tribulation are now delivered (Dan12v1 ) and at this time are secreted away in the wilderness with the remnant of the Jews( Zec 14v5 ). . . . and the dragon fought and his angels In its many manifestations down through the ages ‘ the dragon ’ has been an enduring symbol of the hostile , oppressing powers that oppose the furtherance of God’s purpose and persecute his people. Having evolved from the original ‘serpent ’ power - and being closely related thereto , the dragon in the 4th century ( and beyond ) represented the military power of Rome. In Revelation 12 we see this ‘shape-shifting ’ metaphorical creature transition from its former Pagan manifestation ( Great Red Dragon ) - to - the Apostate Church of the Holy Roman Empire ( Dragon ) that was re-birthed under Constantine and later ruled by his papal successors. At the time of the end , this ‘ dragon ’ will ultimately manifest itself in the form of the great Assyrian / Babylonian power that will embody all the political , military and ecclesiastical power of its predecessors. As the imperial head , the king of the North ( Gog ) will forge together an unprecedented alliance of nations and religions to form his latter-day confederacy ( “ the dragon & his angels ” ) that will fight against Christ and his angels at Armageddon. VERSE 8 - And prevailed not ; neither was their place found any more in heaven. “ And prevailed not ” - in a series of wars , the ruling Pagan military powers of Rome succumbed to Constantine “ neither was their place found anymore in heaven ” - the vanquished Emperors ( & Paganism itself ) removed fr. place of authority Foretold in prophecies of old, the final inevitable outcome of this apocalyptic battle for dominion of the earth (Armageddon ) will be the crushing defeat of the ‘ dragon power ’. Russia and its forces will be destroyed upon the mountains of Israel ( Ezek 38-39 / Dan 11 /Joel 2 ) before the irresistible power and might of the Lord Jesus Christ and his legions of ‘ holy ones’ ( angelic host ). For the vanquished , there is thereafter no more place to be found within the earth’s ‘ political heavens ’ . It is important to note , while the Russian ‘ Gog ’ is himself destroyed upon the mountains of Israel ( Daniel 8v25 , 11v45 / Ezekiel 39v3, 11 ) it is NOT the end of this enduring ‘ dragon power ’ as Revelation 12 makes abundantly clear. VERSE 9 - 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. “ And the great dragon was cast out ” - identified with Pagan Rome , dragon is defeated by Constantine ejected fr. political heavens “ that old serpent , called the Devil & Satan ” - related to orig. ‘ serpent ’ ( mind of flesh ) Pagan / Papal Rome is historically ‘diabolos’ “ which deceiveth the whole world ” - forerunner to future manifestations, dragon pagan power that deceived whole Roman Empire “ he was cast out into the earth ” - final defeat of ruling pagan dragon by Constantine at battle of Adrianople at Chrysopolis in AD324 “ and his angels with him ” - ruling pagan emperors , officials and their supporters were ousted from power and authority. Having for a brief period established its global reign and dominion from Jerusalem ( with the Russian autocrat as its king ), the defeated ‘ great dragon ’ after Armageddon is then “ cast out ” from the political heavens ( place of power and authority ) back “ into the earth ” ( ie. no political power ). This fits precisely with the timeline of parallel events involving the Lord Jesus Christ and his angels - who having achieved victory at the battle of Armageddon - issues a world-wide proclamation concerning the establishment of the ‘ Kingdom of God ’ and of the new rulership now in place. In verse 9 , the linking of the “ great dragon ” to its original progenitor the “ old serpent ” ( named the Devil , and Satan ) is key to identifying which remnant of the latter-day Assyrian-Babylonian power will survive and endure beyond Armageddon . Since the Garden of Eden , it’s been the ‘ serpent power ’ ( mind of the flesh ) that has beguiled the world . Great Babylon ( ie. Catholic / Papal Europe ) - being the full embodiment of the ‘ serpent ’ - is that ‘system of deception ’ that will arise yet again ( as the eternal ‘ diabolos / adversary ’ ) in a final climactic battle between ‘ the flesh ’ and ‘ the spirit ’. Led by the Vatican , these Catholic nations will reject the Lord’s call for all nations and peoples to submit to his rule. Together , they will conspire to subvert and overthrow this new righteous ruler. Though the Catholic Papacy will aspire to global dominion , it will never attain the ‘ supreme ’ political / military power as did the Russian ‘ Gog ’ - or - any of his predecessors found in Nebuchadnezzar’s image. THEN REVEALED in the next verse ( Revelation 12v10 ) is a series of ‘ truly momentous ’ and ‘ joyful ’ events to take place immediately following the battle between ‘ Michael ’ and the Dragon (Armageddon)... that will transform the whole world. It is important to note , these ‘ four extraordinary events ’ happen BEFORE the Lord’s final judgments are poured out upon the Harlot system in Rome ( viz. Revelation Ch’s 17 , 18 , 19 ). So WHAT are these ‘ four extraordinary events ’ ?? While a true understanding of them would appear to be ‘ self-evident ’ simply from the text in Revelation 12 , yet oddly this is NOT the case for most believers. The true nature and impact of these four events are examined in the final concluding section of this paper , which we encourage you to read and evaluate. Please read PART 3 of this paper 

Revelation 12 The GREAT RED DRAGON , The DRAGON & . . . A FINAL WARNING for BELIEVERS

Revelation 12 The GREAT RED DRAGON , The DRAGON & . . . A FINAL WARNING for BELIEVERS For generations , REVELATION 12 has been widely understood purely in a ‘ historical ’ context , as a prophecy concerning the rise of the Roman Apostate Church during its early political development. Rarely ( if ever ) is it spoken of as a prophecy related to the ‘ end-times’. Yet every layer of its narrative provides incontestable proof that it is a prophecy for ‘our time ’. There is no doubt that Revelation 12 was an accurate depiction of events during the time of the Roman Empire , namely the overthrow of the ‘ Pagan ’ system of government and the emergence of the Roman Catholic system under Constantine. Yet these ‘ historic ’ events were simply a forerunner to ‘ far greater events ’ soon to be fulfilled in the last days. The purpose of this document is to demonstrate ‘ beyond any reasonable doubt ’ that Revelation 12 - not only pointed to the rise of the Apostate Church in the 4th century - but more importantly ‘ for us ’ ( living in the last days ) it is also a prophecy revealing monumental events soon to come . . . many of which are both unheralded and unforeseen. ========== ============== ========== To highlight the remarkable accuracy of God’s Word , between the parallel ‘ historical ’ and ‘ end-time ’ fulfilments of this prophecy , throughout this paper we have incorporated into boxes the Roman-era fulfilment of this prophecy , the biblical symbols and events commonly accepted as being the ‘ real-world ’ outworking of these signs. Following each box , the text then proceeds to examine and detail the evidence relating to the coming ‘ END-TIMES ’ fulfilment of Revelation 12. VERSE 1 - And there appeared a great wonder in heaven ; a woman clothed with the sun , and the moon under her feet , and upon her head a crown of twelve stars : HISTORICAL FULFILMENT ( 4 th CENTURY A.D. - ROMAN EMPIRE ) “ Great wonder ” [ G4592 σημεῖον sēmeion - an indication , miracle , sign ] was ‘ a sign ’ of the emerging power of the church. “ In heaven ” - the ‘ political ’ heavens ( not the atmospheric ) wherein the church’s power and influence grew in the 4th century “ A woman ” - part of the ‘once’ chaste-virgin ( Ecclesia ) is now portrayed as a corrupt religious system … ie. being with child “ clothed with the sun ” - Sun = ‘ government ’. The church being invested imperial authority by the pagan ruler Constantine “ moon under her feet ” - symbol of State ecclesiasticism which derived its ‘ light ’ ( authority / influence ) from government “ upon her head a crown ” - Crown ( ‘ wreath ’ ) symbolic of the church’s victory over the former ‘ pagan ’ state religion “ of twelve stars ” - 12 Pagan Caesars of Rome ( since Augustus ) symbolise Supreme authority of Rome attained by Church The times of the Roman Empire saw dramatic changes in the earth’s political realms ( “ heavens ” ). Reflecting the incomprehensible nature of these changes the book of Revelation described them as “ great wonders ”. These changes also brought great social and ecclesiastical changes , all of which were accurately foretold in Revelation 12 through symbolic language. Each and every one of these prophetic symbols ( ie. “ heavens / woman / sun / moon / crown / twelve stars ” ) have a continuing relevancy and importance in ‘ the last days’ and are fully examined through the course of this document. Today - in 2021 - we are also living in an age of “ wonders ”. The whole world is experiencing dramatic and unprecedented change , both rapid and ( at times) violent changes happening politically , socially and even morally , just like the days of the Roman Empire. Yet Revelation 12 is not limited to this one ‘ historical ’ outworking. It portends to greater events coming. VERSE 2 - And she being with child cried , travailing in birth , and pained to be delivered. “ she being with child ” - the ‘ once ’ chaste virgin was now pregnant with the ‘ seeds of error ’ ( Acts 15 ) Natural Pregnancy - 280 days - Conception  birth ( man-child ) Political Birth of Man-Child - AD.33 Day of Pentecost  AD.313 Constantine’s victory ( & Church state religion ) “ cried , travailing in birth ”- birth pangs begin apx.10 days prior  AD.303 Diocletian began brutal ‘ persecution of Christians ’. “ pained to be delivered ” - Persecution ( pain ) of Christian community ( woman ) later a key factor in Constantine’s rise to power. The ‘ woman ’ described giving birth to this man-child - we know was a prophetic reference to the Christians ( ie. Church ) in Roman times who delivered Emperor Constantine to power. It is all documented history. While these verses certainly do describe the vast expanse of history relating to the rise of the apostate Roman Church , there is yet ‘ANOTHER PROPHETIC DIMENSION ’ to this chapter that is a vision of the ‘ very last days’ of the kingdoms of men . . . events coming in our time. VERSE 3 - And there appeared another wonder in heaven ; and behold a great red dragon , Having SEVEN HEADS and TEN HORNS , and SEVEN CROWNS upon his heads. “ great red dragon ” - Originally symbolised ‘ crocodile ’ of Egypt - first great opponent of God’s people , Israel - With political decline of Egypt , this role was assume by Rome - Dragon - ‘ RED ’ in colour - which is colour of ‘ Sin ’ and describes ‘ war-like belligerency ’ ( esp. towards Christianity ) - Dragon represented the Pagan state religion that wrought belligerent opposition to Constantine ( and the Church ) A ‘ second wonder ’ then appears . . . a Great Red Dragon. Unlike the woman found in verses 1-2 the Great Red Dragon has no discernable religious or spiritual attributes ascribed to it. In fact , it is hostile to the woman ( Christians / Church ) as we discover in verse 4 . Nevertheless , it is itself an ‘ apostate entity ’ , having rejected any form of faith or religion. The prophetic ‘ END-TIMES ’ manifestation of this Great Red Dragon . . . is the Communist - Socialist state of CHINA !!! GREAT RED DRAGON - It is an inarguable fact , a Great Red Dragon is the quint-essential symbol for CHINA. For thousands of years the red dragon has been universally known as the singular symbol for China , utterly and uniquely synonymous with this populous nation-state. Seen at every Chinese festival and every cultural event , the imagery and mythology of the Great Red Dragon is deeply ingrained and immersed throughout Chinese history , the culture and the psyche of the people. However , China’s connection to this prophetic symbol in Revelation 12 does not rest simply on the ‘ visual-likeness’ of this multi-headed dragon. There is a deep and inescapable ‘ correlation ’ between the specific features and characteristics of the Great Red Dragon ( as described in Revelation 12 ) and the modern day republic of China , which combined together all point to this communist nation-state being specifically and unmistakably prefigured in this end-time prophecy. Here’s why ... The two ‘ most powerful ’ institutions in the Chinese political structure are : 1) the Politburo Standing Committee ( P.S.C ) and 2) the State Council. Both these political bodies in their design & their composition bear stunning parallels to the description and features of the Great Red Dragon as detailed in Revelation 12. “ seven heads ” - 7 mountains upon which Rome was built & 7 kings ( ie. systems of government ) by which Rome was ruled SEVEN HEADS - In the same manner as the “ seven heads ” symbolised Rome’s ‘ seven kings ’ ( and the seven forms of rulership that governed Rome ) the “ seven heads ” are also a key feature of the present-day Chinese governmental structure. The ‘supreme ’ ruling authority in China rests with the Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee (PSC). Headed by the Chinese President and Chairman of the Communist Party Xi Jinping , this committee is the most powerful policy and decision making entity in the nation. It is comprised of ‘ seven men ’ - effectively ‘seven kings’ - who govern the nation of China with absolute authority. Every aspect of Chinese society is orchestrated , governed and controlled by this supreme ruling committee of seven men . . . These seven men are the ‘seven heads’ ofthe ‘end-times’ Great Red Dragon.  WIKIPEDIA  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politburo_Standing_Committee_of_the_Chinese_Communist_Party#Current_members_(in_order) “ ten horns ” - subsequent 10-fold division of the Roman Empire ( 10 Toes of Image - Daniel 2 ) the basis of modern-divided Europe TEN HORNS - The ‘ second ’ highest institution in the Chinese political system is the State. The cabinet appointed to administer the State is the State Council ( Executive Meeting Standing Committee ) which is comprised of ‘ ten ’ government officials known as State Councillors. Headed by the Premier ( of the State ) and four Vice-Premiers - these ‘ ten councillors’ are NOT ‘ kings’ in the true sense , rather they are officials or ministers appointed to execute the affairs of the State , including the day-to-day management of the economy , National Defence , State Security , Public Security and the Ministry of Culture. Importantly though , the State Council is sub-ordinate to the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) and its directives. We therefore see the description of the dragon’s ‘ten horns’ (v3) is in exact alignment with the ten members of China’s 2 nd tier State Council . . . These ten men are the ‘ten horns’ horns of the Great Red Dragon.  WIKIPEDIA  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Council_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China#Executive_Meeting_(Standing_Committee) “ seven crowns upon his heads ” - ‘ crowns ‘ ( Gk. ‘ diademaia ’ ) represent a ‘ symbol of authority ’ of those who wear them. SEVEN CROWNS - To underscore the difference in ‘ relative power ’ between the ‘ Seven Heads ’ ( Politburo SC ) and the ‘ Ten Horns ’ ( State Council ) the text in Revelation provides an additional qualification highlighting the ‘ power status ’ of these two respective governing bodies in China. The follow-up observation of “ seven crowns ” being found ONLY upon the ‘ Seven Heads ’ ( Politburo SC ) of this great red dragon , is a profound statement confirming these seven were conferred with absolute power. Notably , the “ crowns ” were not found on the “ ten horns ” indicating the ‘ inferior nature ’ of the State Council and reflects with ‘ perfect accuracy ’ the balance of power / status of these two Chinese political institutions. None of these parallels are ‘ coincidence ’. Written almost 2,000 years ago - this vision of the ‘ latter-day ’ Great Red Dragon is a powerful ‘ final revelation ’ intended to warn and prepare the faithful for ‘ unheralded ’ events . . . still yet to come. VERSE 4 - And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven , and did cast them to the earth : and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered , for to devour her child as soon as it was born . “ his tail ” - the tail of a beast indicates its fear and wrath - symbol applicable to Roman Empire in 4th Century ( esp.Pagan adherents ) “ drew the third part of the stars of heaven ” - Pagan Dragon ( Roman Emp. Maximin ) declared Holy War agnst Christianity / Church “ did cast them to the earth ” - Determination to eradicate Constantine ( & Christianity ) from the Roman Empire “ the dragon stood before the woman ” - ‘ Pagan ’ Roman Emperors openly hostile to , & persecuted Christianity / Church ( woman ) “ which was ready to be delivered ” - Emperor Constantine soon to be ‘delivered’ into power with help/support of Church ( woman ) “ for to devour her child as soon as it was born ” - Pagan Emperors Galerius , Maxentius & Licinius all sought to extirpate Constantine Having firmly established the prophetic relevancy of the Great Red Dragon to the communist nation of CHINA in our time , we find in verse 4 a description of the evil intentions of the red dragon in the last days, yet again with astonishing parallels : “ His tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven . . . and did cast them to the earth ”. This is an amazing prophetic statement reflecting the ‘ EXACT ’ situation concerning China’s global rise in recent times. China’s greatest ever economic and political project has been the much publicised “ Belt and Road Initiative [ BRI ] ”. In its continuing quest for world domination , China’s objective through this massive and multifaceted ‘ global strategy ’ of economic power and pressure is to bring over 65 nations ( 2/3 of the earth’s population ) into its direct sphere of influence and control [see : ABC News video below ]. China’s master plan continues to be rolled out throughout the Asia-Pacific region , Europe , Russia , Middle East and Africa. This form of economic and political coercion ( contrasted to the alternative option of overt and naked military aggression ) is also known as “ soft power ”. It is an insidious , but highly effective means of subjugating and ultimately controlling weaker nations as they become increasingly dependent on China’s economic might. This wolf-warrior diplomacy is a calculated and sinister plan aimed at making China the ‘ sole and unrivalled ’ super-power of the world. Implicit in China’s plan to dominate 2/3 of the world , is to undermine and destroy ( “ cast them to the earth ” ) the remaining 1/3 of nations ( “ third part of the stars of heaven ” ) namely Western democracies and Commonwealth nations whose systems of government and notions of freedom are antithetical to China’s communist regime and its ideologies . The operation of this plan ( to weaken Western democracies ) has been in play for several years and is well-documented. China’s infiltration of every strata of Western society and its subversion of key institutions is both extensive and endemic. Politics , major corporations , big tech , education and academia ( ie. universities / colleges), major sports, even Hollywood !! This seditious cultural transformation aimed at up-ending Western society , is being engineered and aggressively pursued by the Great Red Dragon . These subversive activities do not include the incessant cyber-attacks ( incl. massive database breaches, identity theft .. of millions ; theft of scientific and military technologies , state secrets and even disrupting and shutting down major Western infrastructure ). Now in 2021 , amid the ongoing aftermath of the Corona Virus Pandemic ( COVID-19 ) that China unleashed on the world , the Great Red Dragon is nearing completion of its objective to totally derail the West. Given that Revelation clearly describes these events in the ‘ past tense ’ ( “ drew … / and did cast …” ) would indicate China will succeed in this effort. There can be no doubt the Great Red Dragon of REVELATION 12 ( vs. 2-4 ) is‘ modern-day ’ China. Given this bible prophecy clearly does have a demonstrable and verifiable ‘ end-times’ application and context, we must ask a series of questions : WHY . . . do we only view this chapter through a ‘ historical ’ prism ( ie. 4th century Roman era ) and unwisely dismiss it from being a prophecy speaking of ’ literal events’ in the last days ? More importantly . . . WHAT do the remaining verses of Chapter 12 actually portend to ? And WHAT are these ‘ unheralded ‘ events coming soon ? Please read PART 2 of this paper ‘CLICK’ to Play Video THE COMING OF ‘ THE EAST WIND ’ Another strong ‘scriptural ’ indicator of where China’s malevolent role in world events will soon lead , can be found in PSALM 48. In verse 7 the Psalmist draws a long-sighted ‘ prophetic vision ’ of dark events coming in the last days : “ Thou breakest the ships of ‘ Tarshish ’ . . . with an east wind ” In a prophetic ‘ end-times’setting it is widely documented and accepted that ‘ Tarshish ’ is modern Great Britain (U.K.). If the ships of Great Britain are to be broken with an “ east wind ” what is this destroying power ? Could it be a ‘ literal ’ wind - or - is this “ east wind ” a metaphor for something else ? Coming out of ‘ the East ’ clearly it has implications of righteous judgment ( ie. ‘ the Sun of Righteousness ’ ) but it is NOT the appearing of the Lord himself. If we consider the many other bible references to the “ the whirlwind ” ( of the LORD ) we know these prophetic allusions speak unmistakably to the ‘ Russian confederacy ’ of the last days that will sweep all nations before them. It’s the same ‘ divine-pattern ’ of operation seen repeatedly throughout history , the LORD using ‘ foreign military powers’ to execute His righteous judgments upon Israel , or upon the nations generally. The Assyrian/Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans . . . and ultimately the Russians. It will be no different with the “ East Wind ”. Prior to the final all-conquering rise of Russia , China will be the Great Red Dragon that comes ‘ out of the East’. Yet another destroying power appointed of the LORD , purposed in this instance to punish the naval ships of the ‘ old lion ’ ( Great Britain ). So how , and by what means will the Great Red Dragon ( China ) accomplish this terrible deed ? In recent years China has made massive advances in the development of its missile technologies and vastly expanded its arsenals , this includes specialised missile variants known as “ aircraft carrier killers ” designed specifically for the purpose of countering America’s formidable naval battle groups. These fearsome missiles can destroy ‘ whole ships ’ with one lethal strike. Being the foremost possessor of these doomsday missiles - is it at all surprising that China should be the ‘ central figure ’ of an ancient prophecy foretelling the catastrophic destruction of the British naval fleet. This is all particularly relevant in 2021. As Britain - ‘ glorying ’ in its own might and ingenuity - parades its newly commissioned aircraft carrier and ‘ flagship of the feet ‘ ( HMS Queen Elizabeth II ) from port to port around the globe on its inaugural voyage . . . Could disaster be coming ? Are we about to see the latter-day fulfilment of Psalm 48 ? Undoubtedly ‘ the most astonishing ’ aspect concerning China’s bristling array of ballistic missiles is that all these weapons ( both nuclear and conventional ) are known exclusively as “ Dongfeng ” missiles or abbreviated to “ DF ” to specify individual models or variants ( ie. DF-1 / DF-25 / DF-41 etc. ). So what does “ Dong feng ” translate to in English ? . . . . it means “ East Wind ” So the ‘ EXACT ’ same term used in the bible ( over 2,500 years ago !! ) is the ‘ official name ’ of China’s deadly missile systems. Could this just be a wild , incalculably random co-incidence ?? - or - a testament to the fore-knowledge and accuracy of God’s revealed Word of Truth ?? It is not even a secret. Rather , it is publicly available information. Listed below are the internet search results for “Dongfeng ” from the world’s most recognised information source : From Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia Dongfeng ( missile ) The Dongfeng ( simplified Chinese : 东风; traditional Chinese: 東風; lit. ' East Wind ' ) series, typically abbreviated as "DF missiles", are a family of short, medium, intermediate-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles operated by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Rocket Force With China’s increasing hostility and belligerence on the world stage , most dramatically seen towards its neighbours ( Hong Kong / Taiwan / Japan / South Korea ) ; punishing trade wars and threatened missile attacks against regional powers such as Australia ; the swallowing up and militarisation of territorial seas and international shipping routes; the infiltration and destructive subversion of its principal rival the United States and ( most recently ) the frightening discovery of over 250 ‘ new ’ ICBM nuclear-missile silos being constructed in China’s north western Gansu Province, there can be ‘ no doubt’ concerning the future geopolitical intentions of the Great Red Dragon ( of our time ) , China. As a people patiently awaiting the appearing of the Lord from heaven ( viz. DANIEL 12v1 ) we need to prepare ourselves to endure faithfully until ‘ THAT ’ time. The reality is , we WILL still be present to see the outworking of these distressing events in Psalm 48 . . . of the havoc and destruction soon to be wrought upon the ‘ships of Tarshish ’ and presumably also upon her accompanying ‘ young lions ’ ( allied Commonwealth nations ). As terrible events escalate during this “ time of trouble such as never was ” - and as western democratic nations come under attack by the totalitarian tyrants of this world - ‘ our faith ’ and our trust in our God will surely be tested like never before. Please take time to examine the articles listed below & TEST them biblically. Not everything coming will be . . as we’ve been taught. But God’sWord is true

Russia Suddenly Feeling Under Siege

 

Russia Suddenly Feeling Under Siege

Russia Suddenly Feeling Under Siege
Stratfor 13-Feb-14
Russia is facing a confluence of strategic challenges in the former Soviet periphery, an area where the Kremlin has worked hard to expand Russian influence over the past decade. An emerging financial crisis in Kazakhstan and the political crisis in Ukraine are threatening Russia's economic and strategic interests. At the same time, progress in Georgia and Moldova's path toward European integration is eroding Russia's leverage in the region.
What is a Geopolitical Diary? George Friedman explains.
These challenges to Russia's status as a resurgent regional power come at a delicate time because the country faces a growing host of domestic difficulties. Demographic decline, ethnic tensions and a continued dependency on an unreformed extractive industry are looming dark clouds on the horizon for the Kremlin. While not yet threatening Russia's dominance, the current crises in the former Soviet space are a challenge to Moscow's long-term strategy for the region.
Yesterday, the National Bank of Kazakhstan devalued the country's currency, the tenge, by nearly 20 percent in the aftermath of the emerging markets crisis that has been rocking developing economies over the past few weeks. The impact of the devaluation was immediate, with some currency exchanges and shops throughout Kazakhstan shutting down. More important, the devaluation has raised fears of contagion to other regional economies. A financial crisis in the Moscow-led Customs Union -- currently comprising Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus -- would hamper the expansion efforts of the bloc and perhaps even threaten the cohesion of what has been a cornerstone of Russia's strategy to secure its Central Asian hinterland.
The Kazakh move has also placed additional pressure on the already volatile economic and political situation in Ukraine, where Russia faces yet another strategic threat. Constrained in part by its need to maintain its international image during the Sochi Winter Olympics, Russia has been unsuccessful in helping President Viktor Yanukovich to end the political standoff and defuse the protests that have been reinvigorated by support from the West as well as from independent domestic actors. The ongoing political stalemate in Ukraine has demonstrated that although Russia has significant levers of influence in the country, it is for now unable to unilaterally shape political outcomes.
Farther west and south, Russia faces growing pressure in maintaining its influence in another two traditional strategic focal points: Georgia and Moldova. While those countries are not as essential to Russia's security as Ukraine, they are the key for the Kremlin's strategy of consolidating its southwestern flank. European incentives have contributed to the development of Moldova and Georgia's Western-leaning trajectory in recent years.
While Georgia's current ruling Georgian Dream coalition has been more open to engagement with Russia than the previous administration of President Mikhail Saakashvili, Georgia is developing a strong partnership with NATO and is pursuing a path to European integration that threatens Russia's policy. However, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has balanced Wednesday's announcement that the United States would finance his country's participation in the NATO Response Force with a public statement that he would be willing to meet with Russian leaders. Similarly, Moldova is building stronger ties to Western institutions.
Also on Wednesday, the European Parliament took a step toward visa liberalization for Moldovans, further incentivizing Moldovan leaders to strengthen cooperation with the European Union. Russia's support for breakaway regions, as well as its past economic pressures on Georgia and Moldova, have not been effective in dissuading the countries from pursuing integration with the West.
Much of Moscow's current assertive foreign policy in its periphery has been driven by concerns that its relatively strong position in the region will come under threat, especially when the United States is able to pay serious attention to the former Soviet periphery. The Putin administration is in the process of addressing the delicate question of restructuring the country's energy sector -- the lifeline of the country's economy -- while also managing the country's looming demographic crisis and growing ethnic tensions, which have the potential to spiral into violence.
The confluence of crises in its periphery may not necessarily signify a definite weakening of Russia's global and regional position -- the European Union, for all its rhetoric, remains weak and internally divided while the United States remains relatively distant -- but it adds to Moscow's growing burden.

Israel at a Point of No Return - In the Right Direction

 

Israel at a Point of No Return - In the Right Direction
by David P. GoldmanPJ Media 12-Feb-14
I should like to advance a conjecture which I lack the qualifications to adequately develop: The global Left, and the Israeli Left most of all, perceives that the clock is running out, and has worked itself up into a froth of hysteria against Israel. The world of John Lennon's "Imagine," where there are no countries and no religions, is about to dissipate like last night's marijuana fumes. The demographic time bomb that worries the Left is not the relative increase of Arab vs. Jewish populations between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, speciously cited by John Kerry and a host of other errant utopians: it is the growth of the Jewish population itself, and Israel's transformation into the world's most religious country.
Israel now has a religious majority, as Times of Israel blogger Yoseif Bloch observes:
    "According to our Central Bureau of Statistics, 43% of Israeli Jews are secular, 9% are haredi, and the remaining 48% are somewhere between masorti (traditional) and dati (religious): 23% the former, 10% the latter, and 15% smack in the middle. These five groups do not parallel the five groups identified by Pew, e.g. Orthodox is a denomination, while dati is a declaration."
So 57% of Israelis practice a form of Judaism that for the most part Americans would call "Orthodox," in that it recognizes normative Judaism in the rabbinic tradition (the presence of the "progressive" Reform and Conservative movements is almost imperceptible and largely limited to transplanted Americans). Many Israelis who are dati are far from completely observant, but there is a great gulf fixed between a semi-observant Jew who knows what observance is, and a "progressive" who asserts the right to reinvent tradition according to personal taste.
This majority seems to be expanding fast. I spent the second half of December in Jerusalem promoting the Hebrew translation of my book How Civilizations Die and was struck by the increase in commitment to religious observance, including among people who were steadfastly secular. Almost half of Israel's army officers are "national religious" and trained in pre-army academies that teach Judaism, Jewish history, as well as physical training and military subjects. The ultra-Orthodox are going to work rather than studying full time, little by little, but the little adds up to a lot. Naftali Bennett's national-religious party "Jewish Home" has created a new political focus for the national-religious. Outreach organizations like Beit Hillel are bringing once-secular Israelis back to observance. Beit Hillel's spiritual leader, Rabbi Ronen Neuwirth, was in New York recently lecturing about Israel's religious revival.
Anecdotally, I see this in my own small circle of Israeli acquaintances. A musician friend told me that he attends a Talmud class every Shabbat — he can't stand praying, but he is hungry for Torah. A journalist friend dresses her young boys in the tallit katan, the fringed undergarment of the very observant. It is becoming normal in Jerusalem restaurants to wash hands before bread and to recite the Grace after Meals.
This is a crucial, counterintuitive story: Israel is swimming against the secular current, becoming more observant as the rest of the world becomes more secular. Perhaps the explanation lies in the observation of the Catholic sociologist Mary Eberstadt, who argued in a brilliant 2007 essay that it is our children who bring us to faith. Last year Mary expanded the essay into a book which I had the honor to discuss in Claremont Review of Books. It is a commonplace of demographers' correlation that people of faith have more children: Mary argues that the causality goes both ways, that having children reinforces our faith. Israeli is a standpoint in the modern world with a fertility rate of 3.0 children per woman (the closest second is the U.S. with just 1.9). Excluding the ultra-Orthodox the number is 2.6 children per woman, still outside the range of the rest of the industrial world. Secular Israelis are having three children. Not only does that defuse the much-touted "demographic time bomb." It ultimately changes the character of the country. It validates the hundred-year-old argument of Rabbi Isaac Kook, one of the founders of religious Zionism, that identification with the Jewish people eventually will lead Jews back to Judaism.
This national religious revival is not occurring at the expense of Israeli or West Bank Arabs. On the contrary, the Arab population between the River and the Sea is flourishing as no modern Arab population ever did. A fifth of Israel's medical students are Arab, as are a third of the students at the University of Haifa. Ariel University across the "Green Line" in Samaria, the "settler's university," is educating a whole generation of West Bank Arabs. The campus is full of young Arab women in headscarves, and the local Jewish leadership reaches out to Arab villages to recruit talented students. Israel's expanding economy has a bottomless demand for young people of ability and ambition. The Left calls Israel an "apartheid state" the way it used to call America a "fascist state" back in the 1960s.
The Israeli Left, with its soggy vision of univeralist utopianism, may be at a point of no return. It is becoming marginalized and irrelevant. The Europeans, whose experience of nationalism has been uniformly horrific, are equally aghast. Liberal Christians who abhor the Election of Israel because they abhor Christian orthodoxy cannot suppress their rage. And "progressive" American Jews, who have been running away from Judaism for the past three generations, are upset that Israel has embraced the normative Judaism they worked so hard to suppress. American "progressive" and unaffiliated Jews, one should remember, have the lowest fertility rate of any identifiable minority in the United States. Even if most of them did not intermarry (and the intermarriage rate in the past ten years approaches 70% according to the October 2013 Pew study) their infertility would finish them off in a few generations. Meanwhile 74% of all Jewish children in the New York area live in Orthodox families. The center of gravity of Judaism will shift decisively to Israel in the next generation, and the segment of American Jewry that most identifies with Israel–the Orthodox–will set the tone for American Judaism and eventually become the majority in a much smaller American Jewish population.
It is up to the Israelis, to be sure, to draw out the implications of these trends. But I am encouraged by the perceptions of religious leaders like Rabbi Ronen Neuwirth, who perceive this revival in their daily work.
This is good news for Christians as well as Jews. The secularization thesis is refuted: a country with the world's greatest record of high-tech innovation is also becoming the industrial world's most religious country. It is devastating news for Lennonists as well as Leninists. The "Imagine" world turns out to be imaginary. Israel, as Franz Rosenzweig said of the Jewish people, is there to be "the paragon and exemplar of a nation." For all its flaws, the State of Israel stands as a beacon to people of faith around the world. It is honored by its list of self-appointed enemies. Will Israel prevail against the unholy coalition against it? As we say, b'ezrat Hashem.
    David P. Goldman is Senior Fellow at the London Center for Policy Research and Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Crisis in Ukraine in Bible prophecy, Invasion of Israel, Christ's Second Coming

 

Crisis in Ukraine in Bible prophecy, Invasion of Israel, Christ's Second Coming

Jeremiah and other prophets predicted a great invasion of Israel "from the north". These 

prophecies had some primary fulfillments which pointed forward to the final denouement of the 

latter days. Around the time of Jeremiah, the Scythians had marauded much of the Middle East, 

including Israel. Although this is barely recorded in Biblical history, it is a well attested 

historical fact. When Jeremiah spoke of an invasion from the North, and Ezekiel spoke of 

marauding bands of Scythian-related tribes attacking the land, everyone would've thought of the 

recent attacks by the Scythians. As John Skinner put it: "In these events, especially the Scythian 

incursion into Palestine, most historians have found the suggestion and background of Jeremiah's 

prophecies of the Foe from the North" (1). Significantly, "Jeremiah's ministry is stated to have 

begun at approximately the time to which Herodotus assigns the Scythian invasion" (2). It could 

be argued that Jeremiah and Ezekiel's prophecies of a northern invader had a primary fulfillment 

in the lives of the prophets in the Scythian invasion, which were then to be understood as a type 

of the latter day invasion "from the north". This would be in keeping with the Mosaic test of a 

true prophet- his predictions must come to pass, otherwise he is to be seen as a false prophet. It 

could therefore be the predictions of the Biblical prophets about a northern invasion had to have 

a short term fulfillment, which had relevance to their ultimate 'fullerfilment' in the events of our 

last days. Whilst the prophecies do have some application to the Babylonian invasion of Judah, 

we must recall that Ezekiel was prophesying after that event, as Israel sat by the rivers of 

Babylon; and Jeremiah's descriptions of the northern invasion have some elements which fit 

better with the Scythian incursions than the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem. Not least the 

sudden, unexpected nature of the attacks is better fitted by far to the Scythians than to the 

Babylonians. It could be that his prophecies had an immediate primary fulfillment in the 

Scythian invasions, and then another dim fulfillment in the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem, 

both of which primary fulfillments look forward to the final denouement in the latter days. 

Who, then, were the Scythians? The question is important to understand because their invasions 

are a shadow of the latter day invasion of Israel. Much Soviet and Eastern European 

archeological research into the Scythians remains only in Russian and has never been released in 

English. If it had been, the Scythian invasions would perhaps have featured more prominently in 

the prophetic thinking of the Western brotherhood. Excavations of Scythian settlements 

throughout Russia and the Ukraine have yielded various objects which have also been found in 

the Middle Eastern areas which the Scythians invaded around the time of the Old Testament 

prophets. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, the USSR's answer to the West's Encyclopedia 

Britannica (although much larger), has a wealth of information about these findings. Here are a 

few examples:

The Scythians had a very specific style of bronze arrowhead. The Soviet archaeologist A.M. 

Leskov discovered many of these in sites around Kakhovka and Lubimovka in the Ukraine- incidentally, the location of thriving Christadelphian ecclesias today. The very same style of 

arrowhead was unearthed in Samaria, Lachish and Amman (Jordan). 

- The same goes for Scythian horse bridles and iron axes.

The Scythians had very specific and distinctive styles of burial. Being horsemen from the 

steppes of Ukraine and southern Russia, the forerunners of the Cossacks, their leaders were 

buried with many horses. Thus there was the mass slaughter of horses, which were then buried 

with the dead leader. Throughout the former Soviet Union, such burial mounds have been 

unearthed- from the southern Ukraine to the frozen Scythian tombs in Pazryk in the Altai 

mountains (in Siberia, central Russia) (3). 

- The layout of Scythian burial chambers from the Ukraine through Russia and down to modern 

day Israel and Iran has been found to be identical (4). 

The various studies also contain the observation that the Scythian remains in Russia and Ukraine 

include not only loot they had taken back with them from the Middle East (e.g. Persian carpets 

preserved in the frozen burial mounds of Scythian villages in Siberia), but also reflect evidence 

of how the Scythians became influenced by Middle Eastern culture. This indicates how the 

Scythians made some alliances with some of the local powers during their time 'down South'. In 

some of the Scythian sites, notably Pazryk in Siberia, there are the motifs of the eagle, gryphon, 

winged lion etc.- which were all associated with Assyria and Babylon (5). This indicates some 

degree of co-operation between the Scythians and the Babylonians, rather than raw conflict 

between them. Indeed, there is both historical and archaeological evidence that the Scythians 

were mercenaries used by Nebuchadnezzar in his attack upon Jerusalem. Yamauchi reports how 

Scythian arrowheads have been found around Jerusalem in the same material which dates to the 

Babylonian destruction of the city and temple (6). That "day of the Lord" was a clear type of the 

final "day of the Lord" when the Northern armies attack God's people. This could well suggest a 

latter day coalition between latter day "Babylon" and the latter day Scythians- the inhabitants of 

Ukraine and Russia. In the early meetings between the Byzantines and the inhabitants of Ukraine 

and Southern Russia in the 9th century, the surviving records show the Scythian leaders (e.g. 

Prince Svetoslav) being addressed as "Prince of Rosh" or Rus by the emissaries from Byzantium. 

Several connections between Rosh / Rus and the Scythians are made by the Byzantine historian 

Leo the Deacon in his 10th century records; at times he uses the terms interchangeably (7). 

Given this background, we can look for the final 'northern invader' to be led by Babylon / 

Assyria, and yet to be supported by the latter day Scythians. We need to remember that most of 

the military achievements of Babylon / Assyria were not achieved by their own forces directly; 

their military and organizational genius was in mustering the support of mercenaries and other 

fighters. The Scythians played a large part in this when it came to Israel, even if Western 

versions of ancient history has been relatively quiet about it. Significantly, Ezekiel 38 speaks of 

the invasion with specific reference to this Scythian element. If we are to interpret the latter day 

Scythians geographically, then this would lead us to search for their latter day equivalent in the 

lands of Ukraine, Russia and the steppes of northern Kazakhstan. 

Russia Tightens its Grip in Ukraine and Bible Prophecy

 

Russia Tightens its Grip in Ukraine and Bible Prophecy

When Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon had a dream of a great metallic image, he was so troubled that he threatened to have all of his magicians dissected if they were unable to reveal his dream and its interpretation. The prophet Daniel, however, revealed that the dream signified “what shall be in the latter days” (Dan 2v28).

Hello this is Nick Barnes, with this week’s Bible in the News.

Daniel explained that the interpretation ran chronologically from the Babylonian head of gold, through Medo-Persian breast and arms, Greek belly and thighs, Roman legs, and on to the feet and toes, in whose days “shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” (Dan 2v44)

The legs of iron, to which the feet were attached, signified the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, whose stamp is clearly seen in modern Europe.  And the characteristics, of these two divergent powers, is developed in Daniel chapters 7 & 8.

Daniel 7 shows four beasts, again chronologically representing the four great empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome.  Out of the fourth, and most terrible beast (the Roman Empire), grows a horn who makes “war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” (Dan 7:21-22)

This horn symbolised a political power, with a religious aspect (the eyes and mouth), which developed in the west.  It was forged by a Germanic king (Charlemagne) of a Germanic Tribe (the Franks) and its seat was in a German city (Aachen).  Yet it became known as the Holy Roman Empire and its king was entitled Roman Emperor and was styled Kaiser, or Caesar.

And this horn power continues beyond Charlemagne’s First Reich, through Bismarck’s Second Reich and Hitler’s Third Reich, right down to today, where we see a resurgent Germany, again increasingly dominating Western Europe.

And Western Europe shows its Latin ancestry, in its Roman “Christian” religion, its Latin alphabet, its history of Latin based education, and its many languages derived from Latin.  This Latin aspect is signified by the fact that the horn grew out of the Roman beast.

However, if we want to learn how Russia fits into this story, we need to go to Daniel 8.  Here Gabriel explicitly identifies the Medo-Persian Empire and the Greek Empire as the ram and goat respectively, in v20-21.  Greek dominion will be established by a first and great king, we are told, and then be broken into four, lesser powers (v22), seen as four horns (v8).

To this point, the symbology and interpretation almost exactly parallels Daniel 7’s bear and leopard.  However, when we look for the Roman Empire, in Dan 8, we find no equivalent beast to represent it.  Instead we find only a little horn growing out of one of the goat’s four horns, which we are told is “a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences” who stands up “in the latter time of their [the four horns’] kingdom”.

This horn, from a horn, from the goat, might initially seem unsatisfying and maybe inappropriate, as a symbol for the mighty Roman Dominion.  However, it is not an omission, but is instead the key to understanding the chapter properly.

We are told that this little horn “waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land” (v9), but no mention is made of westerly expansion.  This is the clue which explains the riddle.  The little horn is not the Roman Empire per se; it is the Roman Empire as it develops in the East.

That is why Rome, in Dan 8, is symbolised as a power emerging from the Greek goat.  The Roman Empire in the East, and later the Eastern Roman (or Byzantine) Empire developed a Greek character.  Its language (as we know from the New Testament) was Greek, its education and its philosophy was Greek, its religion was Greek, and its alphabet was Greek – and down to today, Eastern Europe bears this mark, with Greek influenced languages and an alphabet derived from the Greek.

So while Dan 7 shows us how, in the latter days, the Roman Empire would develop a Latin aspect in the West, Dan 8 shows us how the Roman Empire would develop a Greek aspect in the East.  And as the little horn of Dan 7 is to “prevail… until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom” (Dan 7v21-22), so the little horn of Dan 8 is to “stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand” (Dan 8v25).

Who then is this power, still existing in our day, which is derived from the Graeco-Eastern Roman Empire?  In 1453, the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire expired at the hands of the Ottoman Turks.  Its courtiers fled to Moscow, and Sophia Palaiologos, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI, married Ivan III of Moscow.  He thus claimed to be successor to the emperor and inheritor of the imperial throne, and so took the title of Czar (or Caesar).  And as Constantinople had been the 2nd capital of the Roman Empire and was known as the 2nd Rome, now Moscow became the 3rd Rome (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_III_of_Russia#Domestic_policy)

This king, Dan 8v23 tells us, will be “a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences”; and v25 adds “he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand”.

This destruction “without hand”, connects back to the prophecy of Dan 2, where the great metallic image was destroyed by a stone “cut out without hands”.  And in Dan 2 we find a clue pointing to a 2nd layer in the symbology.  Not only does the chapter have a straightforward chronological interpretation, as mentioned earlier, it also reveals the great confederacy of nations that will combine to crush Israel.

Daniel 2v35 explicitly states that “the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, [were] broken to pieces together”.  This must mean that, in some sense, the ancient empires will exist again in the latter days, so that they can be broken in pieces together.  So when Christ and his saints advance to Jerusalem, to fight the battle of Armageddon, against them will stand a great confederacy, of all the nations represented in the metallic image.

This assembly will be made up of the nations on the territory of the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman Empires, but also the Germanic Carolingian and Holy Roman Empires and the Russian Empire.  This host will involve nations from Lisbon to Vladivostok and from St Petersburg to Addis Ababa.

This is that “company” assembled by the “prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal” (Eze 38v2 NKJV), and forged from nations of both East and West Europe and also from North Africa and the Middle East, as listed in Eze 38v2, 5 & 6.

The writer John Thomas, in 1854 entitled his exposition of Daniel, “Russia Triumphant, Europe Chained”.  Today we see Russia re-establishing its authority in Eastern and Central Europe, and also in the Caucasus and further east in Central Asia.  Even in Western Europe, Russian exports of oil and gas, and imports of manufactured goods, have brought about close relationships, particularly with Germany.  This is seen in the present crisis over the Ukraine, where continental Europeans are far more reserved in their condemnations and threats than is the US.

The reality is that Russian policy, in the Putin era, is successfully seeking to alienate the United States from its European allies.  In the Cold War (less than thirty years ago) most western Europeans saw Russia as the enemy and the US as their bulwark against oppression.  Today many Europeans feel closer and more sympathetic to Russian views and needs, than to the United States.  And in former Warsaw Pact countries, Russia is teaching its recalcitrant neighbours that American promises count for nothing.  We can easily see that, when Russia leads its host down to the mountains of Israel, there will be nothing more than an ineffectual protest “art thou come to take a spoil” (Eze 38v13).

As we consider the Ukrainian crisis, we see Russia gently flexing its muscles.  As their foreign minister Sergey Lavrov says, Russia does not want war.  What it wants is a restoration of its power at a low cost.  It is calculating that within a year or two of its annexation of Crimea – and that now looks like a done deal – and maybe even the invasion of other parts of eastern Ukraine – and that is looking increasingly likely – it will be back to business as usual, as it was after Georgia, after Litvinenko and after Chechenya.

And while we may feel that the formation of the Gogian Host is still some way off, this is no reason to think that the return of the Lord Jesus is not imminent.  We expect to see Russian resurgence continuing up to, and beyond, the return of Christ.  Russian machinations will continue, maybe for years after that, while the saints, having been raised and gathered, are judged and prepared for the task ahead.  And when Russia finally leads its forces into the pleasant land, Christ’s army will be ready to intervene at the very moment when the Children of Israel are ready to receive him.  We read in Isa 30v18, 19
And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you… he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. - Isa 30:18-19 KJV
Or as Jesus said in Mat 23v39
39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord. - Mat 23:39 KJV

The lesson applies to us too.  God is gracious and God is merciful.  However, we should not cry unto Him only when we have exhausted all other avenues, but seek him daily whilst we have opportunity.

The news we see in the World today, demonstrates that God’s hand is bringing His plan to fulfillment; is gathering the nations to “the battle of the great day of God Almighty”.  These events in the Ukraine could indeed be the very last things we see before we are taken to judgment, and we pray that it may be so.  But if not God’s will, we hope to see you again next week for another Bible in the News.