The stage is being set and the players take their mark as we witness what appears to be the beginning of the end of biblical prophecy leading up to the Day of the Lord.
The world is having to divide its attention between the Air Egypt tragedy due to what appears to be terrorism, the threat of China to claim the South China Sea and the NATO buildup to oppose Russia and the Islamic State.
Because we are living through these days, it can be difficult to appreciate the significance of the events we are witnessing. Let’s start with Russia.
Many believe that the Gog and Magog of Ezekiel refers to modern Russia and an alliance with modern Iran which we see to be true today and while Russia is still within spitting distance of being a superpower what would drive Putin or his successor to oppose Israel at some point in the future.
Enter the EU and NATO. Because of the Ukraine showdown, NATO has decided that it must build up its defenses to the largest in history to not only deal with Russian aggression but also come up with some response to the Islamic State attack on its capitol Brussels.
While the United States has been drawing down its military to pre-WWII levels as a member of NATO we have been a part of the build up in Europe. Will Vladimir Putin sit by and do nothing in the wake of such a build up? I think not. Such action will cause him to increase Russian military spending and draw closer to allies like Iran for support, setting the stage for giving more help in future conflicts say further south in the valley of Megiddo.
Meanwhile, the Chinese are doing a little saber rattling and telling the United States to back off in the South China Sea because the 1.4 million square miles of ocean are now theirs. Now before you say they can just have it, this section of the world’s oceans see about one third of the oil pass through them, along with two-thirds of global liquid natural gas shipments, and more than a 10th of Earth’s fish catch.
What is the response of President Obama and his administration to China’s claim? This is inconsistent with international law. Wow, now that should put them in their place.
Keep in mind, that in the bible there is a very large army that seems to come from China’s place in the world. China is building up its military to unprecedented levels, including its navy as it builds up islands in the South China Sea to defend its claim.
None of the aggression we are seeing should surprise us as the bible talks of a worldwide conflict in the last days that is unparalleled.
It is heartbreaking though to know that the reason these shifts in world power are happening are because of the diminished power and might of the United States and that most of it occurred because Barack Obama believes America should not be a superpower in our military might or in our economic status.
That is most likely the reason we do not see plainly the United States of America in the prophetic pages of scripture because our biblical role is to vanish from the world stage as Israel faces off against the forces of antichrist.
