https://soundcloud.com/trumpetdaily/a-vision-of-the-perfect-city
Monday, 16 October 2017
Europe’s Many Crises and One Solution
https://soundcloud.com/trumpetdaily/europes-many-crises-and-one-solution
Europe is being hit by many crises all at once. The far right is sweeping the Continent. Germany faces political paralysis. Spain is struggling to deal with Catalonia’s bid for independence. And the euro crisis threatens to resume at any moment. But an election in Austria yesterday gives us a glimpse of the solution. TheTrumpet.com assistant managing editor Richard Palmer examines where these crises are leading and where they are pushing Europe.
To learn more about the events discussed in this program read our free books The Holy Roman Empire in Prophecy and Who or What Is the Prophetic Beast?
Friday, 13 October 2017
A Powerful Example of Faith
The life of Herbert W. Armstrong is a powerful example of faith. Learn how his mission of proclaiming the true gospel message grew from humble beginnings to a globe-girdling work—next, on The Key of David, with Gerald Flurry. The Bible describes faith as the evidence of things not seen. It is the assurance of a particular outcome despite a lack of physical proof. Request our free booklet What Is Faith? to learn how to build this powerful character trait in your life. Millions lack faith to receive answers to their prayers—to free their minds from fears and worries. Often, this is due to a lack of understanding what faith is. Read this simple but thorough explanation of the subject. Examine the deep faith of Jesus Christ. Learn how to align your life with God’s will. Read What Is Faith? to understand the kind of faith required for spiritual salvation. Millions of people around the world are familiar with the expansive humanitarian and evangelistic work of Herbert W. Armstrong. Tens of thousands are aware of what happened to that organization after he died in 1986: his successors rejected his teachings, deserted his worldwide mission and reduced the church to a small, mainstream Christian denomination with practically no work. But very few know what happened behind the scenes of this destructive transformation. Mr. Armstrong’s successors presided over the worst spiritual shipwreck since the first-century church splintered on the rocks of apostasy. Read Raising the Ruins to uncover the scandalous, post-mortem betrayal of Herbert W. Armstrong. Learn how a miraculous worldwide work built on living faith was treacherously dismantled. But this story doesn’t end in ruin. There is a work today that is reviving Mr. Armstrong’s legacy and once again proclaiming the good news of the coming kingdom of God to the entire world. Read Raising the Ruins to discover the identity of this work. Learn how faith played a central role in keeping Mr. Armstrong’s message alive. You will also be enrolled in our 36-lesson Herbert W. Armstrong College Bible Correspondence Course. This course includes an entire lesson on the subject of faith. Learn how the Bible is more relevant today than ever. Increase your understanding of the world’s most important textbook. Join approximately 100,000 others who have taken this course and changed their lives. All our literature is available free of charge, at no cost or obligation to you. Request What Is Faith? and Raising the Ruins, and enroll in our Bible correspondence course. Order now!
++++++++++++++ Connect with Gerald Flurry and the Key of David at: https://www.facebook.com/GeraldFlurry https://plus.google.com/+GeraldFlurry https://twitter.com/keyofdavidtv Read or watch everything Gerald Flurry here: https://www.thetrumpet.com/authors/4-... Learn more about Gerald Flurry here: https://www.pcog.org/about/gerald-flurry http://www.geraldflurry.com http://www.geraldrflurry.com +++++++++++++++
IRAN AND EUROPE HEADING FOR A CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS
https://www.thetrumpet.com/15726-iran-and-europe-heading-for-a-clash-of-civilizations
The Source of the Forecast
Why did Mr. Flurry forecast that Iranian-led radical Islam would dominate the Middle East? What were his sources? Why was he so consistent and so confident in that forecast? And why is it important?
Mr. Flurry derived this forecast from the Holy Bible.
Daniel 11:40 says this:
And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
This is the key Bible verse that describes the existence of a northern bloc and a southern bloc and a massive clash between the two. Daniel wrote this forecast in the sixth century b.c.—but he said it would occur a long time into the future: “the time of the end.” Just when is the end? There are many tangible proofs that it is the time we are living in today, and immediately before us!
Is it really possible that this 2½-millennia-old prophecy accurately describes 21st-century Iran? Compare these scriptures to what has actually happened over the past couple of decades.
Daniel’s prophecy shows that the provocative king of the south is going to push at the king of the north. Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon says push means “to strike—used of horned animals,” or “to push with the horn.” It is “used figuratively of a victor who prostrates the nations before him.” It also means “to wage war with anyone.” Push is a violent word!”
In 1998, Mr. Flurry wrote this in an article called “The King of the South”:
The stage is being set for an Islamic group of nations to be led by Iran as the prophesied king of the south which will push at the king of the north, the European Union. Iran has a foreign policy with a lot of “push.” … Iran’s main strategic aim is to be the dominant power in the Middle East. Becoming the undisputed leader of the radical Islamic camp is a step in that direction.
Looking around the Middle East, Iran clearly has a foreign policy with the most pushiness.
Iran’s Red Sea Strategy
The Trumpet has noted that Iran’s push will likely come in part from its having gained control of the Red Sea passageway and thus the ability to stem the flow of oil and other precious commodities into Europe.
This strategy first came to light in 2011, just before the “Arab Spring” wave of radical Islam spread across North Africa, toppling governments in Libya, Egypt and Yemen. At the time, in his article “Libya and Ethiopia Reveal Iran’s Military Strategy,” Gerald Flurry showed how Iran’s interest in forming an alliance with or even controlling Libya and Ethiopia (as well as Egypt and Tunisia) would stem from its desire to have power over the crucial trade route linking the Mediterranean with the Red Sea.
Controlling the Suez Canal is not enough. Egypt tried that in 1956, when Britain, France and Israel kicked it out in one attack. But what if you have radical Islamic nations along this sea trade route with real air power—including missiles?That could give Iran virtual control of the trade through those seas. Radical Islam could stop the flow of essential oil to the U.S. and Europe!
Iran already dominates the Persian Gulf. Now it is working to take over the Red Sea. You can see this by how involved it is in Yemen, the heavy influence it has gained in Somalia, and the long-standing relationship it has had with Sudan. This biblical prophecy reveals that it will gain control of Ethiopia and of Egypt, which controls the Suez Canal, the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea.
Mr. Flurry has repeatedly pointed to Daniel 11 to explain this trend. He wrote in the July 2016 Trumpet:
“He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape” (verse 42). As we have said for 20 years, this indicates that Egypt will join in an alliance with Iran. But notice who else will be in that alliance.“But he [the king of the north] shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.” “At his steps” means they will join his army or be under his authority. Why would Libya and Ethiopia be subjugated like this by the king of the north? They too were allied with the king of the south.
Connect the dots on the map, and you can see that Iran seeks to control the greatest trade route in the world, which will give it leverage to push powerfully against Europe.
However, history and prophecy indicate that there is another, more potent reason for the clash between these kings: They both want Jerusalem.
The Whirlwind Attack
Daniel 11:40 reveals that as the Iranians push their own agenda—growing more and more confident by other nations’ weakness and inaction—they will be blindsided by a whirlwind attack that will wipe them out!
Based on this prophecy, the Trumpet has forecast for 25 years that Iran and its radical Islamist allies are going to be conquered. The Bible even tells you how this will happen! Daniel 11:40 speaks of a “whirlwind.” This one word exposes how this clash with Iran will unfold. It reveals in detail what is about to happen in the Middle East—and in Africa, southwest Asia and Europe.
Daniel 11:40 describes how the king of the south will be violently invaded by the “king of the north”: “At the time of the end”—again, the time immediately ahead—“shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.”
This prophecy describes Germany and a resurrected, 21st-century iteration of the Holy Roman Empire. The Germans are excellent war strategists and warriors. They are savvy enough to realize that they will never have peace with Iran. They know that sooner or later, their two religions—their two civilizations—will clash.
This scripture describes a time when Germany’s Catholic empire will wage all-out war, throwing everything it has at radical Islam—and dominating it like a violent flood pouring in!
How could Germany do this so easily, so effectively and so quickly?
Such a devastating offensive could not be summoned overnight. Think about the keyword in Daniel 11:40. The verse talks about an attack from the king of the north, but the emphasis is on the strategy of this military attack.
If you’re in a whirlwind, it whirls all around you. It whirls you away! Look at the map and you can see the German strategy: to surround Iran and its allies.
A careful study of Germany’s military activity shows that it is already positioning itself to carry out just such an attack in the future. Gerald Flurry has written a booklet explaining this that you can read online: Germany’s Secret Strategy to Destroy Iran.
The Iranians are so focused on conquering their own objectives that they don’t see what the Germans are doing. They don’t recognize how Germany is planning for the bigger war to come! Germany has expected to clash with Iran, and it has been working on a strategy for a decade or more. That strategy is almost complete. Germany has surrounded Iran.
Daniel 11:40 is already in the early stages of being fulfilled! Iran and its Islamist allies are caught inside a whirlwind!
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Prophesied End
The gigantic clash the Trumpet is expecting, in fulfillment of these biblical prophecies, all begins with pushy Iran.
This is the same nation that is about to get the nuclear bomb. Iranian leaders and many of their people believe the 12th imam—their version of the Messiah—is about to return. They think his return can be hastened by creating violence and chaos. Several nations have nuclear weapons—but only Iran has leaders who harbor such dangerous religious thinking! What will happen when they achieve nuclear capability? What sort of chaos would they stir up if they thought it would cause their messiah to return? In the thrall of religious zealotry, they would not even care about their own destruction!
But who is going to stand up to Iran? If no one will stand up to it today, when it does not yet have nuclear bombs, who will stand up to it when it actually has the bomb?
The Bible does reveal that finally, after being pushed too far, the German-led European power will stand up to the king of the south.
But who is going to stand up to Iran? If no one will stand up to it today, when it does not yet have nuclear bombs, who will stand up to it when it actually has the bomb?
However, the clash between the king of the north and the king of the south all has a wonderful conclusion.
Following the prophecy of Daniel 11 into chapter 12, which is a part of the same vision, we see that this clash will lead to catastrophic world war—“a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time” (verse 1). Many other Bible prophecies talk about this period. Jesus Christ described it as “great tribulation” (Matthew 24:21). This is the dramatic climax of this age of man. Once it is over, God will begin to intervene in world affairs in a powerful way.
Daniel 12:11 mentions an event toward the beginning of that “great tribulation,” when “the abomination that maketh desolate [is] set up.” Christ referred to this statement from Daniel in His famous Olivet prophecy (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14). He revealed that this “abomination” is actually “Jerusalem compassed with armies”—armies that are about to destroy the Holy City! (Luke 21:20). Putting all the prophecies together shows that these are the European armies of the king of the north after they have conquered the king of the south.
And notice the conclusion to Daniel 12:11: From the time that these armies are set up, “there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.”
Think about that! This prophecy reveals we are getting to a time where you can actually start counting days until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ!
And it all begins with a push.
IRAN WILL GO TO WAR—BUT NOT WITH AMERICA
The Trumpet has watched Iran for more than 25 years. It projected the rising aggression of its terror-powered foreign policy. Today, the world has begun to recognize that Iran is becoming what the Trumpet forecast in 1992: the “king of the south.” Yet analysts still do not realize what Iran’s future holds: Its aggressive foreign policy will explode into war—not with America, but with a new superpower!
Why has Iran risen so powerfully? Why won’t America confront it? And who is this new superpower? The Trumpet has no special insight into the answers—except for its one “inside source.” That source is the Holy Bible. Find out how the Bible identifies Iran and what it forecasts for the future. Request Gerald Flurry’s insightful free booklet The King of the South.
Tuesday, 10 October 2017
EUROPE’S ONGOING UNIFICATION PROJECT
https://www.thetrumpet.com/15677-europes-ongoing-unification-project
How accurate Mr. Armstrong’s forecast was of Germany being the “heart and core of the united Europe”!
Those prescient words were paralleled with stunning accuracy in a 2009 statement by Philip Murphy, America’s ambassador to Germany. “Germany is the centerpiece of the European Union,” he said in Berlin on December 1 of that year.
Europe’s history tells us to expect a European power to play a major role in the world. Germany’s economic and geographic dominance of the Continent tells us that it will be Europe’s leader. But why expect a 10-nation conglomerate?
This forecast is underpinned not just by more than 1,500 years of European history but by biblical prophecy.
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The Source of the Forecasts
At the mention of prophecy, many people immediately tune out. But before you do, realize that all of those forecasts that have already come to pass were based on the prophecies that so many people would dismiss out of hand.
Europe today is living, pulsing proof of the relevance and veracity of biblical prophecy!
Look at this statement Mr. Armstrong made in 1962: “Prophecy shows 10 kings … will arise in Europe and give their power to Germany.” It was because of biblical prophecy that Mr. Armstrong knew a 10-nation union would rise out of Europe in these latter days.
Revelation 17 describes in vivid detail this seventh and final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire. “There is going to be a resurrection of that old Roman Empire. Not very many people believe it because people have gotten completely beyond really believing the Bible means what it says,” Mr. Armstrong said over 50 years ago. “You’re going to have to live and see it, and you’re going to have to know that God was speaking when He said that this thing was coming.”
The Bible prophesied that after the Roman Empire collapsed in a.d. 476, its “deadly wound” would be healed (Revelation 13:3) and that there would be seven resurrections of a “Holy” Roman Empire to rise out of the territory of the Roman Empire of old.
Emperor Justinian recognized the supremacy of the pope in a.d. 554. Thus, when we come to these prophesied resurrections in Revelation 17, there is a whorish “woman” straddling this resurrected Roman “beast.” This is a prophetic symbol of the great false church that heavily influences and rules over the political empire. It is an unholy union of church and state.
“So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns” (Revelation 17:3). These seven heads and 10 horns are the biblical terms used to describe the Holy Roman Empire in its seven specific stages, culminating in the final union of 10 nations (or groups of nations) at the end of this age.
Here the Bible is plainly speaking of a great political beast rising in Europe, which will be led by a great European religious beast in an unholy alliance that sets out to conquer the world!
These seven successive resurrections of the Holy Roman Empire would have lapses in between, pictured by the mountain peaks and valleys in Revelation 17. As H. G. Wells wrote in The Outline of History, “The Roman Empire staggers, sprawls, is thrust off the stage, and reappears, and … it is the church of Rome which plays the part of the magician and keeps the corpse alive.”
The 10 horns mentioned in Revelation 17 are part of the seventh head. These 10 horns are 10 heads of state in Europe that will join together 10 nations or groups of nations as part of the final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire.
Many other prophecies align with these in Revelation. Daniel 2 describes in symbol four world-ruling empires, traceable through history, the fourth of which is the Roman Empire, “strong as iron” (verse 40). The prophecy shows that right at the end, this empire will have 10 parts, pictured by 10 toes of this statue. Daniel 7 portrays the same four empires, but with different symbols; it emphasizes the repeated resurrections of the Roman Empire. (These prophecies are explained in our free booklet Daniel—Unsealed at Last!). Additional prophecies that provide still more detail can be found in Isaiah 10, Habakkuk 1 and many other passages.
Notice what one popular writer in Britain, known by the pseudonym Archbishop Cranmer, wrote in 2011: “The European Union is essentially the re-creation of the old empire of Charlemagne: from the moment the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1951, the European Coal and Steel Community bound together the economic and political destinies of France and Germany.” This commentator recently recognized this fact. But who besides Herbert W. Armstrong was writing about it more than half a century ago?
Mr. Armstrong was on the scene during the sixth resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire, and he prophesied of the seventh and final resurrection. We are witnessing that final resurrection today!
The Bible prophesies that this final resurrection would continue for a short time—only 2½ years. All of the prophecies that have come true and are coming true make very clear what will happen at the end of that short period. Though the final reign of this unholy empire will be brutal and bloody, it will end after a short time in the most exciting and hope-filled event in human history: the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
EUROPE’S UNSTOPPABLE EMPIRE
Not only has unified Europe endured decades of ups and downs, it has actually endured death—and then it has resurrected itself seven times over thousands of years. The Bible forecasted this in detail—and European history shows that it came to pass. Some of the Bible’s descriptions of this history are so detailed and so accurate, that critics insist that they must have been written after the events happened, not before.
Yet these Bible prophecies revealed events that happened long after the Bible was finished. In fact, this European history contained in the Bible is still unfolding. Find out which parts of the Bible describe the history of Europe, and whether its current unification effort will succeed once again. Request your free copy of The Holy Roman Empire in Prophecy.
Europe, China, Japan and the New World Order
https://www.thetrumpet.com/16256-europe-china-japan-and-the-new-world-order
The Bible has an even more specific warning, and it is close to being fulfilled.
Isaiah 23 discusses three ancient powers: Tyre, Tarshish and Chittim (verse 1). Isaiah 30:8 says that Isaiah wrote his book “for the time to come.” These are prophecies primarily for “the latter day,” which is our time now. Thus the three powers mentioned in Isaiah 23:1 must have modern significance for us today. Who do these three represent?
The answer powerfully confirms the Bible’s accuracy in foretelling world events.
Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry outlines the identity of these three powers in his booklet Isaiah’s End-Time Vision.He notes that the spiritual heart of the modern-day European power “is called Babylon in your Bible (Revelation 17:5; 18:1-3). But here in Isaiah, the Bible refers to Tyre (and its allies Zidon, etc.) as the commercial center of this European power.” Tyre was the great trading center of the Middle East. Many prophecies in the Bible refer to the rising European power as a commercial behemoth: Isaiah 23 compares it to Tyre.
Isaiah 23:1 goes on to discuss the “ships of Tarshish.” “Herbert W. Armstrong’s Ambassador College taught over 40 years ago that Tarshish is Japan in Bible prophecy for today,” writes Mr. Flurry. “So this verse is referring to the supertanker fleet of Japan. Even in 1980, you could see one of these tankers every 25 miles on the high seas.” The chapter goes on to talk about how the ships of Tarshish come from “the isle,” which refers to the islands of Japan.
The third power singled out here is Chittim. Mr. Flurry explains, “This biblical name refers to both the island of Cyprus and to the nation of China, whose progenitors first populated Cyprus and gave it its name.”
The three powers enumerated here refer exactly to the three powers we see working on a new trade relationship!
Isaiah 23:3 talks about these powers forming a “mart of nations.” The chapter describes “merchants” that “pass over the sea” (verse 2). It discusses “great waters,” or oceans (verse 3), as well as merchants and “traffickers” that are so rich that they are like “princes” and “the honourable of the earth.” Mr. Flurry explains: “With a German-led Europe (the king of the north) possessing great maritime power, North America will be surrounded on the east by Europe and the south by Latin America. The Bible contains many prophecies of the European power attacking America—and many other prophecies of America being besieged.
“That is where China and the giants of Asia enter the picture. When the Holy Roman Empire attacks North America, there will be no help or sympathy from Asia. In fact, considering that China has come to possess most of the world’s strategic sea gates (which, ironically, at one time were held by Britain and America), we believe there may be a brief alliance between the German-led Holy Roman Empire and certain Asian powers (Russia, China, Japan—the kings of the east). Should Europe, the resurrected Holy Roman Empire, find a way to take advantage—even for a moment—of key resources and strategic holdings of China, Russia and Japan, it would have more than enough power to besiege the Anglo-Saxon nations and enslave them.
“This is why Isaiah’s prophecy of an end-time ‘mart of nations’ that includes both European and Asian powers is so intriguing. And why the trend of collusion between these two great economic blocs is worth watching.”
Mr. Flurry first wrote about this “mart of nations” in 2010. Back then, China’s trade with Europe was a fraction of what it is today. There was little sign of this relationship—and no sign of Japan being included. We are not reading this meaning into the prophecy after the event; Mr. Flurry forecast it all in advance.
This alliance is rising as America’s power shrinks. America is isolated and vulnerable to this alliance.
The “trend of collusion” is here. How long before this economic superpower, this “mart of nations,” locks together?
As Mr. Flurry wrote, this mart is deadly for America. The Bible is full of warnings about the immediate future, and not just for the United States. Matthew 24:22 warns that this mart will blockade the United States, which will trigger a war that will wipe out almost the entire population of the Earth.
But there is also great hope in proving the Bible’s reliability in forecasting end-time events. Matthew 24:22 tells us Christ will intervene, cutting the war short. The Bible contains great hope for everyone still alive and for those who have died. Once you have proved its reliability for yourself, you can be secure in relying on that hope.
THE RISE OF CHINA AS A SUPERPOWER
https://www.thetrumpet.com/15672-the-rise-of-china-as-a-superpower
A Bold Forecast
The Trumpet follows its parent magazine, the Plain Truth, by reporting and analyzing Chinese cooperation with Russia and its recent economic growth. During a time when China was an undeveloped nation squabbling with Russia, Plain Truth editor in chief Herbert W. Armstrong forecast that China would soon become a powerful nation that would rally behind Russia to counter threats from the West.
A December 1959 Plain Truth issue stated:
Lenin wrote that the way to Paris, London and New York is via [Beijing] and Delhi. … [P]art of the Communist plan [is] to place India and Pakistan in a giant vice between Russia and China. … Red China insists it has a legal right not only to Tibet but [also] to many parts of India and Southeast Asia. … Their constant dream for centuries has been ultimate world conquest! … China knows, however, that in this highly industrialized age she can accomplish this dream only as an ally of Russia. … China is now ready to begin devouring the rest of Asia with Russia’s secret military backing.
It is hard to think that in 1959 someone was warning that China would be a threat to the world order and that it would side with Russia to do so. But Mr. Armstrong did and he was right. China is still trying to achieve its dream to become a world superpower. Current Chinese President Xi Jinping promised in his book The Governance of Chinathat China will achieve this by 2049. And today it is once again an ally of Russia.
Since that forecast, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has added more detail to how China will attempt to achieve its dream. And it has everything to do with the West and its standard of living.
A Coming Trade War
Gerald Flurry forecasts that China will aggressively seek to replace the U.S., so much so that it will go to economic war. But it won’t do so alone. In his booklet Ezekiel: The End-Time Prophet, Mr. Flurry writes: “Europe and Asia may work together to economically besiege America.”
Until recent disagreements put the U.S.-China relationship on shakier ground, this was not a popular view, because China and the U.S. are so economically tied together.
First, China holds over $1.1 trillion in U.S. federal debt, making it one of the largest foreign holders of U.S. debt. A conflict between the two nations would see the value of China’s investment drop.
Second, trade between the two nations is enormous. Altogether, $598 billion worth of goods was traded between China and America in 2015. This made China America’s third-biggest trade partner. America is China’s second-largest trading partner after the European Union. However, of those goods, the U.S. only exported $116 billion worth while it imported $482 billion worth from China. That is a trade deficit of $366 billion, meaning China has more to lose if a conflict does erupt. That’s nearly half of the total U.S. trade deficit.
Depending on whom you ask, you will receive different answers on whether the trade deficit and debt is a negative or a positive for either nation. What can’t be denied is the scope of trade at risk.
With trillions at stake, it seems hard to believe the two nations would risk any kind of conflict. But tensions are already deepening. And Mr. Flurry’s statement is based on the sure word of Bible prophecy, which means it is certain to happen.
Chapters 22 and 23 of Isaiah discuss a powerful “mart of nations” (Isaiah 23:3) that includes both European and Asian nations. Isaiah 23:1 shows that Chittim—an ancient name referring to modern China—is a major part of this economic alliance. You can find out more on how Chittim refers to China by reading our article “Is China in the Bible?”
These chapters in Isaiah, along with other Bible passages, make evident that this “mart of nations” will soon dominate global trade for a short period of time—at America’s expense.
These prophecies are why the Trumpet watches China’s rise so closely!
Revelation 16:12 and 9:16 show that in the end time, which is the age we now live in, a bloc of Asian nations called “the kings of the east” will have a combined military force of “200 million mounted troops” (New Living Translation). Such a vast force could only be assembled by including the massive population of China. This is one more solid proof that China is one of those “kings of the east.”
In light of such prophecies as these, and understanding the massive clash that it is leading to (Daniel 11:40-44), the significance of the current tensions between America and China becomes clear. In recent years, the U.S. has seen its manufacturing factories and jobs outsourced. Some estimates put it at over 3 million jobs lost from the trade deficit. This is turning U.S. domestic policies to be more anti-China.
China has pushed the value of the yuan to a low against the dollar. This currency manipulation makes Chinese goods even cheaper, angering American firms. But China is facing a slowing economy and labor unrest as it struggles to keep its people employed.
Depending on whom you ask, you will receive different answers on whether the trade deficit and debt is a negative or a positive for either nation. What can’t be denied is the scope of trade at risk.
But even with all that at stake, the Trumpet forecasts that a trade war will erupt. As the scriptures above make clear, China will participate in crippling the U.S. in a trade war. But how can it do so without crippling itself and committing economic suicide?
It will have help. China will achieve this crippling trade blockade with help from the world’s biggest trade bloc, the European Union. The EU is the world’s largest exporter and accounts for 16 percent of the world’s imports and exports.
These two trade giants could work together to bring down the U.S., and Isaiah chapters 22 and 23 show that that is precisely what will happen! By working together, two of America’s top three trade partners could rapidly destroy the U.S. economy.
Prophecy is the guide. It is why Mr. Armstrong was accurate in his forecasts and why Mr. Flurry is accurate in his. A third of the Bible is prophecy and most of it is for our time today. Bible prophecy describes an economic siege on America and Britain that is orchestrated by the EU and China.
We forecast that the U.S. and British peoples will be left out in the cold as Europe and Asia cooperate and call the shots in the global economy. The U.S. will be literally besieged, economically frozen out of world trade!
Events are moving toward the fulfillment of this prophecy. In recent years, the EU’s economic powerhouse overtook the U.S. and Japan to become China’s biggest trading partner. China and Europe have undertaken many joint ventures in recent years, including a 2015 landmark deal between Germany’s largest exchange and China’s Foreign Exchange Trade System, a deal that is significantly strengthening financial links between the two sides.
The Trumpet forecasts that the U.S. and British peoples will be left out in the cold as Europe and Asia cooperate and call the shots in the global economy. The U.S. will be literally besieged, economically frozen out of world trade!
This prophecy is also described in Deuteronomy 28, which foretells of America being besieged by its enemies: “And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.” Mr. Flurry writes about this passage: “For many years, Mr. Armstrong said the siege prophesied in verse 52 symbolized America’s economy being battered by foreign competition. ‘And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates …’” (ibid).
These gates refer to strategic choke points in world trade. Over 90 percent of world trade is carried on the seas. These choke points are narrow shipping lanes through which much of world trade travels. In fact, more than 40 percent of the world’s oil supply passes through six relatively narrow shipping lanes. The choke points of world trade are strategic sea gates that can be used to shut down trade, such as the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal, the Bab el-Mandeb at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, the Turkish Straits, Gibraltar, the Strait of Malacca by Singapore and the Strait of Hormuz by Iran.
China has acquired real estate in many important ports and choke points. It bought Panama’s largest port and the Pakistani port of Gwadar, close to the Strait of Hormuz. It now controls the Australian port city of Darwin. Most of these gates were once controlled by the United States and the British Empire, but the tide has turned in the last few decades.
Mr. Flurry continues concerning these gates:
Who has those gates? America and Britain have or had the gates, and we are going to be besieged in all of them. We have already virtually lost control of all of them. This is a prophecy for this end time.The Holy Roman Empire, [a 10-nation European federation that will soon come out of the EU] along with the kings of the east (the Asian nations), will cause economic problems and bring on destruction in many ways “until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee” (verse 52). The real pressure is coming from without. “In all thy gates” refers to a trade war.
Because of these prophecies, the Trumpet watches China as it acquires more ports and continues to challenge America economically. For much of China’s history it was an isolationist regional power. But now, thanks to Soviet and American help, China is a world heavyweight. And in order to protect itself and to secure its economic needs, it will act aggressively.
These prophecies go beyond a currency war or a loss of manufacturing jobs. They foretell an all-out economic war that will destroy America’s economy! Imagine what would happen if China unloaded all its holdings of U.S. debt. Imagine what would happen to America’s standard of living if cheap Chinese goods were no longer sold. Imagine what would happen to U.S. trade if ports and sea gates were closed off. China will be one of the leading nations to bring these scenarios to fruition.
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Why the Trumpet Watches China
It is amazing to see how God’s prophecies about China for our day coincide with China’s recent activity. God gave China its unique geography and influenced world events enough to ensure they would unfold according to His prophecies. Now this Asian giant is coming out of its isolationist ways. It has gained tremendous economic clout that poses a considerable threat to the United States. Its capability as a military power is also rising to levels commensurate with those foretold in Scripture.
But that doesn’t get to the heart of why the Trumpet reports on China’s rise. We follow this trend because of what will happen after the siege. All of these major events prophesied in the Bible are part of a series of events that lead right up to the return of Jesus Christ.
So when the Trumpet reports on these disturbing trends, it’s with the anticipation and hope of what they ultimately lead to: a better world, led by the only government capable of bringing peace.
SHOULD YOU FEAR CHINA?
Over the last 60 years, China has transformed from a poor, struggling nation to an economic juggernaut. Most analysts say that the 21st century will belong to China. How strong will the Chinese get? And will they affect your life?
The Bible actually describes the economic might of 21st-century China and specifically prophesies the trade bloc that is developing between Asia and Europe (Isaiah 23). Moreover, it prophesies that China and its Asian allies will use their economic power to field a 200 million-man army (Revelation 9)—and go to war. To learn what the Bible says about modern China, request your free copy of Russia and China in Prophecy.
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