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WORLD IN BIBLE PROPHECY

CHAPTER 4

ALLIANCES IN THE GREAT TRIBULATION


The Bible prophesies about five alliances that will fulfill end of the end time prophecies.

1)  The American, British and Jewish Alliance

The alliance that will suffer defeat and slavery consists of Israelite nations:  USA, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, whites of South Africa, and the Jewish state of Israel.  The patriarch Jacob named his name on his two grandsons Ephraim (whose descendants live in Britain, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand) and Manasseh (whose descendants live in the USA).  This is stated in Genesis 48:16: “The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”  So prophecies concerning Jacob or Israel (Jacob's other name given to him by God) apply to the USA, Britain, Canada, white South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.  The Jews in prophecy are referred to as Judah.  The word Jew is derived from their tribal name Judah.  It is just a short form for 'Judah' or ‘Jude.’

Prophecy concerning Israel and Judah was given by the prophet Jeremiah 30:2-7 (NKJV): "Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: 'Write in a book for yourself all the words I have spoken to you.  For behold the days are coming, says the Lord, 'that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,' says the Lord.  'And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it."

These verses specifically mention that both Israel (USA, Britain, Canada, Australia, white South Africa and New Zealand) and Judah (the modern state of Israel) will be brought back from captivity.  When Jeremiah was given this prophecy, Israel had already gone into captivity more than 100 years before.  They never came back from captivity to the land of Israel.  So this prophecy is yet to be fulfilled in the future.  Now continue in verses 4-7:

Jeremiah 30:4-7: "Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah.  For thus says the Lord: 'We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.  Ask now, and see, whether a man is ever in labor with child?  So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor, and all faces turned pale?  Alas!  For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it."

What are the causes for which Israel and Judah will suffer these calamities? The main reason is that their ancestors had made a covenant (or agreement) with God to be His people and He to be their God when He had delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Exodus 19:3-8 (NKJV) states: “3 And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." 7 So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. 8 Then all the people answered together and said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do."

Then further Exodus 24:3-8 (NKJV) explains how the old covenant was sealed with blood: “3 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments.  And all the people answered with one voice and said, "All the words which the Lord has said we will do."  4 And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord.  And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, "All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient." 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, "This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words."

God’s covenant with ancient Israel and their descendants prescribed blessings for obedience to God's commandments, statutes and judgments, but curses for disobedience.  These blessings and curses are stated in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.

The blessings are stated this way in Leviticus 26:3-8: “3 If you walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; 4 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. 6 And I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. 7 And you shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.”

​Then the curses are stated in verses 14-20 onwards: “14 But if you will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; 15 And if you shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that you will not do all my commandments, but that you break my covenant: 16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague [fever], that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 And I will set my face against you, and you shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and you shall flee when none pursues you. 18 And if you will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.”

God has blessed America and British Commonwealth nations tremendously over the past 200 years according to His promises.  But they have violated most of His laws.  Now according to the terms of the covenant, God is going to punish them in order to correct them for disobedience to His laws.  God also gave His reasons to Jeremiah and the other prophets for punishing Israel.  Jeremiah 30:14-15 (NKJV): "All your lovers have forgotten you; they do not seek you; for I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one [and which nation is more cruel than the Germans], for the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have increased.  Why do you cry about your affliction?  Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you."  Thus the cause for punishment of Israel at the hands of the cruel Germans will be Israelites sins.

2)  The European Alliance/Holy Roman Empire

The military alliance that defeats the Israelite alliance will be headed by Germany, as Isaiah 10 makes clear. Isaiah 10:5-8: "O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger; and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.  I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of My wrath I will give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he means not so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.  For he says, are not my princes altogether kings?"

Just as God used the Assyrians (whose modern day descendants are the Germans) to punish ancient Israel by defeating them militarily and carrying them away as captives from their lands, He will use them again to punish and correct modern Israel (USA and British Commonwealth nations.)  The Germans will defeat them militarily, carry them away and sell them as slaves to nations around the world. 

Here Germany will not be acting alone.  It will have formed alliances with many other nations.  By this time the 'Holy Roman Empire' will have been resurrected in Europe.  This will be the 10th and final resurrection of the Roman Empire.  After the original Roman Empire was destroyed in 476 A.D., it has already been resurrected 9 times.  These resurrections included those of the Vandals, the Heruli, the Ostrogoths, under Justinian (554 A.D.); Charlemagne (crowned 'Holy Roman Emperor' in 800 A.D.); Otto the Great (crowned in 962 A.D.); Hapsburg Dynasty (Charles V crowned in 1530 A.D.); Napoleon's Empire (1804-1814 A.D.); Italy and Germany, ending in the Hitler-Mussolini Axis (1870-1945 A.D.)  In the last six of these resurrections the popes of the Church of Rome (that calls itself the Roman Catholic Church) either crowned the emperors as 'Holy Roman Emperors' or gave them recognition as such.  The last and final revival is yet to take place.  This seventh resurrection of the 'Holy Roman Empire' which will most likely be headed by Germany will defeat the Israelite countries in war and sell their people around the world as slaves.

The original Roman Empire and its revivals were prophesied by Daniel, and in the book of Revelation.  Daniel 7:7-8 NKJV) describes the Roman Empire as the fourth beast: "After this I [Daniel] saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and exceedingly strong.  It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet.  It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.  I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words."

In Daniel 7:23-25 the angel explains the fourth beast: "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth...The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings.  He shall speak pompous words against the Most High [God], shall persecute the saints of the Most High [God's true Church], and shall intend to change times and law."

The ten horns are ten resurrections of the Roman Empire after its collapse in 476 A.D.  But the first three resurrections did not have approval of the pope of the Church of Rome (he is the little horn on the beast's head), because they did not belong to the Catholic Church.  So he engineered their uprooting.  These three resurrections were the kingdoms of the Vandals, the Heruli (under Odoacer) and the kingdom of the Ostrogoths. Thus the popes fulfilled the prophecy about the first three kings being plucked by their roots.  (The little horn will be discussed in greater detail later.)  After these first three resurrections of the Roman Empire, seven more were to come.  But now all of these came with the approval of the Church of Rome and its popes.  Most of the emperors were in fact crowned by the popes as 'Holy Roman Emperors'.  That is why these last seven resurrections were called the 'Holy Roman Empire', which was neither holy nor Roman.  It has largely been German in its ethnic and political base.

More details, specifically about the last seven resurrections, are provided in the book of Revelation.  The 'Holy Roman Empire’ is described as a beast in Revelation 13:1(NKJV) "Then I stood on the sand of the sea.  And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name."  These seven heads and ten horns are explained in Revelation 17:9-10, 12: "...The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman [in Bible prophecy woman is a symbol for a church] sits.  There are also seven kings...And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast."

So the seven heads of this beast represent the seven resurrections of the Roman Empire on which the woman [the Church of Rome] sits (This woman, described as a 'great whore' will be discussed in greater detail later.)  But the ten horns on the seventh head of this beast [differs in slight detail from the fourth beast of Daniel 7] represent ten kings or rulers who will be allied with the beast in the last resurrection of the 'Holy Roman Empire'.  This agrees with other prophecies in Daniel, such as the ten toes of the great image of king Nebuchadnezzar's dream.  This is the alliance that will finally defeat the Israelite alliance militarily and take its people captives as slaves.

For detailed explanations about the prophetic beasts in the books of Daniel and Revelation the author recommends reading "The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor or Soon-Coming Reality?" by John H. Ogwyn, available free from the Living Church of God, or can be read online or downloaded at www.lcg.org; and "Germany and the Holy Roman Empire", available free from the Philadelphia Church of God, which can be read online or downloaded at www.pcog.org.

The other alliance partners of the Germans are described in Psalm 83:1-8 (NKJV): "Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold your peace, and do not be still, O God!  For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head.  They have taken a crafty counsel against Your people [Israel], and against your sheltered ones [God's Church, part of which will already have fled to a place of safety].  They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more."  For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You; the tents of Edom [whose descendants are the Palestinians and most Turks] and the Ishmaelites [the Arabs]; Moab [southern parts of Jordan] and the Hagarites [Syrians and north Arabians], Gebal [Lebanon], Ammon [northern parts of Jordan] and Amalek [a branch of Edomite Palestinians], Philistia [the Gaza strip] with the inhabitants of Tyre [southern Lebanon, Hezbollah].  Assyria [Germany] also has joined with them; they have helped the children of Lot [Moab and Ammon in Jordan]."

We must be cautious here because the exact location of the descendants of these ancient peoples is uncertain. In addition to the above indicated countries, these peoples may be spread over many other countries, but still generally in the region indicated.

This alliance includes practically the entire Arab world.  The psalm also mentions 'the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites'.  This means that the Turks and the Arabs will invite other Muslim countries and their citizens who would be willing to fight in their armies in the fight ['Jihad'] against the Israelites [USA, Britain, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the state of Israel]. Occupation of Jerusalem will be one of their goals because of the Islamic 'holy places' as will be described later.

This does not preclude other nations from being allied with the Germans.  In fact, almost all nations of the world will be willing to buy Israelites as slaves from the Germans and their alliance partners.  As a result Israelites will be scattered in all directions as indicated by Isaiah 43:1,5-6 (NKJV): "But now, thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you;...Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west; I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the South, 'Do not keep them back!"  Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth..." 

There are also other indications that the nations of the world will be so cowed down by this final resurrection of the beast that they will acknowledge his authority over them.  Revelation 13:3-4, 7 (NKJV) states: "...And all the world marveled and followed the beast.  So they worshipped the dragon [Satan] who gave authority to the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast?  Who is able to make war with him?"...Verse 7: "And it was granted to him to make war with the saints [members of the true Church of God] and to overcome them.  And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue and nation."

The German led alliance is also called the 'King of the North' in the end-time (Daniel 11:40).  This will be discussed later in proper time sequence.

3)  The Islamic/African Alliance

The third alliance is basically an Islamic and African alliance, and its leader is called the 'King of the South' in Daniel 11:40.  It is quite possible that members of this alliance will initially be allied with the German led European alliance and will help bring down the American, British and Jewish alliance. Some members of this alliance are the same people mentioned in Psalm 83:2-8 discussed earlier minus the Assyrians (Germans).  These are the Edomites, Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagarites; Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre.

If not just before the defeat of the American, British and Jewish alliance, but certainly after the defeat this alliance will grow bigger and will include much of the Islamic world and black African nations.  In prophecy Black Africa is mentioned under the names Cush and Ethiopia.  Arab Africa in prophecy is mentioned under Egypt and sometimes including Libya.  The indication that black Africa will be allied with the Islamic leader is provided in Daniel 11:42-43 which mentions the attack of the King of the North on the King of the South and the countries that the King of the North loots.  Ethiopia is mentioned among them.  The verses state: “42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 But he 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.”

Further details about the defeat of the King of the South, Egypt and black Africa are provided in Ezekiel 30:1-5: “The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord God; Wail, woe to the day!  For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near; it will be a day of clouds, the time of the Gentiles.  The sword shall come upon Egypt, and great anguish shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain fall in Egypt, and they take away her wealth, and her foundations are broken down. Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, all the mingled people, Chub, and the men of the lands who are allied, shall fall with them by the sword.”

This prophecy mentions the day of the Lord which we have identified as the last one year of the Great Tribulation.  Hence this prophecy is about the defeat of the Islamic Alliance by the King of the North and includes Ethiopia, meaning black Africa.

Downfall of the Islamic/African alliance at the hands of the King of the North provides relief to the Israelite captives.  This is indicated in Isaiah 43:1-6: “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel…I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.  Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you; therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life.  Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the East, and gather you from the west; I will say to the north, “give them up!”, and to the South, ‘Do not keep them back.” Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth.”

These verses also show that black Africans will be part of the Islamic alliance.

Whether an actual military-religious Islamic leader will emerge to join with the European beast (the King of the North) before they attack the Israelite countries and defeat them is not clear. But as the tribulation gets under way, a leader will certainly emerge to fulfill the role of the King of the South.  This will be discussed later in proper time sequence.

4)  The Eastern Alliance/Kings of the East

At this time it is not necessary for the fourth alliance (Russia and its allies in the east) to be in place.  Certainly nations in the east will maintain political and diplomatic relations with one another.  When the time comes, they won't need much time to come together.  In fact, the Bible mentions that in about 13 months (Revelation 9:15-16: "So the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.  And the number of the army of horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand [or 200 million]...) this alliance will be ready to wage all-out war with the beast.  But more on this in proper time sequence.

A Note on Satan's and German Methods

Satan's most effective method for trying to destroy God's Church (also called spiritual Israel) and physical Israel is to get them to sin.  Israel is supposed to be God's model nation because God revealed His laws to them, and they made a covenant with Him to obey Him.  Satan knows the covenant prescribes punishment for Israel for disobeying God's laws.  For members of God's Church it means loss of salvation or eternal life if they disobey God's laws and do not sincerely repent.

Satan uses every method in his arsenal to get both spiritual and physical Israel to sin.  He uses deception, seduction, inducement and even threats for this purpose.  One of his most effective ways to use these methods is to infiltrate God's Church as well as Israelite countries with his agents. Then his agents use any and all methods to get them to disobey God's laws and sin.  These sins can include sexual sins such as adultery, fornication and homosexuality; violation of any of the Ten Commandments; idolatry; widespread cheating, theft, dishonesty, lying, oppression, miscarriage of justice and the like.  Sin brings God's wrath and punishment.

When sin becomes widespread and ingrained in the national character and culture, and there is not much hope that the situation will turn around on its own, God brings punishment and correction on Israel.  In the extreme case this punishment takes the form of defeat in war and slavery.  It happened to ancient Israel and Judah.  It is prophesied to happen to both of them again in our time.

​When the situation cannot be turned around, that is, Israel has reached the point of no return, God simply departs from His people (both physical and spiritual Israel).  They no longer have protection from Him through His angels.  That gives Satan and his human agents an opportunity for easy victory.  That is why Satan works so assiduously to cause Israel and members of God's Church to sin.

There are many examples in the Bible that illustrate this.  The prime example is that of Balaam.  When ancient Israelites came out of Egyptian slavery and had begun to possess the land God had promised them, Balak the king of Moab was afraid of them.  So he called Balaam to come and curse Israel for him in return for a great reward and riches.  But God would not allow Balaam to curse Israel.  Instead Balaam ended up pronouncing blessings on Israel and went home.  But Balaam still highly coveted the riches Balak could give him.  So he hatched a scheme to bring God's wrath on Israel.  He advised the Moabites to offer sacrifices to their pagan gods and idols and invite the Israelites to the sacrifices.  They did so and the women of Moab and Midianites seduced the men of Israel to commit whoredom with them.  These were clearly violations of God's laws.  As a result God's anger was aroused against Israel.  God told the Israelites to kill everyone who had joined in those sacrifices.  As a result 24,000 died.  Moreover when an Israelite brought a Midianite woman in the camp, one of the priests went to their tent and thrust them both through with a javelin.  That is what finally turned God's anger away from Israel. This incident is described in Numbers 25:1-6.

Then there is the famous example of Samson.  Samson had been a Nazarite from his birth.  God had told his parents that he should never cut his hair [which is what a Nazarite vow is]. Samson obeyed.  He had incredible strength and easily defeated many of his enemies on several occasions. But Delilah the Philistine seduced him to tell her where his great strength lay.  When she vexed him day by day to tell her the truth, he finally told her. When Samson was asleep on her knees, she cut off his hair.  The enemies of Israel, the Philistines were lying in wait.  When Samson awoke, Delilah said to him "The Philistines are upon you Samson!"  So he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!"  But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.  Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza.  They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison." (Judges 16:20-21 NKJV).  Thus when Samson sinned by disobeying God and allowing his hair to be cut, God departed from him and he became easy prey for the Philistines.

That is why Satan and his agents the Germans (through infiltrators) work relentlessly to cause physical and spiritual Israelites to sin.  Satan knows that God and His angels will depart from them, and they will become easy prey for his agents and their allies.

5) The Catholic Church

As we had read, the fifth seal was about religious persecution and martyrdom of the true saints of God during the great tribulation.  The martyrdom is conducted at the behest of the great false church.  Prophecies concerning this church are recorded in the books of Daniel and Revelation.  We had also discussed this religious player during our discussion of the first seal - religious deception.  This Church is described as a little horn in Daniel 7. It is described as a beast in Revelation 13.  Revelation 17 also describes this church as a 'great whore'.  A woman is a symbol for Church in Bible prophecy.  Let us look at these prophecies.

Daniel 7:7-8 (NJKJV): "After this I saw in the night visions, and beheld, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong.  It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet.  It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.  I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots.  And there, in this horn, were eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words."

The angel gives the interpretation [the Bible interprets its own symbols, and the prophecies are not for any private interpretation] in Daniel 7:23-25: "...the fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces.  The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom.  And another [the little horn or pope, who actually sits on a throne as king] shall arise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings.  He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law[s].  Then the saints shall be given into his hand, for a time [one year], times [two years] and half-a-time [half a year]."

The fourth beast in this prophecy is the Roman Empire.  The ten horns are ten resurrections of the empire after it collapsed in 476 A.D.  The little horn is identified as the Church of Rome that calls itself the Roman Catholic [or Universal] Church.   The prophecy about the three horns that were uprooted by the little horn was fulfilled when the first three resurrections of the Roman Empire by the barbarian followers of Arianism - the kingdoms of the Vandals, the Heruli and the Ostrogoths - were destroyed at the urging of the pope.

The little horn was prophesied to speak pompous words and think to change times and laws.  This great church has taken to itself a pompous name: Catholic meaning 'Universal' Church. The popes claim they are the Vicars of Christ, meaning in the place of Christ.  What pompous words!  They claim they have the authority to bind and loose (i.e. change) any laws on earth.  The truth is that this church or any human has no such authority to change God’s Law.  It is based on twisting of scriptures.  The popes sit on a throne like kings.

Here are some of the times and laws the Church of Rome has intended to change. God's days begin and end at sunset, but this church has given the world days that begin and end at midnight; God's months begin with new moons, whereas the world's months begin and end according to a man-made calendar; God's calendar works on the basis of a 19-year time cycle whereas the calendar approved by Pope Gregory (hence called the Gregorian calendar which the whole world currently uses) works on a four-year cycle. God's calendar begins the year in spring in the holy land.  But the calendar given to the world by the Catholic Church begins the New Year in the dead of winter.  This church has changed the Ten Commandments. It has changed the Sabbath day (from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) to 'The Lord's Day', i.e. Sunday.  They have done away with God's holy days and foisted pagan days on Christianity such as Good Friday, Easter and Christmas.  The Bible does not even mention any of these days.  In one place (Acts 12:4) Easter is mentioned in the KJV which all scholars agree is a deliberate mistranslation of the word for 'Passover'.  This church has shed much blood of the true saints over the centuries. The Roman Catholic Church has certainly fulfilled all the prophecies in Daniel 7 concerning the little horn.

Revelation 13 calls this religious power a two-horned beast.  Revelation 13:11 (NKJV): "Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb [another name for Jesus Christ] and spoke like a dragon [another name for Satan - Revelation 12:9]."  This beast outwardly masquerades as Christian, seeking to be identified with Christ, but speaks like the devil.

In prophecy horns represent rulership or authority.  But why is this beast pictured with two horns?  The reason is that the Roman Catholic Church is both an ecclesiastical (religious) as well as a civilian government.  The pope is both a religious head as well as a civil head of state of the Vatican state. He sits on a throne like a king.

Revelation 13:12 continues: "And he [the beast] exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast." As explained earlier, this is a prophecy about the popes of the Church of Rome crowning the emperors of the Roman Empire as 'Holy Roman Emperors'. The emperors were then worshipped as such by their subjects.  In turn the popes exercised the authority of the emperors to bring their subjects under the religious authority of the Church of Rome, often with much violence and bloodshed.

The Church of Rome is also described as a 'great whore' in Revelation 17:1-6, 15: "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto you the judgment of the great whore that sits upon many waters: with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.  And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.... Verse 15: "And he said unto me, the waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations and tongues."

A woman is the symbol for a church.  This woman is called a whore in prophecy because it is s false Church.  The scarlet beast with the seven heads and ten horns which the woman rides is similar to the fourth beast of Daniel 7 and the beast  in Revelation 13, except that the seventh head of this beast has the ten horns, meaning that the seventh head will be made up of ten rulers or kings.  It is the last of the seven resurrections of the 'Holy Roman Empire'.  The source of the Church's religion is also identified as the ancient Babylonian Mystery Religion, masquerading around as the Christian religion.  It has brought all the pagan festivals of the Babylonian Mystery religion into Christianity by giving them Christian names and Christian 'significance'.  For example, Christmas is supposed to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.  But Jesus was born nowhere near December 25th.  Nobody knows the exact birth date of Jesus Christ.  But all biblical evidence points to an autumn birth rather than a winter birth.  And Jesus never instructed His disciples to celebrate His birthday.  This Church has also abundantly shed the blood of the true saints of Jesus Christ through the centuries.

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) had this to say about the origins of this false church in his book, "The United States and Britain in Prophecy" on page 174-175: "And where, today, are the ancient BABYLONIANS - the Chaldeans?  They migrated west and settled in ITALY.  Their religion was the Assyrian-Babylonian MYSTERY religion.  It is going to come as a breathtaking, awesome, shocking surprise when the world learns that one Simon [Magus, or magician mentioned in Acts 8], the sorcerer of Samaria in the time of the original apostles, leader of the BABYLONIAN MYSTERY religion having the title of PATER or PETER, meaning PAPA, actually appropriated the NAME of Christ and the Christian principle of GRACE, which he turned into LICENSE, doing away with God's LAW (Jude 4) and started what is today called "Christianity." How astonished the world will be to discover that it is NOT, and never was the outgrowth of the CHURCH OF GOD, founded by Jesus Christ and His apostles!"

Remember, all these prophecies in the book of Revelation were given around 94 A.D., when this Church was not fully in existence, but was just beginning to form.  There is one and only one Church in history that fulfills all these prophecies perfectly - the Roman Catholic Church.  Like it has always done, it is prophesied to do much evil in the near future.

The Other Religious Player during the Great Tribulation

In contrast to the 'great whore', there is another Church on the world scene, also called a woman, a virgin.  It is a 'small flock'.  It will probably never number a million in our age. It will be doing God's work of preaching the gospel to all the world, as a witness (or warning) to all nations, and prophesying about many peoples, nations, tongues and kings.

This true Church of God is promised protection during the Great Tribulation. Revelation 3:10 (NKJV): "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth."  But this protection is promised only to those who are persevering in diligently doing God's work, and endure in the faith to the end, even if their lives are threatened with the worst possible tortures and death.

But some members will not have their full hearts in doing God's work and obeying His commandments.  They will go through the Great Tribulation and will be persecuted by the false Church and the beast as pointed out in Daniel 7:25 (NKJV) ("...Then the saints shall be given into his [the little horn or the pope] hand for a time and times and half a time [three-and-a-half years]."  Also Daniel 12:7: "...that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people [God's Church] has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished."  The beast of Revelation 13 also makes war with the saints: "And it was granted to him [the beast] to make war with the saints and to overcome them..."  And of course, the prophecy concerning the great whore in Revelation 17:6 also shows her persecuting members of God's true Church: "And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus..." 

These two women (the false Church and the true Church) can be contrasted in another important way.  The false Church forces the world to accept and follow its religion.  It sheds the blood of those that don't, when it can use the power of rulers. It is going to do precisely that in the very near future. God's true Church on the other hand does not go out to make disciples because it knows that God calls people into His Church.  The true Church just preaches the gospel.  God opens the minds of those whom He is calling to understand the gospel message. They then make contact with the true Church, and study its doctrines and beliefs.  When they are convinced that this is the truth, they ask to be baptized and join the Church.  The true Church never forces or pressures anyone to become members.

The relationship between a whore and her paramour is an unstable relationship and is not based on the woman’s obedience to the man.  The relationship between the bride [the true Church] and her groom [Jesus Christ] is based on total obedience, and will be an everlasting relationship.

The author of this booklet is a member of the true Church of God.

Now that we have identified all the main players, we are ready to consider the events leading to the great tribulation and during the great tribulation.


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