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WORLD IN BIBLE PROPHECY


CHAPTER 6

FIRST TWO-AND-A-HALF YEARS OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION



We have now reached the stage in prophetic sequence of events when the beast has defeated the Israelite alliance militarily and taken the population captive, and sold them as slaves; the Jews to the Greeks and the Israelites all around the world.  Events for the next two years are all about how the captive Israelites are going to be treated around the world.

But there is another group of Israelites that Satan and the beast will not have forgotten.  Jacob (or Israel) had 12 sons.  His son Joseph had 2 sons: Ephraim and Manasseh.  Since Israel named his name on them, they were individually counted as one of the tribes of Israel.  Their descendants live in the USA and British Commonwealth nations.  Jews are descendants of the tribe of Judah, and some from the tribes of Benjamin and Levi.  But
descendants of the other tribes of Israel are mentioned in prophecy as the 'House of Israel'.  That is what they were called when the northern ten tribes split from the kingdom of Judah.  Prophecy about them is given in Ezekiel 5:1-4: "And you, son of man, take a sharp knife, take a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon your head and upon your beard: then take balances to weigh, and divide the hair.  You shall burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and you shall take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part you shall scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.  You shall also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in your skirts.  Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire: for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel."

The last part of verse 4 mentions 'all the House of Israel'.  So this applies to the rest of the Israelite tribes whose descendants live in France, Switzerland, Ireland, the Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Finland) and Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg).  God says that fire will go out to these descendants of Israel.  What causes this fire to go out is described in verse 3.  Here Ezekiel was asked to take some of the hair of his head and beard and bind them in his skirts indicating some of the Israelites will be protected when the beast defeats them.  Then God says take some of those that are protected and throw them in the fire to burn them.  This is a dual prophecy: it applies to the physical Israelites as well as spiritual Israelites (God's true Church).

Concerning God's Church, this prophecy indicates that members of God's Church will be protected, but not all of them.  Those that are lukewarm will be thrown into the fire of the Great Tribulation and ‘burned.’  Some of these lukewarm members will be in the Israelite countries of the House of Israel (France, Scandinavian, Benelux, Ireland and Switzerland) excluding USA and Britain.  The beast and the false prophet (the pope) will ask these countries to give up these members of God's Church.  That is what will cause the fire to go out into these countries.

In addition, a few of the Israelites (USA, Britain and the Jews) may escape to these countries (those that were symbolically bound in Ezekiel's skirts) when the beast alliance attacks them.  The beast will ask them to give up these few Israelites along with members of God's true Church, but they will likely refuse.  That will most likely be the cause that the beast and the false prophet target them, thus fulfilling the prophecy in Ezekiel 5:4 that a fire
will come forth into all the House of Israel.

We know from Psalm 83 that the Edomites (Most of the Turks, some central Asian nations, mixed among some Middle Eastern nations, and the Palestinians are descendants of Edom.  It is not known exactly where all of Edom's descendants could be.  In addition to these countries, some could also be scattered in Jordan, Iraq, Syria, central Asia and even Italy) and the Arabs in confederacy with the beast will treat the Israelites worse than
anybody else.  They will do this at the instigation of the beast.  But the treatment by the Edomites is the worst of all as described in Obadiah 8-14, "Shall I not in that day, says the Lord, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?  And your mighty men, O Teman (Ottoman Turks), shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.  For your violence against your brother Jacob shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off for ever.  In the day that you stood on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even you were as one of them.  But you should not have looked on the day of your brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah (the Jews) in the day of their destruction; neither should you have spoken proudly in the day of distress.  You should not have entered into the gate of My people in the day of their calamity; yea, you should not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity; neither should you have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither should you have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress."

The Germans don't do most of the dirtiest work themselves.  They force or inveigle others to do it for them.  The Edomites will only be too glad to do this for them.  And as verse 10 indicates, Edom's violence is against his brother Jacob.  Verses 17 and 18 mention the 'House of Jacob' meaning all the tribes of Israel.  So it will be the Edomites along with the Arabs who will carry out most of the violence against the house of Jacob and Judah.  

Tying Obadiah 8-14 with Ezekiel 5:3-4 gives us a clearer picture.  When the Israelite countries (excluding USA-Britain) offer protection to those of God's Church and of USA-Britain and the Jews that have fled to them, the wrath of the beast, the false prophet and their alliance partners the Edomites and Arabs is aroused.  They ask these countries to give them up.  But they refuse.  This is the cause of the fire that then goes into “all the house of Israel”.  The Germans will most likely not do this dirty work themselves.  They are tied in with the Israelite countries through the European Union.  But they will give the Edomites and the Arabs the means (weapons) to do this dirty work for them and Satan.  So war will engulf the entire house of Israel.  This war is also described in Ezekiel 6:11-12: "Alas, for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel!  [Remember the 'house of Israel' refers to all ten tribes, which along with USA, Britain, include France, Switzerland, Ireland, Benelux and Scandinavian countries].  For they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.  He who is far off shall die by the pestilence, he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged shall die by the famine.  Thus will I spend My fury upon them.”  

Ultimately only about a tenth of this part of the house of Israel (excluding America, British Commonwealth nations and the State of Israel) will survive the Great Tribulation as we have seen earlier.

Terrible Conditions during Slavery

The treatment of the Israelite slaves and members of God’s Church  by the nations will fulfill the prophecy in Matthew 24:9-12 (NKJV): “9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

While this prophecy applies mainly to God’s Church, it is dual and applies also to Israelite nations.  The reason is that the drive for hatred of God’s Church and Israelite nations is led by Satan.  The Israelite nations of America and British Commonwealth nations are the most blessed ever in the history of mankind.  Even though their economy may not be doing so well right now, they still possess some of the choicest agricultural and natural
resources on earth which can last them for centuries.  No other nations have this luxury. Envy thus will drive hatred of Israelite nations by other nations of the world.  

The author knows the feeling very well personally.  He lived the first 30 years of his life in India and thought himself to be a non-Israelite and experienced the feelings of envy for America and British Commonwealth nations.  He knows how other nations feel towards the American, British and Jewish peoples.  Just as individuals feel envy for the rich and seemingly happy, they feel envy for rich nations and their citizens.  

In this end time the envy and hatred for Israelite nations will be intensified due to Satan’s anger, and because God will give Satan a slightly freer hand in world affairs.  The reason for his anger is explained in Revelation 12:7-17:

“7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him…12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.  13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman [symbol for a Church; in this case God’s true Church] who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place [the place of safety], where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water [symbol for an army] out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring [members of God’s Church that are left in the world to face the Great Tribulation], who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."  

When the beast defeats the American, British and Jewish Alliance and the tribulation begins, Satan knows that his remaining days as ruler on earth are numbered to only about 1,260 more days.  So he and the demons storm heaven to attack God’s throne to try to wrest control of the universe from Him one more time.  But they will be defeated and cast back to earth.  Satan is then full of wrath.  His first target to vent his wrath is God’s Church because only its members keep all of God’s commandments on earth, and totally reject everything that Satan stands for, his religion and way of life.  

He first sends an army after the part of the Church that fled to a place of safety only a few days or a month or so ago.  But the earth opens up and swallows that army alive.  This enrages Satan even more and he now directs his anger at the Church remnant that is still left in the world.  

Verse 12 says “woe to the inhabitants of the earth and sea…” This means that Satan’s anger will also be directed at all of humanity.  He wants to destroy all of humanity.  He will try to accomplish that by first trying to have Israelite slaves destroyed.  Then he will set one alliance against another to destroy one another.  Therefore as the tribulation begins he and the demons will influence all those who hold the Americans, the British and the Jews
captive to hate them.  People can do horrible things to other people when overcome by hatred, particularly Satan influenced hatred.  We use the term demonic to describe particularly heinous acts.  What the Germans did in World War 2 will be nothing compared to what Satan will influence the captors to do to their slaves.  That is why Jesus Christ describes this time of trouble in Matthew 24: 21-22 in these terms: “21 For then shall be great
tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved…”   

The only ones undergoing this worst time of trouble ever for the first two and a half years of the Tribulation are members of God’s Church and the American, British and Jewish slaves.  Beyond envy, Satan and the demons will directly influence the intensity and savagery of the hatred.

Satan will succeed in inculcating hatred for the slaves through deception.  He will lead the world to believe that they are doing God a service in destroying the slaves.  Jesus Christ foretold this in John 16:2 (NIV): “2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.”   

This will obviously be religious deception.  As mentioned earlier, this will be the culmination of the deception by the rider of the white horse of the first seal.  Jesus also prophesied of this deception in Matthew 24: “4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you.  5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many…11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many…15
"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,'  spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand),  16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains…24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

These verses indicate that the greatest part of the deception will be perpetrated by people coming in the name of Christ, meaning claiming to be Christians and deceiving many.  These will be miracle working false prophets, showing great signs and wonders.  The deception will be so cunning and crafty that even members of God’s Church could be deceived if they have not paid heed to these prophecies and have been watching events.  If even members of God’s Church could possibly be deceived, then the rest of the world will definitely be deceived by the miracles, signs and wonders shown by the false prophet.  

The miracle working false prophet has already been identified earlier as the great false prophet, the pope of the Roman Church. The signs and wonders he will perform are mentioned in Revelation 13:13-15: “13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.  14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling
those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.  15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”   

Can you imagine the impact this will have on human beings when the pope causes fire to come down from heaven to burn something up?  It will scare the living day lights out of people, as well as awe them.  They will honor this false prophet and accept his false claims that he is in place of God.  The false prophet making such claims is prophesied in 1 Thessalonians 2:3-4: “3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”   

Today when due to some natural phenomena images that look like those of Jesus or Mary, as commonly depicted in art or statues, appear in glass windows, tens of thousands flock to see them in the USA.  In India when people hear that a so-called guru can seemingly make some edible substance appear out of thin air, millions flock to see him.  Can you imagine the impact a real miracle working false prophet would have on the entire world, aided by behind the scenes influence of Satan and hundreds of millions of demons?  Even today the current pope draws crowds hundreds of thousands or even more than a million strong.  How mesmerized the world, particularly Europe and Latin America will become when he actually starts working miracles on a regular basis.  This false prophet will claim himself to be God and the world will believe him.  Revelation 13:14 says, “…he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast…”  When he says that Israelites and members of God’s Church should be killed because they worship ‘a false god,’ people in nearly all nations will believe him and obey him.

The religious deception will be so total that even Israelite nations of Europe other than the British (France, Switzerland, Benelux and Scandinavian countries) will be carried away with the deception and will likely hate the British and American peoples.  But as stated earlier, the prophecy in Ezekiel 5:4 indicates that these countries will not give up their British and American brothers who find shelter among them to be murdered by the beast and the
false prophet, even though they hate them and think they are deceived.     

The false prophet could pull a ruse such as saying that the worshippers of ‘the false god’ should be destroyed to protect their immortal soul from further harm, or be killed because they will not fully submit to his kingdom, which he will claim to be the “kingdom of God.”

This will be a conspiracy to wipe out the name of Israel (both physical and spiritual Israel) from the face of the earth.  Read it in Psalm 83:1-8: “1 Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still, O God!  2 For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head.  3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people [physical Israel, or America, British Commonwealth nations and the Jewish state of Israel, and later even the democracies of northwestern Europe], and consulted together against Your sheltered ones [God’s true Church].  4 They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation [God’s Church is also a nation (1 Peter 2:9)], that the name of Israel may be remembered no more."  5 For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You:  6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; 7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; 8 Assyria [Germany] also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot.”  

This prophecy shows that when Germans get control of much of the world through their European alliance and resurrect the ‘Holy Roman Empire’ in league with the pope for the seventh and last time, their goal will be to wipe out the name of physical and spiritual Israel.  All of Europe, Latin America and the Catholic world will have been swayed by the miracles of the pope.  They will accept the order from the beast and the false prophet to destroy
both physical and spiritual Israel thinking they are doing God a service.  They will be allied with the Islamists according to this conspiracy in the prophecy.  

When we consider these prophecies, much of Europe will be in alliance with the Germans; all of Latin America and the Catholic world will be allied with them because they will have been deceived and energized by the miracles of the pope into hating America and the British peoples; Islam will be allied with the Germans according to psalm 83.   China already hates America and is allied with the Germans.  South and western India has had a long standing alliance with the Germans.  Then Matthew 24:24 states: “24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”  This indicates that the false prophet with his signs and wonders will be able to deceive the rest of the world also to cause them to hate the Americans, the British and the Jews.  

Other people who may even have the slightest idea of staying neutral will be cowed down by fear to side with the Beast.  As Revelation 13:15 states, the false prophet will “…cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”  Virtually all people will give in to these threats because of the unrivaled military power of the Beast.  This is prophesied in Revelation 13:3-8 (NKJV): “3…And all the world marveled and followed the beast.  4 So they worshiped the dragon [Satan] who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "WHO IS LIKE THE BEAST?  WHO IS ABLE TO MAKE WAR WITH HIM?"… 7 And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue [language], and nation.  8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Behind the scenes, Satan and the demons will be working up hatred in the minds of people in the world for the Americans, the British and the Jews.  We have all heard words such as demonic, fiendish, devilish and frenzied.  Such will be the type of hatred Satan and the demons will whip up against the American, British and Jewish peoples.  There could be multiple pretexts such as using too much resources of the world per capita, having occupied the land and resources that belonged to others, so everybody has an equal right to take the land and resources from them.  Raw envy will also fuel the hatred.  Only deep demonic hatred can drive all nations to inflict cruelty and murder 90% of the total population of America, British Commonwealth nations and Israel that they enslave with the goal of wiping off the name of Israel from the face of the earth by murdering all the slaves.  But Jesus Christ will intervene to rescue them and prevent that from happening.

The author has learnt very well how Satan and the demons work to deceive people into hating others.  His thoughts are being broadcast by Satan and the demons 24 hours a day.  But Satan and the demons are liars.  Satan is called the father of lies. Many times they actually broadcast lies, palming them off as the author’s thoughts.  Sometimes they inject thoughts into his mind that would hurt and harm the most and part the best of friends and closest of family members and simultaneously broadcast them as his thoughts, which in reality are not his thoughts.  They describe such thoughts in words that would drive people to hate an individual.  By broadcasting such lies in his name, they have probably made him one of the most hated individuals in the world.  Using these methods they try to paint him as a buffoon, an idiot, or a misanthrope, a misogynist, or one who is envious of everyone and has ill will towards everyone and wants people dead.  By injecting thoughts and ideas into unwary peoples’ minds, they will be easily able to whip up hatred for the American, British and Jewish slaves as well as members of God's Church to influence nations to commit horrible atrocities and murders against them.  

America, British Commonwealth nations and the state of Israel will be abandoned by nations that they were friends with or will try to seek friendship with.  The Bible calls the process “hiring lovers.”  There are many prophecies that describe Israelites’ destruction at the hands of these lovers and their allies.

Ancient Israel had entered into a marriage covenant [agreement] with God.  But they had disobeyed that covenant by forsaking God and following after other gods which were mere idols.  Those false gods, and relationships with the people that worshipped those gods were called Israel’s ‘lovers.”  Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 3:14: “14 Turn, O backsliding children, says the LORD; for I am married unto you…”  

Jeremiah 4:30 described the result of forsaking God’s ways (NKJV): “30 "And when you are plundered, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with crimson, though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, though you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you will make yourself fair; your lovers will despise you; they will seek your life.”  

Jeremiah 30:14 (NKJV): “14 All your [Israel’s] 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 [Germany], for the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have increased.

Lamentations 1:1-2, 18-19 (KJV): “1 How does the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!  2 She weeps sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she has none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies…(NKJV) 18 "The Lord is
righteous, for I rebelled against His commandment. Hear now, all peoples, and behold my sorrow; my virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.  19 "I called for my lovers, but they deceived me; my priests and my elders breathed their last in the city, while they sought food to restore their life.”

Hosea 8:8-9: “8 Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles [non-Israelite nations] as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.  9 For they are gone up to Assyria [Germany], a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim [Britain] has hired lovers.”     

These prophets tell us specifically that Israel [America and Britain] seeks friendship with Gentile, or non-Israelite nations, particularly Germany, but they will betray her, deal treacherously with her, despise her and seek her life.  God says in Jeremiah 30:14 that He is the one who is actually wounding Israelites with the chastisement of the cruelest people on earth, the Germans, for their sins.

Ezekiel the prophet gives a further graphic description of what God thinks of Israel.  He writes in Ezekiel 16: 1, 36-42 (NKJV):  1 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations… 36 Thus says the Lord God: "Because your filthiness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your harlotry with your lovers [meaning following the religious practices of other nations], and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them,  37 surely, therefore, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved, and all those you hated; I will gather them from all around against you and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness.  38 And I will judge you as women who break wedlock or shed blood are judged; I will bring blood upon you in fury and jealousy.  39 I will also give you into their hand, and they shall throw down your shrines and break down your high places. They shall also strip you of your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you naked and bare.  40 They shall also bring up an assembly against you, and they shall stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords.  41 They shall burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women; and I will make you cease playing the harlot, and you shall no longer hire lovers.  42 So I will lay to rest My fury toward you, and My jealousy shall depart from you. I will be quiet, and be angry no more.”

Clearly punishment on America, British Commonwealth nations and Israel will be the result of God’s anger against them for violating His laws.  God will simply withdraw His protection from them and Satan in his hatred for physical and spiritual Israel will do the rest.   

Isaiah 10:5-6 shows that God is the one using the Germans, the modern descendants of the ancient Assyrians to punish Israelite nations: “5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.  6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.”  

What will slavery be like for the Americans, the British and the Jews?  The brutal treatment of slaves will be borne of deep hatred resulting from envy and seeing them suffer.  Today we think of slavery as a relic of a bygone era such as Egypt of 15th century B.C., the ancient Roman Empire or 19th century American South.  But according to the international organization Free the Slaves, Inc. web site, the organization’s conservative estimates are that there are 27 million people in slavery today. There are more people in slavery today than at any other time in human history.  These slaves generate about $35 billion in revenues annually for their masters.  But when the American, British and Jewish people are enslaved, their population alone in slavery could range from 90 – 100 million.  This will be the largest number of people in slavery than at any other time in human history.  And it could be a $100-150 billion revenue generator annually.

According to the Free the Slaves web site, an average slave in the American South in 1850 cost the equivalent of $40,000 in today’s money; today a slave costs an average of $90.  When 90-100 million people are available as slaves, the price of a slave will plummet.  That is precisely what the Bible prophesies in Joel 3:1-3: “1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.  3 And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.”

Joel the prophet here says that the victors will pick slaves by lot, sell a boy slave for a night with a harlot and sell a girl for some drinks of wine.  Abundant supply of slaves will make this possible.  Thus the lives of slaves will be cheap.  But slavery itself will be big business in terms of the revenue generated.   

According to Free the Slaves, as in the past, most slaves today are forced to work in agriculture, mining, and prostitution. From these sectors, their exploited labor flows into the global economy, and into our lives.  Quite likely the American, British and Jewish slaves will be engaged in similar back breaking work, with many being just discarded and abandoned to die out of spite as they get exhausted, or when it costs more to feed the slaves to
keep them alive than the revenue they generate.  That is why 90% of the slave population will die before the remnant is rescued by Jesus Christ with a strong hand.

While the beast and his alliance partners will be busy working their slaves to death, killing them with hunger and thirst, and with the 'sword', they will also be engaged in hunting and mopping up operations against those of the Israelite alliance that escaped capture.  While all this is going on, the two witnesses (Revelation 11) will be warning the world and preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.  They will also be bringing plagues on those who are mistreating and killing their Israelite slaves.

The plagues brought on by the two witnesses as a deterrent to the nations to offer some measure of protection for the captive Israelite slaves are described in Revelation 11:5-6 (NKJV): “5 And if anyone wants to harm them (the two witnesses), fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies.  And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of
their prophecy [to deter those who want to starve the Israelites]; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood [to deter those who want to kill the Israelites with thirst], and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire” [to deter those who want to torture and murder the Israelites].

The Israelites will find themselves in three situations.  The first group consists of those who were captured by the beast and sold as slaves.  The second group will have tried to avoid capture by resisting in their cities or fleeing.  They were besieged in their cities [But remember that the large and medium sized cities were destroyed with nuclear weapons.  So the cities besieged are the smaller remaining cities and towns.]  Those who were in the fields died by the sword.  Those besieged in the cities died of famine and disease.  This is prophesied in Ezekiel 7:2, 15 (NKJV): "And you, son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel...The sword is outside, and the pestilence and famine within.  Whoever is in the field will die by the sword; and whoever is in the city, famine and pestilence will devour him."     

But a few of this second group will be able to escape capture by fleeing to the mountains.  This is prophesied in Ezekiel 7:16-19: "Those who survive will escape and be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, each for his iniquity.  Every hand will be feeble, and every knee will be as week as water.  They will also be girded with sackcloth; horror will cover them; shame will be on every face, baldness on all their heads...They will not satisfy their souls, nor fill their stomachs..."

This second group will escape to the mountains in their own countries; but cold and hungry, they will be barely clinging to life.  They will be mourning, repentant and humbled before God. A few of them will ultimately survive.   

Mountain in prophecy is also a symbol for a large nation.  So escaping to the mountains could also mean escaping to other nations, most likely other Israelite nations of Europe, and finding protection there.  However, some of this group might also die when war comes to these nations.  But undoubtedly some will survive this way.

The third small group that will try to avoid capture will consist of those who support and protect the rulers.  Some of these will be captured whereas others will escape to other countries.  One of the rulers will be captured alive and probably his eyes put out.  This is prophesied in Ezekiel 12:6, 11-16: "...I have set you [Ezekiel] a sign unto the house of Israel...Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and
go into captivity.  And the prince that is among them [not in Jerusalem, but the prince that is among the house of Israel] shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.  My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans [Quoting from Mr.
Herbert W. Armstrong's book "The United States and Britain in Prophecy": "And where, today, are the ancient Babylonians - the Chaldeans?  They migrated west and settled in Italy.  Their religion was the Assyrian-Babylonian MYSTERY religion."]; yet shall he not see it [this part of the prophecy was fulfilled when king Zedekiah of Judah was blinded by Nebuchadnezzar (II Kings 25:6-7: "So they took the king (Zedekiah), and brought him to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.  And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon)], though he shall die there.  I will scatter to every wind all who are around him to help him, and all his troops; and I will draw out the sword after them.  Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.  But I will spare a few of their men from the sword, from famine, and from pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the Gentiles wherever they go.  Then they shall know that I am the Lord."

God is promising here that He will spare and protect a few top officials with the rulers in America, Britain and the state of Israel and help them flee to other nations so that they can witness to rulers of those nations that their nations were punished for violating God’s laws and the nations that they are now in should repent and not give in to the religion of the beast and the false prophet.  The rulers of the Gentile (non-Israelite) nations perhaps will  keep a few of these top officials as their advisors.

While all this is going on, religious persecution will be raging around the world.  The loyal members of God's Church will already be in a place of safety.  Persecution cannot touch them, though the beast and the false prophet had tried to harm them.  They had sent armies to destroy the Church that has fled, but the earth opens up and swallows the armies.  However, many members of God's Church will still be in the world.  God is testing the loyalty and faith of these members before He would be willing to offer them eternal life.  Satan is angry at these members and persecutes them to destroy them.  This is prophesied in Revelation 12:14-17: “14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place [place of safety], where she is nourished for a time , and times, and half a time [1,260 days], from the face of the serpent [Satan]. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood [flood is a symbol for an army] after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth [meaning the earth opened beneath the army and swallowed it alive]. 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ [these are members of the Church who are not in the place of safety].”  

The instruments of this satanic religious persecution will be the false prophet [the pope] as well as the beast.  This persecution will go on throughout the Great Tribulation.

But there is Trouble Brewing in the Beast's Confederation   

The Edomites, Arabs and other Muslims will have been doing most of the dirty work of murdering the Israelite captives, as well as warring with other nations of the House of Israel (France, Switzerland, Ireland, Scandinavian and Benelux countries] during the great tribulation.  But just before the end of two years, the confederation begins to fall apart.  The cause of this rebellion perhaps is the high-handedness of the Germans who probably take most of the benefits of controlling the world economy for themselves; or because nations are required to make contributions to the pope and the Church of Rome for worshipping according to its religion.  The false prophet [the pope] will have been working many miracles and deceiving the world, but now all the confederation partners (except the ten rulers who have given their authority to the beast) are beginning to think of their own interests.  Even in the east, those who may have been allied with the beast are engaged in diplomatic activity with Russia and other nations of the east and an alliance is beginning to take shape.  These alliance partners will also sense that a mad scramble for world resources (particularly oil) will take place.

The Islamic alliance is also becoming proud of its accomplishments as Obadiah indicates (Obadiah 1, 3 (NKJV): "The vision of Obadiah.  Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom...The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, who will bring me down to the ground?"  

They have helped bring the mighty Israelite alliance down, and also wrought havoc among the other Israelite nations in Europe.  They will perhaps also be engaged in policing the oceans and transportation routes through which the commerce of the world passes.  They will thus have become very proud of their accomplishments.  And they perhaps will have a new pride in their religion as well and do not wish to pay allegiance to the False Prophet any longer.  They also control most of the world's oil supply, and may have been pressured to supply it to the beast at concessional prices.  For any combination of these reasons, the Islamic alliance will begin to be alienated from its confederation with the beast.  Perhaps a leader of the Islamic alliance had already emerged when they joined in a confederation with the beast to go to war with the Israelite alliance.  If not, before the end of the two years a leader will certainly have emerged.  He as the King of the South will now be ready to 'push at' the king of the North (the beast) in order to  change the equation and extract concessions to get his 'due share' of the world's economy.

These thoughts will have entered into the mind of the King of the South and his advisors before the end of the two years.  When the end of the two years nears, the Islamic alliance will rethink why they have been persecuting the Israelites.  They will realize that they did not have a good enough reason for their enmity and confederacy against them.  As a result, at the end of the two years they will take action to lighten their persecution of the
Israelites.  In fact, many other nations will start thinking similar thoughts, but not all.  The Edomites will not change their thinking, as the reaction of the King of the North to the King of the South indicates, which will be discussed later.  This is indicated by Hosea 6:1-2 (NKJV): "Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.  After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us
up, that we may live in His sight."

A day in prophecy means a year.  Hosea says God 'will revive us after two days' or two years.  In the third year God will raise them up so that they can live.  This means that the Israelites slaves will have respite after two years and will recover in the following year.  God will cause this change in attitude.  This respite comes because of the breakup of the beast's confederation and some rethinking on the part of his other confederation partners.

Now world events are going to speed up even further.  When two-and-a-half years of the Great Tribulation are over, the Day of the Lord (the last year of the Great Tribulation) has arrived.  Till now the Gentiles have been used to punish the Israelites and the Jews of Israel.  But the Day of the Lord is the time of God's wrath on the rest of humanity for its sins.  We are ready for the events of the sixth seal.



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