NOTE: The following post gives more details on the topics covered below: “The Daniel 11:22 War”, “Sheep/Goat Nations”, “Satanism”, “London = Babylon the Great?” https://dangreenup.com/geopolitics-and-bible-prophecy/
The Daniel 11:22 War
Russia isn’t leaving Syria anytime soon and Syrians are preparing accordingly. Indeed, it turns out that 24,000 Syrian students are now learning Russian, “in order to travel to Russia or work in Russian companies they expect to appear in Syria in the future.” A little while back, Syrian state media reported that Syria’s parliament “ratified a bill handing management of the country’s largest port to a Russian firm for 49 years.” Yes, the Russians are getting quite comfortable in Syria. In fact, according to The Times of Israel, “Russia is considering a slew of major commercial projects in Syria.” Reportedly, Russia plans on spending millions of dollars to modernize the port of Tartus. In addition, the Russians envision building “a railway across Syria and Iraq that will link Syria’s Mediterranean coast with the Persian Gulf.” That’s a significant project, one which would cement Russia’s status not only in Syria, but in the Middle East at large. It’s difficult to see Israel and many of their Arab neighbors embracing Russia’s plans to camp out in their backyard. More and more, it’s looking like the post-war reconstruction of Syria will set the stage for the Daniel 11:22 War.
Sheep/Goat nations
A few weeks back, Japan sent a warship and patrol planes to the Middle East. This didn’t come as a surprise, because late last year the Japanese were working on a plan to send 270 sailors “to the Middle East to guard ships.” For the record, this isn’t a temporary situation. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has decided to use roughly $4.6 million for self-defense units in the region. In December of 2019, Japan informed Iran of their plan to send naval forces to the Middle East to protect its vessels in the region. After all, almost all of Japan’s oil imports come from the Gulf. With the United States done being the world’s policeman, it’s up to individual nations to protect their interests. The Japanese need Gulf oil.
That said, Japan has a very good relationship with the United States. For instance, Australia, Japan and the US have partnered to mine and process highly valuable rare earth elements. The trio has also joined forces to finance a liquefied natural gas project in Papua New Guinea. Without a doubt, the US supports Japan’s efforts against China in the so-called Southeast Asia infrastructure race. For what it’s worth, Japan is currently winning. On top of that, the US and Japan signed an extensive bilateral trade agreement. In other words, Japan could always turn to the US for its energy needs. Given its close ties with the US and geographic isolation, is Japan going to be a sheep nation?
It’s difficult to say, but one thing is for sure: Japan likely isn’t one of the kings of the east. Revelation 16:12 describes how an angel will dry up the Euphrates River to prepare the way for “the kings from the east.” From there, verses 13-16 note how demons perform signs which gather the “kings of the whole world” at Megiddo, a hill overlooking the Valley of Jezreel. Putting it all together, the Antichrist’s empire is joined by these kings of the east and together they’re absolutely destroyed by Jesus at the Battle of Armageddon. The kings of the east are obviously goat nations. Yet, since the angel dries up the Euphrates to make way for these armies, the implication is that ground troops are marching toward Israel. Island nations, like Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, probably aren’t involved because they’re not connected to the Eurasian land mass.
Now, this doesn’t mean Japan is a sheep nation. It does, however, mean that Japan has a choice. Will the Japanese offer refuge to persecuted Christians and Jews in the end times? Let’s hope so.
Satanism
In early January, thousands of Catholics in the Philippines walked “around a centuries-old black wooden statue of Jesus Christ believed to have healing powers, praying for good health and economic success in the new year.” This annual procession of the so-called Black Nazarene remains popular in the Philippines. One woman in attendance explained, “After making a vow to the Black Nazarene my loan immediately got approved, which is why I truly believe in its miraculous powers, especially for those who have strong faith in the Black Nazarene.” Of course, Jesus told us not to make vows and the Bible is very clear about not worshiping idols. Once again, the dangers of not having a biblical worldview are on full display.
In 2010, in a study on Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa, Pew Research pointed out, “many of those who indicate they are deeply committed to the practice of Christianity or Islam also incorporate elements of African traditional religions into their daily lives.” The study also found that “in four countries (Tanzania, Mali, Senegal and South Africa) more than half the people surveyed believe that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm.” Incredibly, “Sizable percentages of both Christians and Muslims – a quarter or more in many countries – say they believe in the protective power of juju (charms or amulets).” On top of that, “Many people also say they consult traditional religious healers when someone in their household is sick, and sizable minorities in several countries keep sacred objects such as animal skins and skulls in their homes and participate in ceremonies to honor their ancestors.”
Putting it all together, it explains why Africa, despite its large number of professing Christians, continues to languish by most measures. Many African Christians don’t have a biblical worldview. Those Filipino Catholics which venerate the Black Nazarene aren’t any different. Their embrace of superstitious rituals, idols and traditional religions, some of which may involve demonic dedications, covenants or vows, gives Satan a legal right to accuse them in the courts of heaven and torment them with evil spirits. These legal accusations must be revoked by the blood of Jesus. To do this, view the following resources: Dealing with generational curses & Healing
London = Babylon the Great?
Ben Wallace, Britain’s current defense secretary, recently said, “We are very dependent on American air cover and American intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets. We need to diversify our assets.” In other words, the United States is no longer the world’s policeman, which means the British have to start fighting their own battles. To be fair, they’ve been planning for this since the election of President Donald Trump in 2016. For example, in 2018, the United Kingdom opened its first permanent military base in the Middle East since the 1970s, strategically located in Bahrain. Likewise, the UK has refused to give the strategic Chagos Islands to Mauritius, despite an order by the United Nations. Honestly, post-Brexit, the British are likely to expand their international holdings, not reduce them.
In search of resources, new trading partners and different supply chains, British imperialism is going to make a comeback. Instead of the British Empire, however, it’ll be called the Commonwealth of Nations. 53 countries are currently members of the UK-led Commonwealth of Nations, numbering almost two-and-a-half billion people. That’s over one-fourth of the world’s population and the Commonwealth includes four of the most populous nations in the world: India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Bangladesh. Well, Revelation 17:18 says Babylon the Great, “reigns over the kings of the earth.” This implies a diverse empire and, naturally, an aggressive foreign policy.
That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading and Godspeed!