Mike Hile, my great friend of many years who has kept this old, blind purveyor of Bible prophecy between the ditches in our many travels, sent an interesting report and a suggestion I believe has tremendous relevance at this late hour of our fleeting age.
We hear from all the news reports and punditry almost hourly that World War III might break out at any moment. And, looking at the many hostilities around the globe, we could easily conclude that, indeed, all-out nuclear conflict is on the brink.
The Russian-Ukrainian war still rages. Israel is still dealing with the war-making of Hamas and the terrorist evil that comes against the Jewish state and people. Other smaller wars and rumors of war occur and threaten because of the likes of the North Korean dictator and other minor tyrants.
And of the major tyrants, recent news isn’t good. While China still threatens to invade Taiwan and wreak havoc in other regions, it seems for the moment to be more focused on keeping its communist dictatorship from imploding due to economic pressures–many of these being brought to bear by one Donald John Trump.
Russia, also under terrific economic pressures, threatening the dictatorship of Vladimir Putin with internal degradation, rather than backing down at Trump’s sanction actions, warns of the nuclear option.
My friend Mike weighed in on all this, reminding me of why he and I, and anyone who studies Bible prophecy from, particularly, the pre-Trib viewpoint, can look at this development with calm assurance. There will not be all-out nuclear World War III as long as we remain in this Age of Grace, also called the Church Age.
These two major tyrannical entities, we believe—China and Russia—are prophetically scheduled (that is, we are told through God’s foreknowledge, His omniscience) to fulfill their dastardly destructiveness at a time yet future—a time after all believers in Jesus Christ have been taken (paralambano) into the gathering we call the Rapture of the Church.
Russia, we believe through much intensive study by ourselves and others, will be the lead national force that takes the coalition of Israel-hating hordes toward Jerusalem in the Gog-Magog assault described by Ezekiel the prophet.
China, we are convinced, will be the king (or lead nation) of the massive force called the “kings of the east” that will destroy a third of the world’s population at the time of crossing the dried-up Euphrates River. This war-making venture is found in Revelation chapters 9 and 16.
So, with this as a prophetic backdrop, I insert part of my friend Mike Hile’s email to me that precipitated this commentary:
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