With all the fuss about North Korea allegedly going nuclear, let’s review what the Bible says about the Far East in the last days and see if we can tell what this means.

First, some background.  I’ve found that there’s a great deal of mystery about the origin of the people who populate the Far East.  Even they don’t know where they came from.  The River Euphrates was a formidable natural barrier that inhibited travel and prevented the flow of information and ideas from moving back and forth.  The Scythians, a Central Asian people who raided the Middle East, (they killed Saul and Jonathon at the Battle of Beth Shan) can be traced toMagog and are the fore bearers of today’s Russians, but they came down from the North.  The Great Wall of China was once called the Ramparts of Magogand was built to keep the Scythians out of China.  This further isolated the Far East and not only clouded their origins in mystery, but resulted in the development of cultures very different from all others.

The oldest Chinese pictograms (their equivalent to letters of the alphabet) contain characters that depict the Creation story and belief in one God, so we can assume that at the dawn of history they knew of man’s origin, but their culture developed independently of any influence from those west of the barriers we’ve mentioned. Today there’s very little similarity between East and West, and even less goodwill.

As believers, we know that every race of mankind sprang from the loins of Ham, Shem, or Japeth.  But from which one did the oriental peoples come? Genesis 10:17 makes mention of a group called the Sinites, descended from Ham through Canaan.  And Isaiah 49:12 speaks of the Sinim (same Hebrew root), a people who according to the Strong’s concordance inhabited the extremity of the known world.  (Strong’s commentary on the Sinim suggests that it probably refers to the Chinese.) And that’s about all the Bible tells us until we see a reference to the Kings of the East in the Book of Revelation.

Back To The Future
The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. (Rev. 9:13-16)

At the time of the 6th Trumpet, four angels who’ve been stationed at the River Euphrates for this very purpose are loosed to agitate the leaders of the Far Eastagainst each other causing a huge war with massive casualties to mankind.  Two hundred million soldiers from the various armies will clash resulting in the deaths of 1/3rd of mankind.  25% of the Earth will already be under judgment causing much bloodshed and death (Rev. 6:8), and now nearly 2 billion people will perish in this war.

But since the traditional barrier between East and West, the River Euphrates, is not dried up to make way for them to swarm into the Middle East (we’ll see that in Rev. 16) I believe that this judgment is primarily against the 60% of the world’s population that lives East of the Euphrates. There’s no mention of them tangling with anyone out side the region, so this could be a forging of alliances in preparation for the coming attempt to grab the Middle East and all it’sresources.

With the conflicting religions, the crowded conditions, and the abject poverty, that area of the world is always ripe for conflict, so it won’t take much to stir them up against each other.  And since China, India, Pakistan, Russia, and North Korea are already nuclear powers it’s easy to project huge casualties.  Some believe that with North Korea’s announcement, the pressure to develop their own nuclear weapons will now be too great for Japan, South Korea, and perhaps others to resist.

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. (Rev 16:12)

By the time of the 6th Bowl judgment, the anti-Christ’s plans to control the world will be falling apart and the Kings of the East will be thinking that it’s every man for himself. Like I said, there’s no good will between East and West.

Remember, Daniel 11:40 tells us that after the King of the North (Syria, Iraq, Iran) and the King of the South (Egypt) mount an unsuccessful attack against the anti-Christ, there’ll be reports of troop movement from the East (China, etc.) and North (Russia) This is the run-up to Armageddon and the anti-Christ will locate his headquarters in Israel to direct his response to this new threat.

Of course we know that while all the world’s attention is focused on these opposing forces, another army rushes forth to join the fray.  But this one is unlike the others.  In the first place it comes out of the sky.  In the second place everyone’s dressed in white linen, and in the third place only its leader will fight.  His weapon is His Word and it will slay all these earthly armies in their tracks.

Will The Circle Be Unbroken?
The focal point of Life on Earth originated in the Middle East and was centered there for thousands of years.  Then came Gentile Dominion and the focus began moving westward.  From Babylon and Persia, world dominance moved toGreece, then Rome, then Spain, England, and now across the Atlantic toAmerica. Some observers say its next move will be to the Far East and finally back to the Middle East for the conclusion of history, having come full circle.

There are several indicators that support this observation.  China boasts the world’s fastest growing economy, and on the whole Asian economies are growing at three times the world’s average rate. Since growth attracts capital, money has been moving into Asia in record amounts.  The new Secretary General of the UN is from Korea.  India is fast becoming a world center for “Knowledge Process Outsourcing”. There are more Christians being born again in the Far East than in any other part of the world. Three of the four most populous nations in the world are in the far East (China, India, and Indonesia), as are almost half of the top 25.  As I said, estimates place 60% of the world’s population in Asia. This could very well be the beginning of their time.

What’s Happening?
All told, that makes North Korea a small piece of the puzzle.  The latest reports say their nuclear test probably wasn’t an unqualified success, and that they aren’t as ready to shoot a missile at New York or Washington, like they sort of threatened this week, as they claim.  But Russia and China will prevent any real sanctions against them, both having helped North Korea get to this point as well as having encouraged North Korea and Iran to cooperate with each other.  It looks like Russia and China helped North Korea, who in turn helped Iran, who in turn funded North Korea.  (According to what I’m reading in the conservative press, the Clinton Administration gave North Korea a little help too, providing both reactors and dollars in return for a promise of peaceful intent.)

More than being a sign that the Kings of the East are on the move, North Korea’s actions were likely prompted by America’s enemies to demonstrate that we’re stretched so thin in Afghanistan, Iraq and soon Iran, that we really can’t do much more than issue empty threats any where else.  There was a time when the US had 12,000 nukes stockpiled in 24 different countries around the world to keep our enemies from trying anything foolish, but thanks to “détente” those days are over and gone forever.  And now the word is that we’ve been steadily pulling troops out of South Korea to meet our needs in Iraq. The world’s catching on to this, and especially those friends farthest away have to be wondering who’s going to take care of them.

As for our enemies, just today (Oct 14, 2006) I read of Iran’s agreement to spend $90 million upgrading Hamas’ 6500 man militia into a Hezbollah like attack force.  This is in addition to quickly re-arming Hezbollah and restoring them to their previous status as Iran’s proxy army 0n Israel’s north.  The goal now is to facilitate a simultaneous attack on Israel from both North and South to pre-empt an Israeli attack on Iran.  Israel’s abandonment of Gaza and admitted failure to stop Hezbollah has emboldened Iran to take this action.

And because of the world’s likely non-reaction to North Korea’s test, many believe that Iran will also grasp this opportunity to conduct a test of their own.  I wrote early this spring that the underground facilities already exist in Iran for such a demonstration, and if North Korea gets away with it why can’t they?

As Israel’s failure to stop Hezbollah has placed her in greater peril, so will America’s failure to stop North Korea result in greater peril for us. We may soon find ourselves just as surrounded as Israel.  It’s almost enough to make us long for the relatively stable days of the cold war.  At least we knew that the Soviet Union wasn’t bent on self-destruction.  Can anybody say the same about Iran? Maybe it’s time for us to start wondering who’s going to take care of us?  Oh, that’s right. “When all these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28)

You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.

Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom (Matt. 24:7)

“But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you.      I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:8-10)

Here are a few developments I’ve selected from various news and intelligence sources to

show how much worse conditions in the Middle East have gotten since Israel’s war with Lebanon two months ago.

France and Italy have agreed to sell Lebanon their jointly developed Aster 15 anti-aircraft missile system to prevent Israeli unmanned surveillance aircraft from spying on military activities in Lebanon. (The UN has promised not to shoot down Israeli surveillance aircraft.  But the French, who lead the UN forces, have threatened just the opposite.)

Russian intelligence personnel, protected by Russian infantry, have all but taken over the southern Lebanese town of Sidon near Israel’s Northern border. The intelligence they gather will be shared with Syria and Iran.  Sidon was at the northern extreme of the land given to the Tribe of Asher, and was yielded to thePhonecians in violation of God’s commandment. (Leviticus 25:23) Sidon’sdestruction in promised in Ezekiel 28:20-26.

Russia is also constructing deepwater ports in Tartus and Latakia on Syria’s coast to serve a major Russian Naval presence in the Mediterranean.  The plan is to potentially relocate portions of Russia’s Black Sea and North Sea fleets to theMiddle East.

Syria and Iran have restored all of Hezbollah’s pre-war offensive capabilities, and with the permission of the Lebanese Army and UN peacekeepers Hezbollahhas regained control of its pre-war strongholds along Israel’s northern border as well.

By now it should be clear to everyone that the UN ceasefire has become a cruel joke.  The parties involved (except for Israel) aren’t just ignoring it, they actually seem to be trying to discover how blatant a violation is required to arouse the world’s criticism.  So far no one has said a word, and that includes Israel. It’s a repeat of the Gaza withdrawal on a grander scale.

Syria is working with Hezbollah to topple the government of Lebanon in favor of one more friendly toward them, perhaps led by Hezbollah. Syria has also maintained combat ready forces along its border with Lebanon and is openly discussing the merits of a pre-emptive attack on Israel.

Iran has begun to upgrade the 7500 man Hamas militia into a Hezbollah like attack force with $90 million worth of training and weaponry.  Since the beginning of 2006, Hamas has smuggled over 20 tons of air and surface missiles, ordinance, and weaponry into Gaza through 15 recently discovered tunnels built since Egypt took control of the Southern border.  Much of this armament has come from Iran.  Syrian instructors arrived in Gaza for the first time last week to begin the training. The Iranian/Syrian goal is to have trained attack forces ready and waiting on both the northern and southern borders withIsrael.

Prelude to Ezekiel 38?
It appears that a coalition based on mutual interest has been formed betweenIran, Russia, and Syria.  They intend to exploit the weaknesses discovered in Israel’s war with Lebanon by preparing a pre-emptive attack designed to prevent Israel from destroying Iran’s Russian built nuclear capability should the need arise.

In the UN, an agreement has been reached that will exempt Russia’s reactor building program in any sanctions against Iran.  This was done to get Russia’s cooperation.  Apparently Russia’s 10 reactor deal with Iran will proceed unhampered.

From Moscow this week, Israeli PM Olmert warned again that, “We don’t have the privilege to allow a situation in which Iran has the capability for unconventional weapons.”  (In reply Iranian Pres. Ahmadinejad declared, “There is no reason for Israel, the greatest insult to human dignity, to exist. It will soon disappear.”)

Despite these words of warning, experts say that Israel is so preoccupied with assessing the blame for its failure to neutralize Hezbollah that it’s paying scant attention to gearing up for the next attack.

Meanwhile 3 US Navy Carrier Strike Groups have arrived for exercises offIran’s Persian Gulf Coast.  The Iranian government believes their real purpose is to help Israel mount an attack against Iran.  Ahmadinejad claims that Allah has told him that Iran will be successful in any military confrontation with Israel and the US.

What Are You Trying To Say?
It doesn’t take an inspired prophet of God to tell that things don’t look good forIsrael right now.  In fact, aside from the times they’ve been in the middle of an all out war, I can’t recall a worse time.  Events seem to be gathering the type of momentum that leads to taking on a life on their own.  Like an atomic explosion that achieves critical mass and becomes unstoppable, they could soon spiral out of control.

This time around it seems like Syria is getting set to assume the lead role on the battlefield with Iran calling the plays but remaining in the background. Remember, the idea is to prevent Israel from attacking Iran.  If Iran took the lead it would defeat the purpose of the strategy.

Syria is a far different foe than Hezbollah, with 220,000 soldiers, 3,500 battle tanks, 600 combat aircraft and thousands of short and intermediate range missiles.  150-200 of these missiles are believed to have chemical or biological warheads.  Israel’s discovery that Syria was getting ready to launch of one of these CBW’s would likely trigger a pre-emptive strike of the kind mentioned in Isaiah 17.  Israel would not only have to prevent Syria’s actions but also demonstrate the consequences to any other country thinking of doing so.  With such a build up of hostile intent all around, Israel has been deprived of any “measured response” option and will have to employ overwhelming force to any threat.

In August, Israel was criticized for making a disproportionate response toHezbollah’s cross border provocations.  I wonder what the world will say whenDamascus disappears under a mushroom shaped cloud.

“All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.  Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them.  Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.  For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “Do not fear; I will help you.  Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 41:11-14)

You can almost hear the Footsteps of the Messiah.