On June 23, Great Britain voted to leave the EU—once again asserting her independence as a nation state. The shock waves caused by this decision have been truly huge and will continue to impact throughout the world for quite some time. This event is unprecedented. Once again Great Britain is free to assert authority over her own borders and levy her own taxes. Britain is finally free to legislate and rule over her own people in any way she deems fit.

Yet Britain’s newly found freedom and independence will involve huge challenges. Freedom and independence come with a cost and the coming months and years could be very difficult for Britain as she attempts to untangle herself from the masses of red tape, rules, regulations and policies she was subjected to by the EU.

There is no getting away from the fact that the European Union is livid.

Despite German Chancellor Angela Merkel declaring that there should be no “nastiness” in the coming withdrawal discussions, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry insisting that the EU be “fair” with the UK—the leadership of the EU have let it be known in no uncertain terms that as Britain has voted to leave the European Union, they must now invoke Article 50 and begin the divorce process immediately.

Now that Britain has decided on independence, the EU seems to want Britain gone as fast as possible. Domestically, Brexit has caused a political bloodbath in London and Westminster is currently experiencing a political breakdown and disarray unseen in generations.

At the same time students of Bible prophecy and Bible scholars the world over are deeply involved in trying to understand what the potential prophetic implications of this Brexit might be. I am one of them.

Throughout my own life here in the UK, Britain’s membership in the EU has, quite frankly, puzzled me. As I have watched the complicated machinations of the Middle East play out month by month before my eyes, I see it as an intricate jig-saw puzzle coming together piece by piece to reflect  the biblical predictions for the region.  How, in these end times, I have always wondered, does Britain’s membership in the EU somehow fit into the last days picture.

Britain’s membership in the EU doesn’t fit into the Bible’s predictions for the latter days. Britain’s membership in the EU at the time of the end is an anomaly because it doesn’t match biblical predictions for the conditions described in Ezekiel 38 and 39.

Those chapters lay out a future, yet fast approaching invasion against Israel by an alliance of nations led by a  leader from the north. It is described over two chapters in exquisite detail and is known as the war of Gog and Magog or the battle of Ezekiel 38 and 39.

Today, in 2016, two sets of alliances exist in the Middle East that are described by Ezekiel in chapters 38 and 39. These alliances are unique to our modern day as these nations have never been aligned like this in history before. Furthermore, they correlate exactly with the predictions made by Ezekiel in chapters 38 and 39.

There are six nations recorded in Ezekiel as forming an alliance against Israel. These nations are Magog (Russia), Persia (Iran), Cush (modern day Ethiopia), Put (Libya), Gomer (modern day Eastern Europe- some commentators even include Germany in this group) and Beth Togarmah (Turkey). It will be these nations led by a prince or ruler called “Gog” who will have an “evil thought” and will subsequently come up against Israel to “take a spoil.”

These nations have gravitated together; today exceptionally close relationships already exist between the two leading members of this “horde”—between Russia and Iran. Russia and Iran have even invaded Syria together and under Russian cover Iran has placed significant numbers of its elite Republican Guards right on the Israeli border, especially in the hotly disputed Golan Heights region of Israel.

The Golan Heights area is the same disputed region where Israel is believed to have discovered vast, and as yet untapped oil deposits.

There is another, a second alliance depicted in Ezekiel 38 and 39. It will be those opposing countries that will respond to Gog’s invasion of Israel:

“Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?” (Ezekiel 38:13)

Sheba (Yemen), Dedan (Saudi Arabia) and the merchants of Tarshish (England), and their young lions (USA) are in 2016 forming an ideological front against Iran and the nations it leads in the Middle East. There is a proxy war taking place right now in the Middle East where each side is actively competing for supremacy against the other.

Bible prophecy writer and expert, Kit R. Olsen details in her new forthcoming book, Israel’s Guaranteed Future Glory, what will happen when the nations come against tiny Israel,

The meaning of the merchants of Tarshish is a reference to England. “With all the young lions thereof” refers to the nations that have been colonized from England; the United States and Canada for example. The Western powers will not take a firm pro-Israel stand and will not help her when Russia and its allies attack Israel. Instead, it seems that the Western nations will offer only a mild protest:

“Art thou come to take a spoil? Hast thou assembled thy… away cattle and goods, to take a spoil? (Ezekiel 38:13).”

It is this “mild protest,” as Kit R. Olsen refers to it, is prophetic and relates directly to Britain’s exit from the European Union. Up until last week Britain was an active participatory member of the European Union. This meant that Britain functioned as a part of the apparatus of the EU, including its foreign policy. Britain was one voice amongst many, united under a single European common foreign and security policy.

This is what has always confused me prophetically: If Britain remained a member of the EU it would be the foreign policy chief of the EU that would voice a protest at the Middle Eastern hordes invasion of Israel. It would be this EU foreign policy chief who would question whether they had come to “take a spoil.” It would not be Britain offering this rebuke.

Why then, does the Bible reference England, specifically, as raising protest at this invasion? Why is England mentioned very specifically along with the USA, Saudi Arabia and Yemen as voicing complaint? It simply wouldn’t happen like that if Britain had remained a member of the EU. Britain wouldn’t offer any rebuke of Gog because the EU would do it on her behalf.

When Britain “Brexit-ed” the EU at the end of last week, suddenly the conditions were finally in place to enable the fulfillment of this portion of prophetic scripture. Britain, now standing alone for the first time in almost fifty years, is suddenly in a position to offer up a rebuke to Gog when he invades Israel, as described in Ezekiel.

This is almost the last piece of the puzzle that needed to fall into place before this scripture could be fulfilled. All other factors are already in place.

The landmass between Russia and Israel has been occupied and dominated by ISIS, who quickly filled the void of power left by the United States, Britain and our allies after we withdrew from Libya and Iraq. ISIS continues to pillage and butcher their way across the Middle East, clearing vast swathes of land and in the process have destroyed old, well-established borders between traditional nation states.

ISIS has changed the map of the Middle East entirely. They have created a huge land bridge from Russia to the border of Israel. ISIS has cleared the land in preparation for the horde to come, they have prepared the way for Gog ahead of time.

Russia has effectively invaded Syria and now dominates the entire region, and they have brought their allies Persia, or Iran, with them. The necessary alliances are solidifying and Great Britain has now exited from the EU, thus enabling the rebuke of Gog that will surely come when he and his hordes invade Israel.

This war is fast approaching. All the players are now in place, the conditions are set and the world awaits God’s good timing. This will be the day when the Lord puts the “hooks” into Gog’s jaw and “brings him forth.”

There is one other important point to consider in relation to this matter. Throughout history, God has always dealt with peoples and nations separately in specific dispensations of time. Currently we are in the Gentile age, but that age is rapidly drawing to a close.

By the beginning of Tribulation period, God will have turned his face away from the Gentile world and will once again turn back to the people of Israel. It is during the war of Gog and Magog, prior to the Tribulation’s beginning, that the Sovereign LORD declares:

“I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.” (Ezekiel 39: 7)

God is declaring that in that war and in the immense destruction that He will personally bring upon Gog and the nations with him, that He will once more make Himself known to the people of Israel, “I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel…”

He will clearly reveal his hand of deliverance to his own people as he turns his face back towards them. This means that the gentile age, therefore, must have drawn to an end by this point.

If we can already see the gathering storm clouds of the Gog and Magog war forming before our eyes, over our own collective horizons and steadily approaching us day by day, then that must also mean that the Rapture of the Church is getting ever closer with each passing day.

wardmatt1977@gmail.com

Last night Britain chose Brexit, voting to leave the European Union forever. This morning, as I write this article sitting at my desk in my classroom, preparing for the day’s teaching ahead; everything looks the same but somehow feels different.

This decision represents a seismic shift for Europe and will result in repercussions that will be felt well beyond the local shores of Europe. In fact, so significant is this result that its impact will be off the Richter scale. This is a super-volcano and a tsunami all in one.  Fundamental change seems to be upon Europe, change that will significantly impact upon the rest of the world.

The results of this Brexit vote have been immediate within the UK. Prime Minister David Cameron resigned the morning of the result, leaving a political void at the very heart of the UK government. At the same time, Labour, the official Opposition Party and for a long time unhappy with their own leader, have sensed blood and put forward a vote of no confidence in their own leader, Jeremy Corbyn. This has thus trigger a leadership challenge within the Labour Party. Both of the main political parties of the UK are now in a state of flux and disarray, at the exact time when calm, seasoned leadership is needed most.

The Pound Sterling has immediately dropped to a 31 year low. In actual fact it has crashed in value. Ominously, state pensions, linked to the currency are also now at pre-1985 levels and declining in value hour by hour. Overtwo hundred billion pounds has been wiped off British assets in the FTSE 100 overnight. The value of British stock will likely continue to nosedive.

Scotland’s First Minister and the leader of the Northern Irish Assembly have this morning publically called for an immediate Scottish and Irish Referendum on their own memberships of the UK. Those that voted in favour of ending British membership of the EU may also inadvertently get the end of the British Union as well.

The United Kingdom facing the world alone is an entirely different and more comforting prospect than England having to face the world alone. Yet this is what may happen in the coming months.

Serious question marks now remain over the future of British business and industry. What of the car industry, so dependent upon Europe, especially German manufacturing? What of the big pharma companies that dominate Europe or the city of London, the financial capital of Europe and perhaps even the world?

Uncertainty is going to dominate all European and world financial markets in the coming days and weeks.

Internally Britain is without doubt more divided than at any point in her recent history. 52 percent voted “Leave”, 48 percent voted “Remain.” The vote was right down the middle. Wounds have been opened up and the recriminations on both sides are just beginning. These wounds are deep ideological wounds too.

Europe itself has been dealt a hammer blow by this vote. Geopolitically the EU is much less relevant at an international level without the membership of a country that truly does have a global military, diplomatic and financial presence. This vote may well also undermine Europe’s balance of power in world affairs.

Europe, reeling from this decision, now genuinely fears contagion. Donald Tusk, the European Council President stated only a few days ago that a Brexit could spell, “The end of western civilization.” He wasn’t joking either. His task now is to galvanize the remaining 27 member states and, though this will not be stated publically, make an example of Britain. The EU now needs to demonstrate clearly and unequivocally what happens to a country if they decide to leave the EU.

It is therefore in the EU’s vested interests to punish Britain for this vote, to make them pay over the short and long terms. The EU must make Britain’s pain real, so that they stand as example to everybody else in Europe who may be considering holding their own referendums.

Countries like Belgium, Holland, Spain, Greece and even Germany, where there is considerable domestic unease and discontent with the European project, must be brought in line. Leaving the EU must not be an option for them because Eurosceptic parties across Europe will now be holding Britain up as an example to emulate and follow. If the EU is to survive, this challenge must be met and dealt with decisively.

Likewise, international and transnational money lending organizations like the IMF and the World Bank also have a vested interest in making an example of Britain. The IMF and the World Bank have invested many trillions of dollars in bailout packages for Europe. This was done in part because of the stability that the EU provides. Now that Britain has left the EU that financial stability does not exist in the same way, nor does collective responsibility.

The result of this is that any EU member nation grappling with whether to leave or remain in the EU may not be considered financially safe enough to warrant large future investment from the IMF or World Bank. It could, in the very worst case scenario, lead to a lack of liquidity in European financial markets that could easily spark another crash.

If the result of this referendum is respected then Britain will soon give notice to leave the EU. Once formal notice to leave the EU is given a two year process begins. It will be in this two year period that the terms of Britain’s “divorce” from the European Union will be determined. This whole divorce process could theoretically drag on from anywhere between two to four or five years.

Four or five years of questions, arguments and instability. Of international spats and market turmoil. Many seasoned experts believe the international financial markets are simply too fragile to cope with such a prolonged period of uncertainty.

In a period of huge and ever increasing world-wide, multi spectrum instability, this will provide another significant hammer blow. This decision will, without question, bring with it an element of chaos. Chaos for Europe and Britain, chaos and confusion in worldwide financial markets, chaos for international partners and trade, chaos in ways not yet thought of or considered.

No one has ever been in this territory before and it is therefore impossible to predict with any certainty what might become of this decision. It could lead, in the worst scenario to a collapse in the world financial system. It could lead us down the road to war. The reassertion of nationalism in Europe did end in war twice during the Twentieth Century and nearly 200 million people died because of it.

In the end though, that is not what struck me as being the most likely outcome of this crisis. Biblically, what impacted me most strongly was not any European, world or financial concerns.

What struck me most was the potential implications this might have for Gog, and the battle of Ezekiel 38 and 39.

wardmatt1977@gmailcom