The Everlasting Hatred

by Hal Lindsey

  Islam Warned by Jehovah God

  When Ezekiel predicted the miraculous Last Days restoration of the land of Israel, he also warned the neighboring nations for confiscating His land. Just read how accurately the details of Ezekiel’s prophecy fit the current situation in “Israel-Palestine”:

  And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, “O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Because the enemy has spoken against you, “Aha!” and, “The everlasting heights have become our possession.”’ . . . “Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD. Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the forsaken cities, which have become a prey and a derision to the rest of the nations which are round about.. . . ‘Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom [collective name for Arab peoples], who appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for a prey.’ . . . “Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘I have sworn that surely the nations which are around you will themselves endure their insults. But you, O mountains of Israel, you will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel; for they will soon come [home].’”249

  WHO OWNS THE HOLY LAND?

  Who owns the land that the Romans out of spite renamed Philistia or Philistina after the ancient enemies of Israel—the Philistines? The Arabs couldn’t pronounce “Philistina,” so it came to be called by the Arab pronunciation—“Palestine.” In the prophecy above, God makes it clear that the Arabs don’t own the land—and neither do the Jews. He says it is “My land.” The Lord declares that He will only give it to those He has promised it to—the believing remnant of Israelites.

  The Lord expresses His fury at the Muslim nations for appropriating His land and desecrating it—reducing it to a state of utter desolation.

  God then declares that He will bring His people back to the land and that it will flourish to their touch. In an earlier chapter, I noted that God would give back the land to the Israelites on the basis of His unconditional covenant with them, in spite of the fact they do not deserve it.

  As the Lord explains:

  Therefore, say to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. . . . For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land.’”250

  When God makes a promise, His name is at stake. He will not break a promise, no matter how unworthy the recipients may be. So He sovereignly announces that He will cause a remnant to believe and become the recipients of His ancient covenants with their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

  THE POWER FROM THE EXTREME NORTH

  In the same general time of these events, Ezekiel predicts the rise of another key piece to the prophetic pattern. There are three major Biblical predictions about this northern power. They are found in Ezekiel 38 and 39, Daniel 11:40-45, and Joel 2:20. Ezekiel gives three clues by which to identify this power.

  First, the Geographic Clue: In Bible prophecy, all compass directions assume Israel as their base point, unless specifically noted otherwise. The attacking nation in view in Ezekiel will come against Israel from its “uttermost or extreme north.” This clue is repeated three times. Ezekiel predicts that the invader will come “from the remote parts of the north with all its troops—many peoples with you”251; that the attacker “will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples”252; and that the Lord “shall turn you around, drive you on, take you from the remotest parts of the north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel.”253

  The Hebrew word translated “remote parts of the north” literally means “extreme north.”

  There is only one colossus that covers the entire great expanse to the north of the Middle East and Asia. Take a globe and go to the extreme north from Israel. There is only one nation there—Russia.

  Second, the Time Clue: Ezekiel clearly identifies the time in history this nation would rise to power. He writes, “After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste; but its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them.”254

  Ezekiel predicts that this hostile nation will rise against Israel after it has been brought back from its worldwide dispersion and reborn as a nation in “the latter years.” That can only be now—since the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948.

  Third, the Ethnic Clue: Ezekiel writes that this northern power will be descended from the ancient tribes of Magog, Meshech, and Tubal. All these people spread north of the Caucasus Mountains at the dawn of recorded history.

  The fifth century B.C. Greek historian Herodotus is quoted as mentioning Meshech and Tubal. He identified them with a people known as the Samaritans and Muscovites, who lived at that time in the extreme north of Asia Minor.255

  Josephus, a Jewish historian of the first century, says that the people of his day known as the Moschevi and Thobelites were founded by Meshech and Tubal respectively. He also says, “Magog is called the Scythians by the Greeks.” He reported that these people lived in the northern regions above the Caucasus Mountains.256

  These fierce tribes later became collectively known as the Scythians. The Scythians are easily traced in history as the principle forefathers of the modern ethnic Russians.

  Russia is not predicted as a world conqueror, but rather as a dangerous regional power with a vast arsenal of deadly weapons. Ezekiel predicts that this people will lead a confederacy of nations, which are all Muslim today, and will equip them with deadly weapons.257

  Persia, or Iran, is the first confederate named.258 It is no coincidence that Iran has signed a treaty with Russia that binds Moscow to fight along side the Iranians if the West attacks. Iran now troubles the world with its headlong plunge toward nuclear weapons. Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has defied the sanctions of the world with his relentless pursuit of what he believes is his mission for Allah—to obliterate Israel and to start the last war that will cause the Muslim messiah, “the Mahdi,” to return.

  As mentioned in the last chapter, I have sought for years to warn about the Muslim prophecies that are passionately believed by Iran’s ayatollahs and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. And how the Russians are now in a treaty that requires them to side with Iran in future conflicts—just as predicted. As predicted in Ezekiel chapter 38, Russia continues to supply all manner of weapons to Iran and the Muslim world.

  THE ASIAN CONFEDERATION

  Also during this same era, predicts the Book of Revelation, the world will see the rise of an enormous power in Asia. The Apostle John writes of “the kings of the East”259 who advance into the Middle East from east of the Euphrates River. In the Apostle John’s era, the Euphrates River was the dividing line between the Near East and the Far East. According to Revelation Chapter 9, this Asian confederacy will cross the Euphrates River with two hundred million soldiers. This advance is apparently to challenge the Russian-Persian invasion of the aforementioned strategic land bridge that connects Africa, Asia, and Europe—along with its vital oil reserves.

  I believe China is destined to lead this Asian confederation and become a major world power. At the time of this writing, China is one of the top three economic powers in the world, and its military might is growing in tandem with its economic expansion.

  It is important to note that when John made this cryptic prophecy of a vast two-hundred-million-man Asian army, there were not that many people in the world.260 This sphere of power is destined to kill one-third of mankind. The Apostle John’s first-century prophecy that describes the phenom
ena that kills this unprecedented number of people is a very good portrayal of the effects of a modern thermonuclear war. Just imagine this prophecy being fulfilled in terms of today’s population. A third of the world’s present population translates into 2.3 billion people killed in a matter of days. No wonder both Jesus and Daniel said about this time, “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.”

  Growing Power of Asia

  Asian nations like China, India, North Korea, and Pakistan already have nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems. They are rapidly improving their technology and enlarging their arsenals. Watch for China to move toward establishing hegemony over the Asian nations such as the Koreas, Japan, India and the Southeast Asian nations. On the basis of these prophecies, I believe these nations are destined to join together as both an economic and military power bloc.

  In the light of recent shifts in the world’s economic power, it is easy to see why any attempt by the other spheres of power to launch a hostile takeover of the Middle East’s strategic land bridge and oil reserves would be immediately countered by a Chinese-led Asian attack.

  THE WESTERN SPHERE OF POWER

  Ultimately, this sphere of power will take over all other spheres of power for a short period. This Western power is predicted more often and in greater detail than all of the others. It will be a revived form of the old Roman Empire, and its capital will again be Rome.

  We can have great confidence in this prophecy’s fulfillment. The first four-fifths of it have already been dramatically fulfilled in history. The prophet Daniel predicted four successive gentile empires that would gain authority over the whole world.

  In chapters 2, 7, and 8, Daniel predicted the details of these empires. The first was the Babylonian Empire, the second was the Media-Persian, and the third was the Greek. Even the career of Alexander the Great and the rule of his four successors were graphically predicted two hundred years before their rise to power occurred.261 Now when you consider that Daniel wrote chapter 8 around 539 B.C., his prediction is awesome. It is important to note that the center of each succeeding empire moved further westward. The center of world power after the Roman Empire has remained in the west. The miraculous revival of the old Roman culture and people will be centered in the West, not in Mecca under Islam as some are seeking to teach today.

  In 68 B.C., the fourth empire, Rome, conquered the remains of the Greek Empire. As predicted, the Roman Empire became the mightiest and longest lasting of all the others. The prophets did not forecast that the fourth empire would be conquered or utterly destroyed, but rather that it would disintegrate from within and go into a dormant form. Then it would rise to power again shortly before the coming of the Messiah to set up God’s kingdom. Daniel specifically predicts, “Out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.”262

  Daniel predicts that it is “out of” the culture and people of the old Roman Empire that the ten nations will arise and come to power. It does not say the revived empire will be geographically coextensive with the old. There is only one specific part of the old that must remain the same—Rome must be the capital. The Book of Revelation predicts this with the symbol of a “woman”: “And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”263 When the Apostle John predicted this, there was only one city that was reigning over the kings of the earth—Rome. Muslims would never set up a world government centered in Rome; their authority would be centered in Mecca.

  Rome’s Coming Leader

  Both Daniel, and then John in the Book of Revelation, predict that the revival of the Roman Empire will happen through the genius and supernatural power of a great leader. He will come out of Rome, because Daniel says he will be out of the people who destroyed Jerusalem and Israel in A.D. 70.264

  John predicts that the ten nations will not receive power until this leader (which the Bible calls “the beast”) comes and pulls them together, “And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast.”265

  In 1969, I said that the European Common Market would become the United States of Europe.266 Most critics said this would never happen. In fact, one cardinal in Rome branded me a “false prophet” because of it. But today, we have what Charlemagne, Napoleon, Hitler, and many others could not accomplish—the European Union. As I said earlier, this is not the final form of power predicted here, but it certainly is setting the stage for it.

  I believe that this Roman leader is alive somewhere in Europe right now, just waiting for his appointed time to be unveiled. He is the one who will take ten of the strongest nations in the EU and form them into his power base, from which he will gain control of the whole world. John predicts that he will use a religious system to help bring the world under his authority. This man is called by many titles in Bible prophecy, but he is best known as “The Antichrist.”

  He will declare war on all those who believe in Jesus Christ. But as Revelation makes clear, he will be worshipped and followed by the entire world: “And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.”267

  Apparently two events will be used to thrust this man into world prominence. First, he will receive a mortal wound from which he will be miraculously healed.268 Second, he will settle the Arab-Israeli conflict by making a covenant with Israel that guarantees their security.269 This will bring what appears to be a whole new era of peace and freedom from fear of war. Israel will even be allowed to rebuild their temple side-by-side with the Dome of the Rock mosque. The joy of freedom from fear of war is evident in the praise people give him: “And they worshiped the dragon [Satan], because he gave his authority to the beast [Antichrist]; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him.’”270

  EVENTS THAT TRIGGER ARMAGEDDON

  There will be a worldwide euphoria in the pseudo-peace the Antichrist brings. This will continue for three and a half years. Then the Antichrist will enter the Holy of Holies of Israel’s rebuilt temple, take his seat there, and proclaim himself god.271 This is the predicted ultimate desecration of the temple known as “the abomination that causes desolation” spoken of by Daniel and Jesus Christ.

  It is at this point that the “great tribulation” breaks loose. Jesus warns that this is the sign that the great war of Armageddon is starting.272

  DANIEL’S PREVIEW OF ARMAGEDDON

  Daniel traces the movement of the military forces in this last great conflict:

  At the time of the end the king of the South [Muslim forces] will engage him [the Antichrist] in battle, and the king of the North [Russia] will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. He will also invade the Beautiful Land [Israel]. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon [Jordan] will be delivered from his hand. He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans [North Africans] and Nubians [Black Africans] in submission. But reports from the east [China-led Asian invasion] and the north [Antichristled Western forces] will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain [Jerusalem]. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.273

  As mentioned in the last chapter, the initial attack is launched against Israel by an Irania
n-led Muslim confederacy. “Him” refers to the Roman Antichrist and his partner, known as the False Prophet274 from Israel (see description of “him” in Daniel 11:36-39).

  The Muslims are immediately joined by the Russians in an all-out attack on Israel. But then the Russian leader takes over and also invades Egypt and Africa. While the Russian leader is in Egypt, reports from the east, which would be the oncoming Asian army, and from the north, which from Egypt would be the European-led Western army, trouble him.

  So the Russian leader retraces his steps to make a stand in Jerusalem. It is there that the Roman-led Western armies of the Antichrist annihilate both the Russian and Muslim armies.

  Then the two hundred million-man army of Asia will square off against the Western forces along the length and breadth of the Middle East, with its vortex in the valley of Megiddo. It is at this point that John foresaw a horrible vision of “blood standing to the horses’ bridle for a distance of 200 miles.” He indicates that the blood primarily flows from around Jerusalem. The Jordan River Rift Valley extends under the Jordan River’s beginning at foot of Mt. Hermon, southward through the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, and the dried up river bed (called a Wadi) that ends at the Red Sea at Aqaba-Eilat.275 It covers a distance of about 200 miles. There are no other valleys in Israel that join with valleys from Megiddo (source of the name Armageddon) and Jerusalem. So this is the only valley that fits the prophecy from Revelation 14:20. It is here that blood will stand to the horses’ bridle. It traverses the entire Eastern border of Israel.

  Ezekiel predicts that this war will escalate to include the whole world: “I will send fire on Magog [Russia] and on those who live in safety in the coastlands [Continents], and they will know that I am the LORD.”276 The Hebrew word translated “coastlands” means continents today. So apparently the fire of thermonuclear weapons will reach most of the world.