- In my book "The Cassandra Prophecy" originally
published in June 1999, I interpret the prophecies contained in the Book
of Revelation as pointing to a war started by three leaders, one from America,
one from Europe and one from the world of Islam, which becomes nuclear
and precipitates World War III and Armageddon. I also say that the starting
date for this war is 2003: "The intention of these three leaders is
made with precise clarity.....The American, European and Muslim leaders
will draw the world into its final conflict.....the Great Subterranean
Passage of the Pyramid of Cheops enters the "Pit of Destruction"
in 2003.....It points to a major world wide calamity at the beginning of
the new millennium." (extracted from "The Cassandra Prophecy".)
-
- So, with George W Bush and Tony Blair emphasizing their
Christian values as they go to war against Iraq, proclaiming "God
is on our side" to a sceptical world, the majority of whom appear
to be protesting this pre-emptive strike, it seems both leaders would do
well to read The Bible a little more carefully. In particular, perhaps
they should read and understand what the Book of Revelation has to say
about Armageddon and its beginnings.
-
- To do this, first you have to put yourself in the position
of St. John the Divine, who received the Revelation around 70 AD on the
Greek island of Patmos. Imagine someone living at that time receiving visions
of the world in the twentieth and twenty first century. Knowing the importance
of the message he has been given, John must describe what he has seen.
However, to describe events he has no comprehension of at that time, he
uses similes and metaphors applicable to his own time to convey the visions
of times to come. Those who seek to interpret Revelation must do likewise
and place themselves in St. John's shoes in order to understand the full
meaning of the "end time" events that lead the world to its final
conflict.
-
- And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast
rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his
horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
-
- Revelation 13. verse 1
-
- In the first part of this verse John sees a beast rising
up out of the sea, and from this description it appears John is trying
to indicate that the beast is a land mass rising up out of the sea. But
what of the seven heads and the ten horns. In Revelation chapter 17 John
once again sees the beast in a vision.
-
- So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness:
and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy,
having seven heads and ten horns.
-
- Revelation 17. verse 3.
-
- John himself marvels at this vision, and is then given
the translation of the vision further on in the same chapter.
-
- And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads
are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
-
- Revelation 17. verse 9.
-
- And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which
have received no Kingdom as yet; but receive power as Kings one hour with
the beast.
-
- Revelation 17. verse 12.
-
- What John has seen is a land mass with at its centre,
seven mountains, and within this land mass ten kings or kingdoms that are
in league with the beast, or the land mass itself. A further description
follows:
-
- And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and
his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion:
and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
-
- Revelation 13. verse 2.
-
- Here John, in an incredibly succinct and graphic way,
is showing us the form and nature of this land mass he sees rising from
the sea, and even uses terminology which brings the description into the
20th Century.
-
- And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death,
and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
-
- Revelation 13. verse 3.
-
- Here, John brings his description of the beast firmly
into the latter half of the 20th Century. In verse 2 of Revelation 13,
John is describing the land of Greater Europe. The leopard has always been
the beast associated with greater Germany, and here John tells us that
the beast, this great land mass is like a leopard, but has the feet of
a bear. The bear has always been Russia, and if one takes a map of greater
Europe and turns it sideways, it can be seen that the within the body of
Europe, the leopard is greater Germany, the feet Russia, and looking to
the head of the beast, John describes its mouth as the mouth of a lion.
The lion is of course, the symbol of Great Britain. It is almost as if
John has seen a map of greater Europe, and has then described the parameters
of this huge land mass in 20th Century terms.
-
- More clues emerge with the description of the seven heads.
John is told these seven heads are seven mountains upon which a woman sits,
but who or what is this woman. The answer is given in Revelation Chapter
17.
-
- And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which
reigneth over the kings of the earth.
-
- Revelation 17. verse 18.
-
- So we now know that this great beast, this European land
mass, has at its centre a city that sits on seven mountains. There is only
one city in the world that this can be, and as every school child is told,
Rome the Eternal City, is built on seven hills.
-
- We have now not only identified the beast as being greater
Europe, but have also established Rome as its head, its centre, its power
base. So what of the ten horns on the beast. We are told in Revelation
17 verse 12 that these ten horns are ten kings, and these ten kings will
receive "power as kings one hour with the beast". What John is
describing here is a confederacy of ten countries, who will receive power
under the authority of Rome.
-
- On May 3rd 1948, the Council of Europe was established
in London. The conference was attended by the Ten countries of Europe.
On January 1st 1958, the European Economic Community or Common Market came
into force. This European confederacy was established under the "Treaty
of Rome".
-
- The final clue is given in verse 3 of Revelation 13 when
John describes one of the heads or countries of the beast, "wounded
to death, and his deadly wound was healed." Here, John brings us to
1989 and what must be one of the most significant events of the last century.
After defeat at the end of World War II, Germany already economically,
structurally and morally crippled suffered a further mortal wound to its
ideology, as Germany was split into East and West. Since the 13th August
1961 the Berlin Wall had been a symbol of the Cold War, Communism versus
Capitalism, East versus West, Christianity versus Atheism, the division
of Germany,s capital city symbolising the division of Europe, with Germany
having been "wounded to death."
-
- However, the dramatic and unprecedented events of 1989
were to sensationally heal this "deadly wound" when, on the 9th
November East Germany opened all its borders to the West. Within 24 hours
the Berlin Wall was being demolished and communism was collapsing. The
world stared on in wonder and amazement.
-
- Having established that John is referring to Greater
Europe in the previous verses, we then look at the next vision that is
presented to him in the same context.
-
- And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth:
and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
-
- Revelation 13. verse 11.
-
- Here John sees another land mass coming out of the earth,
but in the description of the beast as having "two horns like a lamb"
he is telling us that this land mass or country is young like a lamb, a
new country. The words "and he spake like a dragon" signify the
authority, power and dominance of this land mass. What John is describing
here is, without doubt, the United States of America. America's huge influence
over Europe and the rest of the world is detailed in the next verse.
-
- And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before
him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the
first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
-
- Revelation 13. verse 12.
-
- The enormous might and power of America, as displayed
in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War 1, Afghanistan and now in Iraq
is described here, together with the enormous support America has given
to Europe since the defeat of Germany in 1945. The next verse refers to
the huge power of America,s armoury and its ability to be all powerful
with its nuclear and technological weapons.
-
- And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come
down from heaven on earth in the sight of men.
-
- Revelation 13. verse 13.
-
- This verse in particular refers not only to the nuclear
attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but to the immense arsenal of nuclear
weapons, cruise missiles, daisy cutters and armoury at America,s disposal;
and let us not forget that so far, only the United States has used a nuclear
weapon in anger.
-
- So now we have ascertained that John, in his visions,
has witnessed the rise of Europe and America and the power and dominance
of these two continents at the beginning of the twenty first century. What
happens next and the part that Europe and America play in the "end
times" is graphically described by John in the sixteenth chapter of
Revelation, whilst discussing the last seven plagues.
-
- And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great
river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the
kings of the east might be prepared.
-
- Revelation 16. verse 12
-
- This, the penultimate plague, starts by immediately identifying
not only the area, but the geographical feature that will be affected.
The river Euphrates runs through what was once Mesopotamia, the supposed
site of the Garden of Eden. It is the largest river in South West Asia,
rising in the foothills of north east Turkey fairly near Mount Ararat.
It then flows almost 3,000 kilometres south through Turkey, Syria and Iraq,
finally disgorging itself into the Gulf through the Shatt-al Arab waterway.
-
- Since the end of the first Gulf War, Iraq has embarked
on a campaign of violence against the southern Marsh Arabs that has involved
the draining, drying up and reclaimation of the marshes in the Euphrates
basin in south west Iraq. Saddam Hussein is already fulfilling the prophecy
of Revelation, preparing the way for the "Kings of the East".
-
- Who these kings of the east are can only be surmised
at, but events over the last few years seem to point in only one direction.
The Euphrates runs through Iraq, and to the east is the old Persian empire,
now modern day Iran. Further east still, brings us to Afghanistan and Pakistan
and onwards over the Himalayas to China. In the last few years we have
seen the steady rise of fundamental Islam extremism in the countries to
the east of the Euphrates. True, many of these fundamentalists are in opposition
to other Muslim groups within their countries, but there is one thing that
more than anything else unites every Muslim under Islam. It is the belief
that the West, America and Europe, together with Christianity and Judaism
have for hundreds of years oppressed Islam. This perception has been so
strongly reinforced during the events of the last thirty years, and particularly
since September 11th. 2001, that many Muslims now see a Jihad, or Holy
War, against the West as an inevitability. Could it
-
- And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of
the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of
the mouth of the false prophet.
-
- Revelation 16. verse 13
-
- Once again, in a verse still associated with the sixth
plague John sees the rise of three personalities from the Dragon, America;
The Beast, Europe; and the false prophet. This is the first time the false
prophet is mentioned, but as it would appear to be connected with verse
12 and the drying up of the Euphrates, it seems that John sees the rise
of three great leaders, one from America, one from Europe and one from
the world of Islam. Remember that John, although a believer in Christ,
was born a Jew and as such would have considered any other religion or
prophet claiming a covenant with God to be a "false prophet."
I say this not as an insult to Islam, but to explain how John would have
described the prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and the Islamic faith. So, who are
these three great leaders? It doesn't take much imagination in light of
current events to identify them. The situation the world now faces involves
three players, George W Bush, the American; Tony Blair, the European; and
of course Sadda
-
- For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles,
which go forth unto the kings of the earth and the whole world, to gather
them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
-
- Revelation 16. verse 14
-
- The intention of these three leaders is made with precise
clarity. Bush, Blair and Hussein will draw the world into its final conflict,
a Holy War, a Jihad.
-
- And he gathered them together into a place called in
the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
-
- Revelation 16. verse 16
-
- Whether you believe The Bible or not, the descriptions
contained in the Book of Revelation do seem to have remarkable parallels
with events that are happening at this very moment. Frighteningly, perhaps
Blair and Bush, encouraged by their religious convictions, recognise themselves
in the Revelation, and in their Christian zeal are rushing to play their
part in fulfilling God's will, believing they will "prevail".
-
- I have quoted Blaise Pascal, the 17th Century French
mathematician, philosopher and theologian before, but his thoughts are
worth repeating: "Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as
when they do it from religious conviction."
-
- Perhaps we should be afraid, very afraid, of what comes
next.
-
- ©Copyright Ian Gurney 2003. This article includes
extracts from "The Cassandra Prophecy-Armageddon Approaches"
(www.caspro.com) and can be reproduced or redistributed with this information.
|
