The false prophet article here

King Nebuchadnezzar’s nightmare, as recounted by Daniel the prophet in Daniel chapter 2, is a dream about empires. Daniel introduced the interpretation with “Thou, O king, art a king of kings” (Dan 2:37 KJV). This was an important statement right at the start of the interpretation. He was drawing attention to the fact that King Nebuchadnezzar was an emperor, a king over other kings, which is a rank higher in power than a mere king.
The nightmare is a timeline or continuous ‘big picture’ overview of world empires, that affected the Jews from Daniel’s day right up until the “stone” smashes the image on its feet.
This stone (Dan 2:35) is interpreted by most readers to be the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, when he establishes the kingdom of God on earth. It is the most important feature of the dream, and hasn’t happened yet.
The latest version of the Jehovah’s Witness New World Translation bible (2013) has an appendix which shows their pictorial interpretation of the dream. . Their diagram is missing the stone! This is because their current beliefs, as shown on the diagram, have the feet of the image as the ‘Anglo-American’ empire. This “empire” clearly has not crumbled yet, despite their erroneous belief that the stone, Jesus, returned invisibly to the earth in 1914.
This erroneous diagram demonstrates the necessity to correctly understand the fundamentals of an interpretation.
Many speaking brethren seem to be following a similar error. They interpret the “president” of Russia as the “king of the north” or “Gog”, who is a “prince”. There is also a widespread use of the European Union as the “10 kings”, yet there are only 6 monarchies in the EU (Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
In Daniel’s interpretation of the dream he stated that the toes are kings, “in the days of these kings” (Dan 2:44). These kings are thought by most Biblical scholars to be the same ten kings as those that are on the fourth beast, described in Daniel 7:24 “the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings”. They also may be the ten horns on the Beast out of the Sea, which is implied by the crowns. “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” (Rev 13:1).
Many scholars have interpreted these ten kings to be ten countries or ten rulers or even ten kings which existed 15 centuries ago, when the Western Roman Empire ended. This interpretation ignores the historical continuation of the Roman Empire with its capital in Constantinople.
Does the term ‘king’ actually mean a “monarch” or just any “head of state”? In Biblical times were there different forms of government other than monarchies ?
Josephus wrote “Some legislators have permitted their governments to be under monarchies: others put them under oligarchies: and others under a republican form. But our legislator had no regard to any of these forms: but he ordained our government to be, what, by a strained expression, may be termed a Theocracy” . Democratic government had already been started by the Greeks.
A differentiation between kings and lower ranked governors is made in Psalm 2:2,3 “The kings (Heb. melek) of the earth set themselves, and the rulers (Heb. razan) take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.”
This psalm is quoted by the disciples in Acts 4:26, “The kings (Gk. Basileus) of the earth stood up, and the rulers (Gk. Archon) were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.” Herod was an actual king, but Pontius Pilate was not. Herod was appointed king of the province Judea by the Roman senate.
Only kings and emperors wear crowns, never presidents and non royals, such as Putin, and Hitler, who called himself the Fuehrer (leader). Hitler keenly sought the crown of the Holy Roman Empire and deposed the actual German Kaiser, but did not wear any crown.
Royal crown jewels and regalia denote power and were, and still are, amongst the most valuable items on earth.
King David “ took the (Ammonite) king's crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David's head.” (2 Sam 12:30).
The Lord Jesus Christ, the son of King David, will be a “king of kings and lord of lords” (Rev 17:14) in the Kingdom of God on earth. He will wear many crowns (Rev 19:12). We enjoy singing the hymn “crown him with many crowns”.
The Hebrew word for king is Melek. It occurs 2,518 times in the Hebrew, and the vast majority of times it is translated as “king” or “royal”. In the Greek OT and NT the word for king is Basileus.
Were the kings of Israel presidents? Was King David anointed president? Will the Kingdom of God be a republic? Was Jesus born president of the Jews?
Daniel’s interpretation is clear, and analogy or symbolizing of these ten kings, which appear right at the end of our era, and are present at the return of the Lord Jesus, is not necessary. “Faith is simply belief in what God has said” .
If there really are going to be ten kings at the end time, then who could they be?
Nebuchadnezzar’s nightmare image is top heavy, with unstable feet. The toes are made of iron and clay, (Daniel 2:34). These toes, which are yet to mature, may be constitutional monarchs, from the royal houses of Europe and Russia, which survived exile after WW2. They will no longer be solid iron Roman monarchs , but will be weakened by parliamentary clay.
The pretenders to these thrones have returned to live in their former home countries, including the Royal Houses of Austria, Russia, Germany, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Italy, Greece, France, Spain, Portugal, and Albania. Most have not yet been restored to their roles as monarchs..
These monarchies are not Protestant British or northern European monarchs, as they must be Roman in nature, with Roman heraldic symbols, laws and religion (Roman Catholic or Orthodox).
The Muslim monarchies and nations, today have not used a Roman eagle, nor mode of government (Roman law), and the Muslims regard those religions as idolatrous.
The Russian royal family, the Romanovs (their surname literally means ‘of the Romans’), was deposed in 1917, and the Tsar and his immediate family were executed in July 1918. But there are still Romanovs alive today who are waiting for restoration of the monarchy.
The current crown prince of the Russian throne, Grand Duke Georgy Romanov, nicknamed ‘Gogi’ by his family , aged 40 yrs, is now living back in Moscow! He is related to most of the monarchies of Europe, being a direct descendant of the monarchs of Russia, Germany, Great Britain, Denmark, etc. He is even a direct descendant of Mohammed, yes, the original one, through a Spanish princess who married Tsar Peter the Great of Russia. The Muslims are respectful of this lineage.
GD George is working full time as a representative of the Romanov family throughout Russia, and is heavily involved with the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian military. He also has connections with oligarchs and influential figures directly involved in the clandestine operations of the Kremlin, such as Konstantin Malofeyev and Leonid Reshetikov. They are both personally under US & EU sanctions. They wish to restore the monarchy in Russia, with Putin as either Tsar himself or as Prime Minister of a Romanov Tsar.
GD George is engaged to be married to an Italian ‘noble’ woman in St Petersburg, on October 1st 2021, despite the pandemic. It will be the first royal Romanov wedding in Russia in over 100 years. He has been given special dispensation to hold the wedding ceremony in St Isaac’s Cathedral, currently used as a museum. It is proposed to televise the wedding live on Russian state TV and it is being billed by the Russian media as ‘the wedding of the century’! Their wedding bands are made by Faberge and the bride is to wear a modern diamond tiara. They have issued 1,000 invitations to their royal relations and Russian celebrities. They are hoping to have their honeymoon on the Trans-Siberian train across Russia. The wedding is sure to raise the profile of the Romanov family throughout Russia.
The Austrian Habsburg Kaiser, Karl II, who had sided with Germany in WWI, was exiled to Spain. His grandson, Karl von Habsburg, now lives in Salzburg, Austria. Karl and his family have been hugely influential within the European Union and Roman Catholic Church. There were even requests from monarchists in Czech and Slovakia for him to be installed as president of the EU. They were seriously considered, due to their political influence in their home countries.
The possibility of the restoration of 10 constitutional monarchies in Europe and Russia is actually quite feasible and is mentioned frequently in the media of these countries, in their languages, usually not in English. Many have hired professionals to help raise their profiles, through social media accounts, public events and charitable works.
In most cases their royal regalia, such as crowns and thrones, were not destroyed but have been preserved. The royal regalia’s of Russia and Austria are among the most spectacular in the world and are great tourist attractions in these countries.
The ten toe monarchs will be the equivalent of the 10 horns on the head of Daniel’s fourth beast, Dan 7:24. They will only arise in “the last days”, when the dream’s stone is ready to strike the feet of the image. “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” (Rev 17:12).
“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs… which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty… And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” (Rev 16:13-14, 16).
These kings will make war with the stone, led by another king who will arise among them. Gog, the Tsar of Russia, the king of the north, will come south to take possession of Constantinople and Jerusalem, as prophesied in Daniel 11 and Ezekiel 38 and 39.
The stone that smashes the image is not made with hands. It comes from God, and it represents the Lord Jesus Christ who described Himself as a stone, Mat 21:42, Mar 12:10, Luke 20:17 and this is confirmed by Peter, in Acts 4:11, 1 Pet 2:7.
Jesus Christ will establish the Kingdom of God on earth, when He returns. The kingdoms of men will be finished. The Lord Jesus will be the ultimate emperor, who will be called “King of Kings” and “Lord of Lords”.

In this article we will examine the dragon, as found in the Book of Revelation, from a fresh perspective, combining clues found in what Jesus referred to as “The law, the prophets and the writings”, the New Testament, and Archaeology.
This research has led us to understand that the dragon is a totally separate beast from the “beast of the sea” and the “beast of the earth”.
It is our view that the dragon has deep historical and modern connections with the Jewish people, which they describe as the ‘root of all evil’ and the ‘longest hatred’.

There are many questions that are raised about the dragon:

• The Dragon in Scripture
• Who is he?
• What does he represent, if he is not a creature?
• Why is he coloured red?
• Why does he have 7 heads?
• Why does he have 10 horns?
• Why does he have 7 crowns upon the heads?
• Where is he?
• Who is he prepared to attack?

The Dragon in Scripture

The word dragon occurs 19 times in the KJV English version of the Bible: 6 times in the Old Testament, (Neh. 2:13; Psa. 91:13; Isa.27:1; 51:9; Jer.51:9, 34; Eze.29:3) and 13 times in the book of Revelation (chapters 12, 13, 16:20 , and 20:2).
The Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, (LXX), includes variations of the Greek word “δράκων”, drakon, for dragon, 35 times. These Greek texts will be shown to link the Old with the New Testaments.

Symbolic Monsters

A great red dragon that has seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads is one of the major symbolic monsters in the book of Revelation. This dragon is twice described as “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan” (Rev. 12:9; 20:2).
It is also described as “deceives the whole world” (Rev. 12:9) and “the accuser of our brethren…. which accused them before our God day and night." (v.10)
It has great wrath (Rev.12:12, 17) and makes war with Michael and his angels, and with the remnant of a particular woman’s seed. It also persecutes the woman, and sends a flood of water (not fire!) after her. The dragon needs to be identified before the woman and her child are.
The dragon is seen standing by as two more symbolic monsters emerge, one from the sea, and the other from the earth. The dragon gives the “beast out of the sea” “his power, and his seat, and great authority.” People will worship the dragon, because of this (Rev 13:2, 4).
The “Beast out of the earth” will “speak as a dragon”. (Rev. 13:11). In Revelation 16, after six of the “vials of the wrath of God” have been poured
on the earth, “three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast (i.e. the “beast out of the sea”), and out of the mouth of the false prophet" (i.e. the “beast out of the earth”). (Rev. 16:13)
All three monsters exist separately, and at the same time, for a period of time. The battle of Armageddon follows, which ends the lives of the symbolic beasts that come out of the sea and the earth. However, the dragon survives the battle.
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the
dragon , that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him
up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season” (Rev 20: 1-3).
The dragon is later released from prison, only to be cast into the lake of fire where the other two beasts already are:
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four
quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the Beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Rev.20:7-10)

Who is he?

The dragon is a multi-headed snake. The Greek word “δράκων”, drakon, used 13 times in Revelation, also occurs in Exodus in the LXX, and is translated as “serpent”. In Exodus 4:3, Moses’ rod becomes a snake, translated from the Greek word ὄφις, ophis. He catches it by the tail. Later, as a sign to Pharaoh, the rod would become a snake again, this time though, the Greek “drakon” is used ( Ex.7:9,10 LXX). It is interesting that the Hebrew words for snake or serpent are also different here. All English translations use “snake” or “serpent” in these passages, never “dragon”. Further on in Exodus 7:12, Pharaoh’s magicians threw down their rods, which are also described as “drakons” in the LXX. These rods were then swallowed by Moses’ rod. Moses’ rod is then described in verse 15 as the rod that was turned into a “serpent”. From this we can reason that the Greek words for dragon and “serpent” can be synonymous.
The word “serpent” that is used twice to describe the dragon in Revelation, is the Greek word “ὄφις”, ophis. This word occurs 14 times in the New Testament, and means a literal or symbolic snake. “Ophis” also occurs 13 times in the LXX.
Of special interest is the fact that ophis is the same word used for the serpent in the Garden of Eden, in the LXX. (Gen. 3:1, 4, 13). That “old” serpent (Rev 20:2) was more subtil than all the other animals in Eden. He was the only animal that was mentioned by name. He deceived Eve by
twisting what God had commanded Adam (Gen 3:1-5). The serpent pretended that he knew what God knew. This was deceitful. He also
said that they would be like gods, which was a lie. And the greatest lie of all was that they would not die!
Eve was deceived, and in turn she caused Adam to disobey a personal command from God.
"And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every Beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Gen.3:13-15)
"For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression" (1 Tim 2:13, 14). This serpent was condemned to be earth-bound all his life.
The serpent was also made an “abomination” for the Jews:
"And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten. Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and
whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination." (Lev.11:41, 42)
Snakes, in particular vipers, are common throughout the Middle East. One snake that looks quite different from others is the Horned Viper. It has 2 horns on its head that sit behind the 2 prominent eyes, protecting them from sand. It has toxic venom.

Horned desert viper
Cerastes cerastes with"horns".
Credit: Wikipedia

Solomon described the toxic effect of wine, comparing it to the bite of a serpent. In the Septuagint the Greek word for “adder” is “keraston”, a horned serpent, as in the name of the above viper.
"Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent,
and stingeth like an adder." (Prov. 23:31, 32)

The dragon has a tail

The only other monsters in the New Testament that have “tails” are the locusts in Rev. 9.
"And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born." (Rev 12:4)
Moses caught his rod when it was a snake, by the tail:
"And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:" (Exo 4:4)
In the Old Testament a lying prophet is described as “the tail":
"Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the
prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed." (Isa 9:14-
16)
There is no mention of the tails, if they have any, of the other 2 “Beasts” in Revelation.

Who does the dragon represent?

The serpent family would become symbolic representatives of evil intent towards Almighty God and His family: the angels, and those who obey God’s commandments, righteous Jews and Gentiles. Their poisonous bites would be used against the Jews.
Fiery serpents were encountered by the Israelites in the wilderness:
"Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water;
who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;" (Deut 8:15)
Moses was commanded to make a brass (red coloured) snake which would later become a snare to the Jews. It was called Nehushtan, and was later destroyed by King Hezekiah. (Numb.21.5-9 and 2 Ki.18:4)
"And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live."
Moses prophesied that disobedient Jews would be tormented by beasts and the poison of serpents:
"They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust." (Deu 32:24)
The Psalmist described the poisonous warfare of his enemies, comparing it to the venom of a snake:
"Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man; Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips." (Psa. 140: 1-3)
(This Psalm was quoted by Paul in his letter to the Romans:
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their
tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:" (Rom.3: 10-14))
Jeremiah also prophesied that serpents would bite the disobedient Jews:
For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not
be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD. (Jer 8:17)
The Seed of the Serpent
The “seed” are the progeny; the offspring or descendents.
The seed of the serpent if only mentioned once in the English version of the
Old Testament:
And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this,
thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every Beast of the field; upon
thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel. (Gen.3:13-15)
The future work of the progeny of the original serpent, would be to attack the
heel of the seed of the woman. This was fulfilled when the Lord Jesus was
crucified.
In 1968 archaeologists at Giv'at ha-Mivtar in Israel discovered the skeleton of a
crucified man in a stone sarcophagus. He was known to have been crucified due
to the Roman nail still being embedded in his foot, where it had lodged in a knot
of wood. However, due to the position of the nail, it is thought that the nail went
through the heel of the foot, rather than the front, as is usually depicted in
illustrations of Jesus’ crucifixion.
Since 1968 at least two other skeletons, one in Italy, have been unearthed with
crucifixion nails in the heels. No other crucified remains have been found which
have nails through the front of the foot.
On the day of His resurrection, Jesus showed his hands and feet to His disciples.
“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I
was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the
law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then
opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures”.(Luke
24: 39-45)
Note that it is the seed of the serpent which bruises his heel.
The Pharisee elders and chief priests were in league with the Herodians, to kill
Jesus:.
“And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the
Herodians against him, how they might destroy him” (Mark 3:6).
These adversaries, whom Jesus and John the Baptist both described as
“serpents” and “vipers” , were later responsible for the Lord Jesus’ death :
But when he (John) saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to
his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned
you to flee from the wrath to come? (Matt 3:7)
O generation of vipers, how can ye (Pharisees), being evil, speak good
things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. (Matt
12:34)
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye (scribes and Pharisees)
escape the damnation of hell? (Matt 23:33)
Ye (scribes and Pharisees) are of your father the devil, and the lusts of
your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode
not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie,
he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44)
Paul referred to a false Jewish prophet called Barjesus or Elymas:
And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil,
thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right
ways of the Lord? (Acts 13:10)
Why is the dragon coloured red?
The Greek word for “red” is used to describe the dragon, “πυρρός”, pyrros.
(Greek word for fire is “πῦρ” pyr). This is a fiery red, not a scarlet, dark pink
colour.
This fiery red colour differentiates the dragon in Revelation from the “beast out
of the sea” which is described as being scarlet (Greek:”κόκκινος”, kokkinos) –
think of the food dye cochineal or fuchsia pink. ( Rev. 17:3).
A related word “πυρράκης”, purrakees, occurs in Genesis 25:25 where Esau is
described as “red.”
“And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they
called his name Esau.”
Esau dwelt in Mt. Seir. “Esau is Edom”. (Gen 36:8) .The Idumeans were
descended from the Edomites, who were in turn descended from the “red” Esau.
King Herod the Great’s father was an Idumaean.
The brass serpent that Moses made was near Mt Hor, (Numbers 20:23 and
33:37) which is at the edge of Edom.
The Edomites had a large copper mine in the Timna Valley, from which they
also produced red dye. Archaeologists have found red dyed fabric from the time
of King Solomon, in this area.
The Herodians in Jesus’ time were those who supported King Herod, of the
Idumean, or Edomite, dynasty.
Why does the dragon have 7 heads?
There are only two symbolic monsters in the whole Bible that have 7 heads.
These are both in Revelation 12 and 13: The dragon and the “beast out of the
sea.”
The seven heads on the “beast out of the sea” are the combined heads of the
four beasts that represent empires in Daniel chapter 7:
The Babylonian lion, Medo-Persian bear, Greek leopard with 4 heads and
Roman boar head with 10 horns and a subsequent little horn.
The heads of those beasts were emperors, kings over other kings.(Ezr.7:12;
Eze.26:7; Dan.2:37). Ultimately they will be destroyed by the Lord Jesus when
He is King of kings and Lord of lords. (Rev. 17:14; 19:16).
The whole beast, described in Revelation, has the body of a leopard, which
combines other characteristics of Daniel’s four beasts. These successive empires
conquered the Jews in their land, and scattered them throughout their territories.
The head of that Beast was “slain” by a sword, but the whole Beast survived.
The heads of the dragon are not associated with the body of a leopard. The
dragon does not have a head that has been slain, and then revived.
Seven Nations
As the dragon is “old”, from the beginning of human history, we searched for a
group of ancient nations that were involved with the land of Israel, and the
Jews. The most prominent collection of 7 nations in the Bible is provided by
Moses:
When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou
goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the
Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and
the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater
and mightier than thou; (Deu 7:1)
These nations were by then in possession of the land that had been promised to
Abraham hundreds of years earlier:
And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the
plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. Gen 12:6
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto
thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great
river, the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the
Kadmonites, And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, And
the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
(Genesis 15:18-21)
The apostle Paul confirmed this to the Jews in Antioch in Pisidia:
The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people
when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm
brought he them out of it. And about the time of forty years suffered he
their manners in the wilderness. And when he had destroyed seven
nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot. (Acts
13:17-19)
This history was also summarised in a psalm of Asaph:
Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O
God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have
lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people,
and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us
cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more
in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent:
they are confederate against thee: The tabernacles of Edom, and the
Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and
Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined
with them: they have holpen the children of Lot.. (Psa 83:1-8}
We think that the dragon of Revelation includes these nations. His seat and his
power are based in the Middle East, approximately from Egypt to Syria, and
eastward.
The Ras Shamra Tablets
In 1929 archaeologists unearthed a huge treasure-trove of cuneiform tablets in
the ruins of Ras Shamra, at Latakia, Syria. They were written around the 14th
century BC by the Ugarit, an ancient Canaanite people. One of the tablets
depicted a seven headed serpent monster, whose name was Lotan.
Lotan is mentioned several times in the Hebrew Scriptures, as a duke or prince
of Edom, and the uncle of Amalek (Gen 36:20,22):
And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz
Amalek: (Gen 36:12)
Here is one of the Canaanite tribes’ gods, a seven headed serpent, which they
named Lotan, which just happens to be the name of Amalek’s uncle, duke of
Edom, which is symbolised by the colour red.
Amalek – the perpetual war
The archetypal enemy of the Jews is Amalek, Esau’s grandson, through his son
Eliphaz, by a concubine, Timna. Amalek would have grown up with two of
Esau’s wives who were daughters of Ishmael, Abraham’s eldest son.
These women were such a grief to Isaac and Rebekah that Rebekah sent Esau’s
brother Jacob away so that he could marry a woman who was related to her, not
Esau. Gen 26:34-35, 27:42-46.
Amalek, Esau’s grandson, would become infamous. He and his army attacked
the newly formed Hebrew nation soon after they escaped from Egypt. They
targeted the weak:
And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book,
and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the
remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar,
and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: For he said, Because the LORD
hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation
to generation (Exo 17: 14-16)
The book that Moses was commanded to write about the war with Amalek
became part of the Bible we treasure today. Moses later told Joshua to put a
copy of the book in the Ark of the Covenant. (Deut 31:26)
Balaam prophesied that Amalek, the first nation to fight against Israel, would
perish:
And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said,
Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he
perish for ever. (Num 24:20)
When the Jews were preparing to enter the Promised Land, Moses warned:
Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come
forth out of Egypt; How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost
of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and
weary; and he feared not God. Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy
God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land
which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that
thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven;
thou shalt not forget it. (Deu 25:17-19)
But they were not blotted out by the invading Israelites. They continued to
attack them, so the prophet Samuel warned the first king Saul:
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to
Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from
Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have,
and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling,
ox and sheep, camel and ass. (1 Sam 15:2,3)
And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy
the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed
(1Sa 15:18)
King Saul did not obey God’s personal command to destroy the Amalekites.
Saul even allowed his soldiers to bring King Agag back with them. Samuel slew
Agag, and the monarchy was taken from Saul because of his disobedience.(1
Sam 15: 28.)
David succeeded Saul, but he too suffered at the hands of the Amalekites. Two
of his wives were captured when the Amalekites conquered the city of Ziklag.
David and his men later slaughtered most of the Amalekites, but 400 young
men, who rode upon camels, escaped. (1Sa 30:17)
Centuries later, when the Jews were captives in Persia, a wicked man, Haman,
the Agagite (i.e. an Amalekite), who was second only to the king, attempted to
wipe out the Jews, because he personally hated Mordecai, the cousin of Queen
Esther, The book of Esther relates how Haman’s plot was exposed and
defeated. The feast of Purim, which is held by the Jews every year,
commemorates their rescue from genocide at Haman’s hands.
Jews today regard Haman and Amalek as the representatives of their eternal
enemies. Modern men whom the Jews regard as “Amalek” include Hitler and
Stalin.
Why does the dragon have 10 horns?
The word for “horn” in Revelation is the Greek word “κέρας” keras. In the
books of Daniel and Revelation symbolic “horns” represent “kings”:
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and
another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he
shall subdue three kings. (Dan 7:24)
The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and
Persia and the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is
between his eyes is the first king. (Dan.8:20,21)
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.
(Rev 17:12)
We conclude that the dragon, which gives his throne to the “beast out of the
sea”, when it comes out of the sea, will have 10 kings at that time. The
original territory promised to Abraham had approximately 10 nations. (Genesis
14).
Why does the dragon have 7 crowns?
Crowns indicate that the heads are monarchs. The Greek word “διάδημα”
diadema ,is used, indicating a wreath. These are not presidents, nor other heads
of state, who never wear crowns.
“Kings of the earth”
Throughout the Bible there are 24 references to the “kings of the earth”,
beginning with those who came to visit Solomon. (1 Ki 4:34; 2 Chr.9:23).
These kings existed centuries before the imperial kings that comprised Daniel’s
“Beastly” kingdoms. They will continue until after the Millennial Kingdom.
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel
together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us
break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. (Psa 2:2, 3)
Jesus referred to these kings when Simon Peter asked about paying tax:
And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying,
What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take
custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Mat 17:25
Peter was later to lead the disciples in praise after he and John were released
from prison: They quoted David’s second Psalm:
The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together
against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy
child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate,
with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
(Acts 4: 23-30)
The kings in the region at that time were of the Herodian dynasty. These
were Idumeans who were supposed converts to Judaism. The Idumeans were
descended from the Edomites, who were in turn descended from the “red”
Esau.
Today, (April 2020) there are eight Islamic monarchies in the world, 6 of which
are in the Middle East. Many of these claim descent from Muhammad,
 Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
 Sultanate of Oman.
 State of Kuwait.
 Kingdom of Morocco.
 Kingdom of Bahrain.
This situation could change. There are royal families that are hoping for
restoration of their monarchy in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Libya.
The Mouth of the dragon
Unlike traditional dragons the dragon does not spit out fire.
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman,
that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. (Rev 12:15)
Water is used symbolically in the Bible as people:
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men
made me afraid. (Psa 18:4)
Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the
tumult of the people. (Psa 65:7)
And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore
sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. (Rev 17:15)
The dragon would send hordes of people to attack the woman.
He could also speak, as we are told that the “beast out of the earth” “spake as a
dragon”. (Rev.13:11). That beast is also called the “false prophet”. It had been
taught to lie by the great deceiver:
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Rev 12:9)
Jesus recognised who was the father of lies:
Ye (the unbelieving Jews) are of your father the devil, and the lusts of
your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode
not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie,
he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.( Jhn 8:44)
The Apostle John also recognised where lies and sin started:
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might
destroy the works of the devil.....In this the children of God are manifest,
and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of
God, neither he that loveth not his brother.... Not as Cain, who was of that
wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because
his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.(1Jo 3:8,10,12)
Anti-Semitic Venom
For many centuries after the Roman conquest of Jerusalem and Judea in the first
century the surviving people in the land were a mixture of Jews and Christians.
The Jews built synagogues and the Christians built churches, the remains of
which are being excavated by archaeologists today. There are few written
records of life in the land at that time.
Mohammed, another descendent of Abraham, possibly from Ishmael, changed
this balance in the 7th century. He initially tried to convert the inhabitants of the
region to his new religion, Islam, by peaceful means, but then began to make
war on them.
Although he regarded the Jews as the ‘people of the Book’, he thought they had
corrupted the true word of God, which he now had in the form of the Quran. His
followers were taught that the promises to Abraham were made only to Ishmael,
not Isaac. Ishmael was the first born promised son who was to be sacrificed, not
Isaac. Thus they made the promise by God of the land, to Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, of none effect. The Jews had no right to the promised land, there was no
‘hope of Israel’. This was a lie and is at the heart of modern anti-Semitism.
The Muslims carried on violently after his death, until they too were conquered.
The Crusades bought soldiers in from Europe to regain the Holy Land for the
Roman Catholic church in the 12th century A.D. The crusaders were violently
overthrown a century later, and Islam has remained the dominant religion
throughout the Middle East until now.
The Ottoman Turks controlled Palestine from the 15th century, but their empire
began to wane. They were allied with the Germans in World War I, and this is
possibly where their virulent Anti-Semitism took hold. With their defeat, the
British and French divided the Middle East under Protectorates from the newly
formed League of Nations.
Several significant things happened at the end of World War I:
 Oil was discovered in the Middle East. This immediately changed the
interest of Western nations in trade with the Arab tribes which had
found oil.
 The British had become sympathetic to the need for the Jews to have a
country of their own, in the Middle East, because of their persecution
in Eurasia. The Balfour Declaration was a formal statement of the
recognition of this.
 Arab nations became nationalistic. Formerly isolated tribal groups
began to collaborate together to negotiate terms for trade. Some tribes
became monarchies, like the Saudis, Jordan and Egypt.
 The inflammatory book “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, which
alleged that there was a worldwide Jewish conspiracy to dominate the
world, was translated and published in Arabic.
The poison of anti-Semitism which particularly developed in Medieval Europe,
and culminated with the pogroms in Russia, and the Holocaust under the
Germans, had now spread to the Arabs.
During World War II many of the Arabs were allied with the Germans again.
After the war, when Jews started migrating to the British controlled mandate,
the Arabs opposed their entry. Once the State of Israel was proclaimed by the
United Nations, outright persecution of Jews by Arabs throughout the Middle
East began. Nine hundred thousand were expelled from their long-established
homes, from Morocco in the west to Pakistan and Afghanistan and Yemen in
the east.
Since the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948, the Muslim nations
surrounding it have opposed the nation. They have fought several wars, and
there are continuing battles today.
Where is the dragon today?
In the Middle East, where he has always been.
Who is the dragon prepared to attack?
The dragon has been opposed to the righteous Jews for millennia. From when
the Jews were dispersed throughout the world, mainly in distant Eurasia, until
the 20th century A.D. the opposition was limited.
Once the State of Israel was established, everything changed. The old serpent
began to make war with Eve’s seed. These were the people who had held the
Jewish faith, in the Diaspora, for 2,000 years. They had preserved the Hebrew
Scriptures, against many odds.
Some were also Christians who had been persecuted. Anyone who lived in an
Islamic dominated region was offered the opportunity to convert to Islam, or
pay a special religious tax, Jizya, or be killed.
What next for the great red dragon ?
The aim of the dragon is to possess the land of Israel and push the Jews into the
sea. Outright warfare has not succeeded in the past 70 years, so the various
monarchs may decide to try peace as a tactic. Several peace treaties have been
negotiated, most of which have failed. The followers of Muhammad do not have
to tell the truth to people they regard as infidels, non believers. There is a
Islamic doctrine of deceit called “taqiyya”.
The situation in the Middle East is very unstable. The Covid-19 virus has
changed the financial situation of many nations. Allegiances between nations
have changed in the past year, with Israel developing trade with many Islamic
nations. The nations that grew wealthy on oil are seeing a turn away from oilfuelled
power sources, with “climate change” concerns. Some are looking to
expand tourism to their countries, and are relaxing their opposition to the state
of Israel.
After 70 years of opposition to the state of Israel, pouring out their venom and
hatred towards the Jews, a state of peace and safety may be about to develop.
The dragon and the beasts
According to some Greek texts, and hence English translations like the NASB,
the dragon stood on the sand of the sea shore (Mediterranean) as John watched.
“And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore” (Rev 13:1 NASB).
The dragon gave the “beast that came out of the sea” “his power, and his seat,
and great authority”. (Rev. 12:18/ 13:1,2)
We can only speculate about this, but it possibly means that the dragon nations
in the Middle East support the “beast out of the sea” when it attacks Israel.
The angel Gabriel told Daniel (Daniel 11:41) that when the King of the North
invades the ‘glorious land’ at the time of the end, that “Edom and Moab, and the
chief of the children of Ammon” shall “escape out of his hand”.
The frog-like spirits in Revelation 16: 13 will come out of the mouths of the two
“Beasts” and out of the mouth of the dragon. These invasive evil spirits will
work miracles (G4592 – signs), and will “go forth unto the kings of the earth
and of the whole world (οἰκουμένη, the oikoumenē) , to gather them to the battle
of that great day of God Almighty.” (Rev. 16:14).
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great
signs (G4592) and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall
deceive the very elect. Mat 24:24
In Revelation 16 the phrase “kings of the earth” (βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς basileus gē)
only occurs in the Textus Receptus Greek New Testament. It is omitted in older
texts like Codex Sinaiticus. The KJV Bible includes the phrase, but new
versions omit it.
The NASB reads: “for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go
out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the
great day of God, the Almighty.”
The phrase “the whole world” is misleading in today’s world. It does not mean
the whole globe. The Greek word “οἰκουμένη”, oikoumenee, is a historic name
for a region, which in Biblical times represented the “civilised” world, and not
the barbarian, “uncivilised” world. It extended around the Mediterranean Sea,
and particularly meant the Greco-Roman world.
The dragon deceived the whole “οἰκουμένη”, oikoumenee, in Revelation (12:9).
In this theory, then, the dragon has deceived the area around the Mediterranean
Sea for many centuries. The Islamic religion conquered from Portugal to
Pakistan.
The dragon will not occupy the land for eternity. That land was promised to
Abraham and his “seed”: Those people who believe in the God of Abraham, El
Shaddai, Almighty God, Yahweh.
The “beast out of the sea” and the “beast out of the earth”, and their armies, will
be defeated by the Lord Jesus Christ at Armageddon. They will be cast into the
lake of fire.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice,
saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather
yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh
of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and
the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
And I saw the Beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and
against his army.
And the Beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought
miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the
mark of the Beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were
cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Rev 19:17-20)
The End of the dragon
The dragon has a totally different future for the following 1000 years, and then
it will join the 2 beasts in the lake of fire.
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil,
and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon
him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (Rev
20:1-3)
After the Millenium, the dragon will be released. It will not have reformed from
its evil ways, and will once again try to deceive the nations. It will have one last
attack on the saints and Jerusalem. However, it will join the beasts in the lake of
fire, to be tormented for ever.
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of
his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four
quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle:
the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of
the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out
of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast
into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the Beast and the false prophet
are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Rev 20:7-10
This will fulfil the final prophecy in Zechariah:
Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the
LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them,
and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite
in the house of the LORD of hosts. (Zec 14:21)
In the beginning, sin and death entered into the world through the deceit and lies
of the serpent. It struck at the heel of the Messiah. At the very end, the Lord
Jesus Christ will crush the heads of the serpent-dragon, with its sting of death,
underfoot.
“For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet…
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.” (1Cor 15:25,55-57)
Ellen and Jean Reid

Could Crown Prince MBS be the King of the South and Edom?

Historically, some Bible prophecy students have thought that the British monarch could be the ‘King of the South’. The British ruled Egypt from 1882 to 1956, when they had to withdraw after the disastrous Suez crisis. After 1956, many believed the King of the South may be represented by the USA, British Commonwealth or ‘the West’. But could there be another alternative today?

The last ‘King of the North’ confronts the ‘King of the South’ in Daniel 11:25-27.

The Lord Jesus mentioned the ‘Queen of the South’ in both Mat 12:42 and Luke 11:31. He said;

“The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.”

Picture above: ‘The visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon’ by Sir Edward Poynter

This makes it highly likely that the ‘King of the South’ would come from the same region as the Queen of Sheba. There are two regions which are thought to be her kingdom, one in Ethiopia, the other in Yemen, Southern Arabia. The Orthodox Ethiopian church believes that their Queen of Axum had a son with King Solomon, Menelik. They think he brought the Ark of the Covenant back from Jerusalem and it’s been in Ethiopia ever since. This is not mentioned in the Bible at all.

The other region is thought to be Yemen, where there was the Kingdom of Saba. It was at the heart of the ‘Silk Road’ and traded with the Ethiopians, over the Red Sea. The Kingdom of Saba is far more likely to be the real ‘Kingdom of Saba’ than Ethiopia.

Recently an Israeli archaeologist identified an inscription on a clay jar (pictured left) as ancient Southern Arabian. This is the oldest alphabetical inscription ever found in Jerusalem and among the earliest found in Israel. It dates from the reign of King Solomon. The jar is thought to be from the Kingdom of Saba.ⁱ

If the ‘Queen of the South’ was the Queen of Saba/Sheba, then this connects ‘the South’ to the Arabian Peninsula, most likely today in Yemen, not Egypt or Ethiopia.

In recent years Yemen has been in turmoil, due to the civil war between the Houthi rebels and the Yemenite ruling tribes. It is a proxy war, between the Iran backed Shiite Muslim Houthis and Saudi Arabian Sunni Muslim Yemenis. Today Yemen has no king, but is thought to be controlled by Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Option

Could the ‘King of the South’ possibly be the King of Saudi Arabia? This kingdom has gone from a desert Bedouin backwater in the 19th century, to one of the most globally significant players. It is now important both geopolitically and religiously, due to their staggering wealth made from oil since the 1940s and custodianship of the Muslim sacred sites at Mecca and Medina, which they seized from the Hashemite King in 1924.

But could the King of the Saudi Arabia, or his crown prince in waiting, have even more Biblical significance?

The prophet Ezekiel said in Ezek 38:13 “Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil?”

Dedan (or Dadan) was the capital of the Lihyan people, in North Western Arabia. Today it is called Al-‘Ula, and is being promoted by Saudi Arabia as one of their main historical tourist destinations. This is because of the ancient carved rock tombs, many of which have their Dadanitic lion symbols carved over the top (pictured below). Some tombs rival Nabetean Petra in Jordan, for their magnificence!ⁱⁱ

View a large print size of this picture at https://www.arabnews.com/sites/default/files/userimages/20/ann_p5_11022019.pdf

Who is Edom, Moab and Ammon today?

Today there are no countries called Edom, Moab or Ammon. The ancient people of these territories have most likely intermarried and are widely dispersed, through wars and migration, through the countries which today cover these territories.  It is widely accepted that Jordan most likely represents Ammon. However, what of Edom and Moab? These nations all still have Biblical prophecies to be fulfilled, such as in Dan 11:41 “but these shall escape out of his (the King of the North) hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon”.

Jeremiah, speaking of the destruction of Moab by King Nebuchadnezzar, said in Jer 44:42 “Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD”. However in Jer 44:47 he also said “Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the LORD”

The Kingdoms of Moab and Edom extended below Ammon, at the south. It is possible that Biblical Edom, Moab, Ammon, Sheba and Dedan are all represented by today’s Kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and Jordan

The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia today occupies land at the bottom of the Gulf of Aqaba, where the futuristic city of Neom is being built (pictured left), with a bridge across to Egypt. This is one of the mega projects of Crown Prince Muhammed Bin Salman or ‘MBS’. This area is becoming very important to the Saudi’s, as they hope to develop their tourism industry to replace oil revenues in the future.

Jared Kushner, the highly influential Jewish son-in-law of President Trump, has been negotiating with the Saudis for many years. He is on their payroll, taking $25million/year for investing the Saudi State funds in Israeli and US companies.ⁱⁱⁱ Together, Kushner and the Saudis were the driving forces behind the Abrahamic Accords with various Arab nations.

The Saudis have not only a financial motive for creating peace, security and prosperity in the Middle East, to drive their tourism boom, but also a religious one. Crown Prince MBS would like control of the three most important Islamic sites, Mecca, Medina and also Al Quds, otherwise known as Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. This has been a Saudi ambition for several decades, partly as they see the Jordanian King’s oversight of Temple Mount to be weak, as he has allowed violence to occur there.^iv

Crown Prince MBS is known to still be keen to establish a comprehensive peace settlement, or Abrahamic Accord, with Israel despite the Gaza war. Hamas and Hezbollah are both Iran affiliated Shia terror organisations, which Sunni Saudi Arabia abhors.

At the 2023 G20 meeting in India, MBS announced, alongside the US, India and EU, a new railway line, to take goods from India (Eastern Tarshish – see 2 Ch 9:21 and 20:36) to the big port in the UAE and across Saudi Arabia and Jordan, through to the now Indian-owned port of Haifa in Israel. These goods, which would not have to go through the Suez Canal, would then be shipped to the EU. It is thought this will be an alternative to China’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiative, and as President Biden said at the press conference “this is a big deal”!

Are there any other roles for Moab and Edom in last days Biblical prophecies? The short book of Obadiah is thought to have a latter day fulfillment. It is about the humbling of Edom, because of their violence against their brother Jacob (v10).

“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.”

Of note, Crown Prince MBS is currently building the two tallest buildings in the world, one in Jeddah[v] and the other in Riyadh, see picture left[vi]. He is also building the world’s two longest buildings, each over 100 miles long, called the ‘Mirror Line’ at Neom.^vii

Esau and Jacob – fraternal twins but opposites, both in looks and nature

Strife between Isaac’s twin sons is at the heart of the Middle Eastern problems. Esau’s foreign wives caused grief to his parents. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob, and then regretted it;

“Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” Heb 12:16-17

Esau constantly has sought for vengeance and revenge on his hated brother Jacob;

“Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.

And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.” Ezek 25:12-14

“As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated” Rom 9:13.

“I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,

And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and,

The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.” Mal 1:2-4

Wow! That’s quite a statement from the LORD God Almighty!

Amos 1:11 “Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever:”

He said about Edom in Ezek 35;

“Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end: (v5)

…I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the LORD was there: (v9-10)

“For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been… and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau;” Obad 1:16, 18.

“Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession: (Ezek 35:2)… Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey (v5).”

The Kingdom of Jordan

What about the Jordanians? “And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity;… For thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel;” Ezek 25:3,6

The Palestinians/Philistines/Canaanites

Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has claimed that the Palestinian people are descended from both the ancient Philistines and also Canaanites.^viii It is likely they are a mixed race, whose ancestors are many different peoples who have passed through the region.

It is interesting to read in the Bible that the Philistines originally came from Caphtor, see Jeremiah 47:4, Amos 9:7, Deut 2:23. In the LXX Caphtor is rendered Cappadocia. Cappadocia is in modern day Turkey. It is known today primarily for its ancient underground tunnel cities, staggering in depth and size, which the original inhabitants eventually left^ix. It has very similar parallels with the underground tunnel complex dug by the Palestinians in Gaza.

“Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred;

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims (LXX - Cretans), and destroy the remnant of the sea coast.

And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them. Ezek 25:15-17

Turmoil in the Middle East

The Abrahamic Accords are turning the Middle East upside down. But the recent ‘natural’ disasters have also had a profound effect. The earthquake in February 2023 destroyed much of Idlib province, on the border with Turkey and Syria. This is where many of the remaining jihadists, who fled from Assad and the Russians, ended up, see map right[x]. The earthquake in the Atlas and Rif Mountains in Morocco, a few months later, was also where militant Muslims were known to be living. Then the massive storm and inland Tsunami on Libya’s coast destroyed the city of Derna, an ISIS stronghold, where many more Islamist fanatics could be found^xi.

The extremist Shia Muslims, consisting of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood, Iran, and their sympathizers in Turkey, Qatar and other minority groups, are terribly fearful that their hated Sunni brethren are selling out to the Israeli Jews, at the Palestinian’s expense. It is possible, however, that the Sunni Arabs also have another agenda: to remove the Jews from the Land through ‘peace’.

The Land Divided

“In the day that thou (Edom) stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them” Obad v11.

Joel 3:2-3 “…my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.”

For whom did Edom/Esau do this? Why did he betray his brother Jacob? The prophet Joel continues;

“Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;

Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things: The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.” Joel 3:4-6

Of note, Tyre and Zidon today is where the two largest Palestinian ‘refugee camps’ are located, in Lebanon.

So it appears that this Arab confederacy, led by the King of the South, may deceive Israel into making an agreement, in which Israel comes off worst, in order to achieve peace. The reproach and shame of the heathen is too heavy a burden for Israel to bear.

“Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries.

Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed.

Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood.” Ezek 22:4-6

This picture, left, shows the music festival in Israel, replete with a giant Buddha statue, which the Hamas terrorists on paragliders (circled) attacked on Oct 7th 2023. The Reuters video link confirms this^xii. The resulting bloody wars in Gaza and Lebanon, although justified, have led to the worldwide reproach of Israel and their continual calls of ‘genocide’ and ‘nazi’s’.

The Arab Confederacy of the King of the South

All this, inevitably and inexorably, points towards Psalm 83.

“For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.” Psa 83:2-8

The Holy and Brotherly Covenant

It is possible that the Holy Covenant in Daniel 11 verses 22,28, 30 and 32, may refer to the ultimate peace settlement in the Middle East, culminating in an Abrahamic Accord between Israel and the Saudis and Palestinians, and the other Arab kingdoms. This Jewish/Muslim pact may create a land of peace and safety in Israel, resulting in a land without walls, bars, gates, barbed wire and checkpoints: Jewish settlers removed from the West Bank, and Israel totally humiliated in their violent quest for peace in their land.

The brotherly covenant in Amos 1:9 refers to the covenant which King Ahab made with Ben Hadad, whose father Hadad, an enemy of King Solomon, was of the royal seed of the Edomites. See I Kings 20:32, 34 and 42. This man, Ben Hadad, had been appointed to utter destruction by God, and Ahab had let him go.

“Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant:”

Similarly, these Arab nations, such as Edom, Moab and the Philistines, have been appointed to utter destruction by God, but if Israeli makes a ‘peace’ covenant with them, this may bring about God’s wrath.

A Third Temple?

For the first time in 2,000 years, there are 5 red heifers in Israel. They were brought over from Texas and must be reared for 3 years without any white hairs, before they can be slaughtered and burnt to make ashes. They are expected to be ready by March/April 2024. This has caused much excitement and anticipation in Israel, as the water from the ashes will be used for the purification of the priests, as described in Numbers chapter 19.^xiii

It is possible that Israel’s far right politicians may agree to a peace settlement, but only if they can build a third Temple, next to the Dome of the Rock.

Picture left is of an Israeli soldier in Gaza, the graffiti reads “the battle is in Gaza, the war is over the Temple Mount”. The picture below left is of a bulldozer in Gaza amongst the rubble, the graffiti reads “Build the Holy Temple!” These photos are from the Temple Institute’s facebook page^xiv.

The Temple Institute, based in Jerusalem, has been part of the Israeli religious right wing’s attempt to prepare a Temple for the Messiah. Many evangelical Christians see this as either the Messiah’s true Temple or where ‘the Antichrist’ will sit.

But, aside from the various opinions of Jewish and Christian commentators, is it a possible fulfillment of Biblical prophecies?

Ezekiel 8:16-17 “And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs (LXX - posteriors) toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.”

Note: Mecca is Southeast of Jerusalem, and is where the Muslims face to pray, on their knees.

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)” Mat 24v15

Many Jewish Bible students think these prophecies about the abomination that makes desolate and the replacing of the daily sacrifice, refer to Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who placed a pig in the Most Holy Place in the 2nd century BC. However, this happened prior to the Lord Jesus’ birth, and he obviously thought it was still to happen. Most Christians think it refers to the destruction of the temple, in AD 70.

However, if the taking away of the daily sacrifice and the placing of the abomination which makes desolate (Dan 11:31) occurs during the time of the last King of the North, then it has yet to be fulfilled! Both Matthew 24 and Daniel 12:11 imply that this occurs right at the end, just before the return of the Lord;

These references, along with that of 2 Thes 2:3-4, make it difficult to reject the concept of a third Temple rebuilt by the Jews, prior to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

How long could the Saudis have control of Temple Mount in Jerusalem?

It may be as little as three years.

“And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.

This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning Moab since that time.

But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.” Isaiah 16:12-14.

Deceit, Lies and Betrayal…

Back to the King of the South, in Daniel 11. In verse 26, he is destroyed by those who feed of the ‘portion of his meat’. Compare this with Obadiah v7;

“All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.”

No-one would be surprised to hear that there is betrayal, lies and deceit in an Arab confederacy. The King of the South will think that his Muslim brothers are with him, they have his back, when the King of the North comes to take Jerusalem, and possibly its Jewish Temple. When the Russian King of the North descends upon the mountains of Israel, with the 10 Catholic and Orthodox kings, they will rout the Muslims and Jews from their Holy City. The Arabs flee in disarray, leaving the Palestinians and Jews which are left, to be a prey and spoil.

The King of the North will Come to Take the Prize

“And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?”

The identity of the Kings of the North and South, in the book of Daniel, are important. Clearly understanding who they could be, in a contemporary context, could help in discerning Biblical ‘signs of the times’.

We look forward to the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth, a time of peace and good will to all men, but not to the events which occur just before his return. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and hope you find our discussion of interest.

Jean and Ellen Reid

10th January 2024

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i https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/04/clay-jar-points-to-connection-between-israel-under-the-reign-of-king-solomon-and-the-kingdom-of-sheba/146751

ii  https://www.arabnews.com/node/1449911/saudi-arabia

iii  https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/09/06/jared-kushners-saudi-backed-firm-makes-first-israeli-investment/

iv  https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/can-the-temple-mount-be-a-trading-card-to-entice-the-saudis-639395

v  https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/will-the-1km-tall-jeddah-tower-ever-be-finished-8ml2n3kml

vi  https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-mukaab-giant-cube-riyadh-new-kaaba

vii  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/27/saudis-unveil-eye-popping-plan-for-mirrored-skyscraper-eco-city

viii  https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/puncturing-the-big-lie-of-palestinian-identity/

ix  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derinkuyu_underground_city

x https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/massive-earthquake-could-reshape-turkish-and-syrian-politics

xi  https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/libyas-islamists-who-they-are-and-what-they-want

xii  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFYc1PeOFCA

xiii  https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-717650

xiv  https://www.facebook.com/templeinstitute/posts/pfbid0FLhhVqpkvK3QK5JAkNjNNwJpJ26Uybeo5tFgCvYaaboT4knwQytYfqU2PcVL2PMUl