Daniel 7:2-5 “Daniel spoke, saying, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. (3) And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. … (5) "And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: 'Arise, devour much flesh!'”
In this section we will continue our discussion on Russia, which we have identified as being the beast like a bear in Daniel’s vision. In the above-quoted passage of scripture Daniel describes the second beast as a bear which was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: 'Arise, devour much flesh!'
We have seen in previous sections that the USA; either has already or will in the future draw Russia into a series of conventional proxy wars on its borders, and that the three ribs in the mouth of the bear represent those wars. And so in this section we want to discuss the significance of the instruction given to the bear i.e. ‘Arise, devour much flesh’. So what does that phrase mean? It simply means that this beast will be used to inflict unprecedented death and destruction in the earth.
To put that concept into some sort of perspective, we can look at the global deaths that took place during WW1 and WW2. WW1 resulted in the deaths of approximately 17 million people worldwide and WW2 resulted in the deaths of approximately 80 million people worldwide. Despite the fact that these wars were global (a first for mankind) and the cause of tremendous death and destruction, it is significant that scripture makes no mention of them. The passage of scripture quoted above however, speaks of “much flesh” being devoured by the bear, thus indicating that the resulting deaths from the actions of this beast will far exceed the 80 million of WW2.
Jeremiah 25:27-33 "Therefore you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: "Drink, be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you." ‘(28) And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, 'thus says the Lord of hosts: "You shall certainly drink! (29) For behold, I begin to bring calamity on the city which is called by My name, and should you be utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished, for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth," says the Lord of hosts.' (30) "Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and say to them: 'The Lord will roar from on high, and utter His voice from His holy habitation; He will roar mightily against His fold. He will give a shout, as those who tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. (31) A noise will come to the ends of the earth-- For the Lord has a controversy with the nations; He will plead His case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword,' says the Lord." (32) Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Behold, disaster shall go forth From nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the farthest parts of the earth. (33) "And at that day the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground.
Although scripture is silent about the death and destruction caused in both WW1 and WW2, it is not silent about the death and destruction caused by the final world war that will occur at the end of the age; for in the above-quoted passage of scripture the Lord says that, He will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth, and at that day the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. This passage is clearly speaking about a global conflict breaking out, resulting in death and destruction on a scale never before seen in the earth.
It is important to note however, that the global conflict mentioned in these passages has nothing to do with the battle of Armageddon. The battle of Armageddon will only occur when the Lord returns and will not be global in nature. Armageddon will be one single battle that will take place between the Lord Jesus and His army and the armies of the Antichrist, and will be localized to the region of Armageddon. Armageddon will be an extremely brief affair as the Lord destroys the armies of the Antichrist with the breath of His mouth. There will be no bear beast present on that day, devouring much flesh.
And so the question is asked, how will the bear fulfil its mandate of devouring much flesh, and what will cause the slain of the Lord to be from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth? Clearly the answer lies in a global nuclear war, i.e. WW3. A nuclear exchange between the nuclear powers will result in no less than 1.5 billion deaths worldwide.
Russia has repeatedly warned NATO to abandon their policy of attempting bring about its strategic defeat; nevertheless NATO continues on its path, ignoring Russia’s warnings of an imminent nuclear exchange. The day is fast approaching when Russia will no longer warn, but act. It is on that day that the bear will finally arise to devour much flesh. The NATO nations and primarily the USA will be the main losers in said conflict and it will be at that time that the lion beast’s wings will finally be plucked off. In other words, the United States will lose its dominance in the world.
It is interesting to note that the Lord states that He will, begin to bring calamity on the city which is called by My name, thus indicating that WW3 could very well be triggered in Israel and the Middle East. Nevertheless, all nuclear powers will eventually be drawn into the final world war; and by its conclusion, the earth will be fundamentally changed.
Revelation 17:1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, … Revelation 18:8-10 Therefore her plagues will come in one day--death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. (9) "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, (10) standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.'
There is one positive outcome of world war three. It will be at that time that Babylon the great and the globalist dreams of world domination will finally be destroyed. That truth is revealed to us in the above-quoted passage of scripture. Notice the description of Babylon’s destruction. It speaks about her being utterly burned with fire and her judgement coming in one hour. It also speaks about the kings of the earth observing the smoke of her burning and standing at a distance for fear of her torment. It also speaks about death, mourning and famine.
A nuclear conflict will produce those exact results. Cities that are targeted with nuclear strikes will be utterly burned with fire. Unlike the previous world wars, the final nuclear war will be over in a matter of hours, i.e. in one hour Babylon will be judged. People will stand at a distance watching the cities burn, fearful of approaching because of the radiation fallout. We have already mentioned the unimaginable death toll, but the scripture also mentions two further consequences of such utter devastation; there will be global mourning among those who survive, and because food production will be destroyed in many nations, global famine will soon follow.
Michael E.B. Maher
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