INTRODUCTION

Yes! - God has set His face against Mt. Seir because of the Islamic world's PERPETUAL hatred against Israel and the Jewish people. But this hatred was not always so. Indeed, the so-called "Islamic Revolution" - which now has become the main instrumentality through which the Arab people hope to destroy Israel - is nothing more than another American invention that the U.S. helped to create and nurture as a movement to counter what it considered fifty years ago to be the main threat against U.S. interests in the Middle East: RADICAL SOCIALISM. That's what Nasser in Egypt, Quadafi in Libya, and the Baathist parties in Iraq and Syria were all about.

To the U.S., Islam was seen as a religious "counter-weight" to the influence of socialism and the Soviet Union. The fact is, all of today's radical Islamic groups that are presently "bombing the hell" out of Israel are creations of the United States, from the Islamic Brotherhood in Egypt, to the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan and Iran, to Hamas and Herzbollah in Lebanon and Palestine. Every single one of these groups were originally funded with U.S. money and CIA backing. It is precisely this kind of maneuvering that has made war between Israel and her Arab neighbors all but inevitable - and so much so that the Bible says that it has - sadly - become a "PERPETUAL HATRED." (Ezekiel 35:5) [Please see our article, Radical Islam."]

PROVOKING HATRED BETWEEN
ISRAEL AND THE ARABS

Seen from this perspective, the relationship that exists today between Israel and the United States is kind of like the relationship that would exist between a person (the United States) who surreptitiously "bonged" someone (Israel) over the head, blamed it on one of his friends (the Arabs), and then offers to hold his friend's (Israel's) coat when the fight breaks out - which pretty much describes the relationship that the Bible says will exist between "prophetic Babylon" and Israel at the "end of the age. Specifically, the Bible says:

"And he [i.e., the "King of Babylon" - again, please see our article, "In Search of Babylon; What do the Scriptures Say?"] shall confirm the covenant with many (Israel) for one week (seven years): and in the midst of the week (after three and a half years) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." (Dan. 9:27a)

The living Bible translates this passage thus:

"This king ["Anti-Christ, King of Babylon"] will make a seven year TREATY with the people [Israel], but after half that time, he will break his pledge and stop the Jews from all their sacrifices and their offerings; then as a climax to all his terrible deeds, the enemy [Antichrist] shall utterly defile the sanctuary of God [which is to say, he shall commit the Abomination of Desolation]." (Daniel 9:27a LB)

J. Dwight Pentecost writes:

"According to Daniel 9:26-27 the prince of the Roman empire (i.e., the West, called Babylon) will make a covenant with Israel for a seven year period. This covenant evidently ... guarantees Israel's integrity [is a defense pact] ... [and] also is a Satanic imitation of the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant which ... [guaranteed] Israel title deed to the land. This action is pictured by John [in the Apocalypse] (Rev. 16:2) as a rider going forth to conquer [as the first horseman in the Apocalypse] ... This condition exists for three and one-half years, after which the covenant is broken by the ... [Antichrist]."

A DEFENSE PACT

The treaty will be in the form of a defense pact between Israel and Prophetic Babylon (i.e., the United States) and will be directed against Israel's enemies - again, no doubt a coalition of Islamic fundamentalist states in the Middle East. One of the most eminent scholars on "Last Things," Sir Robert Anderson, says that the signing of this treaty will signify the beginning of the Seventieth Week - i.e., the "Tribulation Period!" Anderson writes:

"... the Seventieth Week [the seven year period of the Tribulation] will be a definite period of time, of which the beginning, the middle, and the end are definitely marked [by certain well defined events]. [Just as the beginning of the first sixty-nine weeks were signified] ... not by the return of the Jews from Babylon, nor yet by the rebuilding of their Temple, but by the SIGNING OF THE PERSIAN DECREE [TREATY] which restored ... [them], so also the beginning of the Seventieth Week will date not from their restoration to Judea [May 14, 1948], nor yet from the future rebuilding of their shrine, but from the SIGNING OF THE [DEFENSE] TREATY BY THE COMING PRINCE [ANTICHRIST]."

THE UNITED STATES IS NOT ISRAEL'S FRIEND

BUT THE UNITED STATES IS NOT ISRAEL'S FRIEND! The fact is, the Bible calls the country with whom Israel has covenanted with here (i.e., the United States) an "OVERFLOWING SCOURGE." Pretty heavy! - and it warns Israel that this "overflowing scourge" will eventually BETRAY it:

"... your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the OVERFLOWING SCOURGE shall pass through, THEN YE SHALL BE TRODDEN DOWN BY IT." (Is. 28:18) ["Overflowing scourge?" - this is certainly a pretty good description of the United States: just ask the peoples and nations of the world that the U.S. had reduced to "client-state" status - for example, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guatemala, the Congo - the list is endless.]

We have said that the relationship between Israel and the United States is similar to the kind of relationship that would exist between a person (again, the United States) who sneakily hit someone (again, Israel) over the head, blamed it on one of his friends (again, the Arabs), and then offers to hold his friend's (again, Israel's) coat when the fight breaks out. Just as this analogy pretty much described the contrived nature of the hatred between Israel and her Middle Eastern neighbors, it also pretty much describes the contrived nature of the coming Gog / Magog War. The sad fact of the matter is, Israel and her opponents are allowing themselves to be maneuvered into it - and its the U.S. that has done the maneuvering.

One might fairly ask, what's driving all this maneuvering? GREED! Naked AVARICE! frenzied AVARICIOUSNESS! Bloodsucking RAPACITY! Michael Parenti - one of the most astute observers of today's "world condition" - writes in the magazine Covert Action Quarterly:

"The goal of conservative rulers around the world, LED BY THOSE WHO OCCUPY THE SEATS OF POWER IN WASHINGTON, is the systematic rollback of democratic gains, public services, and common living standards ..."

Parenti calls those who are a part of this "ruling class" (i.e., the "conservative rulers" in Washington D.C. - and most specifically, the Bush Administration and their lapdogs in the Christian Right) a "RABIDLY ... (anti-leftist) PLUTOCRACY."

Parenti goes on to say that the only thing this plutocracy wants is "EVERYTHING:"

"All the choice lands, forests, game, herds, harvests, mineral deposits and precious metals of the earth; all the wealth, riches, and profitable returns; all the productive facilities, gainful inventiveness, and technologies; all the surplus value produced by human labor; all the control positions of the state and other major institutions; all public supports and subsides, privileges and immunities; all the protections of the law with none of the constraints; all the services, comforts, luxuries, and advantages of civil society with none of the taxes and costs. Every 'ruling class' has wanted only this: all the rewards and none of the burdens."

SECURING THE OIL WEALTH OF IRAQ
FOR THE AMERICAN OIL ELITES

It is PRECISELY this kind of rapacity - the kind that Parenti describes above - that motivated the Bush Administration to make war on Iraq. What this "elite of greed and avarice" wants is to secure the oil wealth of Iraq for itself. That's what this elite is really after; that's what the war in Afghanistan is really all about - i.e., grabbing the oil wealth of Central Asia for the American oil companies; and that's what the coming Gog / Magog War will be all about as well - grabbing the oil riches of the Middle East. [Please see our article on this subject, "The War in Afghanistan: It's Not What You Think."]

The truth of the matter is, as everyone knows now, Iraq posed no real threat to the United States per se. Iraq possessed no weapons of mass destruction. All the talk about nerve gas, anthrax, nuclear weapons, Iraq's supposed connection to al-Qaeda, etc. was just that - TALK. It was a smoke-screen to hide what was really driving the Bush Administration - capturing the oil wealth of Iraq, and eventually the oil wealth of all the Middle East. And make no mistake about it, the stakes in Iraq are enormous from a monetary standpoint. There are more than SEVENTY known oilfields in Iraq, only fifteen of which have been developed. AMERICA IS MANEUVERING FOR AN "END GAME" THERE, and they are being driven by the MAGNITUDE of the prize that Gulf and Central Asian energy reserves and markets represent. This has resulted in a BOTTOMLESS DEPTH OF DETERMINATION INSOFAR AS THE AMERICAN ELITES ARE CONCERNED TO GAIN CONTROL OVER THEM (i.e., the oil fields) REGARDLESS OF THE COST.

A WAR AIMED AT
DE-POPULATING THE MIDDLE EAST

All this to say that, in a very real sense, the real target of U.S. hostility in the Middle East is the populations that inhabit that area. Stephanie Reich reports that -

"THAT THE U.S. [ELITES] WOULD PREFER TO REDUCE IRAQ [AND THE REST OF THE MIDDLE EAST] TO A SPARSELY POPULATED, POLITICALLY COMPLIANT, OIL-PUMPING ... [AREA]."

If that's the case, all the talk by opponents of the war that widening the war in Iraq could destabilize the Middle East and lead to the further radicalization (and, ipso facto, the Izlamization) of the populations there, falls on deaf ears. Why? - because that's what the U.S. elites are aiming at: it would give them an excuse to permanently DEPOPULATE the area, especially if American policies in the Middle East radicalize the people there to such an extent that they are "revved up" to the point that they brashly attack Israel or create another 9/11 event in the United States. In either case, such an attack would undoubtedly lead to a MASSIVE retaliatory response. In the case of Israel, it could very well be a nuclear response - which would serve "nicely" to depopulate the area, exactly what the U.S. elites want.

DEPOPULATING THE MIDDLE EAST

And isn't that PRECISELY the kind of outcome the Bible says will occur as a result of the Gog/Magog War? Of course it is! Read the Scriptures for yourself. The Bible says:

"And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth (after the war), and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and THEY SHALL BURN THEM WITH FIRE SEVEN YEARS: [Now think about that, SEVEN YEARS: it gives you an idea of the extent of the victory - i.e., that it will take seven years to clean up the mess, which, interestingly, is the length of the Tribulation.]

The Scriptures continue:

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.

"And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.

"Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.

"And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search." (Ezek. 39:2, 3-5, 7-9, 11-14)

THE BREATHTAKING CRIMINALITY
OF AMERICA'S GAME HERE

But that all of this (i.e., all this carnage and destruction) isn't just "happen-chance" and the result of "irresistible historic forces" between the sons of Ishmael and the sons of Isaac, but rather the result of the evil machinations and maneuvering of a small cabal of greedy, self-centered, avaricious American oil elites is BREATHTAKING in its CRIMINALITY!

You say no? No one could be that cold-blooded! Well, you had better think again! Think! - if the U.S. attacks Iraq, and topples the government there, it will INFLAME the area. The populations of the Middle East will go ballistic! - and governments will begin to topple like so many pins in a bowling alley. The fact of the matter is, Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Pakistan, and even Turkey are teetering on the brink of Islamic revolution. Iran is already there. And it wouldn't take much for Syria and Libya to join in the general tumult.

But surely, you say, this is not what the United States wants. Oh, really? MIT professor Noam Chomsky believes so. In his view, what the United States really wants in the Middle East is so CRIMINAL that most people could not help but reject it as simply too iniquitous an undertaking for anyone to take seriously. [Please see our article, "Israel and the Renewed Struggle for the Holy Land."]

That there exists a clear distinction between the Gog/Magog War and Armageddon there can be no doubt! As J. Dwight Pentecost has pointed out, there are a number of considerations which make it very plain that we are dealing with two great wars rather than one during the Tribulation.

• In the Gog/Magog War, definite allies of Gog are mentioned as opposing Israel - "Magog," "Mescheck," "Tubal," "Gomer" (TURKEY), Ethiopia, Libya, (see Ezekiel 38) and EGYPT (see Daniel 11:42], while at Armageddon all nations are engaged against Jerusalem (Joel 3:2; Zeph. 3:8; Zech. 12:3; and 14:2).

• Gog comes from the North (Ezek. 38:6, 15), while at Armageddon, the armies come from out of the whole earth.

• Gog is the head of the armies at his invasion (Ezek. 38:15), but at Armageddon, the Beast is at the head of the invasion (Rev. 19:19).

• There is a protest against Gog's invasion (Ezek. 38:13), but at Armageddon there is no such protest because all the nations of the earth have joined themselves with the Beast in his attack against Jerusalem.

• Gog is overthrown by divine intervention through the convolutions of nature (Ezek. 38:22), but the armies at Armageddon are destroyed by the sword which goes out of Christ's mouth (Rev. 19:15).

• Gog's armies array themselves in the open fields (Ezek. 39:5), while at Armageddon they are seen in the city of Jerusalem.

• Gog's armies are destroyed outside of Jerusalem on the mountains and in the valleys (Ezek. 39:2-4), while the Beast and his armies are destroyed in the city of Jerusalem itself (Zech. 12:2; 14:2).

• The Lord calls for assistance in executing judgment on Gog (Ezek. 38:21), while at Armageddon He is viewed as treading the winepress alone (Rev. 19:15; Isaiah 63:3-6).

• The invasion by Gog will be sudden and will come with relatively little warning (Ezek. 38:11), while Armageddon will be no sudden and unexpected event.

Thus, as Dwight Pentecost has suggested,

"Two diverse movements (wars) must be acknowledged."

SOMETIME BETWEEN NOW AND THE
BEGINNING OF THE TRIBULATION

Moreover, to suggest, as some NINCOMPOOPS do, that the Scriptures that reference the Gog/Magog War refer to some sort of event that occurred in antiquity is pure nonsense. The truth is, NO prior invasion of the land of Israel is sufficient to be the fulfillment of this prophecy. There have been invasions in the past which have wrought hardship on the land and the people of Israel, but NONE answer to the details given here. The destruction of the Temple in AD 70, for example, was accomplished by the Romans who came from the west. But the invasion described here comes from the direction of TURKEY and Persia to the north, and EGYPT, Ethiopia and Libya from the south.

This fact is attested to by almost all Orthodox Jewish scholars (who themselves consider these prophesies to be as yet unfulfilled). These passages, then, can only refer to some as yet future event in Israel's history - and this is clearly indicated by the phrase, "... in the latter years" (Ezek. 38:8). Dwight Pentecost, Robert Duncan Culver, and David L. Cooper agree with the Orthodox Jews. For example, Cooper writes,

"... it is utterly impossible to locate the fulfillment of this prediction (i.e., the Gog/Magog War) after the Millennial Age. It cannot be placed at the beginning of the Millennium, nor at the end of the Tribulation. It must, therefore, be located (at the beginning) of the Tribulation, because there is no other logical place for it to occur since the three other dates are impossible ... There will (thus) be a time between now and the beginning of the Tribulation when [this war will occur which will initiate the seven years of the Tribulation Period]."

This thesis is substantiated in a somewhat backhanded way by Ezekiel 39 when the prophet reveals that a full SEVEN years will be needed to clear away the wreckage of the Gog/Magog War:

"And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons ... and they shall burn them with fire SEVEN years ..." (Ezek. 39:9)

The seven years referred to here by Ezekiel could be none other than the seven years of the Tribulation Period - since no such seven years will follow Armageddon; after Armageddon, the beasts of the field and the fouls of the air will clear away the wreckage - and that by divine direction and in a short period of time. Then the Millennium will begin - there is no seven year interval here. Thus, the Gog/Magog War will immediately precede the events of the Tribulation period. There is, as Cooper suggests, simply no other place to put it which will conform to the pertinent Scriptures; and it (i.e., the Gog/Magog War) will initiate the great happenings of that era (i.e., the Tribulation Period).

The Gog/Magog War, then, will precede the Tribulation and will act as a catalyst for the great events of that period, while Armageddon will bring to a conclusion the events of the Tribulation Period. A FAIR READING OF THE PASSAGES IN SCRIPTURE THAT DEAL WITH THESE GREAT WARS WILL YIELD NO OTHER RESULT.

HATE AND GREED DRAW THE "PLAYERS" TOGETHER

Greed is the Fuel that Drives the Engines of War

Now one must understand something about the Gog/Magog War: It's a war of GREED - and while the leaders of today's American Church will try to tell you differently as the storm clouds gather - i.e., that it's a war that aims to "bring democracy to the peoples of the Middle East;" a war that aims to "break the power of Islam so that Christianity can once again bloom in its ancient heartland" - it's, nonetheless, purely and simply, a war about GREED, as are ALL wars. To say otherwise is to fly in the face of the clear teachings of the New Testament. Jesus said:

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

"But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

"And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.

"And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

"Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

"But I say unto you, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, BLESS THEM THAT CURSE YOU, DO GOOD TO THEM THAT HATE YOU, AND PRAY FOR THEM WHICH DESPITEFULLY USE YOU, AND PERSECUTE YOU;

"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

"For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?" (Matt. 5:38-46)

There is no such Thing as a "Just War"
in the Teachings of the New Testament

There is no such a thing as a "Just War" in this world and in this life; that the church is authorized to participate in a such a war is a concoction of the Medieval Church which used that concept to justify its murderous participation in the crusades and its bloody conquest and subjugation of the "New World." The Bible instructs us that wars result from COVETOUSNESS:

"From whence come wars ... ? come they not hence, even of your lusts ... ? (James 4:1)

What the Bible is saying here is that, ultimately, wars are not about ideology or God, or any other such things. These are just the masks behind which those who indulge themselves in the rapacity of war hide themselves. In the end, it's all about GREED and AVARICE:

"Ye lust, and have not: [so] ye kill, and desire to have [more], and cannot obtain:[so] ye fight and war [all the more] ..." (James 4:2)

In the case of the Gog/Magog War - the war that we are examining now - its about the oil elites' effort to hold on to their ill-gotten gain in the Middle East: the fabulous oil riches of that area. It's about preventing the people of the Middle East - the rightful owners of this wealth - from taking back those riches and expelling America from the region.

The Twin Purposes of Radical
Islam (Gog) in the Middle East

There can be, of course, no question as to the gathering storm in the Middle East; it's plain enough for anyone to see who wants to see (Mark 8:18); one doesn't even need the Bible to see what's going on: Specifically, that the forces of Islamic Radicalism are gathering themselves together to -

1. Destroy Israel.

2. Drive America out of the Middle East.

Clearly, what the leaders of Islamic Radicalism are seeking to do is reestablish a single Islamic Caliphate over the entire area - one that stretches from Morocco in the west (including possibly even the Iberian Peninsula) to Pakistan in the east (and possibly farther east to Malaysia and the Philippines). [Please see our article on the origins of Radical Islam, "Radical Islam;" please also see our articles, "The Coming War in the Middle East" and "Israel and the Renewed Struggle for the Holy Land."]

HATE DRAWS GOG DOWN ON ISRAEL

Insofar as the Scriptures are concerned, we can plainly see Gog's primary purpose regarding Israel (#1 above) in Ezekiel 38:10-12:

"Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind [i.e., Gog's mind], and THOU SHALL THINK AN EVIL THOUGHT:

"And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of UNWALLED VILLAGES [i.e., Israel]; 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 [again, Israel], which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land." (Ezekiel 38:10-12)

"Thou shall think an evil thought?" Ezek. 38:10) - clearly, Gog's primary purpose here is to destroy Israel, "The people that are gathered out of the nations." (Ezek. 38:12) If there is some spoil to be had in the process, that's all well and good - but what really is driving Gog is HATE: HATE FOR ISRAEL!

GREED DRAWS IN THE "MERCHANTS OF TARSHISH"

Art Thou Come to Take a Spoil?

Then the Bible says something very interesting that reveals Gog's secondary purpose (#2 above) - the elimination of America's presence in the Middle East (which will bring the wrath of America down on Gog). IT ALSO REVEALS WHOSE OX IS REALLY BEING GOADED BY THE FORCES OF ISLAMIC RADICALISM AND WHO REALLY IS BEHIND WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE MIDDLE EAST - i.e., THE CEOs OF AMERICA'S MULTINATIONAL OIL COMPANIES, companies who are more than willing to sacrifice America's sons and daughters for the sake of their "bottom lines." [Please see our article, "The Coming War in Iraq; What It's Really All About."]

And how exactly do we know that this is so? The Bible leaves us a plethora of clues which anyone who has "eyes to see" and "ears to hear" (Mark 8:18) can pick up on. We can begin by examining Ezekiel 38:13 which follows hard on the heels of the verses we have just examined (Ezekiel 38:10-12):

"Sheba and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee (i.e., Gog), 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?" (Ezek. 38:13)

The question that fairly begs to be asked in connection with this verse is Who exactly are "Sheba" and "Dedan," and the "Merchants of Tarshish" who raise a protest against what Gog is doing? Evidently, they're not particularly interested in Israel per se; what they're interested in is the SPOIL that will accrue to Gog if his attack proves successful.

Sheba, Dedan and the "Merchants of Tarshish

Sheba, Dedan, and the "Merchants of Tarshish" are all mentioned in Ezekiel chapter twenty-seven as merchants of great wealth who made the ancient kingdom of Tyre "roll and go." Speaking to the king of Tyre, the prophet says:

"TARSHISH WAS THY MERCHANT by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs.

"DEDAN WAS THY MERCHANT in precious clothes for chariots.

"THE MERCHANTS OF SHEBA ... they were thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold.

"The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas. (Ezekiel 27:12, 20, 22, 25)

IN OTHER WORDS, THESE MEN WERE, SO TO SPEAK, THE CEOs OF THE GREAT "MERCHANT HOUSES" OF THEIR TIME; men of "high finance" - the "Robber Barons" who made the Kingdom of Tyre (again,, the kingdom referenced in Ezekiel twenty-seven) the wealthiest nation of its day. THE "KINGDOM OF TYRE" AND THE "MERCHANTS OF TARSHISH" ARE INEXTRICABLY LINKED TOGETHER IN HOLY WRIT.

The kingdom of Tyre and the "Merchants of Tarshish"

That, of course, brings us to the matter of Tyre's empyreal ("spiritual") identity; what Tyre was really all about in the ancient world. Concerning Tyre, the great Bible expositor, J.N. Darby writes :

"TYRE ... REPRESENTS THE WORLD AND ITS RICHES, in contrast with Israel as the people of God; and rejoices [over the destruction of Israel] not like the other nations of the world from personal hatred, but because, having opposite interests, the destruction of that which restrained its career gave free course to its natural selfishness."

What Darby is saying here is that unlike most other peoples of the ancient world who hated Israel with an open and very PERSONAL hatred, Tyre had a hidden distaste for Israel; but not out of any PERSONAL animosity, but simply because Israel hindered Tyre from its quest for worldly wealth. [Please see our article, "The Real Enemy of Israel; It's Not What You Think;" please also see our article, "The Republican Party and the Jews."]

Tyre was driven by GREED, and when it eventually turned on Israel, there was nothing particularly ideological or theological in its "breach of faith" insofar as Israel was concerned. Israel had become an obstacle to the riches that Tyre wanted to take unfettered possession of. For that reason Israel had to be expunged, much as a robber would brush aside a yelping puppy that stood in his way of burgling a house; OR better yet, much as a criminal would turn on his former comrades when it came to dividing up the spoil of their mutual plunder - which is precisely what America will do to Israel shortly after the Gog/Magog War.

In the Scripture, TYRE IS TO AMERICA AS THE "MERCHANTS OF TARSHISH" ARE TO THE CEOs OF AMERICA'S GIANT MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS. BOTH VIEW ISRAEL AS NOTHING MORE THAN A USEFUL TOOL WHICH CAN BE THROWN AWAY AFTER ITS USEFULNESS HAS PASSED. Hence God's warning to Israel concerning its alliance with America:

"... your COVENANT WITH DEATH shall be disannulled, and your AGREEMENT WITH HELL shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then YE SHALL BE TRODDEN DOWN BY IT." (Isaiah 28:18)

THE KING OF TYRE

I Sit in the Seat of God"

And now - in case anyone has missed the point - the Bible very clearly draws the parallel forward to today and links the King of Tyre to the AntiChrist, and it does so in a most marvelous way. The prophet begins by first addressing the kingdom of Tyre as a whole:

"The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

"Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus;

"And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate in the ... [midst] of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I AM OF PERFECT BEAUTY.

"Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, THY BUILDERS HAVE PERFECTED THY BEAUTY. (Ezekiel 27:1-4)

And then the prophet turns his attention to the king of Tyre:

"The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

"Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I AM A GOD, I SIT IN THE SEAT OF GOD, IN THE MIDST OF THE SEAS; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:

"Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:

"With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:

"By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and THINE HEART IS LIFTED UP BECAUSE OF THY RICHES:

"... thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God ..." (Ezekiel 28:1-6)

Up to this point, it could be said that the Bible is describing a man - a very impressive and remarkable (though extremely egocentric) man - but still a man.

The King of Tyre as a Picture of the AntiChrist

Then, however, the Bible goes beyond what could be the description of a mere mortal - way beyond:

"Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; THOU SEALEST UP THE SUM, FULL OF WISDOM, AND PERFECT IN BEAUTY.

"THOU HAST BEEN IN THE EDEN OF GOD; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

"THOU ART THE ANOINTED CHERUB THAT COVERETH; and I have set thee so: THOU WAST UPON THE HOLY MOUNTAIN OF GOD; THOU HAST WALKED UP AND DOWN IN THE MIDST OF THE STONES OF FIRE."

These are words that could not possibly be said of a mere man:

• "Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty."

• "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God."

• "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth."

• "Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God."

• "Thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire."

We're No Longer Talking about a Mere Man

Obviously, we're no longer talking about a mere man. The great Bible expositor, C.I. Scofield, writes:

"Here, as in Isa. 14:12, THE LANGUAGE GOES BEYOND THE KING OF TYRE TO SATAN, the inspirer and unseen ruler of all such pomp and pride as that of Tyre. Instances of thus indirectly addressing Satan are: Gen. 3:14, 15; Matt. 16:23. The unfallen state of Satan is here described ... The vision is not of Satan in his own person, but of Satan fulfilling himself in and through an earthly king who arrogates to himself divine honours, so that THE PRINCE OF TYRUS FORESHADOWS THE BEAST (i.e., the AntiChrist - Dan. 7:8; Rev. 19:20)." [Please see "George Bush, the Promise Keepers, and the Principles of Messianic Leadership."]

Darby writes:

"In chapter xxviii [28], it is the prince and the king of Tyre that are judged for their pride. Verses 1-10 set Tyre before us the prince of this world's glory as a man, exalting himself and seeking to present himself as a god, having acquired riches and glory by his wisdom. Verses 11-19, while continuing to speak of Tyre, go ... much farther, and disclose, though darkly, the ... ways of Satan, become through our sin the prince and god of this world. The prince of Tyre represents Tyre and the spirit of Tyre. The verses which follow (11-19) are much more personal. I do not doubt that, historically, Tyre itself is referred to; verses 16-19 prove that. But ... the mind of the Spirit goes much farther [toward Satan]."

Corrupted by the Search for Wealth

The Bible continues concerning the king of Tyre:

"Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

"BY THE MULTITUDE OF THY MERCHANDISE THEY (i.e., SHEBA, DEDAN, AND THE "MERCHANTS OF TARSHISH") HAVE FILLED THE MIDST OF THEE WITH VIOLENCE, AND THOU HAST SINNED: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

"Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

"THOU HAST DEFILED THY SANCTUARIES BY THE MULTITUDE OF THINE INIQUITIES, BY THE INIQUITY OF THY TRAFFICK; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

"All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. (Ezekiel 28:12-19) [Please see our article, "The Elite, Money and the End of Days;" please also see our articles, "Greed, Avarice and the Coming Dictatorship" and "The Measure of a Man's Worth."]

The Search for Wealth Invariably
Leads to the Use of Violence

Tyre and the prince of Tyre have defiled themselves, and one should take careful note of the manner in which they have done so:

• "By the multitude of thy merchandise they (i.e., Sheba, Dedan, and the "Merchants of Tarshish") have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned."

• "Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick."

What's the Bible saying here? - it's saying that Tyre and the Prince of Tyre have been corrupted by the GREED and COVETOUSNESS of their business leaders. When the Bible speaks here of "traffick," it's speaking of "economic activity." Believe me when I tell you that the Bible wasn't blowing smoke when it said:

"They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, WHICH DROWN MEN IN DESTRUCTION AND PERDITION.

"FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL ..." (I Tim. 6:9-10a) [Again, not some evil, but ALL evil.]

Moreover, the Bible sets up a kind of formula here, a social equation, as it were: The search for wealth - i.e., "the ceaseless quest for money to make still more money," as Michael Parenti puts it - leads INVARIABLY to VIOLENCE. That's what the Bible is saying when it says, "They [i.e., Sheba, Dedan, and the "Merchants of Tarshish] have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned."