The New Silk Road ∙

The New Silk Road ∙

Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River. Then, the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were turned loose to kill one-third of all the people on earth. I heard the size of their army, which was 200 million mounted troops. – Revelation 9:14-16

Revelation 16:12-16

 12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance.

 13 And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.

 14 They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty.

 15 “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”

 16 And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon.

The Chinese civilization is nearly 5000 years old, dating back to 4500 BC. “The Chinese have never been aggressive conquerors of other nations or people, but they have a history of being extremely aggressive in defense of their country and the imperial control of Chinese territory and peoples” (N. W. Hutchings). Any militancy has been limited to areas that are part of the hegemony of “Greater China.” 

Yet, the nations east of the Euphrates have awakened from a centuries-long slumber that began after the Mongol invasion of Europe in the 13th century. The vast land and population, exceeding 4 billion, will undoubtedly shape the world’s future trajectory.

Since the invasion of Europe by the Mongols in the 13th century, the great nations of Asia east of the Euphrates River have been slumbering for centuries. That began to change in the 20th century. The enormous landmass and immense population will impact the future development of the entire world.

In the 21st century, China has become a global economic superpower, investing heavily in military modernization. President Xi Jinping’s vision is to evolve the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into a top-tier, “world-class,” fully modernized military force by 2050.

Xi Jinping introduced the Belt Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, a colossal infrastructure and economic project extending from East Asia to Europe, set to be completed by 2049, marking the centenary of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the world.

China, the formally sleeping giant, is awake. Where is this mammoth geopolitical and economic power headed, and what are its ambitions? It intends to create a Sinocentric international trade network to facilitate China’s more significant leadership role in global affairs commensurate with its rising power and status.

In biblical times, China was unknown to the Middle Eastern world. Just as the United States was not known either. As such, most prophecies concerning future events focused on Israel, the ancient Roman Empire, and nearby nations. However, the rise of China as a global superpower is undeniably reshaping the world’s geopolitical landscape.

REFLECT & PRAY

Revelation 22:20 Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

Father, thank You for being in control of history and planning it all out in advance. Your prophets and apostles have given us snippets of things to come. Encourage us to be focused and faithful no matter what.

INSIGHT

The Bible, particularly in Daniel, Ezekiel, Matthew, Luke, and Revelation, describes a future conflict in the Middle East, with Israel at its epicenter. This anticipated war involves forces from all directions – North, South, West, and East – in what is commonly referred to as the Battle of Armageddon.

Could it be that China is referenced as part of an oriental Confederacy or Asian power block known as the Kings of the East?

Revelation 16:12-16

 12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance.

 16 And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon.

A road built ostensibly for trade and commerce can also serve as a conduit for military troops and armaments. What is the projected size of this envisioned armed force?

Revelation 9:14-16

 14 And the voice said to the sixth angel who held the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River.”

 15 Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were turned loose to kill one-third of all the people on earth.

 16 I heard the size of their army, which was 200 million mounted troops.

Could any nation, or coalition of nations, muster an army of 200 million soldiers? In the first century AD, imagining an army so vast was unthinkable. Historians estimate that the global population was less than 200 million around 95 AD when John penned the Book of Revelation. In his 1906 commentary on the Apocalypse of St. John, H.B. Swete wrote, “These vast numbers forbid us to seek a literal fulfillment, and the description which follows supports this conclusion” (Swete).

If this is actually an army of 200 million, it would be the largest armed force ever known to man. 2000 years later, things have changed. In the 21st century, the current population of China is 7 times that number.

Astonishingly, Time Magazine published an article on May 21, 1965 (p. 35) that Red China announced it had a standing militia army of 200 million. Is that simply a coincidence? Or is it a wake-up call? Like the old Fox News slogan, we report, you decide, the choice is yours.

The 200 million troops in the vision are mounted on horses. But the “horses” are very strange in appearance.

Revelation 9:17 In my vision, I saw the horses and the riders sitting on them. The riders wore fiery red, dark blue, and yellow armor. The horses had heads like lions, and fire, smoke, and burning sulfur billowed from their mouths.

The Apostle John’s visions, as captured in the Book of Revelation, are filled with mysterious imagery and symbols. One such vision features horses, but their description suggests they were unlike any horses we know today. They were peculiar, extraordinary, and seemingly beyond our comprehension. We simply do not know.

This Reflection is somewhat different because it deals with the mysterious events not yet fully understood found in the visions of the book of Revelation.

Despite this, we can glean some salient insights from these prophecies. A massive army of 200 million soldiers is seen marching from the East towards the Euphrates River.

Angels and demonic spirits are at work in the events on Earth. The River Euphrates dried up so the army could pass over it on its way to Israel and the battle of Armageddon. During this long march, the Kings of the East will kill one-third of the world’s population.

These predicted events are beyond our understanding. Many of them are not only unfathomable but are seemingly impossible. But things that are impossible for people confined to the space-time continuum are possible with the Father, Who exists apart from time as we know it. He enters into space-time whenever He so desires and accomplishes the impossible. He is the Lord God, omnipotent (Revelation 19:6).

But there is more. The Father intentionally had the writers of His Word include things that could not be understood when written. Only at the end of time would they be more thoroughly scrutinized, researched, and their mysteries revealed.

Daniel 12:4 Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will diligently peruse it, and knowledge will increase.

Could the prophesied Kings of The East be an Asian power bloc, an oriental confederacy on the rise in the 21st century? We simply cannot say with certainty.

However, it is fascinating to consider that a prophecy about end-time events, written 2000 years ago, seems to align with the geopolitical and economic shifts currently unfolding in the 21st century.

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© Dr. H 2024