Ronald Weiland
Recensione
Se hai mai voluto sapere cosa si prova a farsi prendere in giro mentre stai solo cercando di leggere un libro, allora congratulazioni: questo è il libro che fa per te. The Fall of the United States di Ronald Weinland è un frustrante mix di idiozia e comicità involontaria che ti fa chiedere se l'autore si sia preso sul serio mentre lo scriveva. Il libro inizia in modo piuttosto coinvolgente, discutendo del declino della pace nel mondo. Per un attimo fugace, pensi: forse stiamo andando da qualche parte. Ma quel pensiero dura poco, perché ciò che segue è un turbine di ridicolo che fa sembrare logiche le teorie del complotto sull'allunaggio. Una delle affermazioni più ridicole è che l'Europa, tra tutti i posti, in qualche modo distruggerà gli Stati Uniti. Sì, l'Europa. E non dimentichiamo che questa assurdità apocalittica si basa sulla dottrina di Herbert Armstrong, un insieme di credenze così stravaganti che persino l'organizzazione fondata da Armstrong le ha rifiutate. Ma non Ronald! Oh no, lui si aggrappa ancora a questa profetica visione apocalittica che Armstrong stesso ha iniziato a spacciare negli anni '70. Sai, quando i pantaloni a zampa d'elefante erano considerati una buona idea.
Per essere onesti (come se il libro lo meritasse), ci sono alcuni riferimenti interessanti. Le sezioni sul Concilio di Nicea e le influenze pagane nel cristianesimo moderno sono in realtà illuminanti. Per un momento, si riesce quasi a vedere uno scrittore competente sotto gli strati di assurdità. Ma ahimè, la pura stupidità delle idee circostanti oscura completamente questi rari barlumi di coerenza. Leggere questo libro è come guardare un film davvero brutto: è così terribile che è quasi divertente. Quasi. Se ti piacciono le teorie frustrantemente idiote con un pizzico di ilarità involontaria, questa potrebbe essere la tua passione. Per il resto di noi, è probabilmente meglio lasciare che The Fall of the United States, beh, cada nell'oscurità a cui appartiene.
L'unica cosa che crollerà dopo aver letto questo libro è il tuo QI e il tuo buonsenso.
Chapter 1
IS THE WORLD GOING MAD?
Have you ever felt that the world is going mad? People can no longer coexist with one another. Corporations are trying to make money at the expense of others. Nations are edging closer and closer to war. The world is increasingly becoming more chaotic and peace seems to be so far-off. The ability to work together to resolve differences has all but disappeared.
Drama has taken on new meaning as conflict is being acted out in people’s lives with rapidly increasing tension, stress, frustration, misery, and unhappiness. Drama is becoming a way of life as dissension is being stirred up and conversations consist of an apparent need to “share” one’s misery and dissatisfaction in life with others.
Much of this very negative effect on human life is the result of an accelerating dependency on technology. The ability to quickly and widely disperse the spread of information and ideas is growing out of control. In turn, this has enabled the escalation of drama that is more easily and more readily finding its way into people’s lives. Many find the result to be overwhelming and they are unable to cope with the impact that it’s wreaking on their daily lives.
Few seem to grasp how these things are changing society in a way that is taking peace and calm out of our lives. These rapid changes taking place in society are a direct result of mankind’s inability to adjust to such fast growth in the advancement of technology.
Since this technology is new, we do not have any precedent for how to use it properly. Little thought about our health and wellbeing is considered with its development. This in turn is having a very negative impact on human life—one that is not being readily recognized for the depth of danger that actually exists.
Slaves to Technology?
For thousands of years, mankind moved forward slowly in its understanding of science and of the world itself, as well as the life that is on it. It hasn’t been until the last one hundred and fifty years that real accelerated growth in the mastery of mathematics, engineering, physics, astronomy, and chemistry have begun to truly take hold. This has had a huge impact on human life.
Especially over the past seventy years, technology has consistently been increasing in its momentum and is having a larger impact on the way we live. Technology has produced a very positive impact on the quality of human life. But along with this, the misuse of technology has also been thrusting its way forward and it is having a very negative impact on society.
The rate at which these changes occur has been growing so rapidly that society is finding that it cannot keep up. As a result, the ability to adequately address technology’s negative impact on people’s lives is sorely lacking.
Just pause and consider how so many are seemingly becoming slaves to technology. The use and often misuse of cell phones is a perfect example. The Internet and apps allow for an endless array of ways to control every aspect of life. The “need” for this constant contact is becoming addictive. This should come as no surprise as software developers are constantly manipulating people’s behaviors to keep us glued to their products for the longest time possible, and in return, they make more money.
Addicted users can easily be spotted as they walk around like zombies, unable to look away from their phones. Some cross in front of traffic because they cannot see the car or truck heading toward them. Others can be spotted behind the wheel of a car, unable to move forward when the traffic light turns green because the urge to engage with their phone is just too strong. Sadly, entire families have also been transformed into tech junkies. They can easily be observed in just about any restaurant, sitting in complete silence as each member dives deep into their own hole in cyberspace.
Through Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and many other venues for social media, drama is being shared on levels never remotely experienced in ages past. People’s lives are becoming captive to these seductive creations of modern technology. As a result, the diminishing exchange of shared life experiences, in live face-to-face contact, is creating a need for the dependency of the human mind to be fed with steady flows of information. This is actually robbing people of rewarding life experiences and of the potential for a far more meaningful and enjoyable social life.
The sharing of life through technology is not the same as learning and experiencing how to live life through sharing with others on a personal plane through face-to-face relationships. There is a great difference between the two. Those who develop a dependency on such media find a growing dissatisfaction with life. Hopefully, the COVID-19 pandemic has helped more people to appreciate the difference.
This dependency can easily begin to cause individuals to become less sensitive and caring toward others. It can create a numbness and an inconsiderate mindset toward others. This inward retreat into oneself produces greater selfishness and drama in life and the ways of calm and peace become more obscure.
These distinctions are clearly escaping the attention and understanding of these tech addicts, most of whom do not even realize the extent of their usage. The result is producing a world where not just individuals, but communities, organizations, and even nations are turning inward. This only produces accelerating divisiveness, contention, disagreement, and social unrest between people.
The result is drama on a level that has never remotely been experienced before, and the world isn’t able to deal with it. It has spiraled out of control, and indeed, the world is going mad!
Today, the concepts of mutual compromise, making concessions, searching for agreeable middle ground, give-and-take, or finding a happy medium seem nearly foreign. It is as though these concepts have become a lost art. Yet it is through such learned practices that people can grow closer together and thereby work out differences that can then produce rewarding results in life.
Reaping What We Sow
If life wasn’t confusing enough, now we have terms like “woke,” “cancel culture,” and “cultural appropriation” that we must familiarize ourselves with for fear of otherwise offending others, perhaps being rejected, or of even being attacked. We find we are being increasingly pressured to fit into a specific mold of how to act and what to speak about or not speak about.
An environment that pressures others to be in agreement or disagreement with them tends to only widen the gap that works to alienate and divide society even more. Peaceful or calm conversation with others who hold different ideas or opinions is becoming rare.
Instead, society and nations are rapidly moving inward into a spirit of heightened selfishness and egotistical behavior. Too many want their own way and will slander, demean, ridicule, resist, mock, fight, tear down, fiercely debate, and attack anyone or anything that gets in the way of what it is they want. What others want is simply dismissed and not even considered.
Since COVID-19 struck, a downward spiral has sped up this negative process that is producing division and discontent throughout every nation. This has also produced an even greater dependency on social media. The exceedingly bad news is that this is only going to get worse—much, much worse before it will begin to change.
Just over the last year, there has been a dramatic shift away from what anyone could truly classify as peace. Instead, we see rapidly rising discontent, disagreement, division, chaos, lawlessness, crime, suicide, murder, drug addiction, abuse and misuse of power, oppression, etc. Yes, the world is moving toward madness!
This rapidly veering shift away from peace in the world is being witnessed by change that is clearly moving the thinking and actions of many toward extremism. Moderation is needed to bring opposing sides together in order to more effectively work out differences. However, the news today only reports on the extremes of both sides because that is what causes people to react and respond emotionally. This in turn results in people’s emotions controlling them, therefore, they tend to move farther into the extreme right, extreme left, or the extreme on whatever position is being taken.
Algorithms used by social media further intensify this push to the extremes by uniting people with similar views and excluding those with opposing views. When people are only exposed to a one-sided conversation, the potential balancing benefit of different views and ideas is eliminated. This tends to polarize society and create further extremism on both sides.
As a result, more people are being unwittingly moved into a position of choosing sides. Once this happens the natural inclination is to not back down. This too is exactly what is happening on an international scale between nations, which is then producing an environment of confrontation between nations that is creating a new era of saber-rattling.
It is not possible to close your eyes and hope everything changes soon or that it will simply just go away. Instead, we need to understand that there is a cause for all that is going on and it is affecting everyone. No one can hide, even though some may try. The world is beginning to reap what it has sown over the past few decades.
Due to the growing misuse of ever-evolving technology, we are witnessing a dangerous change in society that is leading the world into a horrifying war.
Warned for Over 70 Years!
What the world is now witnessing and experiencing is a rapid movement toward a prophesied third world war. There are few in the world today who are actually aware of world events and news that affect trends, thinking, world trade, economies, international relations, and the steady movement toward a world war.
For over 70 years now, there have been forewarnings of very specific end-time events that would come to pass which would lead into a third world war. Many of these pronouncements were about major events to occur in Europe and they have been taking place exactly as one man foretold.
Let’s consider what began to be said about this coming war back in early 1950. Right after WWII, it was perfectly predicted how there would be four major events that would occur in Western Europe, which would lead up to the beginning of WWIII. Three have come to pass and the construct of the last one has now been recently reported in European news.
It was stated that Germany would rise in world power as the leading nation of the united European nations. This seemed totally ludicrous – nonsensical – to so many who heard it, especially considering the devastation that had just been wrecked upon Germany by the allied forces.
Yet this man explained how (1) Europe, with Germany at its helm, would rise up again in a union of nations that would have (2) a common government, (3) a common currency, and (4) a final military union that would consist of exactly 10 European nations.
Think of how absurd it must have appeared to so many at that time, when right after WWII a man was saying that Germany – a nation reduced to rubble – was going to rise again and be at the forefront of a united Europe. This seemed so preposterous that this individual was indeed highly ridiculed and dismissed by most who heard these predictions.
How could anyone be taken seriously by proclaiming such things back at that time after such a horrible war had just been fought between the Allies and the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan? Millions had lost their lives.
Yet, after these things were predicted to come to pass, it was seven years later, in March of 1957, that France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg signed the Treaty of Rome to establish the European Economic Community (EEC), also known as the Common Market. This eventually transformed into the development of the European Union that exists today.
This man stated that these forewarnings were end-time prophecies that God had revealed to him. So again, the question should be asked, “How could a person predict something so seemingly incredulous that has now proven to be so absolutely true?”
Although many people mocked and ridiculed what he claimed were end-time events that would lead up to WWIII, these events he predicted continued to come to pass as he said they would. Although he did see Europe come together in a cooperative governmental structure in 1957, it wasn’t until 13 years after his death that Europe introduced the currency of the euro to the world in 1999. This European Union grew to be 28 nations, and only recently has Great Britain opted out of that union. So far, 19 of the 27 member states of the European Union have adopted the euro as their official currency.
Then, 32 years after his death, in 2018, Europe entered into a unified military agreement among 10 nations - which is the exact number he also foretold would come to pass.
The following are excerpts from THE WEEK magazine dated 8 November 2018 in the article entitled, “Emmanuel Macron unveils European defense coalition.”
A coalition of ten European militaries ready to defend the continent’s borders has been unveiled in Paris, just days after Emmanuel Macron called for a “real European army”. […]
Reuters reports that the European Intervention Initiative took official shape in Paris “after months of negotiations with Germany, who France wants at the centre of the force”.
The imminent departure from the EU of Britain, long opposed to EU military collaboration outside Nato, has revived talk of defence cooperation - as have concerns that Trump might prove less willing than his predecessors to come to Europe’s defence in the face of a newly assertive Russia.
Macron’s push to bring together a core 10-nation coalition of the willing “was born out of French impatience with the EU’s efforts at defence co-operation”, known as Permanent Structured Co-operation (Pesco) says The Economist. […]
Coming just days after Macron called for a “real European army” to reduce dependence on the United States, and with the vocal support of senior figures in Brussels, the coalition agreement will once again be raising the spectre of a European Army.[1]
This final major prediction concerning a uniting military force within Europe has much to do with other future events since much of what will come to pass centers around Europe’s involvement in this last great war.
But before proceeding, it needs to be asked, “How could anyone make such predictions that early on that seemed so ludicrous to most people? How could anyone give such forewarnings that were so exact concerning what would come to pass in Europe?” This in itself should cause people to stand up and take notice because it was explained that after these events would come to pass that the next thing to follow is… a nuclear war. So now, just how close is that war?
The predictions of those four major events for Europe have actually proven to be true and have come to pass over a period of nearly 70 years now. But what is even more important is the matter of how people have responded.
That response has much to do with the purpose of why this book is being written. And although those prognostications have occurred exactly as they were given, there are many more warnings concerning predictions that are now coming to pass and even escalating.
Footnotes
[1] “Emmanuel Macron unveils European defense coalition.” The Week, 8 November 2018, www.theweek.co.uk/97636/emmanuel-macron-unveils-european-defence-coalition.
Prophecies About Europe Given 2500 Years Ago
In the Bible, the prophet known as Daniel had prophetic revelations given to him that are directly tied to what was revealed to this man nearly 70 years ago about Europe.
It was nearly 2500 years ago, after the nation of Judah was conquered and the people were taken into captivity in Babylon, that Daniel began to have many prophetic things revealed to him that have come to pass in the rise and fall of kingdoms and nations ever since. The coming together of these final ten nations of Europe actually began to be revealed when Daniel was given to interpret a troublesome dream of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.
The dream was about a great statue that was constructed of different metals throughout. Only Daniel was found who could tell him what his dream was and what it meant.
It was on this occasion when Nebuchadnezzar had called upon Daniel to interpret the dream, Daniel replied by letting him know that there was no one who had any such ability to reveal what his dream was about, not even him.
“Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, ‘The secret which the king has demanded cannot be declared to the king by the wise men, astrologers, magicians, or the soothsayers. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to king Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these…’” (Daniel 2:27-28).
God used this dream to reveal through Daniel all the major kingdoms of the world that would lead up to the latter day, up to the very end-time. The following verses explain that passage of time as Daniel began by telling the king what he saw.
“You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you, and its form was awesome. This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its stomach and hips of bronze, its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed into dust, and it became like chaff from the summer threshing floors, and the wind carried them away so that no trace of them could be found. Then the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:31-35).
In a condensed explanation, as one moves from the top of the statue to the bottom, one is moving through time until the end-time when the toes are reached. The first part of the image of gold was about the Chaldean-Babylonian Empire of which Nebuchadnezzar was king in that present kingdom of Babylon. This was followed by the portion made of silver which represented the Medo-Persian Empire, and after that, the bronze, being the Greco-Macedonian Empire that followed.
The interpretation of the dream began with the description of the statue’s head of gold being the present kingdom of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar, and it went on about the rise and fall of major kingdoms (empires) through time. It ended with the fourth portion of the statue, which was uniquely described as being legs of iron with feet of both iron and clay. This represented the last great kingdom that would go through several revivals in Europe.
A statue with feet of iron and clay is not a good mixture for supporting such a large figure. Yet the legs of iron and the feet of iron mixed with clay describe so very well the struggle that has gone on for hundreds of years in Europe. Much of its pertinent history carried the identity of the Roman Empire, and later, the Holy Roman Empire. Its history fits succinctly into prophecy that describes it in several places of scripture.
Daniel was given to know that the lower part of this statue was about a future kingdom that would lead up to events that would change this world in “the latter days.” Although it was revealed to Daniel that this statue was about future kingdoms that would rule, the identity of those kingdoms was not yet known.
The knowledge of who those kingdoms were throughout history and the knowledge of how modern-day Europe is identified in this statue was, in turn, revealed to this man who foretold these events that have now come to pass. This man knew these things because of these and other prophetic warnings that he came to see and believe concerning the end-time—events that were revealed to him by God. There is no other way to know AND predict the things he said – so accurately – so perfectly – other than the fact that it had to come from God. Just as Daniel stated to Nebuchadnezzar, “NO human has such ability.”
So Who Was This Man?
The man who began warning about a third world war and of those specific events that would transpire in Europe was Herbert W. Armstrong. Before his death in 1986, he had been responsible for publishing tens of millions of books, booklets, and magazines that contained much information about the end-time. The Plain Truth magazine alone was being published in seven languages with a monthly circulation of over 8.2 million copies. At that time, by comparison, the well-known and highly circulated Time magazine only had a circulation of 5.9 million.
His weekly television program The World Tomorrow, along with his radio broadcasts, blanketed the United States and large portions of the rest of the world. The reach and scope of this coverage was far more than any other religious organization had ever done or has done since.
It is interesting to see how others in the world recognized that there was something unique and meaningful in what he was saying. However, he was treated far differently in the United States where he lived and worked than how he was by many other nations.
His recognition from people in other areas of the world primarily began when he received a very unique award from King Leopold III of Belgium. It was a watch made from a cannonball taken from a battlefield in World War I by Leopold’s father, King Albert I. King Albert had the cannonball cast into four watch cases with the desire that they would be presented to the four individuals that he felt had made the most significant contribution to world peace. King Albert never found anyone he felt worthy to receive the fourth watch, and so, he passed it on to his son, who was moved to give it to Herbert Armstrong in 1970.
From that time forward, recognition of Herbert Armstrong from other world leaders grew and he became known to many as an “ambassador without portfolio for world peace.” He carried his message to Prince Mikasa and a number of the members of the Japanese Diet. Emperor Hirohito conferred upon Herbert Armstrong the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Second Class—one of the highest decorations that can be presented to a non-Japanese. During a period that covered two decades, seven successive Japanese Prime Ministers counted Herbert Armstrong as a personal friend and counselor. Some members of the Japanese Diet even referred to themselves as being his Japanese sons. Although these leaders showed great admiration for Hebert Armstrong, none of them acted upon the end-time warnings he proclaimed.
Herbert Armstrong was endeared in friendship with King Hussein of Jordan, King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand, and Prime Ministers of Israel, including Golda Meir and Menachem Begin. Others who counted him as a personal friend were Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat; Jomo Kenyatta, Founder and first President of Kenya; Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia; Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem; and longtime friend, Nagendra Singh, who was a Justice at the World Court in The Hague, Netherlands.
Herbert Armstrong also had personal meetings with leaders like Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom; Juan Carlos, the King of Spain; Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak; and Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. Yet again, of all of these world leaders, none acted upon the message he carried.
President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines decorated Mr. Armstrong with the Presidential Merit Medal “for his moral presence and compelling influence in moving people toward the creation of a just and peaceful world order.” He received the decoration of “Commander of Our Most Nobel Order of the Crown of Thailand.” Once again, neither of these leaders nor their people acted upon the warnings he carried.
Other leaders with whom Herbert Armstrong met included President Allende of Chile; President Suharto of Indonesia; South Vietnam’s president, Nguyen Van Thieu; and he was invited to Romania by President Nicolae Ceausescu.
Herbert Armstrong also met with Deng Xiaoping of the People’s Republic of China and was the first recognized Christian leader to officially visit leaders inside China, yet this went unreported in the world. In this unprecedented visit, he addressed officials from 76 nations in the People’s Great Hall in Beijing. He spoke concerning the way to real peace and why humanity fails to achieve it. No other religious leader has ever been invited to such an event in China, yet the world has known nothing of this.
Herbert Armstrong received numerous other honors and visited many other world leaders, but it went fully unnoticed by the western world to whom Herbert Armstrong said that God had sent him to proclaim His message.
End-Time Prophecies About the U.S.A.
Herbert Armstrong not only foretold of specific events that have now been fulfilled by the European Union, but he also gave specific prognostications concerning more notable modern- day nations.
The nation that has received the greatest warnings over the longest period of time is the very nation that will be the first that is prophesied to fall. Major predictions were covered in his most widely published book, The United States and Britain In Prophecy. Yet it is within the United States that Herbert Armstrong was looked down upon the most as he was maligned, falsely and maliciously lied about, hated, and even persecuted by his own government.
Even after more than three and a half decades since his death, there is still much hatred and lying reflected in those things written about him. This is not at all unlike what happened to Christ who was also deeply hated by others because of the message he was sent to give mankind. It is far more about the “message” than it is about any individual who delivers it.
Throughout history, mankind has been consistent about not wanting God to meddle in its affairs. And how is that going? It is God who has created all things and given us this incredible planet to live upon, but look at what we are doing to it, especially now through the technology that has been developed. This earth has been polluted far more over the past couple of decades than it has over the preceding several thousand years put together.
With ever-burgeoning populations and such massive misuse of technology, mankind is only proving what God has said about what would happen if we continue to ignore Him. We will simply continue to destroy this creation itself. God has revealed that if He did not intervene to stop us that we would finally end up annihilating ourselves.
This ability to destroy the planet has not been possible until this present age with its explosion in technology. It is through the misuse of technology and what it can produce that mankind can destroy itself and this earth.
The truth about end-time events has permeated the United States for decades and people have not seemed to care. It needs to be stated again that Herbert Armstrong began warning of final end-time events directly after WWII. That warning went out with great power to the United States, but the people and their leaders did not show much concern about it. They did not listen.
That trend of not caring and of not listening to those warnings has only worsened over the years since Herbert Armstrong died in 1986. This type of apathy has been fueled by and speeded up by rapidly growing technology that has now actually led the rest of the nations of the world into this same kind of spirit that has been permeating the United States for some time now.
That spirit that produces a willing deafness toward warnings about a nuclear war for this end-time is the very purpose for writing this fifth book. Four books precede this one that focus on the cataclysmic warnings of WWIII that are about to engulf this world.
The first book was The Prophesied End-Time, which was published in June of 2004. Additional prophecies beyond what Herbert Armstrong foretold about the European Union were addressed, and they explain the truth about the end-time events in Revelation, known as the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” Each of those events that traditional Christianity has misunderstood about the end-time and are still looking to be fulfilled have already taken place. Their fulfillment began to emerge on the world scene in 1994.
Then the second book followed which was published in 2006 and it was entitled, 2008—God’s Final Witness. This covered additional prophetic prognostications about two witnesses, described in the Book of Revelation, who will come on the world scene in a very active manner once catastrophic end-time events have actually begun. This book further describes what the Seven Thunders of Revelation are all about. The first great event of those Thunders actually began with the 9/11 attacks (11th of September 2001).
This book also included a strong warning of a coming economic collapse, which did strike the world in 2008. Even today, economists continue to compare what is happening now to the trends of what occurred in 2008.
The third book published ten years later in 2016 was entitled, Prophesy Against the Nations. It focused upon a message given by God for the end-time once cataclysmic events begin: if any nation would listen to Him, then He, in turn, would listen to them.
When the Countdown Ends was the fourth book which was published by May 2020. That book thoroughly outlined a very specific timeline of events that have been occurring since 1994, which outline a prophesied countdown to WWIII. Once this book was written, it then became glaringly obvious how quickly the world had become so much worse since the second book was published in 2006. This too is a great sign of how close that final war is.
When that fourth book concerning a specific countdown to the end of this age was published, it was rare to find any article in the news that reflected concern of a coming world war. Now, for those who do a little searching for such news around the globe, such articles can be found on a regular basis. Yet people don’t seem to take notice, and they certainly don’t show any deep concern or worry about it as they should.
Similarly, as it was before WWII, people are mostly asleep concerning the threat of another world war. Only in this past year have some begun to show a few signs that they see movement toward such a war. It is like awakening out of a deep sleep and still being very groggy. However, people will find that it is too late at this stage to address such matters on any national level because the majority will remain asleep. Only the war itself will begin to awaken people, and with a nuclear war, that is just too late!
Nuclear War Is the Ultimate Madness
Throughout the centuries, wars have come and gone. But, over the past century, war has become increasingly devastating due to the rapid development of technology. Toward the end of WWII, the world was sobered when the first two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. It only took two of these new bombs to kill nearly 200,000 people.
Those two bombs were actually very small compared to what mankind has developed since. Nuclear weapons have now been made that are nearly 4,000 times more powerful. That is very difficult to grasp, let alone to imagine the destructive capacity they contain.
The first two atomic bombs sent up a mushroom cloud, each to about 25,000 feet (over 4.7 miles) or 7,600 meters. In 1961, the Russians set off the Tsar Bomba (RDS-220) that sent up a mushroom cloud over 37 miles high or 60 kilometers and sent shockwaves around the globe nearly three times over. Such power is nearly unimaginable. The flash of that detonation was seen some 620 miles away (1,000 km). An uninhabited village 34 miles (55 km) away from ground zero was leveled, and buildings were damaged as far away as 100 miles (160 km). Such a device could nearly level the entire city of Los Angeles or New York City.
The ability to annihilate all life on earth has not existed until the development of nuclear weapons. The world is now inching closer to using them, and mankind has always used the invention of weapons of war.
Although it would seem unthinkable, nations will begin to use nuclear weapons once the first ones are unleashed upon the United States.
The ultimate madness of this present age is about to manifest itself in the ultimate insanity of human thinking as this world is plunged into a nuclear nightmare.
Back in August 1945, when those two atomic bombs exploded in Japan, the world entered a new age. It was the beginning of an age that revealed what God long ago declared would eventually come to pass. It involves much prophecy that God foretold would happen in the end-time—not of the end of mankind, but the end of one age and the dawning of a new one.
More Prognostications for Our Time NOW
God gave evidence to support His warning that when specific events would come to pass in Europe, then a final world war would soon follow. Herbert Armstrong gave those warnings about what would be fulfilled in Europe before that war would begin.
In addition to those preliminary end-time prophecies that have now been fulfilled, the fulfilling of several other prophecies are now to quickly follow, and some have already begun. Prophetic events that have not been recognized by this world include such things as 9/11, the economic collapse of 2008, and even the COVID-19 pandemic.
These kinds of events will intensify in frequency and magnitude of their impact upon every nation on earth. Knowing that there are future events still to come which are prophesied to take place can help give much-needed strength to make it through what is now in front of us.
We must first focus on some of the horrific events that are destined to come to pass and to learn more about how God is revealing them at this time. These events are even more specifically identified and outlined than those Herbert Armstrong gave concerning the rise of the European Union.
The reality is that we are living in extremely volatile times. Catastrophic events are soon going to begin erupting throughout this world, regardless of what anyone thinks, believes, or does. They are going to happen just as the events concerning Europe have now come to pass.
Although these prophetic events are highly unpleasant to consider, it must be understood why they must be allowed to happen before a far better world can finally emerge.
Indeed, the world is in a decline and getting much worse. Revolutions and wars come and go, but nothing changes. Leaders come in and out of office, but no great changes occur that dramatically improve life. People want meaningful change but can’t seem to attain it.
So why has God allowed the world to continue as it has, generation after generation? Why would He now allow for over 1/3 of all life to be erased from existence? Why would God allow for such destruction that is prophesied to happen in our time? What is the purpose?
If this final war is not the end of mankind, then what is to follow? These are important questions that have astonishing answers. And there is good news about what is to follow!
Chapter 2
MAJOR ATTACKS AGAINST THE U.S.
As stated before, Herbert Armstrong perfectly predicted four great events that pertained to Europe rising once again with Germany as the predominant leader. He began to give these predictions in earnest starting in 1950. However, it took 68 years for them to all come to pass.
More recent prognostications have been given about other specific end-time events. These events have already been leading up to and include what will soon transpire in the final war—WWIII. These prophetic events for the end-time have been accelerating in their fulfillment, especially since 9/11.
A perfect example is given in the Bible concerning this accelerated process that is now happening. God gave an analogy to show how the process for final events would come to pass. It is likened to a woman in labor before giving birth. In the beginning, the contractions tend to be further apart, and with less intensity and suffering. But over the complete time of labor, the contractions begin to occur more frequently, and the intensity and suffering also increase.
Although the labor in childbirth is usually spread out over several hours, the final fulfillment for end-time events is spread out over many years. While something that comes to pass in a short period of time, as in hours, is easy to understand, the ability to clearly see something that is happening over a few decades is much more difficult. Nevertheless, final events are accelerating in frequency, as well as in intensity.
End-Time Events Sealed Until Now!
Through only a few verses in the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation, it was revealed to Herbert Armstrong the meaning of events concerning Europe’s rise just before a final world war would begin. But there are many verses in the Book of Revelation that expand on this and numerous other events that will be fulfilled in this last period of the end-time.
John, who was both a prophet and an apostle, wrote the Book of Revelation because he was told to record what was shown to him while he was imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos by the Roman government. Although it was revealed to him what he was to write, it was not revealed to him what these things meant. God made it clear that these things were not to have their meaning revealed until the latter days in the end-time.
Although many prophetic things concerning our time now were given to both Daniel and John, as well as to many other prophets, they were not given understanding of these things. Daniel wanted to know the meaning of those prophetic things he had written concerning the “latter days,” and he asked, “When will the end of these things be?” Then he was given a very direct answer:
“Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:9).
The Seals of Revelation were also to remain closed up and sealed until this end-time. We are now very close to having final catastrophic events come to pass because the reality is that all Seven Seals have already been opened and have all had their meaning revealed. There are no more Seals to be opened, and this in itself loudly cries out of how close WWIII actually is.
It was stated earlier how traditional Christianity has misunderstood the events known as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and that they are still looking for these prophesies to be fulfilled. These Four Horsemen are what are being described in the first four Seals of Revelation.
The reason some in traditional Christianity believe the end-time is so much farther away is because they are still looking for the First Seal to be opened since they believe these Four Horsemen are about catastrophic events that will come upon this world. Yet that Seal was opened on the 17th of December 1994. Traditional Christianity has not recognized what happened on that day because these were about events which took place in God’s Church and not on the world scene.
The Omen of 9/11
Destructive and even cataclysmic end-time events that are prophesied for this world to experience began with the opening of the Sixth Seal of Revelation. That opening occurred on the 11th of September 2001, the day of the First Thunder of Revelation.
In addition to the Seven Seals in Revelation, there are seven specific Thunders that reveal end-time events that are to take place until WWIII is over.
The events of 9/11 were the revelation that the First Thunder was now starting. That Thunder is about the beginning “terror of war” for the end-time. This was the FIRST physical event that not only served to fulfill a small beginning for end-time tribulation that had just begun, but it also served as a prophetic sign of what would follow that would thrust the world into a third world war—a nuclear war.
The prophetic sign fulfilled by the events of 9/11 serves as a kind of omen—a prophetic glimpse—of a foreboding that will culminate in the complete collapse of the United States as a nation. Although this was a terrorist attack, it foreshadows major attacks that will come from nations that possess nuclear weapons.
Consider what happened on that prophetic day. From the vantage point of all nations of the world, there could have been no greater symbol for the great wealth, might, and stature of the United States than that of the World Trade Center towers in New York.
Seven buildings were destroyed which in itself carries great prophetic significance. God uses this number often to symbolize “that which is complete.” God declares that He established the seven-day week at creation. He also established seven annual Holy Days that he gave Israel to observe, with each in itself being prophetic in nature.
Seven is also used extensively in the Book of Revelation. There are, of course, the Seven Seals of Revelation, and the Seventh Seal itself is divided into seven specific segments that describe WWIII and how it is brought to an end. These are revealed by the announcements of the Seven Trumpets of the Seventh Seal.
Even the Sixth Seal is divided into seven segments that reveal the Seven Thunders.
While the World Trade Center was best known for its iconic 110-story Twin Towers, it was actually comprised of seven towers in total. All of the original buildings of the complex were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Towers One and Two collapsed, and the others (numbers 3, 4, 5, & 6) were damaged beyond repair and later demolished. Building Seven collapsed in the late afternoon on the day of the attacks.
The meaning of a world trade center and its symbolism for Wall Street and a worldwide economic system should not be lost on anyone. The first event that will soon occur has to do with worldwide trade, as a major global economic implosion first destroys the economy of the U.S. above all others. The complete destruction of these seven buildings is prophetically symbolic of the complete destruction that will come upon the wealthiest nation the world has ever known.
Even the jet that struck the Pentagon is a prophetic foreboding of what will happen once the first four Trumpets of the Seventh Seal are unleashed upon the United States. This will be seen first and foremost with the downfall of the world’s greatest military power.
The Next Attack on the United States Will Be Nuclear
The events of the first five Trumpets will fulfill what the attack on 9/11 portended. This fulfillment is about the complete collapse and demise of the United States through the use of nuclear weapons.
It is necessary to first review what is described by these Trumpet announcements that reveal the events that start WWIII. Afterward, it will be important to show how these events describe nuclear attacks upon the United States.
The first four Trumpets of the Seventh Seal are about the first major attack that is made upon the United States of America. She has been the greatest single nation in the end-time, and the events of these four Trumpets are structured to cripple her world dominance, influence, and power. She is the first of all nations to be humbled by God because she has been given the most by Him and has been given the greatest opportunity to listen but has not. This humbling process that will be poured out upon the United States will be very strong against her.
The impact of these four Trumpets will also be felt by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and they will suffer mightily as well. However, the extent of their suffering fully depends upon how each country responds once the impact from the First Trumpet is realized. If they do not respond correctly, as the full force of each Trumpet begins to be unleashed, then they will only multiply their own suffering.
The world was shocked by what happened to the United States on 9/11. However, that shock is nothing compared to the shock and fear that will grip the world once the events of these four Trumpets begin to take place. The destruction from these events unfolds quickly, just as the events of 9/11 unfolded in one day.
WWIII will begin as these events develop, and the greatest exchange of weapons in an all-out nuclear war will begin soon after this.
Revelation 8 shows in very prophetic language the events that will lead to the fall of the United States as the first nation to be brought down.
“The first angel sounded, and hail and fire followed mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth, and a third part of trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up” (Revelation 8:7).
This First Trumpet event begins with what John could only describe from this vision as being “great fire being cast to the earth” and becoming mixed with blood. He tried to describe in the best way he could what he saw concerning the weaponry of today and its destructiveness.
This is indeed about modern weaponry that can appear as bright fire coming out of the sky and engulfing life in its path. It not only kills humans and animals in its immediate path, but it also reaches far beyond, causing massive destruction on all forms of vegetation.
It needs to be understood that it does not say this happens across the entirety of the nation since this is not about an all-out nuclear attack. These first events are only about the beginning of what takes place that will end up fully crippling the U.S. That which is being described by this verse only concerns the areas of the country in which this takes place.
It does not reveal where this attack comes from and prophecy does not specifically declare who is behind it, but it will happen. It will happen to the most powerful nation the world has ever known.
That which is described next by the Second Trumpet is not something that happens much later. Through the prophetic language being used, it reveals that this is something that can happen simultaneously with the first.
John next describes what he saw happening in a port city, yet this could be about more than one port city. A number is simply not revealed.
“Then the second angel sounded, and something that looked like a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea, and the third of the sea became like blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed” (Revelation 8:8-9).
How do you think a person living nearly 2,000 years ago would describe a vision of such catastrophic events in which the most powerful weapons that are of this modern age were being used? If one is describing such a thing occurring in a port city today, it could be seen to be like a mountain on fire that was cast into the sea.
Many ships will be destroyed and that carries a dual fulfillment. One is a destructive strike against any future global commerce. The other is a massive strike against a powerful naval force.
It states that this fire killed a third part of all the life that was in and on the sea, and that then the water became like blood, which is symbolic of the massive amount of human and animal casualties that occur in these port cities.
John continues by describing the event from the sounding of the Third Trumpet.
“The third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from the sky, burning like a torch, and it fell upon a third of the rivers, and upon the springs of water. The name of the star is called Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it was made bitter” (Revelation 8:10-11).
Again, in each case, John is describing as best as he can what these events looked like as he saw them. His description of a star was describing something that appeared as a bright light falling from the sky that had flames like a torch.
In the specific areas of the country in which this occurs, it destroys life in rivers and spreads a deadly contamination in a third of all water in that region. The description of these events is simply a continuing accumulation of an overall condition of destruction being multiplied. Each Trumpet focuses upon specific destruction, yet they are all connected to the same overall event as the Fourth Trumpet reveals more fully.
“Then the fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. So the sun did not shine for a third of the day, and likewise the night. Then I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, ‘Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth because of the trumpet blasts from the three angels who are yet to sound!’” (Revelation 8:12-13).
The Fourth Trumpet blast is a culmination of the effects from the first three Trumpet blasts, and it warns of more destruction to follow. Whereas the first three Trumpets detail destruction that occurs in specific regions, the Fourth Trumpet reveals that in these same areas the normal levels of sunshine will be temporarily reduced by one-third. For a time, even weather patterns will be affected by the events of these Trumpets.
The knowledge of the devastation caused by these Trumpet events will immediately begin to affect other nations around the world and food hoarding will begin to take place when it becomes known that there will be a vast reduction in food supplies. The destruction that takes place from this attack will result in the immediate beginning of famine in many nations of the world. Many depend upon what is produced in the United States. The worldwide effects that will follow from the Fourth Trumpet blast will eventually result in widespread death—even into the millions.
Nuclear EMP Attacks
The prophetic significance of the first four Trumpets is that the United States will become fully crippled and totally vulnerable as a nation. Today, just the use of two or three EMP (electromagnetic pulse) weapons is in itself enough to completely incapacitate the U.S. for months.
These events from the first four Trumpets do not contain a description of EMP weapons that John could see and then describe. Nevertheless, it has been revealed that this first major attack upon the United States will include the use of nuclear EMP weapons. With all the devastation caused by nuclear weapons in a few major cities, including certain port cities, the addition of an EMP attack would prove to be paralyzing for a very long time.
Scientists have tried to calculate the kind of effect an exploding nuclear EMP device over the central part of the U.S. could have. Since such a weapon exploding high in the atmosphere over a populated region has never been used, the known effects are not certain, but it would be absolutely devastating in the light of such widespread modern technology being used within the U.S.
A few excerpts from the September 2020 issue of the publication MITRE should help illustrate the kind of vulnerability the U.S. has to such an attack. The MITRE Corporation states that it is an organization that is federally funded as well as having public-private partner relationships. Its federally funded research and development centers “assist the United States government with scientific research and analysis; development and acquisition; and systems engineering and integration.” They also operate an independent research program “that explores new and expanded uses of technologies to solve sponsors’ problems.”
The following are quotes that come from a publication entitled, “Electromagnetic Pulse: The Dangerous But Overlooked Threat.”
There’s a threat to national and homeland security that could bring the U.S. power grid to a dangerous standstill for weeks, months, or even years. And this often-overlooked threat requires only a limited number of nuclear weapons to carry it out. […]
A nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) could wipe out the U.S. power grid—and along with it satellite ground stations, financial markets, healthcare systems, transportation networks, military command and control systems, and the technologies Americans rely on. […]
Some claim, and past reports and studies indicate, that an EMP event could disrupt key activities like banking, shopping for groceries, buying gas for generators, and even driving a car. Clean water could become scarce. Hospital generators could run out of power, with outages lasting several weeks or more. Public panic and, ultimately, loss of life could follow. [1]
Although there are many articles written on the devastating effects of an EMP attack upon the U.S., the following excerpts in a Euronews article on October 17, 2017, are quite sobering.
At a recent US Homeland Security hearing, two experts warned officials that an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack by North Korea posed “the biggest threat” to the United States and that the government was largely ignoring the danger.
William Graham and Peter Vincent Pry said that an EMP bomb exploded at high altitude above the US could “shut down the electric power grid for an indefinite period, leading to the death within a year of up to 90% of all Americans.” […]
Speculative scenarios suggest such an event would wipe out critical infrastructure – no refrigeration for food and medicine, water processing plants grinding to a halt, the total disruption of communication systems and planes falling from the sky.
Graham and Pry, who previously headed up the Congressional Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse, claim the weapons currently being developed and tested by the rogue state make a catastrophic EMP attack a real possibility. [2]
Then there is a very telling report that is contained in a publication of the FDD (Foundation for Defense of Democracies). The following excerpts are from an article entitled, “Heading Toward an EMP Catastrophe” that is dated July 22, 2015.
For over a decade now, since the Congressional EMP Commission delivered its first report to Congress eleven years ago in July of 2004, various Senate and House committees have heard from numerous scientific and strategic experts the consensus view that natural and manmade electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is an existential threat to the survival of the American people, that EMP is a clear and present danger, and that something must be done to protect the electric grid and other life sustaining critical infrastructures–immediately.
Yet this counsel and the cost-effective solutions proposed to the looming EMP threat have been ignored. Continued inaction by Washington will make inevitable a natural or manmade EMP catastrophe that, as the Congressional EMP Commission warned, could kill up to 90 percent of the national population through starvation, disease, and societal collapse. […]
The EMP threat is as real as nuclear threats from Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran. Nuclear EMP attack is part of the military doctrines, plans and exercises of all of these nations for a revolutionary new way of warfare that focuses on attacking electric grids and civilian critical infrastructures–what they call Total Information Warfare or No Contact Wars, and what some western analysts call Cybergeddon or Blackout Wars.
The nuclear EMP threat is as real as North Korea’s KMS-3 satellite, that regularly orbits over the U.S. on the optimum trajectory and altitude to evade our National Missile Defenses and, if the KMS-3 were a nuclear warhead, to place an EMP field over all 48 contiguous United States. [3]
Indeed, these threats are real, and they have largely been ignored as elected leaders and even the population as a whole shows no real interest. Yet ever since 9/11, efforts have been stepped up to address this threat by experts and scholars from backgrounds in academia, military, intelligence, and the private sector.
The ability to coordinate an EMP attack is not a difficult thing to do in this age. Today, there are hypersonic missiles, submarines that can launch missiles close to major cities so that there is no time for a response, and even nuclear weapons can be launched from satellites that can circle above any nation and then be used to strike at any moment.
Regardless of the exact way and timing for when these events occur, the result of the first four Trumpets will be that the United States will be crippled by a relatively small nuclear first strike.
Footnotes
[1] “Electromagnetic Pulse: The Dangerous but Overlooked Threat.” The MITRE Corporation, 27 Apr. 2021, www.mitre.org/publications/project-stories/electromagnetic-pulse-the-dangerous-but overlooked-threat.
[2] Euronews. “North Korea EMP Attack ‘Could Kill 90% of Americans.’” Euronews, 17 Oct. 2017, www.euronews.com/2017/10/17/north-korea-emp-attack-warning.
[3] Barnes, Abigail, “Heading Toward An EMP Catastrophe.” FDD, 24 Oct. 2018, www.fdd.org/analysis/2015/07/22/heading-toward-an-emp-catastrophe.
A Second Major Attack, Fatal Upon the U.S.
In addition to Herbert Armstrong’s prediction that 10 nations would rise in Europe to form a final military alliance, he also predicted how they would use their combined power. He foretold how these ten countries would unite to attack the United States and defeat it in a massive military strike.
Now, consider again how preposterous it was to those who, directly after WWII, heard Herbert Armstrong foretell how Europe was going to rise again, with Germany leading the way. For people today, the prospect of Europe attacking the U.S. with nuclear weapons is even far more preposterous! Yet, that is exactly what is prophesied to happen in the fulfillment of the Fifth Trumpet event that follows the first four which cripple the U.S.
Just before this Fifth Trumpet event, nations will be in deep shock over the devastation caused in the U.S. by the first four Trumpets and they will be quite fearful because of the uncertainty of what will follow next.
Many areas of the world that have been held at bay by the domineering influence of the United States and her closest allies will now be determined to accomplish their own will. Just consider the nations that have had long-lasting border and territorial disputes, as well as nations who have religious and political disputes which have never been resolved. Now they are no longer held back!
Although it was given to Herbert Armstrong to foreknow that Europe would rise as a world power one last time, it was not revealed to him how all this would come to pass. This brings us to current prognostications that God has been revealing more fully over the past two decades.
The Fifth Trumpet has already been largely explained in the book that precedes this one. So instead of going into great detail, it will simply be explained what these verses in Revelation are prophesying. These verses also speak of the last revival in Europe of the old prophetic European empire, which would consist of 10 nations uniting in military power. That which is being revealed in Revelation is about their primary role in this last revival to fulfill precise prophetic timing that powerfully escalates into an all-out nuclear confrontation between nations.
“Then I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, ‘Woe, Woe, Woe, to the inhabitants of the earth because of the trumpet blasts from the three angels who are yet to sound!’” (Revelation 8:13).
This verse describes incredibly dire warnings being given to the world. Yet these warnings will not be received until after the U.S. has been crippled and the attention of the world has become keenly focused on what has just happened. This verse is now warning of far greater catastrophic events that will follow because there are three Trumpet events that have yet to take place, as there are seven Trumpets in total.
These last three Trumpet events are being further described as three Woes that are yet to come upon mankind. These will make the first four Trumpet events seem quite small in comparison.
It’s disheartening to realize that it isn’t until this moment in time when people have become so horrified, shocked, and scared, that some will then begin to listen to the One who has forewarned of this time for over 2,500 years.
Those events that Herbert Armstrong spoke of concerning Europe, that have now been perfectly fulfilled, were true because it was God who gave this to him. It is God who revealed the meaning of prophetic writings to him. But the world has not listened, just as God also said would happen. It has always been that way, even as the prophet Jeremiah was given to speak:
“‘They have not listened to my words,’ says the Eternal, ‘which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets. Even by starting early and sending them, yet they would not listen,’ says the Eternal” (Jeremiah 29:19).
God began early on to send His servant Herbert Armstrong to warn this present age about end-time events that would lead up to WWIII. The truth is, this message has been going out into the world for the past 70 years and the intensity and urgency of the warnings have only increased, but indeed, who has listened?
The Fifth Trumpet: The First Woe!
The devastation that follows the first four Trumpet events results in unimaginable destruction across the U.S., along with the death of tens of thousands of people and potentially much more; however, the verse in Revelation 8, about the three Woes, gives a warning of far worse events that will quickly follow. Once nuclear weapons are used against any major nation, it is certain that a far greater use of nuclear weapons will follow, and that is what will begin to happen at this juncture.
The event of this Fifth Trumpet—the 1st Woe—is the beginning of an all-out thermonuclear war—a full-scale WWIII. In reality, that war began when the U.S. was first attacked, but what happened then is exceedingly small compared to what happens next.
This Trumpet is expressed in unique terms in order to stress the amplification of the kind of destruction that will begin to take place on earth. This is far beyond the destruction that will have first come upon the U.S. as a result of the events of the first four Trumpets.
“Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven to the earth, and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. He opened the bottomless pit, and there arose smoke out of the pit like the smoke from a great furnace, and the sun and the sky were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Out of the smoke there came locusts upon the earth, and they were given power like scorpions of the earth have power” (Revelation 9:1-3).
Once again, John is describing in the simplest ways he can what he had seen in a vision. That which he saw was the escalation of nuclear weapons in war. This event is so massive that it now describes how everything is being darkened by it, much more so than in the previous events.
Prophetically, the locusts are about vast armies and of their power to conquer. The description of scorpions is about the power they possess to strike quickly when they attack. Today, because of modern technology, such military power can use just a few weapons to destroy millions of people in only minutes.
Remember, this Fifth Trumpet is about an all-out thermonuclear strike against the United States that will quickly bring an end to her existence as a functioning nation. Most people in the U.S. may think the mention of such a thing is ludicrous, but that doesn’t slow down or prevent what is coming.
From this point forward, there is no other way to adequately explain these events than to tell what they mean in terms that God has revealed.
Once more, it is understood that people will not begin to give measurable credibility to these warnings until after they witness the devastation caused by the first four Trumpets. Then at that time, the possibility of what has been forewarned about this next attack will begin to be seen as being fearfully feasible.
Indeed, it is difficult for people to regard and contemplate what is being stated about the kind of destruction that will come as a result of this cataclysmic event. It becomes even harder to believe as this portion of Revelation 9 begins to be explained. That is because these verses are speaking of Satan being released from a spiritual restraint that he has been placed in since the end of WWII.
In today’s world, the likelihood that God “exists” is in question by an ever-increasing number of people. However, the possibility that there is a being who exists on earth who is identified as Satan is even far more unbelievable and doubtful in the thinking of most.
Yet, there is a real being—a spirit being—who is known as Satan. Before the creation of mankind, God had created an angelic realm composed of spirit beings called angels. It is recorded that one of the three archangels who had been created, rebelled against God. The name he was first given was Lucifer, which means “shining one,” or “light-bearer.”
Long before the creation of mankind, this archangel turned against God and persuaded a third of the angelic realm to follow in his evil ways. When God revealed to the angelic realm that He was going to create mankind and His purpose for doing so, Lucifer changed and began to become envious of mankind. He began to resist and work against what God was going to do, and once mankind was created, he became relentless in his pursuit to taint the thinking of mankind and to cause as much destruction and misery as he could.
After his rebellion against God, he then became known as Satan (meaning “adversary”) and the Devil (meaning “false accuser”). These names describe the kind of evil that reflects his perverted thinking and actions that work against all that is good. He uses the power he has to influence mankind to exercise his same kind of thinking that moves people to be false accusers of others and to become adversarial toward one another.
Yet he is also called by another name that reflects the use of his power that he has exerted for thousands of years in order to bring mankind to engage in great battles. That name is Apollyon which means “destroyer.” Satan has been the primary force, in a spirit realm, who has led people into destructive wars over the millennia.
Satan’s Power for War
Satan is also referred to by other names in the Book of Revelation, and indeed, he is described as having great power to lead nations into war. He is identified prophetically as a dragon and as a beast having seven heads and ten horns. The description of the “beast” is symbolic of Satan’s actual power to dominate multiple periods of European conquest and government supremacy, which are also represented by the legs and feet of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue.
As previously covered, it was the bottom portion of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue that symbolized the longest enduring kingdom of all the prophetic kingdoms being represented. This bottom portion depicts the different nations in Europe with their varying degrees of strength and weakness, loosely bonded, that come together and lead up to the time of mankind’s final war. Throughout most of its history, this kingdom has been known as the Roman Empire. That empire is also spoken of prophetically in Revelation through symbolism. In the following verses it is described as the beast with seven heads and ten horns:
“Then I stood on the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. So I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed, then the whole world marveled and followed the beast” (Revelation 13:1-3).
These verses are about Satan having the power to give power to the various prophesied governments that have reigned with great might over the people of Europe. The “sand of the sea” is prophetically symbolic for the masses of humanity that have lived throughout the reign of this long-lasting empire. The Roman Empire began in 31 BC and continued until it fell in 476 AD, which was the time it was “mortally wounded.”
The head that received a “deadly wound and then was healed” is about what happened to the Roman Empire once it fell. This old empire experienced a kind of revival when Justinian came into power in 554 AD. This prophecy is revealing that this first revival would be one of seven revivals, which is described as the beast having seven heads. The seven heads are about seven distinct periods of time when this beast would exercise its power over those whom it would govern. Each revival would be led by one primary leader—one head over each revival.
The fifth revival was under Napoleon. The reign of five revivals is described in the verses that follow those described in Revelation 13. In addition, Napoleon’s reign ended exactly within the timeframe that God said it would.
“So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’ And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months” (Revelation 13:4-5).
The first five verses of Revelation 13 are describing seven revivals of powerful rule in Europe—power that has always been associated with war and the ability to conquer. Verses 4-5 describe a specific phase of this European rule that lasted for exactly 1260 years. This tells how long this power would be able to be exerted over these revivals in Europe and over their leaders. It is stated that it was for a prophetic forty-two months. There are 1260 days in a prophetic period of 42 months—with each day representing a prophetic year.
This period began with the rise of Justinian’s reign that began in 554 AD and it ended with the fall of Napoleon in 1814, exactly 1260 years later. This prophetic interval covered the span of time known as the Holy Roman Empire. It saw the rise and fall of five prophesied leaders within that period. It carried this description as being a “Holy” Roman Empire because of the influence the great church of Europe had over the people and upon those leaders.
These verses speak of the dragon—Satan—as being the one who gave these revivals authority (power) and each rule is described as a beast, which is a reflection of where their power to rule and conquer came from.
Two Revivals Remaining
After the fall of Napoleon, Europe struggled with its identity as several of its rising national powers were vying for power. The great church of Europe was no longer able to exercise the kind of authority over these rising nations of Europe as it had experienced for centuries before. This now brings us to a volatile time for Europe when there was a great surge forward in invention and technology.
Although they had grown in power and influence, the individual nations of Europe were not cohesive at all. They were largely divided. Hence, the accurate description of the feet being of iron mingled with clay.
The movement toward a sixth revival of a European Empire, depicted by the feet of clay and iron (not the toes), occurred with the outbreak of WWI. That war involved an alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire. They were known as the “Central Powers.” It was the first war that broadly involved other nations around the world. The Central Powers fought against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan, and the United States. These were known as the Allied Powers.
After nearly 5,900 years of mankind, those involved in this war were the first to experience the use of vastly superior weaponry in a rapidly growing period of scientific knowledge, invention, and technology unlike all the millennia before.
This war brought about great social upheaval as millions of women entered the workforce to support men who had gone to war and also replaced those who never came back. The war itself resulted in the death of some 9 million soldiers and 10 million civilians. In addition, this war helped to spread the world’s first pandemic—the Spanish flu of 1918, which killed an estimated 30 to 50 million people.
This first world war was only the beginning of the sixth revival of the prophetic European Empire, as it only set the stage for a far more massive resurgence under Hitler. This resurgence and attempt to conquer Europe reveals the mind that was actually behind it, as it is the same one behind all the revivals of the last prophetic European Empire. Since Satan was not able to work through a great church to influence revivals in Europe as he had before, he now worked directly through one man as he exerted powerful spirit influence upon the mind and thinking of Hitler.
Hitler was determined to establish a Third Reich. The translation of the German word “Reich” is “Empire or Kingdom.” This reveals the desire and affinity he had to again raise up the old Roman Empire in Europe, but under the German name and German leadership.
The “Third Reich” became the most popular term to describe this historical period, although it was Hitler’s desire that it be known as “Großdeutsches Reich” (Greater German Reich). Another term he used was “Tausendjähriges Reich” (Thousand-Year Reich).
Hitler wanted to transform Berlin, to make it the capital of a Greater German “World Empire”—one greater than the Roman Empire. He declared at a rally in Nuremberg that “…in the next thousand years there will be no other revolution in Germany.”
Even in this, Satan was seeking to mock God’s truth, as there is only one Millennium, which is about a prophetic period of time for when God has declared He will establish a just and righteous government to rule the world. It is declared that in God’s Kingdom that there will be no more revolution—no more wars.
Satan has resisted and fought against God from the beginning of the creation of mankind. He wasted no time in leading the first two created people, Adam and Eve, into sin and rebellion against God. He even tried to have Christ killed as a young child, and he has worked against God’s prophets and apostles over the past 6,000 years, primarily by having them imprisoned and/or killed. He is also responsible for leading a devastating attack against God’s own Church in this end-time that resulted in the Apostasy prophesied by the apostle, Paul.
Hitler’s reign was the completion of the sixth revival of a prophesied European power depicted by the sixth head of the beast. One more revival yet remains.
A Unique Moment in Time
As it has been described, it was revealed to Herbert Armstrong there would be ten nations that would become united in military power within Europe in the end-time. Those ten nations were seen as being depicted by the ten toes of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The scriptures just covered in Revelation 13 concerning the ten horns with ten crowns represent the same prophecy.
Then, the same ten nations are further spoken of in Revelation 17. Although there is much more that will yet be explained about the verses of this chapter, for now, there is only a need to cover what concerns the seven revivals of Europe and those final ten nations.
Revelation 17 speaks of a woman that is sitting on a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns. So once again, there is another unique prophetic description of seven heads (seven revivals of a prophesied European Empire) and of the ten horns, which are about the ten nations that comprise the last revival.
“Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits” (Rev. 17:9).
First, wisdom is being spoken of here, since this verse begins to explain the meaning of what was being described in the earlier verses. This wording is used, stressing “the mind which has wisdom,” because it is to be understood that the revelation of anything prophetic comes only from God. Mankind has no such wisdom—no such ability to know the meaning of recorded prophecy.
Here, God was giving His wisdom to Herbert Armstrong so that he could understand that these verses applied to the seven revivals of Europe and that they lead up to the events of the end-time.
Herbert Armstrong was given to understand that God uses “mountains” as metaphors to prophetically speak of larger nations or kingdoms. In this verse, it was clearly revealing that a woman, being a metaphor that represented that great church in Europe, was “on” each of these beasts during their revivals.
This “woman,” after the fifth revival under Napoleon which ended the Holy Roman Empire, no longer had the same kind of power and sway she had enjoyed and exerted since the time of Justinian. Nevertheless, her presence and influence throughout those periods of time are still what has molded Europe into being what it is today. The next verse then begins to address the two revivals that remain.
“There are seven kings, five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet, and when it comes, it must continue a short time [a little season]” (Revelation 17:10).
This verse is uniquely written. It was recorded in such a manner that it could only be understood for what it was saying at the very specific moment in time that it was actually occurring.
Once again, the seven revivals of Europe are being addressed. It says that “five had fallen,” which became the case after the fall of Napoleon who was the head of the fifth revival. But then it states that one “is,” meaning, that at the time this verse would be understood, would be when “one revival” was currently in existence. Herbert Armstrong was being given to “see” this when WWII was coming to an end, while the reign of Hitler—the one “is”— was still ongoing.
After that time, Herbert Armstrong began to warn the world that there would be one more revival because he was given to understand that “the other is not yet” was about the seventh and last revival. Thankfully, when that last one comes, it will only exist for a short period of time. The nuclear war that is coming will be short-lived, or else mankind would annihilate itself, just as God has declared.
The First Woe!
We have now come full circle back to the event of the Fifth Trumpet. This is when the seventh and last prophesied revival within Europe will take place. It is when a final ten nations in Europe become united in military agreement to engage in a nuclear attack upon the United States.
This is the first of three Woes that are prophesied to come upon mankind, and they portend massive destruction on earth, including the deaths of a vast number of people around the world. This Woe itself is described in terms of killing tens of millions of people.
Prophetically, this event can now happen in a number of different ways, as the interaction between nations is exceptionally fluid and ever-changing at a fast pace. Nevertheless, this will happen in the manner that is outlined in these prophecies.
But what would lead Europe to attack the U.S. in the first place?
In recent years, the attitude of Europe toward the U.S. has been rapidly changing. Not only Europe, but much of the world, has been growing in bitterness and disdain for how the U.S. has consistently worked to manipulate its own will and purpose over them.
Threats and practices involving sanctions, the heavy-handedness of control over the petrodollar, and restrictive worldwide banking policies have been pushing nations into an eventual showdown with the U.S. Nations also experience other forms of what they consider bullying from what they see as invasive military practices or the practice of militaristic bribery for guarantees of protection and/or the purchase of weapons.
Most all of Europe is fully fed up with the kinds of pressuring done by the U.S. to insert itself into their business and governmental affairs. They are tired of being told what they should do. Much of Europe has been thankful in the past for how the U.S. intervened to help liberate them from the destructive Nazi regime during WWII. But the ongoing expectations from the U.S. have added a heavy toll upon their relationship, which is becoming more burdensome, making it harder for them to bear.
Over the past few years, French President Macron has been pushing for a “real European army.” The countries of Europe feel as though they are in a kind of vise that is being squeezed, with NATO being used as a hammer to beat them into submission. Because of this, they want their own military that is independent of such pressures.
They are sick and tired of the U.S. trying to pull their strings as though they are some kind of puppet that is expected to do the will of their former liberators to whom they should “evidently” forever be indebted.
In November 2018, French President, Emmanuel Macron, unknowingly made a rather ominous statement that few could possibly understand because it fits precisely into a prophetic narrative. He stated, “We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia, and even the United States.” This is far more ominous than anyone can imagine, as this last and seventh revival of a European empire will be at the forefront of an eventual confrontation with all three of those nations Macron mentioned.
More and more, Europeans are expressing their disdain for the United States interfering in their affairs. An article earlier this year in the New York Times expresses quite well the growing animosity that is building in Europe toward the U.S. The article was entitled “Europe Struggles to Defend Itself Against a Weaponized Dollar.”
A few quotes will help illustrate the kind of resentment that is rapidly developing which will soon lead into the fulfillment of the most dangerous prophetic events the world has ever experienced.
BRUSSELS — The new Biden administration is making nice with the European Union, talking of renewed cooperation and suspending retaliatory tariffs stemming from an old dispute between Airbus and Boeing.
But despite the warm words and efforts at rebuilding trust, the American willingness to punish its European allies and impose sanctions on them in pursuit of foreign-policy goals continues to rankle.
It is an underlying tension, a ready reminder of the asymmetric power of the United States. That is especially so when it comes to what are known as secondary sanctions. While Iran and Russia, for example, may be the primary target of sanctions, the secondary sanctions punish other countries and companies — very often European — that do business with them as well. […]
Secondary sanctions cut off access to the American banking system, an effective threat because of the centrality of that system and the global reach of the dollar.
The weaponization of the American dollar and the Treasury is a marked vulnerability for Europe, which depends on open markets. It has prompted serious discussions of how to defend Europe and the euro from Washington’s whims, and it has become a central part of the argument about how to create “strategic autonomy,” so Europe can protect its own interests.
Last month, the European Union announced efforts to strengthen an “anti-coercion instrument’’ against “unfair trading practices.” The main sources of them are China and Europe’s self-professed ally and partner, the United States.
While Europe favors using multilateral institutions on trade disputes, “we cannot afford to stand defenseless in the meantime,” said Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Union’s commissioner for trade. The European Union must be able to defend itself “from those trying to take advantage of our openness,” he said. […]
European resentment about American secondary sanctions “is linked to an awareness of our own internal and economic fragility,” said Nathalie Tocci, director of Italy’s International Affairs Institute and adviser to Mr. Borrell. [4]
Similar statements and concerns from a number of other leaders reflect a rapidly growing indignation that is sweeping across Europe. The momentum of this negative sentiment and the frustration associated with it is quickly moving Europe toward acting upon the unthinkable.
The speed at which prophetic events are moving should be seen as happening at an alarming pace. That which may seem far off, is not!
Upon hearing what is being said about this First Woe upon mankind, the inclination of too many would be that they would take solace in the secure feeling that no such thing could ever happen as long as NATO exists. That would be a huge mistake and would reflect a very false sense of security. Europe is bent on having the self-determination of their own military operations apart from any influence and control from NATO, which is what prophecy reveals will happen.
NATO has already established the ability for this prophecy to become fulfilled simply by putting weapons in place that can easily come under Europe’s sole control. Europe already has great power at its fingertips if it chooses to use it. France has a large stockpile of nuclear weapons in Europe and NATO has positioned a very large number of nuclear weapons throughout Europe. The day is soon coming that they are going to use them! That is the prophecy for the fulfillment of the Fifth Trumpet.
Footnotes
[4] Erlanger, Steven. “Europe Struggles to Defend Itself Against a Weaponized Dollar.” The New York Times, 12 Mar.2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/03/12/world/europe/europe-us-sanctions.html
Why Is the U.S. the First Nation to Fall?
As it has been stated, the first five Trumpets are first and foremost about the complete collapse of the United States as a nation. But one may ask, “Why?”
Part of the answer to this has already been touched upon. The primary reason is that it is a matter of God’s judgment against her because she has not listened to Him. That too has much to do with the very reason this book is being written.
Earlier a quote from Jeremiah was given that spoke of how God has always sent warnings early on before destruction would come. Yet the tendency of mankind has been to simply ignore God and not listen to Him. Then over time, as a result of not listening, God allows destruction to come upon them for not responding. This foolish proclivity of mankind is addressed more fully toward the beginning of the Book of Jeremiah.
“Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, even by starting early and sending them, yet they would not listen, nor incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers. Therefore you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall also proclaim to them [context— ‘proclaim His words’], but they will not respond. So you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not listen to the voice of the Eternal their God, nor receive [His] instruction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth” (Jeremiah 7:25-28).
In this end-time, God has revealed that these verses are first and foremost prophetically directed toward the United States. This book specifically has been written to proclaim God’s very words that were written by Jeremiah nearly 2650 years ago.
God is directing that what He had recorded in these verses is to now be said first and foremost to the United States. Then, it is also to be directed to every nation of the world, since their response to Him has been the same. These are His words to each nation: “This is a nation that does not listen to the voice of the Eternal their God, nor receive His instruction.”
The greatest obstacle in the way of hearing this message is human pride.
Beginning early in 1950, God began to give end-time warnings to the U.S. through Herbert Armstrong. A warning began to be given about an attack from Europe that would crush the United States if it did not listen to what God was saying.
In addition, if the world did not listen, then even far greater destruction would follow, and it would be worldwide. Obviously, the world has not listened, so cataclysmic worldwide destruction will come upon mankind from the Second and Third Woe.
Although Herbert Armstrong worked tirelessly to warn the U.S. and the rest of the world, the response he received is in itself another prophetic fulfillment that has now come to pass concerning this end-time. It is that even after many years and all the millions of dollars spent on a vast number of publications, radio and television programs, and personal appearances, the result has been the same. The general population, including its leaders, has not listened to God’s warnings.
Therefore, knowing far in advance that this would be the response of nations around the world, God established judgment that would be allowed to come upon the world, beginning first against the United States.
This book and the four that have preceded it are about these same warnings that Herbert Armstrong gave. Those books have contained even more revelation given by God. But once again, the general population and its leaders still will not listen. Even as this book is being written, it is understood that this condition will not change until after the first five Trumpet events that bring down the United States as a nation.
Nevertheless, this book is still being written because God has revealed that what Jeremiah wrote in these verses was to be stated one more time, just before these events begin to come to pass.
The reason that the U.S. is the first to fall is because it has been given the greatest opportunity over the past 70 years, above all other nations, to hear God’s warnings concerning what He reveals will be an end to mankind’s self-rule on earth.
In his book, The United States and Britain In Prophecy, Herbert Armstrong revealed how God had prophesied He would make the U.S. the single greatest nation the world has ever known. It would be given the greatest wealth and strongest military above all nations that have ever existed. It is God who gave this to the United States.
Yet rather than acknowledging it was God who gave all this to them as a nation, people and their leaders have taken the credit for such greatness to themselves. God declares that it is a nation that has become filled with pride and arrogance, and that He will humble it. That humbling will occur through the first five Trumpet events that are now about to begin. The reason for such emphasis on these five events is because God reveals it will take that much to destroy the pride of such a great nation before humility can begin to be produced.
The more the United States holds to her pride, the more she will suffer until she is humbled. This is a matter of God’s judgment and what He has determined concerning how it should be humbled.
This humbling process is similar to how God dealt with Pharaoh and Egypt in the time of Moses. God humbled Egypt in order to deliver Israel out from under her, but it was at great cost to Egypt and to all her people due to their pride. Most of Egypt’s agriculture was totally destroyed along with most of its livestock. Many people died from the plagues, including all the firstborn of Egypt. Lastly, Pharaoh and his military were destroyed in the Red Sea. Pride is a great evil, and it is a stubborn foe to sound reason.
Today, government and its many agencies are deeply embedded in pride. The same is true of massive corporations, financial and educational institutions, etc. It is pride that is leading the U.S. up to the brink of a massive economic collapse—one that is steadily moving toward a complete global collapse. This is the very thing that is at the forefront that will trigger the first four Trumpet events.
Over the past 6,000 years, every great nation and empire in the world has fallen. It is prophetic for our time now that the single greatest, most powerful and wealthy nation the world has ever known is about to fall as well.
Not only will the U.S. experience horrific suffering due to the first five Trumpet events, it is revealed in the Book of Revelation that it will also experience plagues and devastation from events that are called Thunders. These too will escalate against her unless or until she begins to listen to God.
The more the United States holds to her pride, the more she will suffer until she is humbled. This is a matter of God’s judgment and what He has determined toward the U.S.
