THE RISE OF THE SECOND MILITARY DICTATORSHIP
While all of this orderly progress has been occurring in “sealed-off” America something totally evil will have been hovering over the rest of the world. After the collapse of the first military dictatorship, it will immediately allow numerous world leaders with satirical ambitions to begin maneuvering for an opportunity to claw their way to the top and build another world empire. Here is the way Johndescribed what he saw happening:
“And I beheld ANOTHER BEAST COMING UP OUT OF THE EARTH; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake like a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the FIRST beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
“And he doeth great wonders, so he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the means of these miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword and did live.
“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free or bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
“And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark; or the name of the beast, or the number of his name…. and his number is Six hundred three score and six.” 64
It was the ambition of the second dictatorship to exercise “all the power of the first beast. . .and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” 65
Ezekiel tells us that this second dictatorship was designed to mobilize all the gentile nations of the world under a massive army. But what happens to the heathen nations? (See 3 Nephi 21:21) The leader of this vast army will be known as Gog, prince of the Gentiles. 66 As the prophetic story unfolds, we learn that since the fall of the first dictatorship some remarkable things have happened in Israel.
First, the Jews have gathered their people and their wealth from all over the world to the security of Israel. They will have built their capital city of Jerusalem into a magnificent metropolis secured by heavy walls. (Ezekiel, chapters 40-43)
Second, the prophet Zechariah (6:12-13) tells us that a beautiful temple will occupy the heights of Mount Moriah where the “Dome of the Rock” once stood.
We cannot help wondering how all of this can happen.
SOMETHING IMPORTANT MUST RAVE HAPPENED TO THE ARABS DURING THE FIRST WORLD DICTATORSHIP
It will be recalled that ever since 1967 – when the Israeli forces took over Jerusalem – the Jews have wanted to rebuild their temple. But the traditional site for the temple has been occupied since 691 A.D. by a very sacred building of the Moslem faith. This shrine is known as the “Dome of the Rock.” It covers the huge threshing floor of Araunah where Abraham is said to have offered Isaac as a sacrifice. It is also the spot where Mohammed says he ascended to heaven on a white horse to commune with the ancient patriarchs and receive the teachings of the Moslem faith.
Once the Jews had occupied Jerusalem in 1967 the Moslems feared the Israelis might destroy their sacred building, but they were assured by the leading rabbis that the Jews would never desecrate the sacred places of other faiths.
The press felt the rabbis were saying: “If God wants his temple on Mount Moriah, he will have to make the necessary arrangements”.
By the time of the second dictatorship, Ezekiel indicates this will have been accomplished. None of the prophets tell how it would happen, but several scenarios have been suggested.
WHAT IF THE ARABS LOST CONTROL OF THEIR OIL?
One theory is that the first dictatorship might undertake to confiscate the Arab’s vast treasure of oil. The Soviet Union has proposed this for many years since possession of the Arab oil could be the key to taking over Europe. As late as 1996 this was being proposed by a militant Russian political leader.
It is speculated that if the first world dictatorship undertook to confiscate the Arab oil there would be a mighty resistance and very likely the Dome of the Rock would be destroyed during the struggle. Furthermore, if the Arabs were robbed of their oil, the Moslem influence would be greatly reduced. It is therefore speculated that if the Dome of the Rock were destroyed and Arab influence diminished, there would be virtually no significant resistance to the rebuilding of the Jewish temple.
THE WORLDWIDE GATHERING OF THE JEWS
Ezekiel describes in chapter 34 how scattered and distressed the Jews will be when the Lord reaches out to rescue them. The Lord said to Ezekiel:
‘.. .yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek them out….and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the river, and all the inhabited places of the country…. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, EVEN MY SERVANT, Davida prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.” 67
Many scholars, including the King James translators, thought these passages referred to the Savior. However, as we have just seen in Ezekiel, chapter 34, verses 23 and 24 the Lord specifically refers to this particular David as his “servant.”
Joseph Smith referred to this Prince David and said he would replace his great ancestor temporarily because “the throne and kingdom of David is to be taken from him [ancient David] and given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage.” 68
The administration of this outstanding leader apparently will last a long time, clear over to the time when the Ten Tribes return and become one with Judah. 69
In Ezekiel, chapter 46, we read how David, the prince, will conduct the services at the temple when they come to worship the Lord, and Jeremiah said:
“For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his (Israel’s] yoke from off thy neck and.. .they shall serve the Lord their God MID DAVID THEIR KING, WHOM I SHALL RAISE UP TO THEM.” 70
Notice that in all of these passages “David” is identified as a servant of the Lord and not the Lord himself.
Isaiah speaks of this great leader of Israel in the latter days as a “rod” that would come from “the stem of Jesse,” which is Christ, 71 and in a modern revelation the Lord said:
“Behold, thus saith the Lord, It (the rod) is a servant in the hands of Christ, which is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom is laid much power.” 72
There has been some question as to whether this refers to Prince David or Joseph Smith. In either case we have an interesting disclosure by the Lord that this distinguished leader is a mixture of both Juda and Ephraim. It would be amazing to the Jews if David turned out to be partly Ephraim and it certainly would be somewhat surprising to the members of the restored kingdom if Joseph Smith turned out to be part Jewish.
As David the prince gathers the Jews from all over the world to the land of Israel, there will be both wealth and manpower to beautify the city of Jerusalem. We learn later that he will raise up its mighty walls as a defense and then rebuild the temple. 73
For the Jews, this will be their 4th temple. This is the temple seen by Ezekiel in vision and the one to which the Savior will come. The three previous temples – One built by Solomon around 950 B.C., the one built by Zerubbabel around 516 B.C., and the one built by Herod at the time of Christ were all destroyed, and while this fourth temple will be attack fl, it will continue to survive right into the Millennium.
GOG, THE MIGHTY EMPEROR OF THE SECOND WORLD DICTATORSHIP
Ezekiel says the second dictatorship which will arise at this time is headed up by a fierce and ambitious tyrant named Gog the height of his power he will be like the leader of the first dictatorship and consider himself totally invincible, but the Lord said to his prophet:
“Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal and prophesy against him.” 74
This happens right at the time the beautiful edifice of the temple is being raised up to crown the heights of Mount Moriah. 75 This will be the most elaborate “house of the Lord” ever constructed, and no doubt Prince Gog will have his spies carefully reporting every phase of its construction. Of course, he will be contemptuous of the Jewish belief that this is a holy place – a center of sacred worship. On the contrary, Prince Gog will look upon this temple as a mighty treasure house in which the Jews have stored away their wealth from all over the world.
As the greedy eyes of Gog are focused on the loot he will derive from a raid on Jerusalem, the Lord is saying:
“Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief of princes of Mesheck and Tubal; and I will turn thee back and put hooks into thy jaws and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them, clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.” 76
The Lord had Ezekiel describe precisely what this bloodthirsty tyrant would do:
“Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.” 77
Because the Lord could read Gog’s mind, he said:
“Thou shalt think an evil thought: and thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without wa1ls and having neither bars nor gates, to take spoil, and to take a prey, to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land..” 78
GOG LOOKS TOWARD JERUSALEM
It appears that Gog will have conquered all of Europe and Asia before he turns his greedy war machine on the land of Palestine. This man will have established terroristic Gadiantonism and a murder-cult criminal spoils system everywhere but in America. John says:
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” 79
It is interesting that the whole earth will be under his domination exept North and South America. As we have mentioned earlier a modern revelation says he would have invaded America except for his fear of the consequences. Gog and his cohorts are quoted in this scripture as saying:
“Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible, wherefore we cannot stand.” 80
Some of this may have been due to heavenly powers possessed by God’s servants in Zion similar to that which Enoch exhibited during the first thousand years of human history. It says:
“…their enemies came to battle against them; and he (Enoch] spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions were heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.” 81
But in the beginning of the second dictatorship seen by John, the violent Gog and his hordes of ferocious military forces will be spreading their “abomination of desolation” in every direction. 82
JOEL WITNESSES A VISION OF HORROR – THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
A prophet named Joel – living several centuries before Ezekiel – used two whole chapters to describe the terrifying weapons of modern warfare which Gog would employ to set up his second dictatorship. Joel could scarcely find words to describe what he saw. In fact, until the nuclear age, no generation could have completely comprehended what Joel was trying to describe:
“A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.” 83
Joel felt he was seeing the very ultimate in destructive warfare. He said:
“There hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.” 84
Joel did his best to describe what he saw:
“The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.” 85
But these were not like any horses he had ever seen. Notice his bold attempt to describe the strange mobile units which he saw:
“Like the noise of chariots [not of horses] on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble;…they shall run like mighty men [once more the simile changes] they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break ranks: neither shall one thrust another, they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses: and they shall enter in at the window like a thief. The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble.” 86
It sounds very much as though the prophet is attempting to describe helicopter gun ships and a modern armored division rumbling across a city with cannon and flame-throwers spreading destruction all around.
THE FAMOUS BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON
But at Jerusalem Gog and his mighty host will come to a sudden halt. It turns out that Prince David has two powerful allies that Gog would have never suspected. He has 2 prophets whom God will raise up among the Jews with powers unlike anything Gog has seen. An angel describes what he sees the two prophets will be able to do:
“If any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” 87
For three-and-a-half years these prophets will hold Gog and these great gentile armies at bay. 88
When the prophet Joel saw the predicament in which the Jews would find themselves, he knew there was no human power that could save them. Apparently, even before Joel saw the two prophets demonstrating their powers, Joel pleads with the Jews to begin their fasting and prayer with fervent pleadings that God will intervene and save them. He cried:
“Rend your hearts 89 and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God…. Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation … let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach.” 90
Here is the link to the source data:
http://www.latterdayconservative.com/w-cleon-skousen/what-we-might-expect-in-the-next-twenty-five-years/
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