Most reading this article would agree that the restrainer of 2Th Chapter 2 is a spirit, but spirits work through physical agents. The physical agent restraining empires since the 20th century has been the United States of America. If America is taken out of the picture, I see no reason why prophetic events would not immediately play out.
America restrained Germany twice in the 20th century from reforming the Roman Empire. It restrained Hitler from killing all the Jews in Europe and then killing the Christians. Then America restrained the Soviet Union from taking over Europe. The Communists of the USSR likewise had an agenda to kill Jews and Christians. America also restrained the Japanese Empire from ruling over the kings of the east.
America is still being used by God as the restrainer of empires and nations. Recently America has restrained the expansion of Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Russia, China and radical Islam. America is restraining international socialism, and is retraining the Islamic block from attacking Israel. Take America out of the picture and the world map changes and prophetic events can immediately play out.
With America no long restraining, Israel would immediately look for another protectorate. She would turn to Europe. Whenever that happens, the Antichrist who makes a seven-year covenant with Israel is not far behind. With America out of the way, Russia would rapidly expand into Eastern Europe and Japan would become a nuclear superpower almost overnight.
Some people might wonder how Rome rises again to fulfill Bible prophecy? One name mentioned in Ezekiel might provide the answer. Many have said that Gomer of the Ezekiel 38 war refers to Turkey, but Gomer with all his bands are more likely Southeastern Europeans. Gomer might even extend to Germany. If Russia forms an alliance with the Eastern Europeans, or invades them, then all the nations under the influence of Russia come down when Gog decides to invade Israel.
The Ezekiel prophecies tell us that God destroys all the armies coming against Israel. If Gomer and all his bands refer to these Eastern European nations, then Russia, the Eastern European nations and the armies of most Islamic nations of the Middle East and North Africa come with Gog. With all these armies destroyed, Western Europe (Rome) could then waltz right in, make a covenant with Israel, and occupy the area of the old Roman Empire.
The final pieces of the prophetic puzzle might not become apparent until two things happen. America be taken out of the picture as the restrainer of empires, and Russia expanding its influence westward as far as Germany. Lest people think this Russia expansion is farfetched, we already had a foreshadow of this configuration in the 20th century. That is why Hal Lindsay wrote the “Late Great Planet Earth” and why so many people who studied Bible prophecy thought the events would play out in the 1980’s.
The Soviet Union extended all the way to East Germany. The Soviet Union also had alliances with the Islamic nations around Israel. It looked like Ezekiel 38 would be fulfilled in the 1980’s but God in His mercy gave people more time to come to Jesus. God used America to hinder the Soviet Union and this alliance dissolved until a future time.
I would look for this alliance between Russia, East Europe and Islamic nations around Israel to reform. When the Russian alliance reforms, and America is no longer in any position to act as a restrainer, end time events will then rapidly play out.
America could be taken out of the picture almost instantly by an EMP or an economic collapse. With the deep divisions in America, either would result in a bloody civil war. I may be wrong, but I do not think America will survive the next decade as a restrainer of empires. That is because most of the people living in America can no longer restrain themselves from practicing wickedness.
As John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Our politicians do not abide by the Constitution anymore because the people who elect these representatives are no longer moral or religious themselves.
Will God continue using America as the restrainer of evil empires and nations? Or will God soon remove America from this role. If evil people prevail in America, we will soon find out.
The next Democratic POTUS could bring the US to our knees.
Good Article!! The Lord said these things would happen, we are Living it! Exciting Days to be Living in! You are right, the United States has to go down, and we are, sad!! Lawlessness will abound, and it is!! Blessings, Kathy
Hi Don,
What do you make of Turkey taking Russia’s S400 jets over our F-35s? Sounds like they’re getting even more cozy with Russia.
It is frightening to read your newest article as it rings true. I do appreciate the efforts you take to keep these excellent articles coming. I look forward to reading them and the comments that follow. God Bless you Don!
Jeremiah 51:8-15, Revelation 18, Zechariah 14 may speaking about America
Rev 18:8,21
8 Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is [h]the Lord God who judged her.
21 And [q]a strong angel took up a stone as it were a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with a mighty fall shall Babylon, the great city, be cast down, and shall be found no more at all.
8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed:
13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, the measure of thy [d]covetousness. 14 Jehovah of hosts hath sworn by himself, saying, [e]Surely I will fill thee with men, as with the canker-worm; [f]and they shall lift up a shout against thee.
America dwells upon many waters & is abundant in treasures.
Here’s an article from 1984 that America will burn
https://www.handofhelp.com/vision_1.php
Did anyone notice that Trump used God’s name in vain twice at that rally?
Good blog Don. Thank you. I had not thought of things in quite that way, but agree with your thoughts. My hope is that the Rapture is the event which brings confusion to the USA. The Rapture would certainly bring such confusion, as well as allow the radical democrats to take over the country. I think the Ezekiel War is the event that returns Israel to God, as his word says. The US will not be a protector of the State of Israel at that point in time, leaving them no choice. As you point out all of these events lay the groundwork for the Seven year treaty. I know the USA has to decline for the Bible to be full filled. My hope is, though there is no basis in national virtue, the Rapture is the cause. I want to watch the rest of the events foretold from above.
Bill B.
America is not Babylon and Dumitru is a false prophet.
I read the prophecy, nukes do not just explode because nuclear warehouses are bombed. Nukes generally are kept in bunkers not warehouses anyway.
Also, when Jesus comes it starts the thousand-year reign. What Dumitru claims the angel said will not occur until the new heaven and earth. So either the angel is wrong or Dumitru is just making things up.
Hi Adriana,
The S-400 is an anti-aircraft system. Turkey bought the Russian system because it is better than anything we will sell them. We probably will not sell them F-35’s because we do not want the S-400 to be able to shoot down our F-35’s. Turkey really should not be in NATO.
Don great points. I’ve heard the Gomer and Germany connection before, and it is probably true. The US and Germany aren’t on great terms right now, as they continue to do business with Iran. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them cozy up to Russia in the near future.
I believe, as you have pointed out, that at some time, our economy will take a plunge. Many nation’s are dumping our treasuries and there is increasing talk of complete abandonment of the dollar as reserve currency. Should this continue, the only preservation of the system will be world war. Perhaps even initiated by the US, in order to salvage her way of life.
Thanks for getting me straight on that one. I just came across that article today.
i love this article don… makes so much sense, either the rapture takes us out or an EMP attack. It really does seem like america is the only thing standing in the way of the prophecies to start happening.
Don, the next American Civil War, if it happens, how do you see the sides shaping up? Would it be as simple as Conservatives vs Liberals? Or perhaps a rogue general who takes his men with him and forms alliances? Could you see outside support from Russia, China, or Europe? Do you think there would be secession or would this really be more of a revolution, throwing off a tyrannical government?
Hi Steve,
Listing all the possibles would take a book. Many variables are possible.
If the grid goes down, everyone’s hand will be against everyone else in the big cities.
An economic crash would bring about riots in the cities and that would bring about extreme crowd control measures, rationing and a police state.
If it is an ideological right left division, where the left controls the establishment and does not abide by our Constitution the right could resort to guerilla tactics.
On the other hand, if the right was in power the left most likely will bomb targets much like the Weather Underground did fifty years ago. Only this time the leftist radicals would have much more support. This would bring about a downward spiral toward revolution or militarizing all the police forces and rounding up the subversives. Jailing all the subversives would bring greater loss of freedoms. This could bring about a military dictatorship.
I do not see outside support coming from any country. With America not buying their products, they will have enough of their own problems.
There are divisions in each state and also division in each county and city, so it would be more of a revolution than secession. That does not mean that some states with a strong majority on the left or right might not get fed up and secede. It also does not mean the federal government would allow any secession to happen.
Wars and Revolutions often do not play out like people think. What plays out in the short term may not even be what plays out in the long term. The pendulum can swing from one extreme to the other.
Amen, amen, amen you hit it right in thee ‘Bulls Eye’ the US is home to more Jews outside of Israel and most of them are very comfortable and prosperous here in : New York, Los Angeles and Florida ( mainly ) but we know that this is not the true Promised Land for them so that’s why the US has to decline, it is my humble opinion that most o my American Jewish brothers and sisters are going to be given one last opportunity by GOD to return to Israel before America suffers something like the Great DEpression of the 1930’s
Solid analysis again Don.
I do believe the fall of the USA will occur before the END of next decade (2029) – I believe it will have already began falling and it will be completed sometime earlier in our next decade.
I also favor the idea of the great earthquake being the huge drag downward (collapsing the economy)rather than the EMP. As we have discussed before, Satan isn’t really powerful like God so he will need to retain as much communications structure as possible to command and control with his 666 program.
I do see a world wide EMP during the judgment upon the anti-Christ kingdom (in the bowls) with the darkness they are plunged into late in Revelation being the darkness of electronics and communications. (That is why he sends out the 3 evil spirits to call the remote armies to Armageddon.)
We are all in the same book, just not quite the same paragraphs on the page. Keep carrying the message to the many!
Maranatha!
True, our America is far from perfection , but Russia, China and North Korea and over 100+ other nations sure don’t offer much : freedom of speech and freedom of religion. With all its shortcomings these United States still back Israel at least until Trump is out of office, the Democrats and all those who support them DESERVE whats coming, what most Liberal Democrats really want is a society without GOD and His commandments.
Don i agree with you, America has to be out of the picture before all this things can play out, even to fulfill what William Branham saw among his seven visions, he said he saw America i craters America is being wiped out of the map and said the voice said; watch Russia, watch Russia, watch Russia, and said if God did not judge America God wil be obligated to raise Sodom and Gomorrah and apologize for her burning.
Hi Akinlabi,
I think it is better not to base opinions about the destruction of America on the statements of false prophets. Russia can do the job but Russia has had nukes for 70 years and has not been insane enough to use them against this nation. I would worry more about Iran or North Korea trying to pull off an EMP. The psychopaths leading those nations are not rational.
True, the worrisome PATTERN of GOD who controls the rise and fall of all earthly empires is that HE used pagan empires to punish his own chosen people : Israel, America last i knew has more than a handful of enemies waiting from afar, waiting for the opportunity to avenge themselves and i believe that just like GOD removed the supernatural hedge round Job in HIS sovereignty something similar may happen to America
Hi Don, great topic. I think most would say Gomer is Germany – at least from what i have read. Germany, being mostly landlocked and with a small Navy (except the for the North Sea) would need to move its troops through the many ‘allied’ eastern European nations. Currently some of these nations despise Russia, but absent the US as a superpower and possibly under threat/or actual invasion its easy to see them re-joining Russia. I have a lot of Eastern European friends – Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian. They are all largely non-Christian, but all of them believe absent American protection or presence, Russia would make a move. Is there any indication that Russia attacks the west first (e.g. the coastlands reference in Ezekiel 38) which would both scare and attract such a following of nations with Russia to march against Israel?
Sorry, My last point on Russia attacking the west first – it seems unlikely given that Sheba, Dedan, and the young lions are alive (but weak) and ‘put up a protest’.
The Germany of today is extremely reluctant to involve itself in foreign wars as it is it barely participates in NATO only at a minimum, Brexit coming the one to look out for is France it has a nuclear triad, Germany has been denuclearizing for several years, Germany ally of Russia i don’t think so, i wouldn’t be surprised that Uk, Germany and France are part of those 10 KIngs of Revelation they may invoke article 50 and use NATO assets after Ezekiel war