While China seems largely absent from end-times Bible prophecy, its activities hint at how this country may enable the Antichrist to dominate the world.
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Middle-East Isolation and the Antichrist’s Reach
The Old Testament prophecies from Daniel and Ezekiel describe future battles and events in Israel with regional players. These prophecies focus on the Middle East, only referring to nations outside of this perimeter as “the nations,” or ethnos.
When we look at the Middle East today, we see the Old Testament’s prophesied alliances forming. We also see the hatred of Israel that the Bible foretold through the prophets. However, these Middle Eastern countries lack the global reach that the Antichrist will ultimately hold.
Based on the Old Testament, it would seem that the Antichrist’s reach is limited to the Middle East.
Yet, in the book of Revelation, we read about how the Antichrist’s reach extends to the whole world. We learn that the Antichrist will deceive the whole world. He will control world trade, and even kill every person on the earth who does not pledge allegiance to him.
How do we reconcile this apparent discrepancy?
For starters, God had not yet fully revealed in the Old Testament the mystery of Jesus as the Messiah. After Jesus’ resurrection, He revealed to the apostles His presence in the Old Testament. Paul further revealed that when the Jews did not believe, God extended His grace to the world’s gentiles. Jesus described a period known as the “time of the Gentiles” over which “this gospel.. will be preached in the whole world” before the end would come.
The book of Revelation more fully revealed the events leading up to Jesus’ return. These events include more details about the extent of the Antichrist’s influence over the whole world.
However, to truly have a global influence on trade, communications, and technology, the Antichrist needs resources the Middle East lacks… Enter China.
China Has the Influence the Antichrist Will Need
China is rapidly growing its influence in the world. Its inexpensive labor force produced low-cost exports and enticed foreign companies to build factories there. The success of its exporting turned China into a global economic power. It since leveraged its massive profits to build a formidable modern military, acquire international real estate, and lend money to governments to increase trade.
But in these activities, it stole intellectual property from foreign manufacturers in-country, expected quid pro quo political support from its debtor nations, and heavily tariffed imports to create a one-sided advantage in the world economy.
Once resigned to remain in its own borders, China now has global ambitions.
China’s goal is to replace the U.S. as the dominant superpower in the world. Along these lines, China initiated the OBOR (One Belt One Road) program in 2013. OBOR’s plan is to build a modern “Silk Road” through $1 trillion in infrastructure investments in nearly 70 countries.
OBOR’s goal is to connect China’s trade routes by land to Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. By sea, it will connect its trade routes from the China Seas and the Straits of Southeast Asia through to the Indian Ocean and East Africa. In doing so, it will secure energy supplies and raw materials. China also has used this as a justification to build naval military bases along its trade route.
Could China’s OBOR initiative change the dynamics of the Middle East and bring China into Biblical prophecy?
China Will Expand the Influence of the “Gog” Countries
China’s new trade route opens a wide corridor from China through the Middle East. This may seem benign for Israel because China is not considered a foe. But what if China were to ally with the countries that despise Israel?
As shown on the above map, the land route passes through Iran and Turkey, two of Israel’s largest enemies. Both of these countries will invade Israel under the Antichrist in Ezekiel 38‘s war of Gog and Magog.
Under the OBOR initiative, China entered a 25-year “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” with Iran. According to a document leaked to the New York Times, the deal will lead to China investing billion in Iran. China will invest in Iran’s energy, transportation, banking, and cybersecurity sectors. The draft also raises the possibility of cooperation on weapons development, intelligence sharing, and joint military drills.
Turkey will also gain under China’s program. Turkey lies in a natural trade route, connecting Europe and Asia. By establishing this new Silk Road, Turkey will build wealth under one of the most dangerous Middle East regimes.
Since 2016, Turkey and China have signed 10 bilateral agreements including on health and nuclear energy. China has propped up Turkey when the Lira fell and invested billions in bolstering support for Erdoğan. Erdoğan expresses deep concerns for Palestinian Arab Muslims, yet he has turned a blind eye to China’s imprisonment of over one million Turkic Muslims. This hypocrisy reveals how strategic China is to him.
China has resources but has had little stake in the Middle East. Turkey and Iran have fewer resources but aspirations to take over the Middle East, particularly Israel. What will happen if China’s interests merge with Turkey and Iran?
China will have Acess to Global Communications
With the rollout of 5G wireless networks, Chinese wireless company Huawei is trying to sell its 5G equipment worldwide. This is a large concern for countries like the U.S. that do not trust China. The Huawei equipment could allow the Chinese company to access communications throughout the world. This presents a major security risk for these countries because China’s laws require Chinese companies to share their data with the Chinese government if requested.
5G is not just an improvement over current technologies. It will enable new technologies through connected smart devices in the IoT (internet of things) – autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and connected factories. The technology will be used for consumers, businesses, infrastructure, and national defense. If the Antichrist could access this technology, he could use it to monitor and control the earth’s population.
The U.S. has been on a quest to persuade countries to ban Huawei from its 5G networks. However, many countries may choose to tighten security regulations rather than ban it because of costs and rollout delays.
The U.S. has been persuading other countries to exclude Huawei from its 5G wireless networks. (see this site for status by country.) Isreal has not yet announced its position though the U.S. is trying to dissuade them from using Huawei. The rest of the Middle East, on the other hand, has embraced Huawei. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and of course, Turkey have all engaged Huawei.
But are these fears real? Could China really ally with a Middle East Antichrist and provide the technology to control world trade, monitor every person, and kill anyone who does not pledge allegiance to him?
China’s Actions Reveal its Master
China is trying to appear like a hero to the world. Its propaganda presents a benevolent superpower who will help make the world a better place. But while it shows this image to the world, its actions within its own borders reveal its true spirit.
A country’s traits will reflect that of its master, just as the Beast resembles the Dragon. China’s actions exhibit the antichrist spirit’s traits, as described by Daniel and John.
- Deception and false prophesy – China is in the midst of rewriting the Bible, adding elements of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Communism.
- Enforcing allegiance through controlling trade – China’s implemented a social credit system with consequences such as determining what schools your kids can attend, what jobs you can get, and what business contracts you can enter.
- Monitoring for compliance – China contains eight of the ten most surveilled cities per capita globally. But it has used the coronavirus outbreak to furthers increase surveillance. China is even installing cameras directed at people’s doors and even inside their homes.
- Demanding allegiance or loss of life – While China is not yet at the point of killing Christians, it will ruin the lives of those who refuse to bend their knees to the communists. It is destroying churches and imprisoning pastors. China is subjecting the ethnic minority Muslims to re-education camps, forced abortions, sterilization, forced labor, and the destruction of mosques, shrines, and cemeteries.
- Does as it pleases – China exhibits this behavior in its naval expansion in the western Pacific, stealing intellectual property, human rights abuses, polluting the environment, and spying on other nations to steal their technology.
China is already under the antichrist spirit. When the war of Gog and Magog comes, China will already be an ally of the Antichrist.
The War of Gog and Magog will Reveal the Opponents
Because Israel is the inheritance of God’s chosen people, it is the center of the world’s attention.
Israel polarizes the whole world. According to UN Watch, Israel has received three times the number of UN resolutions against it than any other nation in the world! This includes more than 50% of the Human Rights Council’s resolutions, 86% of the UN General Assembly’s resolutions, and 99.99% of the UNESCO’s resolutions.
Israel, the only democracy in the middle east, receives more resolutions against it than Iran, North Korea, and Syria combined. Yet, Iran openly threatens its existence, Turkey wants to liberate its land, the Palestinians fire missiles into it, and Hamas and Hezbollah try to tunnel under it.
So, when the Antichrist marches into Israel with an army of hostile nations, it will not just be a local event. It will polarize the entire world. Every nation will be watching, and every nation will choose a side.
It is in the choosing of sides that countries form alliances and start world wars.
The Antichrist will gain power and authority through such alliances. We read in Revelation 17:12-13, “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who… receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.” (these alliances are already forming – see post Antichrist Alliances of the Middle East Forming)
As Rabbi Pinchas Winston told Israel365 News, “The War of Gog and Magog is not intended to punish Israel or the nations. The real purpose is to make people choose to make it clear what side they are on. And this is entirely evident in their attitude towards Israel.”
In such a war, which side do you think China will be on?