Geo said:
Well, Veteran,
It could be intended to see it that way, and what then really happens will still be a major surprise to everyone, and a snare, that possibly turns out differently than planned by humans:
Jeremiah 50:24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD.
But what I think is misunderstood a lot is the motivation behind the group you suggests operates with scare tactics. What they definitely want is a very substantial reduction of the world population, it's a vital part of their religion. And one of the most important commandments of their god. See lucifers's 10, aka the the earths desired population as set in stone in the Georgia Guidestones. It's intergral part in form of "sustainable development" with all new agers and UN alike.
The mystery of babylon is a complicated one. Yet it's really simple at the same time. What reminds me of a book that's written in an unusal way like a detective story playing on the orient express looking for "who done it". And at the same time looking for "who's in charge" in this world at the current time. It's called "Brotherhood of Darkness" by Stanley Monteith. He's a christian author that comes to the biblically correct conclusion of what makes all these different groups of possible suspects work together. Once you read the conclusion, you know why they want to get rid of most of the people. And especially Israel, both branches.
"This is why I believe Pike's letter may have been planned propaganda."
Whoever wrote that letter wrote it over a 100 years ago, that much is certain, and he got already 2 world wars right.
Whether this articulated plan of a third self-implodes on Babylon's head or not, and God takes her out first, we don't know yet. But what we do know is:
Revelation 9:15 Â And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
Revelation 9:18 Â By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
I've been aware of the U.N. plan for population control for quite a while. I also recall reading portions of the 1993 Gorbachev summit in San Francisco, which environmentalists said that about 90 percent of the world's population needed to be reduced in order for mankind to continue to exist on this earth. I'm aware of a lot of the globalists plans. But the events are still going to come down the line how God's Word shows us. And God said He tells us of things before He does them (Isa.42:9). But we're talking about the timing of the "great tribulation" when they will try to act on much of that.
We must not fail to recognize from Pike's letter their reasoning for bringing world wars. It's for the purpose of forcing nations to join together for their plan of one world government, so they can setup their "king of the world" over all peoples. And they have said that if the nations still held to their independence, they would bring another war. What we see today is the nation joining actually happenning, so since the end of world war two the U.N. police actions like Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq have been enough to serve their cause, even as George Bush senior stood up at the U.N. podium and said the purpose for the Gulf War was "to empower the United Nations."
In the tribulation timing, that's when the locust army will be loosed upon the earth in full power on the sixth trump. Notice where their 'power' is per that Rev.9 chapter. It's in their 'mouth', meaning words, lies of deception. And they are told they can only sting those not sealed with God's seal for a period of five months (possibly the shortened time of tribulation our Lord Jesus mentioned). The Euphrates represents the symbolic border between Satan's host and God's people. The Rev.9:12-21 sixth seal second woe events are about the final stage of the locust, with the locust army of Joel being loosed upon the earth. That's tribulation timing.
Rev.11 gives us a picture of Jerusalem during that time of the second woe and sixth trump. There is a temple, with those worshipping inside, and Gentiles gathered to trample its courts for forty two months (3 and 1/2 years). That forty two months is also the time the "dragon" of Rev.13:4-5 is given to operate. God's "two witnesses" appear in Jerusalem during that period to give a Testimony against it. That represents a time when Satan worship will be in control over all nations on the earth, i.e., the time of "Peace and safety" Paul mentioned in 1 Thess.5 that the deceived will be saying. That's about the "vile person" of Daniel appearing in Jerusalem to end the daily sacrifice and oblation that temple worship will have reinstituted. The reason is because that will be about the 'pseudo Christ' (false messiah) which the deceived will be told is Christ having returned. He will be all things to all those deceived, regardless of religion or nationality. But that false king will be the dragon.
So would that time, when their 'world king' is setup in Jerusalem as head over all nations, mean a time of world war with literal weapons? No, just the opposite, for Rev.13:4 asks "who is able to make war with him?" Instead, it will be the start of the real spiritual war here on earth. Many of us who remain faithful to Jesus Christ will be delivered up in that time, for it's us who have the Testimony of Jesus Christ and follow His commandments which they wish to destroy off the earth. That will be the hour of temptation that is to come upon the whole world. Yet it is not to be a temptation for us, mainly because those who remain faithful to Christ Jesus are not to be deceived by that coming false messiah whom the whole world will wonder after. This is why Rev.9 shows that only the deceived, those not sealed with God's seal, are not to be harmed. Those sealed with God's seal that are not deceived will be their main target. That's the coming war for the tribulation timing, and it's going to be a spiritual war for one's soul.
That's the timing our Lord Jesus was talking about, when brother shall betray brother, the father the son, and children shall cause their parents to be put to death (Mark 13:12). The whole world is going to hate those who remain standing faithful in Christ Jesus and that refuse to bow to their fake world king as God.
There's a parallel in Rev.16 about that border Euphrates...
Rev 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
When that sixth vial is poured out, it looses that working upon the earth, the spirits of devils, working miracles, the final purpose being to prepare for the final battle that ends this world. That's tribulation timing also, for by those miracles the dragon and his angels will literally work on earth many will be deceived, and agree to go up against God's people then to destroy us all. But what happens, how will they will be stopped...
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
(KJV)
In Zephaniah 3, God said it was His intent to assemble the kingdoms, gather the nations, in order to pour out His indignation upon them, for all the earth will be devoured with the fire of His jealousy. That's when He says He will rise up off His Throne and do that. That's what the battles of Armageddon and Hamongog are about. In Ezekiel 38 He gave us the alignment of nations that will try to go up against God's people in the end to destroy them in final. It's that event which will end the "great tribulation" upon His people. That is the event Peter spoke of in 2 Peter 3:10, with the elements (man's works) being burned up off the earth, a great fire being used to cleanse the whole earth like how the flood of Noah's day cleansed the whole earth from the wickedness then. Ezekiel 39 is very, very specific, that God Himself is going to do this, and not by the hand of any man. As written there, when God rises up off His Throne to do this, all will know He is The GOD, and there is no other.
Many, especially the Pre-Trib Left-Behind "secret rapture" folks, have misinterpreted that event as world war three. It will not be. The tribulation events will be a "snare" upon these, because what are they taught? They're wrongly taught they're going to be raptured out before the coming tribulation. The false messiah will be presented to them in place of Christ, and they will believe it just as they believed men's doctrines preached to them. This is why our Lord Jesus when asked 'where' the first one taken in the field was to, He said wheresover the carcase is, that's where the eagles will be gathered. That's the being snared and taken idea from Isaiah 8, with God's Word having become a "stone of stumbling" to them.
So we may see little battles, more U.N. police actions, etc., on this earth prior to the "great tribulation". But the plan for a one world government has always been for the purpose of ending all wars. So the world war three Pike is talking about is the final plan to destroy all of God's people off this earth at the end of the tribulation timing. Our Heavenly Father tells us He is going to stop that part of their plan, and will step in at that moment when they try it. And that's something those who remain faithful in Christ all the way to the end should include in Testimony against Christ's enemies.
