Steven Collins
August 10, 2007
My research paper, “What Ezekiel 38-39 Reveals about a Future World War III,” stated that an Asian alliance of “Tarshish and the young lions thereof” will emerge as a counterweight to China and that this alliance will likely be allied to the USA and the Western world. These nations are identified in my research paper as Japan and the “young tiger” nations of the Pacific Rim. South Korea was listed as one of the “young tiger” nations which were prophesied to emulate Japan’s mercantile, export-driven economy. This part of Ezekiel 38 has been fulfilled, and the world’s financial press has called South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, etc. the “young tiger” nations.
My June 27, 2007 posting at this blog site was entitled “American Passivity Re: Chinese Militarization Worries Asian Nations.” It cited a link which indicated that several Asian nations (including members of the “young tigers”) were growing increasingly concerned about the lack of American response to China’s rapid militarization. These Asian nations issued a warning that they would need to develop “deterrent options” of their own against China which would “not be limited to weapons of mass destruction.” Establishment media sources have reported that Japan could be a significant nuclear power within a short time if they decide to become one. The only thing limiting Japan’s nuclear weapons from being assembled is Japan’s pacifist Constitution. One of the “young lion” nations is now taking steps to assert itself as well.
The July 9, 2007 issue of The Washington Times (National Weekly Edition, p. 24) ran a story entitled “S. Korea Naval Force Increases War Fleet.” The article stated South Korea has just deployed its first Aegis destroyer…and two more Aegis destroyers are to be added over the next five years.” An Aegis destroyer is a state-of-the-art surface combatant that can track and attack multiple threats simultaneously and generally also launch cruise missiles. Nations possessing such warships are detailed in a link at www.jeffhead.com. The Washington Times’ article also reported that South Korea naval building program will also include “…nine smaller destroyers, nine frigates, 32 corvettes and more than 100 patrol ships, minesweepers and logistic vessels…[plus] Two large amphibious ships [carrying] 750 marines and 15 helicopters [and] 23 landing craft.” There is more! South Korea also intends to “acquire 36 diesel-electric submarines.” This new naval force will be come on line over the “next 15 years,” and will be added to South Korea’s current naval fleet, which includes “39 warships, 20 submarines, 84 patrol and coastal vessels, 15 mine warfare ships, 12 amphibious vessels and 60 naval combat aircraft.”
Clearly, South Korea has made a major commitment to becoming a significant naval power in the Pacific Region. This is a reasonable action on South Korea’s’ part as it has a rapidly-militarizing China located almost next door. The USA looks favorably upon the expansion of South Korea’s navy. One US admiral stated “The Korean navy should build a force that can support the (South Korea-US) alliance.”
The article noted South Korea’s residual “antipathy” toward Japan as a result of Japan’s occupation of Korea in World War II. This is understandable, but as China’s military power grows and as it becomes increasingly clear that China intends to dominate its neighbors (if not the world), such nations as South Korea and Japan will be steadily pushed together into a joint Western-Pacific Rim nation alliance against China. Ezekiel 38 foretold this development circa 2500 years ago. The alliance of Pacific Rim nations is identified in Ezekiel 38 as “Tarshish and the young lions,” and it foretold they would be a “merchant” alliance. This accurately foretold that Japan and the Young Tiger nations would have economies based on aggressive merchandising to other nations, and the term used by the world’s press (“the young tigers”) echoes the very language used about them in biblical prophecy. Indeed, the Bible’s prophecies about the modern world (called the “latter-days” in the Bible) are so accurate that it can only be explained by the existence of a Divine Creator who authored the original biblical prophecies and who is bringing them to pass in modern geopolitics. This is exactly what God said he would do (see Isaiah 41:21-26).
Since the Bible has so accurately prophesied what will occur so far among the nations, we can be sure that the remainder of his biblical prophecies will also be brought to pass…whether the nations want them to be fulfilled or not.
