In Joel 2, the LORD describes an army of horsemen that will come to Armageddon as “a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations”.
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion… for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
Joel 2:1-2
This is China, more specifically the People’s Liberation Army of China.
Apparently, some ten years ago, Greg Laurie, an American pastor, figured this out. What is more, back then, he even realised that during the tribulation “the kings of the east will face off with the forces of the Antichrist” (ref. 1). Those were his exact words ten years ago.
Actually, to be precise, the prophesied kings of the east – “kings”, plural – are China and Russia, because Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula is in the far east, literally at the rising of the sun.
Today in 2021, China and Russia are moving ever closer together, even to the point of an actual military alliance (ref. 2), something the two ruled out only a few years ago.
Unfortunately, elsewhere, Greg Laurie says that today’s Russia is Gog of Magog. This is wrong. The war of Ezekiel 38 is after the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ, per Revelation 20:7-8; whereas Armageddon is before.
Many American pastors are confused about the details of Bible prophecy because Mystery Babylon is “the city of confusion” (ref. Isaiah 24:10). It has become “the habitation of devils” (ref. Revelation 18:2), and “the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously” (ref. Isaiah 24:16).
Anyway, returning to the army of horsemen, this army, which the LORD describes as “his army” (ref. Joel 2:11), is “great” and its camp is “very great”, because the LORD who executes his word is strong.
And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
Joel 2:11
It is said, China is one of the oldest, continuous civilisations. It has taken some three thousand and six hundred years to make China into what it has become today, a nation of around 1.4 billion.
The word “great” in Joel 2:2, and also 2:11 in regard to the size of the camp, in the original Hebrew is “rab”, which means “numerous” or “plenty”.
In Revelation 9:16, it is further revealed that the number of the army of the horsemen is “two hundred thousand thousand”, or in the original Greek “two ten thousand ten thousand”. By the way, in ancient China, large numbers were counted in lots of ten thousands.
So, this army will be two hundred million strong.
If you are wondering why the world despises China and Russia in these last few years (as opposed to Vietnam, for instance, which is run by the Communist Party of Vietnam), it is because China and Russia are not currently under the spell of Satan, and in due time, these two nations in particular, and some others as well, will fight against the armies of Satan, as the Bible prophesies.
So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
Isaiah 59:19
Now, let me show you why it will be this generation that will see Armageddon.
I read in the news today that China’s birthrate has plummeted to its lowest level since 1978 (ref. 3). While the population is still growing slightly, Babylon’s machinations, including Covid-19, could quickly change that. Furthermore, despite the Chinese government introducing a swathe of policies to reverse the declining birth rate – everything from removing limits on having children, to reducing costs associated with education and child rearing, to mandatory cooling off periods for divorces – the birth rate continues to decline.
Joel 2:2 reads that this army from the east is not only that of a numerous people, but there has not been a people ever the like, and there shall not be any more afterwards.
So, the Bible says, this army of two hundred million from a nation in the east will muster at a time when the nation’s population is greatest, which means now, during this current generation.
References
1. “Kings Of The East”, youtube.com/watch?v=Rtk0t9_dN5M
2. Vladimir Isachenkov (23 November 2021), “Russia, China sign roadmap for closer military cooperation”, apnews.com
3. Helen Davidson (23 November 2021), “Chinese birthrate falls to lowest since 1978”, theguardian.com