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THE MESSIAH WILL BRING RULERS AND THEIR "As for the lion which you saw coming from the forest, roused from sleep and roaring, which you heard addressing the eagle,* taxing it with its wicked deeds and words, this is the Messiah whom the Most High has kept back until the end. He will address those rulers, taxing them openly with their sins, their crimes, and their defiance. He will bring them alive to Judgement; he will convict them and then destroy them. But he will be merciful to those of My people that remain, all who have been kept safe in My land; he will set them free and give them gladness, until the final day of Judgement comes, about which I told you at the beginning." (2 Esdras 12:31-34 NEB). It is The Christ Michael who will censure these rulers, "taxing them openly with their sins, their crimes, and their defiance. Then he will "bring them alive to Judgement; he will convict them and then destroy them." But he will show mercy to the people of the Most High, setting them free and giving them gladness. Taxing rulers openly with their sins while they are still alive, and then destroying them, will inspire fear in those witnessing these events, especially those seeing associated scriptures being fulfilled. (Rev 19:20). While world leaders today may experience a certain degree of adverse publicity and public exposure, it is certainly not to the extent of final destruction as described in this prophecy. In the vision given to Ezra, "the eagle* you saw rising from the sea represents the fourth kingdom in the vision seen by your brother Daniel". (12:10,11 NEB). It differs from other kingdoms in that it "shall devour the whole earth, tread it down and crush it" and does not have recognizable national borders. (Daniel 7:23 NEB). It is the "kingdom" of Islam with its sectarian "horn" of Islamic terrorism conducting a Jihad ('holy war') against those rejecting Islam. The demon spirit and guardian angel of Persia and of all Moslems is the demon prince called jinn, and their leader speaking "proud words" against the Most High is Ayatollah Khomeini. (Dan 7:8 & 10:13 NEB). The rulership and defiance of satan expressed through this "horn" and killing many thousands by Islamic terrorism will be brought to an end, but "not by human hands". (Dan 8:23-25 NEB). As for the "greatest head, which you saw disappear" of the "three heads" of the "eagle", it signifies the last Shah of Persia who did "die in his bed, but in great agony." Of the two "heads" that survive and seize power, they will be destroyed by the sword of war: "one of them will fall by the sword of the other, who will himself fall by the sword in the last days." (12:26-28 NEB). As for the "two wings" that will "set themselves up as rulers", their reign will be short and troubled, during which time "the entire body" of the "eagle" will "burst into flames", striking the earth with terror. (12:1-3 NEB).
The destiny of the "eagle"
has been determined. "The Most High says to you: Are you not the only
survivor of the four beasts to which I gave the rule over my world, intending
through them to bring my ages to their end? You are the fourth beast, and you
have conquered all who went before, ruling over the world and holding it in the
grip of fear and harsh oppression. You have lived long in the world, governing
it with deceit and with no regard for truth. You have oppressed the gentle and
injured the peaceful, hating the truthful and loving liars; you have destroyed
the homes of the prosperous, and razed to the ground the walls of those who had
done you no harm. Your insolence is known to the Most High, and your pride to
the Mighty One. The Most High has surveyed the periods He has fixed: they are
now at an end, and His ages have reached their completion. So you, eagle, must
now disappear and be seen no more". (11:38 (Cont. on Page 4/12/87B).
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