In the first two parts of this series, we documented the rapid economic and geopolitical rise of a number of Asian countries over the past half-century. In addition, we pointed out related developments that may have alignments with specific Bible prophecies. We closed Part II of this series with a jarring report on the skewed gender preferences for male children in the populous nations of both China and India today.  Could this rather sudden development align with the prophecy found in Revelation 9:14-16, which mentions an action involving troops numbering 200 million?

A number of major questions still beckon in our investigation of Asia’s possible endtime roles: Will Asian nations yet take a dominant role in world affairs?  Could certain Asian nations form part of the final world order? Just what developments or events prompt the Kings of the East mentioned in Revelation 16:12 to cross over the Euphrates River?  We will attempt some answers.

As we learned, two countries in Asia alone account for almost two-fifths of the world’s population—China and India. Overall, approximately three-fifths of the world’s population lives east of the Euphrates River in Asia. Yet, population trends are suddenly changing. In addition to the sudden shift to “gendercide” in Asia and India, the birth rate has been falling rapidly in Asia. It is possible that Asian populations could begin declining in the next half century. China, specifically, will face one of the steepest aging trends in the world during this period.

Twenty-five to 50 years from now, the population of China—indeed that of Asia at large —would no longer be sufficient to support an army of young men of eligible military age in excess of 200 million. Not only would population growth already be in decline, the average age of males would push far past the ideal military service age. If so, then we are presented with a possible time constraint. We could argue that the large army foreseen in Revelation 9, if it is to be centered in Asia, is an event that must fall in the nearer future. If Asian populations are aging, time is running out. (However, as mentioned in Part II, Scripture does not allow us to conclude with full certainty that this large army of mounted troops must come entirely from Asia, though we certainly see developments today that would align with such a conclusion.)

China and Asia Continue to Advance

For several reasons, we have emphasized China in our investigation. Firstly, it is crucial to realize that the Chinese have an inordinately large influence on the entire Asian region. Not only is China the largest trade partner with many other Asian countries, a large percentage of major businesses in southeast Asia are owned or controlled by Chinese families. Though a minority ethnic group in Asia (outside of China), they are its main business people. The Chinese diasporas, triggered by political unrest and wars of the late 19th century and the middle 20th(the time of the Great Revolution and victory of Mao Zedong) spread a Chinese business network across the entire region from Malaysia to Indonesia. These large business empires have directed much investment to China in recent decades and have made a large contribution to the economic rise of China.

Secondly, China, either individually or in concert with other Asian countries, has the ability to challenge America and other Western countries. China itself may have less inhibitions in destabilizing the current world order, as it is much more than “a big country, inhabited by many Chinese,” as the French premier Charles DeGaulle once opined. Its agendas find deep motivations. China’s deportment will be influenced by the fact that it has existed as a country millenniums before the US and other high income countries of today. After all, China was the world’s largest economy for 18 of the last 20 centuries.

Finally, China is not militarily reliant upon the West as Japan was when it entered its fast-growth phase. This affords a measure of autonomy. It can choose to align itself against the West. In conclusion, China is no one’s lap dog. It is an independent player on the world scene. Foreign pressure (gaiatsu) is not likely to be effective.  Can anyone stop China from pursuing its own interest?

Is a Dominant Asia Inevitable?

Though it may today appear that the economic advance of China and other Asian nations is unstoppable, this is not necessarily a valid conclusion. In fact, it is not at all likely that Far-East Asian nations will come to dominate the world any time soon, if ever. To the contrary. While competitive pressures and conflicts with the Western world (Roman world) are surely to heighten, Bible prophecy as well as other developments observable today suggest otherwise.
It is strange twist of fate that Asia as a region possesses so little resources and energy reserves in comparison to other parts of the world. The vast abundance of the world’s resources—certainly so when measured on a per capita basis—is found elsewhere. This is a structural reality of the world. It means that an awakening Asia, as it seeks to attain the prosperity levels of the US, Canada andEurope, is sure to test the limitations of commodity supplies. This has already been the case to date.

Particularly, as the populous countries of India and China raise their overall consumption levels and become integrated into world trade, it will stress commodity supply channels, not to mention worsen pollution. Just think: WereChina alone to ever attain the same per-capita automobile ownership asAmerica, it would mean that the entire auto fleet of the world would at least double. Imagine the rise in demand for iron ore and other resources, especially hydrocarbons. Obviously, such a boom is not likely to occur without causing economic stresses for the entire world.

As such, there are a number of reasons why key Asian countries also face some challenges in the decades ahead.  Another hurdle, as mentioned, stems from the fact that birth rates have fallen dramatically over the past two decades in China (and also Asia generally). At some point this will cause economic difficulties, as there will be insufficient young people entering the workforce. Moreover, in hyper-stimulating its economy to high growth, China has resorted to manipulating its currency as well as its monetary affairs. For example, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has forced state banks over the past two years to create the largest lending surge in history. This is foolhardy. The ultimate result of these policies will be disastrous. No country has ever escaped the consequences of credit bubbles. Therefore, we can reasonably conclude that China’s boom cannot continue indefinitely.
A Dried-Up Euphrates: What It Means

Two prophetic accounts we have reviewed in our study of Asia involved theEuphrates River. A key difference between these references was that it was “dried up” in the one account (Revelation 16[1]), while no mention of this is made in the other (Revelation 9). Yet, it is specifically this drying up of the Euphratesthat is stated as causing (or facilitating) the crossing of the “Kings of the East.”

Just what could this drying up of the Euphrates imply? It may be a symbolic indication.  Consider that the imagery of “dried up” water is found elsewhere in Scripture. It comes up in at least three contexts: describing actual natural phenomena, as imagery of divine intervention,[2] or military boasting. Naturally, a “dried up” river or sky would represent famine and drought. Rivers were the economic basis of agrarian societies, certainly so in Mesopotamia and Egypt. A dry river therefore implied dying livestock and failed crops—an economic depression, in other words.[3]

To dry up a river was also considered a military technique of conquest and boasting.[4] The overthrowing of Babylon by Cyrus of Persia is one the most well known demonstrations of using the technique of a “dried up” river (in this case, by diverting the river) to military advantage. Sennacherib, King of Assyria, apparently boasted that he dried up the river of Egypt with the “soles of his feet” (2 Kings 19:24).

We are left speculating about the question of what a “dried up” Euphrates could signify—that the river becomes literally dried up, or that the region suffers economic depression? We embrace both interpretations. Indeed, the flow of theEuphrates is much slower today due to many hydroelectric developments. However, a river today, whether dry or swollen, is hardly an obstacle to mechanized armies with capable engineers. Therefore, the literal drying up of theEuphrates River is not needed to allow the incursions of the Kings of the East. Rather, it is more likely that the “drying up” is meant symbolically as an economically difficult time.

Whatever the case, as we will next show, neither China nor Asia collectively will come to dominate the world either economically or geopolitically.

One More Key Mention of Asian Countries in Prophecy

There is one additional verse in the Bible which applies to some key Asian countries today that can easily be overlooked. It is found in Revelation 17:12, which supports an important deduction. It reads: “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast.” Just how does this verse connect to Asian countries today?

We must, of course, first assume that we are indeed living in the very last of the last days. As such, the world today would then be very near the time that the 10 kings are to emerge upon the world scene. The verse we have quoted from Revelation specifically refers to these 10 kings and reveals a crucial clue.

John, the Revelator tells us here that these 10 kings “have not yet received a kingdom.”  This means that neither the kings nor their kingdoms referred to in this verse had yet existed either at or by the time that Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation (approx. 90-95 AD).

As such, we can validly draw some conclusions from Revelation 17:12: Any nation today that existed at or prior to the time of John’s prophecy can therefore not qualify as one of the 10 final kings … in other words, one of the final 10 nations. If we apply this rule, it reveals that such nations as China, India, Persiaand others will not be part of the final 10-king world power coalition.

China already existed in New Testament times. According to historians, the Han Dynasty, a predecessor to modern-day China, was in power at the time of John’s prophecies. The same may be concluded for the nation of Japan today. As already mentioned, the nation of “Hodu” (India) had already existed, as the book of Esther confirms. Crucially, therefore, we discover here that none of these large and influential Asian nations will be part of the last-day rulership represented by the 7th head of the beasts shown in Revelation 12, 13 and 17 … the 10 kings.

What light could this information possibly shed upon our times today? Without a doubt, there indeed will be “Kings of the East” that fulfill their action as described in Revelation 16:12, confirming their existence at that time. However, these nations will be dominated by the 10 kings, as the 7th head that they represent is the final power that then has dominance over the entire world with the Antichrist (See Daniel 7).

Beyond the certainty that these nations will not be part of the world ruling order at the time that the Antichrist takes over global control, we can only attempt a few additional speculative conclusions.

A scenario that appears plausible is that the formation of the final 10 kings may very well be a counter strategy to the perceived threats or non-aligned perspectives of other global players, these very possibly being the Kings of the East who are growing in power. There is no doubt that China is strategically placed geographically, allowing it to become a naval power that can control much of Asia. A number of geographers and geo-strategists have long thought this to be the case.  As it happens, China today has sharply increased its spending on its naval capabilities.

Scripture seems to indicate that the Kings of the East are shown to be an opposition force, certainly an aggressor. They rise up, crossing the EuphratesRiver against an unknown enemy. The catalysts may be economic or geopolitical.

The 10 kings, on the other hand, come together to collect power to then give it to the Antichrist. The Bible tells us that, “These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (Revelation 17:13). It is possible that the specter we see developing in Asia today could very well be the world power dynamic that hastens the formation of the 10 kings. If so, the time may already be very short.

Prophetic Significance Cannot Be Ignored

What is clear is that certain nations east of the Euphrates—represented by the Kings of the East—will be heading west across the Euphrates at some point. As the Bible uses the word “king” as being synonymous with “kingdoms,” the meaning here is more likely to indicate the involvement of entire nations rather than just a contingent of physical kings who are to cross the river Euphrates.

Certainly, the world is witnessing developments today that for the first time allow some of the literal interpretations of the prophecies concerning the Euphrates that we have reviewed. These emerging conditions east of the Euphrates can be seen to be in alignment with the events described in Revelation 9 and 16. The emergence of the Kings of the East as is being witnessed today in no way obviates other Bible prophecies.

Although we cannot know how God will allow various specific events to play a part, we have certainly pointed to some possibilities. Could a world or regional depression (perhaps represented figuratively or literally by the drying up of theEuphrates) play a role in triggering the prophesied events involving the Kings of the East? Is it plausible that a coalition of Asian nations will initiate an aggression, perhaps for economic, geopolitical, or other reasons such as resource deprivation …etc.? The Kings of the East then breach the Euphrates, storming into the lands originally covenanted to Israel. We can only speculate. But one thing is true: Events are accelerating on the world stage, and for the first time in history, events described in Revelation could indeed see literal fulfillment.

Points to PonderThe speed of change and the nature of the developments underway in Asia today are simply astounding. Finally, following the lead of other Asian countries, we see that a sleeping giant has been awakened in the past half-century.

While it surely is factual and significant that economic and geopolitical power has begun to be more widely distributed around the world away from the Roman-type nations (this potentially an important alignment with endtime prophecy), consensus predictions that the Asian nations will dominate the world are not likely to be correct. Popular beliefs rarely are.

In the meantime, Western nations (most certainly American countries) have forged relationships with these exporting, consumer-pleasing countries from the Asian continent. However, it is a thin one. It is on a materialistic level only, and in that sense, somewhat of Faustian bargain.

In every other way, the nations across this divide remain worlds apart with radically different heritages, both religious and social. Though in our modern-day technological world we may own Panasonic televisions and drive Toyotas, the Japanese still bow to the Shinto gods (some still considering their emperor as divinity!).

Western nations, of course including Canada and the U.S., are still predominantly influenced by Judeo-Christian philosophies (what are today called “family values”), and therefore are really not friends at heart with Asian nations. Nations today are conducting nothing more than tactical association in pursuit of their own mutual vested interests … for now. But, all of this can change quickly.

It is critical to recognize that Asia, as diverse as it may be, broadly represents a philosophical and religious disposition that is radically different than what is found in other major regions of the world. Hinduism, Buddhism and a host of other pantheistic, spiritist and atheistic religions that are found in Asia, contrast with the broad branches of Judeo-Christian and Islamic streams that mark much of the rest of the world. As such, religious and cosmic perspectives are radically different. This likely plays an important part in the conflicts that are developing between the major countries of Asia and other nations.

With Israel historically, the false-god religions of the “children of the east” proved to be deadly snares for the Israelites. Israel was often chastised for chasing after the “eastern” gods. Today, a similar influx of eastern influences is being witnessed in the West. Nations that were historically influenced by the Christian gospel, are willing to fraternize with any and all gods for secular and material gain. As a result, they have become ensnared by foreign gods.

Speaking to Israel, Isaiah prophesies specifically with our day in mind. “You have abandoned your people, the house of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and clasp hands with pagans” (Isaiah 2:6).  This indeed is the condition of Israel today. The majority of its citizens are secular Jews wanting nothing to do with the Jehovah of the Torah. Eastern religious influences are epidemic. According to Isaiah, it is for this reason that God forsakes them to the Great Tribulation in the last days.

Yet, Jehovah will be faithful to promises made to the patriarchs:

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out ofZion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.  And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD (Isaiah 2:2-5, KJV).

The emergence of the 10 kings could be very, very near. As our study of Asiashows, not only is the age ripe eschatologically, the timeline may be short.

[1] The drying up of the Euphrates is also corroborated by Isaiah 11:15: “The LORD will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that men can cross over in sandals.”
[2] “Drying up” was both an action of blessing and a curse: The divine interventions include the parting of the Red Sea, drying up the world after the deluge, and the parting of the Jordan to allow the Israeli armies to cross over.
[3] Joel 1:20; Amos 4:7, 7:4
[4] The army of Cyrus dried up the Euphrates river bed by diverting it, in order to gain entry into the city of Babylon.

Will an Asian group of countries continue to gain strength, perhaps even eventually dominating world trade and geopolitics? Are the developments the world is witnessing in Asia today of prophetic significance? We continue our investigation of the sudden events playing out in this region and their potential endtime roles.

In Part I of this series, we concluded that, very reasonably, geopolitical and economic trends involving Asia today should be interpreted in terms of last day developments. Far East Asian countries are indeed mentioned in the Bible, and a group of these are certainly the subject of Bible prophecy. That said, we must be cautious in any speculations. The full extent of future developments in this region—specifically their timing and detail—remains hidden.

Let’s again test the validity of connecting a phenomenon that has occurred only recently in history—namely, the economic and geopolitical rise of a group of Asian countries— with an endtime timeline of cosmic significance. Why? Many prophecy teachers over the centuries have made the error of connecting events occurring in their day to the literal “last day” events mentioned in the Bible. Countless times the events of the last days had been announced or allegorized erroneously. Are we making the same error?

We will certainly need to proceed with caution. Therefore, let’s briefly review the rationale for our conclusion that events we see today definitely do fit into an endtime timeline.

Why Asia Has Prophetic Involvement

In the first place, we must of course inquire whether the Scriptures make any specific statements on this question…in other words, “shineth a light in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19). Any such enlightenment would alone be sufficient. And indeed, reference is made to Far East Asia in the apocalyptic literature of the Bible. We will shortly examine these references and their timeframe in more detail.

Secondly, as a priori, we take the position that indeed we are living in the very last of the last days. We substantiate this view on the basis of Israel—“the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8), the very timepiece of Bible prophecy.  This “timepiece” is back on the world scene, having again emerged as a nation after 5,000 years. Many last-day prophecies could not be fulfilled without this happening first.  Therefore, we know that today’s generation is the one that will see “all these things” happen (Matthew 24:34), and that the sudden trends of “global significance” taking place after 1948 should be considered telling.

The phenomena today in Far East Asia definitely pass the test of endtime significance, according to our five “last-day hallmarks” outlined in Part I of this series. Further supporting the topical nature and timeliness of our subject, according to the Prophet Hosea, we know that we are in the very last of the last days … most probably at the time where Christ is already at the door for his Church (Revelation 3:20). Hosea was inspired to say, “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence”(Hosea 6:2).

As a “day is as a thousand years” (Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8), it is now well into the second half of the third day for the Jews.  If we count from 606 BC, the time from which the servitude to Babylonia began, almost two-thirds of this third day has already passed. Given this reference point, we can be sure that the Tribulation will begin to unfold in 376 years or less (and also, before this the Rapture). That means that we indeed are living in the very last of the last days, even if God were to stretch out this timeline to the full three millennia allowed by Hosea’s prophecy.

Finally, we can observe whether developments in the Far East Asia region today dovetail with other prophesied events and trends for a last-day world. Does the rise of Asia—this perhaps being related to the “Kings of the East”—refute or accentuate other endtime processes that are underway in the world?

Of course, all of these additional considerations and tests are secondary and insufficient without any literal biblical support. Therefore, let’s next set a foundation and investigate Scripture in these matters.

Biblical References to Far East Asia

The Bible is not silent about Far East Asia. Of course, all people of the world are contemplated in the general address of much of the prophetic literature of the Bible. However, there are several prophecies that clearly involve this region in a specific way.

Firstly, revealing the most eastern nation mentioned in the Bible, China itself is mentioned in a prophetic context in Isaiah 49:12: “Behold, these shall come from far; and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land ofSinim.” Just what and where is Sinim? Most sources agree that “Sinim” refers to the far eastern region of China today.[1] Things related to China today are still referred to as “sino”; for example, the word “sinology” means the study of China.

In the Arabic language today, China is still referred to as “Sin.” The word “Sin” likely comes from the word Ch’in (or Tsin), as in the Ch’in Dynasty which ruled China between 221 and 206 B.C., or some other word derivation from before that time. The word “Sinim” in Hebrew would therefore simply be the plural form of “Sin.”

What we can deduce from Isaiah’s word, written some 2,700 years ago, is that Sinim (China) will most certainly exist in the last days and into the following Millennial period. Moreover, we can also reasonably deduce that China must be a substantial entity at that time, since its name is used in this prophecy to describe the general geographical direction of “east.” Isaiah indicates that the people of Sinim will also be in that number that will eventually go to worship in the newIsrael of the 1,000-year Millennial Period.

But will China also pay a significant geopolitical role in the last days, perhaps being a key member of a final world order? The answer, we believe, is both yes and no.  Yes, in our opinion China (and some other select Asian nations) will play a prominent role in last-day geopolitical developments, but the Bible clearly rules out any role for China in the post-globalism, minilateralism period of a “10-king” ruling order just before the Antichrist comes on the scene. We will return to this point in our conclusions.

In the meantime, we must examine yet other Scripture references that may indicate a pivotal role for Far East Asian nations in last day developments before the Millennium.

Asia and the Euphrates

In Revelation 9:14-16, a somber picture is described. A command is given to the sixth angel of the Apocalypse holding the sixth trumpet:

‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’ And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.

These verses are significant for two potential reasons: firstly, the River Euphrates is involved, and secondly, a large army is mentioned. The great significance of the Euphrates is the fact that it represents the eastern-most border of the lands that God covenanted to the descendants of Abram[2]: “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18). While this is a biblically-defined border, it also can be considered a dividing line between the Far East (or also variously called the Near East) and the Middle East. The definitions of these terms have changed over the years.  Therefore, for the purpose of our topic, we will use the biblically defined border of the Euphrates as the boundary between the Far East and Middle East.

With respect to the identity of the army mentioned in Revelation 9, there are a number of interpretations. While four angels are responsible for bringing about the killing of a “third of mankind,” it is mounted troops that appear to be the actual instrument of destruction. Were this to occur today, it would mean the death of 2.2 billion people…or 11 for every one of the mounted troops.  What seems not to be open to conjecture, however, is the number of the mounted troops—200 million. Apostle John is sure of this figure, saying, “I heard their number.” At the time that he received this vision on the island of Patmos, sometime around 90-95 AD, the world had little need for such large numbers. Experts estimate that the earth’s entire population then was as little as only 165 million (perhaps as high as 300 million).

A mounted army of 200 million is not a development that could have occurred until at least some 2,000 years after John’s prophecies. While we cannot be certain as to the identity of the large army of mounted troops, there perhaps is implied an Asian connection, as the actions seem to be carried out from this region. Yet, Scripture is not conclusive on this point. While the four angels are released in Asia (at the Euphrates), the mounted troops could originate from anywhere in the world.

Revelation 16:12 mentions yet another event that takes place in the vicinity of theEuphrates River.

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.

Interestingly, whereas the account of the 2-million-strong army found in Revelation 9 occurs at the time of the sixth angel with the sixth trumpet, this verse provides an entirely different depiction, which occurs at a later time when the sixth angel pours out a sixth bowl of wrath. These are therefore entirely different events, though they could be related in some way. There is only one definite connection between them—the Euphrates River. And, as we learn from these verses, this important border for Israel will be breached when the Kings of the East go over to the west side of this river.  Nothing more appears to be directly attributed to the “Kings of the East” anywhere in the Bible.

While there are a number of specific references to Far East Asia in the prophecies we have reviewed, the most clear of these is the reference to the “Kings of the East” which cross the Euphrates. Why will these kings do this?  Just who might these kings represent?

Aligning Trends in the World Today
Undoubtedly, the Kings of the East will be the leaders of a number of countries in Far East Asia—namely, nations on the east side of the Euphrates River. However, to this point in our discussion, we have only drawn attention to the sudden economic and geopolitical awakening of these countries during the past 60 years. Our outline in Part I established that these nations have come into a position of worldwide influence. We assert that this particular development is purposely coincident—not an accidental coincidence—with many other epic and unprecedented worldwide developments. In addition to these sudden economic developments in Asia, there are other factors to be observed today that could align with some aspects prophesied in Revelation 9 and 16 about the Euphratesand regions east of this river.

Fitting Asian Population Dynamics
“Women are missing in their millions—aborted, killed, neglected to death. In 1990 an Indian economist, Amartya Sen, put the number at 100 million; the toll is higher now.” What does this quote from a recent Economist magazine article on gendercide have to do with Asia? Quite a bit, not to mention there being a likely prophetic connection. Let us explain.

Firstly, just what is “gendercide”? The term was coined by the aforementioned economist and refers to the practice of killing baby girls in order to have more sons. It is an atrocity that has become epidemic in many Asian nations…a horrible slaughter of human life. These heinous practices will surely not go unpunished, neither on earth nor heaven. We can only speak here to its earthly repercussions.

Normally, between 103 and 106 boys are born for every 100 girls. This ratio of slightly more boys has been stable over time. Yet, in many Asian nations this ratio has become sharply biased toward boys in the recent decade. For example, inChina, the sex ratio for the generation born in 2000-2004 jumped to 124. By contrast, for the generation born between 1985 and 1989, this ratio was only 108 boys for every 100 girls (a little above average). A similar trend is evident in India, the second most populous nation in the world after China. Documented here is a recent and dramatic shift. Mostly, this has been the direct result of government-sponsored family planning policies. (Taiwan and China, for example. China is the top user of contraceptives in the world.[3], [4])

Just what will be the consequences of this distortion in male births? They stand to be far-reaching. Writes the Economist ominously: “Throughout human history, young men have been responsible for the vast preponderance of crime and violence—especially single men in countries where status and social acceptance depend on being married and having children, as it does in China and India. A rising population of frustrated single men spells trouble. […] Over the next generation, many of the problems associated with sex selection will get worse. […] within ten years, China faces the prospect of having the equivalent of the whole young male population of America, or almost twice that of Europe’s three largest countries with little prospect of marriage, untethered to a home of their own and without the stake in society that marriage and children provide.”

South Korea, an advanced nation (and a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), early in the 1970s experienced a similar birth skew favoring boys. While the birth ratio since that time has nearly normalized, the impact of its earlier misalignment has been significant. In 2008, more than 11% of marriages were “mixed,” mostly between a Korean man and a foreign woman. But what will be the future implications for China and India? For one, it would be impossible for all of its future single men to find enough “mail order” brides in the world (certainly not without depriving other men), given that these two nations account for 40% of the entire world’s population.

Today, China’s army (the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA) has a high number of recruits that are the single child in their family. Quoting Foreign Policymagazine, already in 2006 “only-child soldiers made up more than one half of the PLA force, giving China the largest-ever military with a majority of only-children.”[5] With so many single, non-family-rooted men soon coming of military age in the future, events this trend could move into rapid alignment with events prophesied in Revelation 9:14.
(We conclude this series with Part III: Geo-prophecy or Geopolitics?)

 
[1] James H. Strong, Exhaustive Concordance, p. 5515. “Sinim is a distant Oriental region.”
[2] This promise is repeated two more times in Scripture. “Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, theEuphrates. See, I have given you this land” (Deuteronomy 1:7-8).  “Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west”(Joshua 1:4).
[3] Marie Stopes International, a family planning charity, United Nations Population Division, 1996.
[4]Asian culture emphasizes the importance of a male heir. Inheritance practices often discriminate against women. In some Asian countries, for example India, bridal dowries are required. Few families can afford this cost, and therefore wish to avoid having daughters. Also, religious influences can play a role. For example, Hindu tradition that the eldest son must light the funeral pyre and free the spirit of his father is one of these influences.
[5] Drew Thompson, “Think Again: China’s Military.” Foreign Policy magazine, March/April 2010.