The year 2003 saw the invasion of Iraq called in America “Shock 'n Awe.” This name was not taken at random. In the Israeli state it was called “Operation Shekinah.” The word “Shekinah” is pronounced “Shock-'n-awe.” The name was obviously conceived by Jewish interests in the American government. For this reason also, the main news magazines showed on their front pages a large explosion in Baghdad, taken in the initial raid. The explosion pictures a man-made Shekinah glory.

Counterfeits simulate the real, of course, and natural things prophesy of the spiritual. Yet at the same time, those who dreamed up the carnalized version of the Shekinah glory of God probably did not have prophetic motives. Nonetheless, the overthrow of Iraq was important as a prophetic type, because Iraq is the old territory of ancient Babylon. Thus, the overthrow of Iraq established a prophetic type of the soon-coming overthrow of modern Mystery Babylon.

The second major prophetic event in 2003 was the Israeli decision to build the longest protective WALL in world history—second only to the Great Wall of China. This wall has proven a point that we had been making for many years, namely, that the Israeli State is NOT the fulfillment of the regathered House of Israel in Ezekiel 38, 39. Look at the description of that nation in Ezekiel 38:11, 12,

¹¹ And you [Gog and Magog] will say, “I will go up against the land of UNWALLED villages; I will go against those who are AT REST, that LIVE SECURELY, all of them living WITHOUT WALLS, and having no bars or gates, ¹² to capture spoil and to seize plunder . . .”

By no stretch of imagination can anyone say that the Israeli State fits this description. No, the Palestinians were the ones dwelling in safety when the Zionists from Russia invaded them a century ago. The Palestinians were the ones living in a land of unwalled villages. And Jewish King Joseph of the Khazars wrote in 960 A.D. that his ancestors were descended from Togarmah, one of the tribes said to invade Palestine (Ezekiel 38:6). See my book, The Struggle for the Birthright.

So in the aftermath of the third bowl of wine poured out at Tabernacles of 2002, the Israeli government took steps to show the world that they are NOT the Israelites of Scripture, nor is their state the one described in Ezekiel 38 and 39. I appreciate their endorsement.

In October of 2003 we were led to hold a Tabernacles conference just south of Phoenix in Chandler, Arizona. There we were also led to pour out the fourth bowl of wine, along with water (as usual).

Chandler, Arizona is located in “The Valley of the Sun,” as it is called. The fourth bowl of wine in Revelation 16:8 was to be poured out upon the sun:

⁸ And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the SUN; and it was given to it to scorch men with fire.

The sun signifies leadership in Scripture. And so this bowl of wine signifies the beginning of judgment upon leadership, whether civil or religious. We poured out this fourth bowl on October 17, 2003 in a parking lot of a local shopping center near the hotel where we were meeting.

As we gathered, three security guards came running up to us, no doubt afraid that we were about to start rioting. They said we could not gather here, because it was on “private property.” I asked the head guard if we could have just 15 seconds, and he agreed to that. And so, with the permission of those in authority, we poured out the two bowls (water and wine) and left peaceably.

The Lord had revealed to us that the “Reaping Angel” would pour out the “wine” upon the Sun, and that we were just bearing witness to what the angel was doing.

Just five days after this event, a huge solar flare occurred on the sun on October 22, 2003. It struck the earth on Oct. 24, which was “United Nations Day.” The United Nations probably represent the apex of world leadership in the eyes of most people, so the timing of this event on that day was an eye opener.

In fact, for the first time in history, astronomers photographed TWO sunspots on the sun at the same time. Pictures were published on the internet. Then a second huge solar flare erupted on October 28, the third largest ever recorded.

Then on October 29 another flare erupted on the sun, sending radiation toward the earth at a speed of 5.6 million miles per hour, more than twice as fast as any solar storm recorded in the last 40 years. Deborah Zabarenko of the Washington Post wrote an article on Oct. 30, 2003,

Second Solar Storm Hits Earth

“A second huge magnetic solar storm hit Earth on Thursday, just a day after an earlier one hurtled into the planet in what one astronomer called an unprecedented one-two punch.

“It's like the earth is looking right down the barrel of a giant gun pointed at us by the sun . . . and it's taken two big shots at us, said John Kohl . . .

“Kohl, the lead investigator for an instrument aboard NASA's sun-watching SOHO spacecraft, said the probability of two huge flares aimed directly at Earth coming so close together, as they have this week, was 'unprecedented . . . so low that it is a statistical anomaly'.”

On November 3, 2003, Senior Science writer, Robert Roy Britt wrote a news article:

Sun on Fire, Unleashes 3 More Major Flares

“The sun cut loose with three severe flares in less than 24 hours through Monday morning, bringing to nine the number of major eruptions in less than two weeks.

“Scientists have never witnessed a string of activity like this.

“I think the last week will go into the history books as one of the most dramatic periods of solar activity we have seen in modern time.

“No scientist can recall nine X-class flares ever occurring in a 12-day period. More major flares are possible this week, forecasters said.”

NewsMax later reported on November 17, 2003:

More Solar Fireworks Possible Soon

“There have been as many as 11 salvos since Oct. 19. And the fireworks could reach a new crescendo by Thanksgiving, the nation’s busiest holiday for air travel, just one of the things that can be disrupted. . .

“One explosion on Nov. 4 ranks as the most powerful solar flare to be recorded by orbiting instruments—although it was pointed away from earth. . . .

“Beginning on Nov. 3, it triggered three flares over several hours. The final flare on Nov. 4 saturated the X-ray detectors on NASA’s GOES satellite, which produces a new image of the sun every minute. The satellite was blinded for 11 minutes.

“Luckily for Earth, the sunspot cluster was rotating off the sun’s face and out of view. Most of its fury was directed harmlessly into space. Officially, it is ranked as X28. But some researchers believe it might’ve registered an astonishing X40.

“Previously, the most intense flares were a pair of X20s. . .

“‘What is clear is that the latest flare is the strongest ever recorded,’ Brekke said.”

If these powerful flares had shot their radiation directly at the earth, one wonders if any life would have been left on earth. An X-40 flare is twice as intense as any flare ever recorded in the past.

So once again we saw a great “coincidence.” The Reaping Angel poured out his wine upon the sun on Oct. 17, 2003 according to the prophecy of Rev. 16:8 . . . and within five days a history-making series of solar flares began to occur. This is not to suggest that an angel poured out some literal wine on the sun, of course. It signifies the beginning of judgment upon leadership.

We viewed this prophetic event as evidence of divine judgment upon all Babylonian leadership, whether civil or religious. They will ultimately be replaced by the overcomers who will rule with the mind of Christ.