"One tidbit you are overlooking: China is pro-Israel. If the Middle East didn't have oil, China's only friend there would be Israel."
China? Pro Israel? LOL!
Care to explain HOW China is PRO Israel?
LOL!
"And all this China in prophecy stuff makes me want to puke. There is not a single direct reference to China in the Bible. Not a single mention of its people and customs. The Middle Eastern world at the time had no idea China even existed."
Perhaps you need to spend some time reading His Word instead of ah, making yourself "puke".
Surely you can discern ... just like people thought the earth was FLAT. They didn't know there were other lands beside their own, yet the Bible is CLEAR on the earth being ROUND.
Some Bible critics have claimed that Revelation 7:1 assumes a flat earth since the verse refers to angels standing at the "four corners" of the earth. Actually, the reference is to the cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west. Similar terminology is often used today when we speak of the sun's rising and setting, even though the earth, not the sun, is doing the moving. Bible writers used the "language of appearance," just as people always have. Without it, the intended message would be awkward at best and probably not understood clearly. [DD]
In the Old Testament, Job 26:7 explains that the earth is suspended in space, the obvious comparison being with the spherical sun and moon. [DD]
A literal translation of Job 26:10 is "He described a circle upon the face of the waters, until the day and night come to an end." A spherical earth is also described in Isaiah 40:21-22 - "the circle of the earth."
Proverbs 8:27 also suggests a round earth by use of the word circle (e.g., New King James Bible and New American Standard Bible). If you are overlooking the ocean, the horizon appears as a circle. This circle on the horizon is described in Job 26:10. The circle on the face of the waters is one of the proofs that the Greeks used for a spherical earth. Yet here it is recorded in Job, ages before the Greeks discovered it. Job 26:10 indicates that where light terminates, darkness begins. This suggests day and night on a spherical globe. [JSM]
The Hebrew record is the oldest, because Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible. Historians generally [wrongly] credit the Greeks with being the first to suggest a spherical earth. In the sixth century B.C., Pythagoras suggested a spherical earth. [JSM]
Eratosthenes of Alexandria (circa 276 to 194 or 192 B.C.) calcuated the circumference of the earth "within 50 miles of the present estimate." [Encyclopedia Brittanica]
The Greeks also drew meridians and parallels. They identified such areas as the poles, equator, and tropics. This spherical earth concept did not prevail; the Romans drew the earth as a flat disk with oceans around it. [JSM]
The round shape of our planet was a conclusion easily drawn by watching ships disappear over the horizon and also by observing eclipse shadows, and we can assume that such information was well known to New Testament writers. Earth's spherical shape was, of course, also understood by Christopher Columbus. [DD]
The implication of a round earth is seen in the book of Luke, where Jesus described his return, Luke 17:31. Jesus said, "In that day," then in verse 34, "In that night." This is an allusion to light on one side of the globe and darkness on the other simultaneously. [JSM]
"When the Bible touches on scientific subjects, it is entirely accurate." [DD]
Inform yourself more here:
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-c015.html
In fact here's a better link to other questions you may have:
http://christiananswers.net/directry.html
Now as for China being CLEARLY stated in prophecy:
The Old Testament Book of Daniel's prophecies help explain the Book of Revelation's prophecies in Revelation 13. In chapter 7 of the Book of Daniel, Daniel saw a vision of 4 beasts rising out of the sea, representing future empires to come. The first beast was like a lion, and had a man's heart. The second beast was a bear with three ribs in its mouth. The third beast was a leopard with wings and 4 heads. The fourth beast had iron teeth and 10 horns, one of which was a man that spoke great things. These are believed the represent the Babylonian empire (the lion), Medo-Persian empire (the bear), and Greek empire of Alexander (the leopard-- Alexander had the speed of a leopard during military conquest), and the Roman empire (with iron teeth). It is also believed that the final empire may be talking about the Antichrist -- the man who speaks great things. Note that these beasts are combined into the 10-horned beast of Revelation 13, which has the mouth of a lion, feet of a bear, the speed of a leopard, and 10 horns representing a confederation of 10 states. This could be Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, evolving into this angry beast, or the SCO miltary organization consisting of Russia, China, and four Central Asian countries, that Iran could join in the future. This may mean that there will be an increasingly close military alliance between Russia and Red China, because the beast gets its power from the dragon, which would be Red China. Note that Russia is selling some of its best military weapons to Red China, including ships, submarines, radar systems, and jet planes, and Russia is also selling nuclear power plants and missles to Iran, the green dragon. The worst nightmare would be if Russia sells its big nuclear missle carrying subs to Red China, that could happen in the future. Personally I would prefer there not be trade agreements with Red China, I think Red China and North Korea should be isolated from the world as a dangerous outlaw nations.
And in Revelation 16, the River Euphrates in Iraq is dried up so that the army of the King of the East (China?) can cross it to the Battle of Armageddon. It is interesting that a severe drought was drying up the River Euphrates in 1999, this was the worst drought in Iraq in his century, and also Turkey is building dams upstream which could dry up this river, so this is another sign that Armageddon is approaching.
Revelation 16:12 "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water therof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared."
Also referring to the dragon is Revelation 12:3:
"And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon..." 12:9 "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent...he was cast out into earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
In Revelation 12 the red dragon is referring to Satan, but may also be referring to Red China, North Korea, and/or Russia, and also the Muslim terrorist green dragon. Also see the page on SARS disease, which started in Red China; I relate SARS to the Red Dragon. SARS would be a demon coming out of the mouth of the dragon Red China, described in Revelation 16, where the dragon and the two beasts send out demons.
Note that China's first leader, (and most blood-thirsty leader, the present tyrants in charge of Red China are mild compared to Mao), Chairman Mao Zedong, was born on Dec. 26, 1893, the day after Christmas. His being born at Christmas is an indication of Mao being a type of evil Antichrist. Mao's periods of greatest blood-thirstiness and terror were during China's Cultural Revolution from 1966-1976, when Mao encouraged China's youth to put on trial much of China's older adult population, to purge the country of "non-revolutionary" influences, and also when Mao exterminated Tibetan Buddhism by terror and murder, after his Chinese invasion of Tibet. Of the worst tyrants and murderers of the 20th century, only Stalin and Hitler can surpass Mao for evil. Note that Mao's death on Sept. 9, 1976, ended a 31 year period of 17 666 day cycles, as I discuss on the 666 day intervals page. If we consider Mao's birthplace in China, at Shao-shan, Hunan province, China, at geographic coordinates 27.9 N 112.6 E, we will consider the coordinates as related to Bible passage numbers, in particular the Book of Revelation, which is the main topic of this web site. Mao being born at 28 degrees N we will relate to Revelation 12:8 where the angry red dragon is cast down to earth, Revelation 12:7-9:
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
Here the Red Dragon represents Satan, but I think a second meaning is that the Red Dragon is Red China, and Chairman Mao in particular. Mao's birth was the casting of the red dragon to earth. And the red dragon, Red China, is growing stronger and more angry. And it is interesting that in the English legend of St. George, the patron Saint of England, it was St. George who battled against the dragon. The legend is that St. George appeared in vision to the English king, Richard I, the Lionhearted, during the crusades, and inspired him then. So it is interesting that U.S. President Bush has for first name George. I think President Bush's destiny is to be a present-day St. George, to defend the world from dragons, initially from this scary green dragon of Muslim terrorism, and also from the red dragons Red China and North Korea. Its also interesting that in the legend of St. George, the dragon was in a town in Libya, and Libya is named Put in the Bible (which sounds like Putin). Also note that Arab terrorists have been based in Libya. President Bush's destiny is to lead the U.S. at this time in history, with the war against terrorism.
Recent events in Red China and North Korea:
Oct. 10, 2005. A South Korean woman visiting North Korea had her baby on Oct. 10 in North Korea, and was called in North Korea a "Unification baby". This was said to be the first person born in North Korea as a South Korean citizen, and was called in North Korea a "sign" that a North-South unification could be near.
Jan. 1, 2006. North Korea accused the U.S. of wanting to start a new Korean War.
June 17, 2006. A close approach in the sky of Mars and Saturn (within .5 degree). Note that there was talk then of North Korea preparing for a long range missile test, where the missile could reach the U.S.. This would be the Taepodong-2 missile, its longest range missle that could reach California. In August 1998 a test firing of this missile went over Japan. Perhaps this missile relates to 6-6-06, June 6 2006, as discussed on the calendar page.
Oct. 9, 2006. The first North Korea atomic bomb test.
More here:
http://www.revelation13.net/China.html
You can reject any of this.
That is your perogative. However, events are lining up according to what the Bible says. Eventually, you will see that.