(Oba 1:18-21 NKJV) The house of Jacob [all the tribes] shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph [the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim] a flame; But the house of Esau shall be stubble; They shall kindle them and devour them, And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau," For the LORD has spoken. {19} The South shall possess the mountains of Esau, And the Lowland shall possess Philistia. They shall possess the fields of Ephraim And the fields of Samaria. Benjamin shall possess Gilead. {20} And the captives of this host of the children of Israel Shall possess the land of the Canaanites As far as Zarephath. The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad Shall possess the cities of the South. {21} Then saviors (i.e. Saints) shall come to Mount Zion To judge the mountains of Esau, And the kingdom shall be the Lord's.

(Hosea 3:4-5 NKJV) For the children of [the House of] Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. {5} Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They shall fear [stand in awe or obey per H6342] the LORD and His goodness in the latter days.

(Ezek 36:16-38 NKJV) Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: {17} "Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. {18} "Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. {19} "So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. {20} "When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name; when they said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD, and yet they have gone out of His land.' {21} "But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. {22} "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. {23} "And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD," says the Lord GOD, "when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. {24} "For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. {25} "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. {26} "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. {27} "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. {28} "Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. {29} "I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. {30} "And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. {31} "Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. {32} "Not for your sake do I do this," says the Lord GOD, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!" {33} 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. {34} "The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. {35} "So they will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.' {36} "Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it." {37} 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock. {38} "Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the LORD."' "

(Jer 3:17-20 NKJV) "At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts. {18} "In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers. {19} "But I said: 'How can I put you among the children And give you a pleasant land, A beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?' "And I said: 'You shall call Me, "My Father," And not turn away from Me.' {20} Surely, as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, So have you dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel," says the LORD.

(Gen 49:1-28 NKJV) And Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: {2} "Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father. {3} "Reuben [may be in France today], you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. {4} Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father's bed; Then you defiled it; He went up to my couch. {5} "Simeon [Celts] and Levi [with Judah] are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. {6} Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. {7} Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel. {8} "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you. {9} Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? {10} The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. {11} Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes. {12} His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk. {13} "Zebulun [Holland] shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon. {14} "Issachar [Swiss and Fins] is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens; {15} He saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves. {16} "Dan [Danes] shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel. {17} Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse's heels So that its rider shall fall backward. {18} I have waited for your salvation, O LORD! {19} "Gad [Sweden], a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last. {20} "Bread from Asher [Scots] shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties. {21} "Naphtali [Norwegians] is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words. {22} "Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall. {23} The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him. {24} But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), {25} By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. {26} The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers. {27} "Benjamin [Belgium and Normans] is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil." {28} All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

(Gen 48:15-22 NKJV) And he blessed Joseph, and said: "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, {16} The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." {17} Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim [English], it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's [America] head. {18} And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head." {19} But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations." {20} So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will bless, saying, 'May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!' " And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh. {21} Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. {22} "Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow."

(Jer 30 NKJV) The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, {2} "Thus speaks the LORD God of Israel, saying: 'Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you. {3} 'For behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,' says the LORD. 'And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.'" {4} Now these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah. {5} "For thus says the LORD: 'We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace. {6} Ask now, and see, Whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor, And all faces turned pale? {7} Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. [Notice that not just the present country of Israel, the Jews, but descendants of the lost ten tribes will experience a time of great trouble.] {8} 'For it shall come to pass in that day,' Says the LORD of hosts, 'That I will break his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them. {9} But they shall serve the LORD their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them. {10} 'Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,' says the LORD, 'Nor be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid. {11} For I am with you,' says the LORD, 'to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.' {12} "For thus says the LORD: 'Your affliction is incurable, Your wound is severe. {13} There is no one to plead your cause, That you may be bound up; You have no healing medicines. {14} All your lovers have forgotten you; They do not seek you; For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, With the chastisement of a cruel one, For the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased. {15} Why do you cry about your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you. {16} 'Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured; And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; Those who plunder you shall become plunder, And all who prey upon you I will make a prey. {17} For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,' says the LORD, 'Because they called you an outcast saying: "This is Zion; No one seeks her."' {18} "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob's tents, And have mercy on his dwelling places; The city shall be built upon its own mound, And the palace shall remain according to its own plan. {19} Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving And the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. {20} Their children also shall be as before, And their congregation shall be established before Me; And I will punish all who oppress them. {21} Their nobles shall be from among them, And their governor shall come from their midst; Then I will cause him to draw near, And he shall approach Me; For who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?' says the LORD. {22} 'You shall be My people, And I will be your God.'" {23} Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD Goes forth with fury, A continuing whirlwind; It will fall violently on the head of the wicked. {24} The fierce anger of the LORD will not return until He has done it, And until He has performed the intents of His heart. In the latter days you will consider it.

(Zec 10:10 NKJV) I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt, And gather them from Assyria. I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, Until no more room is found for them. [Gilead is in northwest Jordan.]

(Micah 7:14 NKJV) Shepherd Your people with Your staff, The flock of Your heritage, Who dwell solitarily in a woodland, In the midst of Carmel; Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, As in days of old.

(Rev 11:1-12 NKJV) Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. {2} "But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months [3-1/2 years]. {3} "And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days [3-1/2 years], clothed in sackcloth [clothes of mourning]." {4} These are the two olive trees and the two lamp-stands standing before the God of the earth. {5} And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. {6} These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. {7} When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. {8} And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. {9} Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies [via television?] three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. {10} And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. {11} Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. {12} And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.

(Exo 7:1 NKJV) So the LORD said to Moses: "See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.

(Mat 24:15-16 NKJV) "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), {16} "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

(Luke 21:36 NKJV) "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

(Mark 13:32-37 NKJV) "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. {33} "Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. {34} "It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. {35} "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming; in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning; {36} "lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. {37} "And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"

Again, in (Luke 21:36 NKJV) "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

(Zec 12:2-3 NKJV) "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. {3} "And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.

(Gen 12:3 NKJV) [Speaking to Abraham, God said] I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

(Isa 60:12 NKJV) For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you [i.e. Israel] shall perish, And those nations shall be utterly ruined.

(Joel 3:2 NKJV) I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.

(Zec 12:9 NKJV) "It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

(Rev 13:11 NKJV) Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. [Biblically, a dragon refers to Satan.]

(Mat 24:9 NKJV) [Christ speaking of His people:] "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.

(Dan 11:40-41 NKJV) "At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. {41} "He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent [chief] people of Ammon.

(Dan 2:31-34 NKJV) "You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. {32} "This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, {33} "its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. {34} "You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.

(Dan 2:42-45 KJV) And as the toes [ten toes] of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. {43} And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. {44} And in the days of these kings [these ten toes] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. {45} Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

(Dan 7:7 KJV) After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

(Dan 11:40-45 KJV) And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. {41} He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. {42} He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. {43} But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. {44} But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. {45} And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

(Micah 7:14-15 NKJV) Shepherd Your people with Your staff, The flock of Your heritage, Who dwell solitarily in a woodland, In the midst of Carmel; Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, As in days of old. {15} "As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them wonders."

(Zec 10:10 NKJV) I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt [The use of the word Egypt is the writer’s reference to Deut 30:3,5 which predicted this event.], And gather them from Assyria. [Ancient Assyria was centered in modern Iraq.] I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, Until no more room is found for them.

(Jer 3:18 NKJV) "In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers.

(Ezek 37:15-24 NKJV) Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, {16} "As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: 'For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.' Then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.' {17} "Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand. {18} "And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, 'Will you not show us what you mean by these?'; {19} "say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand."' {20} "And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. {21} "Then say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; {22} "and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. {23} "They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God. {24} "David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them.

(Isa 11:11-12 NKJV) It shall come to pass in that day That the LORD shall set His hand again the second time To recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea. {12} He will set up a banner for the nations, And will assemble the outcasts of Israel, And gather together the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.

(Luke 21:10-12 NKJV) Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. {11} "And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. {12} "But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake.

(Heb 11:35-38 NKJV) Women received their dead raised to life again. And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. {36} Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. {37} They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented; {38} of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.

(Zep 2:1-5 NKJV) Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation, {2} Before the decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff, Before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you, Before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you! {3} Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the Lord's anger. {4} For Gaza shall be forsaken, And Ashkelon desolate; They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, And Ekron shall be uprooted. {5} Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, The nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines: "I will destroy you; So there shall be no inhabitant."

(Rev 6:9-11 NKJV) When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. {10} And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" {11} Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

(2 Tim 3:12 NKJV) Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

(Psa 17:8-12 NKJV) Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings, {9} From the wicked who oppress me, From my deadly enemies who surround me. {10} They have closed up their fat hearts; With their mouths they speak proudly. {11} They have now surrounded us in our steps; They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth, {12} As a lion is eager to tear his prey, And like a young lion lurking in secret places.

"Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon the teachings of the Redeemer of Mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent, our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian."

The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis for human society.

Higher and higher taxes; the spending of public money for free bread (welfare) and circuses (entertainment) for the populace.

The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting, more brutal, more immoral.

The building of great armaments when the real enemy was within - the decay of individual responsibility.

The decay of religion; faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life, losing power to guide the people.

(Ezek 7:14-15 NKJV) 'They have blown the trumpet and made everyone ready, But no one goes to battle; For My wrath is on all their multitude. {15} The sword is outside, And the pestilence and famine within. Whoever is in the field Will die by the sword; And whoever is in the city, Famine and pestilence will devour him.

(Ps 33:12-19 NKJV) Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance. {13} The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. {14} From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth; {15} He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. {16} No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. {17} A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. {18} Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, {19} To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.

(Ps 81:13-14 NKJV) "Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways! {14} I would soon subdue their enemies, And turn My hand against their adversaries.

Hosea 7:7-12 Ephraim is among the peoples; he is rotting away. Ephraim is like a cake – incapable of turning. Strangers have consumed his strength, but he has taken no notice; also, mold (i.e. grey hairs) is scattered over him, but he has taken no notice. Though Israel’s pride has been humbled before his very eyes, they have not turned back to their God the Lord; they have not sought Him in spite of everything. Instead, Ephraim has acted like a silly dove with no mind: They have appealed to Egypt! They have gone to Assyria! When they go, I will spread My net over them, I will bring them down like birds of the sky; I will chastise them when I hear their bargaining.