BBP: 6 A Potential Modern Candidate for the 10-nation Endtime Coalition

Chapter 6

A Potential Modern Candidate for the 10-nation Endtime Coalition

The SCO

Contents

A) Introduction to identifying the 10-nation Endtime Coalition

B) What is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)?

C) How does the SCO match the 7 biblical attributes of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition?

D) The limited “window” to confirm the SCO is the 10-nation Endtime Coalition

Primary Points

• In the previous chapters seven biblical attributes were derived for the prophesied 10-nation Endtime Coalition.
• These biblical attributes will be used in this chapter to suggest a modern coalition forming in our world that may be fulfilling these biblical prophecies today.
• The prominence of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition in prophetic Scripture suggests their existence and alliance will be something public and recognizable.
• There is a modern coalition of nations emerging in our world today that possesses all 7 of the biblical attributes of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition. It is called the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). It was founded in 2001 by Russia and China and includes India and Iran. As of 2023, it has nine members.
• All ten of the expected members of the SCO are nations that exist in geographical areas specifically mentioned in Scripture as being present at the Battle of Armageddon where the 10-nation Coalition is also predicted to be.
• 
  If the SCO turns out to be the 10-nation Endtime Coalition, then the official recognition of Belarus as its 10^th member in July 2024 could be the very first event of the Endtimes.
• No one, in the past, now, or in the foreseeable future, could name a better candidate for the predicted 10-nation Endtime Coalition than the SCO. Therefore, it is suggested there is currently a 65% probability this will be confirmed.
• If God intends the SCO to fulfill biblical prophecy, then 2024 would seem to be a significant window of time to watch for the beginning of the Endtimes.

A) Introduction to identifying the 10-nation Endtime Coalition

In the previous chapters the following seven biblical attributes were derived for the prophesied 10-nation Endtime Coalition:

1) The Coalition will be exactly ten kings or ten nations (Dan 2:44; 7:24; Rev 17:12; cf. ch. 4, sec. A).

2) The Coalition will emerge in the world before the Antichrist emerges (cf. Dan 7:8, 24; cf. ch. 4, sec. B.1). Therefore, it may be the first Endtime event to occur.

3) The Coalition will possess nuclear weapons that will be used by the Antichrist to completely burn up in one hour the world’s foremost economic power, Babylon the Great, such that no people ever live there again (cf. Rev 17:5, 16, 18:10, 17, 19, cf. 21-23; cf. ch. 4, sec. B.2).

4) Some of the Coalition’s members will be militarily very strong, and others very weak (cf. Dan 2:42; cf. ch. 4, sec. C).

5) The Coalition’s members will be very diverse in race, culture, and language (Dan 2:43; cf. ch. 4, sec. C).

6) The Coalition’s members will be divided and perhaps have internal conflicts (Dan 2:41, 43; cf. BBP ch. 4, sec. C).

7) The nations of the Coalition will wage war against the Lamb [Christ] at the Battle of Armageddon (Rev 17:14; cf. Rev 16:14, 16; 19:19; Ezekiel 38:1-6; cf. ch. 4, sec. B.4 and ch. 5).

These biblical attributes will be used in this chapter to suggest a modern coalition forming in our world that may be fulfilling these biblical prophecies today.

The prominence of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition in prophetic Scripture suggests their existence and alliance will be something public and recognizable. There is biblical evidence for this.

First, in Revelation 17 The ten horns on the beast are mentioned with the seven heads (v. 3). As explained elsewhere, the seven heads include the Historical Beast Empires including Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. ^[1] These were certainly recognizable geopolitical entities.

Second, the ten horns are described as ten kings. It would seem at least some of these will possess considerable military power and political authority before they give it to the Antichrist (Rev 17:12-13). Third, these ten kings endure in some way throughout the Endtimes until they will wage war against the Lamb (v. 14) at the Battle of Armageddon. Therefore, it seems these ten kings, and the nations they represent, will not exist in obscurity, but will be prominent enough to clearly identify.

Therefore, it would seem God wants us to be watching current events in order to recognize the emergence of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition. Especially if their emergence is among the very first signs the Endtimes have begun. Therefore, the identification of the modern countries that are predicted in Scripture to make up the 10-nation Endtime Coalition will be the topic of this chapter.

B) What is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)?

Is there a modern coalition of nations emerging in our world today that possesses all 7 of the above biblical attributes of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition? Remarkably, the answer is yes! It is called the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Many Americans have not even heard of the SCO because they are not interested in economic alliances in far-away countries. Even most Bible prophecy students have not heard of the SCO because they have been so focused on the European Union or the United Nations as fulfilling the predictions of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition. But the SCO seems to be a much better candidate to become the 10-nation Endtime Coalition than either of these other organizations.

The SCO is an economic, political, and military coalition founded in 2001 by China, Russia, and satellite countries of Russia. One source of information on the SCO states:

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a political, economic, and security [military] alliance. In terms of geographic scope and population, it is the world’s largest regional organization, covering approximately 60% of the area of Eurasia, 40% (3.5 billion people) of the world’s population, and over 25% (over $23 trillion) of global GDP…

Military exercises are also regularly conducted among members to promote cooperation and coordination against terrorism and other external threats, and to maintain regional peace and stability…

The SCO has initiated over twenty large-scale projects related to transportation, energy and telecommunications and held regular meetings on security, military, defense, foreign affairs, economics, culture, and banking. ^[2]

Another resource reports on the SCO:

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is seen as an eastern counter-balance to NATO… We are witnessing the emergence of a strong East vs. West narrative in international politics … one might wonder whether the SCO has grown to become NATO’s eastern counterpart in terms of global power and influence.

Although the SCO is not exclusively a military alliance, its member states do participate in joint military exercises and war games. With the induction of India and Pakistan, four SCO members have significant nuclear capabilities, and this has definitely strengthened this coalition against NATO.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has organized a number of quasi-military exercises. At times, these drills have drawn substantial international attention and even alarm. Due largely to these exercises, the SCO, which is jointly led by China and Russia, has become the most prominent Eurasian regional security [military] organization. ^[3]

At the last SCO annual Summit on July 4, 2023, Iran was admitted as the ninth full member. At this meeting it was also announced:

The leaders also welcomed the decision on signing the Memorandum of Obligation of Belarus to join the organization as a Member State, the process will be completed by the 2024 SCO Summit. ^[4]

It has been the practice of the SCO to finalize the membership of full members at the annual summit of the leaders of SCO member nations. The next annual SCO leaders summit is currently scheduled for July 2024 in Kazakhstan. ^[5] It would seem at that time, with the admission of Belarus, the SCO will be exactly 10 full members. ^[6] These will include:

1. Russia
2. China
3. India
4. Pakistan
5. Iran
6. Kazakhstan
7. Kyrgyzstan
8. Tajikistan
9. Uzbekistan
10. Belarus

Therefore, note this: If the SCO turns out to be the 10-nation Endtime Coalition, then the official recognition of Belarus as its 10^th member in July 2024 could be the very first event of the Endtimes.

C) How does the SCO match the 7 biblical attributes of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition?

The 10-nation modern coalition of the SCO will be an extraordinary match for the 7 biblical attributes predicted for the 10-nation Endtime Coalition. Let us look at each one of these:

1) The Coalition will be exactly ten kings or ten nations (Dan 2:44; 7:24; Rev 17:12; cf. ch. 4, sec. A).

In July of 2024 the SCO is scheduled to be exactly 10 nations.

2) The Coalition will emerge in the world before the Antichrist emerges (cf. Dan 7:8, 24; cf. ch. 4, sec. B.1). Therefore, it may be the first Endtime event to occur.

It is unlikely that the Antichrist will publicly emerge before 2024. Therefore, the 10-nation SCO would have been formed before this.

3) The Coalition will possess nuclear weapons that will be used by the Antichrist to completely burn up in one hour the world’s foremost economic power, Babylon the Great, such that no people ever live there again (cf. Rev 17:5, 16, 18:10, 17, 19, cf. 21-23; cf. ch. 4, sec. B.2).

As further discussed in the next book, Endtime Babylon, the best interpretation of this prophecy is that it predicts the use of nuclear weapons. Therefore, it is suggested that some countries in the 10-nation Endtime Coalition who will be used in the attack being described in Revelation 17:16, will possess such weapons.

Accordingly, we notice that 4 of the current SCO members uniquely possess nuclear weapons (Russia, China, India, Pakistan). In fact, Russia and China possess the 1^st and 3^rd largest nuclear weapons arsenals in the world. It would seem Iran may be on its way to having nuclear weapons as well.

4) Some of the Coalition’s members will be militarily very strong, and others very weak (cf. Dan 2:42; cf. BBP ch. 4, sec. C).

Daniel 7 described the 10-nation Endtime Coalition as being made up of both militarily strong and weak members. This was depicted as ten toes, some of them being made of iron and some of clay.

Accordingly, some members of the SCO are clearly like the militarily strong iron toes of Daniel’s statue. They are listed below in the order of their world-wide ranking for military power out of 142 nations of the world. ^[7]

The five potential “iron toes” of the SCO:

1. Russia #2 (U.S. is #1 in rank of military power)
2. China #3
3. India #4
4. Pakistan #9
5. Iran #14

Some of these potential iron toes currently in the SCO are the most powerful military nations in the world. Only the United States is ranked higher.

On the other hand (or “foot”), some of the nations currently in the SCO are quite small and militarily weak like the clay toes in Daniel’s vision. Again, the following is based on their military ranking among 142 nations.

The five potential “clay toes” of the SCO:

1. Belarus #52 (in rank of military power)
2. Uzbekistan #55
3. Kazakhstan #62
4. Kyrgyzstan #90
5. Tajikistan #111

Therefore, we notice a couple of things. First, the difference in military strength between one group of 5 SCO members and the other group of 5 members is very large. This seems to be a good representation of the vast difference between the strength of the iron toes and clay toes of Daniel’s vision. Secondly, the militarily strong members (iron) of the SCO are exactly 5, perhaps reflecting one set of 5 toes on one “foot” of Daniel’s statue. Likewise, the militarily weak members (clay) may reflect the other set of 5 toes on the other “foot” of Daniel’s statue.

5) The Coalition’s members will be very diverse in race, culture, and language (Dan 2:43; cf. BBP ch. 4, sec. C).

Daniel clearly predicted the people of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition will be a very distinct and multiple mixture (Dan 2:43) of cultures, races, and languages. The SCO includes 40% of the world’s population spread out over 60% of the land mass of Eurasia. Each one of its 10 members has its own national language, including the smaller countries such as Tajikistan and Belarus. There is certainly a great diversity in religion, with Russia historically being Orthodox Christian, India uniquely being Hindu, Iran staunchly Muslim, and China promoting atheism and suppressing religions. The SCO is a very diverse coalition.

6) The Coalition’s members will be divided and perhaps have internal conflicts (Dan 2:41, 43; cf. BBP ch. 4, sec. C).

The SCO is far from being united. For example, there is currently (2023) a war going on between the member nations of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. ^[8] India and Pakistan rather despise one another. There have even been recent border clashes between China and India.

7) The nations of the Coalition will wage war against the Lamb [Christ] at the Battle of Armageddon (Rev 17:14; Ezek 38:2; cf. Rev 16:14, 16; 19:19; cf. BBP ch. 4, sec. B.4; ch. 5, sec. B).

This was thoroughly discussed previously in chapter 5. All ten of the expected members of the SCO are nations that exist in geographical areas specifically mentioned in Scripture as being present at the Battle of Armageddon where the 10-nation Coalition is also predicted to be. Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus all exist in the ancient Scythian Empire of Magog (Ezek 38:1). Iran is in ancient Persia (Ezek 38:5). China, India, and Pakistan would qualify for kings of the east of the great river Euphrates (Rev 16:12). This remarkable correspondence is illustrated in the following table:

Table: A comparison of the nations predicted to be at the Battle of Armageddon, candidates for the 10-nation Endtime Coalition, & the current SCO

The table summarizes how the predictions of the Battle of Armageddon relate to the SCO. The left column lists ancient people groups the Bible specifically predicts will be at Armageddon. The middle column identifies the modern nations where those ancient people groups lived. The nations in the second column that are also currently in the SCO have been bolded. In the third column, the modern nations that are scheduled to be full members of the SCO in 2024 are listed. Therefore, all 10 nations scheduled to be members of the SCO are located in geographical areas specifically predicted to be at the Battle of Armageddon, which is also where the 10-nation Endtime Coalition is predicted to be.

Accordingly, it is reasonable to conclude there is a significant possibility the SCO is intended to fulfill all 7 biblical attributes of what the Bible predicted for the 10-nation Endtime Coalition. This author is not aware of any other biblical attributes of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition. It seems these 7 are all that can be discerned from its descriptions in Scripture. Therefore, the SCO potentially matches every single one of the biblical attributes of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition predicted in Scripture.

As noted in chapter 1 (sec. B), we cannot claim absolute certainty in such things. Again, we want to avoid foolish and ignorant speculations (2 Tim 2:23 NASB). Because this Coalition will unite with the Antichrist, the probability that the SCO will become the Coalition will increase as the probability that someone is emerging as the Antichrist also increases. Therefore, the true nature of the SCO will only be confirmed if we clearly see the Antichrist emerge in our world.

It is understandable if the reader remains skeptical of the suggestions above. Admittedly, as of this writing, the author is not aware of anyone else suggesting the SCO will become the 10-nation Endtime Coalition.

But these developments seem to be much more than coincidences. In fact, there has never been a Coalition in all of human history that potentially matched these seven biblical attributes. The SCO is the first one to do so. No one, in the past, now, or in the foreseeable future, could name a better candidate for the predicted 10-nation Endtime Coalition than the SCO. Therefore, it is reasonable to suggest there is a 65% probability that the SCO will turn out to be the prophesied 10-nation Endtime Coalition.

It has been previously noted that Daniel describes the 10-nation Endtime Coalition being established before the emergence of the Antichrist. It will be argued in future chapters that the Antichrist’s initial emergence is among the very first events of the Endtimes. Accordingly, it is again suggested that the establishment of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition may be the very first Endtime event to occur. If this is so, then the Endtimes may begin when Belarus becomes the 10^th member of the SCO, currently scheduled in July of 2024.

Please do not misunderstand. This is not a prediction for the date of Christ’s Return (cf. Matt 24:36). This author is not dogmatically predicting anything. This chapter is simply an attempt to obey Christ’s command to “Watch!” for signs of His Return (Mark 13:5; cf. vs. 9, 23, 33, 34, 37; CET ch. 10, sec. D). Therefore, it is possible God intends the SCO’s emergence to be one of the testimonies we are looking for to confidently establish the critical matter of whether or not we are entering the Endtimes (Matt 18:16; cf. BBP ch. 1, sec. D).

Again, no certain predictions are being made here. But the above is not foolish and ignorant speculations (2 Tim 2:23 NASB). Daniel 7:8 and verse 24 describe the emergence of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition as perhaps the very first Endtime event to occur (cf. BBP ch. 4, sec. B.1). Therefore, the above suggestion is based on the fact that a Coalition is emerging in our world today that potentially matches all 7 biblical attributes of the prophesied 10-nation Endtime Coalition, for the first time in human history. Accordingly, there seem to be biblical reasons to recognize Belarus’ full membership into the SCO, currently scheduled for July 2024, as potentially a very significant event regarding God’s plan for the Endtimes.

The biblical predictions about the 10-nation Endtime Coalition and their fulfillment by the SCO are summarized in the following table:

Table: The SCO’s fulfillment of prophecies about

the 10-nation Endtime Coalition

D) The limited “window” to confirm the SCO is the 10-nation Endtime Coalition

There would seem to be a temporary window of time for the SCO to be confirmed as the 10-nation Endtime Coalition. The Bible is clear that the Coalition will be exactly 10 nations. In July 2024 the SCO is scheduled to be exactly 10 nations. But apart from divine intervention, it is unlikely for it to remain only 10 nations for very long.

Other nations are becoming increasingly interested in becoming a full member of the SCO. For example, the president of Turkey has already stated that he wants this for his country. ^[9] That may be a problem because Turkey is currently a member of NATO. It is questionable if Russia or China will accept a NATO country into the SCO.

Other nations are expected to join as well in the coming years. For example, Middle Eastern countries (e.g. Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia) are applying to be lower-level “observers” and “dialogue partners” of the SCO. ^[10]

Therefore, an important disclaimer can be stated here. If the SCO becomes more than 10 full members then this should significantly reduce our confidence that the SCO will be the 10-nation Endtime Coalition.

However, if God intends for the SCO to become the 10-nation Endtime Coalition predicted in Scripture, then it would seem the following are possibilities. One, God may intervene and not allow other countries to become an 11th member of the SCO. Therefore, this could lengthen the “window” of time in which the SCO remains 10 members.

A second possibility is that the Endtimes may begin sometime during the “window” that the SCO is exactly 10 members. Therefore, if God intends the SCO to fulfill biblical prophecy, and not supernaturally intervene in its membership, then we could expect to see the clear emergence of the Antichrist after July 2024 which would help to confirm the SCO is the 10-nation Coalition predicted for the Endtimes. Again, no predictions are intended here. These suggestions are only valid if God intends the SCO to be the prophesied 10-nation Endtime Coalition.

In the next chapters we will discuss the emergence of the Antichrist and additional testimony the beginning of the Endtimes may be near.

1. For more on the Historical Beast Kingdoms see chapter in Part I of The Greatest Persecution. ↑

2. “Shanghai Cooperative Organization” at

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Cooperation_Organisation. ↑

3. “The SCO and NATO Compared,” Richard Weitz, 2018; online at

   https://www.chinausfocus.com/peace-security/the-sco-and-nato-compared. ↑

4. https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/global-event-news/sco-summit-2023-live-updates-mea-gives-news-briefing-as-sco-summit-comes-to-an-end-liveblog.html ↑

5. The timing of the next Annual SCO Leaders Summit is implied in the following news report: “According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kazakhstan’s chairmanship will last until July 2024 and will end with a summit in Astana, where the heads of the SCO member states will adopt a package of documents that will be developed during … the year.”

   https://astanatimes.com/2023/02/kazakhstan-prepares-to-take-over-sco-chairmanship-this-year/.

   No exact date for the 2024 SCO leaders summit has be publicized, but in 2023 it occurred during the July 4 holiday for the U.S. Perhaps a similar date will be chosen for 2024. ↑

6. It is actually a little surprising that Belarus’ admission to the SCO was essentially delayed an entire year. As long ago as the 2022 SCO Summit it was announced that Belarus was welcome to become the 10th member. President Lukashenko said at the time that every effort would be made to meet the requirements for membership in 2023.

   As late as May 17, 2023, it was reported:

   Moscow [Russia] is taking measures to help Minsk [Belarus] complete as soon as possible the procedures required for Belarus to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

   (https://tass.com/politics/1618725)

   Likewise, a few days later on May 20, 2023, it was reported:

   Belarus will be admitted to the SCO in 2023. This was stated to the media representatives by the Secretary of State of the country’s Security Council, Alexander Volfovich. (https://orient.tm/en/post/54148/belarus-will-be-admitted-sco-2023-secretary-state-security-council-republic)

   Then about 6 weeks later, the announcement was given at the July 4, 2023 SCO Summit:

   The leaders also welcomed the decision on signing the Memorandum of Obligation of Belarus to join the organization as a Member State, the process will be completed by the 2024 SCO Summit.

   (https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/global-event-news/sco-summit-2023-live-updates-mea-gives-news-briefing-as-sco-summit-comes-to-an-end-liveblog.html)

   Admittedly, the process of SCO membership is confusing and apparently rather complicated. Perhaps these announcements have been referring to different stages of membership.

   However, given the possibility that the establishment of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition is the very first event of the Endtimes, it seems possible something occurred in the spiritual realm to delay the beginning of the Endtimes, if the SCO is confirmed to be the Coalition. ↑

7. Military rankings are available online at https://www.globalfirepower.com/ ↑

8. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/kyrgyzstan-says-border-outposts-under-tajik-fire-again-2022-09-16/ ↑

9. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkeys-erdogan-targets-joining-shanghai-cooperation-organisation-media-2022-09-17/ ↑

10. https://dppa.un.org/en/shanghai-cooperation-organization# ↑