used a ruler to carry out His will against the ruler's knowledge or intention; for of a certain king of Assyria it is recorded that, although he fulfilled God's purpose,

"He meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so" (Isaiah x. 7).

Now, although Great Britain has no effective standing in Palestine itself, Cyprus is the next best place as a suitable base; or, as Lord Beaconsfield termed it, "A Place of Arms"; and now, as the result of the Turks throwing in their lot with Germany, Britain has occupied Cyprus, and turned it into a veritable arsenal and powder magazine, ready to cope with any movement or action on the part of Russia or Germany, who, as we have seen, are both well-placed to carry out any designs of invasion they may have.

Russia and Germany.

Yes, in spite of all appearances to the contrary, Russia and Germany will, by some means or other, ultimately meet, come to an understanding with each other, and row in the same boat *- not the least unlikely reason for their so doing being their mutual hatred of any Power except themselves being mistress of the seas, which, beyond all doubt, Britain is, and will continue to be, until her ships are broken by Him (see Psa. xlviii. 7), Who, even in the days of His weakness had power over the waves (Mark iv. 39), and to Whom "all power has been

* In view of what has happened, who will say Truth is not stranger than Fiction?

The Suez Canal

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given " (Matt. xxxviii. 18) by. Him "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand "

(Isa. xl. 12).

In view of the fact that "Britain rules the waves " and that while she does so it will be utterly impossible for any power to reach the Holy Land from the Mediterranean, it is evident that the only chance of Russia and Germany to get there will be from the north, overland, which is quite in keeping with what a prophet of Israel was inspired to foreshow; for the confederacy "Gog of the land of Magog" (or, as we have seen, Russia and Germany) is thus addressed in Ezek. xxxviii. 15, 16:

"Thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: and thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land."

The Suez Canal.

But there will be another, an ulterior, reason for their invasion of the Holy Land, and that is the desire and expectation of getting to the Suez Canal, Britain's highway to her Indian and other possessions. Close that vital waterway and Britain's sea supremacy will have been crippled. To prevent such, Britain must safeguard all approaches to the Suez Canal. At present that is not done, as we can personally testify. Both on the north and on the east, the Canal is open to the attack of the

enemy, hence Britain must, of necessity obtain a protectorate of Palestine, which has been long looked for by students of the writings of Israel's prophets.* Being in possession of the Holy Places as the natural sequence of such protectorate, Britain, as the modern

Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof ", will be in a position to say to Russia and Germany, as the modern" Gog of Magog":

"Art thou come to take a spoil? Hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to spoil?" (Ezek. xxxviii. 13).

Britain's Unpreparedness-God's Opportunity. Hence, unless Great Britain wakes up to the situation, Russia and Germany will be irresistible; and that Britain will not wake up until too late is certainfrom what we find stated in the divine programme. There we are told that, as the result of the Roshian or Gogian supremacy (in other words, the invincibility of Russia, Germany, and Company), Britain will be utterly powerless to stay the invasion that will follow the present war, and, as a consequence, Jerusalem will fall. Note the words in the prophetic programme :

Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For, I will gather all nations against Jerusa

*And is now being fulfilled! No one knows it better than the German politician. In the Leipzig Neueste Nachrichten, for December 10th, 1917, the Editor said, The occupation of Jerusalem, with the Jaffa coast, frees the Suez Canal and Egypt from every menace, while the English command of India is strengthened."