Make Way for the Kings of the East

Rev 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

Dan 11:44
"But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many.

The "Kings of the East" is a term we find in Biblical Prophecy. Who are they exactly? We don't know for sure but we do know that they play a role in the End Times events. Therefore, we need to closely observe the economic and military growth of the countries to the east of the Lord's city, Jerusalem. How are they doing today? Let's take a look at a few of them.



China is world's fourth-largest economy: World Bank


BEIJING (Reuters) - China has squeaked by Britain by the tiniest of margins to become the world's fourth-largest economy, according to the World Bank's latest calculations.

The World Bank said that by its official measure China produced $2.263825 trillion in output in 2005. That was just $94 million, or 0.004 percent, more than Britain.

The United States, Japan and Germany remain the world's first-, second- and third-largest economies, respectively, according to the World Bank, which posted its 2005 rankings at the weekend on its Web site (www.worldbank.org).

For Full article: http://today.reuters.com/business/newsArticle.aspx?type=ousiv&storyID=2006-07-03T083224Z_01_PEK180854_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESSPRO-ECONOMY-CHINA-GDP-DC.XML

Japanese stocks rise on Wall Street gains, dollar lower vs yen

TOKYO (AP): Japanese stocks rose Tuesday morning to extend gains for a fourth session, following a Bank of Japan survey showing improving business sentiment and U.S. stock gains overnight. The dollar was lower against the yen.

For full article: http://thestaronline.com/news/story.asp?file=/2006/7/4/apworld/20060704110805&sec=apworld

Survey raises prospect of Japan rate rise

TOKYO: Major Japanese companies plan to boost spending on new plants and equipment as they grow more confident about the economic outlook, according to a survey released yesterday. The findings raised expectations of an end to zero interest rates as soon as next week.

For full article: http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/7/4/business/14732031&sec=business

US plans US$5 billion arms sale to Pakistan

2.40pm Tuesday, July 4, 2006

By Jim Wolf
WASHINGTON - The Bush Administration has said it plans to sell Pakistan up to 36 advanced F-16 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp. in a weapons package that could be worth more than US$5 billion ($8.2bn).
The proposed sale of 18 new "Fighting Falcon" fighters with an option for 18 more demonstrates the United States' commitment to a long-term relationship with Pakistan, White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters.
The US State Department said it was part of a drive to broaden a strategic partnership with Pakistan and advance US interests in South Asia.

For full article: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=3&ObjectID=10389690

Indonesian Currency

The Indonesian rupiah rose to the highest in more than six weeks Monday on speculation that investors will add to holdings of the nation's stocks and high- yielding bonds.
The rupiah is the second-best performing Asian currency this year as investors buy the country's debt securities, which yield about 7.3 percentage points more than U.S. Treasuries. The deputy governor of the central bank, Aslim Tadjuddin, last week said the rupiah could advance if inflation was contained and exports expanded.

South Korea

The South Korean won gained to the strongest in almost a month on optimism that growth in Asia's third-largest economy would accelerate

For full article: http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/03/bloomberg/sxforex.php