In Scripture we read of a nation that will be involved in the battle in the time of the end will be called Tarshish who will be accompanied by closely affliliated nations, referred to as their young lions The verses of note Ezekiel 38:13 - Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?

The role of Tarshish and her Young Lions
The role of the merchants of Tarshish and their young lions is one of defence of the nation of Israel. Ezekiel 38 is a chapter which in which a number of nations commence attack on God's country Israel. The merchants of Tarshish along with their young lions will be opposed to those nations invading Israel saying to the nations invading Israel Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder? (Ezekiel 38:13) It is difficult to ascertain how involved the merchants of Tarshish and their young lions will be involved in the time of the end. What we do know is that these aligned nations will certainly issue a challenge to those nations invading and opposing Israel.

Who are the Merchants of Tarshish?
To determine who the merchants of Tarshish were, we need to consider other verses in Scripture mentioning Tarshish to provide some context. In Ezekiel 27:12, we are told that the Phoenician people traded with Tarshish and one of the most notable commodities mentioned Tin. Tarshish was your merchant because of your many luxury goods. They gave you silver, iron, tin, and lead for your goods. Whilst an unusual note to highlight, Tin in the regions mentioned in Scripture has always been scarce, hence the need to import them by merchants. In fact, the only close region in which the Tin resource could be found is that of Britain. It has been claimed by some that the name Britain comes from the Phoenician 'Baratana', which is said to mean "the Isles or Land of Tin". While this is not universally agreed on, we can see that there is a high probability of the correctness of this interpretation as there is a metal called, "Britannia" which is an alloy of TIN, copper and antimony. The importance of Britain to the Phoenicians trade and the importance of tin is seen in the following extract from Richards Topical Encyclopaedia, where it states: "Phoenician traders sailed out through the straits of Gibraltar and discovered the English tin mines, long before the Egyptians or the Babylonians even knew that there was such a place as Britain. England comes into the light of history much earlier than many of the modern European countries, such as Germany. This is because the British had valuable tin mines. Phoenician traders, used to visit England to get tin, many centuries before Christ. They tried to keep the location of the tin mines a great secret in order that no other nation should discover the deposits of the useful and costly metal. But other people did find out about the island, and a Greek geographer mentioned it in his writings as early as BC 350". - Richards Topical Encyclopaedia Both references considered in Ezekiel making mention of Tarshish refer to the country as the merchants of. This is a further indicator of the power that opposes the confederacy invading Israel. Britain remains today as one of the leading trading nations in the world. In an article in Time Magazine for May 21st 1990, headed "THE NEW ELIZABETHANS", the writer saw a parallel between "the reign of Elizabeth 1st ¦ "when Britain became famous for its merchant adventurers"... and the 1980's when "BRITAIN'S ENTREPRENEURS AND INVESTORS HAVE RE-WON AN EMPIRE UPON WHICH THE SUN NEVER SETS, and restored the kingdom to its position as a major international creditor and provider of capital." For example it is a little known fact that Britain is the largest single investor in the US.

Who are their Young Lions?
If Britain can be seen as the Merchants of Tarshish then the task to determine who the young lions are, becomes easier. These are countries which see Tarshish or Britain in a paternal sense. The young lions are the children of Britain symbolically speaking, they had their origins in Britain. If the countries that can trace their ancestry to Tarshish and are the young lions, then Tarshish must be the 'old lion'. The lion is a well known symbol of Britain as the old poster indicates. The poster seen here, (used in World War II to enlist new soldiers) even lists the young lions as Australia, Canada, India and New Zealand. There is no question to Britain as to whom the young lions are - In short the mother country's commonwealth nations. So how does this effect us today? We can see the world taking form in preparation for this great battle. Britain and its allies are become more isolated on the global scene. Yet, almost always they show their support for Israel in world strategic politics and defence. The nations are taking form according to Scripture... HOW NEAR IS OUR LORD?

Country Profile of the United Kingdom:
The United Kingdom is made up of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It has a long history as a major player in international affairs and fulfils an important role in the EU, UN and Nato. The economy - one of the largest in the world - is no longer manufacturing but services-based, with e-commerce of growing significance. The City of London is a global financial centre.

Facts and Figures
Population: 59.8 million (National Statistics, 2004)
Capital: London
Area: 242,514 sq km (93,638 sq miles)
Major language: English
Major religion: Christianity