*Location of the Cook Islands (Picture by* *TUBS* *via Wikipedia)*

Voice of America reported the following:

China, Cook Islands sign strategic partnership pact
February 15, 2025
China and the Cook Islands on Friday signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement, but the lack of transparency around the details has alarmed New Zealand, the South Pacific state’s closest democratic ally.While details of the agreement remain unclear, public statements from Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and the islands’ Seabed Minerals Authority signaled that the Cook Islands and China would look to deepen cooperation in areas such as deep-sea mining, infrastructure enhancement, climate resilience, and economic cooperation.
The signing of the agreement is part of Brown’s seven-day diplomatic tour to China, during which he visited several Chinese research institutions and met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in the northern city of Harbin.
Li said Beijing is willing to “deepen political mutual trust and expand practical cooperation with the Cook Islands,” while Brown said his country will “strengthen multilateral coordination on climate change and in other areas, and push for the sustained, in-depth development of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.”
Analysts say the agreement is Beijing’s latest effort to increase its influence in the Pacific region amid growing tension between some Pacific countries, including the Cook Islands and Kiribati, and such democratic allies as New Zealand and Australia.
“China benefits from friction between longstanding partnerships in the Pacific as it seeks to position itself as an alternative partner,” said Anna Powles, an associate professor in security studies at Massey University in New Zealand.
New Zealand has expressed serious concerns about the deal between the Cook Islands and China, criticizing the South Pacific country for lack of transparency and consultation with Wellington over the details.
The Cook Islands has a free association agreement with New Zealand, which allows it to manage its foreign affairs while requiring it to consult Wellington on issues related to foreign policy.
“Under our constitutional arrangements, we expect, you know, matters of defense and security to be transparently discussed between partners. That’s all we’re asking for here,” New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told a news conference Monday.
Despite New Zealand’s concerns, Brown has characterized conversations around the deal as “guided by what is best for the Cook Islands” and said “there is no need” for Wellington to get involved in the negotiation of the agreement with China. https://www.voanews.com/a/china-cook-islands-sign-strategic-partnership-pact/7976033.html

The Cook Islands have long been used by Anglo-American shipping vessels.

Wikipedia has the following related to some of its history:

British explorer and naval officer Captain James Cook arrived in 1773 and again in 1777,[21] giving the island of Manuae the name Hervey Island. The Hervey Islands later came to be applied to the entire southern group. The name “Cook Islands”, in honour of Cook, first appeared on a Russian naval chart published by Adam Johann von Krusenstern in the 1820s.[15]
In 1813 John Williams, a missionary on the colonial brig Endeavour (not the same ship as Cook’s) made the first recorded European sighting of Rarotonga.[22] The first recorded landing on Rarotonga by Europeans was in 1814 by the Cumberland; trouble broke out between the sailors and the Islanders and many were killed on both sides.[22] The islands saw no more Europeans until English missionaries arrived in 1821. Christianity quickly took hold in the culture and many islanders are Christians today.[23]
The islands were a popular stop in the 19th century for whaling ships from the United States, Britain and Australia. They visited, from at least 1826, to obtain water, food, and firewood.[24] Their favourite islands were Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Mangaia and Penrhyn.
The Cook Islands became aligned to the United Kingdom in 1890, largely because of the fear of British residents that France might occupy the islands as it already had Tahiti.[25] On 6 September 1900, the islanders’ leaders presented a petition asking that the islands (including Niue “if possible”) should be annexed as British territory.[26][27] On 8 and 9 October 1900, seven instruments of cession of Rarotonga and other islands were signed by their chiefs and people. A British Proclamation was issued, stating that the cessions were accepted and the islands declared parts of Her Britannic Majesty’s dominions. …
When the British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948 came into effect on 1 January 1949, Cook Islanders who were British subjects automatically gained New Zealand citizenship.[33] The islands remained a New Zealand dependent territory until the New Zealand Government decided to grant them self-governing status. …
In March 2019, it was reported that the Cook Islands had plans to change its name and remove the reference to Captain James Cook in favour of “a title that reflects its ‘Polynesian nature'”.[17][18] It was later reported in May 2019 that the proposed name change had been poorly received by the Cook Islands diaspora. As a compromise, it was decided that the English name of the islands would not be altered, but that a new Cook Islands Māori name would be adopted to replace the current name, a transliteration from English.[37] Discussions over the name continued in 2020.[38]
On 25 September 2023, the United States recognised Cook Islands sovereignty and established diplomatic relations. (Cook Islands. Wikipedia, accessed 02/15/25)

As the above report shows, the Cook Islands were, for a time, part of the British Empire, then overseen later by New Zealand.

Now, they have made a deal with China.

Let me add that my wife Joyce and I have visited the Cook Islands. Their location helps expand the reach of any nation closely involved with them.

Now, more and more, China is moving in.

So, this looks to be a loss of yet another “sea gate” from the Anglo-American nations.

Last Fall, it was announced that the British were ceding the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, so we put out the following video:

14:36
Prophecy: UK’s Loss of Chagos Islands
On May 28, 2019, Dr. Bob Thiel posted and predicted that the United Kingdom would lose the Chagos Islands, including Diego Garcia. He repeated that prediction on October 1, 2024. On October 3, 2024, the BBC reported that the United Kingdom was going to lose the Chagos Islands and give its sovereignty to the nation of Mauritius, thus confirming his predictions. US President Joe Biden praised the UK decision. Why did Dr. Thiel make that prediction? Was it based on several biblical prophecies? Have other predictions related to loss of ‘sea gates’ possessed by the UK and United State of America come to pass? Will the UK one day lose the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, and even Northern Ireland for their disobedience? What are some of the Bible prophecies that pointed to the attaining of sea gates and losses of territories to the end time descendants of Joseph, Ephraim (the company of nations, once the British Commonwealth) and Manasseh (a once great nation, the US). Does the Bible have the “more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV)? Were prophets and prophecies expected in the ‘last days’ according to Acts 2:17-18? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel discuss these matters. They also referred listeners to a free online book which helps identify various peoples that the Bible prophecies about titled ‘Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?’ URL: https://www.cogwriter.com/LostTribes.pdf

Here is a link to our video: Prophecy: UK’s Loss of Chagos Islands.

More “sea gates” will be lost by the Anglo-American nations.

Consider that, over the years, Argentina has made it clear that it wanted the Falkland Islands back.

The people who live on the Falkland Islands flat-out want to remain part of the UK. They have consistently made that known, but many in Argentina feel that they are entitled to those territories.

Many in Latin America see the presence of the UK in the region as an inappropriate relic of colonialism.

The Falkland Islands are located in the South Atlantic Ocean on a projection of the Patagonian Shelf about 310 miles (500 kilometers) east of the Patagonian/Argentinian coastline. They consist of two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, along with about 700 smaller islands. Stanley, which is on East Falkland, is the capital and largest city. Less than 3,000 people live on them.

Although the voting people who live on the Falklands have made their preferences known, I believe that the Bible shows that the UK will end up losing the Falklands.

The UK has has controlled the Falkland Islands since the 1830′s and it is obvious that most who live there want to remain under British rule.

There is also the fact that Spain wants the British territory of Gibraltar. Plus Kiribati, another former British and American claimed property, is moving more towards China and further away from Australia and New Zealand (see https://www.voanews.com/a/china-cook-islands-sign-strategic-partnership-pact/7976033.html). Gibraltar and Kiribati will cease being a sea gate for the Anglo-American nations.

What might any of this have to do with the Bible?

Notice a prophecy about what was told to the wife of Isaac:

60 “Our sister, may you become The mother of thousands of ten thousands; And may your descendants possess The gates of those who hate them” (Genesis 24:60).

We in the Church of God have been teaching for decades that the United Kingdom and USA would ultimately lose many of their sea gates–we believe they possessed them because of blessings from God and would lose them because of blatant disobedience.

In the June-July 1982 edition of the old Plain Truth magazine, the WCG had the following from Gene Hogberg:

… the Falklands are lost in the long run.

Yes, despite British hopes, this will also ultimately include the loss of the Falkland Islands (which the Argentinians, and apparently now the EU, refer to as the Malvinas) and also Gibraltar–which Spain wants. Notice a couple of prophetic warnings that are consistent with that:

24 ‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. 25 For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. 26 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you 27 (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), 28 lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. (Leviticus 18:24-28)
23 ‘And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant; when you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. (Leviticus 26:23-25)

Here is the following from our free online book Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?:

Moses wrote of the following blessings to the descendants of Joseph:
13 And of Joseph he said:
“Blessed of the Lord is his land, With the precious things of heaven, with the dew, And the deep lying beneath, 14 With the precious fruits of the sun, With the precious produce of the months, 15 With the best things of the ancient mountains, With the precious things of the everlasting hills, 16 With the precious things of the earth and its fullness, And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush. Let the blessing come ‘on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.’ 17 His glory is like a firstborn bull, And his horns like the horns of the wild ox; Together with them He shall push the peoples To the ends of the earth; They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, And they are the thousands of Manasseh.” (Deuteronomy 33:13-17)
So, Ephraim and Manasseh were promised many blessings. Those of us who believe the Bible understand that some peoples had to receive those blessings.
Consistent with Deuteronomy 33:17, Britain had colonies (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Falkland Islands) and other large outposts (Rhodesia, India, Hong Kong, and South Africa) to “the ends of the earth,” while the USA has had military bases all over the world. And, together, the Anglo-American nations have militarily pushed people around the world. …
We do not see in history that the Jews possessed the gates of those who hate them. Yet, in the 19th and/or 20th centuries, many of the major sea gates of the world were possessed/controlled by the United States (Panama Canal and several locations in the Pacific ocean) and the British Empire (Straits of Malacca, Singapore, Suez Canal, Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Hong Kong, Simon’s Town/Cape of Good Hope, etc.). And while that is no longer the case for many of them, they seem to have been prophesied to be taken away for disobedience as well:
58 “If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, 59 then the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues — great and prolonged plagues — and serious and prolonged sicknesses. … 63 And it shall be, that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess. (Deuteronomy 28:58-59,63).
Certainly, these nations have disobeyed the God of Abraham. It appears that the remaining “sea gates” that the UK has such as Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands will be separated from UK control.

The gains and losses of many of the sea gates of the world by the Anglo-Saxon descended nations show that Bible prophecies have been and are being fulfilled.

The fact of the losses so far, of many of the Anglo-Saxon sea gates, should show us that various prophesied curses have begun to hit the Anglo-Saxon nations. More will as well until the Anglo-dominated nations (including the USA) will be no more.

We also have the following video related to the Falklands:

15:15
Falkland Islands and Prophecy?
In mid-July 2023, the European Union (EU) signed a declaration from officials from 33 Latin American nations who are part of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) that also referred to the Falkland Islands as the “Islas Malvinas,” which is the term that the Argentinians call it. Argentina wants those islands, which the UK acquired back in the 1830’s. Will that happen? Are there prophetic ramifications to that as well as the loss of other “sea gates” once held by the United Kingdom (UK) and/or the United States of America? What are some of the relevant passages from the Bible? Does Dr. Thiel expect the UK to also lose control over Gibraltar and the Chagos Islands? If so, based on what scriptures? What about the role of Europe in some of this? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie discuss these issues.

Here is a link to our video: Falkland Islands and Prophecy?

Prophecies are being fulfilled.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Will the UK Lose Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands? For many years, the major sea gates of the world were possessed/controlled by the United States (Panama Canal and certain locations in the Pacific ocean) and the British Empire (Straits of Malacca, Singapore, Suez Canal, Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Simon’s Town/Cape of Good Hope, Malta, etc.), and many are no longer under their control. Spain wants Gibraltar and Argentina wants the Falklands (also known as the Malvinas). UK Prime Minister David Cameron says the UK will defend the Falklands Gibraltar. Does the Bible give clues as to what will happen with those ‘sea gates’? Do promises made the Jacob’s mother Rebekah play a role? What about Deuteronomy 28? This is a video.

Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be: Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?

Will the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?

Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon; When Will the End of the Age Come?; Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? Here is a link in the Spanish language: ¿Tiene la CCOG confirmadas las señales de Hechos 2: 17-18? Here is a link in the French language: Est-ce que l’Église Continue de Dieu confirme les signes d’Actes 2:17-18? A related sermon in the English language is also available: 17 Last Days’ Signs of the Holy Spirit.

21st Century Church of God Prophets Are there any true prophets in the 21st century? What about false prophets? What are scriptures and fruits to identify the true from the false? You you prove all things and test the spirits?

Church of God Leaders on Prophets Have there been prophets throughout the church age? Are any supposed to be around in the last days? What have COG leaders stated or written about prophets? Here is a link to a related sermon: Church of God Leaders on Prophets.

How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?

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