|
 |
Breaking developments in Middle East politics this past week will
have huge prophetic consequences!
A new chill has descended into the otherwise hot Middle Eastern air
as the nation of Turkey has gone cold on its once-friendly relations
with the nation of Israel. After two decades of friendship between
Turkey and Israel, an end of an era has been reached.
What has happened to cut ties between Turkey and Israel?
Turkey has taken a radical turn in their international policies:
1)
Shifting from West to East
Turkey has long been moving towards partnerships with the Middle
East after their difficulty in being accepted by Europe. The natural
result has been for the Turkish government to recoil eastwards.
2)
Following the fundamental voices of Islam
The resulting membership dues for joining the brotherhood of Muslim
nations is to condemn everything Israel. Turkey is particularly
wishing to punish Israel for the three-week Operation Cast Lead
counter-terrorist war against Gaza that concluded in mid-January
2009.
3)
Taking the lead in condemning Israel
Acting on this new direction, Turkey's Prime Minister Recip Tayyip
Erdogan has become very vocal in his disdain for Israel.
Israel National News (INN)
reports Erdogan as "being in the forefront of criticizing the United
Nations decision last month not to discuss the Goldstone Report that
accused Israel of war crimes in the Gaza operation." Along with a
number of Muslim and dictator-controlled third world countries,
Erdogan has convinced the U.N. to consider the report seriously.
Erdogan also stormed out of a panel discussion with President Shimon
Peres about the war with Hamas earlier in the year.
4)
Signing a treaty with Syria
On Tuesday, October 13, 2009, Turkey and Syria signed a
Turkish-Syrian treaty that includes plans to strengthen military
ties and to end visa requirements for each country. Syria is one of
Israel's most aggressively hostile border enemies.
5)
Engaging in joint military drills with Syria and Iran
Turkey has dropped military exercises with Western nations and
instead has joined in joint military drills with Syria and Iran, the
nations most vocally hostile towards Israel's existence. "The
Syrian-Turkish military exercises were apparently being held at the
same time that Turkey was informing Jerusalem that it would ban the
IAF [Israeli Air Force] from participating in the joint Anatolian
Eagle exercise, a move that was not made public by Israel until
Sunday. The war games, scheduled to be held together with Turkey,
the U.S. and Italy, reportedly were to include mock bombing raids in
air space near the borders of Iran, Iraq and Syria."
How does the loss of Turkish-Israeli relations affect Israel?
1)
An isolated Israel
Israel's loss of an ally in a Middle East full of millions of Muslim
aggressors leaves it decidedly more isolated. As former Israeli Air
Force Commander Eitan Ben-Eliyahu told an interviewer on Israeli
television, "This is a seriously worrying development. Turkey is
critically essential in the training of our air force over wide
spaces, particularly given Turkey's strategic location adjacent to
both Iran and Syria." Turkey was essential in allowing Israeli
planes to attack a Syrian nuclear facility under construction two
years ago by allowing the planes through their airspace.
2)
An anti-Israel axis north of their border
A hostile Turkey leaves Israel without any friendly nation anywhere
close to its northern border.
3)
Emboldened enemies
Iran and other openly anti-Semetic nations are feeling emboldened by
their newest ally in their desire to "wipe Israel off the map," as
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has so enthusiastically
threatened.
4)
An even larger build-up against Israel
The influx of Turkish support into a coalition against Israel makes
the threat of invasion against Israel loom even closer as more funds
and troops are added to the build-up.
Can this shift in Turkey's alliances be found in Bible prophecy?
What we are witnessing today is the fulfillment of Bible prophecy,
particularly the solidifying of the alignment of nations that will
compromise the Gog-Magog alliance described in Ezekiel 38-39.
A long 2,600 years ago the great Hebrew
nabi Ezekiel unveiled the prophecy the Lord God had
divulged to him concerning the future of the nation of Israel. An
aggressive coalition of nations from the territories of ancient
Rosh, Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Cush, Gomer and Beth-togarmah
and led by a leader called
"Gog,
prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal" (Ezek. 38:2-3) would
gather to invade Israel. The battlefield would be on the
"mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate"
(Ezek. 38:8). The purpose of the invasion will be to
"plunder and loot" and destroy the people of Israel
(Ezek. 38:12, 16).
Turkey now covers the former lands of Tubal, Gomer and Beth-togarmah.
According to Ezekiel, Turkey will join in an alliance with the lands
formerly known as Magog (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan,
Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and possibly Afghanistan), Sudan (now the
Sudan and Ethiopia), Put (now Libya and possibly Algeria and
Tunisia), Persia (now Iran), quite possibly Azerbaijan and Armenia,
and be led by a ruler called
"Gog"
from Rosh (now Russia). This very day, Turkey is solidifying its
stand with these nations.
Before Turkey can join in the invasion of Israel, some of its
alliances have to first be cut off. Noticeably absent from Ezekiel's
list of Middle Eastern nations are those surrounding modern-day
Israel, such as Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Gaza, Iraq and the
Arab peninsula nations. Ezekiel 38:13 describes these nations as
just observing the Gog-Magog Battle. A Psalm 83 scenario where
Israel has to subjugate its surrounding neighbors would be the most
logical forerunning to the Gog-Magog event. Turkey would then lose
the alliance it just made with Syria when Syria is conquered by
Israel and its capital Damascus is destroyed by a nuclear attack (Isa.
17:1-14; Jer. 49:23-27).
Has Turkey made a wise move?
The end result of an invasion by such a seemingly invincible
coalition on a seemingly unprotected Israel will surprise Turkey and
its allies and shock the world.
The invading nations are in truth being manipulated by God, pulled
out of their lands as with
"hooks in [their] jaws" (Ezek. 38:4), so that those
nations can feel the
"hot anger... [of] the Sovereign LORD" (Ezek. 38:18).
God will drag Turkey and its allies to the
"mountains of Israel" to
"execute judgment upon him [Gog] with plague and bloodshed...
torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his
troops and on the many nations with him" (Ezek. 38:22).
God uses this battle for three purposes:
1)
Israel becomes a super power.
The hostile Muslim nations will have their collective backs broken,
thrusting Israel into control of the Middle East, becoming the
newest world power.
2)
Islam comes to an end.
The religion of Islam will be so greatly demoralized that it should
see a mass exodus of its acolytes joining a coming one-world
religion.
3)
God reveals Himself to the world.
The most important purpose, God personally and supernaturally
getting involved in destroying Turkey and its allies will
"show my [God's] greatness and my
holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations.
Then they will know that I am the LORD" (Ezek. 38:23).
By His supernatural victory in the Gog-Magog Battle, God
reintroduces Himself to the world and declares in no uncertain terms
that He is personally defending Israel.
God will turn Turkey's new hostilities towards Israel and its
subsequent defeat into good for Israel and the world.
All will know there is
a God!
  |
Jesus Came. What's Next?
