TURKEY IN BIBLICAL END TIMES PROPHECY

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The Ottoman Empire, also known as the Turkish Empire, began more than 700 years ago, eventually controlling Southeast Europe as well as parts of West Asia, North Africa and the Middle East up to the early 20th century. After World War I, the Allied powers partitioned the Ottoman Empire, including what the British then called Palestine.

Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, Middle East Expert at the Moshe Dayan Centre for Middle Eastern and African Studies, says that December’s fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad opened the door for Erdogan, the president of Turkey to implement his goal of reviving an empire beginning with Syria. “We all witnessed that since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, the Turkish president did all he could to support the Syrian opposition. And he sees the current Syrian administration as his core ally. By providing some civilian services like paving the roads, railways, providing radar, and repairing airports and other facilities, Turkey is creating here a very important dependency from the Syrian side,” Yanarocak explained. He adds that Turkey is the only country declaring an intention to build up the new Syrian army, which the US has demanded that it destroy its chemical weapons and renounce terrorism.

On paper, Israel and Turkey have shared diplomatic relations since 1949, although Erdogan’s recent moves put that at risk. “The Turkish president, at the end of the Muslim Eid el-Fitr celebrations, he wished for the destruction of Israel. And for Israel, especially after October the 7th, you know, we cannot tolerate some future threats,” he said. Since the Assad regime fell, Israel has bombed weapons stockpiles and strategic military locations while establishing a buffer zone along its border with Syria.  Israel is concerned both with those who control Syria and with Turkey’s involvement. “They are already building governmental facilities to show sovereignty in the Syrian land as well. You see Turkey building post offices, Turkish post offices, banks, Turkish banks that are using Turkish currency, and schools,” Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel told CBN News. Haskel says Israel has two priorities regarding Syria: the safety of Israel and the protection of minorities, including the Christians, Druze, and Kurds. Then there’s Turkey.

“Turkey is a great concern in what is happening in Syria now, not just that we need to hear their declarations and their speeches of their leadership. And that’s really concerning – in particular, statements concerning this force in regard to Jerusalem. There are declarations which are a red line in regard to Israel, but it shows their intention,” Haskel said. Haskel adds that intention goes beyond Israel. “I think that after what had happened in Syria, they feel like they’re on a high horse. But that should be a great concern to all the neighbouring countries around,” she added.  President Trump recently offered to smooth out any difficulties between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Erdogan. “Any problem that you have with Turkey, I think I can solve, I mean as long as you are reasonable. You have to be reasonable. We have to be reasonable,” Trump said in a statement. Yanarocak says it’s also the first time the US could have access to Syria, which used to be under Russia’s thumb and is now being influenced by Turkey, a NATO member.

Biblical prophecy reveals in Daniel 8 that Turkey (the Goat and Sunni) puts down Iran (the Ram and Shia) in its attempt to re-establish a revived Ottoman Empire. However, we are also told that it is broken up into four, probably by the United Nations, which would not countenance the re-establishment of an Ottoman Empire that once threatened the world.

“And the goat (Turkey) had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came to the ram (Iran) with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath... And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.” Daniel 8:5-8

We are also told the little horn (Antichrist) comes out of one of these Muslim nations. God has given us this information, so we should use it in our efforts to evangelise unbelievers.

“Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. It grew great, even to the host of heaven.” Daniel 8:9-10

TURKEY CONVERTS ANOTHER FORMER BYZNTINE-ERA CHURCH INTO A MOSQUE

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Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially inaugurated a former Byzantine-era church previously known as the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora, a United Nations World Heritage Site, as a mosque this week, drawing condemnation from the Greek government.

The change is part of a series of conversions in recent years, including the iconic Hagia Sophia in 2020, which garnered international criticism but no action.

The Chora Church Museum dates back to the Byzantine era when it was originally built as a monastery; during the Ottoman era, it was converted into a mosque before being changed to a museum in 1948. The interior is decorated with some of the oldest surviving Byzantine mosaics and frescoes.

Located in the Fatih district of Istanbul, near the ancient city walls, the building known locally as Kariye is celebrated for its intricate mosaics and frescoes dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries.

Erdogan’s bold move in 2020 to convert the Hagia Sophia brought little reaction so this recent move could be expected. Erdogan’s intention to take every step he can to re-establish the former Ottoman Empire is emerging and being made clear first of all to Muslim nations. Sunni Turkey will soon attack Shia Iran as prophesied in Daniel 8 to exert its dominance. Turkey is not impressed with Iran trying to exert its dominance with its proxies in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.

Daniel’s Vision of the Ram and the Goat

“A male goat (Turkey) came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came to the ram (Iran) with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power.” Daniel 8:5-7

“Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.” As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia (Iran). And the goat is Javan (revived Ottoman Empire).” Daniel 8:19, 22

Javan conveniently describes an area that includes parts of Greece and Turkey, closely linking the historical nature of Alexander’s empire to what is to come. Indeed, the iron beast has bronze claws. Perhaps the revived Ottoman empire will include parts of modern-day Greece, the Balkans and Macedonia, reinforcing the significance of the contrast between “iron and the clay”.

THE GOAT OF DANIEL 8: TURKEY’S ROLE IN THE END TIMES

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Turkey’s Foreign Minister H. E. Ahmet Davutoğlu’s work, Strategic Depth: Turkey’s International Position, outlined the country’s aspiration to be the strategic nation of the twenty-first century. (http://www.amazon.com/Stratejik-Derinlik-T%C3%BCrkiyenin-Uluslararasi-Konumu/dp/B004LYNDEQ/)

Davutoğlu asserted this Turkish pride and confidence in his address to the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. in 2010. He said that if Turkey had been allowed to join the European Union in 2003, “I am sure today we would have a new Europe, a much more creative, dynamic Europe, even responding to the economic crisis in a much better way.”

Erdogan turning Hagia Sophia once again into a mosque is seen by a substantial segment of the Turkish population as part of the effort to reclaim their country’s history.

The joke in Turkey now is they are very glad that the EU did not allow them to join their club, because the economic crises of Greece, Spain, Portugal, and others would have simply dragged down Turkey’s explosive growth. Can you see the chutzpah of Davutoğlu’s statement, that Europe would be “much more dynamic” with Turkey included? Again, whether you consider him delusional or insightful, you need to notice the pride in his outlook. Regardless of what we think in the Western world about Turkey, Turks believe their country to be primed for world leadership, whether or not it is allowed into the good ol’ boys club of the G8 or EU, or any other group you want to pick. Turks are well aware of why Europe does not like them, but it will not let a barricade in Brussels stop them from finding what they believe to be their rightful place in the world. Turkey is determined to find its way in a new global order that is being shaken every day. Do not be at all surprised if Turkey leads an Islamic federation one day and says, “We tried to join with you in the West, but you ungraciously snubbed us. We have joined a new club now and demand an equal say in how the world will proceed.” Davutoğlu added that Turkey had representation in 221 nations, making it the seventh most widespread country in terms of foreign missions in the world, and of course, the only Islamic one in the top ten! “We will continue these openings because we want Turkey to be not only a regional power influential in surrounding regions but a global player everywhere in the world.” He wrapped up the final portion of his speech with these memorable lines:

“Therefore, we will be everywhere, whenever we are needed. We will be active everywhere. Some people may think – they may try to imagine or force us to be busy only with Syria, but in the morning we wake up with Syria, and before noon our mind is in the Balkans, in the afternoon, in Africa, in the evening in UN or in Latin America. Nobody will or can limit our vision.” (Ibid)

Is there any question as to how Mr. Davutoğlu and other Turkish leaders see their role? “We will be everywhere.” “Nobody will or can limit our vision.”

Perhaps Davutoğlu was so bold because he was speaking just a few miles from the construction site of what will be the largest Islamic complex in the Western hemisphere, the $100 million mega-mosque being erected in nearby Lanham, Maryland. The Turkish American Community Center will feature an exhibition hall, amphitheater, library, cultural center, athletic fields, and a stunning mosque, among other structures.[229] Erdoğan has visited the construction zone and sees it as a bulwark to fight “Islamophobia” in the U.S.A

God tells us with the prophecy given to Daniel (Daniel 8) over 500 years before Jesus Christ that in the end times, Turkey (Goat) would establish a revived Ottoman Empire by crushing Iran (Ram) but it will be broken up into four nations and out of one of those the Antichrist will arise. We are already seeing Iran doing what the Bible said it would in the end times pushing westward, northward, and southward with its proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Bahrain, Iraq, Gaza and Yemen. It is only a matter of time before Sunni Turkey takes on Shia Iran for dominance of the Muslim Caliph.

Get Ralph Stice’s book for the full story on Islam’s role in the end times and the coming Antichrist’s rule. Also, check out my earlier post, Turkey’s Erdogan is intent on becoming Global Caliph.

WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS IN THE END TIMES

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“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” Matthew 24:6-8 and Mark 13:7

Top Israeli defense officials say the country is preparing for the possibility of an armed conflict with regional arch-rival Iran and its proxies.

“We will be prepared to execute operations that haven’t been seen in the past, with means that weren’t in our hands in the past, that will harm the heart of terror and its abilities,” said Defense Minister Benny Gantz. By Associated Press

Israeli army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi said Tuesday that the Israeli military was “speeding up the operational plans and readiness for dealing with Iran and the nuclear military threat.”

Lebanon border
Israel readying for War with Iran, Officials say

Israel considers Iran an existential threat and has warned that it would act with military force if needed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Last month Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that “if a terror regime is going to acquire a nuclear weapon, we must act.”

Addressing lawmakers at a meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Kohavi said the military “continued to act against our enemies in covert operations and missions around the Middle East” during the past year.

His remarks came following a string of reported Israeli airstrikes in Syria. Israel has staged hundreds of strikes on Iran-linked military targets in neighboring Syria in the past decade but rarely acknowledges its operations. It has been said that Iran’s presence near its northern frontier is a red line and that it targets arms shipments bound for Iranian-backed Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and Iran-linked facilities in Syria.

Speaking during a visit to a defense industry factory in the northern city of Shlomi, near the Lebanese border, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that Israel was “working all the time to prevent war — carrying out operations, conveying messages, preventing (a military) build-up.”

In the event of war, he said, “we will be prepared to execute operations that haven’t been seen in the past, with means that weren’t in our hands in the past, that will harm the heart of terror and its abilities.”

Iran Proxy and Sanctions Map Dec 2020
From Susa in Iran the ram would be charging northward to Lebanon and Iraq

What we see Iran doing militarily is an “end times” prophecy in the book of Daniel. Iran is the ram charging westward and northward and southward. The two horns represent the supreme leader Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei and General Hossein Salami head of the country’s Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) together they control all political and military power in Iran.

“I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam (Iran). And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram (Iran) standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue them from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.” Daniel 8:2-4

We need to watch for the next part of Daniel 8’s prophecy to be fulfilled. Sunni Turkey (Goat) will not tolerate Shia Iran (Ram) claiming leadership of the Muslim middle east. Turkey (previously controlled the powerful Ottoman Empire) considers itself the leader of the Muslim world. Daniel’s prophecy predicts Turkey defeating Iran in what is described as a savage encounter but then we are told Turkey’s bid to re-establish a neo-Ottoman Empire is short-lived. We are not told who comes against Turkey, possibly the UN or a coalition of western nations that do not want to see a revived Ottoman Empire. Russia for one would not want to see a revived Ottoman Empire challenge its dominance in the region. We are told that it is broken up into four nations/kingdoms and it is out of these that the Little Horn (Antichrist) emerges.

Turkey’s attempt to re-establish a neo-Ottoman Empire

“The goat (Turkey) had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came toward the two-horned ram (Iran) I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with savage fury. I saw him approaching the ram, and infuriated with him, he struck the ram, shattering his two horns, and the ram was not strong enough to stand against him... Then the male goat became very great, but when he became powerful, the large horn was shattered. Four conspicuous horns came up in its place, pointing toward the four winds of heaven.” Daniel 8:6-8

It is only then that the Antichrist (little horn) arrives on the scene and is allowed to dominate the world for an allotted time, three and half years.

“From one of them, a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land. It grew as high as the heavenly host, made some of the stars and some of the host fall to the earth, and trampled them. It made itself great, even up to the Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice and overthrew the place of His sanctuary. Because of rebellion, a host, together with the daily sacrifice, will be given over. The horn will throw truth to the ground and will be successful in whatever it does.” Daniel 8:9-12

Ezekiel 38 also links the Antichrist (Gog) to modern Turkey (and/or its immediately surrounding vicinity). Ezekiel singles out all Islamic nations in the Middle East and North Africa as comprising the vanguard of Gog’s invasion force during the Great Tribulation.