TURKEY – THE ORIGIN OF THE ANTICHRIST

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The following quote is from a nationalist poem used by Recip Tayyip Erdoğan in a famous speech that he gave when he was mayor of Istanbul. The speech landed him in jail for four months in 1999 and banned him from political life in Turkey under the charge of “inciting hatred based on religious differences.” It gives us a peek into the man’s heart and aspirations.

“Our minarets are our bayonets, our domes are our helmets, our mosques are our barracks. We will put a final end to ethnic segregation. No one can ever intimidate us. If the skies and the ground were to open against us. If floods and volcanoes were to burst, we will not turn from our mission. My reference is Islam. If I am not able to speak of this, what is the use of living?

Erdogan is the type of person the Antichrist would have to be, the type of leader that most prophetic experts predict – slick, persuasive, able to bridge the Eastern and Western worlds in dress, manner, and understanding, and being well-spoken and fluent in English. It is not a great leap to imagine a Turkish man. Perhaps a good candidate would be Sinan Ogan of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party.

Sinan Ogan is out of the recent presidential race but he has played a pivotal role in the second round as he came out in favor of Erdogan and is now seen as the “kingmaker”. In the aftermath of Turkey’s dramatic elections, a new name is on the lips of political commentators: third-placed presidential contender Sinan Ogan.

In the US, Gog and Magog in biblical prophecy were Russia, reflecting the Cold War lenses that were used at the time to interpret Scripture. However, now many end times Bible scholars believe Gog and Magog represent Turkey.

Turkey is identified by multiple ancient place names/locations that existed within that country’s current borders (i.e., Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, Togarmah). This coalition of nations, and the Bible implies many more nations with them, will make an all-out assault on Israel, intending to destroy her. God told Ezekiel that this event would occur in the ‘latter years’ (Ezekiel 38:8). At the last moment it will look like Israel will be wiped out, but God will intervene and … the other nations, including Iran, will suffer a 7-fold judgment from God – a great earthquake, pestilence, bloodshed, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone (Ezekiel 38:19-22). Finally, if the nations of the Middle East mentioned in Ezekiel 38 (i.e., Libya, Iran, Turkey, etc.) are right now coming into alignment with each other before our very eyes, and assuming that the incredible event described above occurs sometime during the Great Tribulation period as most Biblical scholars believe, how much closer are we then to the soon coming return of Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel 38, one of the primary End Times passages in God’s Word, “confirms Turkey’s leadership role” due to five of the eight “nations” mentioned are located in Turkey.

Revelation 17 reaffirms Turkey as the host of the Antichrist, with Istanbul as the empire that suffered a fatal wound but will return to stun the world. That blow, many would say, was the AD 1453 capture of the glorious city of Constantinople, a true wonder of the world that was taken over by the Turks.

Another interesting note is Istanbul has long been known as the “city on seven hills,” which has a strange ring when you read this verse in Revelation 17: The seven heads [of the woman on the Beast] are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction (vv. 9-11).

Daniel 9 says the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem will be destroyed by the people of the prince to come (v. 26). The unit of the Roman legion that leveled the Temple in AD 70 was based in Antioch in modern Turkey.

Daniel 11 tells us of a “king of the North” who will be much like the Antichrist (an archetype of him). Most prophecy scholars agree that this was Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the ruler of the Seleucid Division of the Greek Empire. Much of that king’s reign was over modern-day Turkey.

Isaiah’s and Micah’s frequent mentions of Assyria’s opposition to Messiah Jesus further underscore the geographical proof of Turkey’s role. The ancient kingdom of Assyria comprised much of modern Turkey.

Zechariah 9 reaffirms Turkey’s role as it says the sons of Zion will be roused against the sons of another kingdom. Verse 13 has often been translated as “sons of Greece,” leading to many interpretations of the End Times centered around a revival of the Greek Empire, or the Western world as exemplified in Greek thought. But more careful, literal translations interpret this verse as “sons of Yavan.” Who was Yavan? A grandson of Noah, whose descendants settled in western Turkey, many in the city of Izmir, a longtime biblical site. Another son of Yavan (or Javan) was Tarshish, now modern-day Tarsus, also in Turkey.

The “throne of Satan” mentioned in Revelation 2 was constructed in Pergamum, a city whose spectacular ruins you can see in Turkey today, along with a reconstruction of that throne. In addition to these seven “biblical proofs,” Walid Shoebat* makes a powerful case for a Turkish Antichrist by noting that any Beast who would be able to dupe the nation of Israel into a peace treaty for three-and-a-half years would have to “have the reputation for being moderate and must possess the trust of the Israelis and the world.” I agree. There will need to be some repair in the Turk-Israeli alliance before this can happen, but these two nations have shown a remarkable willingness to partner in hopes of keeping the rest of the Middle East calm, up until very recently. And despite the political tension between the two, the economic relationship remains strong, with a nearly 40 percent jump in trade reported in 2013.[274] Turkey and Israel have a history of cooperation, unlike Israel with other Middle

Turkey is one of the few Middle Eastern countries that recognized Israel’s right to exist immediately, on March 28, 1949. Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the U.A.E., and Yemen still do not accept Israeli passports, and I don’t see another country of consequence in the region that would be able to lure Israel into a peace treaty.

Shoebat affirms the common scriptural narrative that “the Antichrist will initially appear to be moderate and trustworthy, but he will also eventually show his true colors. And, his success will come through deceit and shrewdness.” He added, “When searching for the Antichrist, one must never look to Ahmadinejads or Usamas of the world, but instead to someone with a moderate mask – at least in the beginning. His sinister, rabid hatred for Jews and Christians will not be revealed until he lures the sheep into his den.”

Anyone able to pull off a peace treaty with Israel and then negotiate his way to global domination will look great, speak well in English, and be comfortable around all sorts of people from the West and East. I don’t think he will wear an Arab dress or be monolingual. I think he will look like a handsome politician and wear a variety of clothing to fit the context; he will be familiar with Western ways of thought, and he will probably have been educated at some point in Europe or the U.S. This fits the profile of many leaders in Turkey who have studied abroad and speak at least passable English. They present themselves and their country as moderate, tolerant, and inclusive, but they are not shy about their faith, either.

The fact is the Turks have either killed or driven out all minority peoples and faiths. The Armenian Genocide in 1914-18 is increasingly recognized, even among Turks, as having occurred. One-and-a-half million Christians were expelled in 1923, and another 150,000 left after anti-Christian riots in Istanbul in 1955, helping to cut the Christian population from two million to a mere four thousand today.[

The author Ralph Stice tells a story that is classical Turkish “tolerance.” At the University he was teaching, he tried to book the room that was designated for religious minorities to meet. On the surface, it looks as if religious minorities will be welcomed to practice their faith as they see fit. In reality, however, Christians were not allowed to meet in the room designated for them in a religious complex. The promise was, in fact, a lie. Perhaps this is why the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Christian Church, Bartholomew, told 60 Minutes, “I feel crucified” living under a Turkish government that “would like to see his nearly 2,000-year-old Patriarchate die out,” as the church’s seminary was shut down and part of its property seized, like a python slowly squeezing a victim to death.[

As the idea that Turkey could be the home of the Antichrist has gained circulation, Turkish imams are fighting back even as they agree to be interviewed by American authors such as Joel Richardson. Adnan Oktar is a renowned Islamic teacher who oversees a popular website bursting with information on al-Mahdi. When challenged; in a soft, calm, reasoning voice, Oktar says that labeling Turkey as the Antichrist “makes the slaying of the Muslim world lawful,” and then says, “It is wrong and illogical to portray Turkey as the Antichrist. It is cruelty … You fail to think the best … You must trust people … You are sowing the seeds of hatred in all Christians’ hearts … You should be demanding warmth and brotherhood … We believe in the same Allah, don’t we?

Summary by Ralph Stice: For the many reasons I’ve stated – from Turkey as the site of the largest Muslim empire in the world and the only country seeking to revive such an empire, to possible scriptural evidence for the “Lost Land of the Bible” being a key country in the End Times – I believe Turkey merits our most careful attention in the years to come. As I lived in Turkey, I found a brand of Islam that I think would play very well in the modern world as a deceptive lure into the religion of Muhammad. There is just enough charm, Sufi-inspired emotion, and emphasis on “love,” “understanding,” and “tolerance” to make a Turk a prime candidate for the Antichrist, someone who appears quite palatable with politically correct people, yet who has a burning desire to spread Islam across the globe. Let me add Sinan Ogan is a good example of such a Turk.

*Walid Shoebat. He used to be a radicalized Muslim willing to die for the cause of Jihad until he converted to Christianity in 1994.
A significant portion of this post was taken from the book by Ralph Stice, Arab Spring, Christian Winter: Islam Unleashed on the Church and the World. ANEKO Press.

WHO IS THE AL-MAHDI, THE RIGHTLY GUIDED ONE?

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Following on from my recent post “AL MAHDI BEST CANDIDATE FOR ANTICHRIST”

“Forty-two percent of Muslims in a recent survey believe the Islamic Superman will appear in their lifetime (www.mahdi-watch.org). His name is al-Mahdi, the “Rightly Guided One,” who has been discussed since the earliest days of Islam. This Islamic messiah was referred to by Muhammad’s grandson, Ali, who said that Islam would “prevail over all religions when the Messiah of this ummah (Islamic nation) makes his appearance.” (Ed Hotaling, Islam without Illusions: Its Past, Its Present, and Its Challenges for the Future (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2003), 102).

In Daniel 8 we are told that Antichrist will arise when a revived Ottoman Empire is broken up into four and out of one of these four the Little Horn, the Antichrist will arise. I can only surmise about who will break the revived Ottoman Empire into four nations. Candidates, U.N., Russia, USA, or a composite of these three. Certainly, most of the European nations would not want to see a powerful revived Ottoman Empire that wants to dominate the entire world.

“Then the goat (Turkey) 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. Out of one of them came a little horn (Antichrist), which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host.” Daniel 8:8-11

“As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. His power shall be great—but not by his own power, and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints.” Daniel 8:22-24

Old Testament scholar Michael Heiser: “Gog (Numbers 23 and Ezekiel 38) would have been perceived as either a figure empowered by supernatural evil or an evil quasi-divine figure from the supernatural world bent on the destruction of God’s people. For this reason, Gog is regarded by many biblical scholars as a template for the New Testament, Antichrist.”

In both Numbers 24 and Ezekiel 38 Gog leads a coalition of Middle Eastern and North African nations, which confirms a Middle Eastern, not a Roman, Antichrist.

“I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes—many peoples are with you.” Ezekiel 38:3-6

All of the nations Gog (Antichrist) leads are Muslim nations. Which makes the alMahdi the most likely candidate for the Antichrist.

WILL SATAN’S THRONE BE MOVED FROM GERMANY BACK TO TURKEY IN 2023?

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“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” Revelation 2:13

What is Satan’s Throne? Is it the ancient Altar of Zeus that once stood in Pergamum, the site where those refusing to worship the Emperor were slain? The altar was dedicated by King Eumenes II to Zeus and Athena Nikephoros, and its construction probably took place between 181 and 159 B.C.

The Turkish government agreed, perhaps for money, that the ancient foundation of the Pergamon Altar (Satan’s Throne) which was rediscovered by German archaeologists to become the property of Germany. In 1930 the Pergamon Museum in Berlin was opened to the public.

PERGAMON MUSEUM IN bERLIN

A few years later, the Nazi Party’s chief architect, Albert Speer, was commissioned by the new chancellor, Adolf Hitler, to design the parade grounds for the party rallies in Nuremberg. Speer turned to the Pergamon Altar for inspiration. Using the altar as a model, Speer created a colossal grandstand, known as the Zeppelin tribune. In the following years’ mass rallies, Hitler descended down the steps like a tribune in ancient Rome.

That Altar is now in Berlin, Germany. Copies of it were used by Adolph Hitler and Barack Obama during their political careers but is the real thing returning to Turkey? Erdogan’s government demanded Berlin give up the Altar of Pergamum first in 2017. Will it be returned in 2023? It is the date many believe will initiate the reformation of the Ottoman Empire (Caliphate) as it marks the one-hundredth anniversary of its demise.

Also watch Erdogan vs Israel: Is Gog and Magog Alliance Forming Before Our Eyes? https://youtu.be/A3K_D-dhSYU)

We know from Biblical “end times” prophecy that Turkey (Goat of Daniel 8) reasserts its dominance of the Muslims by re-establishing a revived Ottoman Empire but its existence is short-lived. It is broken up into four nations. We are not told by whom but I would predict it to be the United Nations working with the World Economic Forum. It is out of the four nations that the Antichrist arises. His time is short 3 1/2 years. He is defeated when Jesus returns to earth with the Saints at the battle of Armageddon.

“Then the goat (Turkey) 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. Out of one of them came a little horn (Antichrist), 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 8:8-10

His (Antichrist) power shall be great—but not by his own power, and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. By his cunning, he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind, he shall become great. Without warning, he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.” Daniel 8:24-26

BIBLICAL PROPHECY UNFOLDING IN OUR TIME

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From WIN Israel News June 6th, 2022:

“The goal of Iran’s mullahs is to spread their control to as many countries as possible by using their terrorist proxies, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthi militia in Yemen.

The mullahs’ efforts, however, are not limited to the use of military force and terrorism in the four Arab countries. The mullahs have every reason to be satisfied. Their effort to stop Arabs from signing peace agreements with Israel scored an achievement when Iraq’s parliament voted in favor of a law to criminalize normalization with the “Zionist entity,” punishable with a death sentence.

Iran’s rulers are also seeking to increase their political influence in all of these countries. They aim to turn Iran into a superpower and major player in the Middle East at a time when U.S. influence in the region appears to be dwindling.“

Watching Turkey – Iran Prophecy Align

Iran which is Shia Muslim is fulfilling Bible prophecy as outlined in Daniel 8. It is pushing westward, northward, and southward with its proxies.

“And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam (in 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 him from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.” Daniel 8:2-4

As I have mentioned before in a number of posts we need to watch for what comes next the goat (Turkey) which is Sunni Muslim will overcome the ram (Iran) and attempt to revive its Ottoman Empire.

“As I was considering, behold, 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

Turkey has a brief moment of glory but then it is broken up into four probably by the United Nations and or Russia and out of one of these four comes the little horn (Antichrist).

“Then the goat (Turkey – revived Ottoman Empire) 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.
Out of one of them came a little horn (Antichrist), 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 8:8-10

NEXT ON THE BIBLICAL “END TIMES” TIMELINE

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Gog and Magog Alliance (Ezekiel 38) – Will Afghanistan Align with Turkey when USA Pulls Out?

Will Turkey (Goat of Daniel 8) align with Afghanistan when the USA pulls out? Throughout the 1990s, Iran (Ram of Daniel 8) provided support to Afghan Shiite groups and the Northern Alliance in their fight against the Taliban but Afghanistan is a Sunni majority country and the Taliban is a fundamentalist/hard-line Sunni group.

The USA’s 20 year occupation of Afghanistan ended on the last day of August. Who will step into that power vacuum and what are the prophetic implications? The Taliban met with both Russia and China in the last week. Obviously everyone has their eyes on Afghanistan, but the country we should probably most fear assuming control is Turkey and its pseudo dictator Erdogan. Because its Turkey who will assemble the Gog and Magog Alliance. Watch this Nelson Walters Video to learn how Afghanistan fits in.

LAST DAYS WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS

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In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces. Just days earlier, an American military assessment estimated it would be a month before the capital would come under insurgent pressure.

Afghan president flees country as Taliban move into Kabul
Taliban fighters take control of Afghan presidential palace in Kabul after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, Aug. 15, 2021.

The fall of Kabul marks the final chapter of America’s longest war, which began after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks masterminded by al-Qaida’s Osama bin Laden, then harboured by the Taliban government. A U.S.-led invasion dislodged the Taliban and beat them back, though America lost focus on the conflict in the chaos of the Iraq War.

As the insurgents closed in Sunday, President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country. Ghani later posted on Facebook that he had chosen to leave the country to avert bloodshed in the capital, without saying where he had gone.

The Taliban is a predominantly Pashtun, Islamic fundamentalist group that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when a U.S.-led invasion toppled the regime for providing refuge to al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. The Taliban regrouped across the border in Pakistan and has led an insurgency against the U.S.-backed government in Kabul for nearly twenty years.

There is little doubt that many Afghans who initially joined the movement were educated in madrassas (religious schools) in Pakistan. Pakistan was also one of only three countries, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which recognised the Taliban when they were in power in Afghanistan.

On Monday, August 23rd, Prime Minister Imran Khan praised Afghans for “breaking the shackles of slavery”. On social media, retired generals and other Taliban boosters hailed the triumph of Islam.

Exultant Pakistanis shared a video clip from 2014 featuring Hamid Gul, a former head of the army’s spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

“When history is written, it will be stated that the ISI defeated the Soviet Union in Afghanistan with the help of America,” Gul says to a fawning TV studio audience. “Then there will be another sentence. The ISI, with the help of America, defeated America.”

It must be remembered that between 2002 and 2018, the US government gave Pakistan more than $33 billion in assistance, including about $14.6 billion in so-called Coalition Support Funds paid by the Pentagon to the Pakistani military. During the same period, Pakistan ensured the failure of America’s Afghanistan project by surreptitiously sheltering, arming and training the Taliban. One would think the Americans would have got the message when in 2011 US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in a safe house next to Pakistan’s premier military academy. But successive administrations — Republican and Democratic — refused to take measures that could have forced Pakistan to rethink its support for the Taliban.

At least for now, the Taliban’s victory fulfils the Pakistani army’s decades-old quest to gain “strategic depth” by controlling Afghanistan. But this will not sate the generals; it will whet their appetite.

The symbolic significance of an army of zealots humbling the world’s sole superpower is hard to exaggerate. In the Pakistani army it will strengthen the hand of those who view Afghanistan not merely in geopolitical terms, but as the fulfilment of a religious project rooted in an extreme interpretation of Islam that shuns all Western influence.

The same holds true in Pakistani society at large. If music-hating, anti-Western, anti-Shiite misogynists can seize power in Kabul, why can’t they do the same in Islamabad? At least one homegrown Pakistani jihadist group, the Tehreek-e-Taliban, is comprised of fighters already at odds with the Pakistani government.

In a phone interview from Islamabad, Afrasiab Khattak, a former Pakistani senator and Pashtun-rights activist, points out that Pakistan houses some 36,000 madrassas, or religious seminaries, some of which are militant. “The same places producing the Taliban are producing similar people in Pakistan,” he says. “They will contest for power in Pakistan too.”

In early 2009, when Afghan President Hamid Karzai pressed Vice President-elect Joe Biden to crack down on Taliban safe havens across the border, Mr Biden reportedly rebuffed him by pointing out that “Pakistan is 50 times more important than Afghanistan for the United States.” As president, Mr Biden may have ensured that Pakistan is 50 times more dangerous to the US and the world as well.

Watch as Bible prophecy plays out in the Middle East. The next big power play will come from Turkey (Sunni) in an effort to rebuild an Ottoman Empire. It will not tolerate Iran (Shiite) exerting its influence with proxies. Iran has built a network of proxies across the Middle East. At of beginning of 2020, Tehran had allies among more than a dozen major militias, some with their own political parties, that challenged local and neighbouring governments. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the elite Qods Force provided arms, training and financial support to militias and political movements in at least six countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, Syria and Yemen.

Iran Proxy and Sanctions Map Dec 2020
“I saw the ram (Iran) charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.” Daniel 8:4

Turkey (Goat) in this next prophecy overcomes Iran (Ram) in its effort to re-establish its Ottoman Empire. It must be remembered that at least 80% of Pakistan’s Muslims are Sunni so it will support Turkey.

“As I was considering, behold, 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

Bible prophecy then reveals that the re-established Ottoman Empire is short lived. It is broken up by the super powers into four and it is out of the four that the Little Horn (Antichrist) emerges.

“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.
Out of one of them came a little horn (Antichrist), which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land.” Daniel 8:8-9

DANIEL 8 PROPHECY UNFOLDING IN THESE LAST DAYS

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Thursday that Israel’s capital city of Jerusalem still belongs to Turkey.

Turkey’s Erdogan says Jerusalem ‘is our city’
Erdogan lays pre-WW1 Ottoman claim to Israel’s capital, says “it is our city.”

In a speech marking the opening of the fall session of Turkey’s parliament, covered by Turkish media, Erdoğan began with harsh criticism of Armenia for the armed conflict that broke out this week with Azerbaijan and their mutual claims to the Nagorno-Karabakh region. However, his comments shifted closer to home and he made the surprising remark that Jerusalem still belongs to Turkey.

“The Jerusalem issue is not a geopolitical problem for us. Jerusalem is our city, a city from us,” Erdogan said, referring to the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War One.

“In this city [Jerusalem] that we had to leave in tears during the first world war, it is still possible to encounter traces of the Ottoman resistance,” Erdogan said. “We accept it an honor on behalf of our country and nation to express the rights of the oppressed Palestinian people on every platform.”

The Ottoman Empire controlled Jerusalem for 400 years until its defeat at the hands of the Western allies who divided up the former empire, with many of its former provinces becoming independent Arab countries. During the war the Ottomans also carried out the Armenian genocide, murdering some 1.5 million Christian Armenians – enmity that remains and led to Erdogan’s condemnation of Armenia.

As I have posted before we are seeing the prophecy of Daniel 8 developing, with Turkey as the goat nation beginning to exert its desire to re-establish the Ottoman Empire. The Ram nation Iran is already pushing west, north, and south exactly as prophesied and it is only a matter of time before Turkey crushes Iran.

“And the goat ( Turkey, Sunni) had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came to the ram (Iran, Shia) 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 8:6-7

So many Biblical prophecies of the end times are manifesting now that it is obvious to most Bible believing Christians that we are living in the last days. Recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus told us that in the “last days” there would be a great falling away (apostasy) in the church. Many of the institutional churches now accept homosexuality, gay marriage and other heresies. Other end times signs such as people will be lovers of self, lawlessness will abound, pestilence, famine and other so called natural disasters are all evident. Jesus said all of these things must take place before He comes to take His church to heaven prior to God pouring out His wrath on a world that totally rejects God the Father and Jesus, His Son.

TURKISH CALIPHATE RISING

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Geopolitics, Biblical prophecy and Muslim prophecy and how they intersect in these last days.

Biblical prophecy reveals in Daniel 8 that in the last days Turkey (Sunni) will defeat Iran (Shia) and become the dominant Muslim force but not for long. It will be broken up into four kingdoms and out of one of them the little horn (Antichrist) will come. Only a great power or coalition of nations will be able to break up what would effectively be a revived Ottoman Empire.

“Then the goat (Turkey) 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. Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land (Israel).” Daniel 8:8-9

A critical shift is taking place in the Middle East. The Ballistic Missile Program of Iran (Ram) is significant considering its influence in Lebanon with Hezbollah and in Iraq and Syria as well as Hamas, but even more significant is the Turkey Caliphate (Goat) , a revised Ottoman Empire is rising. The Ottoman Empire collapsed in 1923 after 600 years ruling an amazing amount of territory.

Covid 19 Pandemic is providing an opportunity for leaders such as Erdogan. The combination of people’s disillusionment with the Saudi regime as well as Bin Salman’s ambivalence towards Sunni radicalism has led Erdogan to pursue a role as the new political leader of Sunni Islam.

Hagia Sophia from Museum to Mosque

We can see Erdogan’s ambition in a number of actions that he has pursued in the past couple months. The first and most obvious is the reconversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. This has obvious implications. For centuries, Muslim armies made the capture of Constantinople, the center of the Christian east, their chief goal. Various Muslim Hadiths (sayings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad) predicted the submission of the Byzantine capital to Islam. When the Ottomans finally captured the city on May 29, 1453 and turned the Byzantine cathedral of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, it spelled the end of Christian political power in the Middle East and the beginning of the Ottoman Empire as the center of Sunni Islam. Ataturk converted the mosque into a museum in 1935, uncovering some of the Arabic calligraphy to reveal the centuries-old Christian icons. This move, while imperfect, signalled that Turkey was no longer an Islamic state and that it would pursue secularization.

For years now, Erdogan has been undoing Ataturk’s vision. He has cracked down on the sale of alcohol, halted the teaching of the theory of evolution, and is even suspected of aiding Sunni Jihadist groups in Syria. The reconversion of Hagia Sophia serves as a symbolic reminder that in Turkey Islam reigns supreme and that, while Saudi Arabia shrinks away from its Wahabbist legacy, Sunnis who long for a return to a more muscular Islam can turn to Istanbul instead.

The second ominous sign of Turkey’s ambition is the recent onslaught of anti-Armenian sentiments made by pro-Erdogan figures in Lebanon. Lebanon, which is dominated by the Shia Hezbollah (funded and controlled by Iran), has faced increased criticism by Lebanese citizens for its corruption. Massive protests occurred just last year over endemic political corruption and economic stagnation in the country. This is where Erdogan sees his opening. The Sunni community of Lebanon, which doesn’t have nearly the same level of political representation as Shia Muslims or even Christians, and increasingly fears the domination of Hezbollah over the country, could easily turn to Turkey as a sort of protector. We should not be surprised that the bulk of anti-Armenian sentiment in Lebanon has come from the North, which is heavily Sunni.

Perhaps the most insidious result of this strategy is the propagation of anti-Armenian propaganda at pan-Muslim events in the United States. Just last year, during a Muslim American Society convention, official publications from the Turkish government denying the Armenian Genocide were distributed to visitors. The U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations, a major American Muslim Advocacy group, has also pushed Turkish propaganda, claiming that the Armenian Genocide of 1915 is taken out of historical context and that Muslim suffering during the same time period is never discussed.

The overall attempt has been to inflect a general Muslim hostility towards Christianity (which has very deep roots in Islam) with a more particular Turkish hatred of Armenians. Such an attempt, if successfully accomplished, would be a massive propaganda victory for Erdogan’s government. This would signal a shift in influence over radical Islam from the Saudis to the Turks.

Armenians should brace for increased hostility not only from the Turks, but also from the Sunni communities that they have lived with peacefully for decades. They are in turmoil right now, and Erdogan may have found them the perfect scapegoat.

PROPHESIED GOG OF MAGOG WAR IN EZEKIEL 38 & 39

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The Bible is amazing, unlike any other book it is has proved it is God breathed by fulfilled prophecy. At least 300 prophecies of Jesus first coming were shown to be true, Isaiah 53 is a standout. Do you know there are far more prophecies about Jesus second coming than there were about His first coming? Moreover, if you have been following my blog, you realise we are closing in fast on the “last days” before Jesus returns.

Israel re-established as a nation in 1948 (70 years ago now) was a very significant sign, mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse. Apostasy in the church is another significant sign. False prophets is another. The current Pope and the Catholic church believe that there are other ways to God than Jesus. This is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and a sure “end times” sign. Also, whoever would have believed much of the church would accept gay marriage and homosexual and transgender pastors?

In my last post, I presented evidence for Iran being the ram in Daniel 8 and mentioned the likelihood of Turkey (Magog and a revived Ottoman Empire) being the goat that takes out the ram.

What is unfolding now in the Middle East has been foretold. In this video by Joel Richardson, he speaks of Iran’s invasion of the Middle East outlined in Daniel 8. but he focuses mainly on events in Ezekiel 38 and 39 which talks of the later Gog of Magog war.

Joel does a great job of showing that Gog is one of the names of the Antichrist and Magog is his country, Turkey. Gog is the leader of a Muslim coalition. The primary peoples and tribes (regions) are listed: Meshech, Put, Gomer, Tubal, Persia, Togarmah (all of these are in Turkey) plus other nations, all of them Muslim.

Turkey (Sunni) is using Isis against Assad and Kurds.  Iran (Shiite) is using Assad , Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza in its efforts to control the region. Russia is siding with Iran. USA is trying to oppose Assad so Russia and USA are in conflict.

 

TURKEY INVESTS MILLIONS TO RETURN MUSLIM CONTROL OVER JERUSALEM

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Is Turkey hoping for a return of the Ottoman Empire to Jerusalem?

It would fit with Bible prophecy of a revived Ottoman Empire in the “last days”. In Daniel 11:40, the Antichrist, as the last days Antiochus IV Epiphanes, is also referred to as the King of the North who will rule over a last-days version of the Seleucid Empire (revived Ottoman Empire). In verse 41, we are then told he invades the Glorious Land – Israel.

World events are consistent with a Muslim Antichrist – the Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will rule prior to the Day of Judgement

Turkey invests millions to return Muslim control over Jerusalem

Turkey is reportedly positioning itself as a Muslim power in Jerusalem by investing millions of dollars in the Old City and the Temple Mount.

According to an investigative report, due to be published in full in the coming weekend edition of Israel Hayom, the Turkish government-funded Cooperation and Coordination Agency, also known as TIKA, has invested millions of dollars into 63 different projects “defending and strengthening the Muslim heritage and character of Jerusalem” since 2004.

Turkey has teamed up with Sheikh Raed Salah, the leader of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, which was outlawed in November 2015, as well as with former Jerusalem mufti Sheikh Akram Sabri.  Both are opposed to Israel’s existence.

Among other activities, TIKA has invested resources in restoring the Ottoman Muslim archives on the Temple Mount, renovated the Muslim cemetery adjacent to the eastern wall of the Temple Mount, and been involved in numerous community-related work throughout the eastern sections of Israel’s capital.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has consistently supported TIKA’s work and condemned Israel’s control of Jerusalem, which he labels “an insult.”

Last month, in a speech at the International Al-Quds Forum in Istanbul, Erdogan urged Muslims to make frequent visits to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, located on the Temple Mount, in order “to protect the Muslim identity” of the site, the Turkish daily Sabah reported.

“As a Muslim community, we need to visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque often; each day that Jerusalem is under occupation is an insult to us,” he was quoted as saying.

While Turkey is enhancing its position in Jerusalem, the influence of Jordan, the traditional custodian of Jerusalem’s Muslim sites, appears to be declining.

Visitors to Jerusalem’s Old City can easily notice the increased Turkish presence through the numerous Turkish national flags on display. In addition, Turkish culture and cuisine are becoming more popular in the area. Turkey’s government also covered some of the expenses for the new golden crescent atop the Dome of the Rock a few years ago.