LF: Turkey as Antichrist Nation 7 Scriptural Proofs

1. EZEKIEL 38 CONFIRMS TURKEY’S LEADERSHIP ROLE

From the prophecies examined in the Book of Ezekiel, we saw that Turkey was significantly emphasized. Of the eight locations that were specified in the Gog Prophecy of Ezekiel 38, five were located firmly within Turkey. Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Togormah, and Gomer are all areas that were within the boundaries of modern Turkey. The fact that Turkey was so heavily emphasized is not something to be ignored. God highlighted Turkey for a reason. However, it is important that this theory by confirmed by other passages, as well.

2. REVELATION 17 CONFIRMS TURKEY’S LEADERSHIP ROLE

From Revelation 17, we concluded that the Islamic Empire, culminating in the Turkish Ottoman Empire, was the seventh Biblical Beast Empire. The capital of the Ottoman Empire was Istanbul, formely Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Byzantine Empire. Today, Istanbul sits on the northwestern corner of Turkey. The reason that the location of the capitals of the last beast empire may be important is because as the head of the last beast empire, it is possible that it will receive the ‘fatal head wound’ that will come back and awe the world: ‘One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast’ (Revealation 13:3).

3. DANIEL 9 CONFIRMS TURKEY’S LEADERSHIP ROLE

We also examined Daniel 9, where the Bible says that it would be the ‘people of the prince to come’ that would destroy the Jewish Temple. In other words, the ethnic peoples of whom the future Antichrist would be the leader would destroy the Jewish Temple. We saw that the primary group that carried out this destruction was the tenth legion of the Roman army (Legion X fretensis), which was stationed in Antioch. Antioch was also the area from wich the tenth legion drew most of its recruits. These soldiers were primarily Syrians and Arabs. Today, Antioch is located within the borders of Turkey, on the southeastern corner of Turkey near Syria. As such, this is yet another witness to the notion that the Antichrist would come from the region of modern Turkey.

4. DANIEL 11 CONFIRMS TURKEY’S LEADERSHIP ROLE

Our fourth confirmation was found in Daniel 11, where we saw that the Antichrist was prefigured by Antiochus IV Epiphanies, the ‘King of the North’ or the ruler of the Seleucid Division of the Greek Empire. We may expect to see the Antichrist emerge somewhere from within the region of the former Seleucid Empire. The Seleucid Empire covered a large portion of modern Turkey.

5. ISAIAH AND MICHA CONFIRM AN ASSYRIAN ROLL

We also studied the great emphasis that the prophets Isaiah and Micah placed on the future conflict between the Messiah and the Assyrian, who was a type of Antichrist. These prophecies also points us to the regions of the former Assyrian Empire, which engulfed a large portion of modern Turkey.

6. ZECHARIAH CONFIRMS TURKEY’S LEADERSHIP ROLE

Zechariah 9 clearly lists Yavan/Ionia (Turkey) as the primary player in the Last-Days attack against Israel. Many will have missed the prophecy due to a commonly used yet misleading translation: ‘I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, Greece (Yavan, Ionia).’ The key aspect of this passage is the reference to the sons of a place called Zion (Jews) fighting against the sons of a place called Yavan (Turks). Yavan was a descendant of Noah who came to live on the western coast of Asia Minor, or modern day Turkey, in the area that came to known as Ionia. See also Joel 3:6. Zecharia 9 is clearly speaking in terms that only can be applicable to the Last-Days, and the return of Jesus the Messiah ‘Jehovah will appear over them.’ After this time, the Messiah will rule Israel and her land will be far greater than it is today:

‘He (the Messiah) will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece [Yavan, Ionia], and make you like a warrior’s sword. Then Jehovah will appear over them; His arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign Jehovah will sound the trumpet; He will march in the storms of the South, and Jehovah Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with clingstones … Jehovah their God will save them on that day as the flock of His people. They will sparkle in His land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be!’ (Zecharia 9).

7. THE THRONE OF SATAN IS IN TURKEY

In Revelation chapter 2, Jesus is speaking to seven historical churches that were all situated along the west coast of Asia Minor, or modern day Turkey; ‘To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live – where Satan has his throne’ (Revelation 2:12-13).

To many, this may be a strange question: Was there an actual literal geographic location where Satan had ‘a throne’? In a certain sense, yes. The verse is referring to a massive structure that sat atop a high hilltop in Pergamum. The Greeks originally built this gigantic structure in the 2nd century B.C. as a temple dedicated to Zeus. This in itself is interesting. Certain continuity exists between the various gods of beast empires. For instance, in ancient Egypt they worshipped Ra, the Sun god. In Babylon, there was Murdock, the Sun god and Sin, the Moon god (or goddess). The Greek worshipped many gods, but viewed Zeus – the god of the sky and thunder – as the king over all of the other astral deities. Later, the Romans also worshipped Zeus under the name Jupiter. There is a significant evidence to view the Allah of the Muslims as the Arab counterpart to Baal, Sin, Zeus, or Jupiter. In pre-Islamic times, Allah worship, as well as the worship of Baal, were both astral religions in the sense that they involved the worship of the sun, the moon, and the stars.

But notice that Jesus did not refer to the Pergamum Altar as the throne of Zeus, but rather as the throne of Satan. We can assume that Jesus made this point for a reason. While the various Beast Empires worshipped an assortment of gods under different names, Jesus actually referred to Zeus – the chief god of the ruling beast empire – as Satan. Zeus was Satan dressed in a Greek toga. This point is crucial as we attempt to understand the nature of the work of Satan in the earth in the Last-Days. We have already identified the re-emerging Islamic Empire as the final Beast Empire. We may also now identify Allah as Satan. This time, however, Satan is masquerading as the God of the Bible.

Not only does Jesus equate Zeus (or Jupiter) with Satan, but he also states that Satan’s ‘throne’, or spiritual base, was geographically located in Turkey. As unusual as this may sound, Satan may actually establish a geographical stronghold or a spiritual capital of sorts. This is not surprising. As late as the 19th century, this throne remained in Turkey, also the location of the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Beyond this, Pergamum was relatively close to Ionia (roughly one hundred miles north). All factors considered, this passage, by naming Turkey as the location of Satan’s throne, also confirms Turkey’s significant role in the Last-Days Antichrist Empire.

SATAN’S NEW HOME?

In two campaigns, starting in 1879, Satan’s throne, or the Pergamum Altar, as it is now called, was excavated by a German archeological team. The altar was shipped out of the Ottoman Empire from the original location and was reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin in the 19th century. Today, the altar still sits in Berlin where it can be seen alongside other monumental structures such as the Ishtar Gate from Babylon.

In 1934, Adolph Hitler became the dictator of Germany. Hitler ordered construction of the Tribune at Zeppelin Field in Nuremberg specifically for the purpose of his Nazi rallies. Several volumes have been written detailing the deeply occultist nature of the Nazi regime. Not surprisingly, then the Nazi architect of the Zeppelintribune, Albert Speer, actually used the Pergamum Altar as the model for what essentially became the premier Nazi pulpit. The Fuhrer’s podium was located in the middle of the replica of the Pergamum Altar. In light of Hitler’s brazen anti-Semitic spirit, and the horrors of the holocaust that accompanied his career, one can only conclude that Hitler did indeed conjure up a measure of that Satanic spirit that was present in Pergamum.

SATAN IS COMING HOME TO TURKEY

What is also interesting about all of this is that in March of 2006, the nation of Turkey, after failing to convince Germany to return the Altar decided to rebuild a perfect replica of the ancient Altar on the same ancient hill in Bergama, the location of ancient Pergamum. In March 2006, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Atilla Koc stated that, ‘There is no chance of having the altar returned from Germany, because we have no legal right. But now we have a new project. The exact copies (replicas) of those historical artifacts will be built on the original sites.’

This certainly makes one wonder if the same dark anti-Semitic spirit that seems to have followed this ancient Satanic altar to Germany, will now also find a welcome home in Turkey. In fact, there are many reasons to believe that this is already the case. Let’s examine the modern Nation of Turkey to see if she matches several other important political and military requirements to qualify as the leader of the Antichrist coalition.

QUALIFICATIONS TO BE ANTICHRIST

The first requirement the head nation of the Antichrist Empire must fulfill is the political capital to fill the role of mediator and quarantor of a comprehensive peace treaty between Israel and the surrounding nations that represent a threat to her: ‘He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven” (Daniel 9:26).

In order to mediate such a covenant or treaty, this nation needs to have the reputation for being moderate and must possess the trust of the Israelis and the world. The Bible says that Israel will rely on this nation and will feel secure through the promises and terms established in the peace treaty. The Bible says that after Christs returns, ‘In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel’ (Isaiah 10:20). We know that Israel will trust the Antichrist because the Bible says the following about him:

‘On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. You will say, ‘I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people – all of them living without gates and bars. I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land’ (Ezekiel 38:10-13).

Another sign we should look for is latent or overt trends toward radical Islamism. Although we know that the Antichrist will initially appear to be moderate and trustworthy, he will also eventually show his true colors. And his succes will come through deceit and shewdness: ‘A stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will derstroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power’ (Daniel 8:23-25). Now let’s compare all the Scriptural requirements listed above to the modern nation of Turkey.

Turkey The Military Might

One of the main reasons Westerners believe that the Antichrist is western, is that he must have a powerful militairy force, and only Western nations meet this requirement. Yet, few in the West are aware of the fact that Turkey has one of the largest and most powerful militaries in the world. Among the 26 NATO member nations, Turkey has the second largest army, second only to the United States. 11 Turkey’s army far supersedes the militaries of Germany, Spain, Italy and England combined.

While the United States has roughly 2 million soldiers in its combined forces of Active Service Personnel and Reserve Troops, the Turkish army has over 4 million troops.

Because Turkey sits in such a vitally important and challenging geographic region, a powerful and agile military has also always been equally vital. Turkey is located in the Center of the Caucasus, Middle East and the Balkans; the most unstable region in the World. It is also a focal point where international geo-stategic lines and routes intersect. Turkey controls the strategic Turkish Straits; furthermore, it is positioned well to control the Suez Canal and consequently the maritime traffic in the region. Beyon all of this, in this age of uncertainty, the threat to the security of Turkey is not merely comprised of the various regimes and military powers in the region, but also of political, economic and social instabilities, border disputes, and terrorism. In light of all of this, the Turkish military has always remained strong and highly capable.

Regarding the second requirement the nation that will lead the Antichrist Kingdom must fulfill, Turkey once again meets it perfectly. Turkey most certainly has the military capital necessary to back up any comprehensive Middle East Peace plan. Turkey also has the military capabilities to attack and defeat any number of other nations in the region. Of course, Turkey’s ability to attack Israel would be significantly amplified once she is joined by several other nations.

Turkey The Hater

ANTI-SEMITIC AND ANTI-CHRISTIAN

Historically, until very recently, it is estimated that Muslim Turks have slaughtered an estimated 2.8 million Christians. Stanley Cohen, Professor of Criminology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, writes:

‘The nearest succesful example [of collective denial] in the modern era is the 80 years of official denial by succesive Turkish goverments of the 1915-17 genocide against Armenians in which 1.5 million people lost their lives. This denial has been sustained by deliberate propaganda, lying and cover-ups, forging documents, suppression of archives, and bribing scholars. Just as recent as 1974, secular and supposedly moderate Turkey invaded Cyprus, moved in Muslims, and ordered the Greeks to move out within 24 hours. Churches went up in flames or were converted into mosques. Seventy percent of its industry is now under Turkish control.’

Despite Turkey’s western ties, her history is deeply underscored by an anti-Christian and Anti-Semitic spirit. Western appeasment of Islam in Turkey is based on the false assumption that Turkey, with its Kemalist views, is moderate. This view provoked fighting against Christian Serbs and Macedonians in order to support Bosnian and Albanian Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo. Iranian Islamists and Chechens aided these groups in an attempt to re-Islamize the Balkans. And despite the supposed friendship that has existed between America and Turkey throughout much of the last few decades, this relationship taken a drastic turn in the orther direction. Just before the Iraq War, the Turkish Grand National Assembly vetoed a bill to allow passage to some 60,000 American troops through Turkish territory into nothern Iraq. Americans were bewildered because the Turks had always been seen as a reliable friend and partner. The Turks, however, feld America had ignored sensitivities regarding the status of the northern Iraq, which borders Turkey and is often used as a launching ground by Kurdish separatists who infiltrate Turkey and carry out terrorist attacks.

Adding to this wedge, a few months later, and Turkish-American relations again took a serious blow when eleven Turkish Special Forces officers on a surveillance mission in the northern Iraqi town of Sulaymaniyah were arrested by American forces and taken to Baghdad. This became known as the ‘Hood Incident’ because the Turks were all seen being transported with black hood-like bags over their heads. Most Americans thought very little of it. The Turks, however, who are very proud of their military and their country, were humiliated and felt enraged at the United States’ disgrace of their soldiers. This was an unforgivable act in the eyes of many Turkish citizens and is remembered by them with great contempt. No official apology was ever extended apart from a note signed by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld saying that America regretted the incident. This infuriated the people of Turkey, and relations between the U.S. and Turkey have suffered as a result.

GROWING HATRED

A Turkish movie entitled ‘Valley of the Wolves Iraq’ debuted in 2006, revealing Turkish sentiments toward America. The story opens with a reference to the ‘Hood incident.’ According to the plot, one of the arrested Turkish officers commits suicide out of shame and leaves a note for his friend Polat Alemdar, the protagonist, asking him to avenge his dishonor. Complying with the wishes of his friend, Alemdar follows the Christian fundamentalist American commander who is responsible for both the ‘hood incident’ and the mass slaughter of thousands of innocent of Iraqi civilians. The movie stars Gary Busey, who plays a Jewish-American doctor who harvests the organs of Iraqis to be sold in New York, London, and Tel Aviv. This movie became one of Turkey’s greatest theatrical hits of all time. People lined up outside of theaters to view it again and again. Turkish hatred for America and Israel is growing more each day. Many Turks believe that this movie depicts the truth about America and Israel.

Other examples of growing anti-Semitic and anti-Christian attitudes are evident in two Turkey’s best-selling books. Adolph Hitler’s Mein Kampf (My Struggle) which has been subsidized and sold very cheaply by multiple publishing houses in various translations has recently become a bestseller. Another bestseller is entitled Attack on the Pope: Who will Kill the Pope in Istanbul? The cover of the book features a man firing a rocket propelled grenade at Pope Bendict. A study examining the rise in anti-Semitism in Turkey conducted by The Stephen Roth Institute for Contemporary Study of Anti-Semitism and Racism points out that in various mainstream newspapers, it is common to read anti-Semitic slurs and conspiracy theories that demonize Jews. Holocaust denial is also common. According to the study: ‘Translations of classic anti-Semitic tracts such as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Henry Ford’s International Jew, are sold at well-known bookstores. Clearly, both anti-Semitism and Anti-Christian sentiments are on the rise in Turkey.

Turkey Fallen To The Islamists

In my book Why I left Jihad, I quoted Serge Trifkovic, the director of the Center for International Affairs, who commented Turkey: ‘The simmering Islamic volcano in the villages of Anatolia and the poor neighborhoods of the sprawling cities makes us wonder not ‘if’ but ‘when’. If and when Turkey becomes a fully fledged democracy, that instant it will become Islamic.’

I also quoted Stanley Cohen, a professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who said: ‘It’s still considered part of NATO and a ‘friend’ of the U.S. regardless that Turkey’s past is rising up, as from a wounded beast, and turning into a ravishing monster. It is no wonder that The CIA’s 1997 State Failure Task Force Report identified Turkey as a nation in danger of collapse. The West needs to come to grips with the realization that Turkey is not a democracy, and any efforts to establish a democracy in it will prove fatal since democracy, like the attempts in Iraq, will only used for electing an Islamic Sharia-driven system.’

Both Trifkovic and Stanley’s words predicted the situation perfectly – Turkey has now fallen to the Islamists and is it not amazing to see Stanley, a secularist, use the frase, ‘wounded beast’ to describe Turkey? This is precisely how the Bible describes the wounded defunct Ottoman Beast Empire that will revive at the end of the age. It will be near impossible for the United States to deal with Iran’s nuclear weapons, the Iraq War, and Turkey’s decline into Islamism simultaneously. Yet that is exactly what America is now facing. At the time of this writing, in August of 2007, the AKP Islamist party of Turkey, through completely democratic means, won the final election necessary to seize control of the entire Turkish government. This is monumental. The longest standing secular democracy in the muslim world fell to the Islamist Party. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the newly elected President Abdullah Gul now lead the AKP. The AKP also now holds a majority of Parliamentary seats. Consequently, an openly Islamist party now dominates the Turkish government and leverages Turkey’s system of checks an balances completely in their own favor. Now, alle they need to do is take control of the military. In order to understand the significance of this, one needs to understand who these leaders are and what they represent within the historically secular Muslim nation of Turkey.

Elisabeth Eaves of Forbes Magazine explains: ‘It all started on April 27th [2007] when Turkey’s parliament, dominated by the governing Justice and Development Party, or AKP, nominated Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul for the presidency. Gul, like APK leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan , has his roots in Tukey’s Islamist movement. In recent years, AKP has taken actions seen as religiously motivated, like trying to ban adultery and encourage religious schools. Though Gul has pushed forward talks with the European Union and is widely seen as pro-Western and diplomatic, his opponents within Turkey regard him as an Islamist and thus a menace to secular government.’

To understand how serious the takeover of the Turkish Government by an Islamist party is, consider some of the comments made by outgoing Turkish President, Ahmet Necdet Sezer in his farwell speech. Aside from Sezer’s very sober warnings, he stated the following:

“Turkey’s political regime is under unprecedented threat … Political Islam is being imposed on Turkey as a model … A plot is being carried out, according to a well-defined timeline, against the Turkish Armed forces. Foreign forces – and domestic ones, to serve their own interests – are, innder the pretext of ‘democracy,’ trying to transform Turkey’s secular republic and to create a model of a ‘moderate Islamic republic’ to serve as an example for Islamic countries to follow. ‘Moderate Islam’ would mean that the state’s social, economic, political, and legal system would reflect, to some extent, the laws of the religion. By this definition, the ‘moderate Islam model’ might represent ‘progress’ for the Islamic countries – but for Turkey, it means ‘regression.’ This is a model of ‘fundamentalism’ [that Turkey rejects].’

Sezer also claimed that it was only a matter of time before a ‘moderate’ Islamic goverment would become radical. Likewise, Dr. Megalommatis, also a supporter of the secular government in Turkey, used even stronger language to describe the seriousness of the Islamist takeover: ’In Turkey, the real enemy is the Islamist movement with the lewd and gawky prime minister and foreign minister, who attempt to devise their simulative scheme of Turkey’s Islamization, vulgarization, and barbarization. Playing with the divisions of Turkey’s civilized political establishment, utilizing the inconsistencies of the electoral law, and relying on the perfidious support of Turkey’s worst external enemies, Erdogan and Gul consist in national threat No.1 for the entire country.’

If you are doubtful regarding Sezer’s and Megalommatis’s claims, then consider some of the comments that have been made by the architect of the recent takeover, Prime Minister Erdogan himself. Despite Erdogan’s endless public expressions of being pro-democracy, pro-European Union, pro-America, pro-Israel, pro peace, and pro-Global-unity, Erdogan was caught making the infamous quote that, ‘Democracy is like a streetcar. You ride it until you arrive at your destination and then you get off.’

It was also reported that Erdogan’s undersecretary stated that is was necessary to replace secularism and republicanism with a more participatory, Islamic system. On another ocassion , in a rare moment of transparency, Erdogan recited the following portion of a radical Islamic poem that he wrote: ‘[The] Mosques are our barracks, [the] domes our helmets, [the] minarets our bayonets, [the] believers our soldiers. This holy army guards my religion. Almighty, our journey is our destiny, the end is martyrdom.’ If these comments had come from Osama bin Laden or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, they would seem in place; however, they come from one of the most powerful Muslim leaders in the Middle East. Therefore, they should be deeply disturbing to world leaders everywhere. These comments are also contradictory. They sound as if they have come from the lips of a radicall suicide bomber, yet they come from the man who America and Israel trust implicitly. These comments come from the man who has helped forge the UN ‘Alliance of Civilizations’ and who is frequently heard quoting Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi , the famous peace-loving Sufi Muslim mystic. So who is the real Erdogan, the muslim Ghandi or the reincarnation of Gygez? In light of the evidence that there may be more to Erdogan than we see on television, we should not be surprised to hear Professor Ruben Safrastyan refer to him as someone who is, ‘very skillful in political manipulations.’

Scripture warns, ‘A vile person … shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue’ (Daniel 11:12).

Yet another necessary requirement of the leader of the Antichrist Kingdom has found its fulfillment in Turkey. Latent or even more overt trends toward anti-Semitism and anti-Christian attitudes are clearly found in growing measure within modern Turkey. Far more significant, a potential sleeper cell, and a radical Islamists government in disguise has seized control of what has historically been the most moderate and secular Muslim nation in the world. If the nation of Turkey continues along the road that it is on, the implications for the West will be devastating. As British journalist John Hooper stated as far back as 1996, ‘the scope for conflict, were Turkey, like Iran, to ‘go Islamic’ would be immense.’ Nevertheless, if Turkey actually joins forces with Iran and several other Islamists nations, as the Bible says, then ‘immense’ will not even begin to describe the devastating impact for Israel and the United States.

Turkey in Islamic Prophecy

MUSLIM PROPHECY PREDICTED THE FALL OF TURKEY TO THE ISLAMISTS

I once partook in an Irish National Television debate with Anjum Choudry, a leader of the defunct Al-Muhajirun terror organization in England. Choudry began spouting hatred for Kamal Attaturk, calling him a stooge who abolished the Caliphat. He claimed Islam must be re-established where it was wounded. Today, Choudry’s dream is coming true – the fall of the Turkish goverment to an Islamist political party bears heavy prophetic significance among apocalyptically minded Muslims.

Satan, how understands the Bible, had set up his own prophecies about the first and second rise of the Turkish Empire. Among the numerous Islamic traditions, there exists a series of prophecies that speak of the fall of Constantinople to Islam. When Mehmet II, leader of the Muslim armies conquered Constantinople in 1453, he played up these prophecies to his troops, empowering them with a euphoric sense of divine purpose. ‘Allah will conquer Constantinople (Istanbul) for the people of His most loved friends,’ he said. ‘Verily you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader will her leader be, and what a wonderful army will that army be!’

Yet the second conquering of Constantinople by Islam is looming on the horizon. This one is said to be accomplished through peaceful means just prior the ends of days. The Great War, as it is called in Islam, will occurs just after the conquest of Constantinople.

‘The flourishing state of Jerusalem will be when Yathrib (Medina) is in ruins, the ruined state of Yathrib will be when the Great War comes, and the outbreak of the Great War will be at the conquest of Contantinople and the conquest of Constantinople when the Dajjal (Antichrist) comes forth. He (the Prophet) struck his thigh or his shoulder with his hand and said: This is true as you are here or as you are sitting.’

Just as Israel’s re-taking of Jerusalem in 1967 boosted Christian moral worldwide, the re-conquering of Constantinople for Islam will empower Muslims. Several years before the fall of Turkey to the Islamist party, Muslim apocalyptic writer Sidheeque Veliankode commented that, ‘the first conquering of Constantinople by Mehmet II was merely a preparatory war before the actual conquest of it at the last hour. However, the Hadith commentators suggest that the overtrow of Constantinople State Government after the downfall of the Islamic Caliphate era confirms the return of the same state – God willing – to the hands of Muslims.

When searching for the Antichrist, one must never look to the 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 sleep into his den. Everyone in the Middle East knows Abduallah Gul, whose name literally means ‘the Servant of Allah the Demon’.

The Islamic paradigm, as it seems from our study, is one of the most significant keys to unlock the Bible’s ancient prophecies. Satan knows the Bible inside out, and thus attemps to sway the gullible by taking true prophecies and shifting the outcome. Israel won against all odds never to be pulled up again:

‘And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up uot of their land whiich I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.’ (Amos 9:15).

all I needed to do when I was Muslim was tune out the wrong channel. This is why Christ Himself warned, Be wise as a serpent, and innocent as doves.

The Reality

THE RISE OF MAHDISM AND THE CALIPHATE MOVEMENT

THE CRY FOR MAHDI – ITS NOW A REALITY

Even if you don’t believe the Bible, world circumstances are now bearing out exactly what it predicts will happen. Either the prophets are prophets, or they are perfect guessers. The call for a unified Islamic coalition ruled by an Islamic dictator is now quickly becoming a reality. On September 2005, the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed the United Nations National Assembly in New York City. He concluded his speech with the following declaration and prayer: ‘From the beginning of time, humanity has longed for the day when justice, peace, equality, and compassion envelop the world. All of us can contribute to the establishment of such a world. When that day comes, the ultimate promise of all Divine religions will be fulfilled with the emergence of a perfect human being who is heir to all prophets and pious men. He will lead the world to justice and absolute peace. O mighty Lord, I pray to you to hasten the emergence of your last repository, the promised one, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace.’

Think about this: Before the United Nations National Assembly, in the heart of New York City, The President of Iran called out to his god to hasten the emergence of the Mahdi – the one who would ultimatly cause the religion of Islam to rule over the earth and destroy all those who refuse to submit. When has this ever happened?

Western reporters scrambled to identify this mysterious Al-Mahdi and found him in the ancient sources of both Shi’a and Sunni holy writ. The West finally had their first introduction to Islam’s awaited Messiah. On November 16, 2005, Ahmadinejad, like a Muslim John the Baptist, exhorted crowds in Tehran to pave the way, proclaming that his main mission as the President of Iran is to ‘pave the path for the glorious reappearance of Iman Mahdi – may Allah hasten his reappearance.’ As if that is not astonishing enough, according to Ahmadinejad, this Mahdi will arrive in the next two years (Jackson Diehl, Washinton Post). The personal relationship with this Muslim-Messiah goes beyond announcing his soon coming – Ahmadinejad even claims to converse with this Mahdi-Messiah.

If one thinks this an anomaly, think again. Irianian leaders set up an institute in 2004 for the study and dissemination of information about the Mahdi. It is fully staffed, and even produces children’s magazines to influence the younger generation – a Hitler style youth brainwashing of masses who awaited the Grand Imam and Islam’s supreme ruler and Messiah.

With weapons of mass destruction and a few nuclear bombs, he might even cause lightening to come down from heaven as the predicted Mahdi will do – with one slight adjustment; however, the carrier of his nuclear-tipped Shahab will be a transit flight lobbed from an ocean-liner right over New York city. The Shahab, the choice name picked for Iran’s missile, literally means lightening. Everything except the completion of his nuclear program is in place, including the reception site of Mahdi – over $20 million dollars was spent refurbishing the Mosque in Jamkaran just outside the ‘holy city’of Qom. It is ready for the grand finale; the countdown has begun.

HOJJATIEH-THE LUNATICS ARE RUNNING THE ASYLUM

From the birth pangs of the Holocaust, Israel was born. Why is it every time I speak to a secular audience about Israel, Muslims tell me the birth of Israel was a self-fulfilled prophecy? Did the Jews drag six million to their death in order to accomplish such a thing? What does one think about Iran’s Hojjatieh Society, considered by mainstream Shi’a Muslims to be the lunatic fringe? The Hojjatieh Society is governed by the conviction that the 12th Imam’s return can be hastened by the creation of a period of chaos on earth which they must fulfill. The group is so extreme that even the late hardliner Ayatollah Khomeini banned them in 1983. This is the same Khomeini who, when asked by a companion how he wanted the Ministry of Justice restructured, replied, ‘Anyone who is against me is against Allah and must be killed where they stand. No other justice system is required.’ It is easy to understand why so many claim that Ahmadinejad is a member of Hojjitieh. Ahmadinejad’s mentor and spriritual advisor, Ayatollah Mesbach Yadzi, is considered by many to presently be the highest-ranking member of the Hojjatieh Society. But it is the defining element of the Hojjatieh Society that has so many concerned – as stated, Hojjatieh believes that the Mahdi’s return will be preceded by world chaos, war and bloodshed throughout the earth. After this cataclysmic confrontation between the forces of good and evil, the Mahdi will lead the world to an era of universal peace. The danger present with this volatile combination of beliefs has not been articulated any better than by former Israeli prime minister Netanyhu, who describe Hojjatieh this way: ‘I was looking for an analogy to try to explain to Americans what it is that is so dangerous about Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. You remember those crazy people in Wao, Texas? Imagine David Kores with nuclear weapons. Imagine David Koresh, not with hundreds of followers, but millions of followers, with nuclear weapons, wanting to obliterate America, wanting to obliterate America’s allies, wanting to take over the world’s oil supply. If the lunatics escape from asylum, that is one thing; however, if they can get their hands on a nuclear weapon, that is another. This is that kind of cult. It’s the cult of the Mahdi.’

In truth, no one should view Ahmadinejad as a John the Baptist paving the way for Messiah. A more fitting parallel is Judas Iskariot; the zealot who many speculate attempted to force Jesus to take his throne as King of Israel by betraying him. The Hojjatieh are to the Muslim world what some Jewish Zealots were to first century Jews. They believe they can manipulate Allah and force the Mahdi to appear. Or perhaps Allah will find a better candidate with more manipulating charisma to be his right arm.

MAHDIST RUMBLINGS IN IRAQ

But among those monitoring Iran’s Mahdi obsession, few points out the spread of this infestation in neighboring Iraq, in not only the Shi’a strain, but also the Sunni. In January of 2007, American troops in Iraq, like pest control, fighting from one area to another, killed Ahmed Hasani al-Yemeni, a man who had claimed to be the Madhi. Hasani was the leader of a group known as the Jaish al-Janna (Army of Heaven), and had gathered between six and seven hundred followers, including many Sunni Muslims recruited from the ranks of al-Qaeda.

But Jaish al-Janna is not the only Mahdist group that has recently emerged in Iraq. In fact, according to Zeyad Kesim, a monitor of key Arabic websites in Iraq, Jaish al-Janna is only the tip of the iceberg. According to Zeyad, there are now at least seven different Mahdist sects in Iraq, each one believing that the return of the Mahdi is imminent.

FALSE MAHDIS AND FALSE MESSIAH

In the 19th century in Algeria, several individuals claimed to be the forerunner to the Mahdi. We should not be at all surprised if the Middle East soon provides us with another popular claimant to his office. This time, however, his gathering of followers will not be so localized or limited. As we witness, heads of state and numerous Muslim groups gather to proclaim his coming like a perfect storm. Timothy Furnish, American scholar of Mahdist movements, recently commented: ‘The historical situation in Iraq right now, with all these Mahdist and near-Mahdist claimants, reminds me very much of that in Algeria under French occupation in the 19th century. There, too, a myriad of Mahdist ‘forerunners’ emerged to challenge the French in the name of the coming Mahdi before, finally, in 1879 one Muhammed Amzian actually, publicly proclaimed himself the Mahdi …

No military or political solution is going to work in Iraq until this enormously powerful eschatological element in the region (both Sunni and Shi’i) is addressed.’

I might add it is also very similar to two other key time periods. The first being first century Israel, where, just prior to the ministry of Jesus, many false claimants to the office of Messiah had emerged. The Bible says: ‘But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His son, born of a woman’ (Galatians 4:4). When Christ was born in Israel in the first century, the time was ripe socially, politically, religiously and prophetically for a messiah to emerged. Indeed, the Messiah arrived. However, many others false messiahs also emerged during this period. Like then, we are presently seeing yet another set of circumstances that will most assuredly lead to emergence of a false messiah figure somewhere in the Muslim world.

This leads to the other key time period that will provide us with numerous false messiahs. This, of course, is the End-Times. What will be the sign of Messiah’s coming and of the end of the age? Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ, and will deceive many … At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. ’So if anyone tells you, ‘There He is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or ‘Here He is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it’ (Matthew 24:3-4, 23-26).

Jesus made it clear that in the Last-Days, many deceivers would emerged claiming to be the Messiah or a propphet, and leading many people astray. As we look at the present explosion throughout the Muslim world of Islamic Messianism, all believers should realize that this is a clear sign that we are now approaching the End-Times.

THE TIME IS RIPE FOR A REVIVED MUSLIM CALIPHATE

It’s not only a call for Mahdi, but a revival of the Caliphate as well. Muslims regard themselves as members of one Ummah, or community of Muslim believers. This concept dominates the Muslim world. This sense of community and loyalty to Muhammed and Allah even trumps family and other societal ties giving reason as to why many Muslims do not hesitate to kill even family members who give up the Islamic faith. Add to this the simple fact that the Islamic sacred traditions are filled with prophecies foretelling the triumph of Islam over the whole world. The eventual conquest and complete Islamization of the earth is as natural an expectation for most Muslims as the rising of the sun.

Muslims have a sense of entitlement, feeling as if world domination is simply their destiny. Therefore, for the past 80 plus years, since the actual abolition of the Caliphate, the Muslim believer has felt a deep disorder in the power balance of the world. Rather than a united Islamic Empire under the Caliph, the Islamic World has existed as a network of underachieving and defeated the nation states. They see the modern Muslims states in the Middle East as a product of the evil of the Western powers (despite being secular states, Muslims often see them as Christian nations) who divide the Islamic Caliphate. At the same time, too often they are ruled by corrupt third-rate dictators who live in luxury while their people live in poverty.

Again, they often see these tyrants as being installed or supported by the evil Western powers. A people who viewed themselves as the world’s foremost superpower for over thirteen hundred years has been a divided network of backwater nation states for nearly a century now. And to compound this emotional blow, this humbling has taken place during the 20th century, a time when numerous other nations – particularly those founded on Judeo-Christian principles – have excelled in everything from government to human rights, scientific breakthroughs, fiscal prosperity, education, military strenght and more.

So it has been the combination of prosperity and advancement in so many parts of the non-Muslim world contrasted with the complete deterioration of the once thriving Islamic Empire that has been on display as the shame of the whole Muslim World. Add again to all this the fact that the Muslim world is an Eastern culture, where honor and shame mean everything. Overall, the psychological impact and the resentment of the Muslim world is nearly all consuming. In addition, where does this resentment and pentup anger fall? In such a drastically disordered world, conspiracy theories and blame shifting are common outlets for anger. Muslims blame all of their ills on Israel (or, as it is so often called, ‘The World-Zionist Conspiracy’) as well as the various Western colonizing ‘crusader forces’ of previous centuries. Looking back at the pre-colonial days of Islamic Empire, two thoughts often emerge in the modern Muslim mind: The first is to recapture their former glory, and the second is to punish those who have withheld it for so long. All of these aspirations are most summarized negatively in the overthrow and destruction of Israel and the West, while they are expressed positively in the messianic expectations concerning the re-establishment of the Caliphate.

Today, the muslim world is ripe for the re-emergence of the Caliphate. And dozens of pro-Caliphate movements are experiencing explosive growth throughout the earth. In 2007, well over 100,000 Muslims gathered in Indonesia for the Hizb-ut-Tahrir’s pro-Caliphate conference. Just outside Haifa over 50,000 Muslims gathered. And in London, tens of thousands gathered. The movement has large and very active groups functioning across the globe; from Russia to England, from Indonesia to Egypt. But what very few aware of is that despite the difference names and methods of terrorist groups that appear on the news, nearly all share a similar goal: the restoration of a pan-Islamic Caliphat and the establisment of Islamic Sharia law – first among the Muslim states and then eventually in the whole earth. This holds true for both Sunni and Shi’a Islamist groups, for Al-Qaeda, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, The Muslim Brotherhood, The Iranian Revolution, and dozens of other groups as well.

PRO-CALIPHATE GROUPS OPERATING IN ISRAEL

In February of 2006, Sheikh Ismail Nawahda of Guiding Helper Foundation, preached to a gathering of Muslims on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. He called upon them to restore the Caliphate, or, as he explained, ‘Genuine Islamic Rule’, which would ‘unite all the Muslims in the world against the infidels.’ And only a few months later, Sheikh Raed Salah of the Islamic Movement in Israel, addressing over 50,000 Muslims just outside the Israeli city of Haifa, declared: ‘Jerusalem will soon be the capital of a Moslem Arab Caliphate, and all efforts by the Israeli establishment to Judaize the city will amount to nothing … soon Jerusalem will be the capital of the new Muslim caliphate, and the caliph’s seat will be there.’

PRESENT DAY REVIVAL: KHILAFAT MOVEMENT TODAY

The fact is the fervor for a renewd Caliphat is at the highest level it has reached since its abolishment. In December of 2006, the Jamestown Foundation, an international intelligence think-tank, wrote about the rising growth and appeal of pro-Caliphate groups such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT). The report was based on both an in-depth analysis of statistics and trends throughout the Muslims world and direct interviews with several highranking HT operatives in JorDaniel Jamestown concluded that HT’s influence is drastically spreading throughout the Muslim world. HT is often a gateway or a ‘conveyor belt’ into other pro-Caliphate groups with a more violent tendency, like al-Qaeda or the Muslim Brotherhood (Al-Ikhwan), with which I was formerly involved.

Many surveys show that since the U.S. led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, Muslims almost universally have seen the war against terrorism as a war on Islam. Muslims regard themselves as members of the ummah, or community of believers, that forms the heart of Islam. As the earthly head of that community, the Caliph is cherished both as memory and ideal. The Caliphate is still esteemed by many ordinary Muslims.

The University of Maryland conducted a face-to-face survey of 4,384 Muslims between December 9, 2006 and February 15 2007 (1000 Moroccans, 1000 Egyptians, 1243 Pakistanis, and 1141 Indonesians). Andres Boston, author of The Legacy of Jihad and an expert on Islamic Jihad commented on the result: ’65.2 % of those interviewed - almost two-thirds, hardly a ‘fringe minority’- desired this outcome: ‘To unify all Islamic countries into a single Islamic state or Caliphate’, including 49% of ‘moderate’ Indonesian Muslims. 65.5% of this Muslim sample approved the proposition ‘To require a strict application of Shari’a law in every Islamic country.

How many times have you heard that ‘most’ of the Muslims of the world are moderate and are not a threat to the West? How many times have you heard that we only need to worry about a ‘small minority’? Does a two-thirds sound like a small minority to you? It is time to get real.

AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE CONFIRM RISE OF CALIPHATE

Even if the University of Maryland/WorldPublicOpinion.org poll is not enough to convince you of the real of an established Caliphate, consider a report released through the National Intelligence Council (NIC) in 2004. The NIC is the American Intelligence Community’s foremost ‘center for mid-term and long-term strategic thinking.’ The council is the premier think-tank consulting the United States’ National Director of Intelligence. In other words, this is not a low-level partisan think-tank dispensing opinions that merely support their political agendas. The NIC’s resources consist of a broad range of academics and experts from around the globe. In late 2004, the Council released a study titled Project 2020, Mapping the Globel Future. The study explores what it deems to be the four most-likely geo-political scenarios that we should expect to see by the year 2020. One of the scenarios describes the emergence of a pan-Islamic Caliphate. The conclusion of the study are below:

‘A Caliphate would not have to be entirely successful for it to present a serious challenge to the international order. This scenario underlines the saliency of the cross-cultural ideological debate that would intensify with growing religious identities … The HT revolution is likely to amplify the clash between Western and Muslim worlds … The appeal of a Caliphate among Muslims would vary from region to region, which argues for Western countries adopting a differentiated approach to counter it. Muslims in regions benefiting from globalization, such as parts of Asia and Europe may be torn between the idea of a spiritual Caliphate and the material advantages of a globalized world. The proclamation of a Caliphate would not lessen the likelihood of terrorism and the fomenting more conflict, could fuel a new generation of terrorists intent on attacking those opposed to the Caliphate, whether inside or outside the Muslim world. The nation-state will continue to be the dominant unit of the global order, but economic globalization and the dispersion of technologies, especially information technologies, will place enormous new strains on governments. Growing connetivity will accompany the proliferation of virtual communities of interest, complicating the ability of states to govern. The Internet in particular will spur the creation of even more global movements, which may emerge as a robust force in international affairs. Part of the pressure on governance will come new forms of identity politics entered on religious convictions. In a rapidly globalizing world experiencing population shifts, religious identities provide followers with a ready-made community that serves as a ‘social safety net’ in times of need – particularly important to migrants. In particular, political Islam will have a significant global impact leading to 2020, rallying disparate ethnic and national groups and perhaps even creating and authority [the Caliphate] that transcends national boundaries. A combination of factors – youth bulges in many Arab states, poor ecnomic prospects, the influence of religious education, and the Islamization of such institutions as trade unions, nongovernmental organizations, and political parties – will ensure that political Islam remains a major force.’

We think that the War on Terror is tough now. But this report only speculates on a very limited and struggling Caliphate. What would the ramifications of a successful Caliphate be? Far beyond drastic, the results of such a Caliphate would be catastrophic for the West. Nor does the report discuss what might happen if such a Caliphate were to be established far sooner than 2020. There are centainly reasons to suggest that this very well may be the case. Again, this report was released in 2004. This was before the advent of the maniacal and obviously apocalyptic Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his drive for nuclear capability. It preceded the clash between Israel and Hezbollah and the changes that that brought. It came before the fall of Turkey to the Islamist party. Since 2005, the difficulties in the Middle East have compounded as geo-political realities shifted more than they have in the previous twenty years. Could the emergence of a pan-Islamic Caliphate be a reality much sooner than the Project 2020 report suggest? Only God knows!

WHY THE CALIPHATE IS A THREAT TO THE WEST

The Caliphate confers legitimacy to jihad. According to Islamic law, without a Caliphate, it is not possible to declare a genuinely sanctioned pan-Islamic Jihad. Similar to the need for the President of the United States to declare a state of war, it is also necessary for a Caliph to be in office for any offical pan-Islamic Jihad to be declared. But once a Caliph is in office, it is actually law for him to engage the non-Muslim world in war in order to spread Islam. This is not to say that Muslims have not conducted jihad against non-Muslims, but these have largely been the acts of small groups or individuals. In other words, jihad under a Caliph would be genuine ‘old school’ jihad – not a bombing here on an attack there. It would become the modern world’s first true full-scale global religious war. It would involve everything that the Islamic world could throw out, from economic jihad to witholding oil to cyber jihad to multi-front millitary conflicts.

Traditionally, the land with whom the Caliphate was at war was referred to as Dar al-Harb – ‘land of war’ – in contrast to Dar al-Salam - the ‘land of peace’. In particular, jihad will declared to free the Muslim lands from any perceived control of Western powers and influence, and jihad will also be declared against any non-Muslim nations that hinder the spread of Islam.

And so we have the convergence of numerous geopolitical realities, Bible prophecy, Muslim End-Time beliefs, and even American Intelligence all pointing to the same conclusions – all confirming the many prophecies that were made in the Bible thousands of years ago. Now is the time for believers everywhere to prepare both their hearts and their affairs. It is time to get your house in order. And if you are a non-believer, now is the time to consider your position!

Gog And Magog Coalition Is Now Forming

Now we will see that coalition of Ezekiel 38 is forming right before our eyes. New developments seem to fall into place daily. This chapter will fill the reader in on just some of the latest events that significantly support the prophecy of Ezekiel 38. From this prophecy, we know that among the specific nations that will be part of the Antichrist’s ten-nation coalition are: Turkey, Iran, Sudan, Syria and Libya. Many other nations will also submit or fall to the Antichrist, but the exact order of these events, we cannot be sure. Through several of the other prophecies, we know that Lebanon and the Palestinian territories will be involved as well. With Sudan, we could also see Somalia as part of the coalition. Several Central Asian states are likely, such as Afghanistan or Pakistan. With Libya, we could also see other North African nations involved – Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, etc. Along with Turkey, we could also see the Turkic nations south of Russia: Turkmenistan, Krygistan, Uzbekistan, etc. But for now, we will stick only with the nations that we are clearly presented with in the Gog/Magog prophecy: Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, and Turkey.

THE EMERGENCE OF THE SHI’A CRESCENT

Analysts now nearly all agree that perhaps the most significant unintended consequence of America’s war in Iraq and the toppling of Saddam Hussein is that the majority Shi’a Muslims of Iraq – those who were significantly suppressed under Saddam’s regime – have arisen with great politic power in Iraq. And the ripple effect this has caused is significantly changing the balance of power in the Middle East. One of the most basic elements of Middle East politics that one needs to understand is the power balance between the Sunni and the Shi’a nations. For the pas 50 years, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been the top-dog oil-producing nation in the Middle East. Not only is KSA clearly the top oil producer, but she also has the greatest global percentage of readily available oil reserves. Simply put, whoever has the oil has the money and the power. KSA is also a Sunni Muslim nation. Now, standing on the other side of the ring – just across the Persian Gulf – is Iran. Iran is the second greatest oil producer in the region and is far and away the Shi’a stronghold of the earth. Since the late 1970′s, when the Iranian Revolutie began, Iran has been struggling to cast itself as the greates and most powerful Muslim nation in the World. So remember this: in the power struggle between the Shi’a ande the Sunni worlds, it is Saudi and Iran who stand at odds. KSA and Iran represent the leaders of the two power blocks – the Sunni and the Shi’a blocks. While not all Muslim nations are so deeply concerned about these sectarian divisions, within the Middle East proper, this power struggle is everything, seconded only by the greater Muslim world’s hatred for Israel and the West. It is for this reason that the nations of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan have emerged as partners in their resistance to the growing power of what is now being called ‘the Shi’a crescent.’

With this background set, we can now move on to see which nations are taking which side and why. While many would assume that those nations that are Sunni would join the Sunni alliance and the Shi’a would join Iran, it is not that simple. Instead, many Muslims nations are siding up according to which nations are perceived as friendly to the West and Israel versus those nations that have assumed a more Islamist and radical disposition. So on one side we have a primarily Sunni and so-called moderate Westerm friendly coalition, and on the other side is a divided Shi’a/Sunni coalition that is staunchly anti-West and far from moderate. This divided Sunni/Shi’a dimension to the emerging Islamist coalition fits perfectly in line what we are expecting to see with regard to the final Antichrist coalition/kingdom in that ‘The Kingdom will be divided’ (Daniel 2:41).

THE ARAB SUMMIT

In early 2007, the Saudi Arabian government gathered together 22 Muslim heads of state, as well representatives from the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), Non-aligned Movement (NAM) and Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The end result was the declaration of a soon-to-be Muslim/Israel Peace Deal. News outlets across the world buzzed with anticipation. The problem; however, was that no sooner had the so-called good news been announced then certain Muslims leaders within Saudi began to betray their true colors. The Jerusalem Newswire reported the following barely veiled threat: ‘Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister on Tuesday warned Israel to accept the pan-Arab peace proposal as is or face war. The Arab League convened in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss the plan, which was first presented by Saudi King Abdullah at a Beirut meeting of the organization in 2002. It offers Israel the promise of peace with its neighbours in return for surrendering every inch of land liberated in 1967 and opening its borders to millions of foreign-born Arabs who called themselves ‘Palestinian refugees.’ Israel’s failure to accept these ‘generous’ terms means it must want war, Saudi Foreign Ministers Saud al-Faisal told Britain’s Daily Telegraph. If Israel refuses, that means it doesn’t want peace and it places everything back into the hands of fate. They will be putting their future not in the hands of the peacemakers but into the hands of the lords of war.’ Shortly thereafter, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed his positive outlook regarding the potential for peace with the surrounding Muslim nations. The Middle East Online reported Olmert’s glowing outlook: ‘Israeli Prime minister Ehud Olmert said in interviews published on Friday that the Jewish state could clinch global peace with its enemies within five years, after Arab leaders revived a peace plan. Asked wether he meant ‘all of the Arab world’, Olmert said ‘yes’. A bloc of states is emerging that understands they may have been wrong to think that Israel is the world’s greatest problem, ‘he said in an interview with the liberal Haaretz. ’That is a revolutionary change in outlook.’

In light of the various blatantly anti-Semitic statements and threats that are made regularly by leaders throughout the Middle East, one cannot help but view such an optimistic outlook as being ridiculously naive. As Palestinian leaders regularly claim that Islam commands destroy Israel and that they will never accept a peace with the Jews, Olmert and others like him still believe that peace with the Palestinian people is possible. This is 1938 all over again. I remind you Neville Chamberlain’s now infamous declarations of optimism regarding the peace agreement that he had established with Adolph Hiltler. On September 30, 1938 the newspaper read as follows: PM Neville Chamberlain’s arrived back in the UK today, holding an agreement signed by Adolph Hitler which stated the German leader’s desire never to go war with Britain again. Mr. Chamberlain declared the accord with the Germans signaled ‘peace for our time,’ after he had read it to a jubilant crowd gathered at Heston airport in west London. The German leader stated in the agreement: ‘We are determined to continue our efforts to remove possible sources of difference and thus to contribute to assure the peace of Europe.’

Likewise, and even more frightening, is the Apostle Paul’s warning to the Church regarding Christ’s return: ‘Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape’ (I Thessalonians 5:1-3). But beyond the fact that the Saudi Initiative peace deal is truly a joke, it is also not really even an Arab peace deal at all, rather a plan set-forth by the leaders of the Sunni nations, who are trying to protect their own power while isolating Iran, Syria an any other nations that do not wish to bow to the Saudi power block. As a result, this ‘peace plan’ has actually caused Ezekiel’s coalition of radical nations to continue strengthening their ties. It has been almost eerie to wath as it unfolds.

TAKING SIDES

One of the most obvious developments is that Libya’s President Qaddafi boycotted the Saudi gathering. According to Qaddafi the event was sowing division amongst the Muslim community because Iran and Syrian leaders weren’t invited: ‘I will not take part in a summit that splits Islam in two and pits Sunni and Shi’a against each other, ‘he said in an interview on Al-Jazeera television … ‘I will not take part in a summit that pits Arabs against the Fars (Iranians) … to benefit the colonial (Western) powers,’ Qaddafi said.

Qaddafi made his feelings clear when he stated directly that ‘Libya has turned its back on the Arabs (read: Saudi Arabia and its allies), and has despaired of them. The Arab nation’s time is up, and it is on its way to disintegration … I will not be a party to a conspiracy to mobilize the Arabs against the Persians. Only the forces of colonialism benefit from such a conspiracy. I will not be a party to a conspiracy that splits Islam into two – Shiite Islam and Sunni Islam – mobilizing Sunni Islam against Shiite Islam.’

Moreover, of course by referring to the ‘Arab’s' time being up, Qaddafi is referring to Saudi Arabia and its allies. Observers of the Middle East have not missed this dynamic of siding with Iran as well as Hezbollah. Because of Iran’s firm stand against America and Irael, as well as Hezbollah’s alleged successes against Israel in 2006, many more radically minded Muslims have begun to side with Iran and turn against the Saudi power block. On one side, they see Iran and Hezbollah acting valiantly against the infidels and on the other hand, they see the Saudi block as being compromised and in bed with the West. This move of support for Iran is seen not only by Libya’s Qaddafi, but also in many Sunni Muslims who, over the past few years, have converted to Shi’a Islam. ‘Mustafah al-Sada, a religious Shiite Muslim, told al-Arabia that many Sunnis are now asking him, ’What must I do to become a Shiite?’ Al-Sada said that he knows of 75 Sunnis from Damaskus who have converted to the Shiite sect since the beginning of the [Israeli/Hezbollah] war … Munir A-Sayed, a 43-year old lawyer says: I’m Sunni, but I belong to Hassan Nasrallah … I’ve converted, politically, ‘he explained.’

A spokesman for the Reform Party of Syria went even further elaborating that ‘whole villages and urban areas are adopting the Hezbollah model whereby clinics, schools, and social services are provided by Iran in return for Syrians to convert to Shi’ism.

According to some reports, officials in Damascus were not happy with this trend. However, other Syrian political commentators have claimed that the Syrian regime is actually encouraging in Iran and Hezbollah’s popularity in order to hold up President Bashar Assad’s own popularity. As evidence for this claim, they point to the surfacing of stickers and posters that have typical Middle East iconic images of Hezbollah’s Nasrallah, Syrian President Bashir Assad and Iranian President Mahmoub Ahmadinejad all together like the tree Musketeers.

QADDAFI CALS FOR A FATAMID CALIPHATE

Beyond Iran and Hezbollah’s growing Shi’a influence, even more significant – and actually quite shocking – was Libya’s blatant appeal to Iran for a Libyan/Iranian unity when Qaddafi made a public call for the establisment of a Fatimid Caliphate on Easter Weekend 2007. Let me explain what this meant. The Fatimids were a Shi’a group that controlled much of North Africa during the 10th century. After conquering Egypt, they transferred their headquarters there from 969-1171. The Fatamids were an imperial militantly-expansionists state. They desired to overthrow their main opponents, the Sunni empire of the Abbasids, who were centered in Baghdad and the Ummayids, who controlled Spain. At their height, The Fatamids ruled Egypt, much of what are now Israel, Palestine and Syria, as well as Saudi Arabia’s western region encompassing Mecca and Medina; their desire was ultimately to conquer the entire Muslim world. According to Middle East scholar Timothy Furnish, the fact that Libya, which is a Sunni majority nation, would call for a return to a Shi’a Caliphate is not something to be brushed aside lightly.

Furnish is correct. This call from Qaddafi was a direct appeal from an Iranian/Libyan axis to stand against the Saudi/Sunni power block. In other words, as if foreseeing the strong horse of the future, Libya is trying to get on board with Iran. Further supporting this idea of a blossoming Iranian/Libyan alliance is the fact that the Iranian revolution both historically and in very recent days has also, like Qadaffi, made some strong appeals for Sunni/Shi’a unity, all the while papering over fourteen hundred years of division. The mixed Sunni/Shi’a makeup of the forming coalition is significant in that it fulfills the ‘kingdom will be divided’ prophecy in Daniel 2. As an Arab/Persian coalition, it would also fulfill the prophecy, which says the people of the Antichrist Kingdom would be ‘a mixture’ (Daniel 2:43).

IRAN AND SYRIA ARE UNIFYING

Of course, for those that follow the Middle East news, little needs to be said regarding the growing alliance between Syria and Iran. This alliance has been seen in numerous meetings between Syrian President Bashir Assad and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Syria and Iran also entered into a mutual war agreement. In the case of war (wether offensive of defensive, it was never declared), either nation will fight on the behalf of the other. And on June 9, 2007, it was reported that Syria and Iran were in intense war consultations planning on a collaborated attack against Israel. One Israeli intelligence news outled reported on some of the happenings, ‘… two high-ranking Iranian delegations spent time in Damascus. One was composed of generals who held talks with Syrian leaders on coordinated preparations for a Middle East war in the coming months. At the Iranian end, a similar high-ranking Syrian military delegation called in at Iranian army and Revolutionary Guards headquarters to tighten operational coordination between them at the command level, as well as inspecting the Iranian arsenal. The Syrian general staff will draw up a list of items it is short of for a possible militairy confrontation with Israel … ‘

And of course, Iran Syria are largely seen by Western and Israeli intelligence as the primary influence in the fall of Gaza strip to Hamas. So once again, Iran, a Shi’a nation is deeply invested in supporting Hamas, a Sunni group. Again, the purpose of Iran is to establish influence and power using any means or any alliances necessary.

SUDAN AND IRAN ARE UNIFYING

The budding alliances between Iran, Syria, Libya, Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas are certainly not where the story ends. For among the nations that are also specifically mentioned by Ezekiel, is SuDaniel Not surprisingly then, Sudan – a renegade regime that is brazenly supporting a racially motivated genocide in its midst – are quickly becoming bosom buddies. In January of 2007, Iranian President Ahmadinejad visited Sudan to express his support for the Sudanese government and to stand united against the United States and the West. Al-Jazeera reported: ‘On his first visit to Sudan, Ahmmadinejad extended full support to (Sudanese President) Bashir, blaming the United States and its Western allies for the region’s troubles. Ahmadinejad stressed that Iran considers progress, dignity and power of Sudan as important as its own, and extends ideological support to the country. ‘There is no limit to the expansion of relations with Sudan,’ he said. For his part, Sudan’s President al-Bashir said Tehran was within its absolute right to pursue a nuclear program.’

And in March of 2007, despite Western pressure aimed at convincing Iran and Sudan to accept terms imposed by the U.N. Security Council, the two nations, at least rhetorically, continued to harden their defiance against the rest of the world. While Iran refused to discontinue its uranium enrichment, Sudan refused to allow any international forces into Darfur to protect villagers who have been systematically massacred by the Government supported Arab Muslim Janjaweed.

Then, as the UN deadline for Iran suspend its nuclear activities loomed in April, Iran, rather than taking even a slightly humble posture, not only announced that it had achieved nuclear capability, but that it would also give this technology to other countries.

Although Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, was not quoted as saying who might be a recipient of the nuclear know-how, he made the comment during a meeting with Sudanese president Omar-al-Bashir, who last month said his country would look into the possibility of nuclear power.

This report becomes even more frightening in light of the CIA warning to the US congress in january of 2007 to the effect that Libya, Syria and Sudan were all mutually pursuing weapons of mass destruction. ‘As the United States is consumed with proliferation crises in Iraq and North Korea, other countries such as Lybia, Syria and possibly Sudan are quietly trying to acquire or expand secret arsenals of weapons of mass destruction, the CIA has warned.’

The US Central Intelligence Agency has also concluded that suspected terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, blamed for the September 11 attacks on the United States, ‘has a more sophisticated biological weapons research program than previously discoverd. Nuclear, chemical, biological, and ballistic missile-applicable technology and expertise continues to gradually disperse worldwide.’

So to recap: We have the blossoming alliance between Iran, Sudan, Libya, Hamas and Syria, the specific nations that the Bible said would unite in a bid to destroy Israel and dominate the region. Meanwhile, Turkey, the nation that will lead these nations has fallen to the Islamist party and is establishing itself as a leader in the region. Three thousand years ago the Hebrew prophets made these prophecies. Today they are all coming together with staggering accuracy. We have reached a time in history when we can actually watch as thes things come together. The end of this age and beginning of next is no longer on the horizon – it is now literally looming right before us …