(Daniel 8:25) “Through his craft and by his hand, he will cause deceit to prosper, and in his own mind he will make himself great. In a time of peace he will destroy many, and he will even stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be broken off, but not by human hands.”
The fall of the City of Troy was not due to an assault from the Greek armies attacking the city. The Greeks could not breach the walls. The Greeks being shrewd thought of another way to take the city so they built a gigantic wooden horse with a hollow belly and hid some Greek soldiers in it and then dragged the horse to the gates of the city and then left Troy and went away. The Citizens of Troy thought the Greeks had given up and celebrated and brought the wooden horse into the city thinking it was a gift from the Greeks. The people of Troy partied into the night and when everyone was drunk and the men on guard not watchful the Greek soldiers in the hollow belly of the wooden horse slipped out opened the gates and the Greek army took the city. From this came the saying “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts!”
According to a report in the media last week President Erdogan of Turkey has written a letter to President Trump offering to send to America promising to stand in solidarity with the United States in its struggle against the coronavirus pandemic as it recovers from the outbreak. The letter was sent last week along with a planeload of personal protective equipment that Turkey donated to the US. President Trump was most appreciative of this gesture.
According to the report President Erdogan wrote “I hope that this humble assistance will assist your fight against this pandemic and contribute to the speedy recuperation of your citizens who contracted this virus, you can be sure, as a reliable and strong partner of the US, we will continue to demonstrate solidarity in every way possible,” the Turkish president added. Turkey sent 500,000 surgical masks, 4,000 overalls, 2,000 litres (528 gallons) of disinfectant, 1,500 goggles, 400 N-95 masks and 500 face shields. Turkey has sent similar medical equipment aid to a total of 55 countries – including the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain.
President Erdogan is the same man who has clearly shown his disdain for Israel and his unequivocal support of the Muslim Brotherhood ideology with its global agenda and his passion for the restoration of a Turkish Ottoman Caliphate of global proportions. When we read the Bible we are told certain things about the antichrist. The prophet Daniel tells us that in a time of peace he will destroy many. He is called the man of sin and will be a past master at deception. We are also told in Daniel Chapter 8 that “A king will arise, Insolent and skilled in intrigue or ambiguous speech and that his power will be mighty, but not by his own power.” (Vs.23b-24a) this man will be indwelt by Satan himself. It will be the resurrection of a former empire which I am persuaded will be the Islamic Turkish Ottoman Empire. (Revelation 13:2-4)
The man of sin is also called “the son of perdition” (KJV) or “the man of lawlessness” (NIV) (2 Thessalonians 2:3) and the only other man to be called this was Judas Iscariot who pretended to care for the poor. (John 12:6) To everyone around him Judas looked like a good guy and the disciples did not see what was going on behind the scenes except the Lord Jesus who knew from the beginning that Judas would betray him. (John 13:11) The man of sin will also at first appear to care for others but it will be a mask for a much darker and sinister agenda. He is also called “the little horn” in the Book of Daniel. We are told this “little horn” will have eyes and a mouth that speaks boastfully and will wage war against the faithful saints and Israel for three and a half years until God’s royal Council in the heavens sits to pass judgement on this “little horn.”
God, through the Messiah our Lord Jesus, will take away the little horn’s power and completely destroys it forever. After this happens the saints will inherit the Messianic Kingdom on earth. (Daniel 7:20b-22, 25-27) As the “little horn” or ruler, he will arise out of obscurity and at first look like any other political leader but gradually by stealth and subterfuge he will position himself to take power and to extend his kingdom on earth. It will be a form of Taqiyya (the Islamic art of disinformation and deception in a time of Jihad to protect the one who is practicing it). Daniel also tells us that not only will this man make himself look great in the eyes of others but that in a time of peace he will destroy many, and he will even stand against the Prince of princes.
At a future time when the world in some way is breathing “a sigh of relief,” or there is “a lull if you like between contractions” (Matthew 24:8) suddenly without warning the man of lawlessness will strike like an adder and the whole world will sit up and take notice! He will unleash the time of the Big Trouble when he sits in God’s Temple to proclaim himself to be God. (Matthew 24:15) (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) (Daniel 11:36) It will be by a military conquest. (Daniel 11:36-45) For the sake of His elect saints and for the survival of the planet God will cut those days short. (Matthew 24:21-22)
Once Satan has entered this man of lawlessness and sin, the same way Satan entered Judas Iscariot, for three and a half years the two people groups Satan will persecute the most will be Jews and Christians. (Daniel 7:21, 25; 8:24; 12:7) (Revelation 13:5-7) Already His beast empire persecutes Jews and Christians all through the Islamic world but his empire at present is not unified but when the time comes to take his seat of power as the supreme ruler of Islam the whole Islamic world will rally to his banner. After this, will we see the 200 million mobile missile armoured vehicles cross the dried up Euphrates River to kill a third of mankind? (Revelation 9:13-19)
When John wrote to the Church at Pergamum located today in modern day Turkey he referred to that city as “the city where Satan has his throne” and as “the city where Satan lives.” (Revelation 2:12-13) Antipas is also mentioned who was martyred in that city. At that time there was a monolithic temple called the Zeus Altar that was constructed on a terrace of the acropolis overlooking the ancient city of Pergamum, situated on the west coast of Anatolia (now Turkey) in Asia Minor. Zeus was the chief ‘god’ among the ‘gods.’ Here in this temple in John’s time Satan was worshipped and Antipas died because he was a faithful witness to the truth as it is in the Lord Jesus. All idolatry is the worship of demons according to both Testaments. (Deuteronomy 32:16-17) (1 Corinthians 10:20)
Today, the Pergamum Altar is the top highlight of the Berlin Collection of Classical Antiquities, and is exhibited in the Pergamum Museum and the Altes Museum, both of which are located on Berlin’s Museum Island. Having said this, back in 2017 Turkey was seeking to get back its cultural property smuggled out to other countries and this included the Altar of Zeus or the Pergamum Altar. Satan cannot be everywhere at once and today he is roaming to and fro across the surface of the earth in its upper atmosphere working his murder, mayhem and misery wherever he can and supported by fallen angels and demonic spirits. He is actually called “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:2)
However, the time will come when Satan will have his throne located on earth and a king to sit on it. If the Pergamum Altar is relocated to Turkey once again will we see Satan’s throne on earth and his progeny a Turkish Ottoman Caliph sitting in the seat of power? One thing we do know is that the man of sin will ultimately have his headquarters in Jerusalem and it is there he will meet his demise and that, not by human agency, but by the rider of the white Horse, our Lord Jesus who will overthrow this man of lawlessness with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendour of His coming! (Daniel 11:45) (2 Thessalonians 2:8) (Isaiah 63:1-6) (Revelation 19:11-21) Satan had his first defeat at Jerusalem and it is at Jerusalem where he will have his last defeat as well! As for the faithful saints who have overcome the wicked one, the time will come when they will possess the Kingdom!
