(Ezekiel 38:10-11) “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 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 walls and without gates and bars.”
“Talking Turkey”
Right now Israel is watching Turkey closely in its aspirations to control Syria. The Israelis are fully aware of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s expansionist mindset and fixation to see the resurrection of the Turkish Ottoman Empire of his forebears.
In response to Turkey’s activities, Israel has increased its military operations in Syria. This includes airstrikes and territorial advances, particularly in areas like Quneitra and Deraa. Israel’s military presence has expanded beyond previously established lines, indicating a proactive approach to counter threats from Turkey and its allies.
The Ottoman Turks
Historically at the zenith of its power, the Turkish Ottoman Empire controlled a vast territory across three continents. In its malevolent Jihadist expansionist mindset the Empire conquered much of Southeast Europe, being Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Hungary and also Western Asia, being Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel, and also in North Africa, being Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco as well as parts of the Arabian Peninsula, being Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman.
The Ottoman Empire itself existed from 1299AD -1922 AD just over 600 years and it was the empire that ended the Roman Empire which still existed in the Middle-East. The western leg of the Roman Empire fell is 476 CE, when the last emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was deposed by the Germanic king Odoacer.
However, the Middle-Eastern leg with its capital Constantinople (Now modern day Istanbul) which was the Byzantine Empire fell on May 29, 1453, when Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. This marked the end of nearly a thousand years of Byzantine history. This empire that conquered Rome was the fourth beast empire that Daniel wrote about
See “The Beasts in Bible Prophecy” on this website
The Man from Turkey
Today we see the Empire of Islam being resurrected with its tentacles reaching across the whole Middle-East, stretching into North Africa and invading much of Europe and other western countries through immigration and economic dealings with the west.
No doubt that the man from Turkey sees Syria as the pathway to invade Israel and to have the Temple Mount and Jerusalem for Islam. He has repeatedly asserted that Jerusalem is a city of significant importance to Turkey, referencing the Ottoman Empire’s historical control over the city from 1516 to 1917. He has publically stated, “Jerusalem is our city,” emphasizing Turkey’s so called enduring connection to it.
“A Defender of ‘Palestinian’ Rights?”
Erdoğan has positioned himself as a defender of Palestinian rights, urging Muslims worldwide to protect Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He has described the so called ‘Palestinian’ cause as a common duty for Muslims and condemned Israeli actions in the city as oppressive.
In response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration that Jerusalem belongs solely to Israel, Erdoğan has vowed that Turkey will not abandon its support for the Arabs in Gaza and Islamic claims to East Jerusalem.
He advocates for that two-state solution from hell which is under God’s judgement (Joel 3:1-3). He envisions an independent so called ‘Palestinian’ state, which in reality has never existed, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on pre-1967 borders, which frankly speaking would make Israel indefensible.
In September 2025, Erdoğan reiterated Turkey’s fixated commitment to Jerusalem, stating, “We will not allow the Al-Quds al-Sharif (Jerusalem) to be defiled by unworthy hands,” and criticized Israeli policies as genocidal!
He has also compared Netanyahu to historical figures associated with tyranny such as the Nazis, reinforcing his stance against Israeli control over Jerusalem, Israel’s capital city from the time of king David who lived over 2,000 years ago long before Islam was ever invented.
Abu Mohammad al-Julani
Now the regime of the self-appointed President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa, commonly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani who is still widely regarded as a terrorist by several countries and organizations including the U.S., is completely under the control of Turkey, which sees its ultimate goal to have all of Syria centred in Damascus under Turkish governance.
At present the obstacle to Erdoğan’s megalomaniac ambition to see the resurrection of the former Turkish Ottoman Caliphate and to expand Turkish territory in Syria is the Kurds and the Druze. Of course no guesses for whom he has in mind for the top job to be the Caliph of this resurrected empire.
The violence by the military forces of the al-Julani terrorist regime perpetrated against the Druze has been characterized by extreme brutality including reports of beheadings and other atrocities which have not gone unnoticed by the Israelis.
This has raised concerns in Israel about the safety of minority groups in the region including the Christian communities as the new Syrian government under al-Julani struggles to maintain control over the terrorist factions operating in Syria.
“Taqqyia is the Name of the game!”
As we see President Trump seeking to establish a Middle-Eastern peace ‘deal’ between Israel with its immediate Arab neighbours, the reality is you cannot make peace with Islam!
Hamas will not lay down their weapons; neither will Iran give up its nuclear ambitions. As for Turkey and Qatar they are die-hard adherents to the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood which has in its sights a global Islamic Empire, and financially support Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and terrorist factions in Iraq and Syria continue to militate against Israel.
As for Egypt they are also against Israel if the truth be known. Islam is a past master of taqqyia! Disinformation, misinformation and deception through flattery are the hallmarks of taqqyia. Western political leaders miss this aspect of Islamic dealings with the non-Islamic west.
“It Cannot Assimilate”
Islam is that beast empire which cannot assimilate with any other culture as we see occurring throughout the western nations in Europe, Great Britain, America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand for starters.
When you consider Islamic militancy rooted in Islamic ideology, it is terrifying, dreadful and extremely strong with large iron teeth that devours and crushes its victims and tramples underfoot whatever is left (Daniel 7:7, 19).
Turkey Leads the Invasion
As we see the nations increasingly turning against Israel we can see how the Ezekiel 38 invasion will come to fruition. In Ezekiel chapter 38 we see eight Muslim nations specifically named, as leading the invasion forces accompanied by the forces of other non-Islamic nations (Ezekiel 38:1-6).
On ancient maps of the Middle-East five of these are located in modern day Turkey. All eight are Islamic nations today. The invasion force will come from the North through Syria over the Golan Heights and from the south through Saudi Arabia entering Israel through Bozrah in Southern Jordan. These armies will have Israel in a pincer attack.
“The Rescue Will Come!”
When it looks like Israel will be annihilated the Messiah our Lord Jesus will return and at His command lead the armies of heaven against the armies of Islam and all the nations in rebellion against God (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10) (Jude 1:14-16) .
We see this described in Isaiah 63:1-6 and in Revelation 19:11-16. In both passages of scripture the Messiah’s robes are splattered with the blood of His enemies and the winepress of His wrath is also mentioned. These two passages describe the one and the same end-time battle for Jerusalem.
In two other passages of scripture we see the nations that have gathered to attack Jerusalem trodden down in the winepress of God’s wrath (Joel 3:12-13) (Revelation 14:17-20). It will be a judgement on all the nations that have moved against Israel (Joel 3:12-16).
“Staying on the Alert!”
At present Israel are on the alert concerning Syria and Turkey’s support of the al-Julani regime as the Israelis are concerned about the Druze communities which the Israelis see as their bothers in light of that fact that Jethro in the Bible the Patriarch of the Druze was Moses Father in Law. Also in past wars Israel has been involved in the Druze have faithfully supported Israel militarily.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows that the Golan Heights are strategic to stay in Israeli hands because of the vulnerability to Israel to be attacked from the north.
The Israelis are also watching their southern border and keeping tabs on Egypt. Turkey is also under Israeli scrutiny as Erdogan seeks to resurrect the Ottoman Empire of his Turkish forebears.
The Covenant with Death
We may well see in our time a peace treaty established similar to what President Trump is seeking to broker in the Middle-East between Israel with its Islamic neighbours. The Bible calls this “a covenant with death” because it will be an alliance that God has not ordained and in the end will prove to be detrimental to Israel’s security and devastating to the people of Jerusalem, to Judah and to the whole land (Isaiah 28:14-22).
“An Unsuspecting People”
When the main invasion force comes from the North out of Syria against Israel the Jewish people will be unsuspecting, having settled into their covenant with death, will have prospered economically and be living in peace side by side with their Arab neighbours (Ezekiel 38:10-12).
It will be a land recovered from war and many Jews from the Gentile nations will have come home to Israel thinking that there will be peace in their time (Ezekiel 38:8). Having said this, the invasion will come suddenly and without warning and when least expected (Ezekiel 38:9-16) (Matthew 24:15ff).
The attack will come from the North as the armies of the Islamic Antichrist come over the Golan heights to blanket the whole Land of Israel like locusts (Joel 1:1-7). The Saudis and some other Gentile nations not directly affiliated with Israel will be merely observers (Ezekiel 38: 13).
Israel’s covenant with death will be annulled and the nation suddenly brought to the very brink of annihilation seemingly with no way out (Jeremiah 30:1-6).
“The LORD Will Dwell in Zion!”
When all seems lost the Messiah our Lord Jesus will return suddenly and unexpectedly to rescue the surviving Israeli remnant (Zechariah 12:1-9; 14:1-5), who will be saved (Zechariah 12:10-13:1), to destroy their enemies on the mountains of Israel (Ezekiel 38:22-23; 39:1-6), and to inaugurate His Messianic kingdom on earth (Jeremiah 30:7-10) (Zechariah 14:8-21) (Isaiah 2:1-5, 9:7) (Micah 4:1-5).
Only then in that day will the LORD be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel and the place where the LORD dwells in Zion! (Joel 3:16, 21). Selah.
