“Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods…He will also enter the Beautiful Land… He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.” (Daniel 11: 36, 41, 45)
Turkey and the Temple Mount
According to a report in the Online edition of Israel Hayom on Wednesday July 4 an interesting article appeared titled; “Turkey’s target: The Temple Mount. The article went on to say; “Israel has thwarted plenty of planned terrorist attacks that were cooked up on Turkish soil, but it is either apathetic about or unable to put an end to the flow of Turkish funds into east Jerusalem. That funding has one purpose: Turkey wants to re-establish its grip on and control over Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. The Turkish cultural and nationalist awakening in Israel’s capital, strongly felt by the residents of east Jerusalem, is backed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who as we know sees himself as a patron of the Muslim Brotherhood, the man behind the resurgence of the Ottoman Empire and the father of an Ottoman caliphate that will one day return to Jerusalem… Erdogan’s partners in Jerusalem are members of the outlawed Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement, who delegitimize Israel, and the former mufti of Jerusalem and current main preacher at Al-Aqsa mosque, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, one of the most radical Muslim religious figures, who has deemed suicide bombings legitimate and has prayed for the downfall of Britain and the United States.
Funneling funds
A year ago, Israel Hayom ran an in-depth probe into the activity of the Istanbul-based Our Heritage Foundation in Jerusalem. Since then, a lot more Turkish money has been sent to the capital. The group is headed by Mahmoud Demergi, and its mission is to preserve and renew the Ottoman legacy in “Al-Quds.” Demergi himself exposed the extent of his group’s work in an interview, saying that $40 million had been spent refurbishing 46 mosques and 70 apartments, and completely refurnishing apartments near the Temple Mount compound. Demergi’s group receives support from another Turkish quasi-governmental organization, TIKA, which also operates in Jerusalem. Since 2011, TIKA has been under the leadership of Dr. Serdar Cam, Erdogan’s former chief of staff. The focus of Turkey’s activity in east Jerusalem is the Temple Mount. Turkey has its eyes fixed on the Temple Mount and funnels a lot of money into it. It wants to purchase influence and stature there, which is why it has been operating demonstrations by Turkish “tourists” in recent years.
Turkish supremecy
Turkey’s cooperation with Muslim Brotherhood officials in Jerusalem has won it a lot of admiration in east Jerusalem. Turkish flags wave from storefronts, on roofs, and on the Temple Mount plaza. Turkish culture, language, music, and food are becoming a prominent part of the east Jerusalem landscape. A large part of the dawah activities – charity and events for women and children – in the city are funded by Turkish organizations, and Erdogan isn’t done yet. The Turkish incursion into Jerusalem as a whole and the Temple Mount in particular is particularly disturbing to Jordan and Saudi Arabia, both of which seek similar influence there. Jordan already has official status on the Temple Mount, and its peace treaty with Israel, as well as a series of other understandings, has effectively made it Israel’s silent partner in managing the holy site.”
Nationalistic, Militaristic, Expansionist
In Daniel chapter eleven from verse 36ff we have the details of the Antichrist and his activities. It is clear that his ultimate ambition is to invade Israel and to make East Jerusalem, the site of the Temple Mount, his headquarters. (Daniel 11: 45a) There is no doubt that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has his sights set on re-establishing the Turkish Ottoman Caliphate in Jerusalem and take upon himself the mantle and title of the Supreme Caliph of Islam. This ‘nationalistic militaristic’ expansionist spirit that motivated Hitler of Germany now motivates Erdogan of Turkey. Adolph Hitler wanted to see Germany as the number one power in the world with the thousand year Reich and the nations subservient to Nazi ideology which included the complete extermination of the Jewish people.
Stealth abd subterfuge
Likewise, Erdogan wants to see the nations subservient to the ideology of Islamic fundamentalism and Koranic law which would also include the extermination of the Jews if the truth be known. His distain for Israel is common knowledge. Even from the secular media the evidence is mounting concerning the dark desires and ambitions of this man from Turkey for Turkish Ottoman Supremacy with its fundamental ideology of Sharia Law enforcement and governance on a global scale. While Israel is fighting on the Syrian border and preparing for a war with Iran and watching Hezbollah and contending with Hamas in Gaza it would seem that ‘the enemy within’ is there by stealth and seeking to undermine Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem at the behest of that man from Turkey. In the edition of Israel Hayom the article concluded with the following statement by the writer; “There appear to be two main ways of blocking the Turkish activity in East Jerusalem: creating legal systems that will prevent Turkish money from being funnelled into Jerusalem, or ensuring that Israel invests much more money there. At least for now, Israel has done neither.”
Twice defeated!
Like Ancient Troy the people of that city failed to detect the enemy within so the government of Israel need to take action against this subterfuge being perpetrated by Erdogan. According to Daniel we are told that the Antichrist, also called the man of sin or of lawlessness, will do as he pleases and exult and magnify himself above every ‘god’ (demonic principality) and will say unheard-of things against the God of heaven. His invasion force will sweep through the Middle-east and invade Israel and he will make his headquarters at Jerusalem. However, we are also told that at Jerusalem he will come to his end and that by God Himself. (Daniel 11:36, 41, 45) Satan experienced his first defeat at Jerusalem at the cross and he will have his last one there as well at the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus the Anointed Messiah accompanied by His saints and the armies of heaven to set up His Messianic Millennial Kingdom.
The enemy within
Whether Erdogan is the Antichrist remains to be seen but the pattern of this man’s words and actions and ambitions seem to mirror the description of this ‘King’ who exults himself above all other religious gods (demonic principalities) and against the God of our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For Israel at this time it is not so much the enemy without that threatens Jerusalem but the enemy within!
