A ‘Face-Off’ is coming!
In Tuesday’s online edition of The New York Times an article appeared titled; “Turkish, Israeli Name-Calling Covers ‘Tyrant’ to ‘Dictator.’ The article went on to say; ANKARA, Turkey — The latest quarrel between the leaders of Turkey and Israel continued for a second day Wednesday as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan labelled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “thief” and a “tyrant.” Speaking at an election campaign rally, Erdogan called Netanyahu “the thief who heads Israel” in a reference to corruption allegations against the long-seated Israeli prime minister. Netanyahu fired back on Twitter, describing the Turkish president as a “dictator who sends tens of thousands of political opponents to prison, commits genocide against the Kurds, and occupies Northern Cyprus.”
Israel and Turkey
Israel and Turkey were once close allies, but diplomatic relations between the two countries have chilled in the past decade. Under Erdogan, Turkey has become a vocal critic of Israeli policies dealing with Palestinians, sparking frequent verbal feuds with Netanyahu. At Wednesday’s campaign rally, Erdogan criticized Israel’s closure of a Jerusalem holy site Tuesday after Palestinian suspects hurled a firebomb at a police station. There were no injuries in the incident, but police shuttered the site, which Jews call the Temple Mount and Muslims the Noble Sanctuary. The site reopened Wednesday without incident. Netanyahu struck back, calling Erdogan a dictator and criticizing the Turkey for imprisoning journalists.” (End of article)
Israel under occupation?
There is no doubt President Erdogan sees himself as the Patron of the Palestinian Arabs as he seeks to gain the following of the entire Muslim world to make him the supreme Caliph of Islam. Way back in May of 2017 in the Times of Israel online publication President Erdogan urged Muslims to throng to the Temple Mount in a show of solidarity with Palestinians as he issued a string of challenges to Israel, which he called “racist and discriminatory.” “We, as Muslims, should be visiting Al-Quds more often,” he said, referring to Jerusalem by its Arabic name. “Each day that Jerusalem is under occupation is an insult to us,” he added, at the opening ceremony of the International Forum on al-Quds Waqf in Istanbul, Turkey’s Hurriyet news reported. Erdogan said increased Muslim visits to the Jerusalem holy site “would be the greatest support to our brothers there.”
A supreme ambition
Now in 2019 we see the armies of Turkey amassing in Northern Syria and there is no doubt that the liberation of the Alasq Mosque and the Temple Mount complex for the Palestinian Arabs is high on the agenda for this man from Turkey. Undoubtedly the conquest of Israel is President Erdogan’s supreme ambition and not only this but he has designs on becoming the first caliph of a resurrected Islamic Turkish Ottoman Empire and wants to make the seat of his power at Jerusalem and in the end even on the Temple Mount? According to the prophet Ezekiel it will be Turkey that will lead the Islamic nations and some other nations as well in an invasion of Israel. Ezekiel the prophet tells us who these nations are today. Let’s now look at what this prophet of God tells us.
(Ezekiel 38:1-6) “The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you.”
Gog is the name the Book of Ezekiel uses to designate the Antichrist who will lead his forces against Israel. The apsotle John also uses the name Gog to designate Satan himself who will lead a rebelliopn at the end of the Millennium that will be swiftly put down by the reigning Messiah our Lord Jesus. (Revelation 20:7-15) Magog is the region from which he comes. Magog was a Grandson of Noah. Gog we are told is the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. Both Meshek and Tubal are situated today in modern Turkey. If God is the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal, both located in modern day Turkey, then that would make the man from Turkey the Antichrist.
Who are these nations?
Historically Meshech and Tubal were 7th-century kingdoms in central Anatolia (Turkey) north of Israel, Persia (Iran) being towards the east, Cush (Ethiopia/Sudan) and Put (Libya) being to the south. Anatolia made up the majority of the land mass that is modern Turkey today. Persia today is Iran, Cush is Sudan and Put is Libya. Gomer today would be Southern Russia, where you have the six independent Turkic speaking Islamic states that were once part of the Soviet Union. Then you have Beth-Togarmah which today is also located in modern day Turkey. Can you guess who the Antichrist might be? All of these nations mentioned by name are all Islamic and the ones that will invade Israel. Added to this there will be other nations that will join the invasion force, possibly these nations will be from Europe that have also turned against Israel. You can see this scenario developing when you consider how the EU and the UN are increasingly turning against Israel.
The table of nations
In the table of nations in Genesis Chapter ten we find listed the grandsons of Noah and among them is Gomer, Magog, Tubal and Meshech and also Javan (translated also as “Yavan” or “Ionia”). Ionia was located in modern day Turkey and part of Alexander the Great’s Middle-Eastern Empire.
Like locusts
The armies of the Antichrist will spread like locusts across the land of Israel. Like locusts do, these Islamic armies will strip everything bare that they can, just like the Ancient Babylonians did when they invaded Israel. The Babylonians even chopped down trees and destroyed anything that lay in their path of conquest. (Joel 2:1-12) The prophet Joel teaches us that what the Babylonians did to Israel in 586 BC the forces of Antichrist will do to Israel. Jeremiah the prophet says that things will look so bad for Israel in the land itself that even strong men will grab their stomachs’ in fear like women suddenly gripped with labour pains with every face turning deathly pale. (Jeremiah 30:6) For three and a half years Israel and the whole world and the faithful body of the Messiah will experience a time of tribulation unequalled in past history and never to be equalled again. (Daniel 7:21, 25; 8: 25b; 12:7) (Revelation 12:17; 13:5-7) (Matthew 24:9-13, 21-22)
The Mesiah is coming!
However, for the sake of the elect and for the survival of the whole world, when it looks like Israel is finished, and the world is on the brink of annihilating itself, and the saints, having been afflicted and decimated by persecution and hard-pressed, the Messiah will come. He will come with His saints from heaven, to rapture and resurrect His saints still on earth, to spiritually restore and rescue Israel and to to pour out the bowls of His wrath on a Messiah hating, Messiah rejecting world. (Matthew 24:29-31) (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) (Zechariah 12:10-14) (Isaiah 63:1-1-6) (Revelation 19:11-11-21) He will then destroy the Antichrist and his armies on the mountains of Israel surrounding Jerusalem. (Daniel 11:45) (Ezekiel 38: 21-22; 39:4-6) After this final and decisive battle the Messiah our Lord Jesus will judge the surviving nations and inaugurate his Millennial Kingdom visibly on earth. (Matthew 25:31-46) (Jeremiah 30:16-22) (Isaiah 2:1-8; 11:6-16)
Two Kingdoms
In this world there are only two kingdoms. One is the kingdom of this world under the lordship of Satan and the other is the Kingdom of God under the lordship of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. It is a tale of two cities and we either belong to one or the other. If you have been spiritually reborn again from above by the Holy Spirit and you know it then you are a part of God’s Kingdom and bound for the Millennial Kingdom and ultimately for heaven, you are part of a kingdom which is spiritually present in His people through the indwelling Holy Spirit but yet to be manifested outwardly to the world after the Lord Jesus has come back.
Have you been born again?
If you have never been spiritually reborn from above and you know this to be true in your life then you are still part of the kingdom of Satan and bound for hell and ultimately for the lake of fire. This world and its lusts are passing away but he or she who does the will of God will live forever. As the apostle John writes; “The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God remains forever.” (1 John 2:17) God’s will and work is to believe on Him (the Lord Jesus) whom He (God) has sent. (John 6:29) It is the faith in the heart that produces obedience in the life and a heartfelt repentance of and a turning away from all known sin. (John 3:36 NASB) (Romans 1:5; 16:26) (Isaiah 55:6-7) Moses put it this way to Israel when he said; “I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. So choose life, so that you and your descendants may live, and that you may love the LORD your God, obey Him, and hold fast to Him. For He is your life, (Deuteronomy 30:19-20a)
Who is at the control centre of your life?
Your whole life right now is either controlled by the Spirit of life that is in the Messiah Jesus and your life is no longer under the power of the law of sin and death, or your life is controlled by the law of sin and death that is in Satan. Yes it is a tale of two cities. To which city do you belong? As the Lord Jesus said to the religious leader Nichodemus who knew of no such spiritual experience of the new birth; “Except a man be born again He cannot perceive the things of or enter into the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
The Real ‘Face-Off!’
The ‘face off’ we see between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Erdogan is not just a physical conflict but indicative of a spiritual conflict going on in the unseen spiritual realm. Satan is out to destroy Israel and the saints and God’s end-time prophetic purposes for Israel. Satan will use the man from Turkey to try this but of course Satan will fail yet again. There can be no real and lasting peace in the Middle-east until the Prince of Peace sits on His throne in Jerusalem, having destroyed all earthly powers and kingdoms that have arrayed themselves against God, against His anointed Messiah, against the saints and against Israel. The real ‘face off’ for the nations is with God Himself and His anointed Messiah our Lord Jesus, His King whom He has installed on His Holy Mountain in Zion! (Psalm 2)
God says to the nations; “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 2:11-12)
