“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9a)
History has a way of repeating itself. When the Nazi party were active under Adolph Hitler, before he came to power in Germany, Hitler had his Brownshirts. They were member of an early Nazi paramilitary organization, the Sturmabteilung or SA (‘assault division’).The Brownshirts, recruited from various rough elements of society, were founded by Adolf Hitler in Munich in 1921. Fitted out in brown uniforms reminiscent of Mussolini’s Blackshirts, They figured prominently in organized marches and rallies. Their violent intimidation of political opponents and of Jews played a key role in Hitler’s rise to power. Many of them saw in Hitler a hope for a revolution in Germany but were not willing to ultimately submit to Hitler’s leadership. Once Hitler’s Brownshirts had served his purpose he eliminated their leaders.
King Solomon said, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Proverbs 1:9) In the Gatestone Publication online last week a headline appeared which said, “Germany’s Largest Right-Wing Extremist Group is Turkish, not German.” The article related to the Grey Wolves, a radical movement in Germany that supports Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his agenda to see Turkey rule the world through a resurrected Turkish Ottoman Empire. According to the Gatestone article it states, “The German Parliament and other federal agencies estimate that the true number Grey Wolves in Germany is above 18,000. This is five times more than the number of members (3,500) of Germany’s neo-Nazi party, the National Democratic Party of Germany.
The ideology underpinning the Grey Wolves movement is a Turkish version of Hitler’s Aryanism and sets itself in opposition to anyone who is not Turkish or Sunni Islamic. It is anti-Christian and anti-Jewish, as well as anti-American, anti-Armenian, anti-Kurdish and anti-Greek. The objective of the Grey Wolves is to unify all the Turkish peoples into a single country called Turan whose territory would stretch from Europe to China. The Grey Wolves also want to establish a new world order based on Islam that is led by Turkey and they are opposed to the assimilation or integration of Turkish immigrants into Western society. Followers of the Grey Wolves carry out intelligence-gathering operations for the Turkish government, and have murdered, assaulted and intimidated critics of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Germany.
The pattern of the Turkish leader’s rise to political power almost mirrors that of Adolph Hitler who had to contend with political opponents within the halls of German politics, deal with the political leaders of Europe and even did some jail time as the man from Turkey did. The Grey Wolves, support the Turkish leader and share his ambition to see Turkey become a global empire. As with all totalitarian dictators they eliminate all those who do not submit to them. We saw this with the supposed Coup in Turkey in 2016 that was ruthlessly suppressed by Erdoğan.
A dictator may use a movement to gain their objectives but once established abolish that movement by any and all means if they consider it a threat to their dictatorship. At this stage the Grey Wolves agenda lines up with that of the man from Turkey. We know that the Turkish leader agrees with the creed of the Muslim Brotherhood which states; “Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Qur’an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”
In the 1930’s when Adolph Hitler was establishing his Nazi regime the political leaders in the west especially in Europe, apart from Italy which sided with Germany in WWII, were very wary of what was fermenting in Germany but chose not to address the clear and present danger that Germany posed to the European Continent and to the world at large. Like all dictators Hitler had his personal army of Blackshirts called the SS, An elite army fanatically loyal to Hitler. These were his henchmen and ‘bully boys’ that carried out his dirty work on those within Germany and later in Europe who would not tow the Nazi party line. This elitist group replaced the Brown shirts because they could not be counted upon to fully support the Nazi agenda.
At present the Grey Wolves support the Turkish leader in his ambition to see a resurrected Turkish Empire rule the world. It is interesting that in Germany at present you have the huge edifice they call the Pergamum Altar which once stood in a sacred precinct on the acropolis of the ancient city of Pergamum (on the west coast of modern-day Turkey), which was ruled by the Attalid dynasty from 282–133 B.C.E. Its main deity was the Greek god Zeus. In fact in the Greek world Zeus was the chief of the gods. In the early 20th century the Altar found a new home in Berlin, Germany located 2,677 kilometres from its original location, where it has remained on view since 1930 as the centrepiece of the museum bearing its name.
We know from God’s Word that the worship of foreign ‘gods’ is the worship of demons and other fallen entities dwelling in the fallen unseen spiritual realm. (Deuteronomy 32:16-17) (1 Corinthians 10:20) Undoubtedly overshadowing this Altar at Pergamum was a very powerful principality most likely Satan himself. In the Book of Revelation Pergamum in the time of the apostle John described this city as “the city where Satan has his throne” and as “the city where Satan lives.” (Revelation 2:13) It was at Pergamum where Emperor Worship in the Roman Empire was established by Caesar Augustus who had himself deified as a god.
Of course faithful believers in our Lord Jesus could not confess Jesus as Lord and Caesar as Lord and many lost their lives because they would not bow down to worship the image of the Emperor and acknowledge the superiority of the Roman Beast Empire over all other kingdoms.
John also mentions that many at Pergamum would not renounce their loyalty to the Lord Jesus or renounce their faith in Him as their saviour and Lord and paid for it with their lives. Undoubtedly Antipas martyred for his faith was an outstanding faithful witness to our Lord Jesus the Messiah. Of course all of the Pagan Roman emperors were antichrists or types of the final antichrist to come. (1 John 2:18) Possibly the Lord Jesus had in His mind the Altar of Pergamum when He wrote this letter to the assembly there through his servant John.
After the Altar of Pergamum was relocated in Berlin in 1930 we see the rise of Adolph Hitler, an antichrist if ever there was one, who kick started WWII and was idolised and even worshipped by millions of Germans. It was a very powerful entity that possessed Hitler. He arose out of obscurity but established an empire that threatened the whole world. No doubt the entity behind the Pergamum Altar accompanied the edifice to Germany where it retained its power. Some years ago the Turkish leader sought to have the altar returned to Turkey and most likely to be established at Pergamum or possibly even Istanbul.
It is interesting that the seven letters to the seven assemblies written personally by the Lord Jesus Himself through John were all located in modern day Turkey. Today we have one arising in the earth with the same character traits that marked Adolph Hitler. It may well be that we will see the Pergamum Altar relocated in Turkey at some stage. There is no doubt that the man from Turkey is a leading contender for the man of sin who will ultimately be worshipped as god and proclaim himself to be god and set himself up in God’s Temple in Jerusalem.
Already we have seen the Turkish leader lead the prayers in the Hagia Sofia Basilica, now converted into a Mosque. Previously it was a Christian church that for centuries was the Vatican of Eastern Christendom before the Middle Eastern leg of the Roman Empire fell to the Turkish Ottoman Empire which ruled throughout the Middle-East and in parts of Europe for 600 years or more. At present we see the man from Turkey gaining supporters throughout the Muslim world. His Grey Wolves are part of his ‘Trojan horse’ well ensconced in Germany.
Historically the seven assemblies of beliers located in Pergamum were literal assemblies that existed in John’s time. Prophetically they can represent the Body of the Messiah corporately in every age. Why did the letters of the Lord Jesus specifically target these fellowships in Turkey? Is the Holy Spirit telling us that the ultimate man of sin also called the Antichrist will arise in Turkey? Is the Holy Spirit telling us that the faithful Body of the Messiah globally will have to confront the resurrected Turkish Ottoman Empire in the last days? We know from the prophet Ezekiel that it will be Turkey that will lead the invasion of Israel in the last days. (Ezekiel 38:1-6)
Adolph Hitler was empowered by a very powerful principality, possibly Satan himself, but Satan did not personally live in Hitler. This will happen with the man of sin. Satan will enter into him personally and then the whole world will experience his despotic power. In the Bible the man of sin is also called the son of perdition, the same title given to Judas Iscariot in whom we are told that Satan entered him. (John 13:27) Having said this, for the sake of the elect believers in the Lord Jesus, both in Israel and by extension the engrafted Body of the Messiah (the faithful Church), and for the very survival of the planet, God will cut those days short and send our Lord Jesus back to deal with the man of sin, deal with his empire and judge the world in righteousness. (Matthew 24:21-22) (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9; 2:8)
The Messiah our Lord Jesus will then establish His Messianic kingdom on earth where truth, righteousness, peace, justice and divine love will prevail and He will reign with His redeemed saints over the whole earth from Jerusalem sitting on David’s throne and the government will be upon His shoulders and of His government of peace there will be no end! (Isaiah 9:6-7)
