I have said that end-time prophecy will focus on the Old Babylonian Empire for several years. The Synagogue of Satan has the World's focus on Ukraine and not what is happening in the Middle East. While our focus has been misdirected to a Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Middle East is seeing a change in the regional leadership.
The Middle East is changing. As the Biden administration has made good on its promise to focus less on the historically troublesome region and more on Russia and China, Middle Eastern states are taking notice. Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are forging new relationships and hedging their bets, driven by a shared concern that a Washington, D.C. hyper-focused on Ukraine and COVID mandates in the U.S. and possible war with Russia and China will leave the Middle East to deal with security threats on their own.
The Saudi-UAE cold war with Iran has been hot for most Middle East nations. Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen suffer from the outside powers competing for influence. Ten years ago, the region began a change in leadership when the World's global forces faced off in Syria. Today, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is negotiating with all parties to weather the storm in Idlib, Syria, and find an acceptable solution. There are two countries that must fall to complete the change in political power in the Middle_East--Iran and Syria.
Ever since, the region's balance has tilted in Iran's direction, increasing the latter's appetite for more power-grabbing outside its borders, creating a domino effect of sectarian violence in the region.
The rise of Iranian proxies in countries like Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria has pushed Saudi Arabia and Iran into a bitter cold war. The tense political environment has been further complicated by these two regimes' religious and ideological competition, as both aspire to impose their brands of Islam on the Muslim World.
However, instead of building a solid coalition with their natural allies, the Saudis fought other Sunni forces even more ferociously than their Shia foes. Turkey, the new power in the region, has been specifically targeted.
Riyadh's opposition to the "Arab Spring," which started in Tunisia in late 2010 and spilled over to other Arab countries, was vicious and intractable. Seeing that the uprisings were about to dismantle the old authoritarian order, the Saudis joined forces with the UAE to impede its expansion at all costs.
These two countries supported proxies that carried out a coup d'etat (e.g., Egypt). They advised them to utilize counter-revolutionary movements and terrorist groups to shift the uprising from peaceful demonstrations into armed conflicts in Libya, Yemen, and Syria. Hidden in the background of this conflict is Israel. The Saudi-UAE connection to Israel has recently been exposed as these three nations join forces against Syria and Iran. They are moving into the picture to set the stage for the final conflict in Turkey.
Turkey has gained a political position in the competition between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Since the 1979 Iranian revolution, the Gulf has been trying to contain Tehran's aggressive foreign policy orientation. However, the disastrous U.S. intervention in Iraq in 2003 and the subsequent "de-Baathification" policy implemented by America's viceroy in Iraq, Paul Bremmer, surrendered Iraq to pro-Iranian forces. Since the overthrow of Sadaam Hussian, there has been a regional conflict as to who will be in control.
The country central to all the conflict in the Middle East is Israel. Israel is motivated to change the regional power, but Iran, Syria, and Turkey must be removed from political power and influence for this to happen.
To understand the conflict in the Middle East, one needs a history lesson.
The war between Israel and Palestine is more than a century old and still is not under control. Many International Organizations, historians, and prophecy watchers are now under the impression of Israel's bigger plans of Greater Israel being carried out. It has always been doubted that Israel has tried to fulfill its Zionist Plan for the Middle East but now is slowly acceding territories to make it happen. Greater Israel is being proposed, and why is it not acceptable to the Palestinians and the Muslim World?
Greater Israel: What is it?
1. Greater Israel is an expression with a biblical and political meaning that has differed and evolved. It is called the Zionist Plan for the Middle East.
2. The concept of a "Greater Israel," according to the founding father of Zionism, Theodore Herzl, is a Jewish State stretching "from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates."
So, it would have included:
Historic Palestine South Lebanon up to Sidon and the Litani River
Syria's Golan Heights, Hauran Plain, and Deraa Hejaz Railway from Deraa to Amman, Jordan, and the Gulf of Aqaba.
This implies that Greater Israel is the inclusion of Palestine in Israel.
3. Many historians state that this is why Israel is slowly and strategically grabbing more and more land from its neighbors, especially Palestine.
4. While many other Zionists also say that Greater Israel included the land from the Nile in the West to the Euphrates in the East, comprising Palestine, Lebanon, Western Syria, and Southern Turkey.
5. However, it is also essential to keep in mind that the design of Greater Israel may not strictly be a Zionist Project for the Middle East. Many experts and academics have recently stated that it is an integral part of U.S. foreign policy to extend U.S. hegemony to the middle East and fracture and balkanize the Middle East.
6. Such a policy being pursued by the U.S. in the region goes along with the Yinon Plan. This plan is an Israeli strategy to ensure regional superiority. It is a continuation of an earlier ploy that Britain used in the Middle East.
7. As per the Yinon Plan, Israel needs to reconfigure its geopolitical surroundings through the Balkanisation of the surrounding Arab states, turning them into smaller, weaker states.
United Nations on Greater Israel:
1. As stated in a U.N. report in 2017, 'Israel is currently proceeding with the plan to annex large chunks of Palestinian territory while keeping the Palestinian inhabitants in conditions of severe deprivation and isolation.
2. As per the research, Israel is planning to annex large chunks of Palestinian territory "while keeping the Palestinian inhabitants in conditions of severe deprivation and isolation.
Why is Greater Israel not acceptable? Reaction from Muslims
The idea of Greater Israel has sparked aggression all over the globe, and the Muslim community is seen to have turned violent due to that. Very recently, the Israeli troopers raided the Temple Mount Mosque, and Muslims all over the Globe protested on streets and social media.
The protests were held in Germany, London, Australia, and India.
The reason for such a Muslim reaction is:
Many Muslim countries consider the Jewish state of Israel and the Zionist ideology as an attempt to colonize their lands. They also know about the vested interests of Western first-world countries like the USA, Britain, France, etc. The Islamists believe that Israel has been created to occupy their lands in the Arabic regions and form Greater Israel as a more expansive dream.
There is also a religious connection between Palestinians and Muslims. It is due to the existence of the Mosque on the Temple Mount. For Islamists, it was their first direction before Mohammad offered prayers in the direction of Mecca.
It is believed that before Prophet Mohammad went on his heavenly journey, he led many prophets along with him to this place. This is why Muslims all across the World are connected to the Palestinians.
The Palestinian Muslims have been reduced to a nonentity due to the lack of support from countries like the USA, France, and Britain. This also adds fuel to the fire in the Muslim community.
I am not a supporter of Islam or Zionist Israel, for the record. I realize this puts me outside the theology of 90% of Evangelical Christians. It makes me a conspiracy theorist regarding the Zionist role in end-times prophecy. My advice is to keep your eye on the Middle East and stop being distracted from the Russia and China narrative.
Turn in your Bible to the second chapter of the Book of Revelation, verse 13. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith,
How Turkey becomes a significant player.
President Erdogan no longer hides his Ottoman aspirations and regards Israel as a foreign implant in the world community of Muslims. The Turkish dictator is acting on his words, and he recently threatened to "liberate" Jerusalem. The Turkish dictator runs several Muslim charity projects in Jerusalem that were set up to radicalize the Arab community in the Holy City. Erdogan has also attempted to infiltrate the Waqf, the Palestinian and Jordanian custodian of the Muslim holy places in Jerusalem. Islamic Religious Endowments organization) best known for controlling and managing the current Islamic edifices on and around the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Some form or another of the endowment has governed access to the Temple Mount since the Muslim reconquest of Jerusalem in 1187, with the latest version instituted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan after its conquest and occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1948 war. Accordingly, the King of Jordan currently supplies all of the funding needed to operate the endowment, which is the civil administration for the holy site.
Suppose one looks at the broader picture of Turkey's activities in the Middle East and beyond. In that case, it becomes clear that Erdogan is actively pursuing his dream of resurrecting the Ottoman Empire.
Turkish military aggression
The Turkish strongman launched two incursions into Syria under the pretense of "fighting terrorists," meaning the Syrian Democratic Forces led by the Kurdish YPG militia, which hasn't attempted to attack Turkey or conducted any terrorist activity in the country.
Erdogan also let his forces bomb parts of northern Iraq, where the Kurds enjoy limited autonomy, and the remaining Yazidi minority in the area of Mount Sinjar, again under the pretext that he was fighting terrorists.
Intervention in Libya
At the beginning of 2020, the Turkish president blackmailed Libya's UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, who has connections to Islamist organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood. In exchange for weapons, drones, and the deployment of Syrian mercenaries, Turkey received energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean Sea from the besieged government in Tripoli.
The agreement between Erdogan and the GNA drew international condemnations. It increased tensions between Turkey and its Greek neighbors and Israel, which has agreements with Greece and Cyprus regarding deep-sea drilling and a gas pipeline to Europe via Italy.
Experts say there are now almost 4,000 Syrian mercenaries fighting alongside the forces of the GNA, and the odd coalition is currently preparing for an assault on the coastal city of Sirte in Libya.
Confrontation with Egypt
The preparations for the assault on Sirte served as a wake-up call for an Egyptian government that never showed much interest in the messy civil war in Libya.
Recently, the Egyptian Parliament rubber-stamped a plan presented by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi to bring the Egyptian army into the Libyan war.
El-Sisi insisted that attacking Sirte would be to cross a red line and warned he would send in the Egyptian army to foil the plans of Erdogan and el-Sarraj.
The coastal city houses much of Libya's oil industry and has been the scene of fierce fighting when ISIS tried to set up camp in the North African country.
Egypt is also concerned about Turkey's plans to conduct a seismic survey in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and has warned Erdogan to back down because this plan would infringe on "Egypt's sovereign rights."
Turning a blind eye to Turkish meddling
Then there is Yemen, where Erdogan serves as a patron for Islamist fighters who need medical treatment or rest from the battlefield.
Turkey also seeks to expand its influence over Somalia, where the Turkish army has set up a base, and Qatar, where the Turkish military also has a presence.
This all is possible thanks to both the United States under President Donald J. Trump and the European Union effectively turning a blind eye and letting Erdogan off the hook on numerous occasions when he undertook belligerent operations to advance his Ottoman agenda.
Israel prepares to confront Turkey.
On the other hand, Israel recognizes the danger Erdogan poses and has included Turkey in its new defense plans for the first time. The Israeli government knows about Erdogan's plans for Jerusalem and Turkey's ties to Hamas and the other Palestinian terror movements.
Some have argued that Erdogan's military adventurism in the Arab World is part of an effort to bolster domestic support amid an economic meltdown in the country. But they are wrong.
Restoring Ottoman glory
The Turkish hot-head may not be the most significant strategic thinker in the contemporary Middle East. Still, he has a clear vision regarding Turkey's role in the region and the World, and that vision centers on restoring the Ottoman Caliphate.
For this reason, Erdogan very conspicuously chose the date of July 24 to inaugurate Hagia Sophia as a mosque and provoke the Christian World.
That was when the Lausanne Treaty was signed one hundred years ago. Erdogan has repeatedly made clear he thinks the Treaty that put an end to the Ottoman Empire and created Ataturk's secular and modern Turkey is no longer valid. He has said the same about the Sykes-Picot agreement that divided the Middle East after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire. He's acting upon his words. Iran was also vehemently opposed to the "Arab Spring," which led Tehran to unleash its support for terror groups in the region. Consequently, these conflicts escalated into sectarian civil wars.
Despite the heavy Iranian intervention, the Saudi-UAE axis moved ahead to undermine Sunni forces. In the case of Syria, the axis' meddling is a textbook example of how to implode a revolution from within. This was primarily done by strengthening the most radical elements while weakening the more moderate forces.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which specializes in researching conflicts and armaments, documented that from late 2012 to early 2013, 37 military cargo flights destined to extremist forces in Syria originated from various parts of Saudi Arabia. There were also 36 additional flights from Croatia to Jordan, which carried large amounts of weapons from the former Yugoslavia but were purchased by the Saudis. At that juncture, Jordanian authorities also claimed to have seized several lorry loads of arms destined for Syria that had come from Riyadh, which can only reveal that a land route had been operational.
The Saudi-UAE axis was blatant in grooming extremist elements. When he was the U.S., Vice President Joe Biden publicly criticized the actions. At Harvard's Kennedy School in 2014, he said, "the Saudis, the Emirates [UAE], etc. were so determined to take down Assad and essentially have a proxy Sunni-Shia war [that] they poured hundreds of millions of dollars and tens of thousands of tons of military weapons into anyone who would fight against Assad, except the people who were being supplied were Al Nusra and Al Qaeda."
The ensuing internecine feuds within the opposition the rise of the most extremist elements—who vehemently resisted any attempts at political resolutions—bear the hallmarks of the Saudi-UAE modus operandi. Steered by a reckless leader, Riyadh has further weakened the Sunni sphere, and the geostrategic costs of the Saudis' erratic behavior are mounting.
Riyadh creates havoc in its neighborhood by venturing into an unwinnable war in Yemen and blockading Qatar.
In the interim, the situation in Syria worsens every day. While Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the international community to be aware of its responsibilities in Syria, the U.N., the E.U., and the Arab States continue to sit on the fence, waiting for the dust to settle. On the other hand, Washington is waging an economic war on Turkey and is intensifying its support for the Syrian branch of the internationally-recognized terror group, the PKK.
Ankara is sparing no effort to stop a full-fledged Russian attack in Idlib by neutralizing the most radical groups funded and supported by the Saudi-UAE axis. For their part, the legitimate Syrian opposition is pinning its last hopes on Turkey to prevent a bloodbath that could represent a severe blow to their aspirations for freedom and liberty.
In its defense of the Idlib population, the Turkish presidency proves that right makes might and not vice versa.
People in the Middle East and North Africa are taking note of Turkey's principled and humanitarian-driven foreign policy and continue to dream of a day where a new and better order will govern their realm. In the meantime, one should neither forget nor forgive the dark Saudi role in fostering extremism and creating more avenues for foreign intervention in the region.
Turkey has always considered the Saudis as friends. However, during these times, and as the adage goes, it is undoubtedly better to have intelligent enemies than stupid friends.
For those who are unaware, Gog and Magog are located in Turkey and were once part of the Old Babylonia Empire.
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