This last week, when Iran unleashed its barrage of 350 drones and missiles against the Jewish State, maybe the most surprising aspect was that Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) supported Israel.
Let that sink in for a moment. All these nations are opposed to what Israel is doing in Gaza. They’re not friendly with Israel in every respect. However, these three nations supported Israel against an aggressive attack from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Even Jordan took part in shooting down Iranian missiles. You could say,ย “These missiles were over their airspace. They would obviously shoot them down.”ย Well, years ago, they would have been glad to have any missiles flying over their airspace knowing the target was Israel.ย
Other Arab nations, like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, provided valuable Intelligence to Israel about the timing of the attack. According to reports, Iran tipped off Saudi Arabia as to what it was doing and when it would do it. Saudi Arabia then secretly passed that information along to Israel to give them a heads-up for the timing of this attackโsomething that would have been unthinkable even just a few years ago.
The support of these nations for Israel has astounding prophetic significance in the set up of the Ezekiel 38 war in which a coalition of nations in the end timesโRussia, Iran, Turkey, Libya, Sudan, and maybe other Islamic nations as wellโwill invade Israel.
Israel ‘Living in Saftey’
According to Ezekiel 38, before the invasion occurs, there must be peace and rest in Israel. This is an essential precondition for the Gog Magog invasion.
Ezekiel 38:8-9, 11 tells us what has to be in place for the Gog Magog invasion to occur. “After many days, you will be called to arms,” referring to the Gog coalition. “In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.”
Not only does Israel need to be re-gathered and brought from the nations, which occurred in 1948, but they will also have to be living “in safety.”
Verse 9 continues, “You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.” Verse eleven then states, “You will say, ‘I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting peopleโall of them living without walls and without gates and bars.'”
That doesn’t describe Israel today.
Israel, sometime in the future, will have some sense of security and let down their guard. That is, I believe, going to happen because of a covenant or treaty that the Antichrist will make to bring peace to that part of the world. That will likely have to be in place before the Gog Magog Invasion occurs.
What we’re witnessing today is more and more willing peace partners for Israel among these Arab neighbors. That is something that we have not seen since 1948, and it is a necessary precondition for the beginning of the Tribulation, where the Antichrist will forge a peace agreement with Israel.
Daniel 9:27 says, “he [meaning the prince/Antichrist that is coming] will confirm [you can also translate that word as compel] a covenant with many for one ‘seven’ [set of seven years]. In the middle of the ‘seven’ [years] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.”
The event that starts the seven-year Tribulation is this peace treaty that the Antichrist makes and forges with Israel and its neighbors.
Revelation 6 tells us that the Tribulation begins when a rider on a white horse rides forth and brings about a great diplomatic victory. After this, in Revelation 19, we have Jesus coming back to Earth on a white horse in victory. Revelation 6 is the beginning of the Tribulation when this counterfeit Messiah rides forth on his white horse, “conquering and to conquer.”
It describes him as having a bow with no arrows. So, his conquest is diplomaticโit’s a bloodless conquestโand he is going to make this peace agreement with Israel and her neighbors. That peace condition will be the precondition for the Gog Magog war that will occur in the tribulation period.
An ‘Imposed’ Peace
This week, Time magazine published an article titled “A Million Dollar Middle East Peace Plan,” which I encourage you to read. It lays out a scenario for peace between Israel and its Middle East enemies that is chillingly similar to what the Bible predicts.
The author, Kai Bird, says, “This conflict is so dangerous that the time has come for the international community to impose a solution.” A compelled solution to the nations? That is precisely what Daniel 9:27 says, “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.'”
Some take the idea of “confirming” to mean that he will simply strengthen an already existing covenant. But that idea of “confirming,” literally in Hebrew, means to “make strong.” He is going to make strong a covenantโor even “compel” a covenant.
The Time Magazine article insists that “the international community” needs to “impose a solution.” According to the author, they must “convene a Geneva peace conference” where all the essential parties will be forced to participate and “face financial and legal sanctions if they fail to show up.”
“A conversation will take place in which all parties are heard,” the author described. “But the American, European, and other international diplomats invited to Geneva will be responsible for the actual drafting of a peace treaty.”
So, nations other than Israel and their enemies will develop this peace treaty draft. It will be brokered by outside forces, which is exactly what Daniel 9:27 predicts.
The author concludes, “This will be an imposed peace because the global stakes are too high.”
The plan is to “impose peace” upon these nations. That’s what the Bible predicts. It will be an imposed, compelled, or “take it or leave it” covenant that will be negotiated and brokered by the Antichrist, who will rise from Europe and a revived/reunited Roman Empire.
A Flashing Red Light
The current crisis between Israel and Hamas, as well as Israel and Iran, is setting the stage for the Gog Magog war, but it’s also setting the stage for the event that has to proceed that war, which is the coming Middle East peace.
All the ingredients for this Middle East peace are coalescing. We see a coalition of willing partners now for Israel. We see people calling for peace to be imposed by outside forces.
All the key threads are being woven together right before our eyes.
A possible escalating cycle of attacks will only serve to further prepare for the Antichrist’s arrival and the coming time of Tribulation. What is happening right now is a flashing red light that the coming of Jesus Christ could be very soon.
