There is a prophetic foreshadowing developing on the world scene. The Middle East is changing before our eyes in ways that we never could have imagined at the beginning of 2024. These events, surrounding Iran, Syria, Russia, and Turkey, signal a marked movement toward the Gog-Magog War of Ezekiel 38.
Just a few months ago, Iran was sitting pretty. They had Hezbollah as their attack dog against the Jewish State. They had huge stockpiles of ballistic missiles that could reach Israel. They had a sophisticated network of air defense systems from Moscow. They had a formidable presence in Syria on Israel’s northern borderโalong with their ally, Russia.
Now, all of that suddenly and dramatically has come crashing down over the last nine months. Why? Because of several key events that no one could have imagined.
The Diminished Power And Influence Of Iran
Due to the IDF’s array of defense systems, such as the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and others, Iranian ballistic missiles have proven totally ineffective in two direct, large-scale attacks against Israel. Hezbollah has also been effectively neutralized by Israel.
It was recently revealed that in September 2024, Israel destroyed an underground Iranian missile factory in Syria. According to Fox News, in a call with reporters, IDF spokesperson Nadav Shoshani provided details on the daring operation.
“Elite Israeli forces conducted a dramatic raid in Syria, destroying a secret underground long-range missile factory that also contained information about Syria’s chemical weapons program in September, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF),” Fox News highlighted.
“The factory was designed to manufacture between 150-350 missiles a year, including precision-guided missiles (PGM), according to the IDF,” Fox News continued. “Commandoes from the IDF’s elite air force unit Shaldag participated in the mission. The IDF said 30 Syrian soldiers were killed during the operation.”
The elimination of the factory also served to cut off Hezbollah, as the missiles being manufactured by the facility went straight into the hands of the terror group across the Syria-Lebanon border.
According to many, this bold operation could serve as a template for Israel to take out Iranian nuclear facilities.
In an opinion piece published by the Jerusalem Post, “Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear program in 2025 could transform the Middle East,” author Yonah Jeremy Bob observed, “If the IDF could bring 120 Special Forces for three hours into Syria to destroy a sensitive Iranian facility, in the best-defended part of Syria from both air and on the ground after Damascus, why couldnโt Israel carry out an adapted version of such an operation at [Iranโs Fordow nuclear facility]?”
Iran’s nuclear program is totally exposed and vulnerable to an attack by the IDF. It’s looking more and more like 2025 could be the year when Israel delivers a death blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The Jerusalem Post article further noted that Tehran has become a sitting duck after the Israeli Air Force destroyed “Iranโs S-300 anti-aircraft radar systems on April 19, and the rest on October 26.”
“This means that at any moment, Israel could launch an airstrike on the nuclear program, which is essentially undefended in any real way from such strikes โ for now,” the author added.
Since the beginning of the JCPOA during the Obama administration, Israel has vocally promised that it would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapons program. While Israel continuously worked to impede Iran’s progression toward a weapon, taking out the program entirely seemed, at that point in time, to be impossible. Now, however, Iran is more vulnerable than it has ever been since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. This is a shocking development that no one could have anticipated.
Additionally, the Jerusalem Post article emphasized that “during the US election campaign, President Donald Trump publicly called on Israel to strike Iranโs nuclear sites.”
The publication added that the now-sitting President has “continued to support such a strike, should Tehran not back down from its nuclear advances in a serious way” and has “even suggested that he will finally give Israel a bunker-buster capability to carry out the attack.”
Bunker buster bombs would need to be dropped, one on top of another, to destroy these hardened underground nuclear sites. Donald Trump has stepped into office in favor of these actions being taken, which makes them all the more likely to be carried out.
“Suddenly, there is a public possibility that Israel could eliminate Iranian nuclear facilities either by airstrikes or by a Special Forces operation,” the Jerusalem Post article concluded.
How does this factor into Iran being a key player in the Gog-Magog invasion? With Iran’s power and influence being diminished, is the Ezekiel 38 war less likely to occur in the near term? While Iran’s declining power and influence is a reality, that doesn’t make the Gog-Magog war less likely. Right now, we have front-row seats to a major power shift that is underway in the Middle East.
The Rising Threat From Turkey
Iran and Russia have been in Syria since 2011, when the civil war in the country began, to bolster the regime of Bashar Al Assad. The Assad regime has fallen, and in a turn of shocking events, now Iran and Russia are largely out of Syria. However, Turkey, another key Ezekiel 38 ally, is filling the vacuum. In fact, four of the names in Ezekiel 38 are in modern-day TurkeyโMeshach, Tubal, Gomer, and Togarmah.
Another piece published by the Jerusalem Post highlighted a report conducted by the Nagel Committee, which stressed that “Israel must prepare for potential war with Turkey.”
“The committee, established by the government, warns that Turkeyโs ambitions to restore its Ottoman-era influence could lead to heightened tensions with Israel, possibly escalating into conflict,” JPost underscored. “The report highlights the risk of Syrian factions aligning with Turkey, creating a new and potent threat to Israelโs security.”
They further stated that “Erdoganโs policies in Syria bring Turkey and Israel closer to confrontation.”
“The tumultuous relationship between Israel and Turkey is heading for more turbulence as recent developments in Syria pitch the two countries against each other in what has the potential of developing into a direct armed confrontation,” JPost explained.
Nagel Committee also recently suggested that the threat of a Turkey-backed Syria has the potential to surpass the danger of Iran in its current state.
“It must be considered that Israel may face a new threat arising in Syria, which in some respects could be no less severe than the previous one,” they warned. “This threat could take the form of an extreme Sunni force that would also refuse to recognise the very existence of Israel. Furthermore, since the Sunni rebels will wield political power by virtue of their central control in Syria, a greater threat may emerge from them than the Iranian threat, which has been limited due to Israelโs ongoing actions, as well as the restrictions placed on Iran by the sovereign Syrian state.โ
There are fears that Syria may essentially become a proxy of Turkey. A fight on Israel’s northern border would be a dream come true for the Islamic nation. Under the current situation in Syria, Iran and Russia are on the outs, but Turkey is in.
Prophetic Alignment
There is no doubt that a wounded and weakened Iran could be more motivated than ever to get back at Israel and join with Turkey to invade the Jewish State.
The gears continue to turn as the nations adjust into prophetic alignment. When the time is right, just as God’s Word foretold, Turkey, Iran, and Russia will all conspire to invade Israel.
As we see the pieces moving toward Ezekiel 38, we can rejoice that the rapture is even closer. Let’s be those who are living in light of our Blessed Hope and looking for His soon coming.
