Edition 164 June 17th 2013

Turkey in prophecy:

Please note that this news section deals only with news events, which have a Biblical or prophetic aspect to them.

●Iran: The new ‘leader’ Hassan Rowhani is being hailed by the western world as a moderate! Firstly Khamenei remains the supreme leader and it is he who is bent on destroying Israel. Rowhani has had ideas of bringing very limited reforms (within strict Islamic law) to Iran, but he has had visions of destroying Israel for a long time. It’s only the stupid puppets of the western world’s media that think everything is going to come up rosy now! Nothing has or will change with Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. In fact is continuing at an escalating rate even right now!

●Syria: As the death toll reaches 93,000, this nation is descending further into chaos. Interestingly the US has now confirmed that chemical weapons have been used. What a joke! The world knew that ages ago, yet the supersnoop nation only comes up with this now! Perhaps it’s part of the United Spies of America’s strategy to only come up with it now.  The US has said that they will now assist the Syrian rebels. It makes no difference what sort of assistance is supplied, it WILL backfire. It will only enrage the Assad regime, and like a cornered rabid dog he will intensify his viciousness.

Many, for some stupid reason, think that the Syrian rebels are better than the Assad regime. They are no better at all.

The US is still to see and learn the hard way that its weapons and financial supply to the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt and others will backfire on it. In spite of their ability to snoop, the US still thinks it can make peace with Islam.

Most are not aware of the underlying causes of the Syrian conflict, the uprising in Turkey and for that matter the others of the Arab Spring. Most westerners continue to think that this is all an Arab desire for western style democracy! It the eternal hatred between the Sunni’s and Shia factions of Islam coming to a head. Behind the scenes, it is Satan at work re-arranging the stage for the grand end-time catastrophe.

Many think that the fall of Syria’s Assad would be a welcome relief. How wrong they are! The fall of Assad will create new militant factions fighting each other for control. The instability will increase and the threat to Israel will be intensified. Either way, Israel is caught between a rock and a hard place!

●Russia on the move: Putin is intent on deploying troops as “peacekeepers” on the Golan Heights despite Israeli objections. At the same time the Kremlin is deploying warships to be permanently stationed in the Mediterranean near Israel. Russia has been vociferous in its support of the Assad regime of Syria. (Please read this edition for more on Russia.) In the meeting between Putin and Cameron today, they agreed on the meaning of “good morning,” but that was it.

●The US is to handover $1billion to Egypt with no strings attached!!

●Jordan launches “Eager Lion”. This is a series of military exercises close to the Syrian border. Russia raises concerns over deployment of US missile batteries and F16 fighter jets in Jordan.

●Syria is getting worse, Iran is entering the conflict and hotting up, Hezbollah is in the picture, Egypt is descending into chaos. Iraq is getting worse, Russia is waiting in the wings, Turkey is arising. Next will be Jordan. At any point Israel may be drawn into the regional conflicts. We have so many pieces of the prophetic jigsaw puzzle in play right now...amazing indeed!

● Tel Aviv celebrates its gay pride festival with over 100,000 participating. ***”Pride goes before a fall,” says the Bible, especially when it flies in the face of God’s word against homosexuality. Who knows what the “fall” will be, but “fall” it will be!

●The Pope admits that there is a gay lobby high up in the Vatican’s administration. (Daily Mail 12 June 2013)

The Catholic church is moving very fast away from anything that resembles the Body of Christ!

●The World Council of Churches (WCC) put out this statement after convening in Lebanon a few weeks ago:

“Palestine continues to be the central issue in the region … The persistence, after sixty five years, of continuing dispossession of Palestinian people—Christian and Muslim alike—from their land by Israeli occupation, continuing settlement of land inside the 1967 borders … is central to the turmoil in the region …. Jerusalem today is an occupied city with a government which has adopted discriminatory policies against Christians and Muslims alike …”

***This is total blatant ignorance of God’s word and / or a disregard for it. The WCC is in fact working directly against God’s revealed will and working for Satan. The tragedy of this is that the WCC represents all its members, about 500 million “Christians” in 110 nations. Some of the member churches include Methodists, Anglicans, Presbyterians, and most denominational churches. Catholics have observer status and many charismatic mega-churches are now members as well. Numerous non-church sects are also members.

You may not like or believe this but that’s tough. This issue of Replacement Theology will be the growing divide and fence between those who will go with God and those who will go with Satan.

●Those interested in the subject, please see editions 26 and 68.

Turkey in prophecy:

Introduction:

We are heading down the road of prophetic fulfilment fast. The Arab Spring has turned into a winter of discontent, backfiring on idiot westerners who believe that Islam is a religion of peace and all they want is western democracy! As I’ve said many times, to Islam peace means the absence of resistance to Islam! The various factions of Islam want complete control and domination. Their end objective is a world of Islam.

Deeply rooted in the heart of the Arab Muslim, is the desire for control of Jerusalem and Israel.

The Arab Spring is now showing its true colours. Jerusalem is the apple of the Muslim eye! They have their eye set on all of Israel, but they don’t know God’s word!

Zechariah 2:8 “He has sent Me after glory, to the nations who plunder you (Israel), for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.”

You may think that the Arab Spring has been a number of local uprisings; and that is the superficial situation. But behind it all lurks Satan with his plan to replace God’s word and will for Israel, with his own.

Turkey has an enormous role to play in Bible prophecy, but has not been participating in the Arab Spring. As a moderate Muslim nation it has provided a bridge between Islamic Asia and Europe.

Turkey has been everyone’s friend. That is impossible for the root of and heart of Islam. It can only coexist with Islam. Something has to give in and change.

Now Turkey is in the news. It is arising in discontent. As with all the other Arab Spring nations, it matters not what the reasons are...it’s the heart of Islam that is trying to emerge, and it will. They will all be groomed by Satan, chopped and changed, so that all the new pieces fit into the fateful prophetic picture.

Because of the timing of all these events they are of major importance. Of course you can say the Turkey uprising now is simply coincidence. That may be so, but it is highly unlikely. I wouldn’t bet on it!

Turkey’s pro-west government will fall. If not now, it will be soon. Turkey has to be prepared to fulfil its prophetic role.

Turkey, some background:

Turkey is a significant country rich in history. All seven of the Churches of the Revelation were found here in Turkey. It was called Asia Minor back in Biblical times.  Since the rule of the Ottoman Empire it has become a Muslim country. But much to the disgust of the Koran-adherents it is a nominal, secular-type Muslim nation with an open western-style economy and sub-culture.

It is seen by many as the bridge between Europe and Islamic Asia, having applied for membership of the EU. It has a very large army and highly repressive media controls.

It is one of the few Muslim nations to have a defence-pact with Israel, although that is on thin ice. It is also generally pro-west. This has made Turkey unpopular with other extremist Islamic organisations.

Up until now it has been very difficult to see how Turkey could fit the prophetic bill, but things are on the move fast.

Turkey is one of the biggest recipients of Syrian refugees and is not on good terms with the Syrian regime and by extension, Hezbollah and Iran.

Turkey in prophecy:

The main prophetic discourse involving Turkey is found in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Most prophecy watchers refer to these two chapters as WW111. This war is also referred to as the war of Gog and Magog.

In summary this huge war involves Russia and its southern neighbour Turkey, joining with many other Arab nations in an attack on Israel. The descriptions imply nuclear conflict of some sort. The “Kings of the East”, which could be China and some other eastern nations join into the conflict.

This will be a war of monumental proportions. It will see Israel being dealt a huge crippling blow, but she will survive and actually win the war.

It’s important to realise that the preceding chapter (in Ezekiel) is entitled “The valley of dry bones” and describes the awakening to salvation of the Jewish people.

So simultaneuosly we see incredible conflict and war and the continuing spiritual awakening of Israel.

The primary identification of Turkey in prophecy is Ezekiel 38:6, which is “Gomer” and “Togarmah.”

“Gomer” has been identified as the people who dwelt between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, which is where much of Turkey is today. Togarmah was a son of Gomer who settled in Armenia which is eastern Turkey today. The Magogites were ancient Cimmerians who dwelt north of the Caspian Sea, which is present day Russia. “Rosh”, also referred to in Ezekiel, is also present day Russia.

There are other prophecies in the book of Daniel 8 which speak of the Media / Persian Empire. This land mass is more difficult to identify, but does certainly include parts of modern day Turkey as well. This empire included Iraq. These Daniel prophecies also speak of an end-time war, which is undoubtedly the same as the Ezekiel war.

The ring leader of the war of Gog and Magog is Russia. Actually it is Satan himself, Islam and Russia!

Russian relations with Turkey are good now and will most probably remain good. In fact Russians have visa-free status for travel to Turkey.

So, now we have identified modern Turkey in the Bible, but we must look deeper into the issue.

The specific identification of every single nation involved is difficult because the original names on the maps overlap the modern names in certain areas. But we have enough data to get the gist of the picture.

There is absolutely no doubt that Turkey has a fateful role to play and will be destroyed in this great war, which may begin quite soon.

Here are the nations of doom:

The more important question we need to ask is when this will happen.

The war of Gog and Magog is not the war of Armageddon, as some believe. Yes Gog and Magog is seen in the Bible as a type of Armageddon, but the characteristics of this war place it at least seven years before Armageddon.

One interpretation of Armageddon is that it will not be a single war but a campaign, culminating in the single last battle. I have no problem with that.

At the end of the day we can’t be 100% sure of the timing of this war, but we can presume that it will be soon. It may well be the opening salvo of the tribulation period. It may occur within a year or two.

Turkey must change fast.

To fit its fateful role, Turkey will have to ditch or be stripped of its defence pact with Israel. It will need to become more hostile towards Israel. After all, you don’t go to all-out war with your friends.

As a Muslim nation, the root of hatred is there already. The inner heart of Islam is enmity with Israel, and the Jews. This will have to manifest on the surface.

What is happening in Turkey today is the foundation of this. The sceptics may say that the current uprising in Turkey is just coincidence and it will fizzle out. They may by right, but there are so many other things all dovetailing together now that it’s very unlikely that it will fizzle out. The troubles may ebb and flow for a while, but what is happening now is the stage being set.

At the end of the day true Islam will dominate Turkey and not the other way around as it has been.

Turkey is on the waiting list to join the EU. This will all have implications as well.

Turkey will not be destroyed with Syria:

Bible prophecy gives us many things, but what it doesn’t generally give us is the actual dates. By looking at the nature of the destruction of Syria and Jordan and the players involved we can presume reasonably accurately that the Isaiah 17 Syria / Damascus war will not be the war of Gog and Magog, involving Turkey.

Islam arising:

Turkey in prophecy, as with many nations, is inextricably linked with Islam itself.

Here is a simple map showing the advance of Islam in the areas surrounding Israel and others that will be involved:

Islam is split into two main factions that hate each other, but have a common enemy in Israel and the western so-called Christian nations. Their hatred for the Jew is one thing that will give them a common purpose. Even moderate Muslims have a deep inbred hatred and antagonism against the Jew.

Ezekiel 35:5 “Because you have an ancient hatred and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, when their iniquity came to an end, therefore, as I live, says the Lord God, I will prepare you for blood and blood will pursue you...”

Interestingly the Muslin nations of the world support the Palestinian cause, but they do not and won’t support the Palestinians financially. It is only the ignorant, deceived nations of Europe, and some other western nations that pour money into the Palestinian government. Some churches like the Methodists also support them and actively boycott Israeli products.

Many Muslim nations don’t trust the Palestinians and don’t care about them. They are more interested in the greater, wider objective of winning all Israel for Islam and replacing God’s chosen, with themselves.

By the way, you ministers, pastors and other deceived church leaders embracing Replacement Theology; your replacement theology will not replace Israel with the Church, but ultimately with Islam. I hope you are aware that you are working with Satan against God’s word to install Islam in Israel! You will fail in the end. You blind guides; you are on a doomed course of failure.

Antichrist arising:

The Revelation of Yeshua reveals something very interesting in the messages to the seven churches. This is found in the discourse to the Church at Pergamos, Revelation 2:12-13, where we see this place being called the “home of Satan” or “Satan’s throne.” This city is right in the middle of present day Turkey.

This also has terrible implication for the Catholic church. This message to the Church of Pergamos precedes the message to the Church of Thyatira. Many Biblical analysts (including myself) see the seven letters as a progressive plot of Church history through the ages, as well as having historic relevance.

This Pergamos letter relates to the era of Constantine and the early formation of the Catholic church, which then becomes fully, tragically viewed in our Lord’s message to Thyatira.

Pergamos was renowned for the worship of a serpent-god, Asklepios Soter whose name translates into, “the man-instructing serpent saviour.” It also refers to the cluster of temples dedicated to the god Zeus and others. “Satan’s throne / home” refers to an uholy, ungodly, evil authority or rule. It fits perfectly into the pagan origins of the Catholic church.

Some believe that this is one of the verses that indicating that the antichrist will emerge from Turkey.

Pergamos comes from two root words “Pergos” and “Gamos” meaning married and high tower. So, the word itself means to be married to the high tower (of evil). This is also the church in which the doctrine of the Nicolaitans is found. This doctrine, which “our Lord hates” separates and elevates the clergy above the laity, to gain control of them. “Nico” means to conquer and “laitan” means the laity or the people. So, the word means to “conquer the people.” It was and is still done by elevating the clergy above the laity in dress, names, codes etc.

Can you see how all these things tie-up?

Interestingly the demise of the Churches in the Revelation, found in Turkey was caused by Islam overrunning them. There are nominal churches in those places today, but not the original ones. One should also bear in mind that the capital of Turkey changed its name from Constantinople to Istambul.

It’s not the subject of this edition, but there is an entire Bible discourse identifying Turkey as the nation from which the antichrist arises.

The image below shows the church in the then city of Constantinople, called Hagia Sophia. Islam advanced, the church became a mosque as it is now and the city’s name was changed to Istanbul.

This is a simple picture of the advance and desire of Islam. Constantinople was obviously named after the founder of Catholicism, the Roman Emperor Constantine, but Islam has taken over.

The larger worldwide picture also shows how Islam has dominated the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock now standing in the place of the previous Temple in Israel. There is a similar picture in Europe and the UK where many dead denominational church buildings are now used as mosques.

Two interesting prophecies:

Matthew 24 reveals that the end-time events and conditions will be “as in the days of Noah”. The characteristics of the earth preceding the great flood-judgement will again prevail just before the Second Advent. In summary the conditions were and are today: Homosexuality, rampant unrestrained evil, moral decline, ignorance of coming judgement and rejection of coming judgment by those who were aware.

But what is of interest to us is that the ark came to rest on the “mountains of Ararat” which are in present day Turkey.

As regular readers know I believe that some remnants of the ark will be discovered in the glacial ice of Ararat soon, heralding the fast approaching “days of Noah” again. Either way, Turkey is associated.

Daniel 11 is very insightful. It speaks of the warring king of the north and the south. It’s quite involved, but essentially these come against Israel in the last days. Daniel 11:30 is very insightful. It speaks twice of the people involved in this conflict being in “rage against the holy covenant”! Then in Daniel 11:39 we see this being taken to its conclusion: It speaks of a “foreign god (Satan / antichrist) being exalted as they “divide the land (of Israel) for gain.”

 “Dividing the land” was preceded by “rage against the covenant”. This is nothing but rejection of God’s word. This leads to massive war. On a personal level, rejection of God’s word will lead you to divide up what’s right and wrong in your eyes, which will get you destroyed. As you reject God’s word you will think just like the world does and your fate will be the same as its god – Satan.

Please be aware of the parallel portion of scripture in Joel 3:2, speaking of the fact that dividing the land of Israel does not bring peace but war.

Psalm 2:1-6 “Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth and rulers take counsel together and set themselves against the Lord...He who sits in the heavens shall laugh...He shall speak to them in His wrath and distress them in His deep displeasure. Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.”

Turkey’s days are numbered, as with the other Arab nations. The reasons and causes for the coming wars may be varied, but there is one sure thing common cause and that is dividing the land of Israel!

At the end of the day, Satan loses twice over. He is unable to destroy Israel physically or spiritually!

Finally

The giant jigsaw puzzle of prophecy is fast becoming clear. Iraq is in ethnic turmoil and anti-Israel. Iran is in growing economic turmoil and anti-Israel. Syria is on the verge of its gigantic downfall and it is anti-Israel. Jordan is awaiting its transformation into an anti-Israel Muslim state. Turkey is in the early stages of transformation and is becoming anti-Israel. The Muslim nations of southern Russia are all anti-Israel. Ethiopia and Libya are anti-Israel. Russia itself is ready and growing in its anti-Israel stance. China is anti-Israel and ready.

All of the above nations are significant players in end-time prophecy.

Much of the church is blind to prophecy, being kept in ignorance by their materialistic leaders. Much of the church, is spearheading anti-Israel, replacement theology.

Some say these things are just coincidence! Some ministries continue to use the allegorical method of prophecy interpretation, and say that this is all coincidence. Some couldn’t care less, except for what the next Hollywood blockbuster will be. They are all fools of monumental proportions, blinded by both God and Satan.

Oh you didn’t know that! Try these two for size:

2 Thessalonians 2:10-11. “Because they did not receive the love of the truth, God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie.”

2 Corinthians 4:4 “...The gospel is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age (Satan) has blinded, who do not believe...”

If you reject God’s truth, your choice will get you sent a lie and spiritual blindness.

The great tragedy of these days, is that masses are charging headlong down the road of  human reasoning, following blind guides over the cliff, while the love of God was right next to them!

Today, there is one place of safety and that is in full acceptance of all of God’s word in an attitude of humility.

I did this picture some years ago in the massive Etosha Pan. It’s about 12,000sq kms. The approaching storm over the barren desert represents the soon coming world devoid of God’s word.

Shalom and grow in grace!