What Happened With Turkey?

The Jerusalem Post reported that the Israeli Navy boarded and took control of “Rachel Corrie” off the Gaza coast and forced the ship to dock in Ashdod. Last week, a mob of terrorists on Turkish ships, headed for Gaza, attacked Israeli soldiers which led to fire exchange and casualties.

What happened with Turkey? Over the last few years Turkey’s policy has changed. Today’s government has its focus on Islam and as a result, Turkey has turned away from the West. Turkey today is trying to lead the Islamic world and rebuild the Ottoman Empire. It has now become an enemy of Israel. It embraces the leaders of Iran and Hamas, all of whom called for Israel’s destruction.

Turkey has a long history. In a short version; the Persian Empire occupied the area in the 6th century B.C., giving way to the Roman Empire, then later the Byzantine Empire. In the early 13th century, the Ottoman Turks first appeared, and gradually spread through the Near East and Balkans, capturing Constantinople in 1453 and storming the gates of Vienna two centuries later. At its height, the Ottoman Empire stretched from the Persian Gulf to western Algeria. Lasting for 600 years, the Ottoman Empire was not only one of the most powerful empires in the history of the Mediterranean region, but it generated a great cultural outpouring of Islamic art, architecture, and literature.

After the reign of Sultan Süleyman I the Magnificent (1494–1566), the Ottoman Empire began to decline politically, administratively, and economically.

Over the last few years, diplomatic dialogue between Turkey and Israel has become strained, particularly following the 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza Conflict. And last week Turkey provoked Israel into action with its so-called “Peace Flotilla”, knowing full well that the world would blame Israel for any casualties.

The Rabbinical Council of Judea and Samaria issued a statement Thursday in which it said that the incident in which Israel intercepted a flotilla seemed like the Biblical description of the beginning of the Gog and Magog process.

What does the Bible say about Gog and Magog? The book of Ezekiel describes, in chapters 38 and 39, a vision of a war where the world is united against Israel that will precede the final redemption of Israel and the world.

The study of Gog and Magog has long been a challenge to Bible scholars and historians alike. Magog is described in Genesis 10:2 and 1 Chronicles 1:5 as a grandson of Noah. 

Prophet Ezekiel claims Magog’s descendants are from the far north, and will someday attack Israel.  Throughout history we find Gog and Magog identified with many place names, as well as numerous tribes and people groups; some firmly leaving their mark on history, including many present-day cultures.  Perhaps the most known of Magog’s descendants (sometimes referred to as Magogians) are the Scythians. Scythian culture extended more than 2,000 miles east from the Ukraine to Mongolia. These peoples would later form tribes and ethnic groups we would come to know as familiar names in history: Huns, Turks, Tartars, Mongols and others.

There is today a growing interest in the Ezekiel prophecies and whether they could play out in our lifetime.

We’ve never seen a convergence of geopolitical and spiritual events so consistent with Ezekiel 38-39 in history like we are seeing today. I believe the rabbis are right – we are living in the days of Ezekiel’s prophecies – and it is possible that we could see these events unfold soon.

 

Striking Similarities

I heard in the news, that not long ago, the Israeli Air Force staged military exercises between Israel and the British colony of Gibraltar near southern Spain.

I was wondering why the drills were held 3,800 kilometers away from Israel and was told that the Israel Defense Forces were making concrete preparations to attack Iran over its refusal to cooperate with the international community over its contentious nuclear program. The distance from Tel Aviv to Teheran is about the same.

I also heard that Tehran planned to stage its biggest air show ever to dramatize a ceremonial military parade in the capital on April 18. Iran would show the world that it is capable of fighting off an Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities. But on Iran’s army day the entire fleet was all of a sudden removed to remote bases and the display cancelled. – Only four aircraft flew over the saluting stand. Iranian media explained that the big show was cancelled due to “bad weather and poor visibility,” when in fact Tehran basked in warm and sunny weather.

Moscow had informed the Iranians that its spy satellites and intelligence sources had picked up preparations at Israeli Air Force bases to destroy the 140 warplanes, the bulk of the Iranian air force, on the ground the night before the display, leaving its nuclear sites without aerial defense. A similar operation wiped out the entire Egyptian air fleet in the early hours of the 1967 war.

Russia helped the Iranian nuclear program from its inception. Hundreds of Russian scientists, with their families, live around some twenty scattered nuclear-related facilities. Russian “Spetznaz soldiers” (Special Forces) guard all the key nuclear facilities.

A couple of days ago I read in the Jerusalem Post that Air Force reservists who operate the Arrow and Patriot missile defense systems in Israel have recently begun spending one day a week on duty to sharpen their skills.

Until now, only pilots were called up for one day of reserve duty a week following their discharge from mandatory service. Now all Air Force reservists, including soldiers from the Air Defense Division who are on study leave, are also spending one day a week at the unit.

They go once a week to simulate different scenarios. – The scenarios that are drilled include the firing of large barrages at Israel from different countries at once, and the need for the operator to decide which missile to intercept first and at what stage of its flight.

It becomes obvious that Israel prepares for what could be an attack or a counter attack from Iran.
Recognizing that America is doing nothing about the Iranian threat, European leaders are scared, knowing missiles could reach their countries as well. Yet, Iranian missiles could also reach American cities. Or couldn’t they?

In Ezekiel’s 2600-year-old prophecy, Persia, or modern Iran, is listed as chief among the Muslim nations that will lead an all-out assault against Israel backed by Russia.

The similarities between Ezekiel’s prophecies and today’s Mideast reality are striking.

Current world events are beginning to increasingly resemble the 2,500 year old bible prophecy made by Ezekiel in chapters 38-39, where the prophet foresaw the rise of Russia in a coalition with Iran and other Middle Eastern countries.

Pray for the soldiers who serve in the IDF.

Shalom – Lilo