Prophetic Developments In The Middle East

What Does The Bible Say About Israel’s Recent Peace Agreements?

By Britt Gillette

In recent decades, no area of the world has been home to more conflict and ongoing animosity than the Middle East. A cauldron of ethnic, political, and religious clashes, many believe the spark that ignites World War III will come from the Middle East. Central to the region’s ongoing conflict are Muslim hostility toward Israel and disputes over control of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. These are the exact events the Bible says will happen in the last days. The Bible says Jerusalem will be “like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger” (Zechariah 12:2-3). That’s precisely what we’ve seen.

The re-establishment of Israel in 1948 led the neighboring Arab nations to declare war. In the years that followed, Israel fought no less than four conventional wars with its neighbors and has spent every moment preparing for all-out war. For all of its 72-year history, the Arab nations of the Middle East have viewed Israel as a mortal enemy. The lone exceptions have been peace treaties with Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994). Yet despite those treaties, many of the citizens of those two countries remain hostile toward the Jewish state. Is that changing? Some say it is, and they point out recent events that promise to transform the Middle East.

Less than a month after breaking news of the Abraham Accord, President Trump announced a similar peace agreement between Israel and Bahrain. Like the UAE, Bahrain will establish full diplomatic relations with Israel. As if that weren’t enough, in between the UAE and Bahrain deals, Trump brokered another deal that led Serbia and Kosovo to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

What do these agreements mean? Do they really herald a new era of peace in the Middle East? Some think so. But it’s more likely they herald a growing recognition on the part of many Arab Muslim nations of their common need to counter Iran’s growing influence in the region. All these nations have a shared interest in thwarting Iran’s regional ambitions, even if it means partnering with Israel to do so. For that reason alone, many people believe we’ll soon see similar peace agreements between Israel and other Arab nations, such as Oman and Saudi Arabia.

So is any of this in the Bible? And if so, what does it mean?

Students of bible prophecy immediately take notice of any peace deal involving Israel. Why? Because the Bible says an Israeli peace treaty plays a central and pivotal role in the end times. Over 2,500 years ago, Daniel said a mighty ruler will enter into a covenant or a treaty with Israel for a period of seven years (Daniel 9:27). This treaty kicks off the seven-year Tribulation and makes the ruler behind it a major player on the world stage. Who is this ruler? None other than “the man of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) himself – the Antichrist.

The treaty outlined in Daniel 9:27 is set for a specific period of time – seven years. None of the recent peace deals with Israel mention a period of seven years. Also, the man behind the treaty of Daniel 9:27 is a specific individual – the Antichrist. This is important to note.

Because when it comes to the recent peace agreements with Israel, the driving diplomatic force has been the Trump administration, and Donald Trump is not the Antichrist. Despite what many of his political opponents may think or say, he simply doesn’t fit the profile. The Bible describes the life and times of the Antichrist. It provides details in regard to his ethnic background and political career. Like Barack Obama before him, Donald Trump doesn’t fit the description.

While people have accused every U.S. President of the past several decades of being the beast of Revelation, the Bible says the Antichrist will be the leader of a revived Roman Empire (Daniel 7).

While the recent peace deals with the UAE and Bahrain aren’t the covenant mentioned in Daniel 9:27, I believe they’re setting the stage for the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39. The battle lines of the Middle East are being drawn, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the official response to the recently announced deals.

Most predictable among them was Iran’s reaction. According to Al Jazeera, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the United Arab Emirates of betraying the Islamic world and the Palestinians. He promised the Emiratis will be disgraced forever, and the stigma of their betrayal will always be remembered.

It’s clear Tehran stands against this alliance, but the most revealing reaction came from Turkey’s President – Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan threatened to suspend diplomatic ties with the UAE and withdraw its ambassador after the Gulf state and Israel agreed to normalize relations.

While we wait for that moment, the military forces of the three most powerful members of the Gog of Magog alliance – Russia, Iran, and Turkey – are now cooperating in Syria. This puts their joint military forces right on Israel’s border. And not just any border – Israel’s northern border. This is where Ezekiel said the invasion force will come from – north of Israel (Ezekiel 38:15; Ezekiel 39:2). Is this a mere coincidence? I don’t think so. Never in history have these three nations formed an alliance. Now, they’re stationed directly to Israel’s north.

God continues to set the stage for the fulfillment of the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecies. Turkey has made a strategic choice to align itself with Russia and Iran. The UAE and Bahrain have made a strategic choice to align themselves with Israel. If Oman and Saudi Arabia follow suit as expected, it explains why these nations aren’t part of the Gog of Magog alliance. Eventually, Russia, Iran, Turkey, and their allies will launch an overwhelming invasion force against Israel (Ezekiel 38:8-9). When they do, God will destroy them and display His power and glory for all the world to see (Ezekiel 38:23).

We’ll have to wait and see what further developments take place before we can know for sure what the prophetic significance of these peace deals will be. None of these agreements are explicitly mentioned in the Bible, and none of them qualify as the covenant mentioned in Daniel 9:27. However, collectively they’re setting the stage for a prophetic event that will soon take place – the Gog of Magog invasion.

Never in world history have the invading nations of Ezekiel 38-39 banded together. Today, they have. Never before have Russia, Iran, and Turkey posted armies on Israel’s northern border. Today, they have. Israel enjoying peace with its neighbors and a false sense of security is the only missing ingredient. Once it’s in place, the stage will be set for the fulfillment of the events described in Ezekiel 38-39. It’s just the latest sign highlighting how close we are the end of the age and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.