Will the Peace Accords Stabilize the Middle East?
On September 15, 2020, President Trump presided over the signing of peace deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates as well as between Israel and Bahrain. Fox News reported President Trump as saying that the deals would form “the foundation for a comprehensive peace across the entire region.”
From a biblical prophecy standpoint, how are we to regard these peace accords that the Trump administration refers to as the “Abrahamic Accord?” Opinions vary widely within the Christian community. Many welcomed the news of these agreements and praised the President and his team for achieving these milestone accords.
Others, such as a popular prophecy speaker, did not share the excitement of those celebrating the deals. He criticized them because of the dividing of the Land inherent in them, which is also a feature of the Deal of the Century unveiled back in January.
Jared Kushner’s statement regarding these deals lends credibility to this prophecy teacher’s critique. He said, “We were trying to save the two-state solution…If we kept going with the status quo…ultimately, Israel would have eaten up all the land in the West Bank.” In other words, he praised these deals for stopping Israel from occupying more of their Land.
Kushner’s statement negated any enthusiasm I might have had for these accords. I love the response of Terry James to Kushner, “In God’s view, no area of land He gave Israel is negotiable. There is no room whatsoever for a ‘two-state solution’ to any problem Israel’s surrounding neighbors have in failing to be at peace with the Jewish State.”
The peace deals recently inked on the White House lawn have clear prophetic implications. However, does that mean they will stabilize the Middle East and provide needed security for Israel? I believe the answer is “no” to that question because of the following considerations.
They Represent A Further Aligning Of Nations Per Ezekiel 38
According to Ezekiel 38, the countries who signed these peace deals with Israel are not part of the last days’ invasion of Israel. Many Bible scholars believe that the opening verses of this chapter identify Russia, Iran, and Turkey as the leaders of the future Gog Magog attack on Israel (38:1-6). And just as Ezekiel predicted long ago, these nations currently pose the greatest threat to Israel’s security with their forces and weapons positioned in Syria.
Ezekiel also specified people groups who would not invade the Land during the Gog-Magog war, but merely protest, “Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all its leaders will say to you, ‘Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hosts to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to seize great spoil?’” (38:13). Most prophecy experts believe that “Sheba and Dedan” refer to Arab nations as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.
The Heritage Foundation listed several benefits for Israel from the two agreements stating that they “clear the way for Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE to ramp up trade, investment, tourism, and technical and strategic cooperation against Iran.” These are true, at least for the short-term.
But I find it interesting that the statement lists “cooperation against Iran” as a positive outcome. The Bible says that when Iran along with Russian and Turkey attack, these nations will merely protest rather than defend Israel. Only God will come to her defense.
They Confirm The Emphasis On Peace During The Last Days
Everyone who spoke at the signing ceremony for the peace accords emphasized “peace and security.” Since neither Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates pose any threat to Israel, these comments must refer to the Palestinian hostility toward Israel and that somehow these agreements will pressure the Palestinians to make a similar deal for peace.
The summation of these deals on the Heritage Foundation website confirms this, “The Bahrain and UAE diplomatic pacts could lead Palestinians to adopt a more realistic negotiating position and join the other Arab states on the peace train.”
The apostle Paul tells us these words will be the buzz words of the world in the last days, “While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” (1 Thess. 5:3). It’s when the world revels in the mindset of peace that the wrath of God descends on the world with a loud bang.
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