On Sept. 9, 2024, one of my favorite Bible prophecy teachers, Hal Lindsey, pointed out that God’s promise to give Abraham and his descendants all the Promised Land (see Ezek. 19:7-8) seemed implausible (unreal, unbelievable, unlikely) for many centuries.
Turkey is at the center of that thanksgiving future, and the nation by that name is hastily dressing—militarily—for its part in a key prophecy.
The third Jewish temple has been in the planning stage for three decades. The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has completed all its furnishings with the exception of the Ark of the Covenant for which they claim to know the location of the original one.
According to Ezekiel this alliance will send an overwhelming force to invade Israel in the last days. And today, for the first time in human history, we see this alliance forming.
An Iranian-backed attack on Saudi Arabian oil interests moves the end time prophecy clock forward. Iran-allied Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen claimed credit for the attack, saying they sent 10 drones to strike the facilities. Some sources say, however, that the attack could have been launched from an Iranian-controlled area in Iraq. Iran is, in alignment with its ongoing pattern, denying any responsibility and says it is prepared to go to war with the US. In mid-June, two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman and Iran was accused of being the culprit. This prompted President Trump to send an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East and put American military on high alert.
First, the Middle East has reached a boiling point. In just two days, Israel attacked targets in Gaza, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. All of these nations are mentioned in end-of-the-age prophecies, and all of them are currently in a state of high alert.
The Iraqi and Lebanese governments called Israel’s attacks an act of war, and Hezbollah (in Lebanon) threatened to attack Israel.
Iran moved troops closer to Israel’s border with Syria and said Israel will pay a price for its actions.
Several events happened in recent days that seem to suggest that the Master of the House (Jesus) is coming soon (Mark 13:34-37).
Those who say the clock is ticking are often calling attention to the fact that time is short or time is running out.
Most who will read this commentary are certainly at least cursorily familiar with the term “Gog-Magog.” This is the prophecy most who look at end-times matters from the pre-Trib perspective believe is the first foretold event that will likely be the prophecy to be fulfilled following the Rapture of the Church-either that attack on Israel or, possibly, the destruction of Damascus, Syria.