The Last Days.  Biblical Eschatology.  The Rapture.  Islamic revolution.  The Anti-Christ.  The last beast empire of Revelation.  The judgment of God's wrath.  Are we really approaching the last days?  And what does that mean?

We are now getting a glimpse of just how easily all these ideas fit together with current events on an international scale.

I can not help but ponder and wonder how many other people see or even care about what is happening before our very eyes.

The conventional wisdom of today's bible scholars tells us that the rapture will be "pre-trib"...and that the beast empire of Revelation in the last days will be a revived Roman empire.

From what we see in scripture a "pre-trib" rapture is not supported, nor a revived Roman empire taking the form of the final empire of anti-christ.

Rather there is a paradigm shift taking place in how biblical prophecy is viewed.  When we view prophecy considering Israel and Jerusalem as the center of all things, the events of today line up without a hitch.  There has been much talk about the beast, the mark of the beast, and the anti-christ.  But just what exactly or who exactly is it that qualifies as the beast or the antichrist?  Who or what can wield such great power over the entire earth?

John is told about the final beast kingdom in Revelation 17

The Woman on the Beast

1One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. 2With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”

3Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.5This title was written on her forehead:

MYSTERY

BABYLON THE GREAT

THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES

AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

6I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 7Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. 8The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.

9“This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while. 11The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.

12“The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. 14They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

15Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.16The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God’s words are fulfilled. 18The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

Let's define some things for clarity.

Waters = "peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.

Woman = "the great city that rules over the kings of the earth"

Beast = "king who once was, and now is not, (he) is an eighth king.  He belongs to the seven.

DANIEL AND THE BEASTS/KINGDOMS

Daniel Chapter 7 gives a precedent for defining "beasts" also as kingdoms.  Beast and King are closely related and could better be defined as "kingdoms ruled by a king".  Daniel was shown a vision of four beasts...and he was greatly confused by it.  He asked for clarification and was told in Daniel Chapter 7.

15“I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 16I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this.

“So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 17‘The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth.

We can see then that the kingdoms are yet future to rise from the earth...and that the beasts are indeed kingdoms.  From the time when Daniel lived and had this vision, Babylon was the ruling kingdom of the day.  So the kingdoms that rise up in the future would rise in the order of Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and the Turkish-Ottoman empire. All of these kingdoms have come and gone in our history but we have not yet seen the most terrible 4th kingdom which Daniel was told about...that is because it is also the eighth king/kingdom which is of the seventh as we read in Revelation 17 above.

Daniel asks further about the 4th terrible beast/kingdom in Daniel 7:19-23

19“Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, 22until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.

23“He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.

This scripture corresponds with Revelation 17:12-13

12“The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.

So we see in Revelation 17:10-11 that there are seven kings/kingdoms...as the scripture says.  Five are fallen...one is...and the other is not yet come.  And it also mentions that the 8th is even of the seven.

What kingdoms is John the Revelator being told about?  The key to understanding this...is to know that all the kingdoms of history important in the bible have one thing in common.  They ruled over Jerusalem.  What are the kingdoms?

Five are fallen: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece,

One is: Rome

And the other is not yet come: Turkish Ottoman Empire.

So why does all this matter you might ask?  Good question.  The Turkish Ottoman Empire existed until 1922 sort of... CLICK here for an interesting timeline on the rise and decline of the Turkish-Ottoman empire. It was of course an Islamic Empire...and this is where things get interesting.  The Turkish-Ottoman empire was basically parted out to the nations of the world including Great Britain, France, and Russia...in a hurry to claim the weakened territories of the empire.

So the Turkish Ottoman Empire is indeed the last empire to have ruled over Jerusalem.  This brings us current to 1948 when Israel became a state once again...but the city of Jerusalem is still divided between Jews and Palestinians and the temple mount where the Jewish temple used to be is still in the hands of the state-less Palestinians.

Further, November 29, 1947, The United Nations drafted Resolution 181 dubbed the Avalon Project, whose purpose was to create a Palestinian and a Jewish state coexisting side by side.  For a detailed list in series of the various Resolutions and Outcomes proposed by members of the United Nations CLICK HERE. And for even more detail take a look at this date series of Resolutions and events which tracks the progress of the attempt at peace and justice between the Jews and Palestinians

We know that Israel became a state May 14th, 1948 and this has been a source of great contention ever since.  So aside from the obvious argument over land, it becomes more and more obvious that there is heated contention on the religious level between Islam and Judaism.  We can throw in Christianity to make it even more interesting.  This is perhaps the entire reason why I am writing this article, to address where things are going now.

CURRENT EVENTS - ISLAMIC REVOLUTION - EGYPT - MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD.

We are beginning now to see the break down of the status quo that has existed for decades between the USA and Middle Eastern Arab countries which are primarily Islamic.  Egypt is just the beginning.  The primary concern of historically educated individuals is the tipping of the balance of power in the Middle East.  It has been in favor economically of the United States for decades.  Oil is bought and sold in dollars.  The United States gives billions in aid to abet it's interests in the Middle Eastern Islamic countries.

If the Muslim Brotherhood or other Islamic Extremist organizations gain control over Egypt which borders Israel and serves as a buffer between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the balance of power can be shifted greatly to the extreme powers of Islamic dictators like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the leader of Iran.

It has been documented that Ahmadinejad would like usher in the last Mahdi...the 12th Imam...and reestablish the office of the Islamic Caliphate which has it's seat in the once flourishing center of the Turkish-Ottoman empire in Turkey.  Who is the Turkish Caliphate and what does he have to do with all of this?

Enter Ezekiel 38 - Gog and Magog, The Chief Prince of Meshec and Tubal along with all the other people groups which represent the countries that surround Israel.  God calls them to invade Israel to punish His people (the Jews).

Joel Richardson identifies these nations with great accuracy from a great deal of study, and here is an excerpt from the 10th chapter of his book "The Islamic Antichrist"

The Prophet Ezekiel actually lists the nations of this final empire quite specifically as he prophesies the future attack of the Antichrist Empire against Israel.  In the thirty-eighth chapter of his book, Ezekiel begins by directly addressing the Antichrist whom the Lord refers to by the unusual name of “Gog.”  The name Gog is a specific title particular to a ruler from the land of Magog.  It could be likened to the Pharaoh and Egypt.  Pharaoh is an ancient title particular to rulers of Egypt, and “Gog” was a title particular to the land of Magog.

The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.  I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army-your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords.  Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops-the many nations with you."  'Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them.   Ezekiel 38:1-7

I encourage you to open your Bible and read through all of Ezekiel 38 slowly.  The specificity in which Ezekiel describes modern day Israel is quite astonishing.  Prophesying to the Antichrist, Ezekiel says, “In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate.”  Israel is described as, “the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods.”  Clearly Ezekiel was describing the Israel of today.

So Ezekiel gives us the specific names of countries that will be involved in the invasion of Israel which will be led by Gog.  Listed in order, they are Magog, Meschech, Tubal, Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer and Beth Togormah, as well as “many nations with you.”

Is Gog Antichrist?

There is a divergence of opinion among prophecy teachers and Bible scholars regarding the identification of Gog and his coalition of nations.  The majority position for the past few decades however, is that the invading army of nations described in Ezekiel 38-39 is not the army of Antichrist, but of another army led by another world leader. I personally reject the idea that Gog is anyone other than Antichrist.  While a smaller book could be written examining all of the various reasons why this is so, for now, we will only very briefly examine two of the primary reasons why I think this is untenable.

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gog

There are two specific mentions of Gog and Magag in the Bible.  Gog is mentioned not only in Ezekiel but also in the Book of Revelation.  Let’s look at the passage from Revelation:

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth--Gog and Magog--to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.  They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves.  But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.  And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.  They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.  Revelation 20:7-10

Even after the earthly thousand-year reign of Christ from Jerusalem, the Bible says that yet another army will form to attack the holy city of Jerusalem.  Again, the leader of this army is called Gog and his army, Magog.  Those who take the position that Gog is not the Antichrist must wrestle through the fact that this “Gog” and his armies are resurrected so to speak at least a thousand years after the first Gog.  This is a difficulty.  Obviously, the first “Gog and Magog” shares more than a mere name with the second “Gog and Magog.”  There is a correlation between the two that extends beyond this very unusual title.  Those who see Gog and the Antichrist as two separate entities must be able to explain just what similarities the Gog of Ezekiel and the Gog of Revelation bear that merits them both carrying the same name.

Actually, in order to estimate who Gog is, all one must really do is take a look at who Antichrist is.  Antichrist, quite simply, is the devil incarnate - or at least the closet thing to it.  There are actually passages of Scripture that shift from speaking of Satan to speaking of the Antichrist seamlessly as if they are one and the same. (See for instance Isaiah 14)  And as we have seen, Satan will even share his worship with Antichrist.  Simply stated, Antichrist is Satan’s puppet that he will use to attack Jerusalem.  And at least in the Book of Revelation, Gog is also Satan’s puppet that will serve the very same purpose.  In terms of both role and function, Antichrist and the Gog of Revelation are essentially the same.  Even as Satan will raise up a man to carry out his work in the days to come, so will Satan also raise up a man to carry out his final rebellion against God one more time at the end of the Millennium.  Both times, the leader of Satan’s rebellion against Jerusalem is referred to as Gog and his army is called Magog.  Why should we view the basic nature of the first Gog as being any different than the second?  Those who view Ezekiel’s Gog as a competitor to Antichrist find themselves taking a very inconsistent position.

But if you are not yet sure, consider this second point.  Ezekiel says specifically of Gog that the prophets spoke of Him in times past:

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Are you not the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel?  At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them.  Ezekiel 38:17

The question must be asked then, if Gog and Magog are spoken of by Israel’s former Prophets prior to Ezekiel, then where are all of these references?  One will be very hard pressed to find any unless one does some serious stretching of the Scriptures.  But if we take the position that Gog is Antichrist, then it is very easy to find numerous passages about Antichrist and his invading Army throughout the prophets.

While there are several more very good arguments to support this view, I will assume that this is enough to move on.  Gog and the Antichrist are one and the same.  Now let’s take a look at which specific nations will make up Gog’s coalition.

Rosh?

Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of  Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him…  Ezekiel 38:2

Some Bible translations differ on how to interpret the portion of this verse that says, “the chief prince of.”  In Hebrew, the word translated as “chief prince” is “rosh.” The problem is that while rosh most probably means “prince,” or “head,” some argue that it should be treated as a proper noun, referring to the name of a place.  Those who feel as though it is a place, use the word “Rosh” to find Russia here as one of the nations.  The basis for doing so of course is due primarily to the similar sound of the two words.  This opinion is also supported by the fact that Ezekiel specifically says that Gog would come from the North.  While indeed, Russia is perfectly north of Israel, the actual interpretation of the word Rosh however is based on a bogus principle.  One cannot simply take a word from an ancient Semitic language (in this case, Hebrew) and find a correlation to a modern name from a drastically different language (in this case an early form of Scandinavian) simply because the two words “sound the same.”

The Hebrew word “rosh” is used well over five hundred other times in the Bible and is each time interpreted as meaning “head, chief, top, best” or something similar.  It is the same Rosh that we find in Rosh Hashana – “The Chief day of the Year” - the Jewish New Year.  Also, consider this: of the eight nations mentioned, all except one are grandsons of Noah.  The other is Persia.  Persia however was a very well known nation in Ezekiel’s day having formerly been the head of the Medo-Persian Empire that ruled the entire Middle East.  Now juxtapose this to Russia, which did not even exist in Ezekiel’s day.  To simply attempt to toss “Rosh” into the mix, an alleged name that is neither a descendant of Noah nor a well-known nation of that day is certainly out of place.  As Bible scholar Dr. Merrill F. Unger admits, "Linguistic evidence for the equation [of Rosh with Russia] is confessedly only presumptive." ¹

During the cold war, of course, this opinion was a popular one.  The reasoning of many was that because Russia was the “head” of the great Communist (read: atheist) Soviet Union, surely such an anti-God empire was the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.  But we must be very careful not to read our assumptions or modern events into Scripture.  We must allow Scripture to speak for itself.  Unfortunately, many Bible teachers still seem to cling to this interpretation.  The notion that Russia is specifically mentioned here in Ezekiel, is a strong, if not irresponsible stretch, and certainly should not be treated as anything more than a mere speculation built on a very weak foundation.

Satan’s Coalition Of The Willing

Now let’s identify the nations that are mentioned.  Of the eight nations that are mentioned, specifically: Magog, Meschech, Tubal, Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer and Togormah, seven are mentioned in the Book of Genesis as being descendants of Noah and his three sons.  Bible scholars and historians are able to trace the names of Noah’s sons to certain people groups and regions and thus to identify them with modern nations.  While the identification of some of these people groups is somewhat debatable, there is a general measure of agreement among Bible scholars as to their identification.

Meshek and Tubal

Regarding Meshek and Tubal, here again, we find some prophecy teachers once again giving them a Russian identification.  Many very well-known prophecy teachers base their opinions primarily on the fact that the Scofield Study Bible identifies these two “nations” as correlating to the modern Russian cities of Moscow and Tobolsk.  The problem again, is that the basis of this interpretation comes primarily from the similar sound of the words: Meshek – Moscow, and Tubal – Tobolsk.  While this may be convincing to some, the weakness of this reasoning has already been discussed above.  Again, unless one can legitimately trace the roots of a particular word back to its Hebrew origin, then the argument is based on very weak evidence.  It is a forcing of the puzzle piece where it doesn’t naturally fit.

Mark Hitchcock, a well-known Bible teacher accurately points out that Meschek and Tubal are mentioned in Ezekiel 27:13 as trading partners with ancient Tyre.  Tyre was in what is today Lebanon.  “It is highly doubtful” says Hitchcock, “that ancient Tyre was trading with people as far north as Moscow and Tobolsk.”  In fact, it is questionable whether or not these areas were even very well populated in Ezekiel’s day.  Hitchcock concludes that:

A closer study of these names reveals that Meschech and Tubal are the ancient Moschi/Mushki and Tubalu/Tibareni peoples who dwelled in the area around, primarily south of, the Black and Caspian Seas in Ezekiel’s day.  These nations today are in the modern country of Turkey, possibly parts of southern Russia and northern Iran. ²

Meschek was located near what was known as Phrygia, in central and western Asia Minor, while Tubal was located in eastern Asia Minor.  So with Meshek and Tubal, we are dealing with portions of modern Turkey.  Today this region is predominantly Islamic.  While modern Turkey has undergone a drastic secularization in the last century, within even just the past few years there have also been some quiet, though very strong trends toward a return to a stronger Islamic identification. ³

Magog

Regarding the identity of Magog, there is some difference of opinion among Bible teachers and historians.  Referring to the Magogites, The Matthew Henry Complete Commentary on the Whole Biblespeaks of this diversity of opinion:

Some think they find them [Gog and Magog] afar off, in Scythia, Tartary, and (Southern) Russia. Others think they find them nearer the land of Israel, in Syria, and Asia the Less [Turkey]. ⁴

Those who argue for a Scythian connection find their best argument in a reference from the ancient Jewish historian Josephus, who wrote, “Magog founded the Magogians, thus named after him, but who by the Greeks are called Sythians.”  Hitchcock says of the Sythians:

The ancient Sythians were a great nomadic tribe who inhabited the ancient territory from Central Asia all across the southern part of ancient Russia.  The descendants of Magog were the original inhabitants of the plateau of Central Asia.  Today the land of Magog is inhabited by the former Soviet Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and possibly even northern parts of modern Afghanistan. ⁵

Former Muslim Walid Shoebat agrees.  Shoebat points out that:

The Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, citing ancient Assyrian writings, places the location of Magog in the land mass between ancient Armenia and Media - in short, the Republics south of Russia and north of Israel, comprised of Azerbajian, Afghanistan, Turkestan, Chechnya, Turkey, Iran and Dagestan.  Significantly, all of them are Muslim nations. ⁶

Thus, while the specific nations that comprise Magog may be partially in question, the same general area is agreed upon.  We are dealing with Asia Minor, and possibly parts of central Asia – some of the southern regions of the former Soviet Union.  Today, Islam dominates this entire region.

What if we take the alternative interpretation made by some Bible scholars, that Magog is speaking of Syria?  Even if this were the case, we still have an Islamic nation.

But here is the real key to identifying Magog:  By identifying Meshech and Tubal – which we have already done.  The reason for this is the wording of Ezekiel: “Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief (or head) of  Meshech and Tubal.”  Magog, is the “head” of land of Meshech and Tubal.  We have already seen that Meschech and Tubal are located in modern day Turkey.  Thus it would be foolish to assume that Magog as their “head” is in some other distant region or nation.  While it seems more likely that Magog is either a portion of Turkey or a conglomerate of the former Soviet Turkic “istans”, whether it be these or Syria, we are definitely dealing with an Islamic entity.

This point is essential.  Because we know that Gog – The Antichrist - will come from the land of Magog, which is definitely an Islamic region, it very unlikely that he will not be a Muslim.  While I suppose that anything is possible, particularly in the distant future, it is very hard to imagine a non-Muslim ruling over any one of these nations, at least not anyone who doesn’t outwardly pose as a Muslim.  Now, let’s move on to identify the remaining member states of Antichrist’s coalition.

Persia

Persia is very easy to identify.  Essentially, Persia is modern day Iran.  Many Iranians in America, if asked where they are from, will simply say they are from Persia.  In fact Iran was still called Persia until 1935.  Obviously Iran is a predominantly Muslim nation.  While there are some wonderful signs of change in Iran due to a growing dissatisfaction with Islam among Iran’s massive youth population, it does not seem likely that a majority of Iranians will leave behind its Islamic roots anytime soon.  ⁷

Cush

Cush is also relatively easy to identify.  Some Bible translations merely interpret Cush as Ethiopia, though this is not accurate.  The Cush of Ezekiel’s day was far more northwest than the Ethiopia of today.  In Scripture, Cush was often associated with Egypt and was a border nation to her:

Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD.  Because you said, "The Nile is mine; I made it," therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol [Northern Egypt] to Aswan [Today in southern Egypt], as far as the border of Cush. Ezekiel 29:9-10

Also, one of Cush’s defining characteristics was her rivers. (Isaiah 18:1)

Being a border nation with Egypt, the rivers were most likely the five rivers that fed the Nile.  Of course, the context of Ezekiel is the best context to interpret where Ezekiel was referring.  If we look at a map, the Nile river flows directly into the southern border of Egypt from the modern nation of Sudan.  In the nation of Sudan, there are five rivers which all merge to feed the Nile to the north.  The only legitimate identification of Cush then is modern Sudan, officially known as The Islamic Republic of Sudan since the 1989.  While Sudan does have a large Christian minority, it is ruled by the Muslim majority.  Today Sudan is an absolute cesspool of Islamic oppression toward the minority Christians.  The Sudanese government is Islamist to its core.  As Hitchcock accurately says, “One would be hard pressed to find a more rabid enemy of Israel and the West today than Sudan.”  Sudan is thus identified as another Islamic participant in the Antichrist’s empire.

Put

Biblically, Put (or Phut) is the region west of Egypt.  Today this is the nation of Libya.  The Septuagint translates the word Put here as Libue.  Most modern scholars seem to agree with this interpretation.  Shoebat however includes Algeria, Morroco and Tunis along with Libya.  Either way, we again have another region or nation that is entirely Islamic.

Gomer

Gomer, it seems to be almost universally agreed upon among scholars, “refers to the Celtic Cimmerians of Crim-Tartary.” ⁸ Regarding the identification of Gomer, Baptist Pastor Fred Zaspel, accurately points out that:

Gomer is well known to the ancient world as Gimarrai of north central Asia Minor [Cappadocia]. These people are also known as the Cimmerians. This seems to be the simplest, most obvious interpretation. ⁹

So Gomer is Gimarra is Cimmeria is Cappadocia.  Cappadocia is simply central Turkey.  Again, another Islamic region.

Togarmah

Zaspel again sums up the identity of Togormah quite well:

Togarmah was a descendant of Noah through Japheth then Gomer (Gen.10:1-3). He is know to Assyrian records as Tilgarimmu… Tilgarimmu was a city state in Eastern Anatolia (Asia Minor, modern Turkey), more specifically, as Ryrie states, "the southeastern part of Turkey near the Syrian border." This identification is generally acknowledged by all. ¹⁰

Once more then we have another region that is in present day Turkey.

FOR THE ENTIRE ARTICLE PLEASE CLICK HERE....IT'S WORTH THE READ TRUST ME!

But God also intends to show the invading armies that He is the Lord.  When will this happen?  We do not know exactly...but we know the timing once we see certain events take place....namely a covenant (Resolution 181 perhaps?) will be confirmed for 7 years and the Abomination of Desolation spoken of in Daniel 9:27

27He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ⁱ In the middle of the ‘seven’^j he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.^k”^l

This is the covenant of "peace" that will allow Israel to rebuild their temple.  The same temple in which the anti-christ will declare himself to be God.

Jesus says in Matthew 24:15-22

15“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’^b spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

Jesus says in Luke 21:20-24

20“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 23How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

It is clear that the Abomination of Desolation and the desolation of Jerusalem are events very close in time.  And we know that the antichrist reveals himself in this fashion at the midpoint of the seven years as it says in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

1Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for [that day will not come] until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness^ais revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

However, before all this happens...there must be a method by which to enforce an international peace treaty that brings this "false peace" to Israel and allows the Jews to rebuild their temple.  What better method could there be than a unified Islamic bloc of nations ruled by the greatly expected Islamic Caliphate (anti-christ), which has his seat in the revived Turkish Ottoman Empire, which is the terrible fourth kingdom of Daniel's visions, and the eighth (revived) kingdom which is of the seventh...who "once was, now is not, and is yet to come"

So in conclusion...we are now witnessing the events that will coalesce into the last days scenario described all throughout the bible.

Thanks for taking the time to read!

Sincerely,

The Strong Watchman