On the heals of being snubbed by the European Community, Turkey is now working hard on enhancing their Islamic world credentials by going public with more criticism of Israel. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Israel's "threats to use violence" and its military might will ensure that tension in the Middle East continues.
Turkey is a key country to watch because the Ottoman Empire is the most likely candidate for the "seventh kingdom" of Revelation 17:10. As Revelation 17:11 indicates, the kingdom of the Antichrist will be "of the seventh kingdom." Daniel 9:26 reinforces the idea that the Antichrist will come from the people that destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The Ottoman Empire replaced the Byzantine Empire which was a direct descendant from the Roman Empire (the sixth kingdom to rule over Jerusalem).
Turkey is also the most likely country of Gog in Ezekiel 38 because the terms used for several of the countries mentioned are best explained by describing parts of Turkey. It seems likely that the Antichrist could then come from Turkey when you consider the fact that the only other use of the term Gog in the Bible is in Revelation 20:8 where he is clearly filling the role of the Antichrist.
So we should watch for signs of a revived Ottoman Empire that is in a unique position to unite the Sunnis and Shiites. As the United States is a secular, "cultural" Christian nation, Turkey is a secular, "cultural" Islamic nation. What better moderator to unite the Islamic world. And that is the role that the Ottoman Empire had in the early days of Islam which was the home of the Caliphate which is the Islamic equivalent of the Catholic Pope. The unifying factor here is making Islam a more significant agent of change in the world. Islam already has significant momentum in this regard, it just needs unification to accelerate progress. By criticising Israel, Turkey is demonstrating that they are a candidate for this role.
"Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still, O God! For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more." For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You..." (Psalm 83:1-5, NKJ)
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