Please understand that the terms of a peace treaty in the Middle East may soon be born, but there is no guarantee that they won’t be aborted.
Most of the treaty has not been drafted. It will take several weeks to get it on paper. There are no guarantees that Israel, the PA or anyone else will sign it. There is no deadline for the treaty to be signed. Everyone is apprehensive, issuing denials and making demands. But game-changing events are hitting the news.
Iran’s Shiite sect of Islam is different from Saudi Arabia’s Sunni sect. The Shiites and Sunnis hate each other. Both sects say the other is heretical. Both sects want the other sect destroyed, etc.
Iran is powerful and trying to take over the Middle East. The Saudis are afraid of Iran. They want Iran stopped, but there are two major problems: One, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is 81 years old and not healthy enough to lead his nation in a war with Iran; and Two, Saudi Arabia is not strong enough to defeat Iran by herself.
To solve problem one, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman intends to turn his throne over to his son, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (known as MBS). He has given MBS the task of taking on Iran.
To solve problem two, MBS has decided to seek Israel’s help in a war with Iran.
MBS knows that Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, has taken over Lebanon and become a threat to Israel, that Iran has military bases and tens of thousands of troops in Syria, and that Iran has often threatened to destroy Israel.
Based on these things, MBS believes that Israel will help Saudi Arabia in a war with Iran, but there are two problems: One, Saudi Arabia doesn’t have diplomatic relations with Israel; and Two, Israel wants the Arabs to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish nation.
To solve problem one, MBS has announced that he will soon establish diplomatic relations with Israel.
To solve problem two, MBS said he will support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish nation after Israel and the PA reach an agreement on a peace treaty.
As a candidate for Pres., Mr. Trump promised to do something about Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Saudi Arabia and Israel want him to follow through on that. They believe all three nations (Saudi Arabia, Israel and the U.S.) could cooperate and get something done.
Pres. Trump might be willing to work with them, but he also wants them to help him advance a final-status treaty for peace and security (safety) in the Middle East.
Notice that all of these nations want something done about Iran, and all of them want something else: Saudi Arabia wants Israel’s help, Israel wants the Arabs to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish nation, and Pres. Trump wants a final-status agreement for peace and safety in the Middle East.
It has been reported that Pres. Trump has ordered his advisors to draft a plan to end the conflict between Israel and the PA. No date has been set, but his advisors expect to have a plan ready for discussion in late January or early February 2018.
Israel has reported that MBS ordered PA Pres. Mahmoud Abbas to avoid the influence of Iran, cut the PA’s ties with Hezbollah in Lebanon and to accept Pres. Trump’s peace plan, or resign. Mr. Abbas is talking like he won’t do it, but Saudi Arabia gives the PA millions of dollars every month, and their money will prevail.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister has urged MBS to support Pres. Trump’s final-status agreement once it is drafted. He believes other Arab nations will oppose it as soon as it comes out, but he believes they can eventually be persuaded to drop their opposition and accept it.
On Nov. 19, 2017, a member of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Cabinet acknowledged that Israel has been making covert contact with Saudi Arabia in view of their common concerns over Iran. Israel’s military leaders called for closer ties with Saudi Arabia.
Understand that Pres. Trump drafting a peace treaty is not the same thing as the Antichrist confirming a peace treaty. The Antichrist could confirm Pres. Trump’s peace treaty in a matter of days or it could take years.
The peace treaty that the Antichrist confirms will be a covenant with “many.” If the other Arab nations can be persuaded to accept it, then it will be a covenant with “many.”
An attack on Iran, or preparations for an attack on Iran, could trigger the Battle of Gog and Magog. That will change the world.
It has been reported that Pres. Trump has embraced the two-state solution. That will be unacceptable in some Jewish quarters and it will cause God to drag the nations into the Battle of Armageddon.
It has also been reported that Pres. Trump wants “gradual borders.” The meaning of “gradual borders” is vague, but to this writer it sounds like the treaty could involve a time frame that could turn out to be seven years.
It has also been reported that Pres. Trump’s peace plan will designate Jerusalem as an international city (neither Israeli, nor Palestinian). This could have implications for sharing the Temple Mount, letting Israel rebuild the Temple next to the Dome of the Rock, for the resumption of the animal sacrifices, and more.
There have been many efforts to get a final-status peace treaty in the Middle East, and all of them have failed. Many are skeptical that this could be the birth of the long-anticipated covenant.
But if Pres. Trump’s plan is agreed to in 2018, that will be 70 years from 1948. Considering the importance God attaches to the number 70, the birth of a peace treaty in 2018 would not surprise many prophecy teachers.
Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck
duck_daymond@yahoo.com