Turkey Strutting Its Prophesied Power
There is growing worry, especially among Israeli news sources, about Israel’s future. One primary reason for the angst is Turkey’s dramatically growing desire and efforts to establish hegemony over the entire region. This, they fear, is happening while America’s desire to withdraw from the region as “sheriff” threatens to leave Israel to defend itself without US military help.
Turkey, of course, is included, we believe, within the prophesied Gog-Magog assault given by the prophet Ezekiel.
Here is God’s Word on the initiation of that future assault on God’s chosen nation, Israel.
“And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee” (Ezekiel 38:1-7).
The term “the house of Togarmah of the north quarters” speaks of the ancient geographical region now occupied by modern-day Turkey.
That nation today is often front and center in news from the Middle East. Under the leadership of a man considered by many to be a voracious dictator, Turkey is indeed seen as flexing its military and hegemonic muscles while strutting upon the end-times stage.
One story frames the situation well, I think:
Israel is closely monitoring a series of regional military and geopolitical developments this week that analysts say could reshape the balance of power in the Middle East, particularly as Turkey expands its influence and the United States signals growing fatigue with military involvement in the region.
The long-standing goal of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to establish his country as the leading Islamist political, cultural and military power in the Middle East as a stepping stone toward resurrecting the Ottoman Empire has been well documented.
This week, some progress appeared to be made toward that goal when the EFES-2026 Combined Joint Live-Fire Field Exercise took place along the Aegean coast near İzmir, involving large land, naval and air forces from the Turkish military alongside contingents from 50 other countries, including Syria and Libya…
Ankara’s growing influence, not only in the Middle East but also in Europe and Africa, is viewed in Israel as an increasingly worrying development.
Students of Biblical prophecy have also noted the prominent mention of ancient regions corresponding to modern-day Turkey, Persia (modern-day Iran) and Libya in the coalition of nations that come against Israel, described in the prophecies of Ezekiel chapters 38-39…
“The U.S. doesn’t want to be in the Middle East anymore, while Iran and Turkey both want to be the new sheriff in town,” said a U.S. CENTCOM intelligence analyst who spoke to ALL ISRAEL NEWS on condition of anonymity.
“They might be willing to share it, or they might compete with each other, while Egypt, Saudi and the rest make a deal with one or the other. Israel might be all alone soon. You better figure something out real fast!” (“Israel Watching Regional Military Shifts with Growing Concern,” All Israel News Staff, May 24, 2026)
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan exhibits all the attributes given most dictators of the world throughout history. He is an avid anti-Israel Muslim and will easily fit within the Gog-Magog coalition if he is the one to lead Togarmah in the deadly assault on God’s chosen nation and people.
Turkey has joined with the other Gog-Magog coalition members in several ways over recent years. Russia (Rosh) and Iran (Persia), along with Turkey, seem to be the three prime movers and shakers that will lead the deadly attack.
Only it won’t be deadly for Israel. It will be extremely deadly to that Gog-Magog force!
Here is God’s description of that evil coalition’s fate:
“Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD” (Ezekiel 39:1-5).
This assault will be world-rending because God Himself will unleash supreme power and authority over Satan’s wickedness. All but one-sixth of the forces will be destroyed.
Because this will be an event, probably with nuclear fire, falling upon many nations and their coastlands, I believe this Gog-Magog attack will take place after the Rapture, not before.
Jesus, as I’ve written many times, promises that things will be business as usual at the moment He next catastrophically intervenes (in the Rapture of the Church; see Luke 17:28-30). Therefore, things will not “be business as usual” when God deals with those who would destroy His nation and people.
Again, even as chaotic as our world is now, things are still “business as usual,” with people buying, selling, planting, building, and moving through all the other activities of life. There has been no truly world-rending catastrophe.
But that catastrophe is coming…. For believers in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, however, it will not be catastrophe but the most glorious moment possible when the Rapture occurs.
Here is how to go to be with Jesus when He shouts, “Come up here!”:
“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
—Terry
The Book of Esther Speaks to Our Time
If one doesn’t understand the behind‑the‑scenes drama in the book of Esther, one cannot fully grasp what’s happening at this moment in the Middle East. What we see today is the result of the same unseen, cosmic battle that surfaced during the days of Queen Esther.
The stage no longer looks the same, the actors are far different than long ago, and the Middle East no longer resembles that of Queen Esther and Mordecai. But one thing remains exactly the same: Satan continues his efforts to thwart God’s redemptive program for the world, of which the Jewish people and Jerusalem play significant roles (see Daniel 9:24). Satan’s hatred for Israel is the driving force behind Islam’s passion to destroy the Jewish nation.
What we see in the headlines of our day is the result of the unseen conflict between the Lord and His longtime adversary, the devil, which surfaced in the book of Esther. This battle will continue until he triggers one last losing rebellion at the end of the Millennium (Revelation 20:7-10).
It’s All About Stopping God’s Redemptive Program
Before the cross, the devil sought in vain to prevent the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15, the promised “seed” who would ultimately defeat him and cause his eternal doom. By the time of Queen Esther, he knew the deliverer would come through Israel and, in particular, the lineage of David as promised in the covenant God made with the king. In order to stop the Lord’s plan of salvation for humanity, he inspired Haman’s plot to kill all the Jews. But God flipped the script as He intervened to stop the planned killing of the Jews in a most remarkable and dramatic way.
Jesus’ crucifixion brought momentary satisfaction to Satan until he realized that it sealed his doom, with the Lord’s blood paying the debt for the sins of many. Paul wrote this about how the spiritual forces of darkness missed the purpose of His death: “None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8).
What does this tell us about today? Satan’s continuing opposition to Jacob’s descendants exposes a truth he desperately seeks to hide: Jesus will return to a repentant Israel and restore its kingdom with greater glory than at any time in its past. As we read in the book of Zechariah, He will return to Jerusalem and rule both Israel and the world, seated on the throne of David. As a result, Christ’s righteous rule will bless all the people of the world living during His millennial rule. All the earth’s kingdoms will benefit from Jesus’ rule in Jerusalem!
If God’s prophetic purposes for the Jewish people had ended with Jesus’ first coming, why would Satan continue his deadly crusade against them? He’s well aware that God’s stated intentions for Israel in Daniel 9:24 remain incomplete. Just as the devil sought to stop the fulfillment of prophecies in regard to Jesus’ first appearing, he’s doing the same with those pertaining to His Second Coming.
Even though most theologians, seminary students, and pastors believe Israel no longer has a place in Bible prophecy, Satan knows that’s a lie, yet it’s one he works unceasingly to promote. He recognizes that Israel’s existence as a nation will lead to his future doom, and as a result, he now seeks to destroy the nation and its people in order to stop God’s plans to bless the entire world, just as he did prior to Jesus’ birth. And again, he will fail.
What Does This Mean for Today?
The glaring flaw in America’s dealings with the Middle East conflict, from the time of President Carter to the ceasefires of today, is the failure to recognize that it’s a spiritual battle. Iran will not give up its nuclear ambitions nor its desire to wipe Israel off the map because of the grip Satan has on its leaders. The devil is the driving force behind their actions; the very same one that Jesus described in John 8:44 as a “murderer” and not only a liar but “the father of lies.”
Satan’s hatred of Zion was on full display with Hamas’ October 7, 2023, barbaric and brutal attack against Israel. The tortures, murders, and vile treatment of the Jewish people could only have arisen from the murderous adversary of God’s people, joined by his fellow hordes of hell. The horrific details of what happened that day are so sickening that I have never been able to finish reading about them or watch any video of the events; they are far more than I can endure. Does that not beg this question:
Why else would we see the demonic purposes of Haman resurface in our day if not also with the same intent of stopping the Lord’s prophetic purposes for His people and humanity at the time of His return to the earth?
The book of Esther confirms two vital truths for our day.
First, all the Middle East wars are ultimately spiritual. All the ceasefires and peace agreements will ultimately fail because Satan is at the root of all the conflict, and his objective is exactly the same as it was in the days of Esther and Mordecai: that of stopping God’s redemptive purposes for Jewish people and Jerusalem (see Daniel 9:24-27).
Second, it explains the devil’s all‑out assault to thwart the fulfillment of Bible prophecy—Jesus’ return to a repentant remnant of the Jewish people—and Israel’s subsequent prominent place in Jesus’ millennial rule. The book of Revelation prophesies his demise and ultimate destruction in the lake of fire, and he will not give up his losing effort to foil God’s plan for Israel and the world.
What we see in the Middle East today is the same ongoing battle that played out on the pages of Esther long ago. The immediate future for Israel is that of continued strife and deadly wars. But in the end, the Lord will return and deliver the people from the greatest threat they will have ever faced (see Joel 3:1-3; Zechariah 14:1-9).
-Jonathan