Will there be peace in the Middle East, and if so, how do we get there?

To answer this question, Tim Moore and Nathan Jones traveled to the annual Pre-Trib Study Group Conference held every December in the Dallas, Texas area. You won’t find a larger gathering of experts in the study of Bible prophecy than where these professors of prophecy meet to share their research into the study of eschatology.

Our first three experts discussed the question from the perspective of current political developments, including the Abraham Accords and President Trump’s new Board of Peace.

Current Political Developments

Don Perkins: Well, there won’t be peace right now. I believe the only time Israel will experience lasting peace is when Isaiah 9:6-7 is fulfilled. That’s when Christ will sit on the throne of His father David in the Millennial Kingdom. We are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), but Israel has not yet experienced any lasting peace.

And I’ll say this as well: no president, prime minister, or nation will get the glory for stabilizing that region. I don’t care what kind of peace plan comes together, like the Abrahamic Accords; it doesn’t matter. I have a whole list of presidents who have tried to stabilize the region, and all it ended with was a photo op.

When you pray for the peace of Jerusalem, you are praying for the Millennial Kingdom. That’s the only time lasting peace will occur. However, I believe that as long as we, the Church, are here, there won’t be any true stabilization of peace in the Middle East. The world will only experience temporary periods of peace.

Joe Hawkins: In today’s world, we won’t see peace in the Middle East. The everlasting peace we’ve been hearing about on the news isn’t going to arrive before the Millennial Kingdom. True and lasting peace will only come after the Tribulation period ends with Christ’s Second Coming. Once Jesus returns and establishes His kingdom during the Millennial reign, that’s when a lasting peace will be established in the Middle East and throughout the world. Any peace we see now is only temporary and can be considered false peace.

Pete Garcia: I believe peace in the Middle East won’t happen until the Lord returns. We see many parallels between the post-World War I era and today. Consider the Balfour Declaration of 1917, when the British Empire was the dominant global power. Back then, they were very pro-Zionist. However, by 1939, they had become strongly anti-Zionist. From 1917 to 1939, Britain gradually shifted towards appeasing the Arab world, which was protesting and acting violently. I believe we are seeing similar patterns today, with governments trying to negotiate peace deals, like the Council of Peace, to appease major players such as Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and others.

War of Gog and Magog

Our next three experts examined the peace foretold in Ezekiel 38:11, a temporary peace Israel will have before the Gog and Magog invasion.

Lee Brainard: The only peace we’re going to see before the Lord Jesus Christ returns is a superficial peace described in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Israel is prophesied to be dwelling in unwalled cities during a time of apparent peace. However, this peace will be superficial and deceptive because the same simmering antisemitism will still be infecting the entire world.

Mondo Gonzales: President Trump has been using the phrase “eternal peace,” but that’s not going to happen within the current prophetic timeframe. Jesus, as the Prince of Peace, will be the one who brings lasting peace.

However, I would say we’re moving toward Ezekiel 38’s description of the people of Israel dwelling confidently (betach) and quietly. The passage doesn’t say “in peace,” but rather “quietly” or during a time of relative carefreeness. This is part of the prophetic agenda before the Ezekiel 38–39 War of Gog and Magog occurs. I believe that Saudi Arabia and other Islamic nations joining the Abrahamic Accords are setting the stage for the peace prophesied in Ezekiel 38. All these events are creating an atmosphere of temporary peace, which will later be shattered by the Gog and Magog coalition’s advance.

There will be a temporary peace, but not the eternal peace that Donald Trump desires. Of course, every president has wanted to be the one who secures peace in the Middle East, and for their own personal reasons. This conflict with Israel will persist into the Tribulation and continue until the end. There’s a lot of antisemitism displayed during the Tribulation, so that two-thirds of the Jewish people will tragically perish. Again, the world doesn’t kill Jews simply because everyone loves them and fosters a false sense of peace.

Randall Price: Scriptures mention a temporary peace coming to Israel before the battle of Gog and Magog. This type of peace should be understood as betach, meaning a kind of security. Israel has experienced a sense of security throughout its modern history because it has built a strong military. When the Jews returned from the Holocaust and Eastern Europe, they vowed, “Never again! We’re going to protect our people.” Thus, Israel has been successful in every war fought against them, giving Israel a sense of security. That is why Jews see Israel as a safe haven. October 7th may have momentarily shaken that sense of security, but the nation is currently in a good position.

Betach could also be seen as imagined security. Israel remains in a state of divine discipline until the nation repents. The Jewish people will never achieve true security because ongoing conflict with neighbors who oppose Israel has been part of that divine discipline. As long as Israel faces hostility from their neighbors, they will never find that perfect peace. I don’t believe the Abraham Accords will ever succeed because the Arabs will always bring the issue back to the Palestinians.

The Antichrist’s Covenant

Our next two experts addressed the question by referencing Daniel 9:27, which prophesies that the Antichrist will confirm a peace covenant with Israel.

Josh Davis: There might be a temporary peace in the Middle East. Ezekiel 38 prophesies how one day Israel will live without defensive walls and be a nation without borders, meaning their security could be fragile. It seems like Israel will be taken by surprise by the War of Gog and Magog.

While people in the Pre-Millennialism, Pre-Tribulation Rapture camp differ on the timing of Ezekiel 38–39, it is my personal belief that it will happen toward the beginning of the Tribulation, right after the Rapture of the Church. The Antichrist rises, promising peace for Israel. According to the peace covenant that is confirmed in Daniel 9, Israel will then gain some semblance of peace through the Antichrist, kick-started by the outcome of the Ezekiel 38–39 war.

Olivier Melnick: There will be no true peace in the Middle East until Sar Shalom—the Prince of Peace—returns. We find the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9:6, who is Yeshua the Messiah. Until then, there will be a semblance of peace for Israel, but it will be a false peace. The Antichrist is going to bring about this peace, but only for a little while. The Jewish people will think they’ve reached a good peace deal, but it’s not genuine. The Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel, and then all hell will break loose.

Only after the Tribulation will there be peace in the Middle East when Jesus returns. Until then, giving up land, taking control of land, and calling for a ceasefire—it’s all a joke. Hamas doesn’t want to disarm and go away; they want to re-arm and be ready to wage the next October 7th. So, I believe there won’t be peace until Jesus comes back.

Return of the Prince of Peace

Our final three experts confirmed that lasting peace in the Middle East will only come when the Prince of Peace returns to establish His Millennial Kingdom.

Carl Broggi: I don’t believe peace will come to the Middle East in our age. Clearly, God’s timetable is centered around the nation of Israel. He has established His prophetic plan through that country. The antisemitism we see worldwide today is clearly satanic. Whether it was Abel being murdered by Cain, the Nephilim cohabiting with the daughters of men, Athaliah trying to kill all the boys from the tribe of Judah, Haman attempting to deceive the Persian king to kill all the Jews, or King Herod trying to murder the Christ child in Bethlehem—all these acts are acts of Satan.

From the future perspective, we know from Revelation 12 that Satan is behind the hatred of the Jews. His Plan A failed, so now Plan B is to prevent the Messiah from ruling so Satan can continue to rule. Now that Israel has been regathered in the land, prophetic events are accelerating. There’s no other human explanation for the hatred toward the Jewish people except the evil one himself.

Johannes Vogel: No, there will be no peace in the Middle East. Peace can only come when the Prince of Peace returns. I’m from Europe, and the antisemitic acts I’ve been witnessing have been unbelievable. No peace is coming at the moment, nor in the near future. Instead, wars against the Jews will worsen until Christ returns.

Tom Hughes: Yes, there will be some peace, but two different dynamics will unfold. One comes from Ezekiel 38:11, which prophesies a temporary period of peace following the return of the people of Israel to the mountains of Israel; a people who had long been scattered. The Jews from the diaspora have been brought back to Israel, where they will experience a semblance of peace and safety before the invasion described in Ezekiel 38–39 occurs. Israel is definitely not there yet, so we can see that we are not yet on the verge of Ezekiel 38. In other words, it won’t happen tomorrow. It’s impossible because the safety mentioned in verse 11 could very well be related to being protected by the IDF. When I visit Israel, I always feel safe there—much safer than I do in Los Angeles, or even Texas, for that matter.

Currently, both Arabs and Jews are more aware of the need to behave well. However, the word for peace comes from a Hebrew root that means tranquility, and Israel hasn’t been truly tranquil since Solomon. Even with Gaza subdued, you still have Judea and Samaria, where there are problems in the land. So, no way is the Middle East entering a time of peace and safety.

[Watch the interviews on our television program, Christ in Prophecy!]

 

Six Signs the Endgame Is Near

Convergence: The System Is Forming

The world is no longer moving in isolated events. It is moving in convergence. What we are witnessing today is not a random collection of crises, but a synchronized alignment of geopolitical conflict, technological advancement, cultural hostility, economic instability, and even cosmic phenomena. These are not disconnected headlines. They are interconnected signals. When viewed through the lens of Scripture, they form a pattern. One that is both sobering and unmistakable. Jesus warned of a time marked by “wars and rumors of wars,” deception, and increasing birth pains. What we are seeing now is not the Tribulation itself, but it is the infrastructure, the conditioning, and the alignment leading directly toward it.

1. War: The Israel–Iran Conflict Escalates

At the center of global attention is the rapidly escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. What began as long-standing tension has now erupted into direct military confrontation. In early 2026, the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iranian military and nuclear-related targets, triggering retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the region. The scale of the conflict has already been described as one of the most significant disruptions in decades, impacting not only the Middle East but the entire global order.

This is not just another regional war. It is a strategic shift. Iran, a key player in end-times prophecy discussions, is now engaged in open conflict with Israel, the focal point of biblical prophecy. While this may not yet be the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38–39, it undeniably sets the stage. Alliances are forming. Lines are being drawn. The volatility of the region is increasing at a pace that mirrors the prophetic warnings of Scripture.

War is no longer confined to borders. It is expanding into cyber warfare, economic warfare, and information warfare. The battlefield is global, and the consequences are far-reaching. This is convergence—where conflict becomes the catalyst for everything else.

2. Beast System Infrastructure: Surveillance and Digital Control

While bombs fall in the Middle East, a quieter but equally significant development is unfolding: the rapid expansion of surveillance systems and digital control mechanisms. Artificial intelligence is now being used to monitor behavior, analyze data, and make real-time decisions at a scale never before possible. These systems are increasingly integrated into national security frameworks, law enforcement, and even everyday commerce.

The normalization of surveillance is one of the most significant developments of our time. What was once considered intrusive is now accepted as necessary. Security concerns (especially during times of war) are being used to justify expanded monitoring of populations. AI-driven systems are capable of tracking movements, predicting behavior, and flagging individuals based on patterns. The implications are enormous.

Revelation 13 speaks of a system in which buying and selling are controlled, where participation in society is tied to compliance. While we are not there yet, the infrastructure is being built. Digital ID systems, biometric verification, and centralized databases are forming the backbone of what could one day become a fully integrated control system.

The same technologies used today to protect could easily be used tomorrow to control. This is not speculation—it is trajectory.

3. Persecution: Truth Under Fire

As systems of control expand, so does hostility toward truth—particularly biblical truth. In Canada, legislation such as Bill C-9 has raised concerns about the boundaries of free speech, with critics warning that expressions of biblical doctrine could increasingly be labeled as harmful or hateful under evolving legal frameworks. While presented as measures to combat hate, these laws carry the potential to restrict the open proclamation of Scripture.

This is not happening in isolation. Around the world, Christians are facing increasing pressure—socially, culturally, and legally. What begins as marginalization often leads to criminalization. The line between disagreement and “hate speech” is becoming blurred, and in many cases, redefined.

At the same time, Jewish communities are experiencing a surge in antisemitism, particularly in connection with the ongoing war. Reports indicate a sharp rise in both physical attacks and online incitement targeting Jewish individuals and institutions. Synagogues have been attacked, individuals assaulted, and anti-Jewish rhetoric amplified across digital platforms.

Scripture is clear: in the last days, both Jews and believers in Christ will face increasing opposition. This is not new—but it is intensifying. The convergence of legal pressure, cultural hostility, and physical violence is creating an environment where standing for truth comes at a growing cost.

4. Economic Instability

The economic dimension of convergence is unfolding through one of the most critical chokepoints in the world: the Strait of Hormuz. This narrow passage handles a significant portion of global oil shipments, making it one of the most strategically important waterways on the planet. With the escalation of the Israel–Iran conflict, Iran has disrupted shipping through the strait, triggering massive instability in global energy markets.

The impact has been immediate. Oil prices have surged. Supply chains have been disrupted. Markets have reacted with volatility. The war has already been described as causing the largest energy supply disruption since the 1970s crisis. When a single region can destabilize the global economy, it exposes just how fragile the system truly is.

Economic instability creates opportunity—for control. In times of crisis, people look for solutions. Governments and institutions respond with systems designed to stabilize, regulate, and manage. This is where digital currencies, centralized financial systems, and controlled commerce enter the picture.

Revelation 13 describes a system where economic participation is restricted—where access to buying and selling is controlled. The current instability is not that system—but it is creating the conditions where such a system could be introduced and accepted.

5. Signs in the Heavens: Increasing Meteor Activity

Beyond the geopolitical and technological developments, there is another layer to this convergence—one that is often overlooked. Reports of increased meteor and fireball activity across the globe have captured attention, with sightings becoming more frequent and more widely reported.

While many of these events have natural explanations, their growing frequency and visibility are noteworthy. Scripture tells us that in the last days, there will be “signs in the sun, moon, and stars” (Luke 21:25). Throughout history, celestial events have often served as markers. Reminders that the heavens themselves are part of God’s created order and His prophetic timeline.

We must be careful not to sensationalize every event, but we should also avoid dismissing patterns that align with biblical warnings. The increase in unusual atmospheric and celestial phenomena adds another dimension to the convergence we are witnessing.

The heavens are not silent. They are declaring. On that note, be sure to check out the Psalm 19 project. My brother Mondo Gonzales is doing wonderful work. Learn more HERE.

6. The Great Deception: Alien Disclosure and the Search for Answers

Perhaps one of the most fascinating, and potentially dangerous, developments is the growing push toward alien disclosure. Recent claims from government insiders suggest that the United States possesses satellite imagery of unidentified craft that do not appear to be man-made. Discussions around UFOs, UAPs, and extraterrestrial life are no longer confined to fringe communities. They have entered the mainstream conversation at the highest levels.

Why does this matter?

Because in a world searching for answers, especially in the aftermath of catastrophic events, alternative explanations can become powerful tools of deception. If millions of people were suddenly to disappear, how would the world explain it? The idea of extraterrestrial involvement provides a ready-made narrative.

Scripture warns of a coming strong delusion—a deception so powerful that it will lead many astray. The increasing normalization of alien narratives could play a role in shaping that deception. It conditions the mind to accept explanations that move people away from biblical truth.

This is not about science fiction. It is about preparation—preconditioning the world to accept something other than the truth.

The Convergence Moment

War. Surveillance. Persecution. Economic instability. Celestial signs. Deception.

Each of these developments is significant on its own. But together, they form something far more powerful: convergence.

This is not coincidence. It is alignment.

The systems described in Scripture are not appearing overnight—they are being built piece by piece, layer by layer, crisis by crisis. The world is being conditioned to accept what is coming. The infrastructure is forming. The mindset is shifting. The stage is being set.

This is not the Tribulation—but it is the shadow of it.

This is not a time for fear—it is a time for awareness. A time to stay awake. A time to keep watch. A time to proclaim truth boldly while there is still time.

Because convergence does not slow down. It accelerates.

Prophecy Recon | Bible Prophecy & Current Events

Podcast: End Time Apostasy Is Here, with Lee Brainard