Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi promised Israel on Tuesday warmer ties if it accepts efforts to resume peace talks with the Palestinians, urging its leaders not to waste an opportunity to bring security and hope to a troubled region.
Source: Egypt’s Sisi lends backing to Israel-Palestinian peace efforts | Reuters
The peace brokering offer of Egypt’s President Al-Sisi between Israel and the Palestinians (reported by Reuters) is very interesting and quite surprising. When combined with Joel Rosenberg’s recent post noting “friendly” tones between Arab neighbors of Israel, it cannot help but awaken our interest in the unanswered question of Ezekiel 38:5-6, “Why are Israel’s neighbor countries not included in the Ezekiel 38 alliance that “Gog” leads against Israel in the end-of-days”?
Read more here: Is Russia in Bible Prophecy?
Read more here: If the Islamic State Succeeds – What Will the Middle East Look Like Under Ezek 38?
Rosenberg notes the friendly tones of Arab neighbors with Israel in this paragraph:
Until now, it would have been unimaginable that the Saudis would ever warm up to real peace with Israel. But as I’ve been reporting for several years, there are definitely signs of thaw between Israel and the Sunni Arab states. (See here, here, and here, for a few examples.) Never more so than this past month. Many Arab states increasingly see the apocalyptic regimes of Iran and ISIS as the real threats to regional peace and security, and increasingly see Israel as a potential ally in dealing with both threats. That’s not to say the Sunni Arabs are happy with Israel. There are deep-seated cultural, ethnic and religious disagreements for many, and hatreds for some. Read more.
When I prepared the map above in preparation for the publishing of Islam, the Cloak of Antichrist, I was careful to group the six nations not named in Gog’s alliance (Ezekiel 38:5-6), all of which are proximate neighbor states to Israel, and historically, have been at enmity with Israel (Psalm 83:4-6). The six were Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. According to the Pew Research Center, three have significant Shia populations, Syria (Alawites, Twelvers, and Ismailis), Lebanon (Hezbollah, Twelver Shias), and Iraq, and are currently considered to be Iranian proxies. The other three, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, as Rosenberg notes above, are warming to Israel. These three are all standing firm against Iran. I cannot help but wonder if these three are excluded from Ezekiel 38:5-6 because they will be allied with Israel in an end-of-days conflict against Iran. Why would these three align with Israel? Because of their common enemy, Iran. Iran is nuclear armed. Of the four, Israel’s armament has the greatest possibility of defending the Middle East from Iranian nuclear aggression. The problem with this view is that it brings into question another prophecy: Daniel 7:24. Are these three Arab states also refered to in Daniel 7:24 as the three nations subdued by the group of ten (likely the group defined by Ezekiel 38:5-6)? We cannot be certain but the trend is worth noting. Imagine what it might mean if Israel were to enter into some treaty that agrees to a two-state solution with the Palestinians along with the dividing of its land? Daniel 9:27?
Jesus come quickly.
Blessings.
Jack