October 2023 – Historical Peace Treaty in the Middle East

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P r o p h e tic Truth in the N e w s

October 2024

   Published monthly by Mike Wingfield Ministries

All Bible references are from the KJV   

Historical Peace Treaty in the Middle East

“The people of the prince that shall come … shall confirm the covenant with the many for one [seven of years].” Daniel 9:26-27

By Mike Wingfield

We are living in an exceptional period of human history. Those who closely follow current events in the Middle East know that in the last 100 years, the Arab Muslims of the Middle East have violently opposed the return of the Jewish people to the Promised Land. Since the founding of the Jewish nation in 1948, Israelis have had to continually defend themselves against Arab aggression. However, on the surface that long-standing hatred for Israel may be softening. Some Arab nations appear to be moving in a direction of tolerating Israel.

Currently, six nations [Egypt in 1979, Jordan in 1994, and in 2020, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Sudan, and Morocco] have formed treaties that are focusing upon normalizing relations with Israel. However, for Israel, the great prize would be a peace treaty with Saudi Arbia, which is viewed as the world’s leading Islamic nation. Recent events indicate that such a treaty is a growing possibility.

During a FOX News interview on September 20, 2023, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman [see photo on page 2] stated, “the prospect of normalizing relations with Israel is getting closer by the day” (CNBC News, September 21, 2023). While speaking to the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York on September 23, 2023, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of the benefits of the Abraham Accords that took place with four Arab countries in 2020. He commented, “The Abraham Accords was a pivot of history. And today we all see the blessings of those Accords. Trade and investment with our new peace partners are booming. Our nations cooperate in commerce, energy, water, agriculture, medicine, climate and many, many other fields. …

“There is no question the Abraham Accords heralded the dawn of a new age of peace. But I believe that we are at the cusp of an even more dramatic breakthrough – an historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Such a peace will go a long way to ending the Arab-Israeli conflict. It will encourage other Arab states to normalize their relations with Israel. It will enhance the prospects of peace with the Palestinians. It will encourage a broader reconciliation between Judaism and Islam, between Jerusalem and Mecca, between the descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael” (All Israel News Staff, September 22, 2023).

As the Bible prophecy student thinks about these significant developments, it is very apparent that we are about to witness the peace covenant event that could usher the world into the tumultuous Tribulation Period.

As I examine the possibilities of these events, I recognize how they seem to be pieces of a puzzle that are connected to what the Bible says about the future historic agreement that will catapult Israel into the final period of the last days. Let us examine seven biblical facts about this coming peace agreement.

1. The Tribulation Period will begin with a peace covenant.

The final events for Israel and the world in the last days will be a unique time known as the Tribulation Period. Some people have concluded that it will begin immediately after the Rapture of the church. However, that is not what the Bible indicates will happen. A significant covenant with the Jewish people will begin the final seven-years that precede the Kingdom of God (Daniel 9:27). When the ink of the signatures on this document begins to dry, God’s prophetic clock in heaven will begin to tick. This seven-year covenant will set in motion the events that will unfold on earth that will culminate with the Revelation of Christ at the end of the Tribulation (Revelation 19:11-21).

If this proposed treaty between Israel and Saudi Arabia comes to fruition, it could be an enormously powerful indication that the Rapture of the church is imminent!

2. This peace treaty will be the result of the diplomatic efforts of the coming Antichrist.

According to Daniel 9, a “prince that shall come” (Daniel 9:26) will establish a treaty with the Jewish people who have regathered in the Holy Land in the last days. The context of the book of Daniel and of the entire Bible, points to the identification of this prince as the Antichrist.

There is great evidence in the Bible that the Antichrist will be an Arab Muslim. His efforts to destroy the Jewish nation will be the culmination of an ancient conflict that traces its roots back to the conflict between Isaac and Ishmael, and Jacob and Esau. God did not recognize Ishmael and Esau as heirs of blessings in the Abraham covenant. Consequently, in rebellion, both men moved to the desert areas east of Israel. Eventually, their descendants intermarried (Genesis 36). In general, they became the progenitors of the Arab nations in the Middle East (Genesis 25:12-18).

The Scriptures and extra-biblical historical sources indicate that within the Arab nations there has been a continual hatred of Israel that has festered and intermittently erupted from ancient times to the present day. When Nehemiah was leading the Jewish captives from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem, the Arabs adamantly opposed the Jewish presence in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:19; 4:1, 7-8). The prophet Ezekiel indicated that when the Jewish people would return to their land in the last days, the Jews would be rejected by the Arab nations that surround the land of Israel (Ezekiel 36:1-7). This hatred and rejection of the Jewish presence in the Promised Land began decades before the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948. The constant threat of war, and the ongoing acts of terrorism by the Arabs toward the Israelis continue to this day.

Therefore, this ancient feud between the descendants of Isaac and Jacob with the family-line of Ishmael and Esau set the stage for the final conflict. God at the Battle of Armageddon will suddenly resolve this historic quarrel. The core issue that causes God to gather all nations to Armageddon is the world’s attempt to divide the Promised Land (Joel 3:2). According to the Bible, the nations that will be leading the world to attack Israel will be the Arab/Islamic nations of the Middle East (Psalm 83:1-8; Isaiah 13, 34; Jeremiah 50-51; Obadiah). The head of this confederation of Arab nations that comes against Israel at the end of the Tribulation is the Antichrist. Daniel wrote that the Antichrist will “divide the land for gain” (Daniel 11:39).

The context of the Bible seems to demand that the covenant of the Antichrist with Israel will include the recognition of the Jewish right to occupy the Holy Land. In an interview in 2018, Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman stated that “he believes the Jewish people have a right to their own land. … I believe that each people, anywhere, has a right to live in their peaceful nation. I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have a right to have their own land” (The Jewish Chronicle, April 3, 2018).

This statement by the Saudi Prince clearly indicates that in his eyes, the Jews have a right to a part of their ancestral homeland. However, the Palestinians have a right to part of the contested land also. Therefore, he agrees with the world that the Holy Land must be divided to accommodate both the Jews and the Palestinians. This differs from many other more radical Moslems who do not believe the Jewish people have any rights to any part of the Holy Land.

There are a multitude of passages in the Bible that seem to indicate the Antichrist will be a Muslim. His headquarters in the Tribulation Period will be in the Persian Gulf area (Revelation 17-18). He will have a unique relationship with a powerful religion [depicted as a harlot in Revelation 17]. This religion will control him and his global kingdom. This religion will hate believers in Jesus and will kill them (Revelation 17:6). These believers will be “beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God” (Revelation 20:4). This religion will have a powerful influence over the leaders of the world (Revelation 17:2; 18:3). This religion is rich. It has made governments, merchants, and transporters of her wealth [oil] to manufacture goods all around the world, and become rich (Revelation 18:9-19).

Furthermore, the nature and activities of the Antichrist seem to point to his Muslim identity. He will exalt himself and his religion above the God of the Bible (Daniel 11:36). His religion gives honor to a militant god of military might (Daniel 11:38). He does not honor or respect women (Daniel 11:37). He embraces the occult [“understanding dark sentences”] (Daniel 8:23). His policies will be driven by deception (Daniel 8:25).

3. The Tribulation agreement will be a false peace treaty.

The Bible makes it clear that the Antichrist’s covenant with Israel will be a trick to lure the Jewish people into a trap of annihilation. He will appear to be seeking peace, while he is deceptively plotting their death. Some biblical scholars point to Psalm 55:21 as a prophecy of the Antichrist when he breaks his covenant with Israel, “The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.” Notice the new Saudi flag in the picture box.

This has been an historical struggle for the Jewish people. While they long for peace, their enemies prepare for war. Long ago, the psalmist verbalized the Jewish cry for a call of peace while living in the presence of those who were plotting war against them. He said, “Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar [the Arabs]! My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war” (Psalm 120:5-7).

This seven-year treaty with Israel will be annulled by the Antichrist at the mid-point of the agreement (Daniel 9:27). During the first half of the Tribulation, he will honor his agreement with the Israelis. During this time, he will not harm Israel. However, during this same time, he will be at war with the nations of the world to submit them to his authority (Revelation 6:2-8). He will accomplish global domination over all nations by the middle of the Tribulation (Revelation 13:5-7). At this point he will force the world to submit to him. He will control the world politically, religiously, and economically (Revelation 13:11-18).

At the same time, he will turn on the Jewish people with great vengeance (Matthew 24:15-25). He will take back his control over Jerusalem and the Temple Mount (Revelation 11:1-2). He will desecrate the holy temple in Jerusalem. He will set his image in the temple and declare himself to be god (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:11-14). Jesus called this “the abomination of desolation” (Matthew 24:15).

The last half of the Tribulation will be a literal hell on earth for Israel. The prophet Daniel described this time as “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time” (Daniel 12:1).

4. The Tribulation treaty will be accepted by liberal Israeli leaders.

The Bible depicts a great division in Israel at the beginning of the Tribulation. There will be a conservative Jewish population in Israel that will be clinging to the truth that all the Promised Land belongs to the Jewish people. These people will not support the division of their land for the prospect of a false peace covenant (Isaiah 28:16).

However, the conservative religious population will be opposed by their liberal and secular government. God calls these leaders “scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 28:14). These “mockers” (Isaiah 28:22) of God’s truth and promises chose to believe the lies of Israel’s enemies who are plotting their destruction (Isaiah 28:15). God calls their treaty with the Antichrist an “agreement with hell” (Isaiah 28:18).

It is very apparent that the stage is set for this deceptive treaty with the secular leadership in Israel.

5. This agreement will be the culmination of an ongoing peace effort with Israel in the last days.

Over the last few decades there have been many attempts to present a peace covenant that would resolve the conflict over the land of Israel. As previously indicated, the covenant of the Antichrist will deal with this thorny issue.

Daniel wrote that the Antichrist will “confirm the covenant with many” (Daniel 9:27). The word “confirm” indicates that a weaker covenant will exist before the Antichrist’s covenant is adopted by Israel. Therefore, this action by the Antichrist will simply strengthen a weaker peace process that involves the actions of the “many” mentioned by Daniel. Previously, Daniel presented the fact that ten kings will precede the Antichrist (Daniel 7:8, 24). Years later, the Apostle John wrote that these ten kings would be contemporary with the Antichrist and would “receive power as kings [for a short period of time] with the [antichrist]” (Revelation 17:12). This probably could be understood to indicate that these 10 kings will formulate a peace covenant with Israel prior to the Antichrist’s covenant with Israel.

As previously mentioned, six Muslim nations have already made peace with Israel. Suddenly, due to the diplomatic efforts of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2020, four nations joined Egypt and Jordan in recognizing Israel and normalizing relationships with the Jewish State. Are we about to witnesses another flurry of diplomatic activity that will cause four more kings to join the six and prepare the way for the covenant of the Antichrist?

6. The Tribulation covenant will have a connection to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

The Islamic world has made it known that the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is an important religious holy place. According to them, the Temple Mount was the location of their prophet’s famous flight to heaven. Therefore, Mount Zion is the third most holy site in their religion, followed by Mecca and Media in Saudi Arabia.

It is very apparent that the Antichrist will desire to control the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. He will choose this location for one of his centers of domination in his global control over the nations. He will express this when he enters the newly rebuilt Jewish temple at the mid-point of the Tribulation. From there, he will declare himself to be god and demand global worship (Daniel 9:27; Thessalonians 2:4).

When the Antichrist deceives Israel into signing his covenant, he will give them permission to rebuild the Jewish temple on the Temple Mount. This is something that religious Jews have been longing for since the destruction of the last Jewish temple in 70 A.D. by the Romans. Most people do not recognize how significant this is to the Jewish people. This will be a major part of the Antichrist’s deception to lure the Israelis into his death trap.

In recent months, the Saudis have made it known that they want to control the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the location of two important Muslim mosques – Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock [see photo below]. In modern times, the Arab Kingdom of Jordan has had custody and control over this Islamic place of worship. However, now, Saudi Arabia wants to take control of this important Islamic holy place. The Jewish Press has reported, “Saudi Arabia wishes to signal to Jordan that it considers itself entitled to set foot in the Al Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem, which would make the crown prince and the Al Saud dynasty responsible for the three holy places of Islam: Mecca, Medina and Al Aqsa” (The Jewish Press, August 14, 2023).

Considering the current move toward developing a peace agreement with Israel, this is a very significant statement coming from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. These amazing details tell us just how close we are to this historic peace treaty.

7. The Tribulation covenant will occur in the context of the world’s desperate call for peace and security.

When the Antichrist and Israel sign their covenant on the first day of the Tribulation Period, it will take place at a time of growing world tensions. Our world is radically descending into a chaotic evil period of wars and rumors of wars. The Apostle Paul declared that the Tribulation Period will begin as the world cries for “peace and safety” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). However, as they call for peace, the world will erupt into deadly wars. Paul said, “Then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

As the United States and the Western nations continue to collapse spiritually, morally, politically, militarily, and economically, the world is facing a new axis of evil – China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The one thing all these evil nations have in common is they love power and will not allow any threat to stop them from unleashing their thirst for global control. When Iran joins their ranks with the final development of its nuclear weapons, it will signal to the world that we are entering a deadly period.

One of the reasons why the Saudis want to have a treaty with Israel is because they recognize that Israel is the most powerful military force in the Middle East, and Israel has nuclear weapons. The Saudis comprehend that if Iran gets a nuclear weapon, it will immediately change the face of the Middle East and the entire world. They fully understand that Iran’s ambitions are to destroy the world so that their Islamic messiah, as they believe, will then appear.

Friends, we are standing on the brink of incredible world changing events. Everything is in place for the covenant the Antichrist will sign to begin the Tribulation Period. I am convinced that we will soon hear the shout that will take us out!

Iran’s Nuclear Deception

Times of Israel News has reported that during the third week of September Iran refused to allow a scheduled inspection of its nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Under the watchful eyes of the international community, Iran had agreed to allow these inspectors to guarantee that their nuclear program was for peaceful purposes, rather than to develop nuclear weapons. Their refusal of this inspection certainly indicates Iran has something to hide.

In response to this news, Netanyahu commented, “Israel is not surprised by Iran’s moves, which prove it is violating all its commitments to the international community and intends to arm itself with nuclear weapons. … Israel will do everything needed to defend itself against this threat” (Times of Israel News, September 16. 2023).

Climate Change Truth

Recently, 1,600 scientists around the globe agreed that the climate change hype concerning man-made emissions being the cause for higher temperatures and increased natural disasters is a political hoax. The real problem, according to the Bible (see Revelation 16:8-9) is the radical solar storms coming from the surface of the sun, and the surge of gases emitted from the increasing number of volcanoes. “The Earth is currently peaking at the hottest it’s been in a long time, thanks to all the geometric solar storms that have been smashing into our planet over the course of the last year.

“According to the reports, scientists are concerned about the Earth’s thermosphere, a vital layer of the atmosphere extending from the mesosphere to the exosphere. Because of these solar storms, the thermosphere has recently experienced a significant temperature increase, the highest it’s been in two decades. And that’s not the worst of the news-according to experts, while the thermosphere is currently hot, it’s about to get a whole lot hotter” (www.msm.com, June 23, 2023).

According to the Bible, this is the beginning of God’s judgment upon the wicked inhabitants of earth. God controls earth’s temperatures, not man!