The Israel / UAE peace deal is tangible evidence of warming attitudes of Arab countries toward Israel and further solidifies the alliances foretold in the King of the North and Gog & Magog prophecies.
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Israel and UAE agree to Historic Peace Deal
In a historic move, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a peace deal. This agreement is highly relevant to both middle-east relations and end-times prophecy fulfillment.
There are only two other peace agreements between Israel and Arab countries, and this is the first in over 26 years! The agreement calls for the full normalization of relations between the countries. In exchange, Israel will suspend annexation of west bank territories.
So how does this peace agreement between Israel and the UAE fit in end-times prophecy?
This appears to be the start of a trend of Arab countries warming to Israel
In my previous post, Is God Preparing a Place in the Wilderness for the Jews?, I documented the warming of Arab countries towards normalizing relations with Israel.
One example of this warming was in Breaking Israel News on June 7th. Former Dubai Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dhahi Khalfan Tamim was quoted as saying, “[The Jewish state] wants long-term peace and security. I support that. All Arab countries, the UAE and the Saudi kingdom accept Israel.“
Now that this peace agreement broke the ground, many are speculating that other Arab countries will follow. The Trump administration is in talks with other countries and it is anticipated than Bahrain may follow the UAE. This trend may increase the likelihood that Saudi Arabia and other countries could pursue peace agreements as well.
As a side note, the deal is resulting in providing a safe haven for at-risk Jews in Yemen. The Jerusalem Post reported in July that Iranian-backed Houthis were allegedly rounding up Yemeni Jews and pressuring them to leave. Some 40 Yemeni Jews have agreed to move to the UAE, and others are being persuaded to move by being told that they will easily integrate into Emirati society,
This peace agreement further positions the Arab nations against Turkey and Iran
It further solidifies the allies and opponents of the King of the North and the King of the South (Daniel 11) and the war of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38).
Remember that the Antichrist doesn’t take over the middle-east unopposed. According to Daniel, he will fight against the large armies of the King of the South, Egypt and its allies. These allies include the navies of Cyprus/Greece and likely other Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia.
Though Muslim, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab countries are notably missing from Gog’s (the Antichrist) alliances in Ezekiel 38. These Arab countries are likely to side with their fellow Arab country, Egypt. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait all have supported Egypt since el-Sisi came to power. The UAE has also joined Egypt in providing military support in Libya against the Turkish-backed government.
In my prior post, I included an article from MEMRI where a Saudi writer stated, “Israel is a peace-loving country; Iran and Turkey are enemies of the Arabs.”
The response from Turkey and Iran demonstrates this split between them and the Arab countries.
For example, Turkey, the source of Gog’s armies in Ezekiel 38, harshly criticized the move. Per the Jerusalem Post, Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdoğan said that Turkey was considering closing its embassy in Abu Dhabi and suspending diplomatic ties with the UAE over the agreement. In the article, Turkey’s foreign ministry stated, “History and the conscience of the region’s peoples will not forget and never forgive this hypocritical behavior of the UAE, betraying the Palestinian cause for the sake of its narrow interests.”
Also predictable was Iran’s even more aggressive and threatening response. According to the Jerusalem Post, The news source, Kayhan, whose editor-in-chief is appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said “the UAE has turned itself into a legitimate [and easy] target for the resistance [Iran and its proxies].“
What Does This Mean for West Bank Annexation?
For now, it means that the contemplated west bank annexation will be put on hold. Considering the fact that this peace deal with the UAE was reportedly in discussions for a year and a half, I am left wondering if peace deals were the real objective and annexation was proposed in order to be a bargaining chip.
In any case, the west bank land is Israel’s land, and it will eventually be ruled by Israel under the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Whether this occurs before then has to be based on God’s timing, not man’s.
King of the North and South Alliances Further Solidifying
With each day, I am amazed at how the alliances described by Danial and Ezekiel nearly 2,600 years ago are now forming in the middle east. These events further attest to the accuracy of the Bible and its prophecies. We can expect more and more confirmation in these last days as we near the time of the Great Tribulation.