The slain seventh head of the beast of Revelation is reviving in Turkey as prophesied, and we now see Turkey making claims to its former Ottoman territories.
Ottoman Caliphate Reviving – The Slain Head Awakes
The Islamic Caliphate is arguably the slain seventh head of the beast of Revelation. It is also clear that this revived head, led by the Antichrist, will arise from the Turkish region (Ezekiel 38). For reference, see the post, The Identity of the Beast of Revelation.
The last Islamic Caliphate ended with the Ottoman Caliphates’s demise in 1924. With the office of the caliphate outlawed, the founder of the Turkish republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, initiated broad reforms to move Turkey to a secular republic.
But the Book of Revelation states that the seventh head will do what no other empire has done – revive. Therefore we know that the Ottoman Empire will be resurrected.
Fulfilling this prophecy, we are now seeing Turkey embrace its Ottoman roots.
The sitting president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is the primary driver behind this phenomenon. To the Ottoman idealists like Erdoğan, the Ottoman Empire has sacred roots and a role to play for all Muslims. Accordingly, we see this overlord ideology playing out in its foreign policy.
As an example of this, read this quote from the Boston Review. “Yet, despite the westernizing reforms of the state, these conservative neo-Ottomanists believe that the Ottoman spirit is innate in the Turkish-Muslim soul and that such a soul only can be resurrected with the revival of Islam.“
As in the above example, it is becoming common to see the language of Biblical prophecy being used in news articles. This quote came from an intellectual political and literary forum, yet it mimics Revelation.
Astonishingly, the head of the Israeli Mossad, Yossi Cohen, reportedly said that Turkey is the real threat, not Iran.
Does this mean that we are currently seeing the head of the beast that “had been slain, and his fatal wound healed” (Revelation 13:3)?
The Expansion into Former Ottoman Territory
After its defeat in WWI, the Ottoman Empire’s vast territory was dismembered. Two subsequent treaties formed the boundaries in the middle east today: the Treaty of Sèvres and the Treaty of Lausanne. After the Treaty of Sèvres in 1920, Greece, Italy, France, and Britain took pieces of the former empire to rule or mandate its fate.
Turkey subsequently reclaimed much of its territory in Asia Minor in the Turkish War of Independence. At the conclusion of this war in 1923, Turkey’s current-day borders were settled in the Treaty of Lausanne.
However, Turkey is no longer content to remain within these borders. Racing away from western, secular ideals, Turkey’s identity is now grounded in its Islamic, Ottoman roots. With the seventh head reviving, Turkey’s making claims in many former territories as if it has a sovereign right to do so.
The following discussion identifies ten countries formerly part of the Ottoman Empire where Turkey is currently intruding.
Greece
Erdoğan is exploiting Libya’s civil war to gain a claim to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. In exchange for Turkish support to the sitting government, Libya agreed to a Turkish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The problem is that this EEZ overlaps Greece’s EEZ. In addition to gas rights, Turkey’s claims its new EEZ gives it veto rights over the EastMed Pipeline under construction. This pipeline benefits Greece, Cyprus, and Israel, but bypasses Turkey.
To claim its new EEZ, Turkey sent an Oil Exploratory Vessel into the area flanked by Turkish battleships. In response, warships from Greece, Cyrus, France, and the U.S. have entered the eastern Mediterranean. The UAE is also standing against Turkey, sending fighter jets for joint military exercises with Greece.
The Turkey/Libya EEZ Claim
These issues arise from disputes dating to the Treat of Lausanne and Erdoğan clearly wants the treaty changed. In fact, on a trip to Greece, Erdoğan boldly aired his view of this treaty on TV. To his Greek hosts, he stated, “the Lausanne Treaty, in the face of the recent developments, needs a revision…”
In the meantime, Turkey is openly opposing this treaty, violating Greece’s airspace regularly. According to the Greek ministry, as told to EUobserver, Turkey violated Greece’s airspace 4,627 times last year, an all-time high.
But even more disturbing is an invasion call coming from within Erdogan’s own party. According to the Greek City Times, Metin Külünk, an ideologue of Erdoğan’s who is a Member of Parliament of the same ruling party, is calling for a “Greater Turkey.”
Specifically, Külünk, is calling for an expansion of Turkey into large areas of northern Greece and the east Aegean islands, half of Bulgaria, the rest of Cyprus, Armenia, and large areas of Georgia, Iraq, and Syria.
He Tweeted, “Turkey has entered the 21st century with big moves with the spirit of 1071, it is progressing by taking big steps. Today, the reason why the western world comes to us again is the reawakening of a nation that was put to sleep after 1938 on July 15 and opening up to Syria, the Mediterranean, and Africa with its spirit of 1071.”
1071 refers to the Ottoman victory over the Byzantine Empire at Manzikert in 1071 that opened Anatolia to the Ottomans. In short, this call is a call for a military invasion – for war.
However, this is not the sole evidence of such intentions. For instance, Nordic Monitor recently reported that it obtained classified documents of recent Turkish invasion plans for Greece and Armenia.
Update on Greece – 8/31/20
As Turkey marked the 98th anniversary of its War of Independence battle against Greek forces, Erdoğan spoke against Greece.
Erdoğan stated, “Turkey’s struggle for independence and future continues today as well. He then added, “It is absolutely not a coincidence that those who seek to exclude us from the eastern Mediterranean are the same invaders as the ones who attempted to invade our homeland a century ago.”
You can see that Erdoğan is bent on righting perceived wrongs that occurred nearly 100 years ago.
Libya
As further discussed in my post, QT – Antichrist Alliances – Turkey Opposes Egypt in Libya, Turkey has established a foothold in Libya in the turmoil of civil war. Erdoğan allied with the sitting government and sent troops in the form of Syrian mercenaries in support of the GNA. He also appears to be leveraging his support and $1.7B in debts to establish a military base there. Consequently, he stands in Libya against Russia, Egypt, and the UAE.
Syria
Turkey entered Syria in on August 24, 2016, and has since occupied its northern border with Turkey. But was there more meaning to this date than meets the eye. As it turns out, this day was the 500th anniversary of the Battle a Dabiq. This battle was a decisive battle for the Ottoman Empire that gave it control of Syria and opened the way for the conquest of Egypt.
Iraq
Turkey has been acting with impunity in Iraq, bombing Kurdish positions along its common border. Just this month, Turkey killed two members of Iraq’s border guard and their driver in air raids. As a consequence, the Iraqi government is furious about Turkey’s continued violations of its sovereignty. Turkey gave up this land in northern Iraq in the 1923 treaty, yet Erdoğan acts as if he still has rights over the territory.
Qatar
As in Syria, Libya, and Iraq, Erdoğan doesn’t miss an opportunity to gain access to its former territories due to regional turmoil. In 2017, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt launched a blockade against Qatar, claiming the country was supporting armed groups. Turkey was already allied with Qatar, which, like Erdoğan, supports the Muslim Brotherhood. As a result, Turkey increased its presence there, building a new military base in 2019 housing 5,000 Turkish troops.
Cyprus
Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 after a Greece-involved military coup on the island. In the invasion, Turkey took the northeast side of the island, representing 40% of the land. Consequently, most of the Greek Cyprians were displaced to the southwest. Turkey is currently the only country that recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Could we see invasions like this happen in other countries?
Sudan
In 2018, Erdoğan signed a 99-year lease of an island off the coast of Sudan in the Red Sea. The island, Suakin, houses the ruins of an ancient Ottoman Empire port. This small island port was the seat of provincial governors and military commanders under the Ottoman Empire.
The island is located in a highly strategic location militarily and economically. It lies near the midpoint of the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb strait. This acquisition was also a political move, shifting Sudan away from a Saudi/UAE alliance while encouraging them to increase relations with Qatar. All three of these countries share in their support of the Muslim Brotherhood.
This burgeoning alliance also places Turkey alongside Egypt, its opponent. Daniel 11 foretells of the Turkey/Egypt rivalry in the prophecy of the King of the North and the King of the South. Egypt also suspects Erdoğan is secretly working against them to divert water away from Egypt to Sudan and other countries. See my post, QT – Drying the Nile: Events Aligning to Egypt Prophecy and the Coming Antichrist for more details.
Lebanon
With growing friction between the Lebanese people and Hezbollah, Turkey is leveraging the disaster in Beruit to gain loyalty among its citizens. After the blast that destroyed the Beruit port, Turkey’s vice-president and foreign minister visited. They promised Lebanese citizens that they would help rebuild the port. But more than that, they offered citizenship to ethnic Turks in Lebanon.
There are also indications that Turkey is leveraging the one million-plus Sunni Syrian refugees that entered Lebanon. Officials are growing concerned about growing Turkish influence in northern Lebanon. Two Lebanese intelligence sources reportedly stated, “The Turks are sending an incredible amount of weapons into the north.”
In addition to weapons, Turkey appears to be bringing money into the country. Authorities recently arrested two Syrian and two Turkish citizens for trying to smuggle $4 million into Lebanon. Lebanese Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi claimed that the men intended to use the money to finance government protests.
Azerbaijan/Armenia
Turkey already has a foothold with a military base in Azerbaijan. But it seems to be reinforcing its position with the recent conflict with Armenia. Alexander Krylov, a senior researcher at the Moscow-based Institute of World Economy and International Relations revealed this in an interview. “The officers of the Azerbaijani army are being trained in Turkey; Ankara is engaged in large-scale economic, social, and educational projects in Azerbaijan that are aimed at strengthening Turkish influence. The Turkish military presence in Azerbaijan has become permanent, with its scope constantly expanding, and it will be further enhanced by the current Azerbaijani-Turkish military maneuvers.“
In the same article above, Erdoğan revealed thoughts that I believe apply to all of the Ottoman Empire’s former territories. On July 14, Erdoğan had said, “Turkey will never hesitate to stand against any attack against the rights and lands of Azerbaijan, with which it has deep-rooted friendly ties and brotherly relations. Accordingly, we are duty-bound to mobilize all our political, diplomatic, and social ties in the region and in the world.“
A Russian military base in Armenia may be the only deterrence to Turkey directly engaging Armenia.
Jerusalem
The Ottoman’s eventual destination is Jerusalem. We know this from Ezekiel 38. Erdoğan has acknowledged this recently stating, “The resurrection of Hagia Sophia heralds the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque [in Jerusalem].”
Erdoğan also stated, “We will not abandon Jerusalem, our first qiblah [Islamic direction of prayer], to invaders and those who perform state terror on Palestinians.”
Another quote from Erdoğan was, “Each day that Jerusalem is under occupation is an insult to us.“
Turkey is pouring millions of dollars into organizations to spread Turkish influence in Jerusalem and the temple mount. This includes museums that glorify the Ottoman Empire and Erdoğan.
Mapping of Turkish Incursions
Now, look at this map I created showing the territories of Turkey’s current incursions compared to an Ottoman Empire map of the middle-east.
The green dots on the map on the left represent the countries mentioned above. The shaded areas on the map on the right represent average territories of the Ottoman Empire between 1451 and 1739. Can you see what is taking shape here?
Erdoğan the Conqueror
Erdoğan has big plans for Turkey with an identity rooted in the Ottoman Empire. For instance, This recent propaganda video depicts him as the latest in a line of conquerors back to Sultan Alp Arslan, who seized most of Anatolia from the Byzantine Empire.
Here are some clips from the video using Google Translator to translate to English.
Clearly this is a message of the revival of the Ottomans with destiny for the future. A future with Erdoğan glorified as the leader to bring about this revival.
As an additional example, Erdoğan recently said, “The resurrection of Hagia Sophia is the footsteps of the will of Muslims across the world to come out of the interregnum.” Interregnum refers to a period of government isuspenion during a regime change. To come out of an interregnum, the Muslim world would have to be in one now.
I believe this refers to the gap between the last Islamic caliphate, the Ottoman Empire, and a new Islamic caliphate. As MEMRI reported, the Turkish phrase for interregnum, “‘fetret devri’ has been used by influential Turkish religious scholar Said Nursi and some religious groups in Turkey to refer to the period following the abolition of the Ottoman caliphate in 1924.“
The Seventh Head, the Ottoman Caliphate is Reviving
Eventually, Turkey will become even more aggressive and war against its southern neighbors as foretold by the prophets Daniel, Isaiah, and Ezekiel. (Daniel 11, Isaiah 19, Ezekiel 38)
Outlawed in 1924, the Islamic Caliphate will soon be reborn. Many Muslims are calling for the caliphate today. ISIS tried to establish the caliphate, even linking it to the apocalypse, but it was not their destiny.
Calls are coming from inside Turkey, where a magazine recently issued a cover that stated Turkish, Arabic, and English, “Get together for [the] caliphate. If not now, when? If not you, who?” The ruling AKP party harshly criticized this statement. It is not yet time.
Though we see the enemy moving in the middle east, we know that Jesus is also moving. The seventh head is reviving. But no matter how strong or how wicked the beast becomes, Jesus will slay it. And he will rule over a period of peace like the earth has never seen since the Garden of Eden.