Could the Arab normalization pacts with Israel be the “covenant with many” prophesied by the Angel Gabriel to Daniel to precede the Beast and Antichrist?
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The Beginning of the End – The Covenant with Many
Daniel’s 7th week is a seven-year period, during which almost all of the Book of Revelation’s events transpire. During this seven-year period, the Beast and Antichrist arise, the rapture occurs, and at its conclusion, Jesus Christ returns.
This seven-year period begins with a “covenant with many” spoken of by the angel Gabriel to the prophet Daniel. When we see this event occur, we will know that this climatic period of human history starts.
But what if we are looking for the wrong event? What if a biased interpretation of the Hebrew text has us waiting for an event that will never occur? Could we miss the start of this most significant period?
Over the past three to four months, we have seen four Arab countries sign normalization pacts with Israel. Could these normalization pacts be the “covenant with many?”
The End of this Age Timeline – Daniel’s 7th Week
Who Makes the Covenant?
A common translation of Gabriel’s prophecy to Daniel is “And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week …“
However, when reading the Hebrew words without a bias as to the role of the Antichrist in making this covenant, the meaning is quite different.
The Hebrew words for “he will confirm a covenant ” are wə·hiḡ·bîr bə·rîṯ. The first Hebrew word, wə·hiḡ·bîr, means to be strong and mighty and is primarily translated as “to prevail.” Based on those familiar with the Hebrew language, this means “he’ll cause … to overpower.”
So it seems that the Antichrist will prevail against or overpower this covenant, not confirm it. To confirm this interpretation, we can look to supporting scriptures about the nature of this covenant. We find this in Daniel 11.
The Covenant in Daniel 11
Daniel 11 also references a covenant (bə·rîṯ) concerning the Antichrist. However, it’s clear in this chapter that the Antichrist is not a party to the pact, but prevails against it. See these phrases in support of this … “his heart will be set against the holy covenant,” “[he will] return and curse the holy covenant,” “[he will] pay attention to those who abandon the holy covenant,” and “[he will] turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant.”
You may notice that the word Holy is placed in front of the word covenant in Daniel 11. This, however, has been inserted by the translator as a matter of their understanding of the scripture. The word holy, or qadosh is absent from the Hebrew text to describe this pact.
Now it is true that the word for covenant, bə·rîṯ, is used in the Bible to refer to the holy covenant between God and his people. However, it is also used to refer to covenants between men and between kingdoms. Examples include Abraham’s pact with Abimelech or the men of Israel’s pact with Gibeon.
So it is more consistent to say that the Antichrist will not make a covenant with Israel. Rather, Israel will make a covenant with many, and the Antichrist will oppose it. Not only will he oppose it, but he will be enraged by it.
Will the Covenant be for Seven Years?
If the Antichrist is not a party to the covenant, what is the significance of the seven years?
The common translation is “And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week …” However, this seven-year period takes on a different meaning if the Antichrist opposes the covenant rather than makes it. The seven-year period would be the period during which the Antichrist prevails against the covenant. So while the covenant may exist for seven years, it would not necessarily have a seven-year term.
This may seem like a nuance, but it is important. If believers expect a covenant with a specific seven-year term, they may dismiss the fulfillment of the prophecy.
Interestingly, the prior partial fulfillments of this prophecy also lacked a seven-year covenant. In the case of Antiochus desecrating the temple, there seems to be no mention of a seven-year covenant. This is also the case in the instance of the Romans burning the temple down.
So a translation that is more consistent with supporting scriptures and translations would read, “And he will prevail against a covenant with the many for one week, and in the middle of the week …”
The seven-year period will begin with the latter of the covenant’s inception or the rise of the Antichrist and end with the end of the Antichrist’s 3 1/2 year reign.
So if the Antichrist is not a party to covenant with many, who will be?
Who will Enter the Covenant?
We know from Daniel 11 that the Antichrist, also known as the King of the North, will war with the King of the South. The King of the South has historically represented Egypt. Egypt is home to the world’s largest Arab population and is allied with other Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Egypt is also one of two Arab countries with a true peace deal with Israel; the other one is Jordan. Other Arab countries, including Bahrain, the UAE, Sudan, and Morocco, have now normalized relations with Israel. Rumors persist that Saudi Arabia and possibly other Arab nations will follow suit. Based on Daniel 11, we would expect that the covenant with many will be a covenant with primarily Arab countries.
And how has the King of the North reacted? The King of the North historically came out of Asia Minor, the area primarily occupied by modern-day Turkey. When the UAE first agreed to normalized relations, Turkish President Erdoğan accused them of betraying the Palestinians. He even threatened to recall Turkey’s ambassador to the UAE. His quotes include, “The move against Palestine is not a step that can be stomached,” and referred to the agreement as “strategic stupidity from Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.”
Then, when the next agreement was entered with Bahrain, Erdoğan strongly condemned it.
So it does appear that these agreements between Israel and primarily Arab countries could qualify for the covenant with many. But is Turkey’s anger on this issue strong enough to bring them to war against Egypt and Israel?
Maybe not. But there is one issue possible linked to coming agreements that would arouse Turkey’s anger and inflame the region… the Temple Mount.
The Issue with the Potential to Ignite War
There is a battle brewing on the Temple Mount. Turkey has its eyes on it. For the past few years, Turkey has been pouring millions into non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in East Jerusalem to win the hearts and minds of the Arab populations.
Turkey sponsors a number of Temple Mount activities. And in June of this year opened an Islamic Center near the Temple Mount with a core Ottoman theme. As a result, “Turkey now enjoys unprecedented popularity among the residents of eastern Jerusalem.” Keep in mind that Turkey has vowed to “liberate Al-Aqsa” and declared that “Jerusalem is ours.”
This has Jordan concerned. Jordan controls and funds the civil administration of the Temple Mount through the Waqf. To neutralize Turkey’s support among Arab Palestinians, in 2019 Jordan added Palestinian clerics to the Waqf council for the first time. However, the Palestinian Authority’s added members closely associated with Turkey, which provides tens of millions of dollars to their organizations.
To counter, Jordan has reportedly indicated that it will allow Saudi representatives into the Waqf. Saudi Arabia, in turn, would provide funds to counteract Turkey’s growing influence. Israel strongly prefers Saudi Arabia’s state influence over Turkey’s revolutionary influence.
Presently, the Trump administration is in talks with Saudi Arabia concerning a normalization agreement with Israel. It is rumored that a say in the Temple Mount administration is an important point of the negotiations.
Ultimately, Erdoğan’s passion to control the Temple Mount combined with Israel and Saudi Arabia’s efforts to stop him may lead to the conflicts described in Daniel 11.
Are the Normalization Agreements the Covenant with Many?
It is too early to say whether these agreements represent the covenant with many.
What we can say is that these agreements include the right nations, those being Egypt and its Arab allies. They are also opposed by the right nations, that is Turkey and its allies. What this indicates is that these agreements may be the start of the covenant with many and may form into that covenant if Saudi Arabia follows.
And the ember at the center of their battle will be the Temple Mount and perhaps the issue of the prophesied third temple.