Are the joint naval drills held this week between Israel, Greece, Cyprus, and France preparing Daniel 11’s “ships of Kittim,” to confront the Antichrist?
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The Ships of Kittim Thwart the Antichrist
Daniel 11 is a prophecy that an angel gave Daniel, describing battles in the “latter days.”
This prophecy includes descriptions of the Antichrist’s battles against a southern kingdom, his invasion of Israel, and his eventual downfall. One particular thing that Daniel’s prophecy tells us is that during the Antichrist’s military campaign against the southern kingdom, ships from Kittim will thwart his plans.
The ships of Kittim intervening is a massively significant milestone because the next major event Daniel describes is Israel’s invasion. This invasion is well known as the War of Gog and Magog, as found in Ezekiel 38. The invasion leads to the abomination of desolation, which marks the start of a 3 1/2 year reign of the Antichrist and the rapture of the church.
While many of the events of Daniel 11 appear to have been fulfilled in the past, we know that the prophecy also applies to the future. Jesus makes this clear by referring to the “abomination of desolation” as a future event even though it appears to have been fulfilled nearly two hundred years prior. This tells us that Daniel 11’s events form a pattern or paradigm that will repeat in the future.
In the Daniel 11 paradigm, the Antichrist will come from a northern kingdom based in Asia Minor, the region of modern-day Turkey. He will war against a southern kingdom, which has historically been Egypt.
So when we see the ships of Kittim come to support Egypt against the Antichrist’s forces out of the Turkish region, we will know the time is near.
The Alliances Formed
Kittim is usually translated to mean Cyprus, which itself is a divided island partially occupied by Turkey. While the Cyprian navy is not a formidable force, Cyprus has allied with Greece and other countries to increase its capabilities.
As I previously reported, on May 11, 2020, Egypt announced an anti-Turkey alliance composed of Greece, Cyprus, UAE, and France. These countries allied specifically to confront Turkish moves in Libya and the Mediterranean. The alignment of Cyprus, Greece, and Egypt is exactly what we would expect to see before the events of Daniel 11.
Last week, the Israeli Navy held annual joint maneuvers with Cyprus and Greece. And for the first time, France joined the exercise. Together, this alliance represents a force that would be capable of opposing a Turkish fleet. This event further aligns with Daniel 11 because Greece, Cyprus, and Israel are already allied with Egypt.
At the same time, we are starting to see Turkey and Egypt conflict over the civil war in Libya. (See the post QT – Antichrist Alliances – Turkey Opposes Egypt in Libya for details.) This is also relevant because Ezekiel names both Turkey and Libya as partaking in the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel.
Daniel 11 Being Fulfilled Before Our Eyes
Amazingly, we seeing the alliances of Daniel 11 and Ezekiel 38 lining up exactly as foretold.
| King of the North & Middle East Alliances | King of the South and Middle East Alliances |
| Turkey | Egypt |
| Qatar | Saudi Arabia |
| Libya | UAE |
| Pakistan | Cyprus |
| Iran* | Greece |
For those watching for prophetic events to unfold, the intervention of the ships of Kittim is a key one to watch. Once fulfilled we will know the abomination of desolation, the great tribulation, and the rapture are close at hand.