Turkey

PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE:

Turkey was the center of the great Islamic caliphate known as the Ottoman Empire, which reigned over a sizeable portion of the world until it was dissolved at the end of World War I. At the present time it is controlled by a secular government and is considered the geographical, political, and religious connection between Europe and the struggling Islamic nations of the Middle East.

The country has a stable economy and one of the largest standing armies in the world. It has applied for membership in the European Union. It has a defense pact with Israel, but relations between the two countries have been severely strained since the Israelis intercepted a flotilla heading from Turkey to Gaza in 2010. The ships were supposedly only carrying humanitarian aid, but they were in fact bringing illegal weapons.

Turkey figures prominently in Bible prophecy as the land of the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation, and as a key ally of Magog, a powerful nation in the North that many prophecy scholars have tentatively identified as Russia. Together with other nations, these allies will engage Israel in a future war against Israel. See The War of Gog and Magog.

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Insight from 2012: The Year the World Didn't End
Excerpt from Connecting the Dots: A Handbook of Bible Prophecy





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Current Events

Prophetic Significance of Turkey

See also:
War of Gog and Magog
Middle East Conflict

Notice: Sources often remove their news links after a period of time. Some of them move older stories to a subscription-only section. Even if the story is no longer on line, our summary will still be available on this page.

Names translated from other languages may have different spelling, depending on the source.


See more recent articles: After December 31, 2016


At least 50 killed, 94 injured in bomb attack at wedding in Turkey, Erdogan says ISIS is 'likely perpetrator'

Aug. 21, 2016 - A terrorist attack at at Turkish wedding in Gaziantep has killed at least 50 people. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was probably responsible for the carnage.

He said in a written statement that there was "no difference" between the group of United States-based preacher Fethullah Gulen who he blames for a failed July 15 coup bid, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) "and Daesh (ISIS).

Source: Straits Times
Suicide bomber at Turkish wedding was as young as 12, president says - Fox

Prophetic Significance of Turkey


The Coup May Have Failed but Fear Still Rules Turkey

Aug. 15, 2016 - The Turks are living in fear after the attempted coup there. Everyone who may have a link to Fethullah Gülen, the exiled opponent to Turkey's president Ergodan, is considered a suspect in the government crack-down.

Over the month since the attempted uprising, more than 23,000 people have been detained and nearly 82,000 have been suspended or removed from their jobs.

Source: Time
Inside the secretive religious movement that is being blamed for Turkey's attempted coup - Chicago Tribune
US moves nuclear weapons from Turkey to Romania - Euractiv


Turkey, Russia Hold Talks, Ease Tensions Over Syria

Aug. 13, 2016 - At a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin:

Putin announced that Russia would begin easing sanctions designed to punish Turkey. The move would include restarting work on energy projects, such as work on Turkey’s first nuclear power center and a pipeline from southern Russia to the Black Sea.

Source: Voice of America
What the Restored Turkey-Russia Relationship Means for the Middle East - Iran, too, is trying to get in on the action. - Stratfor
Iran welcomes thaw between Turkey, Russia - "Iran has always had a positive dialogue with Turkey on Syria and has very good ties with Russia." - Hurriyet Daily News

Erdogan Says Talks with Putin to Open Up New Alliance

Aug. 8, 2016 - Turkey and Russia have experienced high tension since last November when Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet near the Syrian border. However, this week Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is going to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.
"This will be a historic visit, a new beginning. At the talks with my friend Vladimir (Putin), I believe, a new page in bilateral relations will be opened. Our countries have a lot to do together," TASS quoted Erdogan as saying.

The Syrian problem will be the most important issue they will discuss. Russia has backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but Turkey wants to oust him.

Source: NewsMax

Turkey's Erdogan declares three-month state of emergency following failed coup

July 21, 2016 -

The declaration by Recep Tayyip Erdogan enables the imposition of curfews and searches of people by Turkish security forces on the street. Everyone will be required to carry identity cards.

Erdogan's government is purging the military, and is also eliminating opposition in the educational arena. It has fired nearly 22,000 education ministry workers and revoke the licenses of 21,000 other teachers at private schools. It blames the failed coup attempt on Fethullah Gulen, a U .S.-based Muslim cleric.

Source:Fox
Who is Fethullah Gulen? - Joel Rosenberg
Thousands of Turkey coup prisoners 'raped, starved, hogtied' - WND
Gülen: Erdogan Threatens Turkey's Democracy - NewsMax


Turkey coup attempt: Crackdown toll passes 50,000

July 20, 2016 - The Turkish Government has rounded up or suspended more than 50,000 people suspected of disloyalty to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Most of them are thought to be allied to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Turkey is pressing the US to extradite Mr Gulen and the issue was raised during a phone call between US President Barack Obama and President Erdogan on Tuesday, the White House said.

Source: WND

Failed Coup in Turkey: Turkey calls for return of 8 ‘treacherous officers’ seeking asylum in Greece

Turkish officials Saturday called for the prompt return of eight ‘treacherous officers’ who landed in Greece after a deadly military coup attempt in Ankara by a cadre of disaffected officers.

Source: Fox
Reasons behind coup: By BBC's Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen - BBC
Turkey's president blames Fethullah Gülen, a Muslim cleric in the Poconos, for coup - Philly.com
FAILED COUP: Turkey’s increasingly dangerous Islamist President Erdogan returns to power. UPDATE: Nearly 3,000 arrested, 265 dead, 1,400 wounded. - Joel Rosenberg
Earllier blog about Erdogan What are threats the next American President will face? Here’s one: The rise of a dictator in Turkey. - Joel Rosenberg
Fethullah Gülen: who is the man Turkey's president blames for coup attempt? - The Guardian - UK
Turkey's coup may have failed – but history shows that it won’t be long before another one succeeds - Robert Fisk - The Guardian

Coup underway in Turkey amid reports of gunfire, explosions in major cities, police deaths

July 15, 2016 -

Members of Turkey's military announced on Friday night that they had seized power in the country, with reports that a bomb hit the parliament building... A spokesman for Turkey's national intelligence agency claimed the takeover attempt had been "repelled."

Source: Fox
Breaking News: Turkey Attempted Coup - Sky News
Turkish President Erdogan appears in Istanbul to denounce army coup attempt - BBC
Brigitte Gabriel: Obama's Support of Erdogan Is 'Mind-Boggling' - Fox Video

Darkness falling over Turkey. Israel tells its citizens to leave Turkey immediately as ISIS threat to Jews & Christians grows.

Mar. 29, 2016 -

On March 20th... a suicide bomber with links to ISIS blew himself up in the heart of Istanbul, killing four and wounded 36 people

Source: Joel Rosenberg

See earlier Articles: before Jan. 1, 2016


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Turkey

Turkey - The CIA World Factbook
Turkey - Wikipedia
The Treacherous Trio of Ezekiel 38 - by Mary Miller, Koinonia Institute
Part 2 -
Part 3

Gog and Magog Links

The Magog Invasion - Chuck Missler
Magog Revisited - Missler
Ezekiel 38 - Bill Konig
The Center For Security Policy

Excerpts from

Connecting the Dots: A Handbook of Bible Prophecy

Pages 141-142
- The Aggressors of the War of Gog and Magog - Ezekiel 38:1-4

According to Ezekiel, an alliance of enemies will attack Israel in the End Times. The leader will be Gog of the land of Magog, who is the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. He is assisted by Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, Beth T ogarmah, and other nations. Most of these names are listed in the genealogies of Genesis 10. Gog is not listed in Genesis 10, but he is evidently the head of the land of Magog, who is mentioned as a son of Japheth, one of Noah's sons. It is known that Japheth traveled north from Mt. Ararat after the flood. Hesoid, a Greek writer of the 7th century BC, and contemporary of Ezekiel, identified Magog with the Scythians and southern Russia. Flavius Josephus, a 1st century Jewish historian said that Magogians were called "Scythians" by the Greeks. Philo, a 1st century Greek identified Magog with southern Russia.Commentators from the turn of this century and before have generally identified Gog and Magog with Russia even though, at the time, they could not explain why Russia would turn against God's people. They conjectured that perhaps the time would come when there would be animosity between Russia and Israel. Rosh ("head", "chief") sounds like Russia. Meshech sounds like Moscow or Mushkovi, the old name for Russia. Tubal sounds like Tobolsk.

- The Target: Israel - Ezekiel 38:2-12

This is the only time in history that this could be said of Israel, that they were brought back from many nations. It is true that they were brought back from Babylon and Persia in the Old Testament, but it is only since the Zionist movement, which began in the late 1800's, that Jewish people have returned from nations all over the world. They had been scattered abroad even in New Testament times. On the Day of Pentecost, for example, the various languages spoken by the Apostles, when the Holy Spirit came upon them, represented the many lands where they had settled. But they had not returned to stay. This really never happened until the amazing events that led to the rebirth of Israel in 1948. What thoughts would come into Russia's mind to make them want to attack Israel? A consideration of Russia's instability and the plans of some of their leaders for expansion throughout the Mediterranean area is given below. Israel has always been a key land bridge between Russia's allies and is presently an enemy of some of those allies. Any number of scenarios in the always-volatile Middle East politics could lead to a Russian attack in the future.

- Russia's Allies - Ezekiel 38:5-6

Persia is now known as Iran, and there is an amazingly close relationship now between Russia and Iran. Cush is Ethiopia, Put is Libya, Gomer and Beth Togarmah may well be Turkey and/or other Islamic nations like those once part of the Soviet Union.

It is interesting that Mizraim, the forefather of Egypt is apparently missing from this lineup. This, of course, fits the current world scene, with Egypt being the first Arab nation to make peace with Israel.

- Israel's Allies - Ezekiel 38:13

Israel's allies appear to be few and feeble. Some of Saudi Arabia was populated by Sheba and Dedan. The merchants of Tarshish could be England and English colonies. In that case, The United States could even be included since we were once an English colony. These allies ask why Russia and its allies are coming, but do not appear to deter them.

- The Outcome - Ezekiel 38:22

The quick end of this future war will be with God's judgment. It could be God's personal power, raining literal fire and brimstone, as in the days of Sodom, or it could be God using nation against nation, as he often did in the Old Testament, to precipitate a nuclear exchange.

And with pestilence and with blood I shall enter into judgment with him; and I shall rain on him, and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire, and brimstone. - Ezekiel 38:22 (NIV)

The next chapter of Ezekiel continues to give details of this great conflict. Again, it is a scene of utter destruction.

"And I shall strike your bow from your left hand, and dash down your arrows from your right hand. 4 "You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops, and the peoples who are with you; I shall give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and beast of the field. 5 "You will fall on the open field; for it is I who have spoken," declares the Lord GOD. 6 "And I shall send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety; and they will know that I am the LORD." - Ezekiel 39:3-6 (NIV)

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