Chapter 3: The Middle East in End-Time Prophecy #

Bible prophecy tells us that the historic hostilities between the two branches of Abraham’s family will finally come to an end—but not in the way geopolitical analysts would likely predict.

Before Christ’s return and before these animosities come to an end, the Bible describes an end-time “king of the South” (Daniel 11:40). Indications are that the Arab/Muslim world will unite in an effort to destroy the offspring of Abraham’s grandson Jacob.

Psalm 83 also foretells a powerful coalition of mostly Arab and Muslim nations, a vast confederacy determined to exterminate Israel from the earth.

“They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.’ For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You” (Psalm 83:4-5).

Verses 6-8 identify the nations that will unite against Israel. The names point clearly to Arabic and Muslim nations of the Middle East, among others.

This prophecy reveals that a lasting peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis will not be achieved in our time. Instead, Israel and the Muslim world will continue to be adversaries for the foreseeable future.

Whatever damage this coalition may inflict upon Israel, they will not succeed in conquering the Jewish state. That will be accomplished by a different power. So now let’s trace the prophecies of a future superpower based in Europe.

The Middle East vs. the Roman Empire #

At this point, in order to see what the future holds for the Middle East, we must turn our attention to Europe. Why? Because prophecy shows that in the future, the Middle East will be fighting against a revived Roman Empire.

In Daniel chapters 2 and 7, God foretold that, starting with the Babylonian Empire in Daniel’s day, there would be four successive, major empires dominant in the world. (The Babylonian Empire was based in what is now Iraq.)

The second was the Persian Empire (based in modern Iran). Next came the Greek Empire. Then came the mighty Roman Empire, which was centered in Europe. See our online article “Daniel 7: Four Beasts and the Little Horn” for the details.

The Bible prophesies that the Roman Empire will again be dominant at the time of the end. But how can that be, since the Roman Empire fell more than 1,500 years ago in A.D. 476?

God showed that this empire would be revived—brought back to life—not just once, but 10 times! These 10 revivals are represented by 10 horns in Daniel 7:7. The first three horns—revivals—existed with some overlap in history. The last seven are more consecutive in their rise and fall. (See the chart “Roman Empire and Its 10 Revivals.”)

At this time, nine revivals of the Roman Empire have already occurred. The final revival is yet to come, and when it does it will become a major force in future events.

The Roman Empire, with its revivals, has always been centered in Europe. And the Bible prophesies that in the end a confederation of 10 “kings”—rulers of nations or groups of nations—will come to power, perhaps emerging from a reconfigured European Union (Daniel 2:41-44; Revelation 17:12-13).

This power, also referred to as the beast in verses 12 and 13, will even fight against Christ when He returns to rule the world (verse 14; for more about this, see “Who Is the Beast?”). Before that, however, it will be engaged in a massive conflict in the Middle East.

The king of the South and the king of the North #

This takes us to Daniel 11, which is an incredibly detailed prophecy that foretold the conflict over the Holy Land from the time of Alexander the Great to the end time. First it predicted the specifics of the struggles between the Ptolemies in the south and the Seleucids to the north.

Historically, the king of the South was the dynastic leader of the Ptolemies, the Egyptian branch of the Greek Empire. For over a century, the king of the South struggled for supremacy against the king of the North—the Syria-based Seleucids, another branch of the Greek Empire. This took place in the third and second centuries B.C., after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. (Daniel 11:3-4).

But in the end time, the “king of the North” will be the final, revived Roman Empire. The term “king of the North” is derived from its general location in reference to Jerusalem. Similarly, the “king of the South” will most likely be a Muslim power generally centered south of Jerusalem.

There is so much historical detail in this chapter—now fulfilled prophecy foretold centuries in advance—that we encourage you to read some of the fascinating details in our article “Daniel 11: The Most Detailed Prophecy in the Bible.”

Let’s now pick up the historical thread in Daniel 11:40. The time frame is obviously end-time: “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him [the king of the North, the final revival of the Roman Empire]; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.”

Again, this is clearly a reference to modern times. At the time of the end—leading up to Christ’s return—military conflict will involve advanced weaponry that Daniel described using the terminology of his day.

In this prophecy, the “king of the South” (presumably a Muslim leader) attacks the end-time European power, perhaps over oil, shipping lanes, tariffs, expansion threats, terrorism or “holy war.” The king of the North will strike back with superior technology and military power to protect its interests, overpowering multiple countries.

Interestingly, the prophecy reveals that three nations will avoid being overthrown by the king of the North—“Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon” (verse 41). This corresponds to the modern nation of Jordan and possibly Turkey. This may show the end-time Muslim union will be weak, likely including nations like Turkey and Jordan that have historically been on better terms with the West than other Muslim nations.

Instead of overthrowing and occupying these nations, the king of the North will focus his attention on the Holy Land, Egypt and northern Africa.

This end-time war will be the culmination of hundreds of years of tension between European and Muslim civilizations, which we explored in the preceding chapter. (See “The King of the North” and “The King of the South” for additional explanation.)

Jerusalem: Focal point of conflict and dominion #

Continuing in Daniel 11, verse 41 says the king of the North will enter “the Glorious Land”—a reference to the original Promised Land, but known today as Israel and Palestine. The 12 tribes of Israel entered this land in the late 15th century B.C. In the 10th century B.C., King David established Jerusalem as the capital.

But within a few centuries, due to flagrant sins against God, the Israelites of the northern kingdom were conquered and deported (2 Kings 17:7-23). God had repeatedly warned them that breaking His commandments would lead to captivity. Later, people of the southern kingdom of Judah were also conquered because of their sins, and many were taken captive to Babylon. However, God promised the southern tribes that they could return after 70 years and inhabit Jerusalem again, which some of them did.

Later the Greeks took control of Jerusalem, and after that, the Romans. In the fourth century A.D., the Roman emperor Constantine declared Christianity to be the state religion, and the Roman Catholic Church claimed Jerusalem.

In the seventh century, Arabs and other Muslims took control. And so, Jews, Christians and Muslims all have claimed ownership rights to Jerusalem over the millennia.

Before and after the formation of the modern-day State of Israel (mostly from the tribe of Judah) in 1948, this relatively small area has been among the most hotly contested pieces of real estate in the entire world. And currently Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, is inhabited by Christians, Jews and Muslims. Each would like to have sovereign control of this ancient city.

Prophecy tells us that before the final end-time events, efforts to take control of Jerusalem will greatly intensify.

Notice what God says in Zechariah 12:3, “And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.”

Since prophecy shows that the daily sacrifices will be taken away and “the abomination of desolation” will be set up, sacrifices must, at some point, be restarted in Jerusalem (Daniel 12:11; Matthew 24:15).

Christ foretold in His Olivet Prophecy, “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near” (Luke 21:20).

Christ then said, “There will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (verses 23-24).

Revelation 11:2 tells us that these gentiles will “tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.” At the conclusion of this 3½-year period, the end of this age will occur and Christ will return to the earth.

But who are the gentiles who conquer Jerusalem and occupy it during this final time period?

As we saw in Daniel 11:40-41, this invading power is the “king of the North,” the revived Roman Empire also referred to as the “beast” in the book of Revelation.

For further study, see “Times of the Gentiles.”

A 200-million-man army #

But after this European “beast” power takes the Holy Land, the story continues. Daniel 11:44 says, “But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.”

These forces from the east and the north are also described as a 200-million-man army in Revelation 9:16. As part of Revelation’s sixth trumpet plague, a third of mankind will be killed as this massive army marches toward the Middle East (verse 18).

This is a reference to the large and populous nations of Asia. This will likely include Russia and China, which are geographically located to the north and east of Jerusalem. This seems to be a loose coalition that will be assembled to challenge the European “beast” power.

Learn more about the seven trumpet plagues in our online article “How 7 Trumpets of Revelation Will Affect Humanity.”

Armageddon and the final battle #

During the seventh trumpet—at the very end of this present age—the Middle East will be the final locale of warfare engulfing the entire world.

Revelation 16:14 says that the kings “of the whole world” will be gathered to the Middle East for a final battle. This would include the remaining forces of the Arab/Islamic nations along with the forces of the “beast” and the army from Asia.

Verse 16 foretells that all these armies will be gathered “to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.” This is the hill or mountain of Megiddo, about 80 miles north of Jerusalem by road, overlooking a large open plain, the Jezreel Valley.

But contrary to popular assumptions, the world’s final battle will not take place here. Instead Armageddon will be a staging area, where these armies will gather to fight the returning Jesus Christ—an enemy they will see as more threatening than each other.

Jesus Christ will visibly return to Jerusalem and descend on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4).

The warring nations of the world will make the misguided choice to march south toward Jerusalem to battle against Jesus Christ and His saints.

The final battle will be centered in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (also known as the Kidron Valley), lying between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.

As the prophecy in Joel 3:1-2 says, “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land.”

More detail is provided in Zechariah 14:2-4: “For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem . . . Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west.”

This battle between Jesus Christ and the world’s armies will be swift and decisive.

Verses 12-13 describe the power Christ will use to vanquish His opposition: “And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.”

This, then, is how the aggressive forces of the Middle East—and the entire world—will finally be stopped. In a display of unmistakable power, Jesus will literally cause His opponents to melt where they stand. This will send an essential message to the entire world that a new authority has arrived and that all resistance will be futile.

If He didn’t intervene and violently stop these forces from fighting each other, all humanity would be destroyed (Matthew 24:22).

Revelation 19:15 further describes this act and the reason for it: “Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”

Before Jesus establishes His benevolent government, which will bring peace and justice to a war-torn world, He will display His power and authority in the most graphic and decisive manner possible.

But this is not the end of the story. After Christ’s return, the branches of Abraham’s family will finally begin to live in peace and learn to get along with each other. As we will see in our concluding chapter, this will be one of many changes that will come after Jesus Christ returns and establishes the Kingdom of God on earth.

CHART: ROMAN EMPIRE AND ITS 10 REVIVALS
“The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom” (Daniel 7:23-24). The 10 horns are 10 revivals or resurrections that would arise from this empire after its initial death.		The Roman Empire started about 31 B.C. It fell in A.D. 476.
Horn		Fulfillment
These first three revivals were subdued in the presence of the papacy (the “little,” separate horn in Daniel 7:8, 24).	1st horn/revival	The Vandals (about A.D. 429-533).
	2nd horn/revival	The Heruli (about 476-493).
	3rd horn/revival	The Ostrogoths (about 493-554).
The last seven revivals have an association or cooperative relationship with the papacy or the official state religion, an arrangement that helped to unify the empire. These seven revivals are depicted by a beast with seven heads in Revelation 17:1-6.	4th horn/revival	Began in 554 with the “Imperial Restoration” of the Roman Empire by Emperor Justinian, who again declared Christianity to be the official state religion.
	5th horn/revival	Began in 774. The Frankish king Charlemagne was crowned by the pope in 800 as emperor of the Roman Empire.
	6th horn/revival	German King Otto the Great was crowned by the pope in 962 as emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
	7th horn/revival	Charles V was crowned king of Germany in 1520, then crowned by the pope as Holy Roman emperor in 1530.
	8th horn/revival	In 1804, at Notre Dame in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte placed a laurel crown of the Roman emperors on his head, then took the Crown of Charlemagne from the pope and crowned himself emperor.
	9th horn/revival	Began with Italy’s reunification under Garibaldi in 1870, culminated in the 1936 Rome-Berlin Axis between Hitler and Mussolini, and ended with the defeat of the Axis powers in 1945.
	10th horn/revival	Yet to come, the revival of the Holy Roman Empire as a confederation of 10 rulers or kingdoms.