Deadly Flaw in Mideast Peace Deals
In the space of four months at the end of 2020, the Jewish state of Israel forged peace agreements with three Arab states—the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.
The quick succession of deals has given the Jews a sense that after 70 years of being considered intruders, they are finally being accepted. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called these deals a “pivot of history.”
Because this matchless achievement in diplomacy was mediated by United States President Donald Trump, it was largely ignored by the media in the U.S. But it isn’t being ignored in the Mideast!
President Trump said he is working for the dawn of a new Middle East. Certainly, Israel’s progress toward peace with surrounding Arab nations is a hope-filled moment in a time when everyone is searching for hope. The Jewish people have prayed for peace for thousands of years but never experienced it!
Israel’s deal with the U.A.E. was named the Abraham Accords, after the biblical figure. Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke about hope for all the descendants of Abraham’s sons—the Israelis from Isaac and the Arabs from Ishmael.
Mr. Netanyahu knows the price of war: His own brother was killed in the legendary Operation Entebbe in 1976. Why shouldn’t he and everyone else search hard for the blessings of peace?
We all want peace. But sadly, these recent peace pacts have a deadly flaw.
Biblical prophecy gives us deep insight into these agreements. It actually foretells that moderate Arabs will unite, somewhat like we are now seeing. But they are prophesied not to cooperate with the United States or Israel!
A prophecy in Psalm 83 exposes a hidden reality behind these peace deals. We are already in the beginning stages of its fulfillment.
There is another partner in this prophesied moderate Arab alliance.
A New Middle East Mediator?
While the agreement between Israel and the U.A.E. was mediated by the United States, the first official meeting between the two took place in Germany.
On Oct. 6, 2020, the foreign ministers of Israel and the U.A.E. met with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas at the Holocaust Memorial in central Berlin. After touring the memorial, U.A.E. Foreign Minister Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyah wrote a message in the guestbook commemorating the “European Jewish victims of the Holocaust.” He finished with, “Never again.”
The Times of Israel reported that visit as a “highly symbolic step, marking the shift in attitudes in the Arab world towards Israel and Jews.”
Maas called it “a great honor that the Israeli and Emirati foreign ministers picked Berlin as the site for their historic first meeting.” He then said, “The most important currency in diplomacy is trust, and I am personally thankful to both my colleagues that they are placing this trust in Germany” (emphasis mine).
You could view this choice of location as a sign of Arab and German repentance for their historic sins against the Jewish people. But the Psalm 83 prophecy warns us not to accept surface appearances.
In fact, the Berlin meeting between Israel and the U.A.E. is a sign that Germany is about to move into the Middle East in a powerful way.
Psalm 83 Alliance
Most people think Psalms is only a book of charming poetry. Not so. Some of the psalms are prophecy, and some prophesy specifically of our day.
Psalm 83 is an end-time prophecy describing an alliance of moderate Arab states and a united Europe led by Germany. It provides the prophetic context to understand Israel’s peace deals with the Arab states, especially Germany’s involvement. It describes an agreement among nations that leads not to peace, but to war.
“Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones” (verses 1-3).
Enemies are conspiring, but against whom? God’s nation Israel. It is critical to know who “Israel” is prophetically, in modern times. Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke of the Israelis and Jews both descending from Abraham. That is true—but what most people don’t know is that the United States also descended from Abraham! Abraham’s grandson Jacob had 12 sons, who fathered the 12 tribes of Israel. The modern descendants of ancient Israel do include the Jews—but they are the children of only one of those 12 tribes: Judah. The most prominent modern nations, Britain and America, descended from Joseph and the tribes that came from his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. (We have been teaching this truth for over 80 years. Request your free copy of Herbert W. Armstrong’s book The United States and Britain in Prophecy for proof.)
Of these enemies of Israel, Psalm 83 continues, “They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee” (verses 4-5). Why do these enemies unite? To utterly destroy Israel!
Verses 6-8 list the members of this alliance: “The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur [Assyria] also is joined with them ….”
No such alliance has ever occurred in history. The Anchor Bible explains, “History transmits no record of the national crisis when the nations enumerated in this psalm formed a league to wipe out Israel.” Lange’s Commentary agrees: “The 10 nations who are here enumerated as being combined against Israel, are never mentioned elsewhere as enemies allied at the same time and for the purpose of annihilating Israel.” That is because this is a prophecy of an end-time alliance.
The key to unlocking this prophecy is to know the modern descendants of these peoples. And God in this end time has supplied this key. Based on biblical and historical research and with God’s inspiration, Herbert W. Armstrong gave a good general idea of which nations these peoples correspond to today, equating the Ishmaelites with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, the Hagarenes with Syria, the Philistines with the Palestinians; Gebal and Tyre with Lebanon, Moab and Ammon with Jordan, and Edom and Amalek with Turkey.
The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan correspond to the Ishmaelites in this prophecy. This list includes Arab nations making overtures of peace toward the Jewish state and peoples that are presently embroiled in efforts to redefine themselves and their governments. Psalm 83 foretells where the significant changes in this region will lead.
While it seems that these nations are moving away from radicalism and violence, we must look beneath the surface. After all, this prophecy reveals that they will take “crafty counsel”—subtle and shrewd dealing. This sure prophecy shows that these nations will ally to try to blot out the name of Israel forever! That is intense hatred!
With Help From Germany
Notice too that Assur, or Assyria, is on this list. This refers to modern-day Germany. (Read “The Remarkable Identity of the German People” and our free booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.)
This is a stunning detail. America is brokering these agreements between Israel and Arab states. But in this prophecy, America isn’t brokering or participating in the alliance—in fact, it is being targeted by it! The main outside ally of these Middle Eastern states won’t be the U.S., but Germany. And other prophecies show that Germany will be the leading nation in a multinational European empire.
It is not hard to imagine how the Middle East could shift from America to Germany playing such an important role. The U.S. is politically divided and wants to pull out of foreign entanglements. Meanwhile, Germany is becoming more and more involved in the Middle East.
Germany’s part in this alliance may seem strange. But it will not surprise students of 20th-century history. Germany started two world wars, and during World War ii it had the support of most Arab nations. Adolf Hitler met personally with the grand mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini, who helped him spread pro-Nazi propaganda. Hitler also welcomed collaboration with Saudi Arabia. What united them was their hatred of the Jews.
Psalm 83 reveals that Germany will once again ally with Arabs. And it shows that their purpose will be similar to what it was during World War ii: Germany and the Arabs wanted to destroy the Jews—effectively, to cut off the name of Israel!
Yet Israel appears blind to the dangers of this alliance.
The King of the South
So why are moderate Arab nations making peace deals with Israel? One major factor is the threat they both face: the Islamic Republic of Iran. This too is prophetically significant.
People want to view the Abraham Accords as evidence of newfound love between Gulf Arabs and the Jewish state. The reality, as Ghaith al-Omari, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, put it, is this: “Iran is at the center of the convergence of interest between Israel and the U.A.E., both of whom see it as an existential threat, and this step will bolster the anti-Iranian axis” (Hill, Aug. 13, 2020).
This is a relationship of convenience, rooted in the need to counter the radical Islamic state of Iran.
Biblical prophecy reveals that the Iranian threat will soon be removed. Daniel 11:40-41 describe a colossal clash between the “king of the north” (German-led Europe) and the “king of the south” (Iran-led radical Islam).
Verse 43 of this prophecy shows that Iran’s allies in the war against German-led united Europe will include Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia. None of these nations are listed in the Psalm 83 confederation—and neither is Iran. That is because this is a separate rival Middle Eastern alliance.
These two groups of nations are already forming—one led by Iran, and the other motivated basically by fear of Iran!
What is interesting is that Germany recognizes the same reality, and has the same goal! This brings the prophecy in Daniel 11 to life!
This passage foretells Iran provoking Germany into war—and the German-led empire annihilating the Iran-led alliance! It even describes the specific method Germany will use: “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over” (verse 40).
Notice the word whirlwind. My free booklet Germany’s Secret Strategy to Destroy Iran explains how Germany is already planning to confront Iran and win decisively with a “whirlwind” strategy. A map in that booklet shows the presence Germany and its allies have in the Middle East. Germany has Iran and its allies surrounded—and surrounded again, several times! This strategic positioning will enable a swift, sudden, whirlwind-like conquest of Iran by Germany.
After crushing Iran, Germany will “enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown …” (verse 41). Germany and its European allies will enter “the glorious land,” Jerusalem—not by force, but under the guise of peace. The indication here is that Israel will actually invite the Germans in because they believe they already have peace with them.
The current peace deals between Israel and the Arab states are creating this sense of security. But Israel should be more aware of history and prophecy!
What awaits the Jews at the hands of this European-Arab alliance is one of the most treacherous betrayals in history!
The Faith of Abraham
In striking the deal with the U.A.E., Prime Minister Netanyahu referenced Psalm 29:11: “… the Lord will bless his people with peace.”
The question is, are these world leaders seeking peace God’s way? Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu are talking about Abraham, but they are not talking about what Abraham did and how he lived!
Abraham was so faithful and obedient, he was willing to sacrifice his and his wife’s only son, Isaac, because God commanded it. Abraham placed his entire trust and confidence in God. For this he is described as the father of the faithful (Romans 4:19-22). To have true peace, we need the faith of Abraham,
In your own life, if you emulate Abraham’s example and follow his faith, you can have peace and hope that is a million times greater than what is being worked toward in the Middle East right now!
Having peaceful relations with other nations is a good goal to pursue, but not at the expense of trusting in God for protection.
We should look into the Bible and be taught by Abraham’s example of faith. Abraham looked to God for deliverance like few other men ever have. He fought and defeated Assyria, the forefathers of modern Germany (Genesis 14). God would give our nations the victory today—He would give us peace and security—if we just followed Abraham’s example.
God hasn’t changed since the days of Abraham. He will reward Abraham-level faith in a nation or an individual. As impressive as Israel’s reconciliation with the Arabs is, the only way to permanent peace, collectively and individually, is to follow the faith of Abraham and trust God.
God says about mankind: “The way of peace they know not …” (Isaiah 59:8). For mankind’s entire tragic history, we have proved we do not know the way of peace! Only God does!
The outcome of our misguided peace efforts is always the same: God prophesies that “the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly” (Isaiah 33:7). That is a blanket statement—all ambassadors for peace! Bible prophecy reveals that very soon—within a decade—we will finally experience world peace, prosperity and joy! But world peace will not come by human effort! It will come at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.