Trump’s Splashy Saudi Trip Advances Bible Prophecy

This morning we look at President Trump’s full embrace of the Arab world. This is happening even as the relationship between Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu is fraying. Israel has to be deeply concerned about the reliability of its alliance with America. It is looking for other friends. One of its favored options is Germany.

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Our feature story this morning, by Josué Michels, shows why this will prove to be a problem. Recent surveys show the growing disconnect in Germans’ and Israelis’ perceptions toward one another. “While Israel views Germany as an ally, Germany views Israel as the problem,” Michels writes.

Now to the biggest shock coming out of Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia:

Trump’s Syria surprise: During a speech yesterday, the president announced he will lift all U.S. sanctions on Syria. To the delight of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Trump said he wants to support Syria’s economic recovery and stabilize the region, even if it means overlooking the new government’s ties to extremism.

“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” he said. “It’s their time to shine. We’re taking them all off. Good luck, Syria; show us something very special.”

This move ignores reports that Syria’s new government has committed violence, particularly against Alawites. In March, over a thousand people, mostly Alawite civilians, were killed in clashes with security forces, who were accused of revenge killings after attacks by pro-Assad militants. The president, Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known by his warrior name Abu Mohammad al-Jolani), condemned the violence but acknowledged his forces’ involvement. Apparently Trump is confident Syria’s new leaders will behave themselves.

Then this morning in Riyadh, Trump personally met Sharaa. Five months ago, the U.S. had a $10 million bounty on this man’s head for fighting with al Qaeda against American forces in Iraq. But then last December, he led the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in ousting the dictator Bashar Assad. Now he is wearing a suit, saying nice things, and meeting directly with the American president. Surely this is the quickest rehabilitation of a jihadi in history.

Trump is brushing aside Israel’s deep suspicions that Sharaa’s moderate rhetoric is just a tactic to gain legitimacy, not a genuine departure from his decades-long record of extremism. Trump is increasingly showing himself unconcerned about offending Israel.

This move is extraordinary when viewed in light of biblical prophecy. We expect Europe, particularly Germany, to move into Syria. Assad’s fall created a beautiful opening. Germany immediately began working with the new government despite all the concerns about extremism. It has wanted to help Syria rebuild, but America’s sanction made this difficult. Now that Trump is lifting those sanctions, it clears the path for major German investment. It has been working to build a beachhead in the Middle East within Syria, and now you can be certain it will succeed.

The prophecy in Psalm 83 describes an alliance among several Arab states, including Syria and Saudi Arabia, with Germany and Turkey. These events in Syria advance that prophecy astonishingly. Turkey was directly responsible for Sharaa’s success in deposing Assad. Saudi Arabia backs Turkey’s man and is facilitating this meet-and-greet with Trump. Syria—until recently a bosom ally of Iran—is ingratiating itself with other Arab states and even the West. They are all working together in ways unthinkable just months ago. And Germany is eager to join the party.

It is getting difficult to keep up with all the ways that Donald Trump’s unorthodox governing style is advancing Bible prophecy. But here is another:

Arming Israel’s future enemy: In a normal world, if you read that America just signed its largest defense contract in history, and that it took place in the Middle East, you would guess it was with the Jewish state. But as of yesterday, you would be wrong.

Before President Trump left Saudi Arabia, he signed the “largest defense cooperation deal in U.S. history” with the dominant Gulf state, amounting to nearly $150 billion. Specifics are unknown but are said to include state-of-the-art military hardware for air force and space, air and missile defense and maritime security.

The deal is a boon for the Saudis. Not only does it lock in a supply of the most advanced military hardware, it also legitimizes the Arab monarchy, which is trying to shake off its image as a breeding ground for Islamic terrorism.

This was the most consequential of the agreements the two countries made. But President Trump was also excited about the Saudis pledging to invest $20 billion to build AI data centers across the U.S., over $14 billion for gas turbines and energy solutions, nearly $5 billion for Boeing 737-8 aircraft, stakes in U.S. businesses and sports ventures, including potential film production studios, and other projects. Overall the Saudis pledged some $600 billion in investment in the U.S., with the possibility for it rising to $1 trillion—though past pledges have not panned out to near the scale promised.

• One thing Israel was hoping for was not on the agenda in Saudi Arabia: a path toward normalization with Israel and joining the Abraham Accords. While Trump said this was “his dream,” he said the Saudis would do that on their own terms and in their “own time.”

It is easy to see why Saudi Arabia appeals to the “art of the deal” president. The Saudis have lots of cash and want to diversify away from oil so they can still make money when the oil runs out. America has a lot to sell—so it’s a win-win.

Yet here again, Bible prophecy supplies the perspective that American officials are overlooking. That prophesied alliance, of which Saudi Arabia will be a major part, is going to wage war against Israel—and even America. Thus, what is touted as a cooperation deal is actually arming a future adversary.

From Saudi Arabia, Trump traveled to Qatar. Elon Musk couldn’t have been happier to see his Cybertrucks jazzed up in Qatari colors leading the president’s escort from the airport.

This is the nation that harbors and funds Hamas. The Middle East Forum documented that Qatar has spent over $40 billion to influence U.S. policy over the past two decades. The Free Press says today that figure is actually $100 billion.

Perhaps Trump is trying to draw Qatar away from Iran, or perhaps he just sees a business partner. In reality, Trump’s visit is more than that. As our own Mihailo Zekic wrote Monday, “The truth is, Qatar has been greasing the pockets of the Trump administration for years now. Evidence suggests this is letting Qatar have an outsized influence in President Trump’s foreign policy—to the detriment of an important ally.” Read “In Qatar’s Pocket” to understand how deep Qatar’s influence goes into the Trump administration.

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