According to Reuters, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was planning on meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in early March to “voice opposition to what the Israeli leader charged were Iran’s attempts to establish a permanent military foothold in Syria.” Just a few weeks ago, this humble blog pointed out that Israel is quite alarmed by Iran and Russia’s cooperation and success in Syria. Of course, Israel isn’t alone in feeling this way. A prominent Saudi journalist wrote that the Arab world should establish its own version of NATO to counter the rise of Iran in the Middle East.
Reuters went on to explain that “Iran, Israel’s arch-enemy, has been Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s staunchest backer and has provided militia fighters to help him.” The report added “Russia, also Assad’s ally, is seen as holding the balance of power in achieving a deal on Syria’s future.” A little while back, Newsweek reported about the growing tensions between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran. The countries are jostling for regional supremacy and Syria has become a proxy war between the powers. As a result, Saudi Arabia and Israel are beginning to see each other as allies. The Business Insider even observed that “There’s an alliance growing between Saudi Arabia and Israel — and Iran should be worried.” So, how does this all line up with Bible prophecy?
First, in Daniel 11:21, we learn that the Antichrist is going to come to power in Syria as a foreign leader. Ezekiel 38:2 depicts the Antichrist as the Slavic ruler of Russia at the time of the end. Putting it all together, the Antichrist will be the Slavic leader of Russia who comes to power in Syria during the end times. Currently, Russia holds all the cards in Syria and it doesn’t look like that will change. Well, in Daniel 11:22, Israel and several Arab nations attack the Antichrist in Syria. For fun, we like to call this the Daniel 11:22 War. The Daniel 11:22 War has been discussed a few times on this blog before:
Ultimately, the Antichrist will pull off the victory and force Israel and their Arab neighbors to the negotiating table. They will make a deal (Daniel 11:23). This agreement will divide the land of Israel in exchange for international recognition of the State of Israel by their Arab neighbors. This will be the seven-year covenant Israel and many other nations make with the Antichrist that begins the countdown to the Day of the Lord (Daniel 9:27).
The table is set. Israel is paranoid about Iranian influence. Iran already has a military presence in Lebanon through Hezbollah. If they were to have a military presence in Syria, Israel’s northern border would be extremely vulnerable. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and many of their Arab, largely Sunni allies aren’t happy with Persian, Shia Iran’s growing footprint in the Middle East. These countries are beginning to come together to confront Iran. The problem is that Iran is allied with Russia and they’re winning in Syria. Israel believes they can’t let this happen. Saudi Arabia believes they can’t let this happen. Along with some other participants, at some point in the near future, they will attack Russia and Iran in Syria. It will truly be the beginning of the end.