Will Turkey be part Of the northern host invading the promised land?”Also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops — the many nations with you” (Ezk. 38:6 NW). Since Beth Togarmah encompasses a portion of modern-day Turkey, can it be concluded that Turkey will definitely be part of that invading northern host?
This month we will take a quick look at some interesting political and social developments that have occurred in Turkey over the past several months and attempt to determine whether these changes will result in the demise of the nation of Turkey as we know it today. As well, we will explore the prophetic passages that deal with this region and attempt to determine whether the nation must undergo change prior to the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38.
A look back
On October 29, 1923, modern Turkey was founded as a successor to the Ottoman Empire and incorporated as a nation. The nation, as we know it today, is comprised of several regions which were once nations in their own right. The regions in the area include such historic names as Troy, Pergamum, Ephesus and Armenia. For this consideration, we will concentrate on Armenia.
The Armenians are a fiercely independent people who have always striven to be a nation unto themselves. According to Grolier’s Encyclopedia, “The Armenians are an Indo-European people who migrated to Armenia from the west, probably in the 7th century BC. Ruled by kings of the Orontid dynasty, Armenia was one of the satrapies of the Persian empire until the defeat (4th century BC) of Persia by Alexander the Great, when it came under the rule of the Seleucid’s. The Armenian state was forced to become a tributary of Rome in 66 BC. The Armenians continued to live under the rule of other nations. In 1918, an independent Republic of Armenia was established under Dashnak administration. For the duration of the republic, the Dashnaks struggled to gain international recognition, solve chronic economic problems, and stave off attacks by Turkey.” They were unsuccessful at achieving these goals. In December, 1920, they turned the government over to the Communists with the nation being divided into two segments — the Soviet Republic of Armenia and Turkish Armenia.
The situation today
With the break-up of the USSR, the nation of Armenia came into existence from the former Soviet Union republic. Turkish Armenia, however, is still controlled by Turkey. Something has to happen to involve all of Beth Togarmah with the Northern invasion. This means something must change in Turkey. Either it will split apart, with the two Armenia’s getting together, or it will absorb Soviet Armenia into itself.
As a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), an attack of Israel by Turkey would in essence be an attack by NATO. Yet the scriptures tell us, “Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish” will not be on Gog’s side in the final invasion. Since NATO is comprised of Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish, we can conclude: Turkey will not be a member nation of NATO prior to the final invasion, or NATO will be disbanded, or Turkey will undergo a division similar to that which has occurred in Eastern Europe.
Recent political events in Turkey indicate that the nation is undergoing change. An article in the May 20, 1993 New York Times provides interesting reading. “The election of Suleyman Demirel to the presidency this week after the sudden death of Turgut Ozal in April has thrown Turkey’s political system off balance, reduced the country’s regional influence and signaled an end to the three decade-long grip on power of many of the nation’s aging political leaders.” The article indicates that change is the order of the day for the new president. Changes of national and international scope must be made by Mr. Demirel.
NATO
Turkey’s importance in NATO fell in direct proportion to the demise of the USSR. With the end of the cold war, a front line defense on the borders of Turkey was no longer necessary. “Turkey has also lost much of its importance to the West with the end of the cold war, a fact that seems to have been more quickly accepted by Mr. Demirel than his predecessor. Germany is phasing out its military aid and the United States, which gives $450 million a year, is expected to cut back its allocations” (New York Times article). Changes of this magnitude could result in Turkey’s participation as merely perfunctory or Turkey’s complete withdrawal.
Neo-Nazism
In Germany Neo-Nazism is on the rise. This time the targets of the neo-Nazis have been Turks. “Five members of a Turkish family, two young women and three little girls, burned to death here (Solingen) early this morning in the home that the family had lived in for decades as a result of a blaze that the authorities stated was set by neo-Nazi extremists” (New York Times, May 30, 1993). The deaths of the five provoked expressions of outrage by Turks against Germany, their NATO ally.
The reluctant republics
President Demirel’s big challenge is to maintain unity among the various regions of the country. This is a daunting challenge. According to The New York Times of May 20, 1993, “Former President Ozal decided to unite his nation by building an incredible infrastructure system including highways, oil and gas pipelines and railroads.” The plan did not succeed because of the huge deficit incurred trying to implement the scheme. As a result of the deficit, Mr. Demirel is faced with some difficult decisions. The New York Times outlines some of the difficult decisions the new president faces. “The budget deficit increased to $3.2 billion in the first quarter of 1993, or more than half of the government’s total deficit target for this year. As a result some serious domestic problems have raged.” The domestic problems range from creating a separate Kurdish nation to formulating a plan of reunification or repatriation with the Armenians.
Lord willing, we will continue to look at this region in coming months to detect changes that presage the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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