Prophecy being fulfilled in war

History is regarded by many as boring and dry. Yet if we examine history with Bible proph­ecy in mind, we can see many instances of Yahweh’s hand in the affairs of nations and marvel at how His Word is coming to pass.

In this article we would like to examine certain incidents in the two World Wars and try to comprehend their prophetical significance.

Defeat At Gallipoli

In 1915, the second year of World War I, the Western Front was in a state of deadlock and at the Eastern Front, the German and Austrian armies were slowly making progress against the flagging Russians. The British and their Allies decided to embark upon a new plan to attack the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. Their aim was to open up the straits at the Dardanelles so that their ships could pass through to bring much needed armaments, ammunition and food supplies to Russia. This was the only viable passage to Russia. Also incorporated in the same plan was the capture of Constantinople. Since Turkey had its only two munitions plants in the city, the collapse of Turkey (or the Ottoman Empire as it was then known) would have been immediate.

Yet this sound and far-sighted plan failed due to a chain of errors in execution almost unrivalled in British history. The landings, scattered in many places along the Gallipoli Peninsula took place on April 25th (ANZAC Day). Here are some of the incredible blunders committed: inaccurate maps were given to troop command­ers; there was a lack of ammunition; inexperi­enced Australian and New Zealand troops were used; the troops became confused as they landed since their commanders were still on the ships; there was a lack of communication be­tween all the landing beaches — on some beaches there were thousands of troops waiting for orders which never came, and the list seems endless. Whilst the Turks were demoralized and taken by surprise, the British and their Allies did not follow through due to their confusion. By the end of the year, the Allies withdrew from Galli­poli.

When we look at the attack on Gallipoli with Bible prophecy in mind, we come to realise that it had to fail. We know from Revelation 16:12 that the river Euphrates, symbolising the Turkish Empire, had to “dry up” — but it had to be a drying-up process, not a sudden and overwhelming calamity ending the existence of the ‘river’, with regard to its territory, ‘power or prestige. Moreover, it should be remembered that a river which is gradually drying up disappears first of all at the edges — the central stream remains until the last. Thus it was not in God’s purpose for the British to capture Constantinople, the heart of the Turkish ‘river’.

Another reason why the Gallipoli attack was futile was that Russia was destined to lose the war. Russia could only survive a prolonged war if supplies could pass through the Straits of the Dardanelles. Interestingly, Russia had such a jealous lust for Constantinople and a great distrust of her Allies that she refused to help the Allies who were trying to help her! This is what the historian Sir Basil Lid dell Hart had to say: “Russia would not help even in helping to clear her own windpipe. She preferred to choke rather than disgorge a morsel of her ambition. And in the end she was choked …” Since food supplies could not get through to Russia and because she was losing the war, discontent spread throughout the populace. The people rose up in the 1917 Revolution as the ‘frog-like spirits’ established Communism in the nation. Even now, Russia waits for her appointed time to satisfy her ambition to swallow up Constantinople (now Istanbul) all according to the Divine Plan.

Victory In Palestine

In the Years 1917 and 1918, the British again attacked the Turkish Empire but this time in Palestine. On this occasion they achieved outstanding success. The British and the Australians (with Lawrence of Arabia and his Arab hordes) took Jerusalem in 1917 and the rest of Palestine in the Battle of Megiddo in 1918. The Megiddo campaign was particularly successful— during a brief span of 38 days, the British had advanced 350 miles and captured 75,000 prisoners at a cost of less than 5,000 casualties.

Why did the British succeed in capturing Palestine when others had failed? Even the great Napoleon failed in his Palestinian campaign against the Turks in 1799 when his troops were struck down with dysentery and the bubonic plague at Acre and Jaffa. But the French were not meant to occupy Palestine nor was it in the Divine schedule for the ‘drying-up’ of the Turkish Empire in this area to begin in the 18th Century.

When the British came in 1917, the Turkish Empire was rapidly drying-up and the British hastened the process. That is why they met with disaster when they attacked Turkey at its focal point of Constantinople but succeeded as they attacked the edges of the Empire. Again the historian Hart states:

“If Turkey be pictured as a bent old man, the British, after missing their blow at his head— Constantinople— had now resigned themselves to swallowing him from the feet upwards, like a python dragging its endless length across the desert.”

The most important aspect of the British occu­pation of Palestine was that they issued the Balfour Declaration in 1917, allowing the Jews to return to their ancient homeland and thus began the fulfillment of the greatest of all Bible prophe­cies to be fulfilled in our time. Truly, World War I was very important in relation to world history, but much more important was it in fulfilling major Bible prophecies:

• the beginning of the rise of Communist Russia;
• the drying up of the Turkish Empire; and
• the return of the Jews to Palestine.

The Destruction Of Rome Delayed

In World War II, there occurred an incident which clearly reveals the providence of God working amongst the nations.

In 1941, Yugoslavia signed a friendship pact with Nazi Germany, but on March 27th of the same year, General Bora Mirkovich overthrew the puppet Yugoslav government, revoked the pact and brought Yugoslavia in on the side of the Allies. This led to Germany attacking Yugosla­via. In the meantime, General Mirkovich came across certain financial and diplomatic docu­ments which revealed the extent to which the Vatican had financially supported armament manufacture in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Thus the Roman Catholic Church was support­ing Fascism and Nazism even though officially she followed a policy of neutrality.

General Mirkovich was so incensed by this discovery, that he decided to send several squad­rons of the Yugoslav Airforce to bomb Rome. One squadron was assembled and made ready one night for the raid, but just before the orders were given, a sudden storm broke out and the squadron had to remain grounded. The Gen­eral’s bombing expedition had to be postponed until a few days later. Then it was too late, because shortly afterwards, the Yugoslav Air­force was crippled by Nazi bombers, which swept over and destroyed the planes on the ground. Thus Rome and the Vatican was saved from obliteration. It can be clearly seen that the hand of God was involved. Yahweh caused a storm which delayed the Yugoslav bombers from attacking the Vatican and afterwards they were destroyed by the Nazis. We know from Revelation 18:21, that Yahweh Himself, not Yugoslav bombs, will destroy Rome in the near future with a violent earthquake.

We may take comfort in the fact that the Most High really does rule in the kingdoms of men and that He is bringing about the establishment of His Kingdom as we can observe in history and in the events occurring presently.