I have said for many years that Russia, even though they will be leading the Ezekiel 38 coalition that moves against Israel in the last days, is not the primary nation to worry about. I think Turkey is going to be an instigator just as much if not more than Russia. Yes Russia seems to be the primary nation from the far north, however, many of the nations that are mentioned are not only Muslim but have been a part of the old Ottoman Empire.  

The leader of Turkey is a dictator. His human rights record is horrible.  Edorgen imagines himself an end time leader to bring a resurgence of the caliphate.  He has visions of grandeur.  He walks a tightrope as a member of NATO, but also staying true to his Muslim brothers. At times he has ignored Israel, but most recently the rhetoric that is being hurled against Israel by Turkey is troublesome. Turkey has 450,000 troops ready to march, second among NATO forces, and  a sophisticated drone wing as well as working on missile technology. Turkey is now a rogue nation, threatening Israel, and others in the Middle East, including Syria, and having a close relationship with Russia and China.  This is a nation that needs to be taken seriously.

Perhaps the most dangerous element of Erdoğan’s strategy lies to Israel’s north. Turkey has entrenched itself in Syria, creating zones of influence just across Israel’s border. This puts Turkish forces—and the Islamist militias it backs—perilously close to Israel’s northern frontier. For Israel, the nightmare scenario is clear, Turkey an established state with advanced weaponry, a massive army, and global alliances.

Again, we are living in prophetic times. We understand that Russia will lead a coalition from the north to move on against Israel in what is called Ezekiel 38 war. However, it is Turkey that will be right with them and maybe even pushing them in that direction . Russia will probably have much more economic reasons from moving the Ezekiel 38 war against Israel, but Turkey has an intense hatred of the Jewish people.  Religious  hatred in the Middle East is powerful for war. 

 Turkey has already reshaped battlefields from Nagorno-Karabakh to Ukraine, and its defense industry is expanding rapidly. This combination of military power, strategic geography, and ideological fervor makes Turkey a unique threat. Iran may be Israel’s most immediate adversary, but Turkey’s long-term potential is greater: 

• a modern state
• a powerful army
• and a leader bent on empire.

More Dangerous Than Iran?

For years, Israeli leaders and analysts have worried about Tehran’s nuclear clock. But what if the greater danger is Ankara’s ambition clock?  Iran represents a sectarian Shi‘ite power; Turkey represents the possibility of a pan-Sunni revival.

Where Iran builds power through fear, Turkey builds it through influence—through trade, cultural ties, religious rhetoric, and the promise of Islamic unity. In many ways, this is the more potent formula. A leader who can unite diverse Muslim nations under the banner of Jerusalem’s “liberation” poses a threat that reaches far beyond rockets and centrifuges.

For those who read history with the Bible in hand, the rise of Turkey as Israel’s adversary should not come as a surprise. Ezekiel 38 describes a vast northern coalition led by “Gog of the land of Magog” that will one day march against Israel. Among the nations listed are Meshech and Tubal—regions that many scholars trace back to modern-day Turkey.

This prophecy outlines not just a sudden attack, but a deliberate alignment of nations under a leader who seeks to destroy Israel in the latter days. We are told that this coalition will include Persia (modern Iran), Cush, Put (North Africa), and others—but Turkey may very well be the spearhead of the end-time invasion

Never fear, it will not be Israel’s strength that saves them on that day, but it will be the very hand of God that will fight on Israel‘s behalf. As a noted radio personality, and defender of the faith Jan Markell has said recently, “the pieces are not falling apart, they’re falling into place.”  Maranatha