One major signal just leaped to the top of God’s prophetic timeline. Israel and her traditional enemies, the Arabs, have agreed to full normalization of relations.
While the agreement, to be soon formalized at a White House signing, isn’t an agreement of peace in terms of a full peace treaty between Israel and all its Arab neighbors, it is the first time in twenty-five years that such an agreement has been reached. The first was between Israel and Egypt, when Jimmy Carter, Israel Prime Minister Menachem Began, and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat came together in 1978. The second was in 1994 when Israel and Jordan signed a similar agreement. Both treaties have held relatively firm since their signings.
This agreement is between the UAE (United Arab Emirates)—a Gulf state—and Israel. Israel agreed to suspend its planned extension of sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria to facilitate relations with the UAE and potentially other Arab and Muslim countries. The action has, as might be expected, brought praise and condemnation from various parties involved in international relations.
Among prophecy watchers, it has stirred much punditry, as does any activity involving Israel and the peace process. The big question some are asking: Is this peace signing the one that will eventually bring about the covenant made with death and hell as foretold in Daniel 9:26–27 and Isaiah 28:15, 18?
According to the Jerusalem Post:
The agreement will include establishing embassies and exchanging ambassadors, investments into the Israeli economy, trade, direct flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi, an investment in Israeli efforts to develop a corona virus vaccine – as first reported in The Jerusalem Post last month – and cooperation in matters of energy and water. An important element of the deal for the UAE is the expectation that its citizens would be able to visit the Al-Aksa mosque in Jerusalem. (Lahav Harkov, “Third-ever Peace Treaty between Israel and an Arab State Includes Embassies, Direct Flights; Agreement “Suspends” Annexation, but Netanyahu Says: ‘I will never give up on our right to our land,’” Jerusalem Post, Omri Nahmias, 8/14/2020)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the deal “full, formal peace” with “one of the strongest countries in the world.”
“Together we can bring a wonderful future. It is an incomparably exciting moment,” he said. “I have the great privilege to make the third peace treaty between Israel and an Arab country, the UAE.”
In a post to his Twitter account, President Donald Trump said: “Opening direct ties between two of the Middle East’s most dynamic societies and advanced economies will transform the region by spurring economic growth, enhancing technological innovation, and forging closer people-to-people relations.”
Speaking further in the Oval Office, Trump indicated he anticipated “many more countries” in the region normalizing ties with Israel and “some very exciting things including, ultimately, with the Palestinians.”
The Israeli prime minister said he has “reason to be very optimistic that the announcement with the UAE will be joined by more countries in this expanding circle of peace.”
Palestinian leadership and Iranian leadership are among those not happy with the peace-making effort. But others of the Arab world believe it to be in their best interest to see stability in the region that such an arrangement will bring.
Most Arab leaders who see the advantages are pleased that Israel has put on hold the annexation of much of the Jordanian territory they had been seeking to implement. Netanyahu made it plain that the agreement in no way is giving up Israel land for a peace arrangement. In this regard, making the agreement, which includes no giving up of Israeli territory, breaks tradition of other efforts at peace, in which the Jewish state had to agree to give away parcels of land to get Arab agreement.
The agreement “ushers in a new era of peace between Israel and the Arab world,” Netanyahu said.
Many Bible prophecy students who observe developments see this as a major event in bringing about the wrap-up of the age. Considering all the other issues and events that seem to be converging at such a torrid pace, it is more than understandable that Israel making such an agreement brings sharp observation and commentary.
One such pundit believes that French President Emmanuel Macron is the number-one candidate to be Antichrist. According to many, Macron exhibits many of the characteristics of that future man of sin.
Macron immediately asserted his strong support and intention to get involved in the new peace agreement in several statements. The French president’s comments brought some strong opinions including from the aforementioned writer, who writes the following:
Emmanuel Macron has now officially inserted himself into not only the Middle East on multiple levels, he has also just given himself a seat in the “Abraham Accord” announced by President Trump and Jared Kushner yesterday…
This is the beginning of the Daniel 9:27 covenant with “death and Hell.” This is it, and Emmanuel Macron is the man of sin.
While I’m not prepared to make bold declarations such as naming Antichrist, nor even to declare this to be the beginning of that apocalyptic false peace, I can certainly join in the exuberance in pointing to where this generation almost certainly stands on God’s prophetic timeline.