As of the posting of this article, a full day has elapsed since the announcement that Israel and the UAE have normalized ties in a peace agreement. It would be an understatement to say that this grabbed the attention of Christians everywhere but what does this really entail? The dust has settled somewhat so now’s a great time as ever to break this issue down.
Is it a good or bad deal for Israel and is this prophetically significant in any way? Some are also wondering if this is the Daniel 9:27 covenant that marks the start of the tribulation. I hope to use this article to address these points and keep in mind that this is still fairly “fresh” and more info continues to come out as time goes on.
It may be a few weeks or months until we really see the full ramifications of this agreement. I’ll first share a few articles then elaborate on my personal thoughts and address those previous questions. With that being said, let’s dive right into it.
In historic declaration, Israel and United Arab Emirates agree to normalize ties
From the Times of Israel: Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a historic agreement on Thursday to set up full diplomatic relations between the two countries, the third such deal the Jewish state has struck with an Arab country after Egypt and Jordan.
A White House announcement said the leaders of the US, Israel and the UAE ‘spoke today and agreed to the full normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.’ Israeli and UAE delegations will meet in the coming weeks to sign bilateral agreements regarding investment, tourism, direct flights, security and the establishment of reciprocal embassies, it said.
Announcing the deal, and issuing a joint US, Israel, UAE statement on its provisions, President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter: “HUGE breakthrough today. Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates!”
Minutes later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted out “Historic Day,” alongside Trump’s message. The UAE’s de facto ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, issued a more circumspect statement on Twitter, saying “The UAE and Israel also agreed to cooperation and setting a roadmap towards establishing a bilateral relationship.” Read More
Israel, UAE reach historic peace deal: ‘We can make a wonderful future’
From the Jerusalem Post: Israel and the UAE agreed to full normalization of relations in a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, marking the first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab country in 25 years. 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 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 coronavirus 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. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called 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,” Netanyahu said. “I have the great privilege to make the third peace treaty between Israel and an Arab country, the UAE.” Read More
Pros, Cons, and Annexation Suspended
I think the first biggest takeaway here, or at least for me, is Israel’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley) has been “suspended” as part of this agreement with the UAE. Originally this was to be done as part of Trump’s Middle East Peace plan and was originally scheduled for July 1st but was delayed.
The Trump administration’s “Vision for Peace” would allow Israel to apply its law to 30% of Judea and Samaria, including all settlements and the Jordan Valley. The rest of the West Bank would be designated for an eventual Palestinian state, which would receive recognition and a $50 billion aid package from the US if it meets a list of pre-conditions, including demilitarization and stopping incitement and salaries for terrorists. (2)
My original take on it was that this was a negative for Israel as they would not be able to annex their land. Essentially, I originally took it as a type of “land for peace” agreement in which annexation would be stopped completely as a trade off for peace. However, as more information came out throughout the day, that didn’t seem to be the case, or at least it wasn’t as clear as we would’ve liked it to be as there were conflicting interpretations to what “suspending” really meant.
Netanyahu gave a firm stance that annexation would still occur and wasn’t off the table – although when this will occur is still in question. The Jerusalem Post reported, “Netanyahu said that he still plans to apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. ‘I’m not giving up on it. It’s on the table because of me. Trump put sovereignty into his peace plan because I asked for it,’ Netanyahu said.”
“‘But in the first place I said again and again that we would only implement sovereignty in coordination with the US. Without support from the US, in the best case it would be worthless, and in the worst case, it would hurt ties very much.’ Netanyahu emphasized that he ‘did not and will not remove sovereignty from the agenda… I will never give up on our right to our land.’ Diplomatic sources in Jerusalem and Washington pointed to the use of the word “suspend,” which implies that the pause is only temporary. The wording was agreed upon by all three sides.”
He also made it clear the temporary halt was put into place by request of President Trump himself, “The Trump administration asked to temporarily suspend the announcement [of applying sovereignty] in order to first implement the historic peace agreement with the UAE.” Although Netanyahu touted this as a “Peace for Peace” agreement – to make the case that Israel had nothing to give up – Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, had his own interpretation,
Netanyahu touted a formula of “peace for peace,” based on shared interests, emphasizing economic cooperation, and peace that comes from a position of strength, rather than peace in exchange for concessions. However, bin Zayed presented the matter as though he had exacted concessions from Israel, emphasizing the suspension of sovereignty plans over normalization. He tweeted that “an agreement was reached to stop further Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories. (2)
To add to this, the UAE also sees this as an opportunity to “preserve the chances for a two-state solution” which would clearly not be in the interest of Israel. With the varying views on what “suspending” Israeli annexation plans actually means (postponing vs putting to a halt) for Israel, the UAE, and even President Trump (who appeared to contradict Netanyahu but later affirmed what he said) as well as the talks of preserving the chance for a two-state solution, you could see where my doubts were initially coming from.
However, a two-state solution was not on the table as a condition for Israel to agree to which is important to remember. So all in all, can we say this is a good deal for Israel? I believe that to be the case. Below are a few points covered in the first article highlighting what is being gained from this agreement
- Establishing embassies and exchanging ambassadors
- Investments into the Israeli economy and trade
- Direct flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi
- An investment in Israeli efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine
- Cooperation in matters of energy and water
They have traded nothing for peace as the status quo largely remains unchanged and reap immense benefits instead. To no one’s surprise, the Palestinian Authority didn’t take kindly to this announcement, denouncing it as a “despicable decision“.
Update (8/21/20) – Earlier, I made the case that the main thing that got me thinking this was a “bad deal” for Israel was due to annexation suspension. There seemed to have been mixed interpretations on what that meant but in an August 17th article by The Times of Israel, Jared Kushner made it clear that the “US will not agree to Israeli annexation ‘for some time”. In my opinion (and some may disagree) it seems to me that Israel gave away their ability or power to put their sovereignty over parts of the West Bank.
Although Netanyahu said it’s a “peace for peace” deal it seems to be more of a “power to apply sovereignty for peace” which is unfortunate. I believe this article makes that even more clear as that power isn’t even in Israeli hands anymore but now lies with the US. I believe Netanyahu may be spinning this to make it sound nicer than it seems but Jared Kushner has made it pretty clear what’s going on here. They’re saying this is “temporary”, but is that really true?
Is This the Daniel 9:27 Covenant?
Something I also felt was important to address was this plan’s relation (or rather lack there of) to the Daniel 9:27 covenant. With its announcement came much speculation within the Christian eschatological community as to this being the Daniel 9:27 covenant which is prophesied to be confirmed by the antichrist.
This thought would then lead to the labeling of someone who was a part of the effort (i.e. President Trump) as the antichrist which would eventually lead to the view that we are now in the tribulation. Similarly, this also occurred early in the year with the unveiling of Trump’s Middle East Peace plan and I addressed the issue then as well.
Unfortunately, what I’m seeing in the Christian community is a lack of proper understanding concerning what God’s word says about the last days we live in. This isn’t to mock others but to simply address a problem that seems to get more and more evident as time goes on.
This lack of knowledge leads many to feel that any discussion concerning a peace plan must be the Daniel 9:27 covenant. We need to be careful to interpret current events through the lens of scripture and not interpret scripture through the lens of current events.
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.” (Daniel 9:27)
In my first article on the tribulation I touched on how this time period starts – via the confirming of a covenant with many by the antichrist. However, scripture is clear that this doesn’t occur until the antichrist is revealed, but the revealing of the antichrist itself doesn’t occur until the “restrainer” is taken out of the way first (II Thessalonians 2:6-8).
Many – including myself – believe this restrainer to be holy spirit indwelt Christians that now, through the power of God, are restraining greater evil from coming upon the earth. However, once born again Christians are removed (by the rapture), the Holy spirit “steps aside” and allows the antichrist to come to power.
Until this sequence of events occurs (restrainer removed and antichrist revealed) there will be no Daniel 9:27 covenant, and therefore no tribulation. Due to these facts, it’s clear that this agreement is not the Daniel 9:27 covenant. Understanding this context allows us to accurately interpret the events that continue to unfold around us.
With that being said, this (and any other type of peace deal for that matter) could serve as a stepping stone to the covenant. We’re told in Daniel 9:27 that the antichrist will “confirm” a covenant. The word for confirm in Hebrew is gabar – to make strong, strengthen, to confirm.
It’s likely that something will already be in place in some form which the antichrist will then “strengthen”. What we’re seeing is an Israel that’s more than willing to enter into agreements with others for their benefit. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it shows us the mindset they have. It’s preparing them to enter the agreement of the ages and God makes his dissatisfaction towards this move clear,
Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scornful men, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, For we have made lies our refuge, And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.” (Isaiah 28:14-15)
Prophetic Implications
Now that we understand what this agreement is and isn’t the final question many of us have is is this agreement prophetically significant? Is this plan fulfilling a specific prophecy in any way? No, not exactly. There is no page in scripture where you’ll find a peace deal between Israel and the UAE prophesied.
However, like much of what I discuss on this site and in previous articles, this could very well be setting the stage for future events laid out in the bible. A portion of scripture that comes to mind is in regards to the invasion of nations that come against Israel in Ezekiel 38-39, but specifically there’s a portion in this text that describes Israel’s state of being when this occurs, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates'” (Ezekiel 38:10-11).
Could peace plans like this continue to bring further stability and safety to the region which then allows the setup for the conditions we read about here? Maybe. It’s worth considering especially as peace is waved around increasingly these days. What’s also worth noting is that Jared Kushner has hinted that other Arab countries may soon follow suit with Netanyahu echoing the same sentiment.
As we navigate to Ezekiel 38:12 we see that although no nations come to Israel’s rescue during this attack, some nations do protest it. Sheba and Dedan included – ancient names for Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has increasingly grown closer to Israel over the past several years so could one of the Arab nations being hinted at be Saudi Arabia?
To add to this 2 of the 3 big players of Ezekiel 38 have already rebuked the peace agreement between Israel and the UAE. Turkey is even threatening to end ties with the UAE while Iran claims this will serve to only boost the “axis of resistance”. I’m wondering if Putin will speak up about this soon as well? This peace agreement may serve as something that increases agitation towards Israel, further adding to the stage setting for Ezekiel 38-39 possibly.
It’s important to note however that the nations of Ezekiel 38-39 don’t simply come against Israel due to a dislike for the nation but are drawn by God and come for their material wealth (Ezekiel 38:10-13). As we see Israel continue to grow in prosperity and achieves increasing success in terms of peace with its neighbors and other allies, it should bring our minds to this.
As of now, much of this is still new and we’ll need to continue to keep up with the developments surrounding this new agreement. There’s still a lot of unknowns but what’s very clear to the student of bible prophecy is that this is all following God’s perfect plan. This news should come to us with excitement as it shows the possibility for more stage setting for the tribulation period and of course, our soon departure.
Sources
- Kushner: US will not agree to Israeli annexation ‘for some time’ (August 17th, 2020) – The Times of Israel
- Turkey: History won’t forgive UAE for deal; Iran pans ‘strategic stupidity’ (August 14th, 2020) – The Times of Israel
- In historic declaration, Israel and United Arab Emirates agree to normalize ties (August 13th, 2020) – The Times Of Israel
- Israel, UAE reach historic peace deal: ‘We can make a wonderful future’ (August 13th, 2020) – The Jerusalem Post
- ‘A despicable betrayal’: PA blasts Emirates, demands retraction of Israel deal (August 13th, 2020) – The Times of Israel
- Trump: Israel-UAE signing in 3 weeks, annexation ‘off the table,’ at least now (August 13th, 2020) – The Times of Israel
- After Israel-UAE deal, Kushner indicates more Arab countries will follow (August 13th, 2020) – The Times of Israel
- Hailing ‘new era with Arab world,’ Netanyahu says others will follow UAE’s lead (August 13th, 2020) – The Times of Israel