I strongly urge everyone to read the series of books by Joel Richardson on Biblical prophesies. Mystery Babylon: Unlocking the Bible’s Greatest Prophetic Mystery; Mideast Beast: The Biblical Case for an Islamic Antichrist; The Islamic Antichrist: The Shocking Truth about the Real Nature of the Beast; and others.

When I got to college, I became completely fascinated in Biblical prophesies about the 2nd coming and all the events leading up to it. I read everything I could get my hands on from numerous authors and varying viewpoints. I read through Daniel, Isaiah, and Revelation trying hard to grasp what the Lord was telling us. I prayed that I might be allowed to be one who was “changed in the twinkling of an eye” to be “caught up with the Lord in the air”. I believed at that time that our Lord would return during my natural lifetime.

But there were conflicting interpretations that continue to this day. Many agreed on a basic outline of events, but disagreed wildly on the timing of events, such as the “rapture”. Authors would tell why their theory was “right” and someone else’s was “wrong”. But I could never resolve which was which by my own studies. I finally gave up trying because I realized that the Lord’s admonition to Daniel still applied to us today: “seal up the vision, it concerns the distant future.” Dan 8:26
I realized that no one would understand the prophesies until the Lord revealed them to the generation that would live through them.  Jesus told his disciples, “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” Matthew 24:34

Bible scholars are now reaching a consensus that previous ideas of a “Roman” antichrist are wrong.  “Gog” does not refer to Russia, but to Turkey. All the prophesies of the Old Testament refer to the same sequence of events, each shedding more light on the big picture. Revelation is the restatement of the Old Testament prophesies, but with even more detail. All the nations that God will judge as described in the various prophesies are consistent with each other, and every single one of them is an Islamic nation surrounding Israel.

Understanding the big picture, we are now able to watch the world events unfold and not be surprised or alarmed. God’s plan is unfolding right before our very eyes. The results of World Wars I and II have shaped the Middle East to the exact set of conditions as predicted in the Bible. The influx of Islamic radicals into western nations is not happenstance. Clinton’s Iran Deal sets the stage for the Ram vs Goat battle of Daniel 8 between Iran and Turkey. Expect Iran to attack to the west in the next few years, followed by a counter attack from Turkey. This begins a series of battles that will culminate in the taking of Jerusalem. The recent elections in Turkey eliminated any hint of democracy in that country, and turned almost total power over to their radical Islamic leader, Erdogan, who will certainly play a leading role in these wars. The Antichrist will most certainly be Islamic, portrayed as their long-awaited messiah.

Joel’s books are very thorough in their analysis of the prophesies as matched to current world events. At the same time, he explains why other interpretations fail at multiple points of the prophesy.