I don’t know what it is about August, but while most of us think of this hot and hazy month as an ideal time for a family vacation, a surprising number of world leaders see August as a good time to make history.

Consider a few examples:

In August 1812, the British invaded Washington, D.C., and burned the Capitol and the White House.

In August 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, helping bring the Second World War in the Pacific to an end. A few days later, the U.S. dropped a second atomic bomb, this time on the city of Nagasaki.

In August 1961, the East German government built the infamous Berlin Wall, dividing the city in two and symbolizing the tensions of the Cold War showdown between East and West.

In August 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington, attended by a quarter of a million black and white Americans, a critical turning point in the advancement of civil rights in America.

In August 1974, Richard Nixon resigned the presidency amid the Watergate scandal.

In August 1990, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. A few days later, President George H. W. Bush ordered U.S. military forces to head to the Middle East to defend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and prepare to liberate Kuwait.

Now it’s time to add another key moment in world history to the list—and as a thriller writer, I could not be more thrilled.

On August 13, 2020, in a statement released by the White House, we learned that “President Donald J. Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates spoke today and agreed to the full normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”[1] This stunning news marked the first time in nearly twenty-six years that an Arab state agreed to make peace with Israel—joining Egypt (1978–79) and Jordan (1994).

What opened the door to this historical action?

First, Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to take off the table for now the concept of “annexing,” or legally incorporating, portions of the biblical lands of Judea and Samaria (aka the West Bank) into the sovereign State of Israel. Netanyahu’s embrace of peace with the UAE over so-called “annexation” was critically important, and I applaud his wisdom and strategic vision.

A second factor was a growing disaffection of many Middle Eastern states with the Palestinians. The immediate rejection by the Palestinian leadership and the Hamas terror group of President Trump’s Mideast peace plan opened the eyes of many Arab leaders to the realization that Palestinian leaders will apparently never be satisfied with any agreement that includes the existence of a State of Israel.

Finally, there is the old truth that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” The threat from Iran to the rest of the Middle East continues to grow. All the smaller states who could potentially find themselves in this terrorist state’s crosshairs are looking to bond together. There is strength in numbers, and there is strength in strength. These nations recognize that Israel is by far the most formidable of the Middle Eastern nations and is backed by the most powerful military in the world—that of the United States.

This diplomatic victory is grounds for great celebration. The UAE has now joined Egypt and Jordan in accepting Israel into the Arab and Muslim neighborhood. However, it is likely that the UAE is just the first in a series of regional nations that will normalize relations with Israel. Eyes are now on Bahrain, who were quick to congratulate the UAE on their move, and on Oman, although the January death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said could slow the process.[2] And as I wrote about fictionally in The Jerusalem Assassin, the warming relations with Saudi Arabia could also result in normalization in the not-too-distant future. The two nations are already in discussions to let Israel-to-UAE flights pass over Saudi airspace.[3] Even Sudan has expressed interest in moving beyond former hostilities,[4] and Secretary Pompeo recently visited Sudan to discuss the matter further.[5] These are dramatic and encouraging developments.

But there is still more to see if only we look more closely. As I have written about in my novel The Ezekiel Option and my first nonfiction book, Epicenter, there are biblical prophecies found in Ezekiel 38 and 39 that tell of the coming conflict known as the “War of Gog and Magog.” According to the Hebrew prophet, prior to the outbreak of this devastating eschatological conflict, there will be calm and quiet and security in the Middle East. Israel will not only be prophetically and miraculously reborn as a geopolitical nation-state but will also grow into a strong, prosperous nation accepted among the other nations. Meanwhile, an evil alliance will form against Israel made up of Russia, Iran, Turkey, Libya, and others. Today, remarkably, Israel is strong and prosperous, peace is advancing in the region, and this enemy alliance against Israel already exists and continues to grow tighter.

Am I saying that the fulfillment of the prophecies of Ezekiel are right around the corner? No. I am not a predicter of times; I only look at Scripture and world events. But through those two lenses, we can certainly see the Middle East trending in the direction foretold by Ezekiel. As Christians, this should not cause us fear. Rather, we should endeavor to understand the times in light of the Scriptures, and be praying always for the peace of Jerusalem, asking God to watch over his Holy City and all who live there and in the neighboring countries.

---

[1] The White House, “Joint Statement of the United States, the State of Israel, and the United Arab Emirates,” August 13, 2020, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/joint-statement-united-states-state-israel-united-arab-emirates/

[2] Mark Gollom, “Bahrain, Oman Could Be Next to Normalize Relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia? Not So Fast,” CBC/Radio-Canada, August 15, 2020, https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/israel-uae-relations-bahrain-oman-saudi-arabia-1.5687274

[3] Ariel Kahana and Eldad Beck, “The Goal Is to Ink UAE Treaty within a Month,” Israel Hayom, August 23, 2020, https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/08/23/the-goal-is-to-ink-the-uae-deal-within-a-month/

[4] Aaron Boxerman and Marissa Newman, “Sudan and Israel Say Talks Underway for Deal to Normalize Ties,” Times of Israel, August 18, 2020, https://www.timesofisrael.com/sudan-and-israel-say-talks-underway-for-deal-to-normalize-ties/

[5] Samy Magdy, “Secretary of State Pompeo Visits Sudan to Talk about Transition to Democracy, Removal from U.S. Terror List,” Time, August 25, 2020, https://time.com/5883242/mike-pompeo-sudan/