EIGHT PREDICTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR BY MARK DAVIDSON.

Eight Predictions Stemming from the Four Signposts

BY MARK DAVIDSON on JANUARY 16, 2015 • ( 0 )

Predictions?  Is this such a good idea?  How many prognosticators have fallen after making predictions that have not come true?

Well, it looks like I’m already in the predictions business.  Many of the articles written months ago on this blog contain predictions of what to watch for here in the end times, and let’s face it, the Signposts themselves act as predictors of grand sweeping events to occur in the Middle East prior to the Tribulation.  Before the discovery of the Signposts, much of Bible end-time prophecy has just been head knowledge and competing theories.  At some point, wouldn’t you expect Bible prophecy to become reality, where head knowledge becomes applicable to living, and where the rubber meets the road?  As far as I can tell, it is happening with the Four Signposts.  We see it in the Middle East week by week.

So because we are starting a new year and for the sake of blog visitors, I thought it good to gather some of the near-term and more impacting predictions written about on this blog into one list.

The “predictions” given in this blog, however, are not simple prognostications where current events are taken by themselves and extrapolated in a trend to arrive at a conclusion.  No, the “predictions” given in this blog are based on the Signpost interpretation of prophetic scripture.  The Signpost interpretation is derived from a plain reading of Daniel 7 and 8, on top of the foundation laid down by a study of history to show us the meaning behind Daniel 2:40 and 9:26.

The Four Signposts written about in the book Daniel Revisited and on this blog provide an outline of four major events to occur prior to the Rapture and Tribulation.  The Four Signposts Summary page provides a brief description of the Signposts themselves.  We have already experienced the First Signpost.  (Even the First Signpost carried a prediction prior to 2003.)  We have three Signposts to go.

Anyone reading the articles on this blog have seen that events in the Middle East are converging on the Second and Third Signposts.  This by itself is compelling proof that the Signpost interpretation may very well turn out to be correct.  For example, knowing that Iran will invade the Middle East, one can see that Iran’s actions such as its nuclear program, its missile program, its war games, its mobilization, its dealings so far in Iraq and Syria and with ISIS are all preparing Iran for what God’s word seems to be showing us Iran will do.  Someone who does not know the Signposts would say Iran is just acting aggressively.  But the Signposts tell us Iran will invade the Middle East and to what extent, and how successful Iran will be.

However, the Bible is silent on how the Signposts begin, which leaders are involved, and the course that events will take.  God is apparently concerned only that we see the major event when it occurs so we can prepare and respond appropriately.  Comparing the current state of affairs in the Middle East to the Signposts, we can make some speculative predictions as to what may happen in the near future in the Middle East as it converges on the Signposts, to perhaps alert us to the Signposts getting closer.

So in summary, we know Daniel 7 and 8 to be truth.  The Signposts themselves are one man’s (yours truly) interpretation of Scriptural truth.  The Signposts are therefore a theory.  The predictions given below only stem from a comparison of the Middle East of today to the perceived Middle East of the Signposts, i.e. they are predictions arrived at from the theory.

Five familiar images here in 2015, clockwise from top left: Syrian president Assad, Saudi king Abdullah, Turkish president Erdogan, Iranian supreme leader Khamenei, and ISIS militants.

So here is a list of eight “predictions” of events that should occur IF the current Signpost theory holds up:

1) Iran and ISIS. Iran will commit the men and materiel to continue to tie the Islamic State (IS) down prior to the Second Signpost.  Iran will not allow IS to advance much further in Iraq.  They will do this to both bide their time until they are ready for their invasion, and to keep IS a threat so that the world will ask Iran to come out and deal with it in force.  I wrote about this earlier, and it is being confirmed so far.  The West underestimates the scheming of Iranian leadership and their measured, considered moves as in a chess game.  Shortly after the Second Signpost begins, as the massive invasion begins, Iran will demolish IS and do so quickly.

2) Iran’s nuclear program. Iran will develop nuclear weapons and will threaten to use them.  Nuclear weapons capability is the factor I believe that will allow Iran to do all it wants to do (per Daniel 8:4b).

3) Syria. The current Assad-ruled regime in Syria will be removed and replaced by a Sunni government.  I wrote about this here and it is necessary for Turkey to ally with Syria in a Confederation (per Daniel 7:6).  It could happen any time prior to the expected point that Turkey allies with Syria sometime in the Third Signpost.

4) Turkey. Turkish President Erdogan will remain in power and step into the role of prominent horn of the goat (per Daniel 8:5) as the Second Signpost unfolds.  Erdogan is by far the most prominent, popular, aggressive, and authoritarian politician in Turkey with visions of his country returning to Empire (as in the days of the Ottomans).  We saw Erdogan’s candidacy for the goat’s horn in this post and this post.  If it is not Erdogan then another politician would have to quickly rise and replace Erdogan in popularity.

5) Egypt. Egypt, one way or another, will become dominated by Sunni Islamists.  This development should occur sometime during the Third Signpost if not sooner.  We saw this briefly with the presidency of Muhammad Mursi before the secular Egyptian military clamped down and ousted Mursi.  Just as Turkey is half Islamist, Egypt is as well but its secular side is ruling.  In Turkey it is the Islamists.

6) Nations ceasing to exist. Many nations in the Middle East – including Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the U.A.E. –will cease to exist as political entities during the Second Signpost.  Turkey, Syria, Egypt and Iran will cease to exist in their current form during the Third Signpost, but will return in a different form during the Fourth Signpost.

7) The Gulf oil. The Gulf oilfields which contain one quarter of the world’s oil reserves and produce one-fourth of the world’s day-to-day supply will be controlled by Iran during the Second Signpost and by the great Sunni confederacy during the Third Signpost.  Control by Iran will result in worldwide economic chaos (per Rev. 6:4).

8) Israel. Israel will continue to exist, and due to certain possible events such as the coming Psalm 83 war, may be even larger and stronger by the time the Fourth Signpost has finished, with the third Temple already built.

Finally, as an aside, two things I will not predict are (1) dates for things to occur (i.e. date-setting), and (2) the timing of the Rapture (i.e., pre, mid, or post).