Zenit, the pro-Vatican news service, reported the following:
July 12, 2020
Pope Francis on Sunday, July 12, 2020, had warm greeting for seafarers but admitted he is saddened when thinking of Hagia Sophia, the basilica in Istanbul that has been converted to a Mosque. … “And the sea carries me a little farther away in my thoughts: to Istanbul. I think of Hagia Sophia, and I am very saddened.” https://zenit.org/2020/07/12/pope-greets-seafarers-thinks-of-hagia-sophia/
The USA, UN, and EU have, also, all condemned the Turkish announcement.
My wife Joyce and I have visited the Hagia Sophia some years ago. For over 900 years it was an Eastern Orthodox church and perhaps the largest building on earth.
Notice also the following:
The head of the Geneva-based World Council of Churches has written to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressing “grief and dismay” from WCC members at his decision to convert the world famous Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
Rev. Ioan Sauca, interim WCC general secretary, sent the letter to the Turkish president on 11 July noting that since 1934, “Hagia Sophia has been a place of openness, encounter and inspiration for people from all nations and religions.
He said it has been a “powerful expression” of Turkey’s “commitment to secularism and inclusion and of its desire to leave behind the conflicts of the past.”
The Turkish president announced his decision on July 10 after a court ruling said its museum status was not legal and different media-worldwide interpreted his move as one to shore up his Islamist-base in troubled times.
“Mr. Erdogan’s opponents say he has raised the issue of restoring Hagia Sophia as a mosque every time he has faced a political crisis, using it to stir supporters in his nationalist and conservative religious base,” The New York Times commented.
Hagia Sophia was first built 1,500 years ago as an Orthodox Christian cathedral and was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453.
The Hagia Sophia has been somewhat of an interfaith symbol for the past 85 or so years, since it stopped being a mosque.
When you see the picture at the beginning of this post, you will see that it has minarets–they were not part of the original building, but were added by the Turks after they conquered Constantinople, which they renamed to Istanbul. It has been considered a symbol of both the Greco-Roman religion and that of Islam.
Breaking Israel News (BIN) reported the following:
After Turning Iconic Church into Mosque, Erdogan now Targets Temple Mount
July 12, 2020
On Friday, a Turkish court annulled a 1934 ruling that turned the Hagia Sophia into a museum, effectively paving the way for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to fulfill his promise to turn the formerly Christian site into a mosque. …
An article by Seth Franzman in J-Post noted that Erdogan’s speech in Turkish announcing the Hagia Sophia decision on Friday was translated slightly differently to Arabic and English, “apparently as a way to hide part of Ankara’s full views on how it has linked Hagia Sophia to a wider agenda.”
“In Arabic the speech says that turning Hagia Sophia into a mosque is part of the “return of freedom to al-Aqsa,” essentially meaning Israel should be ejected from controlling Jerusalem’s Old City where al-Aqsa is located.”
“Turkey’s president linked the decision to reviving Islam from Bukhara in Uzbekistan to Andalusia in Spain.” …
“Hagia Sophia was a huge victory for Islam. Just as Islam did to Hagia Sophia, that is what they intend to do to every church in the world,” Dr. Kedar said. “For the Muslims, that is the ultimate victory. Islam does not want to simply conquer or destroy the other religions. Their method, their goal, is to convert everything to the service of Allah. This is the main mission of Islam; to convert the entire world to Islam and the service of Allah, the people as well as the places.” …
The al-Aqsa mosque is in Jerusalem, in the area referred to as the “Temple Mount.” Some Jews want to knock it down in order to build a massive temple (see Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?) –the Muslims are quite opposed to that idea.
Turkish President Erdogan seems to want to tell the Islamic world he is on their side in Jerusalem and other matters.
As far as his statement from Uzbekistan (which is in Central Asia) to Spain goes, that is similar to the stated goal of the Muslim Brotherhood. Notice something from its website:
The Muslim Brotherhood apparently wants, as its top priority, a pan-national Islamic caliphate ruled by an Imam. It will not end up with Spain, if I understand certain aspects of Bible prophecy correctly, but the confederation of the final King of the South may go from around Western Sahara and/or Mauritania to Oman (with possible involvement and/or coordination with Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Pakistan and/or Indonesia).
It sound like the Turkish President and the Muslim Brotherhood want many lands united that will ultimately align with prophecies in Daniel 11 related to the coming King of the South. Notice:
40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. (Daniel 11:40-43)
“Edom” is a reference to Turkey. Turkey controls the old territory of the Byzantines.
The late WCG evangelist Raymond McNair wrote:
Daniel 11 also mentions some of the Mideast peoples who will be involved in that struggle among the nations at the close of this age. The belligerents will include the “King of the North,” the leader of the European Union (or its final outgrowth, called the “Beast”). The “King of the South” (an Islamic leader—apparently from Egypt {or} some other Muslim state) is also referred to. The following lands/peoples are specifically mentioned: Egypt, the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine), the Ethiopians (modern Cushites, south of Egypt), Libya, Edom, Moab and Ammon. Many descendants of the ancient peoples known as Edomites or Idumeans now live in the West Bank, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Arabia, Yemen, the Persian Gulf states, etc.(McNair R. Solving the Arab-Israeli Impasse! Copyright Raymond F. McNair 2005, Church of God—21st Century).
Yes, there will be a confederation of Arabic peoples and nations and Turkey will be involved.
But, before going further, understand that Daniel 11:41 shows that Turkey (Edom) will escape the coming destruction from the King of the North, despite being aligned for a time with the King of the South.
Interestingly, notice the following Catholic prophecy about Turkey and a “Great Arab” leader:
Nostradamus: The Great Arab shall progress well forward, But betrayed shall be by the Byzantines. (Turks).
Comment on above from Catholic writer Yves Dupont: Here, we are told that Turkey will break its faith with the rest of the Arab world. (Dupont, Yves. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973, p. 107).
Dionysius of Luxemberg (died 1682): a. “After the birth of Antichrist the people of the world will be very wicked and godless … The churches will be dreary and empty like deserted barns … From the midst of His Church He will raise up a Christian ruler who will perform most remarkable deeds. With divine assistance this ruler will not only lead erring souls back to the true Faith but also deal a heavy blow to the foes of the empire; the Turks, to take away their empire and restore it to Christianity (Connor p.84).
The “Great Arab” is probably supposed to represent the Mahdi/Caliph, the final King of the South. The Turks currently control Byzantium and have for many centuries. Dionysius of Luxemberg seems to be saying that the Turks will betray an Islamic empire.
Hence, Catholic prophecy indicates that Turkey will betray the Islamic Arabic power. In the Bible, Daniel 11:25-26 is quite clear that an ally of the King of the South will betray the King of the South:
25 “He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army. And the king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand, for they shall devise plans against him. 26 Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. (Daniel 11:25-26)
If Daniel 11:25-26 has future fulfillment (and as it seems to parallel Daniel 11:40-43 it looks to), it would seem that there will be close allies (like Turkey) that will betray the King of the South according to scripture as well.
So what do we make of all of this?
Well, for the time being, Turkey is moving further away from Europe and closer to the Islamic world (cf. Psalm 83:4-8). But this will not last.
Yes, in time, Turkey will will align, temporarily, with the King of the South. My experience with the Turks (my wife and I have been to Turkey 3 or 4 times) is that they are a pragmatic people. In time, they will see problems with the ambitions of the King of the South. This will lead to one or more leaders in Turkey betraying the King of the South to the King of the North,
Biblical prophecies concerning Turkey will come to pass.
The Hagia Sophia announcement, in my view, does align with properly understood biblical prophecies.
Some items of related interest include the following:
