By Walid Shoebat (Shoebat Exclusive)

When it comes to the Book of Revelation John predicted that an Antichrist will arise who resurrects an image (emblem) of a wounded empire and last week Erdogan of Turkey did just this when he just proposed that within three months he intends to re-create and resurrect the dead Ottoman emblem for the Republic of Turkey: “He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.” (Revelation 13:14) While we wait for the results in the three coming months, a review of the historic Ottoman emblem is truly a puzzle that resembled what John said in Revelation regarding the colors of the “breastplates” with the colors of “fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow” (Revelation 9:17).

If you are unconvinced or not familiar with the issue as to how all this works, read “HOW THE WEST FAILED TO UNLOCK  THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST” explained in more detail below.

It is such a project that according to the bill, a 12-member parliamentary commission will be founded to decide on the emblem and the commission will function for three months. The first two months will be used for preliminary work while the last month will be used to finalize the emblem’s design by an expert working group, Anadolu Agency reported.

The emblem is truly a puzzle which tells the Ottoman story including reason, intent, geographic hegemony and theological goals which after inquiring from Arabic sources gives more insight as to what John, Daniel and Ezekiel have predicted in the Bible.

THE TUGHRA

Firstly, the circle surrounded by the crescent is called the Tughra, the Royal insignia of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire which usually has the name of the Sultan or the Bismillah “In the Name of Allah” from the Arabic as we stated in our book God’s War on Terror.

The Tughra is in the circle surrounded by the crescent moon

The Tughra which is at times the Name of The Sultan Or The Bismiallah (In the Name of Allah) . The extended two circular artistic parts represent the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

The term in the crescent moon is Arabic “Approved by the divinly appointed king of the Ottoman Empire” which demonstrates the protection of the Ottoman Empire for all the Muslims around the world.

The Crescent surround the “Tuğra“, the signature and insignia of an Ottoman sultan, ruler and custodian of the Muslim world which includes a ruler’s name and his title which was used extensively during the Ottoman era.

“Tuğra functioned as a signature of the sultan, a symbol of dynasty and a state emblem at the same time,” says Mustafa ÖztÜrk, writing in his work “Ottomans’ Coat of Arms”, adding that the Tughra lost its function as state emblem in the final century of imperial rule.

To examine all this takes a keen eye that is able to put a puzzle together. The extended two circular egg-shaped artistic parts in the Tughra above represent the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, the two are to be ruled and protected by the Ottomans.

According to the Tughra Analysis and Form the emblem represents a ship (see anchor in image) with the flags representing the sails and the spear and shields hung upon them. they explain that “The three vertical letter “alef” (III) with what appears three looking squiglies represent ship masts with the sails going westward to invade and conquer the west.” The two books “represent the Quran” and the other “represents the law” which is extracted from the Quran (Sharia) and the scales on top of the Quran represent the justice of Islam.

“The three vertical letter “alef” (III) with what appears three looking squiggles SSS represent ship masts with the sails going westward to invade and conquer the west.”

The shield between the flags represent 12 stars of the different areas of control under the Ottomans and the glow of the bright sun represents the Sultan ruler with the turban which can be seen over the shield. At times one of the flags is green representing the Muslim Caliphate which Green is its color.

All this could easily depict what Ezekiel in chapter 27 which many foresaw in its description the Antichrist’s kingdom and is why the chapter seems to parallel The Book of Revelation’s Harlot depicting the same merchandise Tyre traded in which also resembles Arabia’s Islam depicted  by Ezekiel as a ship sailing to spread its sorcery through warfare with its followers “Persia [Iran] Lydia [Turkey] and Put [Libya] served as it’s soldiers and warriors in your army. They hung their shields and helmets on your walls, bringing you splendor” (Ezekiel 27:10) “Your oarsmen take you out to the high seas. But the east wind will break you to pieces far out at sea. Your wealth, merchandise and wares, your mariners, sailors and shipwrights, your merchants and all your soldiers, and everyone else on board will sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your shipwreck.” (Ezekiel 27:26-27)

In the bill introduced to the Parliament Speaker’s Office, a group of AKP deputies stated that after a state’s flag, an official state emblem, which has been banned since 1924 must be ressurected and  is one of the most important symbols for every country, adding to its reputation, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported late on Dec. 9 last week.

“The emblem used by the Ottoman Empire was abolished along with abolition of the Ottoman Sultanate and the subsequent declaration of the Turkish Republic in 1923″ the deputies stated. Efforts were made to design a “Turkey Emblem” in 1927, but did not yield any official results, and no explanation for this was made at the time,” they added.

The Turkish Crescent seen engulfing the Mediterranean. Notice in Daniel the beast rises from the Great Sea (the Mediterranean). Notice the Ottoman emblem revived with the crescent centered on the Mediterranean sea.

The colors stem from the Turkish favorite colors in which the Ottomans prided themselves with the “fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow” (Revelation 9:17) which are also the colors of the flags the neo-Ottomans like to carry.

Scene from the movie “Fetih 1453″ or “Conquest 1453″, a Turkish blockbuster about the Ottoman Empire’s destruction of the Eastern Roman Empire. “Fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow” (Revelation 9:17) were the colors of the Ottomans.

Students of the Bible should pay very close attention. “We told you so” will perhaps be our motto for years to come reminding of what we etched years ago. On page 381 in God’s War on Terror we accurately predicted that Turkey will recreate it’s banned Ottoman emblem:

“The Mark of the Beast might be an emblem or symbol of the Beast Empire that carries with it a blasphemous creedal element [the Bismillah]. An official image or emblem of a kingdom gives it a sense of national identity: “He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.” (Revelation 13:14) This “image” of the Beast (empire) would constitute the replicating of the old monster—the ruthless Islamic Empire that fell. This is the primary meaning of the verse. However, it is not the only explanation of every verse containing the word “image” (more on that later)

It was in 2013 and then Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan raises eyebrows when he stoops to pick up a Turkish flag left on the floor as a marker during a G20 leaders’ photo shoot in St. Petersburg.

A year before that, Erdoğan was the only national leader to rescue his flag from the floor during another G20 meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico.

After the foundation of modern Turkey, that old emblem was abolished and will be recreated. “Designing an emblem is a scientific job. Every symbol within the emblem means something. So we need a contest for a state emblem,” Can said adding that it will be included in the identification cards and passports.

At a time of debate about the character of the Turkish state and whether it should face East or West, it will be heavy burden to come up with an emblem that can embody the Turkish people’s history and aspirations.

Dogu Ergil writing of the persecuted Turkish paper Zaman which Erdogan has arrested its chief editor writes of such attempted revival:

“Neo-Ottomanism began to be heard in the past years — under Justice and Development Party (AKP) rule — with Turkey’s expansionist (not irredentist) foreign policy towards the Islamic near abroad, which was once Ottoman land. Cognizant of the fact that existing states could not be dissolved, at least their union under Turkish patronage could be a successful agenda. Of course, such a scheme was premised on the belief that some — if not all — Muslim countries were ready to join the envisaged new Ottoman “commonwealth.”

It is neo-Ottomanism which includes the whole Muslim world under one commonwealth and Erdogan with Ahmed Davutoglu are leading the expedition.

The appearance of the Ottoman imperial coat of arms as lapel buttons, or various Ottoman rulers’ seals as car window stickers, is not accidental. They indicate an emotional affinity for the Ottoman past and its superiority over the republic.

The utopia still survives in internal politics, functioning as a placebo for the power — and prestige — hungry masses.

The last effort of the government in reviving the Ottoman past has been its willingness to impose obligatory Ottoman language courses in high schools. Ottoman Turkish was Turkish embellished with Arabic and Persian (see The Language Of Antichrist Is Being Revived).

One Kurdish writer was upset “Needless to say, the success of a political project that aims to revive the past, much like bringing the dead to life, is impossible. Any impossible mission or project is better understood for what it is against, rather than what it wants to achieve.” But this speaks of the miracle, its not something to be expected or is easily accomplished, that even the Antichrist’s followers will marvel: “The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.” (Revelation 17:8)

Folks are not all convinced of our report regarding the revival of an Ottoman beast. But perhaps The following promotional video by the Turkish government can reverse this view. It shows several things; an old Ottoman head was removed “the head that was wounded” and its time to put it back. Pay close attention to the map that quickly flashed which shows exactly the sphere of influence of Antichrist’s commonwealth as predicted in Scripture coming out of the Great Sea as Daniel predicted (the Mediterranean). Scenes from the last Ottoman wars are shown in which one receives a head wound (1:31) depicting the death of the sick man of Europe and sudden scenes of death and mayhem depicting Islam’s 7 years of turmoil prior to the rise of Mahdi (caused primarily by ISIS). The solution to all this Muslim suffering is not to recognize that the same devil of Islam caused all this mayhem, but that a re-risen Ottoman aspiration is seen as the solution in which the whole earth is made to marvel at the Ottoman reviving from the dead in which all will bow to Islam’s image. Scenes are flashed depicting the Ottomans in the past and the Ottomans reviving in the near future with Medina, the second major city in Saudi Arabia being a focal point in a map which depicts the spread of Islam in its glory days. The solution is that the whole world must bow to Islam and Istanbul Turkey will lead the way for this global endeavor. In the end it shows the solution, a Turkish military aspiration and an Ottoman modern war machine fighting while they all bow. In essence they will challenge the world with Ottoman military might: “they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?” (Revelation 13:4). But in order to accomplish all this, the wounded head must be remounted as it was in the glory days:

The Ottomans who will bring Islam into the world which are ready to open their gates since Turkey according to the world represents Islamic democracy, moderation and modernization which will be the perfect trojan horse.

HOW THE WEST FAILED TO UNLOCK  THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST

Westerners need to stop being influenced by fiction books written by many prophecy analysts attempting to take the passage of Revelation 13:15 literally. Thus many are expecting the Antichrist to produce a literal animated statue that will speak, which everyone will be commanded to bow to: “He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.” But whenever one interprets a passage that was intended to be allegorical or an allegorical passage that is intended to be interpreted literally, they have fallen prey to a common pitfall.

The prophecies concerning Israel’s return to the land were always intended to be taken literally, yet for decades the Church allegorized these passages and interpreted them as referring to itself. The Seven Mountains of Revelation 17 are another prime example of symbolism that has been improperly interpreted literally. Imagine what kind of interpretation we get if we literalize, “the dragon was enraged at the woman.” The Bible would become a child’s fairy-tale. How can anyone literalize, “and I saw a beast coming out of the sea”?

What about: “one of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed”?

Many interpret this passage to mean that the Antichrist will die from a fatal head wound and then come back to life. But if this scenario were true, then this would mean that Satan would be a giver of life.

But this is absurd.

In seeing these absurdities, we can see the need to dig deeper into the allegoric meaning of certain passages. So how are we to understand this passage then: “He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed”?

Firstly, a beast is a threat. The obvious interpretation is that the prior beast kingdom which threatened and persecuted the Church, that was wounded, shall come back to life again and threaten the Church once more. This is simply a revival of a wounded kingdom—not an individual. After Rome which was eventually christianized, the greatest persecutor of the Church after John’s Revelations was none other than the Muslim Ottoman Empire which will revive again as the eighth head being a replica of the seventh. John was not only referring to the time of the end, but to the seventh kingdom which will re-arise as the eighth, in the end. (Revelation 17:10-11) It is crucial to keep in mind that Prophecy was intended for all of Church history and not just the apocalypse. Revelation 9 for example was commonly interpreted to be the Ottoman.

Revelations is a puzzle intended for the few whom God granted wisdom. When we examine Scripture, first we must commit ourselves to some deeper investigation and then we must allow the Bible to interpret itself. The concept of reviving and creating an image of the beast is something that the Scriptures give us ample information to understand properly. If we search through the Bible for various usages of the word “image,” we will gain significant insight into the nature of what this passage is actually talking about. There are several aspects to the meaning of this “image”:

1) AN IMAGE AS IN A TEMPLE OBJECT

The Bible describes “an image” as a religious or national symbol set up in the Temple, “For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or an image.” (Hosea 3:4)

When Israel was destroyed as a kingdom, it lost everything. It lost it’s centralized national religious institution with the destruction of the Temple (sacrifice, ephod), and also lost its national symbols—the Ark of the Covenant, Menorah, and the rest of the Temple articles.

Islam also has a Temple for Allah (the Ka’ba) along with temple articles (the Black Stone). Jehovah’s Temple articles in Jerusalem were a shadow of greater things to come—the Messiah, while Allah’s Temple articles (the Black Stone) resemble a shadow of Satan’s coming—the Antichrist.

2) AN IMAGE AS IN A NATIONAL EMBLEM

An example of this would be the image of Caesar imprinted on coins that represented the Roman Empire. Decades ago we wrote that the Mark of the Beast might be an emblem or symbol of the Beast Empire that carries with it a blasphemous creedal element. (See page 381, God’s War on Terror)

An official image or emblem of a kingdom gives it a sense of national identity: “He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.” (Revelation 13:14)

This “image” of the Beast (empire) would constitute the replicating of the old monster—the ruthless Islamic Empire that fell. This is the primary meaning of the verse. However, it is not the only explanation of every verse containing the word “image”. To make or carry an image, a flag or an emblem of something, is akin to showing support and allegiance to whatever the image or emblem represents. That is, the followers of the Beast will declare their support and submission to the Beast Empire and all that it stands for.

The followers will espouse its purpose, its ideology or doctrines and its goals. These emblems that once died with the old kingdom are revived again, as we see in Islam. An image could be a mark of Satan that identifies his followers. The Antichrist will, in this way, mark his followers with a blasphemous creed.

3—AN IMAGE AS IN AN IDOL

An Image also could represent an idol—a medium that represents a living being. One could erect an idol to a god. King Nebuchadnezzar erected a massive image of gold (just as we see the Turkish emblem made of gold) and demanded all of his subjects to bow and worship it. This is an example of idolatry. This could easily apply to Satan, who is called Ba’al, Bel, and Beelzebub. One could erect an image of Ba’al (Satan) that would serve as a medium and a representation of Satan worship. This type of image is not restricted to a statue however; it can even be a stone such as the black stone meteorite in the Kaba in Mecca, “At last the mayor was able to quiet them down enough to speak. ‘Citizens of Ephesus,’ he said. ‘Everyone knows that Ephesus is the official guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, whose image fell down to us from heaven,’” (Acts 19:35) The image of Diana was not represented by a statue, but a Black Stone which was worshiped in Ephesus identified as The Image of Diana.

Yet, these images are all symbolic of Satan worship, “What say I then? That the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.” (1 Corinthians 10:19-20) Satan sets up idols as representations of himself until he comes down to earth and establishes himself as the Antichrist in human form.

4—IMAGE AS IN LIKENESS

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Roman 8:29) In this case, “image” is in matter of likeness.

5—THE ULTIMATE IMAGE

The ultimate image would be Antichrist himself, which will be the manifestation of Lucifer in a human image. In the end, the living image of Satan will attempt to replace Christ—this is the Antichrist. Islam does teach that a Muslim can become God (see explanation here)

CRESCENT MOON—THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST

Psalm 82-83 claims there will be a war between Messiah and the Antichrist. The Gideon-Messiah or War-Messiah who comes to rescue Israel in the story of Zebah and Zalmunna which is explained in Judges 8:21: “Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, ‘Rise yourself, and fall upon us … And Gideon arose and slew Zebah and Zalmunna; and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.” (Psalm 83:11) Later in verse 26, the Bible says that the Midianite kings were wearing the same crescent ornaments around their necks. After Gideon stripped all of the crescent ornaments off of the slain kings, the people and the camels, he melted the gold.

The story of Gideon is the story of Messiah. It is also the story of David and Goliath—a parallel to the showdown between Christ and the Antichrist, who blasphemes the God of Israel and proclaims, “I am against you O most haughty one.” (Jeremiah 50:31)

David, with precision bombing, lodges a stone into Goliath’s forehead. This is what happens to Babylon and the Antichrist. “Their arrows shall be like those of an expert warrior; None shall return in vain.” (Jeremiah 50:9) This is modern precision bombing. Not a single missile will miss it’s target. Bel, the moon-god, will also be destroyed and all the idols of the crescent moon taken away, “Bel is shamed. Merodach is broken in pieces; Her idols are humiliated, Her images are broken in pieces.” (Jeremiah 50:2)

Bel, or Ba’al, the cult of the crescent-moon is finally destroyed. Bel has always been symbolized by the crescent-moon.

Crescent Moon clearly visible on the Ottoman Emblem including its flag

Psalm 83 gives us the summary of the confrontation with Islam, in which God will do to the enemies of Israel what Gideon did to Midian. It is crucial to understand that Gideon as a judge of Israel is a prophetic type of Jesus. He is symbolic of the fighting Messiah. Joseph is symbolic of the suffering Messiah, and David of the King Messiah. So if we want to find out more about what Christ does when He comes to judge, we need to study Gideon.

THE CRESCENT IS SATAN’S SYMBOL

In Judges 8:21, the word used for crescent is saharon, which literally means crescent moon. It comes from the root of sahar, which is literally used for the name of Satan in Isaiah 14 as Hilal ben Sahar. Hilal, or heylal, is the word that the King James Bible translates as Lucifer. The full phrase actually means “morning star / crescent moon,” which is the very symbol of Islam. In other words, the symbol of Islam and the name of Satan are one and the same. This is significant and is a very clear hint into the spiritual origins of Islam and the Antichrist.

So we see that the ancient enemies of Israel worshipped a god that was symbolized by the image of the crescent moon. To this day, this has not changed. In fact, all evidence points to the fact that Allah is simply another name for Bel or Baal, which simply means “lord” and is also a title of reverence to the Babylonian moon-god. The Romans had the same god, and so did the Greeks, who worshipped Gog (Gygez), a war deity called Men. This is also the god that Abraham left behind for Jehovah, the One True God. It comes as no surprise then that Jesus referred to Satan as Beelzebub (Baal Thubab, Arabic). (Matthew 12:24-27) The Hastings Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics confirms the fact that the Arab name Allah correlates to Bel: “Allah is a pre-Islamic name… corresponding to the Babylonian god known as Bel.” 14

Gideon was named as “Jerub-Ba’al”, the one who contends with Ba’al the moon god. Gideon was a type of the warring Messiah because he fought Ba’al. Likewise Christ, the ultimate Jerub-Ba’al will fight Ba’al in the flesh, and bruise his head, completing what was promised in Genesis 3:15.

Dr. Arthur Jeffrey, professor of Islamic and Middle East Studies at Columbia University and one of the world’s foremost scholars on Islam, wrote that the name, “Allah” and its feminine form “Allat,” were well known in pre-Islamic Arabia and were found in inscriptions uncovered in North Africa. According to Jeffrey’s, Allah, “is a proper name applicable only to their peculiar god.” He adds, “Allah is a pre-Islamic name corresponding to the Babylonian god known as Bel.” 15 “Bel simply means ‘lord’ and this is a title of reverence to the moon-god Sin” 16

But maybe you have not seen the significance of all of this. Perhaps Isaiah can add the convincing final piece to complete this puzzle on why this is the moon-god of Islam. Isaiah gives us a powerful picture of what Bel (a.k.a. Allah) will do at the end of the age. Most Westerners miss the hint in the famous passage: “I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.” (Isaiah 45:23-46:1)

This verse is later echoed in the New Testament: “every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess… that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Philemon 2:8-10) A few verses later, Isaiah also tells of one being in particular who is among them: “Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle.” (Isaiah 46:1) Bel will bow down before God. This is none other than the image of Allah-Satan, the crescent-moon. In the purest form of poetic justice, the demonic god of Islam will bow low before Jesus, the Mighty One of Israel which the beasts wore on their necks: “Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle” the very symbol that Gideon removed—the crescent moon in Judges 8:21.

THE BLACK STONE AS SATAN’S STAR AND IMAGE

Lucifer’s image is depicted in Revelation 8 and 9 showing Satan wanting to be worshipped. He is a star that fell from heaven: “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.” (Revelation 9:1) This “him” cannot be an object, but rather Satan himself, a living being (him) cast out of heaven as described in Isaiah 14 and Revelation 8:10.

The most important verse in the Qur’an that describes Allah is perfectly mirrored in Isaiah 14. In Isaiah 14, it is Satan or Lucifer that is described as the bearer of light, and in the Qur’an it is Allah that is depicted as a lamp (light, torch).

In the chapter of the Star, we read: “Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; a likeness of His light is as a Mishkat (niche) in which is a lamp, the lamp is in a glass, (and) the glass is as it were a brightly shining star.” (Qur’an 24:35-36) Compare this with Revelation 8:10: “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp and it fell upon the third part of the rivers and upon the fountains of waters.”

The Ottoman Muslims were fascinated with lamp Mishkat as the light of Allah and is why the Tughra resembles a lamp and also the peacock of all angels in which Muhammad and the Mahdi will be the manifestation of Allah “I am Allah” which is not foreign to Turkish Sufi Islam.

“Nūr Muhammad (“Light of Muhammad”) or Nūr Muhammadī (“Muhammadan Light”)is a term central to later Sufi and Shī`ī speculations. Although the Qur’ān repeatedly states that Muhammad is only human, a messenger entrusted with guidance of the people (see surahs 6:50, 25:8, 25:22), later currents in Islam transformed him increasingly into a spiritual, luminous being. The historical Muhammad was thus metamorphosed into a transcendent light, like the sun, around which everything created revolves. This idea had colored later mystical Islam on both the elite and folk levels.” (Enc. Rel. 11:23)

This also explains the sun and the rays of light eminating from the Ottoman emblem which also resemble the Caliph.

In summary, the death of one-third of the earth’s population occurs during the rise of the eighth empire, which will be an Islamic empire. Satan, who is the fallen star, and the destroyer who is unleashed, will precede the “mountain” (empire) that will cause one-third of mankind to die. The Black Stone image in Mecca owes its reputation to the tradition that it fell from the “heavens.” Like the Black Stone of Aphrodite, the Black Stone of Mecca is also clearly an “image” of Satan.

Yet this Satanic image that is created by the Beast in Revelation 13:15 which can speak and cause all who do not worship it to be killed, is mentioned as a holy thing by Muhammad. In an Islamic tradition authenticated by At-Tirmidhi, Al-Abani notes, “Allah will raise up the stone [the Black Stone] on the Day of Judgment, and it will have two-eyes with which it will see and a tongue which it talks with, and it will give witness in favor of everyone who touched it in truth.” According to Muslim traditions, the Black Stone is even the redeemer of Muslims. Al-Tirmidhi notes that many years ago, the Black Stone was, “whiter than milk; it was only later that it became black as it absorbed the sins of those who touched it.”

The Ottomans want us all to bow to their image in today’s Babel.

The Seven Towers on Mount Babel overlooking Mecca.

My response to them is: take a hike. We only bow to a different tune which only our shepherd knows the symphony.