If you ask many Americans what they think about Turkey, most will answer, “I like it with dressing.”

We don’t know much about geography or geopolitics, or even what geopolitics means.

Yet the events in Turkey this past week show just how fragile the world is—even if Turkey’s Erdogan in some way “planned” the attack in order to consolidate power.

For the longest, Turkey has been a stalwart ally of America, as both a secular Muslim state and member of NATO. It has been since Recep Erdogan came to power in 2014 as President. Previous to that, he served since 2003 as prime minister and before that, mayor of Istanbul.

Today, it was reported that Erdogan is demanding the resignations of all university deans across the country. Besides a military purge, he is going after the intelligentsia—the hallmark of an outright dictator.

For several years, Erdogan has also signaled that he intends to bring Turkey into the community of Islamic dictatorships. The brutal civil war in Syria has slowed his plans the past five years, as he struggles to cope with mass waves of refugees on Turkey’s southern borders.

Turkey is much like Iran, pre-revolution, and Iraq before Saddam: a nation of smart, innovative people. But again, just as Lenin proved in Russia, cracking down on educators and innovators helps ensure a total control of the masses.

Beyond all this, Turkey plays a role in end-times Bible prophecy. In Ezekiel 38-39 (a favorite section for prophecy teachers and students), Turkey appears to be part of a massive coalition that invades Israel. Some teachers have identified Turkey with Gomer (Ezekiel 38:6).

In recent years, Erdogan has clashed sharply with Israel, particularly Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu. Turkey’s relations with Israel have been torn and frayed. Just before the military coup in Turkey, attempts were being made to repair the Turkish-Israel relationship.

Erdogan has also followed another script from Middle East dictators: blame Israel for ludicrous crimes, such as undermining the Dome of the Rock or the Al-Aksa Mosque. Israel doesn’t do those things and Western leaders should forcefully reinforce that fact.

One serious mistake that prophecy teachers and students often make is to jump on the latest news item and claim that this event is “triggering” some cataclysmic end-times event.

The truth is, no one knows if this latest flair-up will trigger the famed Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39.

We just know it will happen.