by
Randall Price
Most
people do not easily recognize the ways of deception. Like all delusions, if
the appearance is proper, the words right, and the audience has displaced
normal
reservations in light of necessary (and expected) results, even seasoned
statesmen can be deceived. In the ancient days of Israel's monarchy, a
good
king by the name of Hezekiah succumbed to political deception. After having
survived an attack by the dreaded Assyrians, Hezekiah was over-confident
that
his empire was secure through its fortifications (many of which were
accomplished under his administration). Hezekiah then gave Babylonian
emissaries
a
complete tour of his kingdom (2 Kings 20:12-15). Naively trusting their show of
concern and desire for peace (verse 12), he revealed to this foreign
power
the extent of his military might and even the wealth of his regime. As a
result, the Babylonians, who later eclipsed the Assyrians as Israel's greatest
enemy,
destroyed the Israelite monarchy and took Hezekiah's heirs into captivity
(verses 16-18). The king was deluded that he had done the right thing,
even
when warned by the prophet Isaiah concerning its dreadful consequences, because
he thought, "... there shall be peace and truth in my days" (verse
19).
In
our modern era another monarchy faced the same circumstances as that of Israel.
In September of 1938 the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met
in
Munich with German Chancellor Adolph Hitler. Secure in the reputation of his
great empire "upon whom the sun never set," conscious of the
expectations
of
his position and desperately wanting an "understanding" between their
countries, Chamberlain returned from the meeting to proudly announce,
"There will
be
peace in our time!" That "peace" led less than a year later to
the Second World War in which 47 million people perished and Chamberlain's own
city of
London
was practically demolished.
The
modern age has ' become intoxicated at the prospect of global peace as we begin
the twenty-first century. Weary of wars, and believing that technology
can
rescue the future, there is today an unparalleled longing for "peace at
any price" (so long as our country does not have to pay for it!). Yet,
despite
appearances
to the contrary (since the nature of man and the conditions that foment wars
have not changed), our planet is ready to pursue any process that
may
promise the coveted peace. While a good one- third of our earth is at war at
any time, international attention has been focused on the one supposed
obstacle
to "peace in our time"- the Middle East conflict. Regardless of the
irreconcilable religious agendas that precipitated and continue to provoke
the
conflict, the international community is driven by a desire to resolve the
political situation. And, as in the case of Chamberlain, due caution and
reasonable
requirements for security have been abandoned in order to achieve "peace
at any price."
For
example, even though the Palestinian Authority acquired the biblical regions of
Judea and Samaria, known popularly as the West Bank, as Israel's donation
toward
the peace process, the world has watched Palestinian "President"
Yasser Arafat meet in the summer of 1997 with Iraq's Saddam Hussein (whom he
supported
in
the Gulf War) and openly embrace and kiss the leader of the terrorist
organization Hamas only weeks after and days before they launched terrorist
bombings
in
downtown Jerusalem in the early fall of the same year. And though more have
been killed on both sides during the peace process than before it was
initiated,
the
world continues to urge on the peace process with Chamberlain's same naive
ambition. Why is peace in the Middle East, and especially between the Israelis
and
Arabs, deemed so vital? What is the agenda for this peace process, and what
kind of peace is possible? Why has it been so difficult to achieve, and
where
will it ultimately lead us? These are questions we must examine within the
context of Scripture and especially Scripture's predictions of the pseudo-peace
that
is to characterize the end of the age.
The
international media has presented a biased and incorrect image of the Middle
East conflict as Israel's oppression of a displaced refugee people whose
land
they invaded. In truth, the conflict in the Middle East has persisted for
thousands of years involving many nations. Jerusalem alone has been invaded
or
destroyed almost 30 times. However, the modern reference to conflict has its
origin in the events that surround the creation of the State of Israel
and
the five wars it has had with Arab nations since. Jewish immigration prompted
by the Zionist Movement in 1897 brought Jews to the land to live alongside
Arabs
who (then under Turkish rule) had been there since the Arab invasion of the
country in A.D. 638. It should be remembered, however, that a resident
Jewish
population always existed in the Land throughout the past 19 centuries, despite
the experience of persecution and pogrom. In the same way, Jewish
communities
still survive in Arab countries hostile to them such as Egypt, Iraq, and Syria.
Throughout the early decades of the twentieth century as tensions
mounted
and riots occurred, usually over access to holy places, Great Britain, who had
been granted mandatory jurisdiction over the country by the League
of
Nations (in 1922), after their conquest of the Turks in 1918, sought a solution
to the conflict.
The
British "solution," which violated both the terms of the Mandate and
the Balfour Declaration (which had called for the establishment of a Jewish
homeland
in
all or any part of Palestine) was to divide the country between the Arab and
Jewish populations. On May 14, 1946 the British gave the eastern four-fifths
of
the land (known then as Transjordan) to the Arabs and to the rule of the
Hashemite family. This created the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Thus, Israel
was
left to occupy only 23 percent of Palestine (not 100 percent as the media
portrays), while the Arabs received the remaining 73 percent. This territory
was
originally intended for the resettlement of Palestinian Arabs by the League of
Nations, not to become an independent Arab state.' Interestingly, it
was
thereafter identified by its Arab occupiers as the nation of Palestine. Even as
late as 1968, King Hussein of Jordan was still saying: "Jordan is
Palestine
and
Palestine is Jordan. 112 Incidentally, in 1974, Yasser Arafat said much the
same thing: "What you call Jordan is actually Palestine."' How
different
is
the perception and rhetoric today! Today, Israel is called Palestine and Jordan
is viewed as a distinct Arab nation such as Saudi Arabia.
In
1947, because of the British failure to resolve the mounting crisis between
Arabs and Jews in the 23 percent of Palestine, the United Nations stepped
in
and established a temporary "peace" by partitioning this 23 percent
of Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state. At this time the term
"Palestinian" (the
Anglicized
form of the Latin name of Israel's ancient enemies, the Philistines), originally
given to the country by the Romans after their conquest of
the
Jews, and revived by the British after more than a thousand years, was applied
equally to both its Jewish and Arab population. For example, the well-known
English
language newspaper The Jerusalem Post was then called The Palestine Post.'
However, this peace was short-lived, for when the United Nations narrowly
voted
to recognize the Jewish declaration of the independent State of Israel on May
14, 1948, the Arab world went to war against the Palestinian Jews,
now
able to call them "Israelis." Failing to overrun infant Israel, the
attacking Arabs occupied what they could. Jordan annexed the biblical
territories
of
Judea and Samaria (now known as the West Bank) in 1950, and Egypt took the Gaza
Strip. But the Israeli victory had left displaced the Palestinian Arab
population
who had fled Israel's borders under Arab command and the promise that upon the
defeat of the Jewish enemy they would reclaim their and the Jews'
abandoned
homes. Many of the Arab countries surrounding Israel could have easily absorbed
their brethren, but refused. On the one hand, they did not want
the
economic and social burden of caring for an indigent people, while on the
other, they wanted to create a problem for Israel which they knew could be
an
instrument for international criticism and eventual intervention.
Therefore,
returning to Palestine, most took up residence in the Palestinian nation of
Jordan in the Jordanian-occupied area known as the West Bank, while
others
chose to live within Israel proper and became citizens of Israel with the
rights and benefits of Israeli citizenship. The former group of Arabs
in
the West Bank are the original "Palestinians," although today their
ranks have been joined by a large number of Arabs who originally lived outside
the
borders
of Israel. These came from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, and other
Middle Eastern countries allied with the original Arab League charter
to
remove all Jews from the land. Since the Palestinian "uprising"
(Intafada) that began in 1987, the Israeli-Arabs (such as those of East
Jerusalem) who
comprise
about 20 percent of those who now refer to themselves only as
"Palestinians." It should be emphasized, however, that, except for
Jordan, there has never
existed
at any time a Palestinian State. In contrast to what is popularly presented
today, "Israel is being robbed of its political, historic, and geographic
legitimacy
while seeming to rob the Palestinians of a nation it already has."'
Meanwhile, this newly-formed conglomerate of Arabs have sought to create
what
has never before existed by electing a president, adopting a flag, forming an
army (read: "police force"), setting up diplomatic headquarters in
East
Jerusalem
(the Orient House), and with Jordan's agreement, "declaring a state,"
all in violation of the stipulations agreed in the Oslo Accord which precluded
any
recognition of a Palestinian state or a "governmental presence" in
Jerusalem.
One
of the major misconceptions concerning the Middle East conflict fostered by
media reporting is that it is the result of a dispute over the ownership
of
land. Such a conflict, of course, is seen at the surface, with the Palestinians
calling for a complete Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory (which
according
to Palestinian maps is all of the land!), and Israel arguing that the same
territory is their ancient homeland and the inheritance given to their
fathers
by God (See Genesis 12:7- 13:15-17; 15:18-21; 17:8- 22:17). Seeking to create
their own revision of history, Palestinians have now claimed decadency
from
the ancient Philistines, whom they say renamed Canaan "Palestine" in
an attempt to predate the Israelites in the Land!' But the necessity of land
should
be understood in light of the statistical reality of Arab land at 4,600,000
square miles versus Israeli land (including the West Bank) at 34,000
square
miles. Israel is content to live within this small amount of territory, even
though the original covenant with Abraham included much more (about
200,000
square miles). However, the surrounding Arab nations deny Israel occupation in
even this area, and despite the Oslo Accord to the contrary, the
Palestinian
Authority, in agreement with other Arab nations, continue as a provision of
their charter a refusal to recognize the right of Israel to exist!
The
real reason for the Arab-Israeli conflict is not political, but religious. The
problem is Islam, which believes that it must subjugate the world by
the
sword, that all lands once in Muslim possession must never be relinquished or
returned, and that the Koran proclaimed Israel as wretched and condemned
and
Jews as the friends of Satan worthy only of contempt and punishment. The Koran
also teaches that Islam superseded both Judaism and Christianity, and
therefore
Islam cannot tolerate another religion sharing equal access or privileges with
itself (such as at holy sites).' Many Muslims further teach that
the
Jews of today (and especially European Jewry) are really non-Semitic descendants
of the Middle Age Khazar dynasty. Therefore, on religious grounds,
it
is impossible to negotiate a lasting peace with a perpetual enemy. The
existence of a sovereign Jewish state is an affront to the Koran, and most Jews
are
not Jews at all and have no right to claim any inheritance based on the Bible.
Because of these irreconcilable religious differences, the kind of
"peace"
understood
by most Westerners and Europeans is impossible in the Middle East.
From
the outset it is important to understand that peace between Israel and its
neighboring Arab countries is possible so long as it is understood what
kind
of peace we can expect. Two types of peace are possible in the world today. The
first kind of peace is that which exists between democracies. The
peace
between the United States and its neighboring countries of Canada and Mexico is
an example of this type of peace. Even though Canada may protest
the
United States poisoning its environment with acid rain, and the United States
may oppose the drug trafficking from Mexico, these countries do not go
to
war with each other over these issues. Democracies generally resolve their
differences by non-violent negotiation and therefore do not require guarantees
since
there is no threat to the national security.
The
second kind of peace that exists is that between democracies and
non-democracies. When the nature of the regime changes, so must the nature of
the peace.
When
political philosophies are inherently different, the type of peace expected
will follow suit. In this case, agreements must be attended by guarantees
of
security and a balance of power that promotes detente. The type of peace that
is being negotiated between Israel (the sole democracy in the Middle East)
and
its Arab non-democratic neighbors is of this second type. The Palestinian
Authority was once at the top of the U.S. list of terrorist organizations
because
it employed terrorism as its means for achieving political ends. It used the
terrorist tactic of "uprising" (Intafada) against Israel before the
Oslo
Accord and has continued to call for "holy war" (Jibad) throughout
the first phase of the "peace process." It has also continued to
openly embrace
and
support terrorist organizations such as Hamas. In addition, the Palestinian
Authority has called for and implemented the death penalty for any Palestinian
who
sells family-owned land to Jews. Such use of terror is the way of
non-democracies, but it is totally unacceptable in terms of negotiation with
democracies.
Therefore,
in order to avoid confusion of expectations, it is imperative to understand
that peace between democratic and non-democratic parties cannot
be
achieved on the basis of handshakes and non-violent negotiations, since only
one side of the negotiators can ever be expected to honor these terms.
The
only possibility that a manageable peace could exist is if it exists with
enforceable guarantees of security and a balance of military armaments.
The
issue of the Oslo Accord was simple. The Israelis were to give the Palestinians
territory for self-rule and the Palestinians were to curtail terrorism
toward
Israel from that territory. Israel never viewed their action as giving up
territory for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, but as
sharing
sovereignty with their Arab neighbors west of the Jordan in order to create a
defense against attacks aimed at the Israeli people. Israel's primary
concern
was the guarantee of security for its people who have continually been attacked
by organized terrorists from these territories. The Oslo Accord
did
not deal with either the question of Palestinian statehood or the status of
Jerusalem. Israel refused to consider the formation of a Palestinian state
within
Greater Israel (Judea and Samaria). They postponed the Jerusalem issue to a
second phase of negotiation which ideally would build upon the foundation
of
the guarantee of security established by the first phase. Now that terrorism in
Israel has demonstrated that the Palestinians are both unable and unwilling
to
honor their commitments to Israel's security, the second phase of negotiations
has been frozen. Even so, it is clear that no government of Israel (whether
Likud
or Labor) will permit the formation of an independent Palestinian state nor
change the present status of Jerusalem.
The
Jewish construction of 6,500 housing units for its ever growing immigrant
population within Jerusalem's municipal boundaries at Har Homa has created
an
incident of international protest. Palestinians claim that this is in violation
of the Oslo Accord and, as one CNN anchor put it, "an invasion of
Palestinian
territory
by Israel." However, such construction is not prohibited by Oslo in areas
under Israel's jurisdiction and 75 percent of the expropriated land
for
the project was Jewish-owned. Yet, when terrorist bombing was renewed in
Israel, Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Feisal al-Husseni said,
"the
terror
of the bulldozers [Jewish construction at Har Homa] has led to the terror of
the bombs." How can there be negotiations with people who believe that
a
construction project can be equated with the murder of innocent people? Yet,
rather than implement security procedures to control terrorism against Israel
(in
compliance with Oslo), Yasser Arafat turned his police force into a 40,000-man
army (made up in many cases from known terrorist leaders) that is being
trained
to launch terrorism, not fight it.
This
has been demonstrated in recent riots in which members of this police force
fired on Israelis, but not on its own fire-bomb throwing people. Arafat
has
continually given the green light to terrorist organizations sheltered within
Palestinian territory to wage Jihad and liberate Jerusalem.
Other
problems include negotiation with Syria over the Golan Heights, which is
presently impossible because of Syria's preconditioned terms that Israel
return
the Golan Heights. Of course, if this were done there would be nothing to
negotiate, since Israel would have lost its only bargaining chip and Syria
would
have what it wanted. No government could comply with such preconditions,
especially with a country which continues to declare itself in a state of
war
and is increasing its armaments at an alarming rate.
The
facts are that the so-called "peace-process" has been impossible from
its outset and that the problems Israel has been enduring since the cessation
of
the Intafada and the handshake on the White House lawn (between Yitzhak Rabin
and Yasser Arafat) have been the result of Israel's attempts to honor
Oslo
by giving the Palestinians control of Jericho, Gaza, and the West Bank. Are
these problems of pseudo-peace part of the prophetic plan for Israel in
the
end time? Gershon Salomon, an Orthodox Israeli and head of the Temple Mount and
Land of Israel Faithful, believes the present conflict is a sign that
his
generation will see both the pangs of Messiah and the promised redemption.
Concerning this he wrote in his newsletter:
We
are acting in a very critical time in the history of the people and the land of
Israel. We always knew from the Scriptures and Jewish tradition that
the
time before the coming of the Mashiah and the complete redemption of Israel
would be a difficult and complicated time. We call them "pangs of
redemption."
But
I and my friends are completely committed to doing everything that we can to
ensure that the prophetic plans of G-d will be fulfilled ... We are committed
to
bring about the appearance of Mashiah ben David in our lifetime. If needs be we
are ready to sacrifice ourselves for this. We have decided that we want
to
see the rebuilding of the Third Temple and the return of the Israeli Jewish
nation to the boundaries which G-d promised us.
If,
as many Israelis believe, the present peace process is a pseudo-peace, it is
necessary to consider what the Scripture says concerning the nature of
such
events in light of the prophetic program outlined for Israel in the end time.
Let us first consider what the Bible records concerning the real peace
promised
after the Lord's return, and then, by contrast, the characteristics of false
peace that will deceive the world prior to Christ's Second Advent.
While
pseudo-peace processes may be attempted both before and during the Tribulation
period, a time of true peace will eventually come to the region. The
prophetic
details concerning this promised peace are given largely by the prophets
Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Ezekiel refers to a "covenant of
peace"
(Ezekiel
34:25; 37:26) made between the Lord and the "sons of Israel" that
will have several provisions: (1) it will involve secure occupation of the Land
of
Israel-, (2) it will be everlasting (Ezekiel 37:26b)., (3) it will establish
and increase the Israeli population in the Land (Ezekiel 37:26c; compare
verses
25. and 36:24, 28); and (4) it will secure the rebuilding of the Temple and
return the Divine Presence (Ezekiel 37:26d-27; compare chapters 40-48).
Isaiah,
building upon these understood guarantees, adds in Isaiah 2 that this peace
will also be universal and pervasive (verse 2), spiritual (verse 3;
compare
11:9b), unparalleled, and will emanate from Jerusalem (verses 2,3; compare
27:13). Isaiah also depicts this peace extending beyond the political
realm
to the natural order (Isaiah 11:6-9a; compare Ezekiel 34:25), and as being
inclusive of Gentiles as well as Jews (Isaiah 56:6,7). Jeremiah's details
of
this period of promised peace in Jeremiah 31 focus on its unconditional and
spiritual nature. Here called the "new covenant" because it differs
from
the
conditional and legal nature of the Mosaic Covenant which it supersedes, its
provisions of national spiritual regeneration and restoration (verses
33,34)
guarantees Israel's existence as a national entity. This is enforced by the use
of the stronger Hebrew term in verse 36 for a corporate body-goi
"nation,"
rather than the weaker 'am "a people." Thus, Israel must be preserved
as a recognizable national entity, not simply as a distinguishable people
for
the fulfillment of this prophetic position. Although always known through the
ages as the Jewish people, this national distinction was returned to
Israel
in May of 1948. Zechariah makes "peace" the hallmark of the coming
age in contrast with the former time in which "there was no peace because
of
his
enemies..." (Zechariah 8:10). Therefore, in the Millennial Kingdom, the
time of promised refreshing (Acts 3:19), there will be peace for agricultural
activity,
peace for Israel among the nations, and peace within every Israeli city
(Zechariah 8:12-19). According to Revelation 20:1-9, this period of peace
on
earth, whose security will be guaranteed by the righteous reign of the Messiah
(Psalm 2:6-12), will persist for a thousand years before becoming the
permanent
possession of the saints in the Eternal State (Revelation 21:4, 24-26; 22:2,3).
The
Prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel warned Israel on the eve of the destruction of
its monarchy: "... they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people
superficially,
saying, 'Peace, peace;' when there is no peace" (Jeremiah 6:14; 8:11),
"they have seduced My people by saying, 'Peace!' when there is no
peace"
(Ezekiel 13:10,16). Israel made unwise and unworthy alliances with enemies who
had the potential to fight for Israel, but whose plan was to fight
against
her. In every case the move was away from trust in God because of the fear of
man (compare Isaiah 7:1-9). A similar situation will occur when the
day
of the Lord commences with the Tribulation period. During this time of human enthronement
in the Antichrist, security will be sought in his globalized
governmental
system (Revelation 13:4,7,16,17). In 1 Thessalonians 5:3, we read that at the
very time they will be saying: "'Peace and safety!' then destruction
will
come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they
shall not escape." The deception and disappointment of pseudo-peace is
that
those who believe they have prevented future trouble have really only prevented
themselves from escaping from it.
Pseudo-peace
seems to offer the possibility for peace, but in fact only makes more probable
the necessity for war. The agreement with the Palestinians has
effectively
turned the calendar back to 1947 when Israel was contained within its least
defensible boundaries, only nine miles in width in some places.
It
has removed the necessary buffer zone between Israel and its hostile Arab
neighbors, made possible the establishment of an enemy army in the territories
under
Palestinian authority who could cut off access to vital water resources and
invade Israel. While the world hopes for a "peace" in the Middle
East,
more
seasoned analysts are now forecasting just the opposite. They see the peace
process as part of a phased program devised to weaken Israel as a prelude
to
the next and perhaps final Arab-Israeli war. As one writer, comparing the
similar context of history, has put it:
"Weakening
Israel territorially or spiritually ... will soon force it to face the choice
Chamberlain faced when appeasement failed and Hitler invaded Poland:
fight
a desperate war or perish.""'
The
peace process has especially threatened Jerusalem, control of which has been
the stated objective of the Palestinians since the beginning of official
talks
with Israel in Madrid. Since the end of the first phase of the Oslo Accord, the
demand for Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian
state
has increased and been supported by terrorist attacks in the very heart of the
city. This has led some newspapers to announce that "the battle for
Jerusalem
has begun!"
There
is no doubt that the end of the conflict in the Middle East will be over
Jerusalem. This is direction toward which all of the negotiations in the
peace
process have headed, and, as Arafat once announced: "Jerusalem is the
essence of peace between us! " The biblical prophets also confirm that the
resolution
of the Middle East conflict will center in this city (Zechariah 12:2,3). When I
spoke with Jerusalem's mayor Ehud Olmert a few days after Prime
Minister
Yitzhak Rabin's state funeral, he said to me that the Prime Minister had
assured him just days before his assassination that he would never divide
Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated the same position, a
position of strength which returned his Likud party to power. He
has
said: "I will never allow Jerusalem to be divided again. Never! Never! We
will keep Jerusalem united and ... we will never re-surrender those
ramparts.""
And
again: "Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for 3,000 years since the
time of King David and we don't expect to change that for the next 3,000
years!""
Renewed acts of terrorism have also provoked a renewed focus on the growing
conflict over the holy city and the Temple Mount, the central stage
for
end-time events, but presently barred to Jews for religious purposes.
Likud's
election manifesto declared that the Temple Mount is "the heart and soul
of the Jewish people and the most holy focus of the Nation." According
to
Temple activists, it also promised to open the Temple Mount for Jewish prayers.
In a letter from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Yehuda Etzion,
an
activist on trial for resisting arrest when he was forcibly removed from the
Temple Mount after attempting to pray there last September, Netanyahu is
reported
to have written:
The
right of the Jewish people to its holy place-the Temple Mount-cannot be
questioned. I believe it is necessary to arrange for Jewish prayer at the site,
especially
given that we permit freedom of worship to all religions in Jerusalem... I
believe we can do this properly when we return to govern the country.
The
Israeli High Court did rule to permit Jewish prayers on the Temple Mount in the
recent case of Yehuda Etzion. The Muslim reaction was predictable. In
a
sermon delivered shortly after the High Court's decision, the sheikh of the
AI-Aqsa mosque declared: "We refuse to obey the decisions of this racist
court.
The rabbis will not enter Al-Aqsa, not [unless] over our dead bodies and
shrouds." This was tested last Tisha B'Av (the day commemorating the
destruction
of
the Temple in A.D. 70) when Chief Rabbi Israel Lau issued a call for all Israel
to go to the Temple Mount and pray. The Muslims closed the Mugrabi Gate
(the
only entrance open to Jews) and thousands of Israeli Jews waited for hours
outside. Muslims were permitted inside for prayers, but the Jewish worshipers
were
refused entrance by police who barred the entrance fearing the threat of Arab
opposition.
If
the "peace process" is to continue, the Palestinians have demanded
sovereignty over East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, though by next year a
majority
of
Jews will live in East Jerusalem and most Israelis (whether secular or
religious) continue to view the Temple as a unique symbol of Israel's
independence
and
unity, if not of its promised future. The issue of rebuilding the Third Temple
has also continually been at the forefront of Arab concerns.
access
to vital water resources and invade Israel. While the world hopes for a
"peace" in the Middle East, more seasoned analysts are now
forecasting just
the
opposite. They see the peace process as part of a phased program devised to
weaken Israel as a prelude to the next and perhaps final Arab-Israeli war.
As
one writer, comparing the similar context of history, has put it:
"Weakening
Israel territorially or spiritually ... will soon force it to face the choice
Chamberlain faced when appeasement failed and Hitler invaded Poland:
fight
a desperate war or perish.""
The
peace process has especially threatened Jerusalem, control of which has been
the stated objective of the Palestinians since the beginning of official
talks
with Israel in Madrid. Since the end of the first phase of the Oslo Accord, the
demand for Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian
state
has increased and been supported by terrorist attacks in the very heart of the
city. This has led some newspapers to announce that "the battle for
Jerusalem
has begun!"
There
is no doubt that the end of the conflict in the Middle East will be over
Jerusalem. This is direction toward which all of the negotiations in the
peace
process have headed, and, as Arafat once announced: "Jerusalem is the
essence of peace between us! " The biblical prophets also confirm that the
resolution
of the Middle East conflict will center in this city (Zechariah 12:2,3). When I
spoke with Jerusalem's mayor Ehud Olmert a few days after Prime
Minister
Yitzhak Rabin's state funeral, he said to me that the Prime Minister had
assured him just days before his assassination that he would never divide
Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated the same position, a
position of strength which returned his Likud party to power. He
has
said: "I will never allow Jerusalem to be divided again. Never! Never! We
will keep Jerusalem united and ... we will never re-surrender those
ramparts.""
And
again: "Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for 3,000 years since the
time of King David and we don't expect to change that for the next 3,000
years!""
Renewed acts of terrorism have also provoked a renewed focus on the growing
conflict over the holy city and the Temple Mount, the central stage
for
end-time events, but presently barred to Jews for religious purposes.
Likud's
election manifesto declared that the Temple Mount is "the heart and soul
of the Jewish people and the most holy focus of the Nation." According
to
Temple activists, it also promised to open the Temple Mount for Jewish prayers.
In a letter from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Yehuda Etzion,
an
activist on trial for resisting arrest when he was forcibly removed from the
Temple Mount after attempting to pray there last September, Netanyahu is
reported
to have written:
The
right of the Jewish people to its holy place-the Temple Mount-cannot be
questioned. I believe it is necessary to arrange for Jewish prayer at the site,
especially
given that we permit freedom of worship to all religions in Jerusalem ... I
believe we can do this properly when we return to govern the country.
The
Israeli High Court did rule to permit Jewish prayers on the Temple Mount in the
recent case of Yehuda Etzion. The Muslim reaction was predictable. In
a
sermon delivered shortly after the High Court's decision, the sheikh of the
Al-Aqsa mosque declared: "We refuse to obey the decisions of this racist
court.
The rabbis will not enter Al-Aqsa, not [unless] over our dead bodies and
shrouds." This was tested last Tisha B'Av (the day commemorating the
destruction
of
the Temple in A.D. 70) when Chief Rabbi Israel Lau issued a call for all Israel
to go to the Temple Mount and pray. The Muslims closed the Mugrabi Gate
(the
only entrance open to Jews) and thousands of Israeli Jews waited for hours
outside. Muslims were permitted inside for prayers, but the Jewish worshipers
were
refused entrance by police who barred the entrance fearing the threat of Arab
opposition.
If
the "peace process" is to continue, the Palestinians have demanded
sovereignty over East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, though by next year a
majority
of
Jews will live in East Jerusalem and most Israelis (whether secular or
religious) continue to view the Temple as a unique symbol of Israel's
independence
and
unity, if not of its promised future. The issue of rebuilding the Third Temple
has also continually been at the forefront of Arab concerns.
In
March of 1996, international newspapers published a photograph of Yasser Arafat
holding up an artist's rendering of a restored Temple and telling his
people
to "get ready for the next battle" (for Jerusalem).
On
September 25, 1996, the opening by the Israelis of an exit tunnel to the
Hasmonean aqueduct which connects with the Western Wall Tunnel sparked a riot
between
Palestinians and Israelis. Palestinians heaved stones from atop the Temple
Mount toward Israelis who were praying at the Western Wall as loudspeakers
on
the Mount called for Arabs to come and defend the holy places. Arabs came and
by the end of the riot period some 58 had been killed. The Palestinians
claimed
that the newly-carved tunnel threatened the Muslim mosques on the Temple Mount.
For this reason, Yasser Arafat described the action as "a crime
against
our religious and holy places ... completely against the peace process."
The
Palestinian-instigated riot, however, was merely a political tactic to turn
attention to their demand for Jerusalem. The facts seem to support the Israeli
contention:
The Western Wall Tunnel, a 2,000-year-old underground passageway, used as a
transit for priests during the time of the Second Temple, has been
a
popular tourist attraction since its official opening to the public in 1987.
However, because the only exit for the tunnel at its northern end next to
the
Struthion Pool was through a private home, all tourist traffic had to exit back
through the tunnel's entrance. This made it impossible to tour more
than
30 people at one time, resulting in tour bookings literally around the clock.
Therefore, as the Ministry of Religious Affairs contends, the Islamic
Wakf
(the Muslim authority which has jurisdiction on the Temple Mount) had an
agreement with the previous administration to allow for the tunnel exit.
The
agreement was a deal to permit the Muslims a one-time use of the
"Solomon's Stables" area for Ramadan prayers in exchange for
permission to cut the
tunnel.
The Ramadan prayers were held last summer as scheduled, however, Feisal al
Husseini, chief negotiator for the PLO, now says that no such agreement
was
ever reached with the Israeli government.
The
real issue, according to Jerusalem mayor Ehud Olmert, is the control over
Jerusalem: "The tunnel has no connection to the mosques-it is far
away-this
is
about who will control Jerusalem." However, despite Israeli dismissal of
the tunnel as an issue in the riot, it remained at the center of contention
when
I spoke with Wakf director Adnan Husseni in October. I even noticed that Arabic
maps of the Temple Mount, with the new tunnel marked in red, were
still
being circulated from one of the Wakf offices. Even so, the Wakf reacted in an
identical manner at Succot in October of 1990 when it was thought
that
the Temple Mount Faithful were going to bring a cornerstone for the Third
Temple to the Mount. On that occasion, even though it was widely publicized
to
Muslim officials and the Arab press that the Israeli police would not allow the
Temple Mount Faithful to enter the area, the riots were still conducted.
However,
Israeli intelligence reports later revealed that the reason for the attack at
the Western Wall was to highlight the Palestinian plight and to
gather
worldwide Muslim support (then needed by Saddarn Hussein) by focusing on the
common Arab interest in Jerusalem.
What
is the common Arab interest in Jerusalem? Why has this one city been singled
out as the key factor for the success or failure of the peace process?
If
we consider the religious status of Jerusalem for the Moslem, we find that it
ranks only third after the Great Mosque of the Kaabah in Mecca and the
mosque
built upon the house of Mohammed in Medina. The Al Aqsa mosque on the southern
end of the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock at its western side
are
the buildings that make Islam sacred to Muslims. However, it must be noted that
Jerusalem is never mentioned in the Koran, that no Arab power ever
made
it a center of government or a site for pilgrimage, nor were the later
significance of Mohammed's "Night Journey" and "Ascent to
Paradise," associated
with
these structures, either in the Koran or as a part of early Muslim
interpretation. Rather, the importance of the Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock
lies
in their being symbols of Islam's suppression of Christianity and Judaism. In
A.D. 638 when Islam captured Jerusalem from the Byzantine Christian
empire,
it wanted to demonstrate its status as military conqueror of Christianity, that
Mohammed was a greater prophet than Jesus, and that Islam superseded
Christianity.
Therefore, the Al Aqsa was built over the site of a Byzantine church which in
turn was built over the site of Solomon's Porch where the Church
was
born on the day of Pentecost (Acts 3:11; 5:12), and the Dome of the Rock was
built over the site of the Holy of Holies within the Jewish Temple which
had
been defiled by Byzantine Christianity. This replacement theology of Islam can
be further seen within the Dome of the Rock where inscribed verses from
the
Koran instruct Muslims that Christianity is false by saying "God had no
son" and "Allah is the One God," and the Koranic teaching that
Ishmael (Abraham's
son
claimed as the Arab progenitor), not Isaac (Abraham's son through whom the
Jewish people came) was offered for sacrifice on the rock within the dome.
This
same concept of replacement can be seen in the fourth holiest place in Islam,
the Umayyad mosque in Damascus, built in the city where Jesus' disciples
were
first called "Christians" (Acts 11:26) and over the site of the
Basilica of St. John the Baptist. Nevertheless, apart from these apologetic
purposes,
Jerusalem
holds no religious significance for the worship of the Moslem. As Shmuel Katz
has observed: "Without Jerusalem, not an iota would be changed
in
the texture of Islam, or in the personal life of the Arabs or any other Moslem.
He would continue to pray in the direction of Mecca, as he has always
done.""
On
the other hand, in Judaism, Jerusalem occupies the most important place in its
worship. The posture of Orthodox prayer from any point in the world is
only
towards Jerusalem, as mandated in the Bible (1 Kings 8:29,30, 38-44; compare
Daniel 6:10). Since the destruction and exile of the Jewish people from
Jerusalem
in A.D. 70, Jewish prayers have included a petition to return to Jerusalem and
rebuild. At Passover, Jews throughout the world end their commemoration
of
the Exodus with the prayer "Next Year in Jerusalem! " And whenever access
was possible throughout the ages, the Western Wall of the Temple Mount was
the
chief center for pilgrimage and worship. No other city in Israel commemorates a
special day of celebration over its liberation, but in May each year
"Jerusalem
Day" celebrates the unification of the city which occurred in 1967.
Regardless of the religious affectations of Jewish people, there is a universal
recognition
and affirmation that Jerusalem remains the historic capital of Israel and the
place from which the peace promised to the Jewish people and
mankind
will be realized. This realization is epitomized in many places around the city
where there can be seen inscriptions of the familiar verse from
the
Psalms: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."
If,
as Zechariah predicts, the nations of the world will one day unify in an
invasion of Israel with the attack focused on Jerusalem, then we should expect
to
see international involvement in the Middle East situation mounting as we move
toward the end time. In this respect, China has traditionally supported
Israel's
Arab enemies and has especially close relations with Iran. Iran has for years
been amassing non-conventional weapons, and China has agreed to
build
an atomic reactor for them. China has been interested in Israel's technological
advances in agriculture since it struggles to feed its ever burgeoning
population.
Iraq, too, has continued to increase its armaments, despite the sanctions
imposed upon it after the Gulf War, and recently Saddam Hussein
received
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (who, with King Hussein of Jordan, had
supported him in the Gulf War). Libya's Mohammar Khadafi has begun
to
build a mountain fortress containing an arsenal of chemical weapons that can be
launched against Israel and even the United States. The Commonwealth
of
Independent States has continued to supply arms to these and other Middle
Eastern Arab powers while eyeing Israel's considerable wealth of mineral
resources
in
the Dead Sea and its immigrant intelligentsia. Such resources are desperately
needed to revive the social and economic disasters that plague the former
Soviet
empire.
At
the same time, the Palestinians and the Arab League are hastening to position
themselves to be part of the expanding New World Order that has emerged
with
the unification of Germany, the collapse of the Iron Curtain, and the rise of
the European Economic Community. Essential to entrance in this network
is
a peaceful coexistence that fosters the overarching principle of unity. Yasser
Arafat, recognized by Palestinians as "President" of an as yet
nonexistent
Palestinian
state, has listed acceptance by this community as one of his top priorities and
motivation for making "peace" with Israel. He states:
For
many years I have been asking the Israelis to start making peace ... There is a
new world order. We want to be part of this new order, as Palestinians,
and
as an Arab nation.
For
this same reason Arafat demanded an International Force be stationed in the
Palestinian territories to police the Israeli settlements nearby. Such an
action
drew the Palestinian state into the protective custody of the international
community, while at the same time set Israel apart from it. The Arabs
perceived
this as an important guarantee for their security, since they had interpreted
the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the
Vatican
as a move against Muslim solidarity." However, by coming under the
indirect control of an international force, when the Russian-Arab alliance
moves
against
Israel, the European community will be compelled to intervene. However, when
the battle is turned to favor Israel, they will join with the Israelis,
and
their leader will perhaps claim credit for what is, in fact, a divine
intervention.
It
was incredible enough to believe Israel's nearly five million inhabitants could
hold their own against 22 Arab nations of more than 200 million, but
with
the added numbers of Russia and her satellites, the world will be convinced
that Israel's survival through this attack is indeed miraculous. For a
time,
the anti-Semitism that has spread through Europe will give way to an
acknowledgment of this phenomena. However, once Israel asserts her independence
from
the rule of Antichrist, anti-Semitism will explode on a worldwide scale, and
Israel will truly be "hated by all nations" (Matthew 24:9).
One
of the most disturbing events occurring parallel to the supposed
"peace" plan in the Middle East is the continual buildup of weaponry
throughout the
Arab
League countries. Russia is one of the largest suppliers of submarines and
other armaments to Iran, China has supplied reactors and nuclear technology
to
Iran and Algeria, and France has sold massive amounts of tanks to the United
Arab Emirates. As a result of allied assistance during the Gulf War, the
U.S.
and Great Britain have made heavy concessions of fighter-bombers to Saudi
Arabia." It is also well known that Iraq,
Iran,
Libya, Pakistan, Syria, and Algeria have all sought to produce or have produced
nuclear and chemical/biological weapons in the last year." Reports
that
Egyptians have located uranium sites concealed by Israelis in the Sinai have
also caused recent concern." One must wonder why there is an increased
proliferation
of arms pouring into these Arab countries if peace is truly a prospect.
If
Israel is unsuccessful in its negotiations, and the "peace" process
fails, it will be forced to engage in another war with its Arab neighbors, a
conflict
on
a scale far greater than any it has yet seen. One writer summed up the
situation as only trading land for time, adding a pessimistic prognosis for
peace:
But
let us also be under no illusion as to what has happened, or what will happen
hereafter. The Palestinian Arabs as a whole have not changed their minds
one
iota about what they regard as a great historic wrong, nor have they abandoned
their hope of rectifying it Let us consider, then, the events that may
occur
as we move down the road from pseudo-peace to a war in the Middle East.
Somewhere
along the prophetic path that leads to the final pseudo-peace made by the
Antichrist, will come a war between Israel and a Russian-Arab alliance
(Ezekiel
38-39). This war, called the "Battle of Gog and Magog" in the context
of Ezekiel, is placed between the chapters dealing with Israel's return
to
the Land and spiritual restoration (chapters 33-37) and the building of the
Millennial Temple (chapters 40-48). Therefore, it could occur prior to the
Tribulation
or in either the first or second parts of the Tribulation, including at its
end. Israel, at present, fits the description given in Ezekiel
38
of "living securely... without walls, and having no bars or gates" (verse
11). Only the old city of Jerusalem is walled, but the majority of
Jerusalemites
live
in the new city outside these walls. Israel has also inhabited the "waste
places" as predicted for this time in Ezekiel 38:12.
During
the end-time battle of Gog and Magog, Gog is depicted as a military leader that
arises from "the northern region" (from Israel's vantage point) of
Magog
(ancient Scythia). Today this area is comprised of the former Soviet republics
of Kazakhstan, Kirghiza, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan.
According
to Ezekiel, other nations which align themselves with Magog to invade Israel
are Rosh (Russia), Meshech and Tubal (territories in Turkey), Gomer
(Germany),
Togarmah (Turkey), Persia (Iran), Cush/Ethiopia (Sudan), Put (Libya), and Egypt
(according to Daniel 11:4042). While there is a difference of
opinion
among scholars as to the precise timing of this war, many now place it sometime
before or during the Tribulation period (compare Ezekiel 37:8,
16;
39:9) .21,
Can
it be only coincidental that the balance of power in this part of the world has
for decades been concentrated in Russia and the Arab countries? Since
the
dissolution of the Soviet Union, six of the former southern republics have
become independent Islamic nations: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan,
Kirghizia,
Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. All of these new nations, which are part of
Ezekiel's prediction, have a militant Islamic movement and are virulently
anti-Semitic.
They all also have economic hardships which have forced alliances with other
Islamic nations, and have nuclear weapons at their disposal.
Russian
control of Arab countries will perhaps give it the power to negotiate with
Israel, although the thought expressed here is that Russia will invade
Israel
and control it by guaranteeing its security (by a covenant of peace?). This is
similar to Daniel 11:40,41 and Ezekiel 38:8, which both picture a
non-destructive
invasion of Israel from the north.
It
appears that the groundwork for this plan has even now been laid through the
political and economic circumstances in Russia. Since Russia cannot produce
a
sufficient industry to survive economically, its only course has been to align
itself with Third World countries. An axis has been formed at the present
between
Iran, Syria, Sudan, and Ethiopia to overthrow the U.S. and its allies. Russia
has already forged alliances with some of these and others: Iran,
Syria,
Pakistan, Libya, and Turkey. In addition, the Central Asian Republics of
Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrghyzstan have
signed
a military assistance pact with the Russian Federation. These countries are all
Islamic and have been confirmed to possess nuclear weapons. In the
past
year, Iran and Iraq have been arming themselves with weapons supplied by Russia
and China as never before, an act which in itself calls for international
involvement.
Such events, combined with the downturn in the pseudo-peace process, has led
Gershon Salomon, leader of Israel's Temple Mount Faithful, to
announce
publicly that he expects the soon-coming and unavoidable Arab-Israeli war to be
none other than the prophetic battle of Gog and Magog:
I
consider it my duty to warn my people and all the friends of Israel that a
terrible war, the most terrible war of all the seven wars of Israel, is going
to
be perpetrated in this land against the people of Israel as a direct result of
these terrible agreements and the giving away to the enemies of G-d our
Holy
Temple Mount and the most holy and important Biblical areas of Israel ...
According to the prophetic plans of G-d these areas must be, and will be,
even
more so than in the past, the land of G-d and the people of Israel to carry the
great mission in the end-times ... We read in the prophetic Scriptures
of
Ezekiel and Zechariah about the terrible Gog and Magog war which is going to
come on the people of Israel in the end-times, in the time of the redemption.
When
we see these terrible, critical events in Israel we can understand why, in this
time of redemption, this terrible war of Gog and Magog is going to
take
place ... This war will not be an easy time for Israel ... but it will be the
last war of redemption of the people of Israel. This will be the war
when
the Messiah, Mashiach ben David, will appear and again be the eternal King of
Israel. This war will also open a new moral and spiritual page in the
history
of Israel. After this war the people of Israel will not be the same people...
G-d is ready to make this a time of prophetic fulfillment, are we
allowed
not to be ready? ... We believe that a brave government committed to the
historical vision of the people of Israel of the rebuilding of the temple
would
soon give the order to renew the work of finding the Ark [of the Covenant] and
to place it in a rebuilt Holy of Holies."
If
this expected pre-Tribulational war is that of Gog and Magog, or some other war
involving similar peoples, and it neutralizes the pervasive political
clout
of Islam, Israel will emerge as a major player in the end-time scenario and a
force with which to be reckoned by all nations (compare Zechariah 12:3,9;14:2).
Because
the outcome of this coming Middle East war will result in Israel gaining a new
position of power in the Middle East, the European leader (the Antichrist)
will
move to establish a balance of power by making a covenant with the Jews (see
Daniel 9:27). For the first time in modern history there will be no Islamic
opposition
to Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem. It is possible that as a result of the
recognition of divine intervention in the war, Orthodox Jews
will
be elevated in the eyes of the secular nation, and will take over the
government. These new spiritual-political leaders will announce that the
victory
of
Israel has ushered in the long-awaited Messianic era of redemption. This will
instigate the rebuilding of the Third Temple and the sacrificial system
will
be reinstituted (Revelation 11:1,2; Daniel 9:27).
Daniel's
Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (Daniel 9:24-27) clearly identifies a
"prince that shall come" whose people destroyed the city of Jerusalem
and the
Sanctuary
(Daniel 9:26). This future figure will make a "firm covenant" with
the Jewish leadership ("the many") at a time when the Jewish Temple
is (or
can
be) rebuilt and the sacrificial system reinstituted (verse 27). The
relationship between these events in the same context imply that the
restoration
of
the Temple and its services may be a result of the signing of this covenant. If
so, the parallel of these events with the provisions in God's "covenant
of
peace" (to be made with Israel at the beginning of the Millennium), may
also imply the Antichrist's attempt to counterfeit this predicted peace and
deceive
Israel and the world with a pseudo-millennium.
These
events move Israel into the Tribulation period known in the Old Testament as
the "Time of Jacob's Trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7) or "Time of
Distress" (Daniel
12:1).
The first half of this period, while certainly a time in which God's wrath is
displayed on earth (Revelation 6:1,2), will nevertheless be a: time
in
which Israel enjoys a pseudo-messianic era. However, this time of
"peace" in the Middle East, which may be the political maneuver that
propels the Antichrist
into
world ascendancy, is described by the Bible as a false peace (Jeremiah 6:14;
8:11). In 1 Thessalonians 5:3 we read: "For when they shall say, 'Peace
and
safety;' then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with
child; and they shall not escape." It may be that during this time
the
False Prophet (Revelation 13:11-18), who will be Jewish (verse 11) may appear
and eventually be accepted by many Jews as the Messiah (Matthew 24:24).
This
false peace will evidently end with the desecration of the Temple by the
Antichrist and the worldwide persecution of Jews at the mid-point of this
period.
These events will usher the world into a time of Great Tribulation, described
as a period when this pseudo "peace is removed from the earth" at
the
opening of the second seal judgment (Revelation 6:4).
When
we look at the mix in the Middle East today, there is confusion as to how the
scenario posited in Scripture will happen. It is my opinion that the
events
concerning Israel during the Tribulation will be spearheaded by a minority
element of religious Jews. They will enter into the contract with the
Antichrist
in order to secure peace and rebuild the Third Temple. From their ranks may
come the 144,000 Jews who will understand the deception, receive
the
true Messiah, and bear witness to the gospel of His coming Kingdom to the world
(Revelation 7:3-8). Many have wondered how the present religious minority
movements
in Israel (messianic and Temple movements) could influence world events. As the
1990 Temple Mount incident with the Temple Mount Faithful, which
drew
response from Saddam Hussein, and the Kach member Baruch Goldstein's 1994
'mosque shooting have revealed, it does not require a majority to make a
big
difference in the Middle East. One writer has said concerning this
disproportionate influence of minority organizations in Israel:
Although
small in absolute numbers, the power of these splinter groups to derail
international initiatives and to reignite conflict on the West Bank is
magnified
by uninhibited ideological fanaticism."
Today
in Israel there exists the Temple Movement, the Lubavitchers with their
continued hope in the resurrection of their pseudo-messiah Menchem Mendel
Schneerson,
(the Ultra-Orthodox anti-Zionist who awaits a divine intervention and the overthrow
of secular Jewish government), and many other organizations
who
want to see Jewish sovereignty restored to all of the Land of Israel
('Eretz-Yisrael). Though at present these are splinter groups, a deceptive
event
of
divine proportion could convince these groups to follow a single messianic
figure and support the signing of a covenant that appeared to fulfill their
biblical
expectations.
But
how will the world follow the figure of the Antichrist? Today, though the world
is relatively stable, there exists a longing for someone to follow who
will
unite human hearts despite their cultural and religious differences. Modern
media-enhanced figures
have
offered evidence that the masses can be moved to idolize and even
"worship," be they rock stars such as John Lennon or political
celebrities such as
Princess
Diana. The international outpouring of grief at the deaths of these famous
people by so many from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds lay
in the universal familiarity gained through media exposure. Though some seven billion people are thought to have shared in sympathy over "Princess Di,"
few,
if any, of these had ever met her. It was the image they knew and had adored.
Yet, something more may be revealed in these disproportionate displays
of
emotion. Perhaps we are also seeing the collective disappointment of a
desperately seeking society cheated of a world-class figure whose projected
image
offered
a rallying point for the planet.
However,
once the spiritual checks and balances of the Holy Spirit working through the
Church are removed at the Rapture, the great delusion will descend
upon
a world bereft of discerning leaders and in their place will arise the
"man of sin" (2 Thessalonians 2:6-12). The world's penchant for
following a
charismatic
figure will become fanaticism, and fearful of anarchy breaking out across the
globe, the world will seek security in a leader who can effectively
employ
detente. When he reveals himself in supernatural proportions, the international
media elite will join in projecting his image around the globe.
And
when this icon of pseudo-peace perishes, and then revives, the world which has
been merged in grief and jubilation will passionately surrender itself
to
his leadership. Thus we read in Revelation 13:3,4: "And the whole earth
was amazed and followed after the beast; and they worshipped the dragon,
because
he
gave his authority to the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, 'Who is
like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"' That future
leader
will be the one who resolves the Middle East conflict and finally makes peace
possible. He will be internationally heralded as a superstar, man
of
the year, peace prize recipient, and even messiah. It is not hard to see how
this will be possible given the modern climate of expectancy and the clamoring
for
any candidate who promises peace.
Failed
promises of pseudo-peace have frustrated the deluded masses from time
immemorial. God's Word in both testaments has preserved such thwarted hopes
in
its own record of man's desperation: "We waited for peace, but no good
came..." (Jeremiah 8:15; 14:19), "and the path of peace they have not
known"
(Isaiah
59:8; Romans 3:17). But the Scripture also proclaims that the present desire
for peace can be realized. Only Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace
(Isaiah
9:6), is able to "speak peace to the nations" (Zechariah 9:10), for
with Him as the High Priest of His people is "peace and
righteousness" to "turn
many
back from iniquity" (Malachi 2:6). However, Christ did not come into this
world at His first coming to bring political peace (Matthew 10:34; Luke
12:51;
compare John 18:36); this has been reserved for His return at the end of the
age (Acts 3:20,21; Romans 16:20; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). Even so,
Christ
offered His personal peace as a storm shelter in contrast to the pseudo-peace
of the world: "My peace give I unto you; not as the world gives, give
I
unto you" (John 14:27; 16:33). This peace is first of all a "peace
with God" (Romans 5:1), since all men as sinners are at enmity with Him,
being born
into
enemy camp (John 8:44; Romans 3:9-18). This spiritual peace is promised to the
one who believes God's word concerning Christ, who died in the sinner's
place
on the cross that he might receive forgiveness from God and inherit eternal
life (Acts 16:31; Romans 5:13; Colossians 1:20; Hebrews 13:20). Christ
also
grants a practical peace to safely weather all the storms of life (Galatians
5:22; Colossians 3:15; 2 Thessalonians 3:16), and assures us that as
the
God of Peace, His presence will be with us to make good His promise (Romans
15:33, 2 Corinthians 13: 11; Philippians 4:9). This peace, which is beyond
earthly
understanding (Philippians 4:7) makes possible a new peaceful relationship
between Gentiles and Jews (or for that matter, between Arabs and Jews),
Ephesians
2:14-17. This, then, is the true peace for which the world seeks, and which may
be found if sought in Christ alone. May you escape the deception
of
this age's pseudo-peace and find Christ's true peace which forever shelters
from the storm.