Background for Israel Study
Israel, Iran and Syria occupy the headlines recently. Iran is building a Nuclear plant, supposedly for the purpose of medical research. Israel says they are building it for the purpose of the annihilation of the Jews. Who is correct? Syria and other Arab nations are constantly trying to take more and more of Israel. Israel keeps holding them back.
The United States has befriended Israel since it became a nation in 1948; while Russia has befriended Iran and Syria, and others. Even though Russia and America are on speaking terms, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, they both maintain their stockpiles of nuclear weapons with many pointed at each other. The START treaty between the two countries is an agreement to downsize some of these weapons, and supposedly to work together on World Terrorism.
We are dependent on the oil that comes from other countries. We import over 60% of our oil from eight countries. Canada is number one. Saudi Arabia is number two. Iraq, Mexico, Venezuela, Nigeria, Angola, Algeria, Columbia, Norway and the United Kingdom, all send us oil. The majority comes from Canada and Saudi Arabia. (There is the recent ‘Fracking’ process which could increase our own supply of oil, and decrease our dependence on the Middle East. But, this comes at the expense of polluting our water supply, and it is dependent on what Saudi Arabia does with its production. Saudia Arabia raises and lowers its production to keep the oil prices stable. They still sit on the biggest supply of oil, and produce it far cheaper than the States. So all they have to do is raise the production of oil and the price would be too costly for the us to continue ‘Fracking’ our own. So, the bottom line is we are still dependent on the Middle East, since everything is a Global Market, and every commodity is sold on this market system.)
The Middle East has the largest oil reserves in the world. It is important to maintain a pipeline from the Middle East to us.
Israel is important to the United States. All the surrounding nations are heavily influenced by Radical Muslim Beliefs. Militant Islam has declared war on America as the Great Satan. Israel is the Little Satan. Since we support Israel and defend her, then Militant Islam says we both must be defeated, hence the concerns.
If Israel is attacked by Iran, then she will retaliate. Israel may attack Iran first, to destroy the nuclear reactor. Russia is Iran’s ally. She supplies weapons and finances to Iran and Syria and others. Russia also has investments in the oil from the Middle East, and still wants to rule the world, thus, interested in the annihilation of Israel.
If America comes to the rescue of Israel, then we have World War III, if America sits back, then we still have WWIII. Russia wants control of the oil fields to fuel her own ambitions of world power. She is a sleeping Bear, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, but she is ready to come out of hibernation. Russia is supporting Iran, Syria and other neighbors to be able to use its power once Israel is out of the way. Russia believes Israel’s annihilation will also be America’s demise, either by attacks from Iran and others, or Radical Islam sending us a dirty bomb, or they themselves sending us a Nuclear one. Russia is ready to step in to fill the void.
China is the new kid on the block. She has advanced rapidly and has dreams for world domination. War is inevitable one way or another, and thus the importance of America’s ties to Israel and peace with the Islamic countries.
WWIII will be the last war, as it will involve nuclear weapons and chemical warfare with modern technology. The Bible calls this war Armageddon. Many believe that there will be smaller wars before we get to the end. One involves the desolation of Syria. Another involves a war with Russia and her allies against Israel, where the Bible says that God will step in to defeat Russia.
Israel believes that God has given them the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem via the Covenant with Abraham and David. They are expecting the return of their Messiah to rule from Jerusalem. They have never accepted Jesus Christ as that Messiah. Jesus said in John 5:43 that He had come in His Father’s name and they did not receive Him. If another shall come in his own name, him they would receive. Paul says in Romans 11:25, 26, that blindness in part has happened to Israel, (because of this rejection of Christ 2000 years ago), but after the fullness of the gentiles was come (the Rapture), then all Israel would be saved.
Israel as the Hebrews:
It all started in Genesis chapter twelve, when God told Abraham that He would bless him into a great nation and then proceeded to give him the boundaries of the new land of Israel. This was 2000 years before Christ was born. Therefore, we are dealing with a promise over 4000 years old, and we are seeing it played out before our eyes on the national news.
There is a great attack on the Bible today, that it is just a fabricated book of myths and tales. The whole purpose of this attack is to brainwash us into believing these lies, and directing us away from the Bible as God’s Word, and thus absolute Morals of right and wrong behavior. People fall for this because they have never read the Bible, and they have never studied the bible. Israel is just one study that shows the miracle of the Jewish people even being a nation today, and showing that Prophecy made 2 and 3 thousand years ago are being fulfilled in today’s headlines.
God repeats this promise to Abraham’s son, Isaac. He repeats the promise to his grandson Jacob. From Jacob we get the 12 tribes of Israel, named after the 12 sons of Jacob. God changes the name of Jacob to Israel in Genesis 32:28, after Jacob had wrestled with the angel.
Jacob’s family in the Old Testament faced famine, and he sent ten of his sons to Egypt to buy corn. He kept Benjamin home. He did not want to lose another son, as he did Joseph.
Joseph had already been sold by his brothers into slavery and was now in Egypt. Joseph was the dreamer. He had dreams in which he saw his brothers bow down to him. This made his brothers angry and they sold him, and then told their father that a wild animal had killed Joseph.
Joseph, in Egypt, was falsely accused of trying to sleep with Potiphar’s wife. He was thrown into jail. He had dreams in jail that resulted in the butler and the baker being restored to their positions with Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret, and then the butler remembered Joseph. Joseph interpreted the dream and Pharaoh made him next to him in power over Egypt. Joseph delivered Egypt from famine and saved his own family in the process.
Therefore, when these ten brothers of Joseph arrive in Egypt, he has a little fun with them as payback for selling him into slavery. Of course, they do not know Joseph now, as he has grown into a young man. They never would have suspected that he was now ruling the resources of Egypt. They arrive in Egypt, and Joseph hides his identity from them. They appear before him and ask for grain for their father. He grants their wishes but puts their money back in the sack of grain. They return before Joseph, fearing for their lives, and repent saying they do not know how the money could have gotten there. Joseph assures them he has their money and sends them away again.
However, this time he has his cup hidden in a sack of grain. He then accuses them of stealing his cup, and they repent saying they do not know how the cup found its way into their sack of grain. Joseph demands that one of them stays in Egypt until the others could return home and bring back Benjamin. They try to explain how this will kill their aging father, but Joseph is adamant.
They return with Benjamin, leaving Jacob with a heavy heart, but knowing that they must have food. Upon their return Joseph holds a dinner for all of them, and then he reveals himself to his brothers and sends them home to bring their father to Egypt to live.
Pharaoh grants the land of Goshen to the family and there they are cared for and survive the famine. Joseph’s dreams of them bowing down to him have come true. He forgives them for selling him into slavery, saying that they meant it for harm, but God had meant it for good.
Jacob grew old and died. Joseph had him embalmed, and received permission from Pharaoh to take him back to Canaan for burial, as Jacob had requested. They then return to Egypt.
Joseph eventually dies, but there is a change of leadership in Egypt. The new Pharaoh does not favor Joseph or his people. They have now multiplied into a large population, and thus have become a threat to Pharaoh.
This new pharaoh was not named in the Bible. Sethos was possibly this pharaoh. Rameses II was probably the pharaoh during the Exodus.
The Israelites are oppressed under the new leadership. Moses eventually delivers them by performing the ten plagues and crossing the Red Sea.
They wander in the wilderness for 40 years and receive the Law at Mt. Sinai. Moses dies and Joshua becomes the new leader.
Joshua proceeds with the conquering of the land of Canaan. He dies. Israel enters a period where 12 Judges rule over Israel, until Israel cries for a King like the other nations of the world.
Saul becomes the first King. David becomes the second King. Solomon becomes the third king. The promises that were made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are now given to David and his seed forever. (Jesus’s lineage through Mary’s husband, Joseph, was from David. Jesus will be the Eternal King over Jerusalem) This promise is known as The Davidic Covenant. II Samuel chapter seven.
The kingdom divides under Solomon’s sons. Jeroboam leads the Northern Kingdom of Israel, or nine tribes. Rehoboam leads the Southern Kingdom of Judah, or three tribes.
David began reigning in 1060 BC. Solomon began in 1020BC. Jeroboam and Rehoboam began in 980BC.
The Temples:
Under the two sons of Solomon the nation of Israel progresses further away from God and His Law. God allows the nation of Israel to be taken captive by the Assyrians in 722BC. The nation of Judah was taken captive in 586BC. They would stay in captivity for 70 years as prophesied in Jeremiah 29:10, and then would return to their land. They would return to Jerusalem under Cyrus, who gives them permission to return and rebuild the temple.
The first temple, Solomon’s Temple was destroyed in 586BC. The second temple was known as Zerubbabel’s Temple. This one was built after the 70 years captivity in Babylon.
This second temple was desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes in 169BC. It was renovated by King Herod in the New Testament. Forty years beforehand, Jesus predicted that it would be destroyed. (Matthew 24:2-Luke 19:41-43) It was destroyed by Titus in the year AD 70.
The Third temple is being planned today by a group known as the Temple Institute. They have the blueprints already and all the instruments needed for the priests of the temple worship. There is only one problem. the Muslims have the Dome of the Rock sitting on the site where Solomon’s Temple sat.
This third temple is referred to as the Tribulation Temple, as it will be rebuilt at the beginning of the reign of the Antichrist, who makes a peace treaty with the nation of Israel and her Islam neighbors. As the second temple was desecrated by Antiochus, the third temple will be desecrated by the Antichrist when he sets up the Abomination of Desolation, or his image to be worshipped by the whole world. (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:13, Revelation 13:5) The Antichrist will desecrate the temple for 3 ½ years, or the first half of the tribulation.
Since the Romans destroyed the second temple in AD 70, Israel has been scattered to four winds of the globe, and they have never been able to be established in Jerusalem.
The Byzantines, the Persians, the Arabs, (after the death of Muhammad), the Crusaders, the Mamluks, the Ottomans, and then the British conquered the land.
From that time onward there was a limited, controlled return of Jews from around the world to Jerusalem. Then Hitler exterminated 6 million in the Holocaust. Soon after WWII, the UN proposes the establishment of Arab and Jewish States in the land of Israel.
This changed once the British conquered the land in 1918 and they gave favor to the Jews. In thirty years, they would become a nation again in 1948.
Israel gained its independence from Britain in 1948.
Since 1948, Israel has had to fight for its existence.
The following is an article pasted to show the conflict since 1948:
The Israeli-Arab Wars Since 1948 and the Intifadah
The political winds have shifted several times in the Middle East since 1948, but the quest of the state of Israel has remained unchanged-survival. The state has never been at peace, either internally or externally, for it has yet to truly worship its God, Yahweh, who for His own name’s sake replanted it in His land.
Internally, the state has been divided both religiously and politically. Religiously, attitudes have ranged from ultra-orthodox to atheist. Politically, parties have arisen espousing varying degrees of socialism, nationalism, and Judaism. In its multi-party system, rarely has one party gained a majority of seats in the national parliament. Fragile coalition government has been the norm.
Economic factors have added strain. After Israel’s currency was cut loose from the British pound, it lacked a stabilizing factor, and plummeted in value. With significant contributions from the U.S., the worldwide Jews, and West Germany (reparation for the Holocaust), the currency has gained more strength and stability, though it has caused many anxious moments.
Externally, Israel has contended with both varying degrees of Arab fervor to destroy the state, and the competing regional influence of the USA and the USSR, both attracted by the area’s vast known reserves of oil.
Although the Arab League had been established in 1945, events after 1948 enhanced the desire, particularly of the masses, for a union of Arab nations styled Pan-Arabism. Many Arabs viewed the creation of the state of Israel in part as a holdover of Western control in the area. The USA was increasing its influence in Saudi Arabia. Egypt was anxious to rid the Nile Valley of the British presence. The potential for an invasion from the adjacent USSR presented an ever-present anxiety.
Some political parties espousing Pan-Arabism rose to power during this time, including the Ba’th Party in Syria and the National Union Party in Egypt, soon headed by Gamal Abd al-Nasir. (Both of these parties arose to power by force.) Monarchies which did not espouse all of the positions of the Ba’th Party and Nasir still controlled other Arab countries, such as Libya, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. However, the migration of workers to jobs in the wealthier nations spread the tenets of the Ba’th party, and helped elevate Nasir to prominence in the Arab world. New wealth from the sale of oil was directed towards improvements in national infrastructures, social services, administration, and defense systems during this era, raising the standard of living of the general populace.
The Suez Affair in 1956
For many years, the Arab nations had tried to choke the ability of Israel to trade with other countries by (1) refusing to trade with Israel, and (2) banning the use of their air space and airports to planes flying to and from Israel. Egypt, in addition, prohibited the use of the Suez Canal to ships carrying goods to Israel, and blockaded the Tiran Straits between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba (which hampered the growth of the Israeli port of Eilat).
In 1956, the United States instituted a “power play” with Egypt which backfired. It offered Nasir a loan for building a high dam on the Nile River at Aswan for an irrigation project, but suddenly withdrew the offer. In retaliation, Nasir nationalized the Suez Canal to assert his independence of the western powers. (Both England and France had a stake in the company which built and owned the canal. A large British military base in the Canal Zone, which had safeguarded the operation of the canal, had recently closed as part of a 1954 agreement with Nasir.)
England and France plotted to take back control of the canal. Israel, anxious to rid Gaza of Arab commando (“fidaiyin”) bases and to break Egypt’s blockade of the Gulf of Aqaba, was a willing accomplice.
On October 29, Israel cut off Gaza and drove into the Sinai. In accordance with the plan, England and France then issued an ultimatum to both armies. The ultimatum dictated an immediate cease-fire and troop withdrawals to a position 10 miles east of the Suez Canal (Israel had not yet crossed the canal). As hoped, Nasir rejected the ultimatum. England and France then bombarded Egypt’s air bases, landed paratroopers at (and eventually captured) Port Said in the Nile Delta, and occupied the northern portion of the Suez Canal. Israel seized all of the Sinai Peninsula.
The United Nations (UN), led by the USA and the USSR, condemned the invasion and sent in an emergency force to occupy the seized Egyptian lands. Britain and France gave up the canal and Israel withdrew from the Sinai. However, a UN contingent was also stationed at Sharm al-Shaykh,
which kept the Gulf of Aqaba open to ships trading at the Israeli port of Eilat.
The Six-Day War in 1967
In the early 1960’s, Syria was the most radical advocate of Arab nationalism, and the most anxious for confrontation with Israel. In February 1966, it became even more radical via a military coup. Nasir had no appetite for war with Israel at this time. He formed a military alliance with Syria, hoping to defuse its bellicose spirit. It was not to be.
In April 1967, the Syrian air force was defeated in a dogfight with Israel. Told by his USSR advisers that Israel was about to invade Syria, Nasir honored his alliance by dispatching troops into the Sinai and threatening Israel. On May 16, Nasir asked the UN to withdraw some of its troops stationed on the frontier between Egypt and Israel. All of the UN troops were promptly withdrawn. Egypt then re-occupied Sharm al-Shaykh, and again closed the Gulf of Aqaba to ships trading with Israel.
This closure violated a guarantee from the Western nations to Israel, but Israel sensed that it would only evoke a superficial reaction from the West. The USA was deeply mired in the Vietnam War, and Europe, with a high dependency on Arab oil, tended to be cool towards Israel. When Egypt and Jordan set up a joint military command on May 30, Israel concluded that war was inevitable. General Moshe Dayan, a hero in the 1948 and 1956 wars, was appointed Minister of Defense, in spite of his significant personal and political differences with Prime Minister Levi Eshkol.
On June 5, the Israeli air force attacked the main airfields of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq, swiftly wiping out almost all of the Arabs’ military capability. Israel then attacked the Sinai Peninsula, and captured it in four days (the new border with Egypt was the Suez Canal, which was promptly closed). Sharm al-Shaykh was also taken, and the Gulf of Aqaba reopened. Israel also attacked the northern portion of the West Bank, and the northern section of Arab Jerusalem.
On June 7, it held all of Jerusalem. By June 10, it also held all of the West Bank, as well as the Golan Heights on its border with Syria. Factions between some Arab countries prevented them from aiding one another at critical moments, and probably contributed to the speed of Israel’s successes. On June 10, Israel and Syria agreed to a UN cease-fire. By that time, the Israeli troops could have pushed directly to Damascus, if they desired.
Israel’s decisive victory shattered the Arab belief that their newly acquired weapons at least equalized the two sides, and gave rise to the myth that Israel’s army was invincible. Israel’s land area was tripled, and it now ruled over 1,000,000 additional Arabs.
The Yom Kippur War in 1973
Prime Minister Eshkol died in 1969 and Nasir died in 1970. They were replaced by Golda Meir and Anwar Sadat, respectively.
The USA (Secretary of State William Rogers), with the aid of the United Nations (Gunnar Jarring), brokered a new attempt at peace between December 1969 and 1971. The Rogers Peace Plan was based on a sense of security for both sides, and stated that (1) there would be a continuous cease-fire between Israel and Egypt, (2) borders should not reflect the “weight of conquest,” (3) there would be a just settlement of the refugee problem, and (4) Jerusalem would be united, and accessible to all faiths and nationalities. Egypt and Israel never agreed in principle to the plan at the same time. In 1971, Sadat agreed to sign the peace plan, but Israel never did. Sadat branded 1971 “the year of decision” (peace or war) for Israel, yet no war developed when Israel failed to sign a peace treaty.
The failed peace process and Israel’s increasing use of lands it captured in the 1967 war whet the appetites of many Arabs for another confrontation. Throughout 1973, Sadat warned Western journalists of the possibility of war with Israel in the Sinai, but few paid attention because of his unfulfilled prediction for 1971. In early September, Sadat confederated with Syria and Jordan against Israel. Days later, an air force dogfight between Syria and Israel (which Israel soundly won) prompted Syria and Egypt to begin immediate preparations for a joint invasion of Israel.
This time it was the Arabs who gained advantage through surprise. On Israel’s holy day of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), Egypt attacked Israel’s Bar Levi line east of the Suez Canal. Surface-to-air missiles effectively neutralized Israel’s air force. Simultaneously, Syrian troops attacked the Golan Heights. Both forces enjoyed unexpected initial success.
Since most of its citizenry was resting at home on the holy day, Israel was able to assemble its forces quicker than it could have on a normal business day. It initially focused on Syria’s invasion from the north, fearing a rebellion of its Arab citizens if Syria broke through. Israel successfully pushed Syria back beyond the 1967 Armistice Line, but did not push further. It did not wish to provoke a confrontation with the USSR, Jordan, or Iraq.
Israel’s focus could now be safely transferred to Egypt’s invasion in the south. Capitalizing on a weak spot detected in the Egyptian line, an Israeli tank force successfully reached and crossed the canal, although most of the advance units were killed by Egyptian fire. It then started to push southward towards Suez.
Both Egypt and Syria faced defeat by the third week of fighting. A UN resolution calling for a cease-fire was accepted by Egypt and Israel, but not Syria. The fighting continued on both fronts. Israel had Egypt’s Third Army trapped, and could have crushed them. It had also taken more land around the Golan Heights. Another UN resolution was hastily passed two days later, and was accepted by all three parties. A cease-fire ensued.
The Yom Kippur War sobered many in Israel with regard to their perceived invincibility. It also introduced the concept of using oil supply as a weapon of war. In an effort to stymie aid to Israel, the oil producing Arab nations announced an immediate 5% reduction in production, with more reductions to be enacted later. They soon imposed a full embargo on oil sales to the USA and other pro-Israel nations. This tactic could only be effective because there was already a tight supply of oil in the world. On this occasion, though, it failed to stop the USA from air lifting military supplies to Israel.
The Palestinians and the Intifadah
During the 1948 war, 150,000 Palestinians heeded Israel’s advice to remain in their homes. Another 550,000–800,000 heeded the advice of the Arab invaders and left. After the war, the former were allowed to become citizens of the state, and acquired more rights and educational opportunities than most of their Arab neighbors. The latter were denied the opportunity to return. Israel contended that it needed to provide for the Jews that had been expelled by the Arabs, and the Arab countries could do the same for the Palestinians. For the most part, the Arab countries refused to assimilate the refugees. In 1949, the UN Relief and Works Agency stepped in and set up refugee camps.
Between 1948 and 1967, most Palestinians thought of themselves primarily as Arabs, and championed Pan-Arabism. In a 1964 summit, the Arab leaders voted to set up the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). An Executive Board and a national charter were established. The principles of the charter included:
1.Palestinians must again control all of the land given to the Jews by the British Mandate in 1948.
2.Palestinians alone had the right of self-determination in Palestine, although Jews of Palestinian origin could continue to live in the new country.
3.The State of Israel had to be destroyed.
The UN later officially recognized the PLO on a limited scale, and granted them observer status in the General Assembly. The PLO attempted to assemble a regular army. However, they soon realized that Yasir Arafat’s al-Fatah guerilla group waged more effective combat against Israel. Throughout the years, and primarily from bases in Jordan and Lebanon (although primarily backed by Syria), the PLO’s guerilla units struck at Israel.
The 1967 war brought an increase in the number of Palestinian refugees and a decrease in their conviction that the Arab nations would secure their welfare. Since that time, the PLO has continuously demanded a separate and independent national existence. It has extended their “battleground” well beyond Israel to gain attention from the Western media. To curry sympathy, the PLO has publicly shifted its cause from the destruction of Israel to a liberation of Palestine from the “false ideology of Zionism.” Arafat speaks of his “fidaiyin” as “freedom fighters.”
In December 1987, there was a small uprising of children and teenagers in Gaza against Israeli soldiers. The Western media gave much attention to that uprising, and to similar uprisings in other Palestinian neighborhoods. They were labeled “inti-fadah” which means “shaking off,” and have more effectively portrayed Israel as a bully (guns vs. stones) than any previous Palestinian act. Arafat and the PLO did not instigate the intifadah, but capitalized on it and encouraged it. Through it, the PLO has become a household name in many Western nations, which has bolstered Arafat’s appeals for international acceptance and a state.
In 1988, the Palestinian National Council voted to declare an independent state of Palestine. Although the state does not yet exist, the West is pressuring Israel to surrender ever increasing areas of land for this purpose. Israel has continued to insist on one guarantee-security.
Epilogue
With the exception of Jerusalem, the land seized in the 1967 war was initially envisioned by many in Israel to merely be a valuable negotiating tool in their quest for security. Some believed that the land should be considered a permanent addition to the state, but not all. Only a few in that land have approached the issue from a scriptural perspective, and reached the conclusion that appears so evident to Bible students elsewhere.
Iran’s views of the USA and Israel:
The Anti-defamation League has a website that shares information about the attitude of Iran and her goals. Take time to read some of the articles, especially, the speech to Congress by Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel. (http://www.adl.org/)
The late Shah Khomeini of Iran called America the Great Satan. President Ahmadinejad repeatedly states his hatred for the nation of Israel. He wants them out of the Middle East and off the planet. He is not afraid of Armageddon, as he believes that he will be helping to usher in the rule of the Messianic Imam who will rule the earth for Allah.
A couple of quotes from Iran’s president:
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views place him and the Iranian regime among the foremost threats to Jews and the state of Israel.
Ahmadinejad repeatedly demonizes the state of Israel and openly calls for its destruction at every opportunity. Most notoriously, he described Israel as a “fake regime” that “must be wiped off the map.”
He termed Zionists “the most detested people in all humanity” and called the extermination of six million Jews during World War II “a myth,” claiming that Jews have played up Nazi atrocities during the Holocaust in a bid to extort sympathy for Israel from European governments.
Ahmadinejad’s virulently anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric and Holocaust denial are often matched by other Iranian leaders, and the Iranian regime itself has continued to sponsor anti-Zionism conferences and pseudo-academic lectures and exhibits questioning the fact of the Holocaust.
The Issues:
Israel has struggled to be a nation for 4000 years now. For the first time since Titus, they gained their independence in 1948. Since that time there has been one conflict after another with the Arab neighbors.
There are three issues involved. The first issue is the temple mount. It is the location of Solomon’s Temple and the prophesied future Tribulation Temple. It is also the location for the Dome of the Rock, which is the Islam Mosque. A Holy site for the Muslims.
Israel won its independence in 1948 and took back control of the whole city of Jerusalem in 1967, but the Muslims still have access to the Dome of the Rock.
You have seen pictures of Jews praying at a wall. This is the Western wall of the temple that Herod renovated in 19BC. The temple that was standing when Jesus was on earth. The temple that Titus and his Roman army tore down in AD 70. This is all that is left of Zerubbabel’s temple. It is referred to as the Western Wall or the Wailing Wall, or Kotel in Hebrew. Jews come here constantly weeping and praying for peace and the rebuilding of the temple and the return of the Messiah.
The second issue is that the Arab world looks at Israel as Infidels, who have defiled their holy land and thus they must be wiped off the earth, not just out of Jerusalem. Of course, this includes America as we have defended Israel and want Democracy to rule in that area of the world.
The third issue is that Militant Islam wants the Muslim Faith to be the religion of the whole world. When they conquer a country, the populace must convert to Islam, or to confess that Allah is greater than all other gods. Of course, the Jews cannot do this, they believe that Jehovah is the one true God and He is to send His Messiah once the new temple is built. In addition, of course, Christians cannot do this, as they believe that Jesus is God manifested in flesh.
The Bottom Line:
When Islam says they want to live peacefully in the world, they are saying it is based upon the above two conditions. Convert or Confess. The president of Iran constantly states that Iran is a Super Power Nation. He wants Iran to be the only Super Power Nation, and he thinks he can do this with America out of the way. However, he is blinded to the fact that Russia is only using Iran for her own dreams of being that World Power. When the playing field is leveled, then Russia will step in to assert her power and the Bible speaks of the defeat of Russia in the book of Ezekiel.
China is also crying for domination of the world. There is a reference in the book of Revelation about the Kings of the East, which is another battle for the end times.
America defends Israel because of its goal to spread Democracy and end tyranny around the world. Also because of the need for oil from that area of the world. Most of all, because a nuclear bomb in the hands of Iranians can only mean one thing, Israel will be eliminated; and then the attention will turn to other nations of the world, starting with America.
Iran’s missiles will be capable of reaching all parts of Israel and many parts of Europe. They also will be able to be transported by ship into one of our ports and fired over America. Of course, Russia still has a stockpile of active nuclear weapons that can reach any part of America, and she is an ally to Iran and Syria.
Islam as a religion is growing rapidly with some 25,000 new converts daily. When they become the majority, the laws of the land will change. You can get a glimpse of what this will be like by reading the book, “Prisoners of Hope” by Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer. U.S. Special Forces rescued them from Afghanistan in November of 2001. They had been in the country doing humanitarian work when the World Trade Towers were bombed. America went after the Taliban and started bombing in Afghanistan. The Muslims put them in prison, and even though they treated them halfway humanely, they feared for their lives and safety.
The world is teetering like a drunken man, and the world around him is reeling. How can he cope with an explosive world with his mind and senses numb? The world needs to sober up. America needs to sober up. Armageddon may not be fiction after all.
There is a New World Order called for by our leaders. There is an attempt to divide the world into Trade Zones for a global market. There is an attempt to unite the countries of Europe into one Economic power. The United Nations was the beginning of this dream in 1947. Since that time there have been various structures put into place to bring about the cooperation of the whole world into a peaceful neighborly group, all striving for one purpose, to prosper without blowing each other off of the map in a third world war. Technology is in place for the world to communicate with each other instantaneously, no matter where we are on the globe. Cameras, computers, and satellites are recording our every movement and keystroke. The economy of each country and each city is in trouble. There are powerful men behind the scenes calling for a one-world system. Was there ever a better time in the history of man, than right now, for all of this to come together? The desire is there. The need is there. Mass destruction is an imminent threat. No matter who is involved or not, all will reap the aftermath. Just read some articles on what will take place after the explosion of a nuclear device or the release of a chemical weapon.
The Bible speaks of this, yet we have heard nothing but attacks on the authenticity of the Bible from Humanists, discounting the Spiritual impact of this book on men’s lives everywhere. This is mostly because it speaks against the lustful, self-seeking lifestyle that Americans enjoy, and because it does not allow for men getting their own way at the price of those around them, justifying their wrongs by saying they are entitled to live their life any way they please.
The reality is anytime there are two or more people in one room, there must be some spoken or unspoken manner of conducting behavior for that group to function as a unit. If each one insists on their own way, there is strife instead of peace in the room. It is no different in a village of Africa, or a large metropolitan city, or a country.
When differences arise within a group of two, or in a group of 7 billion, there has to be rules in place to settle those disputes. Peace or chaos is the choice.
The Bible gave us the foundation for the laws of our land that we could live together in a harmonious manner. It is only as we have discarded those laws and changed them to comply with our selfish desires for individual autonomy that we have created a country that the elder generation does not even recognize. We are not free in America anymore. Forget about the threats of the countries abroad, and the immigration problems. We are not safe in our own homes, in our own cars, in our own neighborhoods, in our own cities, at our own jobs, at our own schools, and the list goes on. Why?
Because we have demanded that we have our own way above the good of society. Americans are looked upon as the rudest people on the earth. Just make a mistake driving down the streets of the city. What reaction do you get? Try to take your time finding the shortest line at the store. What reaction do you get? Rudeness, aggressiveness, anger; and if you do not play it right, it can turn nasty very quick.
This in turn has caused us to turn more inward and become more isolated and less trustful of those around us. The result is more narcissistic behavior.
Everyone wants to be respected while leaving their dignity in tack, but that cannot be accomplished when we have forgotten how to play nice and how to work as a team, with the goal of the group as the focus and not our own individual agendas.
Next, I will break down some scriptures about Iran, Damascus, Russia, and other countries. The Bible has a lot to say about the coming wars that will end the madness and usher in the reign of Christ, who is the only one who can give peace. He is the Prince of Peace.
Let’s look at some possible scenarios for the unfolding of these events foretold in Scripture.