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| Bible Prophecy and the Middle East |
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The Middle East Conflict
We cannot afford to ignore these claims, because if they are true they will drastically affect our futures. Is the Bible reliable?Yes, the Bible is reliable because it has irrefutably predicted the history of the Jewish nation in advance to date. As this is humanly impossible, God must be the author of the Bible. The Bible shows how the Jews became God's people - not because they were better than any other nation, far from it, but because of the trust that their ancestors, such as Abraham, had in God (Deuteronomy 7v7,8). God made an agreement with Israel that if they would serve him, in return he would give them life's richest blessings (Deuteronomy 28vl-14). However, if they backed out of the deal, punishment would follow. Ultimately, if they persisted in rejecting God they would be uprooted from the land of Israel, scattered throughout the world, and persecuted wherever they went: The LORD will scatter you among all nations... among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot... you will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both day and night, never sure of your life (Deuteronomy 28v64-66). Ask any Jew and s/he will testify to the truth of these words! For years God sent the Jews many prophets who tried to turn the people back to him, and remember the agreement which they had made with him. God ultimately sent his own son, Jesus Christ, who - for his efforts - was crucified! This was the final straw! in AD68 God brought the Romans against Israel and the words of Deuteronomy 28 (and countless other passages) were fulfilled to the letter. The Jews were scattered throughout the world. The history books tell us that practically every country, at some stage, has persecuted Jews. For instance, all Jews were expelled from England during part of the 17th century and many were killed. Perhaps the strongest instance of anti-semitism (the term specially coined to denote persecution of Jews) in most peoples' memories is the holocaust of the last century when over six million Jews were massacred by Hitler and the Nazis. So far, then, the Bible has been spot on! The Miracle of Israel
For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all countries and bring you back into your own land. (Ezekiel 36v24 for just one example). This is exactly what happened in 1948!!! Before that time the state of Israel did not exist. The land had been previously known as Palestine. May 14th 1948 changed all that when the state of Israel was - after a period of 1878 years - once again established, just as the Bible had said! So What?For a nation the size of Wales to be overthrown and its inhabitants scattered throughout the whole world for nearly 2000 years, it would be unthinkable that the people would be able to maintain their national identity. It would also be unthinkable that this nation - after such a vast amount of time - would be gathered back to the precise geographical location of their original land. Other peoples which were overthrown in such a way have long since perished from existence. For example, when did you last meet a Babylonian or a Phoenician? No, Israel's history is unique. Therefore the Bible predicted what was going to happen to the Jews against all the laws of probability! These innumerable prophecies about the Jews are, then, really important because they offer us irrefutable evidence that:
The words of Jeremiah, a Bible prophet, are relevant here, for we have seen the evidence of their authenticity in our own life time: Men will no longer say, "as surely as the LORD lives who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt," but they will say "as surely as the LORD lives who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the North and out of all the countries where he banished them." For I will restore them to the land that I gave to their forefathers (Jeremiah 16 v l 4-16). Psalm 83
Psalm 83 provides an excellent cameo picture of the present crisis which we now see before us in the Middle East. It lists ten groups of Arab peoples who bordered Israel on every side. As can be seen from the map, Israel is completely hemmed in. A quick comparison with a current map reveals that these old Bible place names are no other than nations such as Lebanon, Iraq, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia etc. These Arab nations, according to the Psalm, unite together against Israel. Verse 2 of the Psalm clearly exposes their intentions towards her: "Come" they say, "Let us destroy them as a nation that the name of Israel be remembered no more." Is not this the very vendetta which certain Palestinian terrorist groups and Arab nations have voiced against Israel? In the gulf war Saddam Hussain made a valiant attempt to unite the Arabs against the West. He did this by firing Scud missiles against Israel. This is the one issue that many Arab countries agree upon, both publicly and privately, their desire to obliterate Israel from the map. Just as the Psalm predicted! These tensions in the Middle East are still there. Psalm 83 could so easily, and indeed will, explode into reality! It is important to notice what the Psalm does not say, however. It does not say that this Arab confederacy will be successful, but indicates that it will be punished for wanting to destroy Israel (v13 -17). These events, we are told, will prove once and for all that the God of Israel is the only true God: That men may know that you alone, whose name alone is YAHWEH, are the most high over all the earth (v18). Face the FactsHow do you account for the fact that a Psalm written approximately 3,000 years ago predicts a situation just waiting to explode before your very eyes? Is it just coincidence? If this Psalm were just an isolated passage, then this could arguably be the case. The fact is, however, that literally thousands of Bible verses speak of Israel's scattering, persecutions, regathering and ensuing Arab antagonism. If something occurs incessantly against all the laws of probability, then all accusations of coincidence must logically be dropped. It is not just down to chance that these things are happening, there must be a purpose behind them! So how do you explain the accuracy of these Bible predictions? The people who wrote them claimed that they were inspired by God, as is evident from all the declarations such as This is what the LORD says... etc. and passages like 2 Timothy 3 v l6,17; 2 Peter l v 20,21. Can you honestly give any other reasonable explanation? And there's more...
I will gather all nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city (Zechariah 14v2). This seemingly successful overthrow of the nation's capital, Jerusalem, is given as an ultimate sign that Jesus Christ's return is very close! For it is when half of the Jews are to be led into exile, and the rest held in Jerusalem, that Jesus shall come back: Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as he fights in the day of Battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem... (Zechariah 14v3). Significantly, the Mount of Olives was the exact spot from which Jesus ascended into heaven, so it is appropriate that he should return to this place. For here, also, the firm promise of his return was given: This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1 v 11). The Solution
The LORD almighty will bless them saying "Blessed he Egypt my people, Assyria [now Iraq] my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance (Isaiah 19v25).
What's it got to do with Me?The return of Jesus will not only solve the Middle East problem but all world problems, and all your personal problems. It is a message of good news and hope! When Jesus returns he will set up God's kingdom on earth/or ever. Then the meek will inherit the earth, and the words "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" will be reality! All the evidence the Bible bombards us with is more than enough to convince any rational person that this is no/just an impossible dream. The fact that it has been accurate in its countless predictions concerning the Jews - which happened against all odds - means that you can have confidence in its promise of the return of Jesus. Jesus said:"He who believes and is baptised shall be saved"
Please be ready for God's kingdom and the return of the Lord Jesus. He wants you to be there. If you would like to find out more about the Bible's message for you, then please apply for our correspondence course. Also you might be interested in any ot these free materials:
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These pages will hopefully demonstrate that the Bible has accurately and repeatedly predicted Jewish history thousands of years before it actually happened! Not only that but it has also clearly anticipated the present conflict between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East. Indeed, the Bible holds the only key to the permanent solution of this conflict! These important points will lead to three very powerful conclusions:
The Bible does not just stop at accurately predicting the scattering and persecution of the Jews; it goes on to say that the Jews would be regathered to the land of Israel: 
The Bible, as can be shown from many passages, has clearly anticipated the continuing Middle East crisis between Jew and Arab. The Bible records the beginning of the dispute between the two factions in its account of the antagonisms between Isaac and Ishmael, and Jacob and Esau (the main Jewish/Arabic ancestors). It traces the conflict down the ages, pointing to its upsurgence just prior to Christ's return.
The Bible goes on to say that there will be a terrible but successful attack on Israel:
Jesus will, then, return and save the remnant of his people from total destruction. The return of Messiah is the only solution to the Jew/Arab conflict. Only when he is back will Isaiah the prophet's picture of Jewish/Arabic harmony actually happen: 
Jesus clearly stated, though, that not everyone will enter God's wonderful kingdom. Indeed, most people will foolishly reject Christ - thus sealing their own fates - just as most people rejected him in the first century, and just as most people today have not the time to be bothered. Jesus made it plain that only those who believe the true Gospel message, have repented and have been baptised by total immersion in water will enter God's kingdom - and only then if they really try to follow him faithfully in their daily lives (John 3 v 5; Mark 16 vl 6; Acts 2 v 38; Matthew 10v38,39; Hebrews 11). Eternal life is God's gift to us, we cannot earn it, we are saved by his grace and mercy.