Day after day, we hear of more bloodshed in the Middle East. Palestinian suicide bombers and Israeli military actions are a part of life and death in Israel. Violence begets violence. Is there any possible end in sight? For the immediate future, the answer is a resounding “No!” The mix of Israeli and Palestinian desires is volatile, and the future for the region looks bleak indeed.
Israel is armed to the teeth. According to David Wood of the Newhouse News Service: “Israel can field 19 divisions of ground troops: the United States boasts [just] 13 divisions worldwide. Israel’s air force, with souped-up U.S. F-15 fighters, can generate nearly 3,000 sorties, or combat missions, per day. The United States can sustain [only] about 1,600 sorties a day. There are almost 1 million Israelis… liable to be called on [for reserve] duty.”
Yet the Palestinians have a deadly weapon in their willingness to sacrifice their lives as suicide bombers. No amount of military might can stop those willing to blow themselves up for a cause. According to the World Net Daily: “The Muslim Brotherhood, which is said to have aided the Palestinians in their cause, has a slogan: ‘The Koran is our constitution, the prophet is our guide; death for the glory of Allah is our greatest ambition.’”
Equally significant is the flow of billions of aid dollars. The United States, and millions of Jews around the world, have poured more than 3 billion dollars per year into Israel since the late 1970s. The world’s Muslims, on the other hand, are just beginning to rise to the challenge of pouring money into the Palestinian cause. In April, fund-raising telethons were held in Saudi Arabia and four other Middle Eastern Arab nations, raising almost $204 million.
Soon Europe and the United States could see their vital interests at stake, and ultimately be sucked into a major conflict. According to the Bible, they will indeed. Centuries ago, God could see the seeds of conflict sown in this region, and that Jerusalem would be thrust onto the world stage in the end-time: “The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it” (Zechariah 12:1–3, KJV).
As Scripture shows, the time will come when Jerusalem will be the focal point of world conflict. Eventually, Europe will see the need to invade Israel, and a confederation of Islamic states will do battle with the European forces. Europe will launch a major offensive and occupy much of the Arab world.
As we look at the Middle East today, we can see that the stage is being set for dramatic end-time battles. And we can see that mankind does not know the way to peace. God’s Word states: “It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).
The tremendous Good News is that Jesus Christ Himself will return to earth and prevent mankind from annihilating itself. At the last moment, Christ will intervene to establish the government of God on Earth. Finally, Jews and Arabs will learn to live together in peace. May God speed that day!
The above is an excerpt from one of the many commentaries on key topics facing our world, available at the www.lcg.org and www.tomorrowsworld.org Web sites.