March 1, 2009
Dear Friend,
Middle East Peace seems to be a contradiction in terms. If, in 4000 years of history, there has never been anything resembling peace in that part of the world, why should anyone expect peace to break out now?
The thing that puzzles me about the Middle East is why no one in the western world is willing to recognize the truth about that region. It was bad enough before Mohammed had his visions in the caves of Arabia. But since the advent of Islam, there is only one peace that can ever exist—a peace where the whole world is in subjection to Islam and Sharia law. And, since the rest of the world has seen how little Islam has done to better the lives of its people, there’s no incentive to knuckle under to the Islamic vision. Christians and Jews will never be able to retain their identity before God in an Islamic world. I see nothing but war stretching off into the indefinite future.
Even Jesus saw it so. On a day when his disciples were exclaiming over the Temple and its buildings, Jesus sobered them up with a sharp statement. "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down" (Matthew 24:2 NIV).
I remember well my first visit to Jerusalem. My dominant impression was, "Why on earth did anyone want to fight over this city?" I wonder if so much blood has ever been shed over any comparable piece of real estate for so long, and so often. I stood on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus followed up with his prophecies for the future and marveled at the place. I was standing on the hill where Jesus spoke further about what Jerusalem could expect. It is strange how poorly that prophecy in Matthew 24 is understood.
Nevertheless, I expect you have heard of Armageddon. It means: "the site or time of a final and conclusive battle between the forces of good and evil, or the battle taking place at Armageddon." I have stood on the hill of Meggido and looked out across the valley, the place called "Armageddon." There are no natural resources to fight over, not even a strategic location. And, just as with Jerusalem, I wondered, "Why here? What for?" So I looked in the Bible to see what I could find. The story is developed in Revelation 16, but the Bible does not speak of a "Battle of Armageddon." It gives an altogether different name.
I think the answer is closely related to the reason the Jews are such a persecuted people and why battles are a constant in the Middle East. It is the presence of the Jews that accounts for it. Why the Jews? Because historically, they are the one ethnic people who still identify themselves by the God of their Bible and their land. The wars are further explained by the irrational and unquenchable hatred for that God who exists in the world.
Jesus spoke of it on that last night with his disciples: "If the world hate you," he said, "ye know that it hated me before it hated you"(John 15:18). He went on to say, "He that hateth me hateth my Father also."
You need to understand that anti-Semitism is rooted in a hatred of God. You’d think the Jews and Muslims worship the same God, and hatred of God would not be a factor. But you would be wrong. They do not worship the same God. You can see it in the hatred of Muslims for Jews which is deep and wide—and permanent.
So there will be no peace in the Middle East. Not now. Not ever in this age. And the wars will go on until Armageddon: "the site or time of a final and conclusive battle between the forces of good and evil." There is more to say on this vital topic, and I have developed it in a program titled, Waiting for Armageddon. We can send you a FREE CD of the program if you call or write by April 15, 2009. If you prefer to just listen or download the program now, please click here.
Keep in touch, and stay on alert.
Watching and waiting,
Ronald L. Dart.
PS. We want you to have this FREE CD without obligation. However, if God should lead you to make a donation so others can receive such vital materials, it would be greatly appreciated and responsibly used to get the Gospel out.