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Jerusalem
is the most important city in the world. Scripture shows that the region
surrounding it-the Middle East-will eventually explode into world war. Do you
know what the Bible teaches about the end-time climax of world events in that
region?
With its
present uncertainty and turmoil, can we know the final outcome of the Middle
East conflict? We can. The Bible outlines end-time events leading up
to Jesus Christ's return. A Millennium of peace and prosperity is coming,
under the rulership of the Messiah. As King of
kings, Jesus Christ will rule the earth with justice and righteousness, and
all nations on earth will learn a new way of life-the way to peace.
Yet throughout history, human nature has looked
to war as the final arbiter of disputes. The Apostle Paul made a profound
statement: "The way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of
God before their eyes" (Romans 3:17-18).
The Middle East has seen a history of war, from
ancient times through the present. More than one million were killed in the
Iraq-Iran War from 1980 to 1988. Thousands upon thousands more died in the
Persian Gulf War and Operation Desert Storm in 1990-91. In that conflict,
Iraqi troops set fire to more than 600 oil wells in Kuwait. The black smoke
evoked images of Armageddon. This widespread pollution was called at the time
the "world's worst man-made environmental disaster" (Time
Almanac 2000, p. 605).
Will there be more wars in the Middle East?
Sadly, the answer is "yes." Your Bible reveals that there will be
even more regional wars in the Middle East, leading to what is commonly
called "Armageddon"! Jerusalem will be a focal point of conflict.
Arabs and Israelis have been at war again and
again since the modern state of Israel was established [see inset]. Peace has
often been proclaimed in the region, but has never been realized. At present,
there is little prospect of lasting peace among Middle East nations.
Hopes were high in September 1993 when Israel
and the Palestine Liberation Organization signed an accord in Washington,
D.C. Two years later, they signed an interim agreement leading to increased
Palestinian self-government in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In October 1998,
the Wye River Memorandum provided steps to
implement the 1995 interim agreement, looking to a May 1999 target date for a
final resolution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. But no resolution could
be found. The July 2000 Camp David summit, called by United States President
Bill Clinton, failed to formulate a final peace agreement-underscoring the
bitter truth that both Israel and the Palestinians consider Jerusalem
their exclusive capital, and do not want the other to have unfettered control
of this historic city.
Jerusalem is sacred to the three major
monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Muslims and Jews
have been at odds for more than 1,300 years, since an Arabian trader named
Muhammad, 800 miles southeast of Jerusalem, founded the religion of Islam
[For more about Islam's role in history and prophecy, please see "Islam
in History and Prophecy" on page 26 of this issue].
The Temple Mount is a focus for Muslims and
Jews. Islam's Dome of the Rock stands where Solomon's Temple once stood. Jews
are not allowed to pray on the Mount itself, so they come to the Western
Wall-or "Wailing Wall"-at the base of the Mount to pray. Jews yearn
to have a religious presence on the Temple Mount itself.
In September 2000, when he was still opposition
leader, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount,
inciting Palestinian protesters to begin a new intifada of escalating
violence against Israeli targets. Since Sharon's visit, more than 500 have
been killed-at least 481 Palestinians, 88 Israeli Jews and 13 Israeli Arabs
as of late May-in Israeli-Palestinian clashes. In May, Israel used
fighter-bombers against Palestinians for the first time since 1967. Arab
countries have responded by calling for suspension of relations with Israel until
the violence ceases.
What does Bible prophecy say will eventually
occur in Jerusalem? Scripture is plain. "Behold, the day of the Lord is
coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all
the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses
rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but
the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city" (Zechariah
14:1-2).
"All the nations" will fight in this
conflict, during that period of time known as the Day of the Lord, the year
just before Jesus Christ's prophesied return. But what major prophetic events
will lead up to this battle in Jerusalem? "For then there will be great
tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this
time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh
would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened"
(Matthew 24:21-22).
All of humanity will then see dramatic and frightening
activity in the heavens. Revelation 6:12-14 describes these "heavenly
signs" as the "sixth seal." Jesus said: "Immediately
after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon
will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of
the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29).
We need to be forewarned of these major events.
The Great Tribulation is primarily the time of trouble for the U.S. and the
British-descended peoples, who are descended from the ancient patriarch
Joseph. When he was near death, Jacob blessed two of his grandsons-Joseph's
sons Ephraim and Manasseh-and said: "The Angel who has redeemed me from
all evil, bless the lads; let my name [Jacob, i.e. Israel] be named upon
them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a
multitude in the midst of the earth" (Genesis 48:16).
The end-time prophecies relating to Jacob, or
Israel, generally refer to the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh who were
given Jacob's name. Scripture gives an end-time warning about the Great
Tribulation. Upon whom does this tribulation fall? "Alas! For that day
is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob's trouble, but
he shall be saved out of it" (Jeremiah 30:7). This is a time unique in
all of human history-a time "that none is like it."
Watch and Pray
What
does the Bible tell us to do? Jesus tells us: "Watch therefore, and pray
always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will
come to pass, and to stand before the Son of
Man" (Luke 21:36).
What should you watch for in the Middle East?
When Jesus was on the Mount of Olives, He gave an outline of end-time
prophecy, with parallel accounts recorded in Matthew 24, Luke 21 and Mark 13.
We will review here the sequence of events Jesus described in Matthew. Jesus'
disciples had asked him about the sign of His coming and the end of the
world, or the end of the age. He spoke about religious deception, wars,
famines, pestilences and earthquakes. These trends reveal, in sequence, the
meaning of the four horsemen of Revelation, who, toward the end of this age,
intensify their dangerous ride. Jesus declares: "All these are the
beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8).
Religious persecution and martyrdom will
follow. "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and
you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be
offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false
prophets will rise up and deceive many" (Matthew 24:9-11).
But the Truth will still be preached. "And
this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the
world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come"
(Matthew 24:14). As Jesus Christ opens doors for the gospel to expand in
coverage and power, you will know the end is drawing near. Do not be asleep
to world conditions and the prophetic trends intensifying before your very
eyes!
Jesus then warned: "Therefore when you see
the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in
the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand) then let those who are in
Judea flee to the mountains" (Matthew 24:15-16). What is this
abomination of desolation?
The Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes
issued a decree in 167bc that prohibited further Jewish sacrifices in the
Jerusalem Temple. "And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall
defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily
sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation" (Daniel
11:31).
In addition to stopping the daily sacrifices,
Antiochus erected a statue of Jupiter Olympus in the temple and directed
everyone to worship it. This abomination, also described in Daniel 8, is a
type of an end-time event-the end-time sacrifices are cut off 1,290 days
before Christ's return. "And from the time that the daily sacrifice is
taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one
thousand two hundred and ninety days" (Daniel 12:11). Jesus warns us as
Christians to be alert to an end-time abomination of desolation. Just as
Antiochus Epiphanes profaned the Temple in 167bc
and cut off the sacrifices, so will a profane authority cut off Jewish
sacrifices in the future. In fact, the Apostle Paul warns of a great false
prophet that will stand in the holy place. "Let no one deceive you by
any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first,
and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts
himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as
God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2
Thessalonians 2:3-4).
A false prophet will work great miracles and
deceive millions of people. He will cultivate worship toward himself and
claim he is divine. Revelation 13:13-14 shows that this great false prophet
will work amazing miracles, even calling down fire from heaven, and that he
will deceive millions of people around the world! Do not be deceived
by these signs and wonders! As Scripture exhorts us: "Test all things;
hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
The end-time religio-political
power dominating Jerusalem will cause the sacrifices to cease. Remember that
the Jews have not offered animal sacrifices since 70ad, when the Romans
destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. In order for the end-time sacrifices to be
stopped eventually, they need to begin! When animal sacrifices begin once
again in Jerusalem, you will know that the prophecies Jesus spoke about are
heading for a climax!
When the abomination of desolation prophesied
by Jesus is set up, three prophetic milestones will begin over a period of
three and one-half years-the Great Tribulation and the Heavenly Signs,
culminating in the year-long Day of the Lord. The last three verses in the
book of Daniel show that there will be 1,290 days from the time of the
abomination of desolation until Christ's return, when Daniel will be raised
in the first resurrection.
Elsewhere identified as the Beast (Revelation
13:1-10; 17:12-13), this king of the North (meaning generally north of
Jerusalem) will invade the Holy Land, according to Daniel's prophecy.
"At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the
king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots,
horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm
them, and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land,
[or the Holy Land] and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape
from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon.
He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt
shall not escape" (Daniel 11:40-42).
A 20th century king of the North invaded North
Africa during World War II. In contrast, the end-time king of the North will
be provoked by the king of the South. We have already seen war in the
Middle East over the issue of oil. Will there be another Arab oil embargo
like that of 1974? When fuel costs began to rise last September, European
protests of skyrocketing petroleum prices and shortages were even more
vigorous than in the U.S. Europe is far more dependent on Middle East oil
than is the U.S., importing more than half of its oil from Arab countries,
compared to the U.S which imports roughly 20 percent of its oil from that
region. Whatever the provocation, the king of the North will invade the
Middle East.
Luke's account of the Olivet prophecy follows
the same general sequence as Matthew's account. But he adds one important
point of information. After religious persecution intensifies, Jesus states:
"By your patience possess your souls. But when you see Jerusalem
surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near" (Luke
21:19-20).
Escalating Violence Ahead
What
should Christians be watching for in the turmoil of the Middle East? Watch
for continuing conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land.
A recent New York Times article described the damage done by the
escalating violence. "The psychological frontier between Israeli Jews
and Palestinian Arabs has become a minefield.… [Many had believed] that the
occupation was all that stood in the way of reconciliation, that if Israel
dismantled Jewish settlements, withdrew from the territories and permitted a
Palestinian state, the conflict would end. That may still be possible, but
the worst fighting since 1967 has called the assumption into question"
("A Conflict's Bedrock," May 27, 2001).
Because of these trends, watch for increasing
demand for international intervention and control, not only in Gaza and the
West Bank, but in Jerusalem itself. The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat,
has himself lobbied for a United Nations peacekeeping force in Gaza and the
West Bank.
Watch for increasing unity among Arab nations
in their stand against Israel. One prophetic Psalm lists those peoples who
comprise Arabic and Muslim nations in the Middle East. They are supported by
European groups in their strong opposition to Israel. "They have said, 'Come,
and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be
remembered no more.' For they have consulted together with
one consent; they form a confederacy against You" (Psalm 83:4-5).
Watch for an end-time Arab-Muslim union or confederacy forming against
Israel.
Watch the European Union's growing economic,
political and military unification. As we saw in Daniel's prophecy, the king
of the North will eventually occupy the Holy Land. In November 2000, the
European Union chose a German general to head its Rapid Reaction Force,
envisioned to project European power to crisis zones over a 2,500-mile area
by 2003. "Why should we have to go through NATO?" asked General
Jean-Pierre Kelche, France's Chief of Defense
Staff, saying that the force would be operational by the end of this year
even without NATO's agreement and that "the balance of power needed to
be changed" ("EU Force Will Not Need NATO," London Daily
Telegraph, March 28, 2001). Will these forces eventually play a
significant part in the Middle East conflict? Watch the development of
Europe's own military forces.
In Israel, watch for the preparation and
eventual implementation of animal sacrifices by the Jews in Jerusalem. Many
believe a physical temple will also be built, but history and the book of
Ezra confirm that sacrifices can be conducted with just an altar at the holy
place.
Watch for the increasing consolidation of
religious power in Europe, long planned by some. Visiting Austria in 1983,
Pope John Paul II appealed for European unity, stating: "Europeans
should overcome the menacing international confrontations of states and
alliances, and create a new united Europe from the Atlantic to the
Urals" (The Principality and Power of Europe, Adrian Hilton, p.
36).
The developing European religio-political
power will eventually exert controlling influence over the Holy Land. We have
seen that the king of the North will ultimately dominate Jerusalem and the
Middle East. The book of Revelation also predicts a conflict between Asian
forces and the European Beast power, the king of the North (cf. Daniel 11:44;
Revelation 9:13-19). Shockingly, upon Christ's return, these armies will
combine as the world's armies are "gathered together to make war against
Him" (Revelation 19:19). God Almighty says: "For I will gather all
the nations to battle against Jerusalem" (Zechariah 14:2). Then
"the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in
the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
which faces Jerusalem on the east…" (Zechariah 14:3-4). Jesus Christ
will intervene! He will stop World War III and bring lasting peace to the
world!
Also called the Valley of Jehoshaphat, the Kidron Valley (between the Mount of Olives and the Temple
Mount) widens to the south. Here, God will judge the nations. "For
behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of
Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to
the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them
there" (Joel 3:1-2).
The Day of the Lord will bring judgment on the
nations. Christ will conquer all the armies opposing Him! He will usher in
the Millennium of peace on earth, and teach all nations the way to peace. Then
the Arabs and Israelis will be reconciled. "In that day there will be a
highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the
Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. In
that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria; a blessing in
the midst of the land, whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, 'Blessed
is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My
inheritance'" (Isaiah 19:23-25).
We all look forward to the world peace and
reconciliation that only the Messiah, Jesus Christ, can bring to this earth.
In the meantime, Jesus tells us to watch and pray always. Be sure to do so!
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