You’ve all probably heard of what are referred to as ‘Dummy’ Books…those yellow and black books you can find at any bookstore:
DOS for Dummies was the first, I think, followed by Windows for Dummies, Taxes for Dummies, Yoga for Dummies,
Flipping Houses for Dummies – even “The Bible for Dummies”, which unless it comes with a free Holy Spirit patch, will be utterly useless. But that’s a different and more doctrinal treatise than I can go into here. Nevertheless, they are simply meant to be a simplified guide to mastering some technology or technique for the most part.
Well, what were once just dummies are now complete idiots: we now have “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Middle East”. I found the book very interesting, and rich with statistics and history. It is a secular book but is surprisingly pro-Israel. So all things considered, I will try not to take the title personally, but I would consider using it for nuts and bolts info on the Middle East.
There is a little anecdote found at the beginning of the book that anyone who has tried to make sense of the Middle East political mess will understand, and it goes like this:
A scorpion emerged from the desert onto the banks of the Nile, whereupon he accosted a crocodile. “My dear chap,” he said to the crocodile, “could we form an alliance to get to the other side of the river?”
The crocodile answered, “do you think I am stupid? I would be at your complete mercy, You could sting me and kill me at any time during the crossing.”
“Of course not,” said the scorpion. “I promise not to sting you, because if I did, I would drown.”
The crocodile thought about this for a second, and then agreed this made sense and took the scorpion on his back. About midstream, the scorpion became agitated for no apparent reason and stung the crocodile.
As the two were about to go under, the crocodile turned to the scorpion and said, “Now we will both die. What possible explanation or logic is there for such an act?”
“There is none,” said the scorpion, “this is the Middle East.”
As most of us should know by now, not much that goes on in that part of the world is either predictable or logical. According to an unscientific European poll, Israel, that tiny piece of real estate in the center of the universe and surrounded by enemies, is the biggest hindrance to peace in the world. Unfortunately, in the relatively short time span since the Holocaust, the world has come to this sorry point in history. Fortunately for the believer, if there is anything praiseworthy to consider in this, it is the fact that an incredible amount of prophecy has been fulfilled in that short time span as well. We really have to think in spiritual terms about the Mideast situation or the alternative is to get confused and frustrated with the process, looking to the political more than the prophetic. As we get closer to the Lord’s return, it will be increasingly about Israel, so the more you understand the events in this area from a prophetic standpoint, the more you will understand just how short the time is, it’s that simple. I like to say that Israel is God’s timekeeper. Zechariah 12 tells us that in the last days all eyes will be on Israel; that Jerusalem will be a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone to all nations.
I want to comment briefly on the connection between the peace process and terrorism, because the two are completely bound together; terrorism seems to be the vehicle by which great changes are taking place in our world and causing people to have to rethink a normal life when things are far from normal; because of terror, people on the other side of the world now care what goes on in Israel, and it is to Israel that everyone looks to to make things work; they are the perpetual bad-guy, if you listen to the mainstream press. There is also that wrong-headed notion that if we somehow pacify Israel’s neighbors (enemies) then all of Islam will settle down and that we can somehow ‘solve the Middle East problem’ and bring world peace. Of course, the Christian knows that the problem in the Middle East is spiritual in nature.
The New York Times made an interesting observation a while back; they said that the war on terror is really the 3rd great challenge for domination the world has faced in the last 100 years. First, we had Nazi Germany trying to impose the perfect race, the Aryan race, on the world. Then came the Cold War, with the Marxists using the Soviet Union, to impose the perfect class, the working class, on the world. Sept. 11 was about religious totalitarianism, the Muslims, using terrorism to try and impose their idea of the perfect faith, political and religious Islam, on the world. At the height of the last season of suicide bombers, following a female suicide bomber in the Gaza strip, Hamas reiterated their statement that their mission will continue until the Islamic flag is raised ”not only on the minarets of Jerusalem, but over the whole universe.” This threat is true and serious, and it seemed to catch the world off guard at the time. Actually if it did, it seems like they chose to ignore it. We see clearly from this that peace in the Middle East is either a) unattainable, or b) once attained, still not satisfy Islam in its quest to dominate the globe.
Islam’s goal is not only the destruction of the Jews but to put everyone who does not believe in Allah, under subjection, by conversion to Islam, or by death if they resist it. It may seem strange to compare the Soviet Union with its nuclear capabilities to Al-Qaeda, or Hamas which seem more like bands of neighborhood bullies than super-powers; or even akin to some kind of global mafia. But it is amazing what Islam will attempt with little or no leadership and weaponry, Iran’s saber-rattling notwithstanding.
Let’s face it, terrorists are different than any enemy we have faced. In Christianity, the notion of not counting one’s life dear brings great fruit for the Kingdom, and great peace for the one who has died to self, along with great love for God and man. But with terrorism, those who do care for their own lives are equally able to accomplish great things for the Enemy’s ‘kingdom’. Since terrorists hate us more than they love their own lives, there is no limit to their brutality. It is very difficult to maintain an open society when you have any number of people who think nothing at all of boarding an airplane and then blowing it up with their shoes. These human bombs have an endless supply of everyday items to booby-trap, and now all of a sudden the enemy is unknown, unseen, and a genuine, constant threat to our open society. Now, we have to rethink a lot of things; how open should our society be: how much longer can we subject average citizens to more and more intensive security searches at airports and other events? We can try and improve intelligence capabilities, or try and get these societies to behave themselves… but something has to give, and at a cost to all of us. At the very least, it will certainly bring us closer to that global I.D. system for every human that the Bible predicts.
I’m sure a lot of people never put much effort into understanding the Mideast mess because it didn’t affect them directly. Now because of terrorism, we all care about two-bit dictators, about peace and safety, what Muslims believe, and when is there going to be peace in Israel anyway? Now, because of Islamic terror groups, those verses in Zechariah about Israel being a burdensome stone to the entire world seem a bit easier to understand and become 3-dimensional and current; the rise of Islam has brought a more intensive spotlight to the region, and caused even more attention and criticism to be directed toward Israel. The deception is that the criticism should be directed against Islam, but Satan has diverted attention from the true enemy to Israel. Surprise.
But a surprise to God, not at all. God already knew that Israel would be blamed for all the world’s problems and indeed all that Europe did with their ‘Israel is the enemy’ poll, was confirm that Bible prophecy is completely reliable and Zechariah was speaking about the future.
The Bible tells us that in the last days, there will be a covenant signed between Israel and her neighbors, promising peace and safety to the region. Just think of what the day will be like when that one ingenious statesman steps up to the plate and becomes the one to bring peace and stability to the region finally, finding himself in the position of having the respect of the world community, not to mention being highly honored for doing that which seemed impossible. The one who can solve the problems of terrorism and allow the Jews to build their temple would indeed be the man of the hour. The Bible refers to him as the antichrist, that final world leader who arises from a new and powerful Europe, who will set himself up at one point to be god, only to destroy multitudes before he himself is destroyed. This treaty is often referred to as Daniel’s covenant, because you can find the description of this treaty in Daniel 9. This is the very same treaty that starts the 7 – year tribulation period leading up to the return of Christ. I am convinced it could happen in my lifetime, because the headlines tell me that the region can’t hold together much longer without a solution. The Holy Spirit is surely holding all things together; if man’s heart is deceitfully wicked, and has access to the power to destroy the known world atomically speaking, then what other possible conclusion can we come to except that God has a timetable for all these things?
God’s Timekeeper
You’ve all probably heard of what are referred to as ‘Dummy’ Books…those yellow and black books you can find at any bookstore:
DOS for Dummies was the first, I think, followed by Windows for Dummies, Taxes for Dummies, Yoga for Dummies,
Flipping Houses for Dummies – even “The Bible for Dummies”, which unless it comes with a free Holy Spirit patch, will be utterly useless. But that’s a different and more doctrinal treatise than I can go into here. Nevertheless, they are simply meant to be a simplified guide to mastering some technology or technique for the most part.
Well, what were once just dummies are now complete idiots: we now have “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Middle East”. I found the book very interesting, and rich with statistics and history. It is a secular book but is surprisingly pro-Israel. So all things considered, I will try not to take the title personally, but I would consider using it for nuts and bolts info on the Middle East.
There is a little anecdote found at the beginning of the book that anyone who has tried to make sense of the Middle East political mess will understand, and it goes like this:
A scorpion emerged from the desert onto the banks of the Nile, whereupon he accosted a crocodile. “My dear chap,” he said to the crocodile, “could we form an alliance to get to the other side of the river?”
The crocodile answered, “do you think I am stupid? I would be at your complete mercy, You could sting me and kill me at any time during the crossing.”
“Of course not,” said the scorpion. “I promise not to sting you, because if I did, I would drown.”
The crocodile thought about this for a second, and then agreed this made sense and took the scorpion on his back. About midstream, the scorpion became agitated for no apparent reason and stung the crocodile.
As the two were about to go under, the crocodile turned to the scorpion and said, “Now we will both die. What possible explanation or logic is there for such an act?”
“There is none,” said the scorpion, “this is the Middle East.”
As most of us should know by now, not much that goes on in that part of the world is either predictable or logical. According to an unscientific European poll, Israel, that tiny piece of real estate in the center of the universe and surrounded by enemies, is the biggest hindrance to peace in the world. Unfortunately, in the relatively short time span since the Holocaust, the world has come to this sorry point in history. Fortunately for the believer, if there is anything praiseworthy to consider in this, it is the fact that an incredible amount of prophecy has been fulfilled in that short time span as well. We really have to think in spiritual terms about the Mideast situation or the alternative is to get confused and frustrated with the process, looking to the political more than the prophetic. As we get closer to the Lord’s return, it will be increasingly about Israel, so the more you understand the events in this area from a prophetic standpoint, the more you will understand just how short the time is, it’s that simple. I like to say that Israel is God’s timekeeper. Zechariah 12 tells us that in the last days all eyes will be on Israel; that Jerusalem will be a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone to all nations.
I want to comment briefly on the connection between the peace process and terrorism, because the two are completely bound together; terrorism seems to be the vehicle by which great changes are taking place in our world and causing people to have to rethink a normal life when things are far from normal; because of terror, people on the other side of the world now care what goes on in Israel, and it is to Israel that everyone looks to to make things work; they are the perpetual bad-guy, if you listen to the mainstream press. There is also that wrong-headed notion that if we somehow pacify Israel’s neighbors (enemies) then all of Islam will settle down and that we can somehow ‘solve the Middle East problem’ and bring world peace. Of course, the Christian knows that the problem in the Middle East is spiritual in nature.
The New York Times made an interesting observation a while back; they said that the war on terror is really the 3rd great challenge for domination the world has faced in the last 100 years. First, we had Nazi Germany trying to impose the perfect race, the Aryan race, on the world. Then came the Cold War, with the Marxists using the Soviet Union, to impose the perfect class, the working class, on the world. Sept. 11 was about religious totalitarianism, the Muslims, using terrorism to try and impose their idea of the perfect faith, political and religious Islam, on the world. At the height of the last season of suicide bombers, following a female suicide bomber in the Gaza strip, Hamas reiterated their statement that their mission will continue until the Islamic flag is raised ”not only on the minarets of Jerusalem, but over the whole universe.” This threat is true and serious, and it seemed to catch the world off guard at the time. Actually if it did, it seems like they chose to ignore it. We see clearly from this that peace in the Middle East is either a) unattainable, or b) once attained, still not satisfy Islam in its quest to dominate the globe.
Islam’s goal is not only the destruction of the Jews but to put everyone who does not believe in Allah, under subjection, by conversion to Islam, or by death if they resist it. It may seem strange to compare the Soviet Union with its nuclear capabilities to Al-Qaeda, or Hamas which seem more like bands of neighborhood bullies than super-powers; or even akin to some kind of global mafia. But it is amazing what Islam will attempt with little or no leadership and weaponry, Iran’s saber-rattling notwithstanding.
Let’s face it, terrorists are different than any enemy we have faced. In Christianity, the notion of not counting one’s life dear brings great fruit for the Kingdom, and great peace for the one who has died to self, along with great love for God and man. But with terrorism, those who do care for their own lives are equally able to accomplish great things for the Enemy’s ‘kingdom’. Since terrorists hate us more than they love their own lives, there is no limit to their brutality. It is very difficult to maintain an open society when you have any number of people who think nothing at all of boarding an airplane and then blowing it up with their shoes. These human bombs have an endless supply of everyday items to booby-trap, and now all of a sudden the enemy is unknown, unseen, and a genuine, constant threat to our open society. Now, we have to rethink a lot of things; how open should our society be: how much longer can we subject average citizens to more and more intensive security searches at airports and other events? We can try and improve intelligence capabilities, or try and get these societies to behave themselves… but something has to give, and at a cost to all of us. At the very least, it will certainly bring us closer to that global I.D. system for every human that the Bible predicts.
I’m sure a lot of people never put much effort into understanding the Mideast mess because it didn’t affect them directly. Now because of terrorism, we all care about two-bit dictators, about peace and safety, what Muslims believe, and when is there going to be peace in Israel anyway? Now, because of Islamic terror groups, those verses in Zechariah about Israel being a burdensome stone to the entire world seem a bit easier to understand and become 3-dimensional and current; the rise of Islam has brought a more intensive spotlight to the region, and caused even more attention and criticism to be directed toward Israel. The deception is that the criticism should be directed against Islam, but Satan has diverted attention from the true enemy to Israel. Surprise.
But a surprise to God, not at all. God already knew that Israel would be blamed for all the world’s problems and indeed all that Europe did with their ‘Israel is the enemy’ poll, was confirm that Bible prophecy is completely reliable and Zechariah was speaking about the future.
The Bible tells us that in the last days, there will be a covenant signed between Israel and her neighbors, promising peace and safety to the region. Just think of what the day will be like when that one ingenious statesman steps up to the plate and becomes the one to bring peace and stability to the region finally, finding himself in the position of having the respect of the world community, not to mention being highly honored for doing that which seemed impossible. The one who can solve the problems of terrorism and allow the Jews to build their temple would indeed be the man of the hour. The Bible refers to him as the antichrist, that final world leader who arises from a new and powerful Europe, who will set himself up at one point to be god, only to destroy multitudes before he himself is destroyed. This treaty is often referred to as Daniel’s covenant, because you can find the description of this treaty in Daniel 9. This is the very same treaty that starts the 7 – year tribulation period leading up to the return of Christ. I am convinced it could happen in my lifetime, because the headlines tell me that the region can’t hold together much longer without a solution. The Holy Spirit is surely holding all things together; if man’s heart is deceitfully wicked, and has access to the power to destroy the known world atomically speaking, then what other possible conclusion can we come to except that God has a timetable for all these things?
About Mary
I have been a believer since 1981. Everything else before that is relatively meaningless. My heart has, from day 1, always been toward the subject of bible prophecy and I have seen the Lord do amazing things in my life through simply studying the Word and applying it to my life. I am a wife, grandmother and work full time in ministry. Life is full, and full of learning curves and seasons.