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Question: How does what is happening today in the Middle East fit with Bible prophecy?Answer: Strange, is it not, that the activities of such a small place on this planet can capture the attention of the entire world? While some feel it is simply a "holy" skirmish between two selfish neighbors, the fact of the matter is that all that is being played out in the middle east is right in line with a master plan. Bible believing Christians recognize that what is taking place is clearly the groundwork being prepared for some great end time events.
This conflict finds its roots thousands of years back. The fighting parties are distant cousins from a common ancestry. Abraham was literally the father of two mighty nations. In keeping with His promise to Abraham, God made a mighty nation from the lineage of Ishmael (Genesis 17:20), as well as the promised son, Isaac. The descendants of Isaac's son Jacob became the Israeli people (Jacob's name was changed to Israel, and his descendants are the Israelites - Genesis 35:10). Part of the territory of Palestine was divided into independent Arab (The Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael) and Jewish states after World War I by the United Nations. These feuding cousins have never ceased to struggle for the land they both claim as their own.
A godly line can be traced from the earliest chapters of the Bible. From Adam and Eve we know that Abel served God, and Cain murdered his godly brother. God continues the line of godliness through the next brother named Seth. Many years later God called Abraham to follow and serve Him. Avid readers of the Bible will readily recognize that Isaac was the son of promise, chosen by God to continue the godly line leading ultimately to the coming of the Messiah. Though Ishmael was also the son of Abraham, and God blessed him for that very fact, Ishmael was not a God-fearing man. Isaac later received the blessing originally given to the great patriarch Abraham.
Isaac later had two sons: Esau and Jacob. Again, the Bible is clear that there is a godly line to follow, and Jacob was the son chosen by God. Esau is later seen as a wild and ungodly man. Jacob (Israel) fathered twelve sons who later become the nation of Israel. We know from Scripture that the Israelites are God's chosen people; not the descendants of Cain, Ishmael or Esau. You can follow the lineages of any of these men and find that they became the wicked and idolatrous nations who rejected God and did their own thing. The final prophecy of the condemnation of Esau's descendants (the Edomites) is delivered in the small Book of Obadiah.
To this very day God has a covenant with Abraham in the favor of the people of Israel. The Arab's claim Abraham as their father, but they do not claim Jehovah as their God. The backslidden nation of Israel missed the real Messiah when they crucified Him on the cross 2000 years ago. They are still looking for the Messiah to come... one who will set up His kingdom and rule and reign from Jerusalem. In the midst of such fighting and chaos, the world is ripe for a world leader to come on the scene appearing to have all the answers and the key to peace and rest in the world.
This individual will appear to bring unity to the opposing factions, and the nation of Israel will feel that he is the Messiah they have been awaiting for thousands of years. This man will be revealed to be the Antichrist, during the time of the Great Tribulation period, when he desecrates the Temple and sets himself up as a god to be worshiped and served. The people of Israel will immediately recognize him for who he is, and their eyes will at once be opened to the truth that Jesus of Nazareth was and is indeed their Messiah and Savior of the world.
At the close of the period of the Great Tribulation, the Lord Jesus Himself will return from Heaven with ten thousands of His saints in an event known as the Revelation, and the Second Coming of Christ. At this time, Jesus will literally return and set His feet upon the earth (specifically upon the Mount of Olives) and will rule and reign as King supreme for a thousand years. The promises made to Abraham will be completely fulfilled.
How does all that is taking place in the middle east fit in with Bible prophecy? We are seeing the stage being set for the entrance of the Antichrist. It is evident from the signs of the times throughout the world. However, it is at it's apex in the conflict being watched by the world in the Middle East.
Our responsibility is to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), and watch for the coming of the Son of God in the clouds (Matthew 25:13; Mark 13:37; Luke 21:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; James 5:8; with 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). It is time to serve the Lord.
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This page was last updated August 19, 2010.
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