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As believers in Jesus Christ, we must make it very clear that we do not hate the Arabs or Palestinians. I have been to the Middle East many times and have made many Palestinian friends. As Christians, we must guard our hearts from any hatred or prejudice against anyone. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Follow peace with all men.” Obviously, some people are not open to our friendship or fellowship. They hate us because of who we are – children of God or what we believe. Furthermore, because of some people’s expressed hatred toward God and His Word, people, or will, we are unable to maintain a relationship with all people. Some people are just not easy to love. Romans 12:18 declares, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”

In the Middle East there is a continual ongoing conflict between people groups. My travels to this troubled region have taught me that the real problem that causes most of this conflict is not just the sinful nature of all people but is also enhanced by the prejudice and hatred expressed within the religion of Islam. All Muslims are note alike. The more moderate Muslims do not seek to follow all the commands to hate non-Muslim. The radical Muslims believe they need to follow the commands of the Koran that calls for an open rejection of all non-Muslims. Radical Muslims view all non-Muslims as infidels and therefore must not be accepted as friends.

In Israel, the Jewish people are the ones who are seeking peace. Most all Israeli Jews want to live in peace with their Arab Muslim neighbors. I have repeatedly witnessed this for more than 35 years in my travels in Israel. The Jewish mindset is based upon God’s law. The problem of Arab hatred for the Jews is an ancient tragedy. In Psalm 120:6-7, while speaking about the Arab population, the psalmist said, “My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but they are for war.”

Those who hate the Jews, point their finger at the Jews as the real cause for the plight of the Palestinians. The truth is, the Palestinians are treated much better in Israel than they are in other Arab countries. For example, in Syria and Lebanon Palestinians continue to face discrimination. “Palestinians in Lebanon are ‘prevented from employment in 39 professions such as medicine, law and engineering… are socially marginalized, have very limited civil, social, political and economic rights, including restricted access to the Government of Lebanon’s public health, educational and social services and face significant restrictions on their right to work…’ — United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees, updated September 2020” (Gatestone Institute, January 16, 2024). In sharp contrast to this, “Arab citizens of Israel…. can own, buy and sell property, can vote and run in national and local elections, have equal access to free public healthcare, education and other services…. Many Arab Israelis serve in senior positions in hospitals, universities and colleges, courts, the civil service, and even in the Israel Police and the Israel Defense Forces” (Gatestone Institute, January 16, 2024). Furthermore, Syria and Lebanon refuse to grant citizenship to the Palestinians living there. To read the entire article by Gatestone Institute, go to https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20315/palestinian-suffering.

If United Nations and the people of the world were really concerned about the suffering of the Palestinians, why would they not be addressing the deplorable conditions of the Palestinians in Syria and Lebanon. This demonstrates that those who promote the Palestinian cause are not really interested in helping the Palestinians. Their real goal is to demonize Israel and call for its destruction. Many Arab Muslims in Israel have openly confessed that they would rather live under the authority of the Israeli government rather than the corrupt Palestinian government. All the terrorist organizations in the Middle East (like Hamas and Hezbollah) have demonstrated that they do not care about the Palestinians. They have used the Palestinian people’s suffering to make Israel look bad. The real problem in the Middle East is not Israel, but those who hate the Jews and their own people. Radical Muslims, like those in Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza have one goal in mind – the annihilation of the only Jewish nation in the world, Israel.

In Psalm 83:1-4, the psalmist calls those who are plotting the destruction of Israel the “enemies” of God. “Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.” Psalm 83:6-8 names those nations that surround Israel as those who have agreed to be against God and His people.

The spiritual conditions that prevailed in the Middle East in the Old Testament period are still with us today. The enemies of God are doing the same thing to Israel as they did thousands of years ago. This war is once again beginning to intensify. It looks like this might be the final push by the enemies of God to destroy Israel. The stage is now set for the final conflict between heaven and hell.

Be ready for the shout that will take us out!

We live in a world that has lost its moral compass. Good has become evil and evil has become good. This is the real backdrop behind the picture being painted against Israel in its war of defense against Hamas. The fact that our world is defending Hamas, rather than Israel is a testimony that our world is committing intellectual and spiritual suicide. It stands against truth and good. It is in love with lies and evil. Certainly, this points to the reality that our global culture has reached the spiritual point of no return. It is inviting the holy wrath of God against the entire planet. It is only a matter of time.

A recent article by Alan Dershowitz for Gatestone Institute speaks with moral clarity concerning Israel’s war with Hamas and other radical Islamic terrorists and nations that seek to destroy the Jewish people and their nation. To read the entire article, go to https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20298/international-court-of-injustice-israel. Here is a portion of the article, “There have been too many civilian casualties in Gaza, although no one has any idea how many of the dead and wounded were actually civilians, as distinguished from terrorists and those who assist them. The civilian casualties are the fault of Hamas, first for starting the war by murdering Israeli civilians, and second by hiding their military assets among civilians in an effort to use them as human shields. Hamas apparently even shot at its own citizens to keep them from fleeing to southern Gaza for safety as the Israelis had urged them to.

“The evidence is indisputable that Hamas has committed numerous war crimes. First, it attacked Israeli civilians attending a music festival and living in peace. Second, it ordered its terrorists to rape and sexually assault its victims, thus weaponizing sexual assault during wartime. Third, it has fired thousands of rockets at Israeli civilian targets. Fourth, it has built tunnels with exits near Israeli civilian areas, whose purpose it is to murder and kidnap civilians. Fifth, it has deliberately placed its rocket launchers and command centers in civilian areas, in order to induce Israel to cause collateral damage among civilians. Sixth, it has used children and even babies as human shields to prevent Israel from rescuing its hostages. Seventh, it has taken over hospitals, schools, mosques and other civilian resources and turned them into military assets. Eighth, it has recruited 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls to become terrorists. Ninth, it has coerced women into becoming suicide bombers targeting Israeli civilians. Tenth, it arranged for civilian workers from Gaza to get jobs in Israel in order to provide them information they used to murder Israeli civilians” (Gatestone Institute, January 12, 2024).

The truth of 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 is coming to pass, “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Is He the One?

The Bible plainly states that the illumination of the identity of the antichrist will not take place until after the Rapture of the church (2 Thessalonians 2:1-10). While we will never know for sure who the antichrist will be, it appears that there are several persons on earth at this moment who could be the one who is being groomed by Satan to be his superman.

One such person is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. Just a few months ago, in August, the Crown Prince signaled that he wants Saudi Arabia to replace Jordan as the Islamic custodian of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. He mentioned that Saudi Arabia already controls the two most holy sites in the religion of Islam – Mecca and Medina. Therefore, in his eyes, it is only fitting that it also controls the third most holy site of Islam, which is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Those who recognized this change believe that Mohammed bin Salman is positioning himself to strike a treaty of peace with Israel. According to the Bible, this is exactly what the antichrist will do (Daniel 9:27). It appears that the antichrist’s false peace agreement with Israel will include Israel’s right to build a Jewish temple on the Temple Mount.

Currently, there are only two groups that are passionately struggling for the right to control the holy mountain of Zion – Islam and Israel. Therefore, it appears that the stage is being set for the final war over the Temple Mount. It seems obvious to say that this war will be between Israel and Islam. When the antichrist breaks his false covenant with Israel at the mid-point of the Tribulation, he will make his move to take back his control over the Temple Mount (Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 11:1-2).

Before Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, it appeared that a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia was about to take place. Since Israel began its war in Gaza to destroy Hamas, the Islamic world has voiced its opposition to and hatred of Israel. However, to many people’s surprise, Mohammed bin Salman has guarded his comments on Israel’s war with Hamas and is trying to keep the door open for a peace deal with Israel.

Haisam Hassanein, an Arab Associate Fellow at The Washington Institute, in Joel Rosenberg’s All Arab News, reports that some influential Arabs are saying that Saudi Arabia holds the key to bringing peace to the Middle East. This report states, “Direct Saudi Arabian involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is likely to be the shortest route to a stable peace in the Middle East. … Clearly, a new Washington-Jerusalem-Riyadh entente is the best path to stable peace. Will U.S., Israeli, and Saudi leaders seize the opportunity” (All Arab News, December 21, 2023)?

For quite some time it has been my conviction that the antichrist would be a Muslim leader in the Middle East who would have a face of peace, but a heart of war. We cannot be sure that Mohammed bin Salman is the antichrist. However, it is obvious that the events of October 7 and its aftermath of Israel’s war with Hamas have created the perfect storm in the Middle East and the entire world that could set the stage for the antichrist’s entrance and his deceptive peace deal with Israel.

The time appears to be right. It is very likely that the antichrist is making his bid to garner global attention as a rising global political star. This could be it!

This articles also appears in Mike’s January newsletter.

In an excellent recent article for Gatestone Institute, Lawrence Franklin, who was on staff with former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and a high-ranking officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, wrote about China’s current threat to the United States. Since the U.S. is not a leader of the world in the biblical account of the end-times, this article should be of great concern to us.

“China is fully engaged in a multi-front war against the United States. This “unrestricted warfare” against America has several dimensions: technological, space, military, political, economic, digital, psychological, informational and diplomatic. In fact, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) openly declared a “people’s war” against the US in a May 14, 2019 edition of the People’s Daily.

“The CCP, led by Chinese President Xi Jinping, has, over the years, by espionage, intellectual property theft, hacking, spying and militarizing artificial islands, initiated a bitter conflict between China and the US. …

“China also has more than 28,000 migrants who have illegally crossed the US southern border – many clean-cut men of military age, unaccompanied by family, who show up in groups. One cannot just leave China the way one leaves the US. It is difficult, therefore, not to suspect that these men have been sent by the CCP as sleeper cell saboteurs, waiting to inflict small but deadly strikes on American infrastructure, such as electric grids, airports, water reservoirs, communications towers, bridges, tunnels, shopping malls, apartment complexes, and so forth” (Gatestone Institute, December 20, 2023).

I highly recommend you read the entire article at https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20238/china-unrestricted-warfare.

Yesterday, Tuesday, December 12, a Turkish lawmaker, Hasam Bitmez, was railing against Israel because of its war against the Islamic Terrorist group, Hamas. During his rant he said that Israel would “not be able to escape the wrath of God.” Upon making this remark, he immediately, while on air, collapsed, suffering a massive heart attack. He is still listed in serious condition after this incident.

It is apparent that our God of mercy does not immediately strike down everyone who speaks against Him or His people, Israel. However, He has declared, “Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought” (Isaiah 41:11-12).

The entire world would be wise to understand that what happened to this Turkish lawmaker was not a coincidence. The fact that he had a massive heart attack immediately after condemning Israel and slandering the One and only true God is not an accident!

The prophecy of Psalm 2 is being fulfilled with incredible detail. The people and the leaders of the world are against God and His people, Israel. God has warned them, “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Psalm 2:10-12).

Let us pray for Hasam Bitmez. Perhaps he will survive this ordeal and have a change of heart like Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4.

God is speaking! Is anyone listening?