At the time of writing the whole of the Middle East is in an uproar. Apart from the conflict going on in Syria there is the final loss of patience by Israel of the Palestinian’s constant barrage of rockets, and the infiltration of the Hamas militants attacking Israeli civilians over the border. The Rockets are being thwarted by the Israeli “Iron Dome” which shoots down Palestinian’s rockets with counter rockets. Due to this course of action the numbers of the Palestinian dead and injured are much higher than the attacking Israeli’s. A situation which would be totally reversed if there was no “Iron Dome” defence system. The situation on which the Hamas and the world in general are posturing is the number of Palestinian dead and injured children which is not at all good, and gives the Hamas leaders a wonderful propaganda tool which they invariably use. It has been reported that in one Palestinian school which was bombed, the rocket launcher was just outside the playground. Israeli troops had attacked the place from which the rockets had come, which are remotely fired from some way away.
Peace efforts have been to no avail. Israel said it would withdrawer if the rockets stopped. The Hamas army said it would stop the rockets if Israel opened its borders. As most of the tunnels built by the Hamas soldiers were lined with cement allowed in by the Israeli’s for house repair and building, which has not been done, it is just one cause for the blockade and a reason for it to be continued by Israel. Egypt also is asking for peace and has closed its borders to Gaza. All Israel wants is peace to live within their borders without being threatened, whereas all Hamas want to do is to annihilate Israel and remove them from the land, and so it goes on. Two wrongs do not make a right, and meanwhile there is a slaughter of the innocents. It is easy to disagree with what is happening but I am sure anyone who can offer a solution will be welcomed. On a recent survey of the Palestinian’s, 70% of them regret voting for Hamas in the last election in 2007. Both sides should stop incitement to vilify the other side. Just this week the Israeli’s and Palestinians have agreed on a cease fire. For how long this keeps working remains to be seen, but no doubt the Hamas will fire their rockets again sooner or later.
After the terrible downing of MH17 over the Ukraine by Russian rebels, one realises that boys should not be given men’s toys. Russia has put into the hands of untrained troops the most lethal of weapons and for that they should be severely censured by the UN. However studying the Bible over the activities of [Russia] Gog & Magog [Ezek 38], we see there is a lot more to come yet. Let us remember that most of the weapons used by Palestinian Hamas come from Iran and most of the weapons used by Iran are Russian. Most of the military and atomic advisors in Iran and much of the Arab Middle East are Russian. It almost seems as though Russia is already setting up its army and its Arab allies, ready to attack Israel. We ignore prophesies of the Bible at our peril as it seems the worlds Politicians are. It has been suggested another reason for Russia’s invading of the Ukraine and particularly the Crimea is; Russia wants control of all the oil reserves in the east including those outside its borders.
But they have other worries to contend with. The Politicians at the moment are telling us all the economies are improving, employment is increasing and all will be well under their management. The reality is it does not matter if a country is losing $100 million or $200 million, but you cannot go on like that for ever, and if everyone is indebted to the IMF for how long can the IMF keep going. President Obama said recently; “Around the world the old order isn’t holding and we’re not quite yet to where we need to be … a new order that’s based on a different set of principles is needed.” This new order is being spoken about more and more. When will the Antichrist arise, we don’t know. He may already waiting in the wings, waiting to come on stage and put the world to rights, and we know of the total disaster that will follow as he moves at the behest of his master Satan.
On a brighter note, we are told in the Bible that in the last days “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. I will pour out my Spirit in those days. [Joel 2:28-29]. “ASSIST News Service” tells us that a Christian revival is touching the northernmost reaches of Africa. In a region once hostile to the Gospel, tens of thousands of Muslims are now following Jesus. Filmmaker Tino Qahosh said “What God is doing in North Africa, all the way from Mauritania to Libya, is astounding. He went on to say: I have had the privilege of recording testimonies and listening first hand to stories of men and women, of all ages where they can be sitting in a room and see the appearance and the presence of God appear to them in reality, like a vision. Some of them gave me stories of how they carry on a conversation, it’s not just a light that appears. He said there is a profound move of God in the predominantly Muslim nations of Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, Tripoli, Libya and Algeria. One church in Algeria lead by a Pastor Salah has some 1200 believers which mainly come from Muslim backgrounds. Some of the converts speak of miraculous encounters. In the country of Algeria where the population is 99% Muslim with the new churches blossoming the Muslim Government has given Protestant churches the freedom to officially register their congregations. One Christian working in Algeria has said apart from the visions, the availability of satellite TV and the internet have dramatically changed people’s perception of Christianity.
Praise the Lord, are we not surely in the last days?
Brian D. Papworth
P.W.M.I. representative in the South Pacific.