The Final Countdown

As we alluded to last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally endorsed a sovereign Palestine, albeit with a host of conditions. The Palestinian state would have to agree to be demilitarized, cede control of its airspace, and the Palestinians would have to officially recognize Israel as a Jewish state.  Most importantly, Netanyahu said dividing Jerusalem is out of the question. Predictably, the last two conditions were met with disdain by Arab leaders, with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas saying Netanyahu had killed the peace process and ensured “another round of violence and bloodshed.” A Palestinian official asserted that Netanyahu wanted to “kill off any chance of peace,” while the leader of Hamas, Ahmed Yousef, characterized the Israeli PM as a “war criminal” for rejecting President Obama’s policies.

One of the more fascinating aspects of this is the involvement of the Obama Administration.

The United States remains heavily involved in the burgeoning peace process.  In addition to the above references to President Obama’s plans, a senior adviser to Abbas had this to say, courtesy of WorldNetDaily:

Nimer Hamad, senior political adviser to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, also said the PA is not concerned about Netanyahu’s policies since Abbas relies on American support for key Palestinian demands.

During Netanyahu’s speech Sunday, the Israeli leader called for a demilitarized Palestinian state and said Jerusalem would always be united under Jewish sovereignty.

Hamad countered: “No matter what is the position of the Israeli government and no matter what are the statements of Netanyahu, what counts is what was promised to us by Obama, which is totally the opposite [of Netanyahu's positions].”

“We received encouraging signs from the Americans that we should not take seriously into consideration Netanyahu’s speech,” Hamad said.

Hamad said the Obama administration holds views that strongly differ from Netanyahu’s.

The new Israeli Ambassador to Washington, Michael Oren, made an intriguing assertion as well, saying that he felt any deals concerning Jewish settlements would first come between Israel and the US, not Israel and Palestine. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is in the US right now discussing the whole process.

Tomorrow I will address this topic in detail. I don’t want to be misunderstood so I will be making it into a stand alone post. Be sure to check back tomorrow afternoon, or subscribe to the RSS or e-mail feed in the upper right corner, beneath the search box.

While the Arabs are claiming that this ended any chance of peace between Israel and the rest of the nations of the Middle East,  in truth is has laid the groundwork for a coming peace agreement, forged by the Antichrist himself (Daniel 9:27). Israel will think she is finally at peace, but it will be a false peace (Jeremiah 6:14, 8:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:3), because Israel will have entered into a contract with “death and hell” (Isaiah 28:15). This peace deal will include a Palestinian state (Joel 3:2; Zechariah 14:2) but intense strife will remain over Jerusalem, for the Jews and Palestinians both want it all to themselves (Zechariah 12:2-3). War will break out when Russia and an Arab confederation (Psalm 83:4-5; Ezekiel 38:15) attack Israel (Ezekiel 38 & 39; Jeremiah 1:13; 10:22). Israel will use a sophisticated air defense (fighter planes & missiles) to defend herself (Isaiah 31:5; 60:8).

In perhaps the greatest sign we’ve seen in years that proves the Lord Jesus Christ is coming soon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will announced Sunday that he is open to a sovereign Palestine. This is a dramatic shift in policy for Israel, and removes the greatest barrier to the signing of a peace contract in the Middle East, an event that marks the beginning of the Tribulation (Daniel 9:27).

We have pointed out many times that seemingly the whole world is calling for a two-state solution. Even Netanyahu’s own Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, has recently endorsed a Palestinian state. President Barack Obama has been heavily involved in pressuring Israel to yield to the idea of a sovereign Palestine. The US holds a lot of sway over Israel (esepcially concerning Iran), even to the point where King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia said Obama should “impose a solution” to the Mideast conflict. Obama’s Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, says the US wants to see a ‘Palestinian state as soon as possible.’

(I will have much, much more to say about Barack Obama’s involvement in the peace process after Netanyahu’s speech early next week.)

The Tribulation begins when a world leader negotiates a seven year peace contract between Israel and the nations of the Middle East (Daniel 9:27). As we’ve said all along, this brokered peace deal will involve a Palestinian state (Joel 3:2, Zechariah 14:2).  This will be a temporary peace because the Jews and Palestinians will both want complete control over Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:2-3).

Much more information on this topic to come next week.

Earlier this month we posted a link to a World Net Daily story citing evidence that the division of Jerusalem was already underway. Now, according to an update from WND, the erection of this “security barrier” has been stopped following a Knesset inquiry.

While everyone on the planet seems to be calling for a divided Jerusalem and Palestinian state (the most recent being King Abdullah II of Jordan), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to vow that it will never happen. A Palestinian Authority leader was quoted today as saying President Obama, who is becoming heavily involved in the Mid-east peace process, sees a divided Jerusalem in the future, and is even helping Palestinians live illegally on Jewish land in east Jerusalem.

Despite Prime Minister Netanyahu’s insistence otherwise, Jerusalem will be divided in the near future. The Bible predicts in Joel 3:2 and Zechariah 14:2 that the City of the Great King will be split in half. It is this strife over Jerusalem that leads to World War III (Zechariah 12:2-3) , and sets the stage for the last 3.5 years of the Tribulation, the worse period of time in human history.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged from a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Monday and announced that he hopes peace talks will begin “in the coming weeks.” Representing the European Union, the forerunner of a world government that will forge the peace deal (Daniel 9:27) via the Antichrist (Daniel 7:8, 20, 24, 9:26; Revelation 13:1), Tony Blair said it is the “moment of truth” in the Mideast peace process.

Hostilities continue to escalate in the region. Egypt and Iran have both taken big steps in developing weapons grade uranium, maintaining it is for “peaceful purposes” (this despite Iran’s repeated promise to wipe Israel off the map). Israel, meanwhile, is working to remind everyone that Jerusalem is the nation’s capital, much to the irritation of the Arab world.

As we have mentioned daily it seems, everyone is calling for a two-state solution to the conflict in the region. Earlier today the Pope even weighed in, calling for an independent Palestinian nation that shares Jerusalem as its capital. Yesterday, US National Security Adviser James Jones said that the Iranian threat makes a two-state solution imperative. Probably the most interesting statement came from King Abdullah of Jordan, who said that we do not need “a two-state solution, (but) a 57-state solution,” where the Israeli’s negotiate with Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinians, and the rest of the Arab and Muslim world.

This is exactly how it is going to play out! The aforementioned peace contract brought on by the Antichrist will be between Israel and a whole host of nations (Daniel 9:27), and will include a two-state solution (Joel 3:2) with Jerusalem as the shared capital (Zechariah 14:2). Sadly it is a false peace as the Bible says Israel makes an agreement with “death and hell” (Isaiah 28:15). This is because while Israel thinks she is at rest (Jeremiah 6:14, 8:11), the nations on the other side of the peace contract will be plotting her destruction (Psalm 83:4-5). Led by Russia (Ezekiel 38:8, 16; Jeremiah 1:13, 10:22), this confederation of nations will march on Israel (Ezekiel 38:15) precisely when Israel lets its guard down (Ezekiel 38:11). All the key players of the region will take part in the assault, including Egypt of Daniel 11:40; Syria of Isaiah 17:1 and Psalm 83:8; Iran (& possibly Iraq), Ethiopia, Lybia, and Turkey of Ezekiel 38:5-6; and Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine of Psalm 83:7. Plus many other nations.

What an amazing time to be alive! God’s word is unfolding right in front of us, and we desperately need to be ready.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaking at a joint news conference with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, announced that “Syria and Iran are united” in support of the Palestinians, and against Israel. In a statement where he called Jews “destructive microbes,” Ahmadinejad promised that the “shared principles and interests” of the Middle East Arab community is about to produce “victory.”

Of course, that shared “principle” is that Israel has no right to exist, and the shared “interest” is the elimination of the Jewish state, as has been stated many times by Ahmadinejad. This is exactly what the Bible predicts. In Psalm 83:4-5, we read,

The 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.

This confederacy is headed up by Russia (Ezekiel 38:15) and invades Israel during the “latter days” (Ezekiel 38:8, 16, 39:1-2; Jeremiah 1:13, 10:22). Syria (Isaiah 17:1; Psalm 83:8) and Iran (Ezekiel 38:5) are among the nations mentioned as being in this cabal of hatred against the Jews. Syria also has renewed diplomatic ties with Lebanon, another nation that will be part of the Russian-led confederacy (Psalm 83:7).

According to a CIA report released in March, Iran is busy developing nuclear weapons to use in this assault on Israel, and they are further along in this pursuit than many want to admit. At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing yesterday, Robert Morgenthau, who uncovered a Iranian scam to funnel billions of dollars through the US to buy nuclear and missile materials, testified that “we don’t have a lot of time to stop Iran from developing long-range missiles and nuclear weapons.” Morgenthau’s statement came as the Committee released a report warning that the US is grossly underestimating Iran’s progress in developing these weapons. This caused Israeli President Shimon Peres to once again say that he will not rule out an attack on Iran to take out their nuclear facilities.

The race to bring peace to the region is heating up, with virtually every free nation on earth wanting to get involved. A US envoy is in Syria to reiterate the Americans’ commitment to peace, while Vice President Joe Biden was in Washington saying that a two-state solution is a must. Likewise, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that there is “no alternative” to the creation of a Palestinian state.

Everyone is putting their two cents in, but of all the potential peace-makers, the one to watch is the EU envoy. Speaking at a symposium in Jerusalem, Ambassador Michael Zantovsky from the current EU Presidency holding nation of the Czech Republic, said that strengthened diplomatic ties between Israel and the EU was “temporarily stuck.” This was an attempt to tone down the words of EU Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who said the process is “frozen” until Israel declares its committment to the two-state solution.

Tuesday, Peres said that Israel does indeed support the creation of a Palestinian state, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ready to “start to negotiate right away” on making it happen. This prompted EU Mideast Envoy Tony Blair to say that “a new framework” was in progress and the EU would unveil a peace plan within a few weeks.

When a peace contract is finally forged, it will come at the hands of a world “President” (the Antichrist of Daniel 9:27) and include a newly created Palestinian state with a divided Jerusalem (Joel 3:2; Zechariah 14:2). Interesting fact: Due to military conquests many centuries ago, the monarchy of Spain carries the title, “King of the Jews.” Satan wants to duplicate Christ in every way possible, including being raised from the dead, which he tries to mimic by taking over the body of the slain Antichrist (Revelation 12:12-13; 13:3-5, 12; 17:8, 11). I think that the coming Antichrist, whoever that may be, will somehow assume this title, either by birth (being from Spain) or by usurping it in some way.

Before anything can happen, Christians must be gone via the rapture.  In 2 Thessalonians 2:6, we are told that the Antichrist cannot be revealed until the restraining force is removed. That restraining force is the church, for Christians are the home of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19-20). We are the “salt of the earth,” (Matthew 5:13) and salt is a preserving agent, keeping the world from going to a literal hell.

There are more passages that indicate a pre-tribulation rapture. Revelation 3:10 says that God will keep us from the hour of trial coming upon the world. In Luke 17:26-30, Jesus was talking about His return and related the stories of Noah and Lot–two men who were removed from the land before judgment fell because of their relationships to God. Note that they did not remove themselves, for the ark door was shut by God (Genesis 7:16) and Lot was forcibly brought outside of Sodom by angels (Genesis 19:16). Everything in the old testament has to do with the Lord Jesus, and these two stories picture of His protecting love for His saints via a rapture.

In Luke 21, Jesus is talking about the end times and the coming Tribulation. In the midst of this, Jesus said we should watch and pray so that we may be worthy to escape “all these things” (Luke 21:36). In context, “these things” are clearly the trials of the Tribulation.