Middle East Perspective … Epilogue

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. -John 8:32

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

I know I concluded my series on the Middle East last week, and I’ve always tried to avoid turning any of my articles into just another personal opinion, preferring to stick to the interpretation of Bible passages. Hundreds of these opinion pieces flood the Internet each week and while some are insightful many others are simply one man’s view rather than perspective on God’s Word.

But having said that, I read a report this week that, for me at least, underscored both the importance of Biblical prophecy in understanding the times we live in, and the folly of trying to understand them without it. In other words, having a working knowledge of prophecy isn’t just a nice supplement to our observations, it’s likely we’ll get hopelessly off the track without it. Case in point.

(The following is an excerpt from a subscription intelligence letter called Debka Net Weekly. They also post a free daily headline service at www.debka.com)

“President Bush took the advice of vice president Richard Cheney and in mid-September sent a strategic expert he recommended, the New York lawyer Noah Feldman, who is close to the Cheney circle and known for his original cast of mind, on a top-secret mission to Iraq for a fresh assessment of the situation on the ground. Defense secretary Rumsfeld approved the highly confidential mission.

Feldman returned with four disturbing conclusions:

1. Whatever policies America enacts in Iraq, the long-term result will be the same: Iraq will never embrace the path of democracy but will end up as a Muslim state.

2. The text of a constitution the US-appointed interim governing council is now compiling will never be accepted by the Iraqi people; it will ultimately make way for Islamic law, the Sharia. Even before America finishes shaping a democratic regime in Iraq, it can already be said that democracy has no chance of taking hold in the country.

3. That being the case, Feldman states his view that Iraq will not evolve into a pro-Western nation and American’s hopes in this regard will never be realized.

4. Neither is there any short-term or long-term prospect of Iraq ever signing a peace treaty with Israel. The Bush administration had hoped that the new Iraq would blaze the way for the old Arab regimes to make peace with Israel on a more amicable basis than the Egyptian-Israeli accord. Feldman advises Washington to abandon that hope.”

What’s your Point?

From this we get a glimpse of the Bush administration’s Middle East Strategy. Simply stated, we oust Saddam, turn Iraq into a western style democracy that will set the population free, prosper mightily, and in other ways look so inviting to other countries in the region that they’ll abandon their repressive ways voluntarily, and in the end everyone will make peace with Israel. Noble thoughts indeed, and reasonable substance for the prayers of all believers. Only problem is that this strategy is in direct opposition to God’s Word. Obviously the Lord had no representation at the meeting where this strategy was adopted.

Now hold on. I don’t mean there weren’t any Christians there. I mean the prophetic Word of God wasn’t considered as even a relevant (if divergent) point of view in the minds of those who claim to be the world’s leading experts on the Middle East. That probably shouldn’t surprise us. No effort is ever given to the interpretation of current events in the context of Biblical Prophecy in the official circles of any Western country. In fact if I’m any judge of these things, the mere mention of prophecy in one of these meetings would immediately reduce the credibility of its proponent to zero.

We expect this of non-believers. I remember a quote from Hanan Ashrawi, a leading voice among the 0Palestinians. “We are not going to permit the words of some ancient book to determine events in our country today.”

But We’re Not Like They Are

But this policy was determined by leaders of a Christian nation, some of whom themselves profess to be Christians. Now I’m not disagreeing with the decision to oust Saddam. He’s an evil man who would certainly help bring the world to ruin if permitted. But I am concerned about the total disregard of the only source of truth, a source that speaks more clearly and frequently about the Middle East than about any other subject, in the development of our policies regarding the region.
Make no mistake. Our enemies consult their “holy” writings on a regular basis. It’s what they read there that makes them our enemies. When will our leaders realize the spiritual dimension of this war and avail themselves of the spiritual wisdom from our Holy Writings? Why do non-believers derive more spiritual energy and direction from their false gods than we do from the only true God?

I don’t know what Noah Feldman’s religious views are. Nor do I know how much prophecy he understands. But I do know that every serious student of prophecy has already come to the same conclusion as he did, because we all know that the end of the age will see the forces of Babylon united against the forces of Jerusalem just as in ancient times. It’s the original Tale of Two Cities.

A few hours of Bible study by our leaders could have produced a more workable strategy; one in line with God’s view. It could have saved hundreds of lives and billions of dollars, while affording us better protection from our enemies and a more realistic assessment of our future. Forewarned is forearmed, after all.

Nobody Asked You

True, but if they had, here’s what I would have said. Recognize our enemies for who and what they are, Mr. President. Protect us from them by keeping us strong enough to pre-empt threats like you did in Iraq. (And please release Israel to do the same.) Then use your incredible power and influence to lead us back to our only true Protector. Set your team to work on a strategy that will help us become a Christian nation again. Know that you don’t have the ability to determine the outcome of all this, but that He does and indeed already has. Stop hoping He’s on our side and start working to make sure we’re on His. Stop trying to develop a workable peace plan and start trying to understand the plan He’s already put in motion. Then ask Him how we can help.

The final score is already tallied, Sir, but the winners and losers are still choosing up sides. Let’s make sure we’re on the right team before it’s too late.