The Father of Lies
In John 8:44, Jesus declares that Satan is the father of lies. It is one of his primary methods of operation. If he cannot twist truth to fit his purpose, he will do all he can to cloud it so that it can't be seen. And since Israel has been at the heart of the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, Satan has woven some of his biggest lies around that little nation, trying to undermine the Israelis' divine right to their land. Evidence of this surrounds us. On a CBS program dealing with the subject of Rabin's assassination, Thomas Friedman, a writer, remarked, "There are Jews who care more about the biblical land of Israel than making peace with the Palestinians." (He can count me among them.) He, at least, gives some credence to the idea that Israel is a biblical land, a fact that isn't always clear to Israel's leaders. In a New York Times article, Prime Minister Peres talked about the West Bank as ". . . what they [his opponents] hold to be biblical Jewish land." It is in fact biblical Jewish land, and no historian or archaeologist could doubt that. Peres also referred to right-wing Israelis as being "on the edge of insanity, who think they are God's messengers. In fact, they are the devil's disciples." He seems to have gotten it turned around. It brings to mind Isaiah 5:20, "Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil." Such rhetoric would seem more natural coming from Israel's enemies. In fact, in the PLO Covenant, article 20 states, "Claims of historical or religious ties of Jews with Palestine are incompatible with the facts of history and the true conception of what constitutes statehood." I wonder which "facts of history" they are using. Probably the ones that begin, "Once upon a time. . . ." The PLO Covenant is a document most Christians are unfamiliar with, and it is a bone of contention in the ongoing "peace process." The PLO has until March to change their covenant, article 9 of which states, "Armed struggle is the only way to liberate Palestine. Thus it is the overall strategy, not merely a tactical phase." Article 21 declares, "The Arab Palestinian people, expressing themselves by the armed Palestinian revolution, reject all solutions which are substitutes for the total liberation of Palestine." Such statements are incompatible with the new dove of peace Arafat supposedly carries around in his pocket. It is telling, however, that more than a year after the peace agreement started, those articles still remain. Israel is in danger. It has always been in danger, surrounded from its birth by nations committed to its destruction, but the current policy of giving up its land only weakens it. By having areas of Palestinian self-rule within a stone's throw of Israeli settlements, those Israelis have lost a great deal of their security. Moshe Zak writes in a recent Jerusalem Post article that Israeli defense experts, in allowing an independent Palestinian police force, did not think it would pose a military threat, but that "they didn't take another issue into account: the ability and willingness of the Palestinian Police to prevent Israeli settlements being harassed by Palestinian marauders from over the Green Line [the informal boundary between the West Bank and the rest of Israel]." The Israeli government's hands are tied, since "it can no longer launch severe reprisals to force the Palestinian Police to act against the plague of car theft and stealing of agricultural property from settlements in the area." In a recent editorial in the Jerusalem Post, Israel is described as "the only country in which the vast majority of thefts are committed with the active encouragement of a neighboring government. . . . The vehicles are actually ordered from the burglars by Palestinian Authority officials, specifying size, make, color and model." Later, the editorial states, "All the communities abutting the territories complain of a dramatic increase in thefts, burglaries and even robberies." The citizens of Israel have been made more vulnerable by the land giveaways; and that is a frightening thought when you couple that with the fact that in meetings with the PLO, Hamas has renewed its pledge to continue violence. It has refused to desist. Derek Prince, a noted Bible teacher, in a taped Bible study related that before the 1948 war, when Israel was not yet a nation, he observed with his own eyes a skirmish between Jews and Arabs on a major street in downtown Jerusalem. Prince had an apartment that overlooked the street, and his 5-year-old daughter told him to come and look. Arabs had trapped and killed 35 Israelis. When he saw the street, it looked as if supermarket meat had been dumped there because the Arabs had shot the Israelis and then cut them into small pieces. Prince was making the point in his study that the Arabs in Israel still have this horrific mentality. There are so many reasons why the Land ought not to be given to the PLO:
It should be remembered that the struggle in Israel is spiritual as well as physical. It is a contest of religions as well as a conflict between peoples. A key feature of the End Times will be the reign of the Antichrist during the Tribulation. And his reign will be religious as well as political. In his book 2000 A.D., a look 25 years later at his Late Great Planet Earth, Hal Lindsey saw that the End Times were developing just as he had predicted. He followed Scripture and it is all coming about. That would explain the postures that everyone is taking, Christian, Jew and Arab. When I first began examining prophecy, I had no idea that the Arabs would play such a prominent role, that a common Arab terrorist such as Arafat would one day be perceived as a figure of world importance. It is all part of the coming of the End Times, and the world church of the Tribulation could well develop from a pact between the sacramental religions of the world, especially Moslems and Catholics. Author Dave Hunt believes that the Catholic Church will play a prominent role in the Tribulation, and he is not alone in that belief. An uncomfortable alliance is forming of Catholics and fundamentalist Moslems which could be equal to upwards of 2 billion people (almost half the world). It began over reproduction ethics at the 1994 Cairo Conference. They found themselves holding the line together about contraception, abortion, etc., and now are in some sort of agreement. Although the Pope grudgingly recognizes that Jews need a place to live, he still does not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and he wants Jerusalem to be divided, calling it the capital of three great religions. You can contrast this view with that of Mayor Ehud Olmert, who points out that the capital of Moslems is in Mecca and that of Christians is in Rome, and therefore Jerusalem is solely the Jewish capital. Actually, it is the seat of the Catholic Church that is in Rome. The true Christian capital will be the new Jerusalem, which we, the Jews and Gentiles of the Church, will occupy. I haven't written the above as an exercise in bashing Catholics. There are devout Christians within this church, but throughout history the Catholic Church has shown a distressing tendency to adapt itself to whichever cultural and religious adherents it has tried to proselytize. In this way, error has entered into its doctrines and practices. This trait of assimilation could be disastrous if it tries to draw the other world religions within its folds and make peace by diluting the Gospel to the point where Christ is indistinguable from Mohammed, Buddha, or any other great "prophet."
Satan is the father of lies, and in the End Times there will be
great deception. Israel will play a key role in the unfolding of final
biblical prophecy, and so Satan is bound to do all he can to pull the
wool over people's eyes concerning the truth of its place in God's plan.
The world will continue to pressure Israel with one "peace" plan or
another, but lasting peace is available only through our risen Savior;
and He is the One to whom one day "every knee will bow, and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!
By Thomas S. McCall, Th.D.
As we have seen throughout this series of articles, for at least 100 years God has providentially arranged for the restoration of the nation Israel. He has accomplished this using the energies of Zionism and Premillennial Christianity, along with the aftermath of World Wars I and II. Satan has fought this biblically-prophesied restoration every step of the way, through the pogroms of Russia, the death camps of Nazi Germany, and the fanatical wars and terrorism of Islamic Arabs backed by international Communism. The fury of Satan to stop this third restoration of the Jews to the Land matches all he did to keep the first restoration (under Moses and Joshua) and the second restoration (under Ezra and Nehemiah) from coming to pass. In all of this time, Israel has been the center of the divine scheme of history, while nations have risen and fallen, kings and presidents have come and gone, and the church has both evangelized and apostatized throughout the world. We have now come to the 1990s. The revived state of Israel has been in existence for over forty years. The Iron Curtain and the Soviet Union have been dismantled before our eyes with the swiftness with which they arose on the scene of human history decades before. New conditions exist, so much so that politicians are calling this the New World Order. What of Israel now?
THE POST COLD WAR ERAThe U.S. has survived the Cold War with the Soviet Union, and stands today as the only superpower left on the earth. This has led many to believe the world is a much safer place. America is dismantling its armies, closing its military bases, and destroying its weapons of mass destruction. In some ways, though, the world has new and perhaps more dangerous causes of instability and warfare. Russia, having lost its Communist empire, is in a great national debate over whether to join the western democratic societies in development, or revert to some super-nationalistic, threatening power. There are signs that the latter forces are winning out, and they are manifesting a strong anti-Semitic and anti-Israel bias. There are rumors, confirmed and unconfirmed, about Russian generals chafing over their demotion in importance, bringing their nuclear weapons experience and even complete submarines to such nations as Iran. Leaders are coming to the fore who have a deep resentment against the West and against the Jewish people.
ISLAM BECOMES MORE PROMINENTIslam is now filling the vacuum left by the Soviet Union in much of the world. The southern republics, now independent from the Soviet Union, are reasserting their Moslem heritage, and are fast aligning with the Islamic nations of the Middle East. Iran (Persia), under its Ayatollahs, is one of the most virulent of the anti-Israel Islamic states and has a long history of cooperation with the Russians, even during the time of the Soviet empire. Bible believers are particularly interested in this cooperation between Iran and Russia since Persia is of one the nations specifically mentioned by Ezekiel as joining Russia in the war described in his chapters 38-39. Iraq, under Sadam Hussein, was the cause of the only mobilized warfare since the beginning of the Post Cold War Era. That fanatic dictatorship invaded Kuwait and was threatening eastern Saudi Arabia. If successful in his schemes, Hussein would have gained control of half the known oil reserves of the world. The nations of the earth would not tolerate Iraq to have such a stranglehold on the international economy. They banded under American leadership to oust the Iraqi army out of Kuwait. In an effort to rally the Arab nations to his cause, Hussein aimed his feared scud missiles mostly toward Israel, a non-participant in the war. Once again, the Satanic hatred of Israel reared its ugly head in this conflict, and Israeli citizens had to run to shelters and don gas masks, not knowing what poisons the Butcher of Baghdad might be hurling at them, as the scuds rained on their cities.
THE RISE OF THE INTIFADAIn the aftermath of the Gulf War, the fanatic Islamic Arabs began and intensified a new tactic against Israel. They had tried to defeat and dislodge the Jewish state unsuccessfully in four wars. Those efforts ended in humiliating failure. At this point they began a new tactic called the Intifada. This was a public relations campaign for world opinion, in which the Arabs who lived in Judea and Samaria (the so-called West Bank) staged riots against Israel, coupled with terrorist attacks against civilians in Israeli cities. Ever since the Six Day War in 1967, the Israelis had been constructing Jewish settlements in Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights for security purposes. These settlements were not glorified trailer parks, but beautiful suburban developments with lovely homes, schools and parks. Israelis live in these settlements and commute to work in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Tiberias. One of the primary goals of the Intifada was to stop the spread of these Jewish settlements. Gradually, the Intifada gained the sympathy and support of the world press and governments. Israel, the classic underdog of world history, was transformed in the eyes of the world into being the oppressor of the underdog Arabs, who assumed the name "Palestinians."
AMERICAN PRESSURE ON ISRAELThe United Nations and American Presidents Bush and Clinton all pushed hard on Israel to cease and desist the building of settlements. I, for one, am not at all proud of the part our government has had in forcing Israel to relinquish to its sworn Islamic enemies control over strategic parts of the Land that the Almighty has given to them. If the Jewish people wish to negotiate away their security and portions of the Land God has given to them, that is between them and the Almighty. Gentile governments, however, should not be engaged in forcing such measures on Israel. This comes dangerously close to cursing Israel, and God warns that He will curse those who do so. We who belong to the One called the Son of David should disassociate ourselves from the governmental policies that impose these burdens on Israel in the name of peace.
In our next article, we shall observe how the current events are moving the world
ever closer to the prophetic events described in the Scriptures: the war of Ezekiel
38-39, the Tribulation, Armageddon, and the glorious return of Christ to redeem
Israel and rule the earth. We will also consider the role of the Church at this time
in world history, as we eagerly await our Blessed Hope, the imminent Rapture
return of the Lord Jesus Christ to take us to be with Himself.
Dear Friends, Thank you so much for the year-end giving. It's always encouraging to receive your votes of confidence. The money is used in order to promote more ministry and does not affect anyone's salary here, including mine. I only rejoice that we can do so much with what you have entrusted to us. Let me give you an idea of our upcoming plans. We are presently in the post-production process for our Jerusalem 3000 series. We actually taped this footage during and after our October tour, and we were able to attract some very interesting personalities for our interviews. Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert was kind enough to give us some of his thoughts, as was Faisal Husseini, who is second or third in the PLO hierarchy. Some people would say that he is Olmert's counterpart — the "Mayor of East Jerusalem" — but Jerusalem is now a Jewish city and the capital of Israel. I say "now" because a great deal of contention about that city is coming up. It is next on the "peace process" agenda, and it will surely become "a burdensome stone" and a "cup of trembling," as the prophet Zechariah observed. I will say here and now that if Jerusalem is divided, the "peace process" will lead to real tragedy. The last time the Moslems controlled half of Jerusalem, they burned 56 synagogues and they abused Christians right and left. Jerusalem is perfectly peaceful now under Israeli jurisdiction, and it should certainly be left that way. Nowhere else in the world can any people celebrate the 3,000th anniversary of their capital city, speaking the same language, worshipping the same God, singing the same songs, and praying the same prayers as they did on its first anniversary. It seldom occurs to people that the Jews, essentially one large family, are far and away the world's oldest continuous people, with no competitor anywhere. Arabs in Israel have been called Palestinians since 1967: the Jews, beginning with Abraham, date from 2,000 B.C., 4,000 years ago. And that is the point that our series will make through interviews with journalists, settlers, government officials, students and, particularly interesting, the "man on the street." It should be a fine series and I think that you will enjoy it very much. For the musical accompaniment, we have chosen all of the songs from our past albums that deal with Jerusalem in the lyrics, and we added four new ones to fill out the album. We rearranged all the music so that even the old songs are presented in new and different settings. A point to note is that we recorded Messianic Jewish singers in a Jerusalem studio for this very special album. Tentatively, we are planning a series on the archaeological sites of Israel. We plan to videotape those programs on our Spring Tour. Frankly, we have to step lively with that series since the Israelis are giving away a great many biblical sites located in Judea and Samaria (known as the "West Bank" in the media), and we don't know how friendly the Palestinians will be when we arrive with our cameras. Some prayer support would be appreciated for that rather chancy project. I firmly believe that after some period of time, it will be impossible for Jewish and Christian people to ever again visit the sites controlled by the Palestinians. You would have the same chance to see Joseph's tomb at Nablus, or even our Lord's birthplace at Bethlehem, as you would have to see the interior of Syria. When we create a police state, we exile all of the sites on the ground and, for that matter, all of the people. And so we will try to show you these sites before they are made off-limits by Arafat and future dictators. Of course, you are welcome to come on the Spring Tour, when we still will be visiting Judea and Samaria (security permitting). So far we have had no bad experiences with the Palestinians, who are still getting organized. But I would frankly tell you that if you plan to make a trip to Israel in this life, then the sooner the better! The Israel that will be friendly and receptive to our visits will predictably grow smaller and smaller as this awful "peace process" continues. That's just a word to the wise. The dates for our Spring Tour are April 22 to May 1 for the Basic, and April 17 - 30 for the Grand. As always, the Basic will visit the major biblical sites in Israel. The Grand will also see these, along with a cruise of the Greek islands, stopping at Mykonos, Rhodes and Patmos. In addition, it will feature tours of Corinth and Ephesus, as well as Athens with its famous Acropolis and Mars Hill. You can call our answering services at 1-800-WONDERS or Cynthia at 214-690-1876 for a free, full-color brochure. Again, thank you for your partnership in this ministry. Any support you can give us to post-produce Jerusalem 3000 would be greatly appreciated, and I guarantee you it will help create a longer, finer series of programs. Thanks.
Your messenger,
As voices around the world welcomed the Christmas season with choruses of "Peace on earth, goodwill toward men," another major step of the "peace process" in the Middle East was accomplished: Bethlehem was turned over to Palestinian control just days before its annual Christmas Eve celebration. For the first time in almost 20 years, this Christian commemoration was presided over by Moslems. The timing of the event brings an eerie significance to the last line of the carol O Little Town of Bethlehem: "the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight." But the hopes and fears of today are far different than they were for the event the carol celebrates. Today, hopes for peace through the PLO are castles in the air, and the fears are well-founded. Oddly enough, there have been virtually no Christian protests about handing Bethlehem over to the Palestinian Authority. Have we forgotten that when Moslems controlled the Old City of Jerusalem from 1948-67, Jews and Christians were forbidden access to the holy sites of Judaism and Christianity on pain of death? Synagogues in the Old City were destroyed wholesale by the Moslems. An overlooked consequence of handing over the Land to the Palestinians is that precious religious sites of Judaism and Christianity are also being handed over. Although the Dallas Morning News and many other papers report a peaceful Christmas season despite the guns in Bethlehem, that city most likely will become off-limits to Jews and Christians once again. Indeed, it is already taking place — and orchestrated by Israel! Bethlehem is important to Jews as the birthplace of David, the site of Rachel's Tomb (see Genesis 35:29), and as the prophesied birthplace of their Messiah. And yet, on Christmas Eve, Jews were barred from going to Rachel's Tomb to pray. In a report entitled Bethlehem is Judenrein ["Free of Jews"] Tonight, Nadia Matar, head of Women for Israel's Tomorrow, relates how a group of Israelis were forcibly kept away by Israeli soldiers. When she approached the group and asked why they were standing still instead of going to the tomb, they said, "Because of Arafat's Christmas celebrations, the army . . . is not letting Jews in, only Christians and Muslims." Matar relates her horror as she watched the Israeli soldiers, defenders of the Jewish people, asking people, "Are you Jewish? Yes? You cannot go in!!" Even American Jews were turned away. It brought echoes of the Holocaust, "no Jews allowed." Shortly before the celebrations in Bethlehem, the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, headed by Jan Willem van der Hoeven, issued a call for Christian groups to boycott Christmas Eve in Bethlehem and instead spend it in the nearby Israeli settlement of Efrat, the same town as mentioned in Michah 5:2, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah...." Our tour was in Israel at the time, and our group voted to support the boycott and bypass Bethlehem that evening. Instead, they spent a joyous time with Israelis outside the city. Attending the celebrations would have lent support to the PLO, and Christmas Eve in Bethlehem was really "The Arafat Show" for the world media. And it seems the media bought it. ABC reported that the Christmas celebrations were organized and problem-free, "not like under Jewish occupation." I guess ABC missed out on all the peaceful celebrations in Bethlehem over the last 20 years. One result of Bethlehem being under the control of the PLO is that the Palestinians have a new base from which to distort the identity of Jesus. The New Orleans Times Picayune and other papers reported on a Palestinian banner proclaiming Jesus as "the first Palestinian revolutionary." Apparently His story has become a sort of inspiration to them; they revere His status as a "patriot" living under foreign occupation. As reported in the December 24 Dallas Morning News, Arafat used the occasion of the start of the Christmas festival in Bethlehem to state, "I declare Bethlehem free . . . and all the villages of this land blessed with the birth of the Palestinian Jesus Christ." Jesus is the most flexible deity this world has ever seen. He started out as a Jew, was turned into a Gentile, and now apparently has converted to Islam. Not content with spuriously claiming Jerusalem as their holy city, now the Moslems seem determined to claim our Savior, not as Lord but as a revolutionary symbol. And they won't stop there. At the same gathering in Bethlehem, Arafat said that the holy sites in Jerusalem would soon be under Palestinian control. "Today we embrace in the Church of Nativity and tomorrow we shall embrace in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem," he stated. Christians of the world, take note. "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28).
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