The answer for the Middle East. To even talk about the situation in Israel
today, you must understand that the roots of this issue goes back over 4,500
years to Abraham. Abraham was promised by God to have a son with his
elderly wife Sarah. When God didn't answer as quickly as Abraham wanted, he
decided to take matters into his own hands. So he took his wife's
handmaiden Hagar, slept with her, and had a son named Ishmael. Of course it
was shortly after this, that God's promise to Abraham and Sarah was
fulfilled and they had a son named Isaac. As you can imagine, having his
wife Sarah and son Isaac living with Hagar and Ishmael did not work out and
Abraham eventually sent Hagar and Ishmael away to live somewhere else. It
is from Isaac that the Jewish people descended. It is from Ishmael that the
bulk of the Arab people descended. The Jewish people worshipping the God of
the Bible. The Arab people worshipping pagan gods and ultimately adopting
Islam. What is happening today is literally the byproduct of Abraham's sin
4 1/2 centuries ago!

I often talk about living life God's way, or using our freewill to live our
way. When I deal with God's plan for marriage, I am often asked about why
God allowed the great men of the bible to have multiple wives. GOD NEVER
ALLOWED THIS! This was in absolute rebellion to His plan, and whenever we
decide to rebel against God's way, there will ALWAYS be consequences. We
are still seeing every night on our TV the consequences of Abraham's
rebellion 4500 years after the fact! Read the story of David and the
consequences from his sin with Bathsheba. Read the story of Solomon and the
consequences of his sin later in his life from having multiple wives. The
fact is, GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSON. Even the great men of God in the
bible, when they went against God's plan, PAID THE PRICE FOR THEIR
REBELLION! You can not go against God's way and not have to suffer the
consequences from your choice to rebel, no matter if you are Abraham, David,
Solomon, Joe in Kansas, or Sherry in California!

As in all things, Jesus Christ is the only true answer to peace in this
great conflict. Sadly, both sides have rejected Him. The Jewish people
have rejected Him as the Messiah and the Muslims only see Him as a prophet.
The only ONE who could change the hearts of men to reconcile their
differences and live in peace is rejected by both sides. Nobody on earth
knows Jesus as well as the Jewish people. He was a Jew. But even 2,000
years after His death, He is still rejected by His own people. The Muslims
also know Jesus very well. They study His life and teachings, but
thoroughly reject that He is the Son do God. Both groups have rejected the
one and only person that could bring peace to this troubled area of the
world.

So understanding that this is a 4,500 year old conflict, between two faith
groups that have rejected Christ, the answer is quite simply there will
NEVER be real, lasting peace in this conflict. There will be seasons of
peace, and we all pray for that today, but the only real peace will come
when the Prince of Peace returns. Bible prophecy is very subjective since
it deals with future events, and the prophetic passages of the Bible can be
interpreted to say many things. But one thing all Bible prophecy scholars
agree on is that Israel will be the center of the events marking the end
times. It is on the Mount of Olives that Christ will return. It is on the
plains of Armageddon that the last great battle will be fought. Israel will
be the center of the action as the last days of this world as we know it
unfold. That is why we should all pay close attention to the events in
Israel and be aware of what is happening in that part of the world.

The natural question is what can we
as Christians do during this difficult time. Pray!!! My bible says the
Jewish people are STILL God's chosen people. Even though each one who dies
rejecting Christ is eternally lost, the Jewish people remain God's chosen
people. We need to pray for them. My bible says to pray for the peace of
Jerusalem, and that those who bless the Jewish people will be blessed. So
pray for Israel, pray for the Jewish people, pray above all that they will
one by one open their hearts to the truth that Jesus IS the Messiah they are
looking for. Likewise, pray for the Palestinians and the other Arab
countries involved. Pray that God will soften the hatred in heir hearts and
allow them to see that Jesus was not just a great prophet, but that he is
the LIVING SON OF GOD! Not the Allah of the Quoran, but the God of the
Bible! ***You see my friend, while general peace will never be totally
achieved, peace can come to one heart at a time as they accept Christ as
their Savior! THAT needs to be the focus of our prayers. That during this
great time of turmoil, war, and death, the message of Christ's love will
reach the heart of men, women, and children on both sides. Jews and Muslim
alike will hear that Jesus loves them, died for their sins, and can give
them everlasting life. Let our prayer be that THIS message is heard and
received above ALL ELSE!

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

used with permission