Jerusalem Countdown

Biblical history shows all too well why radical Islam and Israel cannot dwell peaceably together. The ancestors of the two nations that came from Abraham (Isaac and Ishmael), and later, Jacob and Esau, had lived in conflict with each other from the time of Genesis. The rivalry and conflict continues to the present day. You can visit the God's Creative Call blog and my former post Witnessing Biblical Prophecy to read about these rivalries and conflicts.

I picked up a fascinating book called, Jerusalem Countdown written by Pastor John Hagee. As I read it, I am finding how closely biblical history and prophecy matched and predicted the present day conflicts between Israel and it's Arabs neighbors. One day, it will reach the point where several Arab nations (especially Iran) could inevitably partner with Russia and attack Israel.

Anyone who has heard the rantings of Iran's fanatical leader Ahmadinijad, knows that his goal is to wipe Israel off the map. Can anyone actually believe that these Islamic fanatics presently in charge of the Iranian government would not use nuclear weapons on Israel, America and the world?

I have been concerned for some time about the "Roadmap For Peace" and it is one issue that I am in total disagreement with the Bush Adminstration. When I read a portion of Hagee's book on this topic, I see that many others agree with my concerns.

John Hagee writes:

"Let's talk about the present battle for Jerusalem, which is really the Roadmap for Peace. It began in the fall of 2002, presented by what the media call "The Quartet" - America, Russia, Europe, and the United Nations. There are three stages in this Roadmap for Peace.

The first stage of the Roadmap for Peace requires Israel to withdraw from Gaza. You have seen that happen before your eyes on the evening television news.

The second stage is that Israel is required to withdraw from the West Bank. The third stage is a requirement for Israel to give a portion of Jerusalem to the Arabs as a capital for the new Palestinian state.

Islamic fundamentalists will not honor or abide by any Roadmap for Peace. They are using this Roadmap for Peace as a weapon of war. They want peace with Israel one piece at a time. Now they have Gaza. Next they are asking for the West Bank. And the ultimate plum is the city of Jerusalem, which they will make the capital city for a Palestinian state that will be a terrorist state, whose objective will be the destruction of Israel.

The battle for Jerusalem has already begun. And Israel, desperate for peace, is negotiating itself into the greatest war Israel has ever seen. That was will affect every nation on earth, including America, and will affect every person on Planet Earth.

In world history, peace agreements poorly conceived led to an even greater war. A case in point is the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I. When the Treaty of Versailles was written, it was so brutal toward the German people that it created the platform through which Adolf Hitler came to power. Had it been written with an ounce of compassion, Hitler would not have had a possibility of surviving. But that Treaty of Versailles made it possible for the Nazis to come to power in a fanatical revival of nationalism, which produced the Third Reich.

The Roadmap for Peace is an ill-conceived document, one that has Israel giving up Gaza, then the West Bank, and then Jerusalem. It clearly violates the Word of God. How so? Joel 3:2 says, "I will also gather all nations (this includes America], and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel...they have divided up my land."

When America forced Israel to give up Gaza, it was clearly violating Joel 3:2. We are giving the enemies of Israel the high ground in the coming war for Israel's survival. It's time for our national leaders in Washington to stop this madness.

I was invited to Washington DC to meet with Condoleezza Rice and other national leaders concerning this Roadmap. When I asked about Jerusalem, this was the answer I received: "Jerusalem is so controversial. It is so sensitve that it's not even on the table for discussion."

So let's put Jerusalem on the table, because Jerusalem is the City of God. "I {God] have chosen Jerusalem, that My name might be there...in this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen...I will put My name forever" (2 Chron. 6:6; 33:7).

Jerusalem is the city mentioned in Scripture 811 times. Jerusalem is the city where Solomon built his temple, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Word. Jerusalem is the city where Jeremiah and Isaiah uttered moral and spiritual principles that shaped the standards of righteousness for the nations of the world.

Let the evangelical Christians of America stand in absolute solidarity with the State of Israel and demand that our leaders in Washington stop saying, "This [the withdrawal from Gaza] is the beginning of Israel's withdrawal."

Fact: Israel should not give another inch of land to the Palestinians until every terrorist organization operating under the Palestinian covering lay down their wapons of was and prove they are willing to live in peace side by side with the State of Israel. The Palestinians should revise their charter calling for the destruction of Israel. Jerusalem is not to be divided, again, for any reason with anyone regardless of the requirement of the Roadmap for Peace."

I remember well how outspoken Benjamin Netanyahu (and others) were when they expressed their concerns against the Roadmap for Peace idea in the book The Jerusalem Alternative: Moral Clarity for Ending the Arab-Israeli Conflict
I think we should have listened to Netanyahu, Pipes, Aikman, Gaffney, Keyes, Thomas, Perl, and Landau. They knew what they were talking about and saw how this ill-conceived "Roadmap" would endanger Israel even more than ever before.

More analysis to come...