Thankfully the ceasefire has now come in the Middle East. But whether this will mean a lasting peace is yet to be seen.
The conflict is between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hezbollah. But behind Israel stands George Bush’s America and behind Hezbollah stands Iran with its desire to take on the West in the name of Islam brandishing its own nuclear weapons. Israel and America wish to humiliate Iran by wiping out Hezbollah. Iran and its allies wish to humiliate the United States by damaging Israel. Meanwhile, ordinary people on both sides have been caught up in war.
Ezekiel today?
I am concerned that rather than looking with compassion on the people of the Middle East, for some Christians this scenario will once again simply become another opportunity for unfortunate prophetic speculation about ‘the last times’. Israel was being attacked ‘from the north’. I can already hear the rustling of Bible pages being turned to Ezekiel 38 and 39. ‘Gog, of the land of Magog’ will come ‘from the far north’.
The re-emergence of heavy shepherds
What would you think if you received a letter from your church leaders that read like this? ‘Are church members …