Applying The Bible to Our Culture and World

These are the opinions of Jeff Phillips, pastor of an inner city Southern Baptist church in the heart of the bible belt. These views do not represent Woodfield Park Baptist Church, Ashley my wife, our 3 dogs or 3 cats.







Monday, April 26, 2010

Middle East Knuckleball

As I was reading the news over the weekend I was reminded of a conversation between two baseball hall of famers. Back in the 1980's I worked in the Atlanta Braves minor league system. At the time the Braves employed as minor league instructors such baseball notables as Luke Appling, Eddie Matthews, and Jimy Williams as minor league instructors. Hank Aaron was responsible for the Braves minor league system at the time and Bobby Cox was the general manager. Through my job I had the chance to get to know each of these baseball giants. Two of my favorite roving instructors were hall of famers Willie Stargell and Phil Niekro. They were down to earth people who treated a minor league public relations employee like me with respect and friendship. One day Stargell was commenting on what it was like to try to hit Niekro's famous knuckleball. He said it was like "trying to hit a butterfly with hiccups." As I scanned the news this weekend I thought of this comment when reading once again of the United States and President Obama's middle east peace efforts.

I've often wondered how leaders, and in particular our presidents, who claim to be Christian, can seriously consider the prospects of middle east peace. For close to 40 years our policy regarding Israel and her enemies and the effort to bring peace between them has flown directly in the face of what the bible says about Israel. Do they not realize that the bible says the one who brings the first "false peace" between Israel an her enemies(the one who gets the agreement signed)will be the Antichrist(Daniel 9:27)? Do they not realize that true peace will not come to Israel until Jesus Christ defeats Israel's enemies when He physically returns at his second coming(Zechariah 14)? Do they not believe that those who arrange for the dividing of God's land that He gave to Israel will suffer judgment(Joel 3:2)? Is there any comprehension of God's promise to Abraham regarding His seed Israel that God will bless those who bless them and curse those who curse them(Genesis 12:3)? Have they no comprehension that God's plan and will, will be done, and their is nothing they can do to prevent it?

The answer is obviously a resounding no. Our government and leadership, our presidents, and I mean all of them since Richard Nixon; are either willfully or simply woefully ignorant regarding God's plan for His chosen people, Israel. This latest administration led by President Obama seems by far the most opposed to the biblical principles which God lays out for Israel. This past week Israeli intelligence let it be known that they believe that Hezbollah, the radical Islamic terrorist group aided and supplied by Iran through her proxy Syria, and headquartered in Lebanon, has been supplied with ballistic scud missiles. The Israeli intelligence organization Mossad is considered the most reliable intelligence source in the middle east. So you would think that news such as this would trigger a strong response from the U.S. in support of Israel, wouldn't you? Instead what we heard from the Obama administration through its spokesmen was not how this action would pose a legitimate and serious threat to Israel, but instead how this would threaten the peace process and get this, the Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrians. Huh?

I was not born yet when the Cuban missile crisis occurred but I can read a history book. As I recall we as a nation took it very seriously when our enemy the Soviet Union tried to establish ballistic missile bases on the island 90 miles south of Florida. A naval blockade was established and we possibly never came closer to the outbreak of World War III. President Kennedy would not back down, and the missiles were removed. Our opinion now seems to indicate that if such a situation were to occur now we'd be sympathetic to the Cubans, that is, if we were to take the same position we now do regarding Israel and her mortal threat. As it appears now our government led by President Obama seems intent on imposing a middle east peace wholly at the expense of Israel's sovereignty and safety with her Arab enemies being asked to give virtually nothing in the process.

Meanwhile, Iran is conducting war games where sophisticated missiles are being fired, missiles capable of targeting Israel accurately from Iran, let alone from next door in Lebanon and Syria. Iran is within grasp of the nuclear material required to build an atomic bomb. With Israel, we take a hard line, even on them building housing in already established Jewish neighborhoods simply because they are in East Jerusalem. With Iran we can't seem to decide whether to engage them in talks, establish meaningless sanctions through the U.N.(remember the worthless sanctions against Iraq), or invite them for crumpets and tea at the White House. Instead of stating forcefully that Iran will not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, we seem resigned to the fact that they will and we can somehow contain madmen from using them against Israel, a nation they have sworn to destroy. It's clear our leadership is ignoring what the bible says, but they are also ignoring the radical Islamic theology that their "messiah" will be brought to earth, the 12th Iman, through an apocalyptic event. Can we all say it together, nuclear conflict?

Israel, as it usually has to, has taken its security upon herself. Through direct envoys and third parties they have let Syria know that if Hezbollah attacks Israel with ballistic missiles,it is Syria who will be held responsible. I encourage everyone to read Isaiah chapter 17 and realize what the consequences could very well be. Here Isaiah prophecies the complete destruction of Syria's capital Damascus to the point it will be uninhabitable anymore. Damascus, FYI, is the longest inhabited city on the earth. Does anyone really believe that if cornered Israel would not launch a tactical nuclear weapon? Syria is the nation it is believed Iraq smuggled all of it's chemical WMD's to before the beginning of the latest Iraq war. After the horror of the holocaust and the Nazi gas chambers does anyone really believe Israel will allow the nation to be gassed with chemical weapons? Apparently, our government doesn't believe Israel will defend herself.

The bible tells us we need to pray for our leaders. And friends, we need to be doing this now more than ever. But let us pray a very specific prayer. Let us pray that our president sits down with a sound bible teacher who can clearly show him exactly what the bible says about Israel, and that the Holy Spirit will work upon him to accept these truths. Let us pray that our leadership can come to the honest conclusion that trying to establish peace in the middle east outside of the bible, is like trying to hit "a butterfly with hiccups."

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