Israel Applies a Bandaid
The latest Israel incursion into Gaza lasted 22 days, after which time Israel withdrew its forces. At this time of writing - second last week in January - the ceasefire is holding but only just. As the Bible discloses - and recent history confirms, these forays into Gaza and Lebanon do not solve the basic problem. Time and again, those intent on destroying Israel again build up their nuisance attacks until Israel is forced to put them back in their box for a while. It solves nothing. The UN does nothing. The umpteenth “peace mission” goes out and does nothing. It has been going on for sixty years. Doesn’t anybody learn anything?
In the meantime, children get killed. Homes destroyed. Israel gets a bad name. The Arabs, controlling the oil, get away with it. The weapons get more dangerous. The Muslims more irrational. The world more irresponsible. America weaker. Russia more threatening. Iran frightening everyone. What a mess. “…on the earth distress of nations with perplexity, the [symbolic]sea and the waves roaring, men’s hearts failing them for fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth” Luke 21:25-26. One expectation that causes fear is that a nuclear Iran will terrify the world but any student of Bible prophecy knows that Iran ["Persia" Ezekiel 38] does nothing until with Gog [Russia etc] and that cannot happen till there is peace in Israel. Peace in Israel? What a joke! Don’t kid yourself - no time soon.
Peace in Israel?

Once again Israel has chickened out. Obadiah says of the Israelis, “The South shall possess the mountains of Esau and the Lowland shall possess Philistia” v.19. At some time in the future, coastal Israelis will permanently take Gaza. How many more hit and run trips into Gaza before someone with enough courage in Israel fulfils Obadiah? Two months? Two years? Twenty years? Only God knows.
Don’t believe the hype. Israel did not achieve its advertised objectives. It did not stop the tunnels. It did not stop the rockets. How many top Hamas remain to fight again? Most of them? The Israelis took the coward’s way out to fight in Gaza while the USA was between presidents. Objectives achieved? Rubbish. It’s all politics - coming elections in Israel. Impress a new US president with - not a touted ceasefire but a full withdrawal. Not what is good for the country but for the politicians. When will Israel get a leader that respects Israel’s destiny before Christ comes? Don’t hold your breath.
Two reports from Israeli correspondents on 20 January express the opinion that material smuggling will resume through tunnels in a few months’ time - one says by Bedouin and not necessarily by Egypt.
Another reporter expounded the reason why Israel, eventually, will have to go into Gaza permanently. “Hamas seeks nothing less than an Islamic state as its covenant describes: ‘To raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine.’ To that end, Hamas has turned Gaza into a home for every brand of radical Islamist engaged in a holy war that sanctifies bloodshed, glorifies murder, and educates children to die as shahids -martyrs. There was to be no Israel alongside a Palestinian state. Over and over again Haniyeh has said that Hamas will never recognize Israel nor honour any of the existing agreements with the infidels. Its founder, Abdul Aziz Rantizi, is explicit: ‘We will not leave one Jew in Palestine.’” Got that? The Jewish lobby group “Flame” is spot on, “Hamas doesn’t want peace, and Fatah can’t deliver it.” An EU news reporter, interviewing the Israeli Foreign Minister, accused Israel of not negotiating. She replied, “With whom?” There’s no one to talk to. Even the late Arafat, who would talk, spoke rubbish in English and the demolition of Israel in Arabic.
Every sensible western politician knows, deep down in his/her mind, that two states, side by side, in the Holy Land is impossible in view of that Hamas attitude. But they know that they cannot persuade a billion westerners biased against Israel of that. So the charade continues.
God knows the answer.
It is an answer that hardly anyone wants to face - not Christians, not antisemites, not humanitarians, not caring people, not most of the folk reading this news sheet. But it is there, in the irrefutable prophets, whether we like it or not…”and no survivor shall remain of the House of Esau”! The context seems to indicate that Israel will be the agency that accomplishes it. Can you imagine what that will do to Israel’s popularity index? We cannot even contemplate how, when or where this will happen. But the words are there. So what do YOU do with them? Ignore them? Wish them away? Choose out of the Bible what you won’t accept? Or believe them?
Most of the signs for drastic action are there now. An “Esau” people, implacably pledged to destroy Israel, never, in their own words, to compromise or go away. A weak international community not willing to face the most obvious of problems and prepared to believe absolutely incredulous Arab propaganda. An Israel determined to fight for its survival but not to solve the problem permanently. A God determined to make a faithless Israel suffer until their near extinction. Will the next Israeli government, to be elected next month, be prepared to have enough courage to act on the nation’s heritage and destiny? We watch with great interest.

Egypt Plays a Double Game
Egypt is between a rock and a hard place. It allowed Hamas to receive better-than-home-made rockets and war material, across the Sinai desert which Egypt controls and through the tunnels, to be fired on Israel. Yet the parent body of Hamas is threatening to overthrow the Egyptian government and establish in its place a sharia regime of extreme Islamic fundamentalism. This is a dangerous, suicidal game and Isaiah chapter 19 indicates that Egypt is in for big trouble. Can you doubt it? Of course the Bible prophets are right - the signs are there.
Egypt is in mortal danger. It tries to be the moderate voice of all the Arab Muslims. But they are split between the diehard [literally] extreme states like Iran, Libya and Sudan who hate everything western and those whose standard of high living depends on selling large quantities of high priced oil to the west and secret investments in western banks. At present they are accusing each other of treason. Egypt is in the middle of this sandwich, while receiving $US2billion of US aid annually.
At present the western world, belatedly realising the danger of Hamas in the Middle East [and for oil supplies], has turned a blind eye to the help of Egypt for rocket supplies to Hamas. Why? Egypt is the only way to bring pressure to bear on Hamas. That seems to excuse Egypt for everything. At the time of writing, it remains to be seen how the tunnels supplying Hamas from Egyptian territory will be controlled. If they are not controlled, Israel will be under fire again soon and, from there, into the next war. If the tunnels are controlled, Egypt will be odious for every hardline Muslim state. Will Hamas be resupplied through the tunnels? The rock - yes, leading to blame on Egypt for the next war. The hard place - no, earning the wrath of all Muslim hardliners to be poured on Egypt.
The parent body of Hamas is the Muslim Brotherhood, headquartered in Cairo and dedicated to an overthrow of the present Egyptian government. General Suleiman is one of Egypt’s top leaders. An international interview report says that “he bears intense scorn toward and despises the Muslim Brotherhood, whom he sees as the primary threat to Egypt… Hamas, he sees as an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood. ….asked if Hamas, which won the elections, can be a stabilizing and positive factor in the Palestinian government. He answered without hesitation, ‘No. I know these people. They are the Muslim Brotherhood and they will not change. They are liars and the only thing they understand is force.’”
Isaiah 19 is a history of Egypt given in prophecy, accurate right to the twentieth century. For example, “In that day Egypt will be like women and will be afraid and fear because of the waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts which he waves over it. And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt.” Twice the Israeli army crossed the Suez Canal on the road to Cairo. They surrounded the Egyptian seventh army in south Sinai only to be called off by the UN. Verse 20 says about future Egyptians, “…they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors…” Do you suspect who the oppressors may be? General Suleiman does - the same overall outfit Israel has been fighting in Gaza and the same mob to whom Egypt has let supplies through. What an irony. Here is Egypt’s predicament, “Both he and President Mubarak did not enjoy seeing Hamas being empowered on Egypt’s doorstep, but also did not really want to stop the smuggling via the tunnels”. They will pay for that.
The outcome, of whatever this oppression turns out to be, is a surprise. The Lord “will send them a saviour and a mighty one and he will deliver them” v.20. What is it that encourages the Egyptians to call for help on the God of the Israelis? We do not know. The rest of the chapter tells us that Egypt becomes a nation that truly worships God in a proper manner and it becomes part of the focal point of the Kingdom of God on Earth. “Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria [Assyria = modern Iraq and Syria] - a blessing in the midst of the Land whom the Lord of Hosts shall bless.”
The Bible is a treasure chest of information about the course of events, final destinies and the behind the scenes reasons why these outcomes happen. Current events are put in perspective by these eternal truths.

Graham Bacon

GPL JANUARY 2009