The World’s Biggest Problem

By Jim Fletcher

I am increasingly astonished by the obvious fulfillment of Bible prophecy in our day. I’m not talking about pinpointing the identity of the antichrist, or the so-called mark of the beast (I just typed “mark of the best” and “mark of the beat,” in succession; I don’t need to be writing about anything right now!).

Rather, it is the more … obscure biblical prophecies that convince me we are in the last days. Increasingly, readers ask me what one sign convinces me of this, and of course my answer is always Israel.

Watch Israel.

The problem is, most people have not and do not read the Bible. If they did, this obvious reality would be on everyone’s lips.

A recent column by Isi Liebler in the Jerusalem Post makes my point.

Liebler had just met with a group of Australian journalists; pay careful attention to him as he describes a question posed:

“Did I ever take into account that if virtually the entire world has concluded that we are the principal cause for the Middle East impasse, perhaps they are right?”

Liebler then follows with a logical conclusion:

“Just as the Jews in the Middle Ages were accused of all the ills of mankind, so today the Jewish state is increasingly being held responsible for the principal woes facing humanity.”

It is insane to think that a country the size of Delaware is responsible for the world’s problems.

So the world is insane.

During the summer, I spoke with a friend in Washington who has some knowledge of the strategies available to Israel as she contemplates doing what a gutless world won’t do: stop Iran.

“I believe Israel has multiple options on the table,” my friend said cryptically. I believe the same thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Iranians’ nukes one day were teleported to Skokie, Illinois. The Israelis are that smart, daring, and innovative.

But the point remains that no matter what the Israelis do, they will be demonized by the international community.

Benjamin Netanyahu made big news last week by ordering a settlement “freeze” which angered everyone: Jewish citizens who live in Judea and Samaria, along with the Arabs, who are never happy with any Israeli concession.

Sadly, Israeli Defense Minister (and former prime minister) Ehud Barak “took credit” for the freeze. How sad that Israeli “leaders” try to appease their vicious enemies. Barak knows the Arabs well, yet apparently is still deluded that he can make peace with them. He tried that with Bill Clinton and Yasser Arafat at Camp David and Arafat threw out Israel’s far-reaching offer without so much as a counter-offer, which tipped his hand that he was not a peacemaker. Clinton even later blamed Arafat for the fiasco.

I always like to mention, though, that all this has in fact direct impact on us as individuals. Take a look at the last chapters of Deuteronomy, for example.

There, God tells the Israelites and Moses EXACTLY what the future holds for them, down to the details. They would begin to worship false gods, they would be banished from the land He would give them. Eventually, in the last days, He would bring them back.

Let’s assume for the moment, like a university professor, that the whole Exodus story was made up. That would render these prophecies false.

This is taught constantly to students, by the way.

But now let’s think: the Dead Sea Scrolls are universally recognized as having been transcribed in the first and second centuries, B.C. Those prophecies from Deuteronomy are in those scrolls.

So, let’s give the atheist professor the benefit of the doubt and say they weren’t recorded 1,500 years or so earlier. But let’s say they surely were recorded before the time of Christ.

The prophecies are still 2,000 years older than the last days events unfolding now. My point is, they are true.

Because they are true, we can see that God is able to uphold all His promises, including those to us as individuals.

So in an odd way, when we see Israel being demonized by the international community, and we see her leaders acting in weakness, we can then realize that all this was foretold.

We can see that the world’s biggest problem is not the Jews, but unbelief.

Pray for those who oppose Israel, that they might find grace from the Lord.

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