MIDDLE EAST

THE WORLD TOMORROW IN THE MIDDLE EAST

The Arabs in Bible Prophecy

The entire Middle East is exploding in the headlines of today’s news. Not only are these countries important from geopolitical, economic and military aspects, but Biblically, they occupy a unique position in prophecy fulfilling, and yet to be fulfilled.

The area is rich in oil, a vital need of the modern industrial world, and it also holds a highly strategic position: the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean area, and especially the Gulf of Oman and the Straits of Hormuz, being particularly important. Almost Two-thirds of the world’s oil lies near this region, so that with millions of gallons of oil being produced and shipped via these waterways, they constitute the jugular veins of the industrial nations. Europe and Japan receive over 90% of their oil from this vital area of the Middle East; the US around 25%. Let these supplies dry up and those nations would find their economic and political stability threatened.

Because of its vital importance, both Russia and the West view with greatest suspicion the involvement of each other in this area. And well they might, for, according to Bible prophecy, it will provide the powder-keg that will one day erupt, drawing all nations to the “battle of God Almighty”, called in the Bible, Armageddon (Revelations 16:16).

Israel: Key To The Future

The purpose of Almighty God, however, is not that the earth shall be destroyed by the holocaust of Armageddon (though the devastation of that final battle of the nations will be experienced in all parts of the earth – Jeremiah 25:31-33), but that there may be established on the earth a universal kingdom under Christ, bringing truth and peace to all mankind. God’s purpose is summed up in the statement of Daniel 2:44:

“The God of heaven shall set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people (its rulers will be immortal), but it shall break in pieces and consume all kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44).

Here is predicted a world-wide Empire under immortal rulers that will subdue all nations, and establish a form of government honoring to God and beneficial to man. Innumerable references to that coming Kingdom are found in the Bible, and as we shall show, events are already operating in the earth that will bring it about. The Bible predicts the purpose of God in clear and certain statements, such as:

“The Lord shall be king over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:9).
“The kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).
“They (the redeemed) shall live and reign with Christ a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4,6).

The purpose of God is to “fill this earth with His glory” (Numbers 14:21), and in so doing to “cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations” (Isaiah 61:11). That, of course, is not the state of things today, but it will become so, when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to assert his authority, and by force compel the nations to submit to the decree of heaven. As the result of his righteous government there shall be “glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men”. It was for that state of things that Christ taught his disciples to pray, in the words: “Thy Kingdom come, that Thy will may be done in earth as it is in heaven”.

That is not the state of things today. Nor will it be until the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth to establish thereon the Kingdom of God. And his return for that purpose is clearly, plainly and positively affirmed. The Apostles were told as they saw him ascend into heaven:

“This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

But can we place any reliance upon such statements? In this modern, materialistic world, can we find faith to believe in Christ’s return? Indeed we can! Tangible signs of it are already to be seen, and the turmoil of the Middle East, including the antagonism existing between Jews and Arabs, witness to