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Yesterday, the world saw former PM Tony Blair appointed envoy to an organization of Muslim states. I am often asked when I speak in congregations who the Antichrist is. I sometimes laugh and say “it is not Prince Charles.” I also tell them, “I don’t care; I will not be here when the Antichrist takes control.” I do not mean it as a flip answer. I mean it for us to focus on the good news that we have. The appointment of Tony Blair has really stirred my prophecy focus. Jack Kinsella said it best yesterday in his Omega Letter.

Assessment:

Now we return to the Prophet Daniel. He identifies the Antichrist as a ‘prince’ of Rome and a covenant of seven years’ duration that must be confirmed. That covenant ALREADY exists in the form of the failed Oslo Agreement based on formula of ‘land for peace.’ Daniel 8:25 says that the Antichrist, “by peace shall destroy many,” and Daniel 11:39 says he “shall divide the land for gain.”

Let’s pull it together before moving on. The Antichrist is a ‘prince’ of Rome who confirms a destructive peace agreement based on the principle of dividing the land for gain.

Until 2002, it had been the United States that has been banging its head against the wall in an effort to enforce the terms of Oslo. In 2002, the US effort was replaced by a joint four-power effort involving the US, Russia, the UN and the EU known as the Road Map For Peace. Both efforts ended in dismal failure.

Now the Europeans are going to take the lead. The ‘Quartet’ has named outgoing Prime Minister Tony Blair as the new peace mediator between Israel and the ‘many.’

The reason that Tony Blair was tapped for the job is because he is a European and not an American. Europe has been trying without success since the mid-1990’s to replace the United States as the leading peace broker between Israel and the Arabs.

The Europeans believe they can break the deadlock by guaranteeing the integrity of Israel’s borders. Israel is, geographically, in Europe’s back yard, and the Arabs trust the Europeans much more than they do the Americans.

Blair is a champion of the ‘two-state’ solution that would see the creation of a Palestinian state beside Israel. Israel will only agree to such a solution if there is a credible guarantor of its security.

Blair told parliament: “The absolute priority is to try to give effect to what is now the consensus across the international community — that the only way of bringing stability and peace to the Middle East is a two-state solution.”

That means a secure Israel and a Palestinian state “that is not merely viable in terms of its territory but in terms of its institutions and governance,” he said. “I believe it is possible to do that but it will require a huge intensity of focus and work.”

Blair’s credibility doesn’t come from his history as British Prime Minister, but from his position as a leader within the European Union. Not the ‘king’ — he isn’t the head of the EU, but a ‘prince’ so to speak. As an envoy from Europe, he speaks for Europe. As a former Prime Minister of Britain, he has the gravitas necessary to do the job.

I am NOT naming Tony Blair as the Antichrist. I don’t know who the Antichrist will be, and I really don’t care. It might be Tony Blair — it might be his successor. But with his appointment the torch has been passed from Washington to Brussels.

What is important to us as Christians is not the identity of the Antichrist, but the recognition that someone who has his Biblical qualifications has stepped up to the plate.

As Christians, we are not charged with looking for the soon appearance of the Antichrist. Instead, we are to be watching for the soon appearing of Christ. But when we can see the events of the Tribulation beginning to take shape and form, it tells us that the clock is indeed winding down quickly on the Church Age.

Before the Antichrist can be revealed, 2nd Thessalonians 2:7 tells us, the Restrainer is ‘taken out of the way’ at the Rapture. It is AFTER that, Paul explains, “And THEN shall that Wicked be revealed…” (2nd Thessalonians 2:8)

Think of it this way. When the calendar says it is Thanksgiving, it means that Christmas is just around the corner.

When the signs point to a leader of the Revived Roman Empire taking a leading role as Middle East peace envoy, it at the very least means that Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

Another way of putting it is the way Jesus did:

“And when these things BEGIN to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke 21:28)

News from the Jerusalem Post:

“Saudi king blames Israel’s intransigent peace policies for chaos in the PA.”
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah arrived in Jordan on Wednesday fo talks on restarting PA-Israeli diplomacy and stopping the violence wracking Iraq and Lebanon. And the beat goes on…

Letters:

Sir, Consider the photograph accompanying your report of Monday’s Sharm e-Sheik meeting. Prime Minister Olmert is shown sitting beside 3 Arab leaders. There is Jordan’s Abdullah II, an artificial king whose clan rules over a population that’s 70% Palestinian Arab. Maintaining Jordan as Hashemite causes much of Israel’s troubles with the Palestinians. Then there is Mubarak, a dictator who does nothing to stop arms and men entering Gaza through tunnels at the Philadelphi Corridor. And finally, Abbas (Abu Mazen), a Holocaust denier whose security forces made no effort to fight off Hamas and whose Fatah offshoots such as Al-Aksa brigade are part of the problem. And yet it is Olmert who is giving all, and getting nothing but empty words. John Lalor, Dublin

I will paraphrase from a letter from Avraham Grossbaum of Jerusalem: The Arabs complains that the occupation of Gaza continues because Israel controls the borders and collects customs for imports. But that is what sovereign states do on their borders. Does Israel still control the Rafah crossing point between Gaza and Egypt? I thought that Egypt and the PA, under the supervision of the European Union are calling the shots there. Gazans are unable to work in Israel? Guess what? Canadians are unable to work in the U.S. and Americans are unable to work in Canada. Perhaps, one can explain how allowing Gazans to work in Israel would make them less dependent on Israel. Gaza lacks resources for economic viability? What happened to all the aid money that was sent to Arafat? What happened to the industrial parks that were built along the border between Gaza and Israel to provide employment for Gazans? The Gazans attacked them because their hatred for anything Israeli is more important than their own economic well-being. The 1967 lines were merely cease-fire lines not borders. There are all kinds of attempts by the Palestinians to bring about an end to the “occupation.” The one thing forgotten: displaying a sincere desire for peace.

Sometimes, the letters to the editors are better than the regular columnists!

I also want to get the book “The Path to Paradise: The Inner World of Suicide Bomber and their Dispatchers” by Anat Berko. She is a retired IDF Lt.-col. with a Ph.D. in criminology from Bar-Ilan University. She spent years interviewing thwarted suicide bombers and their dispatchers, finding that there is a mindset that is as foreign as it is unfathomable to people like us who can see another people with different values and not necessarily want to destroy them. Sounds like a must-read for me.

I wanted to get a head start on the Shabbat grocery buying and so I went to the “big” grocery store. I thought I would pick up a few things and ended up with 4 big bags. I did not know I was buying so much. It was easy, because I bought produce, sliced meat and other things I recognized without having to decipher my Hebrew. Just the prices. Everything is in kilograms and liters. Why didn’t I pay attention in school? I was not the only one getting a head start. The pre-Shabbat frenzy is starting early—no doubt because of the heat. It is still hot. It is summer, and it could be a whole lot worse here.

Speaking of prices… Gasoline here in Israel is about $6.00 a gallon. Prices are also higher in Europe. So, I am thinking we should be grateful for what we pay for gas in the U.S. As Zola said, “the second the world figures out another way to power our cars, no one will speak to the Arabs again.”

This entry was posted by Sandra on Thursday, June 28th, 2007 at 5:57 am and is filed under From Israel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.