{"id":241,"date":"2011-09-27T11:27:54","date_gmt":"2011-09-27T15:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/isittheendoftheworld\/?p=241"},"modified":"2011-09-27T11:27:54","modified_gmt":"2011-09-27T15:27:54","slug":"mapping-it-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/isittheendoftheworld\/2011\/09\/mapping-it-out.html","title":{"rendered":"Mapping-It-Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

The issue of statehood for the Palestinians is front-and-center on the global stage right now. This at a time when other major issues are swirling: the global economy, natural disasters, etc.<\/p>\n

The theme of this blog is that the biblical view of the end of history is valid, and that we are living in those days. I have learned while writing for Beliefnet that we can’t all be popular (J.K. Rowling, John Grisham, etc.). Even in Christian circles, it is difficult to attain the kind of popularity enjoyed by writers like Max Lucado.<\/p>\n

I noticed recently that in one of the few comments attached to my blogs, one person referred to me as a “clown.” There were some other unkind responses.<\/p>\n

Actually, that’s okay. In the spirit of shared humanity, we are all on a path. My path follows the bread trail that God left in the form of Bible prophecy. Predictive prophecy fulfilled is a reality in our world today.<\/p>\n

I am often reminded of that even in the common things of life. In a furniture store over the weekend, I happened-upon a vintage globe, the kind Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce might have used in an old “Sherlock Holmes” movie.<\/p>\n

In any event, the globe had come to rest on the Middle East; evidently someone earlier in the day had had the same thought I did, given the news recently of Mahmoud Abbas’s bold push at the United Nations, appealing for a state of Palestine.<\/p>\n

As I squinted, I was able finally to make out the borders of Israel, tiny though they are. I had two thoughts, one about the current situation and one rooted in prophecy.<\/p>\n

The first thought is that the Arabs want the UN to carve-out a 23rd Arab state in the Middle East, by carving-up tiny Israel. If the nations had been truly interested in the plight of the Palestinian refugees all these years, why not give them a state in the Sinai, or in the vast expanses of Saudi Arabia, or some other huge country? Why carve-up Israel?<\/p>\n

Secondly, the sliver of land which modern Israel occupies is a perfect set-up (if I can say it that way) for the Lord to magnify His own name, when he defeats Israel’s enemies on her behalf (Ezekiel 38-39; Isaiah 49, etc.). Such a tiny country, attacked from every direction, is prophesied in Scripture. We are also told how those battles turn out (hint: Israel is still standing).<\/p>\n

I understand that the world hates this, and that certain readers grind their teeth when they read clown writers like me. That’s okay, though. We have the luxury of freedom of speech in this country, this beloved America.<\/p>\n

It is a privilege for all of us that we can stick to our principles in a free land, something, for example, Arab-nation citizens do not enjoy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Will Israel disappear?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The issue of statehood for the Palestinians is front-and-center on the global stage right now. This at a time when other major issues are swirling: the global economy, natural disasters, etc. The theme of this blog is that the biblical view of the end of history is valid, and that we are living in those…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":392,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMapping-It-Out - Is it the End of the World?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/isittheendoftheworld\/2011\/09\/mapping-it-out.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mapping-It-Out - Is it the End of the World?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The issue of statehood for the Palestinians is front-and-center on the global stage right now. 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