Live from Jerusalem: Bureau Chief, Talks Biblical Prophecy and Life in the Middle East

How the Events in the Middle East and Israel Affect You

Article was written by Corine Gatti.

The Mt. of Olives overlooks the bustling cabs, cafés and tourist buses, including Middle East Bureau Chief's Chris Mitchell office in Jerusalem. Today is relatively calm, but since Mitchell’s move to Israel to set up CBN's office, there's been much unrest. Coupled with several suicide bombings, political turbulence and Christians being targeted by extremist groups since his arrival in 2000, Mitchell continues to report in the region despite how volatile it becomes.

"What’s still happening here in the last 150 years or so is the restoration of the nation of Israel. This was something foretold by the prophet Isaiah, the prophet Ezekiel, and the prophet Jeremiah," says Mitchell, who originally hails from Boston, Massachusetts. “What happens here in Jerusalem reverberates around the world and ripples throughout history."

Yet the ripples are being felt beyond the old city walls of Jerusalem.

With Palestine’s pursuit of becoming a state (it will be voted on by the General Assembly at the U.N. in September, although not binding), and their elected officials said to be linked to terrorists, and the development of Iran's a nuclear program--the Middle East continues to stir up conversation and create an atmosphere of instability.

Mitchell talks with Beliefnet on his move to Israel, fulfilling his duty as a journalist for the Christian Broadcast Network, and being on the frontlines of history.

You can follow Chris in Israel on his Jerusalem Dateline blog on CBN.com.

Deception

Well a lot of people just don’t seem to understand what Hamas means and where it came from. It’s an offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood which is the offspring and people call it as the grandfather of many of the Tera groups in the world. Islamic Tera groups in the world today.

It’s a Suni organization; it’s opposed to a Shi-ite which would be Shi-ite Muslims in Iran. But Hamas is mainly controlling the Gaza Strip by now and they have a charter. A lot of people don’t understand what is in their charter. And the charter is a very religious document, in other words it uses the Koran as its source, an inspiration and that’s how they view the world. And they view “the peace process” through the principles of the Koran; they often quote the Koran, for example they see Israel not as a viable nation, they see it as Islamic, or land that has been under the control of Islam, and they believe that it is the duty of Muslims to re-conquer, re-capture that land. So, Hamas doesn’t really talk about a two-state solution, they talk about a one-state solution. They want to eliminate Israel; they want to replace it with an Islamic entity.

Deception 2

They talk about the duty to kill Jews: “Oh Muslim there’s a Jew behind me.” They’re talking to this particular tree, and the tree is talking to the Muslim, and the Muslims says, “Oh Muslim, there’s a Jew behind me, rise up and kill him.” And so this is some kind of motivation. So when you see the suicide attack, a bus bombing, when someone kills themselves in order to kill Jews, this is part of their inspiration. This is part of their motivation.

And it is very prevalent now as the Palestinian authorities have entered into an agreement with Hamas as a prelude to their attempt in September to get a Palestinian state recognized. So the Palestinian authorities actually allied with Hamas and Hamas, on its part and aggregated its charter. It has not denied the fact it’s trying to influence Fatah, which is the main political party of the Palestinian authority to become more radical. In fact we just interviewed a man called the other day, who studies what the Palestinian’s are saying and what they’re doing and he says much of the internal communication going on right now between Fatah and Hamas talk about the fact that this is an attempt in September to have another Palestinian state recognized in United Nations. It is just simply one more step on the elimination of the Jewish state period in total.

So it is very important now to understand what the motivation is for Hamas and also what the motivation is for Fatah, the political party for Palestinian authority. Many people believe that this is just a ruse in September to eventually eliminate Israel.

Palestine Becoming a State

The United States will probable veto the attempt by the Palestinian authority to have a state recognized through this Security Council. However, after they get rejected, I think they anticipate that, they’re going to take their attempt to be recognized through the General Assembly where they have a majority of votes in the General Assembly. There’s disagreement on whether or not that would carry the weight of the Security Council.

We have interviewed the former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations who told us that they would use an obscure resolution. I believe it’s called resolution 377 to come against Israel through boycotts and sanctions once they’re recognized under this particular resolution. And then they can sort of come to Israel and say, “now we’re a recognized State and now you need dismantle the checkpoints".

Some people think the weight of the United Nations will stand behind this new Palestinian state against Israel. John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the United Nations said that it won’t have the same kind of weight and legitimacy. Nevertheless, something will happen in September.

It will also show to some people in the world that Israel is trying to prevent this new Palestinian entity from coming into fruition. So it is trying to put Israel in a bad light, that’s probably the very least what will happen in September. They have also talked about the possibility of a third Intifada. The first one was in the 1980s to the early 1990s; the second one began in 2000 and lasted about four years. The second one in particular was very violent. There’s talk that the third one will be non-violent. It would be just masses of people trying to come against the borders of Israel in an attempt to provoke Israel.

The Prophetic

What’s happening here is not just ordinary. It’s extra ordinary. What’s still happening here in the last 150 years or so is the restoration of the nation of Israel. This was something foretold by the prophet Isaiah, the prophet Ezekiel, the prophet Jeremiah and our prophets. Hundreds of scriptures are literally coming true right now, unfolding before our eyes. I’m talking to you in the middle of Jerusalem looking at Mt. Olives. And you know in 1967 for the first time in nearly 2000 years, the Jewish people are in control of the capital. That does have enough impact on what happens literally around the world. The scripture that many people cite, the biblical principle, Genesis 12:2-3 that says, “The Israelite people will be blessed and the cursed will be cursed.”

The Price for Saying Yes

I just felt compelled to put down on paper what I have experienced (new book), what I have learned, what I have hopefully understood in a greater way. To me it has taken time to understand a lot of the nuances here and there are many between different peoples and different groups and the different ways of looking at the whole situation here.

So it took years I guess to develop my own what’s right and wrong, or what’s true or not. Why I came here, I just felt like the Lord just opened that door to us, I mean my wife and I, we said yes. And gladly did, it has been an amazing adventure and opportunity, met some amazing people and I just didn’t want to say no. Even though if it means there’s a price for saying yes, but rewards are far greater.

The Call

I went into a meeting by Derek Prince and he talked about Jerusalem. He was relating a story back in 1948 just after he left the British army and he was talking to an elderly Jewish woman about his desire to move here.

And she said to him, “Derek, you don’t choose Jerusalem, Jerusalem choses you”.

When he said that, it put chills in me because I felt maybe the Lord is choosing me for Jerusalem. And one year later, my boss put up an appeal to start a news bureau in Jerusalem. I volunteered--I was the only one actually to volunteer.

So, we thought of coming here in 1999, but we finally moved here in August of 2000. Five weeks later the second intifada began. So nearly the city of Jerusalem, as well as the whole nation of Israel was consumed in terror attacks, suicide bombings and bus bombings. That was part of our lives for seven years, but through it all, not only for Liz [wife] and I, but for our children as well, He [God] protected us.

On the Frontlines of Israel’s History

One thing I had the privilege to do in the last 11 years is living on the frontlines of Israel’s history and to see all the things internally, externally that Israel has experienced and is experiencing. And just watching literally the Bible come alive and unfold.

But it was a 3000-year old promise that we were watching being fulfilled that I think has made a profound impact on me. I think seeing not only that but that the things that are happening in Israel and around the world all point to the return of the Lord. Who knows when it’s going to happen and it might happen many years from now. But I think we are privileged to be in those days when these things are unfolding before our eyes.

Attacks on Believers

There are believing Jews here who do experience opposition. Several years ago a gift package was delivered for Purim, but there was actually a bomb inside. It blew and nearly killed 15-year , Ami, the son of David and Leah Ortiz and it was because they believed in Yeshua. Ironically what was meant for evil actually for them turned out for them to be good. Messianic Jews became a national news for a long time. Ami made a miraculous recovery and now he's an 18-year old man was restored physically almost completely. He has really amazed some of the reporters who have done stories on him. He has forgiven the one who has tried to kill him. So those groups are the ones who face opposition right now.

Your Influence

God has called each one of us for a specific calling. Whether you are a son, daughter, journalist, or a businessman, whatever our calling or station in life is, ask God what do you want me to do? How can I serve you? How can I help prepare the way of your Son?

I just think that there’s coming day of reckoning for all of us. What I’m trying to do is eliminate the things, the distractions from the Ultimate Power and try to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, the optimum keeper of our faith. And just try to do that wherever we are and whatever conditions God has for us right now, to be faithful to that. One day we are going to have to answer to what we have done in this life and hopefully we can all hear those words, that we have all been faithful servants.