Learn what will happen during the tribulation period from beginning to end
Your comments and questions are always welcome. To send comments and questions please click here to go to our main page April 20th, 2001 The China/spy plane incident has no direct bearing on prophecy. This will be resolved without much of a whimper, although, there will be some short-term strained relations between the U.S. and China. No war. That's my take on it. The fighting between Israel and the Palestinians will continue to escalate. Truthfully, I feel war is the final outcome of this so-called attempt at peace. Israel shows no signs of letting up. They have pledged that the violence must end before they will engage in any further talks, and have countered with attacks of their own. These military strikes have come under much world criticism. The U.S has asked the Syrian government to restrain from any retaliation over the Israeli mortar attacks on Syrian bases in Lebanon. Although they have shown restraint they have reserved the right for possible future strikes against Israel. This is what the Associated Press has reported: "In the Middle East, where words are weighed carefully, Secretary of State Colin Powell's criticism of Israel for an "excessive and disproportionate" response to Palestinian attacks is likely to be viewed as a watershed event." President Bush is already beginning to show signs of departing the peace initiative. Here's another report from the AP: "The Bush administration, skeptical about long-term involvement in peacekeeping operations, may pull American troops from a multinational force along the quiet border between Israel and Egypt. The administration has approached Israel and Egypt with the idea of withdrawing the 800 American troops doing peacekeeping duty on the peninsula." Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has taken a hard line approach to the situation: "Eight months after the Camp David summit failed because Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat insisted on an all or nothing settlement, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is offering Palestinians nothing at all, reports CBS News Correspondent David Hawkins. Sharon has said he won't give back any more territory, especially not in Jerusalem. He also rules out the removal of any Jewish settlements from the Palestinian territories. The Palestinians, Sharon says, must settle for less than half of the land in the West Bank and Gaza strip - essentially what they have now. And since coming to power, the former general has dramatically ratcheted up Israel's military response to terrorist attacks. He has launched air strikes on Syrian positions in Lebanon and invaded Palestinian territory handed back in previous peace deals - drawing sharp criticism even from the United States. Sharon's hard-line policy is intended to wear down Palestinian resistance to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory. But it is all stick and no carrot." (CBS News) This is very significant because I believe that it will lead the U.S. at some point to abandon the peace talks or turn its back on Israel. When the eventual Russian/Arab attack occurs (Ezekiel 38-39), Israel will be left to fend for themselves. Most of the world will look on, stating that they (Israel) brought it upon themselves. But the outcome will shock and amaze the world. Of course, I'm not a prophet, and I certainly don't know what twists and turns lie ahead for that region (my critics hate it when I say that). But I'll be shocked if we don't see war in the Middle East by years end. We'll just have to see which way the Lord leads. Pastor Malone