“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see THE DAY APPROACHING” (Heb. 10:25).

This verse sets forth the need for assembling together and exhorting one another, and it states that the need increases as we see THE DAY APPROACHING. I take it that THE DAY refers to the Day of the Lord, the time when MAN’S DAY will be over and the Lord’s righteous reign will commence. Scripture tells us that preparatory to the Lord’s 1,000 year reign there will be a time of tribulation which increases in intensity as the second coming of Christ draws near (Matt. 24:21-31). I truly believe that we are on the threshold of that period and that we are seeing all about us events that are “setting the stage” for this time of trouble. Whether we cast our eyes upon the social scene, the religious scene, or the political scene, all join to tell us the same thing: the tribulation period is near.

This period is also the 70th week of the famous prophecy of 70 weeks given to Daniel (Dan. 9:24-27). In verse 27 of this prophecy we learn that this week is begun by the making of a peace treaty. Many expositors believe that it will be made by the head of the revived Roman Empire (or perhaps an amalgamation of European nations, many of which were included in the original Roman Empire) with the Jews who are once again settled in the land of Palestine. Now is it not striking that this is exactly what the world is presently striving for, that is, peace in the Middle East. And is it just coincidental that many national leaders are saying that once the Persian Gulf crisis is settled the Israeli-Arab conflict will be settled next? Even Iraq’s President Hussein has sought to link peace in Palestine with peace in the Gulf.

One thing about the prophecy in Daniel 9 has confused me for some time. Verse 27 reads, “He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week” (that is, a week of years, or seven years). Why would any world leader make a peace treaty with another nation for a limited period of time such as seven years? A clue to this was recently provided by Henry Kissinger in an article in the January 28,1991, issue of Newsweek. Exploring possible approaches to peace between Israel and the Arab nations once the Persian Gulf War is over and assuming the defeat of Iraq, he proposes that Israel return certain territories “to Arab control for a specified amount of time, say five to ten years.” It is beyond the scope of this article to go into further detail on Mr. Kissinger’s proposals; it just struck me that here was an example of an interim, limited-time treaty, just like that mentioned in Daniel 9.

How clear it is that we are seeing THE DAY APPROACHING! And if that DAY is approaching, we know the rapture—the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to raise up the dead and the living saints to go to be with Himself (1 Thess. 4:13-18)—must be imminent, for I believe that the rapture precedes the tribulation period (Rev. 3:10).

Surely we are living in exciting times! But they are also solemn times in which we need to “watch and be sober” (1 Thess. 5:6). Oh! how we need such encouragement in these dark days! So may we be found in the company of the saints (whether for prayer, for Bible study, for open ministry meetings, etc.) as often as we can, and may EACH OF US seek to encourage one another. We need each other!

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon the holy city to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks; the street shall be built again and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself” (Dan. 9:24-26).

This prophecy given by the angel Gabriel to the prophet Daniel is of great interest and importance. As to the meaning of the term “weeks,” it is clear from history that nothing like this took place within a period of 70 literal weeks, or 16 months. The word itself means “something divided into or consisting of seven parts.” If we interpret these ‘weeks’ as sets of seven years rather than sets of seven days, we shall see that this prophecy has a beautiful correspondence to historical fact.

What about the date of commencement of the 70 weeks? It is stated by Gabriel to be “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem” (verse 25). In the book of Ezra we have a decree by Cyrus and another by Artaxerxes in the seventh year of his reign; but both of these are concerning the house of God in Jerusalem, and hence neither satisfies the terms mentioned by Gabriel. However, passing on to Nehemiah, we find that “in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes” he issued letters commissioning Nehemiah to go to Judah that he might build it (Neh. 2:1-8). It has been ascertained by scholars that the 20th year of Artaxerxes most likely coincides with the years 454 or 455 B.C.

The expressions in Dan. 9:24 concerning the 70 weeks or 490 years plainly look onward to the full re-establishment of Daniel’s people and city in blessing. The transgression for which they have been scattered will be ended. Jerusalem having “received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins” (Isa. 40:2), her iniquity will be pardoned and everlasting righteousness, God’s righteousness, will be brought in (Isa. 51), and the holy of holies will once more be set apart.

In verse 25 the period of 70 weeks is divided into three portions—seven weeks, 62 weeks, and one week. The first portion undoubtedly comprises the period occupied in rebuilding Jerusalem and the wall in Nehemiah’s day, for the end of the verse expressly speaks of the “troublous times” during which this was performed (see Neh. 2:19; 4:1-23; 6:1-19). Next we have 62 weeks which reach “unto the Messiah the Prince.” That is, adding the 49 years occupied in the restoration of the city, there would be 483 years until Christ. It must be carefully observed that the expression is general, that neither the birth of Christ, nor His anointing for His mission, nor His death is specified. Some, taking the date of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem as 454 or 455 B.C., calculate that the 483 years terminated with the death of Christ. (This calculation assumes, what indeed is now commonly accepted, the year 4 B.C. for the birth of Christ and consequently 29 A.D. for His crucifixion.) Had the Messiah been received, the Jewish nation would have been at once established in the kingdom. But instead of that He was rejected, was cut off, and the kingdom and its glory—and along with these the fulfillment of the last portion of the 70 weeks—were as a consequence postponed.

In connection with Messiah’s being cut off, the prophecy goes on to say: “And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined” (verse 26). In Daniel 7 we find that the fourth kingdom, the successor to the Grecian Empire led by Alexander the Great, which is to complete the times of the Gentiles, is the Roman Empire. And this kingdom will have no earthly successor but will, in fact, be displaced by the kingdom of the Son of Man (Dan. 7:13,14). While to outward appearances the Roman Empire seems to have passed away forever, Scripture shows that in the end times it will be revived in some form (see Dan. 7; Rev. 13 and 17), and will assume the form of ten kingdoms, confederated under one imperial head—the little horn of Daniel 7 or the first beast of Revelation 13. Moreover, it is clear in the Scriptures that it was at a Roman tribunal, with Pilate as judge, that the Lord Jesus was sentenced to the death of the cross.

Notice, then, that it does not say in Daniel 9 that “a prince shall come and destroy the city and the sanctuary,” but that “the people of the prince that shall come” shall do so. In other words, “the prince that shall come” applies to the future, and, as will be seen in the next verse, is indeed the imperial head of the revived Roman Empire in the last days. The “people” are identified with him because they are Romans of the same kingdom that is yet to reappear, and of which this prince will be the leader. What we have then in this passage is the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. as God’s judgment upon the Jews for their rejection and crucifixion of their Messiah. Our Lord Himself several times spoke of this sorrowful event and always connected it with His own rejection (Matt. 22:7; 23:37-39; Luke 19:41-44). The Lord Himself said that the Jews “shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24).

It is now apparent why the last of the 70 weeks is separated from the previous 69. Within one week (seven years) of the death of Christ the 70 weeks spoken of by Gabriel had run their course. Had the Jews repented of having “killed the Prince of life,” Christ would have established at once His kingdom and brought in all the blessings spoken of in Dan. 9:24 (see Acts 3:14-21). But they knew not the time of their visitation (Luke 19:44). As a consequence the course of the 70 weeks has been interrupted, and God does not count time while His ancient people on earth are out of their inheritance and scattered over the globe. There is therefore a blank, so to speak, in Jewish history, an interval during which the nation, though still watched over, has no recognized relationship with God. But, blessed be His name, “Through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy” (Rom. 11:11). For it has pleased God to use this very interval for the unfolding and accomplishment of His eternal counsels in Christ concerning the saints who are to be joint heirs with Christ, and to form His body and His bride. It is precisely this interval, wherein time is not reckoned, which forms the period of the Church; and when this period is ended, God will again put forth His power for the blessing of the chosen earthly people (see Psa. 107:1-3).

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week; and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Dan. 9:27). It will be perceived that an immense interval is to be interposed between verses 26 and 27. Verse 26 refers to the death of Christ and God’s judgment upon Jerusalem in 70 A.D., while verse 27 passes on to a time after the period of the Church is closed, when the Jews, though in unbelief, will be again in their own land.

The first thing to be decided in verse 27 is who is the person who makes a covenant with the many. Adopting the translation of the KJV, “the covenant,” some have hastily concluded that it is Christ Himself, neglecting to notice that the covenant mentioned is only made for seven years. However, it is now agreed by all scholars that the words should be translated, “a covenant,” and this at once shows that it could not be the Messiah. Indeed, the proper antecedent of the pronoun “he” is “the prince that shall come” (verse 26). What is asserted, therefore, is that the future head of the revived Roman Empire will make a covenant with “many” (or better, “the many”), that is, with the mass or majority of the Jews who at that time will be again in their own land.

The mention of the sacrifice and the oblation puts it beyond doubt that Jerusalem is in question, and that the temple has been rebuilt. This prince will then enter into an alliance with the Jews, professedly as befriending their cause and as protecting them from their adversaries. And it should be well observed that the term of this covenant is one week—that is, for the 70th week. Other scriptures allude to this covenant: “Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men who rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us, for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves” (Isa. 28:14,15). It would appear that it will be the fear of another adversary, “the overflowing scourge” (generally identified as “the Assyrian” of Isaiah 10,14, and 31 and “the King of the North” of Daniel 11), who will drive these “scornful men” into the arms of the imperial head of the Roman Empire. It must also be considered that the Antichrist will at this time have his seat and sway in Jerusalem, and that he will act as the prophet—he is also called “the false prophet”—to the prince of the Empire (Rev. 13; 19:20). It will thus be, as led by him, that in fear of their terrible adversary, the Assyrian, they will accept the treaty of alliance proposed by the head of the revived Roman Empire.

At the outset, as noted in Isaiah 28, all will promise well, and the Jews will delude themselves with the thought that they have secured themselves from all possible danger. Shutting God out, they will lean upon the arm of the most powerful monarch of the world. Of whom therefore should they be afraid? But the very one in whom they trust becomes their enemy, for, false to his own covenant, “in the midst of the week” (that is, at the end of 3½ years) “he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. ” And not only this, but “on account of the protection of idols there is a desolator, and until the consummation that is determined there shall be poured [judgment] upon the desolate” (a preferable translation of the latter part of Dan. 9:27).

Not only will this prince cause the daily sacrifices to be removed, but also his own image will be erected by Antichrist and will be endowed with seemingly miraculous powers (Rev. 13), and further, Antichrist himself will, as God, sit “in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thess. 2:4). The Lord Himself refers to this awful fact when He speaks of the abomination of desolation to be set up in the holy place (Matt. 24:15; Dan. 12:11).

The situation can be summarized in this way: The Jews at this time will have returned to their own land and, though for the most part in unbelief, they will have rebuilt the temple and restored the temple services. Antichrist, one coming as the Messiah, will be received as their king. Under his leadership, when threatened by the power of the Assyrian, they will make a treaty with the head of the western Empire. After 3½ years this prince breaks his covenant and abolishes the temple services. With daring profanity, the Antichrist causes an image of the prince to be erected in the holy of holies and demands that divine honors should be rendered to him instead of to Jehovah. God then uses the Assyrian as a rod to break the guilty people to pieces; they are twice guilty—in rejecting Christ and in again accepting idolatry after the house had been swept and garnished. The Jews will be the objects of unceasing judgment and Jerusalem will be given up to the fury of her oppressors.

This brings us to the end of this prophecy, but not to the end of the story. Elsewhere we are told that at the close of this night of great tribulation for the Jewish nation, their Messiah will appear, and “will destroy in this mountain [Zion] the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it” (Isa. 25:78). (From Daniel the Prophet.)

I sit in my study on January 26, 1991, contemplating the headlines of the past nine days:

“War in Gulf.”

“The War Widens.”

“U.S. Pounds Iraq, Hunts Missiles.”

“U.S. Losses Rise in Hunt for Iraqi Missiles.”

“Iraq Torches Kuwaiti Oil.”

“The Pounding Goes On.”

A multitude of thoughts course through my mind in connection with this tragic situation:

I pray for our troops in the Gulf area, that the Lord will protect them and—more importantly—that the Holy Spirit will bring many of them to a saving knowledge of Christ.

I pray especially for the born-again troops and chaplains over there, that they may be mightily used of the Lord to bring the gospel of Christ to their comrades.

I pray for Presidents Bush and Hussein and the leaders of the other involved nations, that our nations might once again, by the mercies of God, be able to “lead a quiet and peaceable life” (1 Tim. 2:2).

I think about the prophecies in the Old Testament about the great conflict in the Middle East during the tribulation period that will set the stage for the return of the Son of Man with His saints to set up a kingdom of peace upon this earth.

I think about Isaiah’s prophecies concerning the Assyrian, and Daniel’s concerning the King of the North and wonder if Mr. Hussein could in fact be that prophetic personage.

I think about how imminent the rapture—the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed saints—must be in light of the biblical prophecies concerning the end times and all that is going on today in the Middle East and the world in general.

I think about how blessed I and my fellow Christians are, for in the midst of dwindling prospects for world peace (until the millennial reign of Christ), how wonderful it is to have peace with God and the assurance of eternal life as a result of being justified by faith (Rom. 5:1).

And then my thoughts turn from the big war—the Persian Gulf conflict—to the many smaller wars that are being waged daily throughout the world as well as right here in our own country:

The wars being waged by outlaws against the citizens of our country, resulting in 21,000 murders, 94,000 rapes, 1.5 million other violent crimes (armed robbery, etc.), and 12.6 million property crimes (burglary, auto theft, etc.) in 1989 alone (compared to 58,000 killed and 153,000 wounded in the entire 8.5 years of the Vietnam War).

The wars being waged on our city streets and highways by drunk drivers against the rest of the citizens, accounting for an estimated 50% of the total 43,000 deaths due to motor vehicle accidents in 1989.

The morality (or rather, immorality) wars being waged by citizens to broaden the legalization of abortion, pornography, and gay rights, to withdraw accreditation of private schools that dare teach a creationist viewpoint, etc.

And from these smaller, less publicized—but very real and devastating—wars, my thoughts turn to the even more private and even less publicized wars that go on daily behind closed doors of individual households:

Brothers and sisters battling over what they inherit from their parents.

Teenagers battling their parents for permission to use the car, to listen to rock music, or to participate in various prohibited activities.

Parents battling their children to get them to put down the Nintendo and do their schoolwork and household chores.

Husbands and wives striving with each other for the upper hand or the last word, pitting their egos against each other, continually bickering or else not speaking to each other at all (a silent battle that can lead to greater casualties than a noisy one).

With regard to the little household wars, my thoughts and concerns turn particularly to the verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of children and spouses.

Are these millions of little wars that go on daily—largely unnoticed by the public at large—any less tragic than one big war that directly affects millions of troops and citizens?

A sister in Christ recently wrote me concerning the relationship with her unsaved and abusive husband: “My stomach is wrenched from emotional pain, and fear and loneliness are constant.” This too is tragic!

Another sister shared with me how her husband had been physically battering her for 20 years, beginning even before the marriage ceremony. This too is tragic!

A young brother complained to me that his father—a born again Christian and leader in the local assembly—frequently belittled his children as well as his wife, often in public. This too is tragic!

Earlier this month I was trying to help a youthful employee of a local business who had lost his car keys and had searched inside and outside the building for two hours, but in vain. He told me that his father had another set of keys at home, but that he would rather commit suicide than admit to his short-tempered, abusive father that he had lost the keys. This too is tragic!

In 1985 this country was rocked by the report of a nationwide survey that an estimated 22 percent of adult Americans had been victims of sexual abuse as children—that’s about 38 million people. The public is just beginning to be made aware of the equally large problem of physical battering of spouses. It has been estimated that in the U.S. three to four million women annually are beaten—severely enough to receive police and medical attention—by their husbands, ex-husbands, or lovers, and some 3,000 die as a result. Sadly, this is not at all a phenomenon confined to non-Christians and alcoholics. A study has shown that in Christian homes, 16 percent of the women reported abuse by their husbands, and in a quarter of these, or 4 percent altogether, the abusive treatment involved physical battering.

I believe that God sometimes allows the big wars to break out in an attempt to reflect back to us the millions of smaller wars and household battles that rage on unabated and take their toll on such a tremendous number of individuals— including many Christians—around the world. I have no doubt that there is a common set of attitudes and ambitions that underlie both the big international wars and the little street and household wars. The Old Testament Scriptures tell us: “Only by pride cometh contention” (Prov. 13:10). And in the New Testament we read: “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not; ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain; ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (Jas. 4:1-3). Just as in olden days—about 3,400 years ago—when “every man did that which was right in his own eyes (Judg. 17:6), and as in every age, “we have turned every one to his own way” (Isa. 53:6), so today “doing one’s own thing” is the “in thing.”

We all hope that the big war in the Persian Gulf area will be over quickly; but even if — by the mercies of God — it is, I fear that the little wars will continue unabated. So as we pray to the Lord for the safety of our troops and for a quick end to the hostilities in the Middle East, let us at the same time pray for God’s protection on one another from the smaller wars such as those being waged by criminals and drunk drivers, and let us pray also for those involved in the still smaller, more private, household wars, especially those who are known to us.

Finally, I urge that each of us do some serious soul-searching before the Lord as to whether we personally may be the antagonist in one of the little wars. Before we start throwing darts at a Saddam Hussein dart board, let us see if there might perhaps be just a little bit of Saddam Hussein within ourselves.

FRAGMENT “The Lord He is God in heaven ABOVE” (Deut. 4:39).

“And UNDERNEATH are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27).

Where is God? He is above us as Creator and Sovereign. The loftiest place is His by right. He who made all things is far above all that He made — supreme and transcendent.

Where is God? He is beneath His own. Many a weary and perplexed saint has found relief as he realized that the God of eternity was beneath him, bearing up and sustaining him. Those arms are unfailing and everlasting. From their mighty grasp no foe, whether demon or man, can wrest us.      G.M. Landis

Because of the Persian Gulf War, the longstanding Israeli-Arab conflict, and the prominent place the Middle East has in biblical history and prophecy, it might be of interest and profit to our readers to learn a little about the Arabs and their predominant religion, Islam. We trust that this will be of particular interest and help to any of our readers who have the opportunity to share the gospel with Islamic neighbors, fellow-students, or colleagues at work.

First, let us define a few terms:

Arab: The term means “desert dweller” and today refers generally to the people whose ancestors were native to the Arabian Peninsula and are now widely scattered throughout surrounding lands. The following are generally considered as Arab nations today: Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, as well as many lesser nations along the southern and eastern border of Saudi Arabia. The term also applies to the Palestinians who live in Israel. Other nations such as Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia are predominantly Muslim (see definition below), but are not considered Arab nations.

Islam: The term means “submission” or “surrender” and is the name of the religion or way of life popularized by the prophet Muhammad (or Mohammed) in the 7th century A.D.

Moslem or Muslim: Different spellings of the same word meaning “one who submits” (to the majesty and will of God), and denoting an adherent of the Islam religion. Today, “Muslim” is the preferable term and we shall use this word henceforth.

Mohammedan: An adherent of Islam; same as “Muslim.” This term is not used by Muslims themselves; one should not use this term in front of a Muslim person unless one wants to make a quick enemy.

Koran or Qur’an: The term means “recitation.” To Muslims, this is the word of God dictated by the angel Gabriel in the Arabic language to the prophet Muhammad who in turn recited and taught it to others. The Qur’an was transmitted orally and not written down until 12 years after Muhammad’s death. The Qur’an consists of 114 chapters (or “surahs”), each of which is divided into verses.

Origin and Capsule History of the Arabs

The Arabs are considered, along with the Jews, as Semitic peoples, that is, descendants of Shem, the son of Noah. Most Arabs claim descent from the patriarch Abraham through his son Ishmael (remember that “Arab” means “desert dweller” and Ishmael and his mother Hagar were sent away to live in the wilderness, Gen. 21:8-21). Some may have descended from Abraham through his son Midian (note in Gen. 37:28 the close relationship between Ishmaelites and Midianites) or his grandson Esau or Edom. The Arabs who migrated to Egypt, Libya, Assyria, and Babylon mingled with the Hamitic tribes in those places (Gen. 10:6-14). (It is intriguing that President Saddam Hussein of Iraq has claimed for himself the titles of Sennacherib II and Nebuchadnezzar II after the renowned kings of ancient Assyria and Babylon.)

Prior to the 7th century A.D. the Arabs were polytheists. Most lived in small nomadic clans and recognized only the authority of the clan sheikh. Inter-clan disputes over water and pasturage were common. The most advanced Arab communities were at the oases of Mecca and Medina (now in Saudi Arabia). Muhammad was born in Mecca around 570 A.D. About 610 he supposedly received revelations which formed the basis of the Qur’an and Islam. Muhammad preached to the polytheists of one God and of the need for man to strive for goodness. He won a number of converts but aroused the opposition of most of the inhabitants of Mecca.

Muhammad then accepted an invitation to go and arbitrate in strife-torn Medina in 622. In Medina, laws for religious life, family life, and other social concerns were “revealed.” Gradually Muhammad welded the various clans of Medina and the other immigrants from Mecca into one community. From Medina Muhammad waged war against Mecca until in 630 Mecca capitulated and accepted Islam. Kaaba, which had been a pagan shrine, was transformed into a shrine of the new faith.

Following the death of Muhammad in 632, Arabs began invading the neighboring territories which were part of the Byzantine (to the west) and Persian (to the east) Empires. Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, and North Africa were all conquered by the Arabs during the 7th century. The Arab empire continued to expand in the 8th century, moving into Spain and the areas now known as Pakistan and Afghanistan. Non-Arabs began to convert to Islam. All Muslims were considered equal religiously and politically, whatever their race or national origin (an attitude that Christians would do well to adopt). However, Arabic became the official language of the entire empire. Baghdad was founded as the capital city of the empire around 763.

Civil wars between various segments of the empire which began in the 9th century led to the effective end of the Arab empire as a political unit by 945. Even though various parts of the former empire were now ruled by independent kings and princes, Islam and Islamic culture continued to spread.

Political stability of the Middle East was hindered by internal dissension and the invasions by Turks and Mongols from Asia and the Crusaders during the 11th to 15th centuries. The Turks were converted to Islam and seized Asia Minor from the Byzantine Empire in 1071. One of the Turkish tribes founded the Ottoman Empire which conquered Syria, Egypt, and parts of Iraq in 1517. The Ottomans also controlled parts of North Africa.

In World War I the Ottoman Turks aligned themselves with Germany and Austria-Hungary. The Peace Conference at the end of the war made all of the lands of the Ottoman Empire, except Turkey itself, mandates of France and Britain. Gradually the nations of the Middle East as we know them today achieved independence. Palestine was made a British mandate at the end of World War I. The British encouraged Jewish settlement in Palestine but promised the Arabs that such settlement would not impinge on Arab political or economic freedom. However, in the years between the World Wars the British allowed the Jews to become more and more influential in Palestine. When the Nazis came to power in Germany, the rate of Jewish immigration greatly increased. Because of increasing Arab unrest in 1939 the British agreed to limit Jewish immigration. After World War II the Zionists (Jews who wanted Palestine to be a Jewish state) and pressure from Britain’s allies forced Britain to allow unlimited Jewish immigration.

In 1947 Britain announced it would resign its mandate of Palestine as of May 14, 1948. The United Nations voted to divide Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state. But the Arabs were not satisfied with “half a loaf.” As soon as the British left on May 15, 1948, Arab armies from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon invaded Israel. The Israelis overcame the Arab armies, retaining the land originally assigned to them and gaining half the land allotted to the Arabs as well. Later attacks (in 1967 and 1973) by Arab nations had similar results. Thousands of Arabs, the “Palestinians,” were evicted from what was to have been an Arab state and have become more or less permanent refugees in Israel.

The Palestinians and their comrades from neighboring Arab states continue to resent deeply the Israeli possession of the land of Palestine. The present Persian Gulf War, provoked by the Iraqi invasion of neighboring Arab state, Kuwait, seems to be—in part at least—tied to a determined effort of the Arabs to regain Palestine from the Jews. Prophecies of Scripture suggest that the struggle between Israel and the Arabs will continue to escalate and involve other nations from the west, north, and east until the culmination at Armageddon (Isa. 28:14-18; Ezek. 38; Dan. 8:23-25; 11:36-45; Rev. 16:12-21) and “the coming of the Son of Man … in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:27-30).

Basic Tenets of Islam

Muslims believe in (1) Allah who is unique, all-powerful, and merciful to all Muslims; (2) angels and evil spirits; (3) the Qur’an as the revealed word of Allah; (4) Allah’s messengers and prophets, including the three great prophets— Moses, Jesus Christ, and Muhammad—the latter being the last and the seal of the prophets; (5) the day of resurrection; and (6) destiny, that is, that whatever Allah decrees, either good or evil, must come to pass.

There are five pillars of Muslim practice: (1) repetition of the words, “I witness that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”; (2) ritual prayers; (3) paying of ritual alms; (4) observance of the fast of Ramadan; and (5) pilgrimage to the Kaaba in Mecca.

The Muslims are taught to have a certain respect for the Old and New Testament but are warned that much of the Bible has been corrupted from the pure revelations originally given by God through Moses, Jesus, and others, and that the Qur’an corrects the corrupt doctrines supposedly taught by orthodox Christianity and Judaism.

The Muslims’ thought about God is that He is absolutely unique and inconceivable by man: “Whatever your mind may think of, God is not that.” This, of course, flies in the face of Jesus’ statement, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father,” and John’s statement, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him” (John 14:9; 1:18). Muslims absolutely reject the thought of the holy Trinity (surah 4:171); they say that the greatest sin that man can commit is to worship anything else but Allah or to associate any other being on the same level with Him.

Many pious Muslims carry a rosary with 99 beads, each one standing for a name of God. They constantly affirm that God is great (“Allah akbar”) in their prayers, and because of His might and power, they bow in worship, taking the attitude of a slave. God’s grace and mercy are also constantly affirmed in their prayers, and they believe that God will have special pity on Muslims, even though they sin. Muslims have great difficulty with the New Testament concepts of God as Father and Jesus as Son of God (surah 6:101); these truths that are so precious to Christians conjure up in the mind of the Muslim the blasphemous picture of God being married to Mary and having Jesus as offspring.

Muslims profess to believe in Jesus, but it is not the same Jesus that Christians believe in. According to the Qur’an and Islamic tradition, Jesus was one of the three great prophets; He was not the Son of God (surah 4:171); He was a special creation of God (not the Creator Himself!), born of the virgin Mary (surah 3:47); the miracles He performed were only through power delegated to Him by God, and not by His own intrinsic omnipotence. The Qur’an teaches that Jesus was not crucified: “They said [in boast], ‘We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah’—but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them… for of a surety they killed him not” (surah 4:157). The next verse states, “Allah raised him up unto Himself”; most Muslims believe that God took Jesus to heaven just before the crucifixion and that a substitute, perhaps Judas Iscariot, was crucified in His place.

Having deliberately and openly rejected the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ as the basis for salvation, the Islamic religion emphasizes that man must work for salvation. He must pray, go to the holy place or mosque, and observe a series of prohibitions, taboos, and commandments in order to earn eternal life. Muslims believe in a coming day of judgment when God will take a balance and weigh the good and evil deeds of each person. If the good deeds outweigh the bad, the man will go to heaven; if otherwise, he will go to hell. Heaven, to the Muslim, is a place where he will be able to satisfy his fleshly lusts with wine, women, and song.

In the next issue, God willing, we will suggest ways of sharing the gospel of Christ with Muslim neighbors, classmates, fellow-workers, clients, etc. whom the Lord brings into our lives.