Casting the First Stone
By Rob Hood (07/14/06)
As war escalates in the Middle East one has to wonder just who is to blame for casting the first stone. We are in a declared "war on terror" because a group of radical Islamic terrorists attacked us first on September 11, 2001 and several times before that as well. If we are talking about the current war on terror, the I would have to say that Osama Bin Laden and his allied terror organizations are to blame. It was they who casted the first stone by plowing planes into our buildings on September 11. I suppose that ole Osama just suspected that George W. Bush was a lot like Bill Clinton. Osama knew if Clinton was in power he could attack anything and get away with it. He was already responsible for three separate attacks on American property before September 11. I guess Mr. Bush showed him who is really in control. If you don't believe that the United States and its true allies are winning the war on terror, just ask Osama why he's still hiding in a hole and our leaders are moving about freely. Now, who is winning?
There is, of course, another side to this whole war in the Middle East. The Israeli/Palestinian conflict is nothing new and will never be settled. This war is already 3,000 years old. We know that the land of Israel belongs to the Jews as an inheritance given to Abraham. It was Joshua that did finally enter the promised land after a 40 year bout in the desert with Moses and the people of Israel who fled Egyptian slavery.
This battle has been going on for centuries and will not be resolved until Jesus himself descends on the Mount of Olives in the second coming. War in Israel is inevitable and a global world war against Israel is inevitable. Just read the last book of the Bible. Near the end of time all nations will turn on Israel and the last battle will be fought in the Valley of Jezreel.
We all want peace, but peace will not ultimately come until the Lord returns. Sure there may be peace deals here and there. Peace might even come for a few years or decades for that matter, but ultimately peace is not going to come to this region. As long as evil surrounds mankind, there will always be war, strife, and hard times. This is a direct result of man's sins and that alone will bring us all down. War, in itself, is directly related to sin. Even the very first family in the Bible had jealousy, rage, and murder in it - that is, AFTER sin entered into the world.
War is bad. Innocent people get killed, people lose their homes, family members, jobs, and other things. Sometimes war is necessary to confront evil empires who wish to rule others. In the case of Islamic extremists, war is necessary. People want to try to talk peace with these groups, but misunderstand the whole situation. These radical groups do not want peace themselves. They want to turn the whole world into an Islamic extremist state similar to what the Taliban had. They care nothing about peace. They want power! It is up to free nations like America and its allies to once again come to the rescue of those in need of liberation from these psychotic oppressors.
Israel is being attacked now in more ways than one. It is being attacked physically by these same radical terror groups, but it is also being attacked verbally by other nations who wish Israel harm and death as well as liberals here in the United States. Israel is still God's chosen people and He still has a plan for them and if I were Iran's president, I would be very careful how I threaten someone who has the Creator of the Universe on their side. Iran and Syria can take on Israel, but they can't take on God and I am very much afraid they are missing the big picture here.
It wasn't Israel who was the caster of the first stone here anyway. It was Hamas and Hezbollah who are supported by both Syria and Iran. They were the ones to trespass on Israeli property and kidnap two soldiers and then fire rockets into Israel. It was again, the radical Islamic extremists who fired the first shot. They are always the trouble makers in the picture. It was never Israel nor the United States that started this war. Remember that it was the terrorists who declared war on us, so we gave them what they asked for and now their great and powerful leader is hiding like a coward in hole somewhere in Afghanistan.
When I think of peace and good will in this part of the world, I am reminded of what rock star legend Ronnie James Dio once said. He said " where good thrives, evil survives." This is very well described in Middle East politics and society. As long as evil lives, so will war and death. Only when sin is defeated by the return of Christ our Lord will these things be destroyed.
* If you wish to support Israel, visit www.zoa.org and learn how!
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