Amid today’s international crisis it is possible to find words of security because God is in control. The author invites hope that, at the end of this conflict, many doors will be opened to the preaching of the gospel.

A time of war

Lance Lambert (1)

Readings:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Psalm 33:10-12; Isaiah 46:9-11; Jeremiah 50:22,25;51:19-23, Zachariah 12:2-3,9.

Ecclesiastes says, there is a time for peace and there is a time for war. Rather frightening words, but he goes on to say, whatsoever God does it is forever; nothing can be put to it nor anything taken away from it, for God has done it. That to me is a very significant statement and declaration by the Spirit of God in this, so often misunderstood, little book of Ecclesiastes.

It seems to me that that is exactly where we are at this present time. We have so often stood upon in Psalm 33:11, “The counsel of the Lord standeth fast for ever, The thoughts of his heart to all generations.” Verse 10 says, “The Lord bringeth the counsel of the nations to nought”. Now nought is nought, it doesn’t matter how many times you multiply it, it still equals nought. And the Lord says he brings the council of the nations to nought, whether it’s the Road Map, whether it’s the Oslo Accords, whether it’s the Saudi Peace Plan or whatever else, He brings these things to nought. An interesting little Hebrew word mach’sha’vot, that really means not just thoughts, but plans, strategies. He brings the plans, the strategies, the ideas of the peoples, and He makes them ineffective. But the Lord’s strategies stand and are effective, as it were, for every generation – ours included. So I find this a tremendous word to stand upon in these days, and that other word from Isaiah 46:10, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.”

I find all this so tremendous, for myself I think that these words are of tremendous encouragement and strength for the time in which we live. My own sense as Israel faces this situation, is that we are in the anti-room of something immense, far greater and more significant than the war on terror or the war on Iraq, as Bush has dubbed them. What that is I do not as yet know, except that I feel in my spirit that some vital purpose of God is going to be fulfilled. It could be the salvation of the house of Israel, which would explain the growing violent anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel, and her growing isolation worldwide.

There is nothing that incenses Satan more than the prospect of the genuine redemption of Israel. This violent hatred and isolation of Israel may well become a very real means by which the Holy Spirit will drive her into the salvation of God. It could also be a holy war, an Islamic holy war, waged by Islamic militants, not only upon Israel but also upon the so-called Western Christian nations, and particularly upon the United States and the United Kingdom. This could be the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38.

There is no doubt about the position of militant Islam, one hardly needs to mention Osama bin Laden or the Al-Qaida network for instance. Listen however to Dr. Abdel Aziz Rantisi, the Hamas leader and spokesman: “One of the sources of Iraqi strength would be its peoples willingness to die as martyrs and another quality of strength is that the Iraqi should have an army of martyrs. The enemies of Allah and the enemies of this people are cowards - they crave life while the Moslems crave martyrdom. The martyrdom suicide operations that shock can ensure that horror is sowed in the enemies’ hearts, and horror is one of the causes of their defeat.” He added “there is no other way than to establish thousands of squads of martyrs, that is suicide bombers, in a secret apparatus who from now have at their disposal the capability as well as thousands of sophisticated explosive belts with powerful explosive capacity to cause great damage. These martyrs must be trained in the Koran to energize them for heroism and honor.” He then went on to say, “The war in Iraq is not inevitable, but if it happens the West’s arrogance will lead it to its sure end if it is determined to act with aggression and terror against the Islamic nation, and that its first defeat will be in Iraq.” Now I am very interested that he used the words “its first defeat will be in Iraq”. In other words, Rantisi obviously wonders whether the Koran and the Hadith’s prediction that there would be a great war in the last phase of world history between Islam and the rest of the world, has finally come.

The fact is simple - whatever our media and governments may say, bending over backwards to point out that Islam is a peace-loving religion, non-violent and all the rest, the fact is simple: Islam has an agenda and that agenda is the conquest of the world. It speaks of a final battle that will take place in the last phase of world history, in which Islam will triumph and the world will become Moslem.
If, as I firmly believe, Islam will be finally defeated, it will open the doors for millions of Moslem young people to find the Lord. Twice before, militant Islam has been defeated in battles that they should have won, because of their overwhelming military superiority at the time. The first was in the battle of Tours in France on 10th October 732, and the second great battle was the battle of Vienna on the 12th September 1683. In both these battles it seemed that Islam would win because of its strength, its superiority in both weapons and in numbers, and in both cases it was defeated and that defeat in both cases led to the demoralization and stagnation of Islam - largely because of its belief in a fatalistic predestination in which Allah predestines all things, good and evil, and therefore predestined their defeat.

If, as I believe, militant Islam will be totally defeated in the next years ahead, this belief will cause the disillusionment of a whole generation of Moslem youth. It could also be another world war, the third, which would lead to the appearance and power of the Antichrist. I am not sure that the world is ready yet, for him.

Two prophetic expressions

In the recent prayer conference, in Jerusalem when the Lord gave such anointed prayer, I feel, there were two prophetic utterances, both declaring that war is coming, and Islam’s power will be broken. I think that nearly all-if not all of us-at that prayer conference believe that that is true. Sadly, this is a time for war, as the scripture says, but when the Lord does it, He works in such a way that nothing could be taken away from what He is doing, nor anything added to it. He has said that He will shake everything that can be shaken-that that which cannot be shaken may remain. If by the grace of God alone, we are in the Messiah-in Christ, we shall be as unshaken as He. We shall discover and experience Him as our Shelter, our High Tower, our Refuge, our Fortress, that whoever dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the Almighty. That has to be a very great comfort and strength to all of us who are in the center of this conflict.

Years ago, people were always asking me, “Is it safe to go to Israel? How can you live in Israel?” and all these things, but today, it seems, that the situation has come to the rest of the world. Is there anywhere at present where you are really safe? I don’t know. So here we are, in 2003 and facing the unknowable, in some ways. I mean, it would be a brave person who would predict what lies ahead in this year. What I am absolutely sure about is that the Lord is in charge. I am also absolutely sure that the Lord has the interests of Israel on His heart, and He will neither sleep nor slumber in guarding those interests. He will fulfill His word, as I have said, to the last letter-come what may.
I also believe that the judgments of God are abroad. The change in the climate, the warming of the world, the terrible fires in the United States this last summer, and now in Australia. The floods-88 flood warnings in Britain recently-various things. I remember when the Lord said to me, I have risen with anger and I will use all these physical things to turn upside down nations, and I will touch their economies, where it hurts most. I believe that the Lord is angry. The world is, at present, on a collision course with the Almighty. And if there’s going to be trouble, I would think that it is best to be with the Lord, rather than with the Nations.

A people for Himself

What we can say is that God is preparing a people for Himself, and those of you who come from Gentile background and have come to saving faith in our Lord Jesus, we know that you are part of this that God is doing. And He will use all of these tensions and stresses and downward spiraling deterioration of national character in every part of the world to good. He will use it to drive us further and further into His grace and His power. May the Lord help you all remember to pray for us, to remember to call upon the Lord, that He will be gracious to us and indeed that He will open the eyes of those who belong to Himself.

May the Lord help you, may He bless you, and may He keep you. That is my prayer for you all.

***

Extracts from “Middle East update” http://www.ifa-usapray.org.
Used with permission from “Intercessors for America”, Middle East Prayer Alerts, January 2003.

81) Lance Lambert is a Jewish Christian minister based in Israel, and an expert in Middle Eastern issues (Editors Note)