Christian Marriage, Sex, and the Glory of God

This post is not according to my typical style, but I've experienced a significant revelation and want to share my thoughts on it.

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” – C.S. Lewis

Christian Marriage, Sex, and the Glory of God

We Christians acknowledge that God has given marriage, and sex within marriage, as a blessing to us. Christian marriage is to symbolize the union of Christ and His people. And we further acknowledge that this relationship is designed primarily to bring God glory. God is glorified as husbands and wives submit to one another and raise children to know the Lord. Of course, this is truth explained simply, and much more could be said. But the point I want to make is that God is most glorified in the marriage relationship when husband and wife experience the most intimate of moments - and that is during sex.

God is most glorified by Christian marriage in the act of sex.

So married Christians should not only be having the most sex among people of the world, but they should also be having the best sex among people of the world. It's the best way for us as married Christians to glorify God by our marriage. The chief of man - to glorify God and enjoy Him forever (The Westminister Shorter Catechism) - is best attained when we are enjoying Him and His blessings to His glory. In other words, we best glorify God when we enjoy Him; we best enjoy Him when we glorify Him. John Piper calls this Christian Hedonism.

Christian couples ought to enjoy the best, knock-your-socks off, orgasmic sex of any other type of duo in the world, and it ought to be enjoyed to the glory of God. God didn't unite believing couples solely to raise children. He unites us to pleasure in one another - just as Christ pleasures in His bride, the Church, and just as the Church pleasures in her bridegroom, Jesus Christ. Christian husbands ought to pleasure in their wives in as intimate a way as earthly possible. Christian wives ought to pleasure in their husbands in as intimate a way as earthly possible. And intimate earthly pleasures occur - let's face it - in the body. Christian husbands ought to pleasure their wives' bodies and wives ought to pleasure their husbands bodies. And this mutual pleasure will be reciprocated in pleasure from experiencing each others' pleasure. Christian couples ought to enjoy the best, knock-your-socks off, orgasmic sex of any other type of duo in the world, and it ought to be enjoyed to the glory of God.

“In God’s presence is fullness (ultimate quality) of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forever (ultimate quantity).” Psalm 16:11

What the Future Holds (4)

This is part 4 of chapter 10 of my book, Biblical Glasses.

One view of eschatology among Biblical scholars is preterism. Preterists suggest that all or most of the events described in the Book of Revelation were fulfilled in the past. The Book of Revelation, along with other Biblical references to end times events, is interpreted by preterists as literal history that occurred soon after it was written. The preterist position requires considerable conjecture to fit with other Biblical prophetic statements.

For example, Jesus, in Matthew 24, suggested that the end times would include worldwide severe persecution, unlike anything the world had seen since the times of Noah and unlike anything the world would ever see again. This could not have been fulfilled hundreds of years ago, because Hitler’s holocaust surpassed anything previously experienced by either Christians or Jews. Also, as mentioned earlier, the twentieth century included more Christian martyrdom than in the previous nineteen centuries’ combined!

Perhaps the least popular view of Biblical eschatology is historicism, or mythacism, which considers the Book of Revelation to be a general overview of Church history. Some specific details may actually be fulfilled; others may be pure imagery. This viewpoint maintains that all apocalyptic Bible text paints merely a spiritual image of good versus evil. Historicists interpret Revelation symbolically, regardless of its context.
Historicism is dangerous:

The subjective method of interpretation used by historicists opens the door to
an unlimited number of possible meanings for the ‘symbols’ found in the same
prophetic passages. For example, the very same passages [i.e. Babylon and
the prostitute] could be interpreted to be the rise of Islam or the rise of the
Roman Catholic Church.

Finally, the most popular eschatology viewpoint is that of the futurist. Futurists understand that the Book of Revelation and end times events mentioned elsewhere in the Bible will be literally fulfilled in the future, except where the text is obviously figurative. Even when end times prophecy is clearly symbolic, futurists insist the given descriptions still represent actual events, people, and places yet to be realized. Futurists, like fundamentalist Christians, use the normal method of language interpretation when studying the Bible.

This normal method of interpretation is able to take the many prophecy puzzle
pieces from throughout the Bible and put them together in a coherent and obvious
chronological order. The result is a beautiful picture of
‘His-story.’ It is the story of our awesome and sovereign God, Who proves
His authorship of His Word by proclaiming the future and then bringing it to
pass (see Isaiah 41-48). Futurists believe Revelation and other last days
prophecies across Scripture are written to convict, guide, and encourage
primarily Israeli Jews during the Tribulation, who will believe in Jesus as the
Messiah of Israel and the world. They recognize that many Gentiles during
the Tribulation will also come to believe that Jesus is Messiah. Futurists,
therefore, see a clear distinction between national, ethnic Israel, and the
Church, which is the Bride and Body of Christ.

Now all of the above viewpoints agree that Jesus Christ will indeed return. But, regarding Christ’s return, the Bible mentions a period of 1000 years (see Revelation 20:1-10) that has varied the positions of theologians on the subject. The following views often mix and mingle to the point where they vary from their original forms. I am providing information on their original forms only.

To keep it brief, amillennialists believe the 1000 years is simply symbolic; this particular amount of time has no influence on any real events. Though the duration is uncertain, we are currently in the final period of time before Christ’s return. This viewpoint often coincides with historicism.

Many post-millennialists agree with amillennialists that there is no literal 1000 year period of time. Post-millennialists usually believe the 1000 years represents an uncertain period of time during which Christian influence will gradually improve the world, leading to Jesus Christ’s physical return to a pure and spotless bride—a Christianized world. This viewpoint, which is difficult to conceive given the popular worldview of our culture, often goes hand-in-hand with preterism.

The pre-millennialist view falls into two distinct categories, both of which conform to the futurist position explained above. Both pre-millennial positions stress that an actual seven-year Tribulation and an actual Rapture will take place on the earth before the end of time.

The Tribulation is most easily understood as the time of the antichrist. The Rapture is when Christ comes to take up His Church; all living believers will be taken off the earth in the blink of an eye, joining those believers who had died prior to the Rapture and had been resurrected to be with Christ as well. The two distinct pre-millennial views are detailed below:

- The historical pre-millennialist believes the Rapture and second coming of Christ will occur simultaneously, midway through or toward the end of the seven-year Tribulation. The first half of the Tribulation will be dominated by great apostasy under the antichrist, and the Church will experience great horrors. After the Rapture and Christ’s return, the antichrist will be destroyed at the Battle of Armageddon, and Satan will be locked away for 1000 years. The 1000 years, which may or may not be literal, will include a restoration of Old Testament customs, including the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple, which has not existed since 70 A.D. At the end of the millennium, Satan will be released into the world one last time to dredge up an army for the final battle. He and his army will be destroyed by fire prior to the battle’s commencement, and those who had died but not trusted in Christ will be resurrected to face judgment. At this event, called the Great White Throne Judgment, all those who died in unbelief, among other sins, will be sentenced to the second death, eternal separation from God in the lake of fire, where Satan and the antichrist were also disposed to eternal suffering.

The dispensational pre-millennialist believes the Rapture and second coming of Christ will occur separately. This view proposes that dead believers will be resurrected, ascending to meet Jesus Christ in the air, soon followed by a pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church. After these events will be the seven-year Tribulation and reign of the antichrist. The Jewish people will be fully restored to Palestine, and 144,000 of them will convert to Christianity on the testimony of two great witnesses, who will be killed at the hands of the antichrist and resurrected before the eyes of the entire world (perhaps on live television). The Jewish Temple will also be rebuilt under the antichrist’s leadership. A physical return of Jesus Christ will come at the end of the
Tribulation, which brings the destruction of the antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon. Also at the second coming of Christ, those believers who converted to faith in Christ after the Rapture will be raised to eternal life, along with the Old Testament faithful. A literal millennium will begin on earth, over which Christ and His saints will reign. Satan will be bound during this time. Finally, Satan will be unleashed; he and the unbelievers will be judged and sentenced to the second death, eternal separation from God in the lake of fire.

If you have read the Left Behind series of books, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, then you may be familiar with dispensational pre-millennialism. It is on account of the Left Behind series that this viewpoint is the most popular among lay people today. Again, because I have not studied eschatology with great scrutiny, I cannot adequately argue for or against any of the above views of the end times, nor can I fully support that one, if any, has completely occurred or will occur exactly as written above.

I do, however, tend to prefer the dispensational pre-millennialist viewpoint, because it favors the most literal form of Bible study and seems to be widely held by numerous well-respected theologians. I also think theologians must admit to some form of partial-preterism, as all Biblical end times prophecies were speaking of future events when written, and some but not all of them have already been fulfilled, lending further credence to the thought that we are indeed living in the end times.

[The above paragraph (the last paragraph) was true in early 2003, when it was written. Since that time, I'd lean more to the historical pre-millenialism position, for similar reasons. The flaws with dispensationalism in general have only recently become more clear to me; and I continue to learn more about each of these eschatological views.]

What the Future Holds (3)

This is part 3 of chapter 10 of my book, Biblical Glasses.

How do we interpret Revelation?

Now the Book of Revelation is for most a very difficult read. It was composed in apocalyptic style, which refers to a common literary style used during the time when much of the Bible was written. Because the events and sights were too awesome to describe with mere words, the author, John, used vibrant imagery to tell his audience what he learned. He painted a picture with words of what could otherwise not have been explained.
Before being shown the events of the end times from heaven’s perspective, John revealed a message from Jesus Christ. “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty’” (Revelation 1:8). Jesus gave a message to each of seven churches in Asia (present day Turkey), encouraging them to overcome certain hardships and temptations.

Then John was caught up into heaven, where he saw all the creatures there worshipping God. A scroll with seven seals was presented to Jesus Christ; He alone was worthy to open it. As Jesus opened the scroll, the first seal revealed a rider on a white horse, denoting war. The second seal exposed a rider on a red horse, signifying famine. The third seal loosed a rider on a black horse, indicating disease. The fourth seal showed a rider on a pale horse, implying death.

The fifth seal revealed a fixed number of martyrs predetermined by God. The sixth seal brought forth the greatest earthquake in all of history to that point. Kings and leaders tried to hide from what they saw as the wrath of God, but they could not. “They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him Who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb’” (Revelation 6:16)!

As the seventh seal on the scroll was opened, “there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Revelation 8:1). This seal brought forth seven angels with seven trumpets—more judgment.

The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with
blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned
up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all
ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third
of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were
destroyed. The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a
torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of
water—the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and
many people died from the waters that had become bitter. The fourth angel
sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and
a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day
was without light, and also a third of the night (Revelation 8:7-12).

The fifth trumpet unleashed stinging locusts, which were allowed to torture unbelievers for five months. The sixth trumpet brought forth an army of 200 million along with four angels specifically created for this moment. One-third of the earth’s population was killed by this army.

The rest of mankind that were not killed … still did not repent of the work of
their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons and … idols that cannot see or
hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their
sexual immorality, or their thefts (Revelation 9:20-21).

Before the seventh trumpet was sounded, John was given a small scroll to eat. It was sweet tasting, like the message of the Gospel, but it made his stomach hurt, because of the judgment that accompanied it. Then two witnesses preached the Gospel in Jerusalem for three-and-a-half years. A beast (the antichrist) came and killed them when their testifying was completed, but their bodies lay in the street for three-and-a-half days for the whole world to see. Then they were resurrected to life before many onlookers, and as a great earthquake destroyed a tenth of Jerusalem killing 7000 people, they were taken to heaven. Finally, the seventh trumpet sounded to announce preparation for the final battle.

After giving a picturesque portrayal of a great battle in heaven, where Satan was thrown down to earth “to make war against … those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17), John explained the rise of the antichrist, who reigned on earth for three-and-a-half years and had tremendous power. Such was his power that:

He … forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive
a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell
unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his
name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number
of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666 (Revelation
13:16-18).

Next, three angels announced the commencement of the final judgment. Two other angels began reaping the harvest with their sickles. John saw seven more angels with seven bowls of judgment—the final plagues of God’s wrath on the earth. The first bowl was poured out, and “ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image” (Revelation 16:2). When the second bowl was poured out, the sea turned to blood, killing everything in it. The third bowl caused the same to happen to all the fresh water sources.

When the fourth bowl judgment was poured out, “the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat, and they cursed the name of God, Who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify Him” (Revelation 16:8-9). The fifth bowl caused men to gnaw at their own tongues, due to the pain coming from the sores on their bodies. The kingdom of the beast was sent into darkness.

The sixth bowl dried up the Euphrates River, preparing the way for the final battle. Spirits of demons went out to gather nations to support their cause, and kings gathered at Armageddon (perhaps the present day Israeli city of Megiddo). The seventh bowl finished the judgments as another earthquake, even larger than the previous one, crumbled the cities of nations worldwide, flattened every mountain, and destroyed every island. Hundred pound hailstones fell on the earth, and all survivors cursed God for the severity of the plagues.

An angel then showed John an image of a great prostitute, named Babylon, riding a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns. The Bible says:

The beast and the ten horns … will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to
ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For
God has put it into their hearts to accomplish His purpose by agreeing to give
the beast their power to rule, until God’s Words are fulfilled. The woman … is
the great city that rules over the kings of the earth (Revelation 17:16-18).

Then Babylon was conquered; a great multitude was seen praising God in victory as Jesus Christ appeared riding on a white horse; the beast and the false prophet were thrown into the lake of eternal fire.

Satan will be bound for 1000 years, while Christ reigns with His saints. Then Satan will be unleashed to gather an army, which will “number … like the sand on the seashore” (Revelation 20:8). Satan’s army will be defeated by fire, and he will be thrown in the lake of fire with the beast and false prophet. “They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). The Great White Throne Judgment will follow, and all those whose names are absent from the Book of Life will be thrown into the lake of fire.

A new heaven and a new earth will be created. A new Jerusalem will be made, where God will dwell with His people and be their God. The city measures like a 1400-mile cube! Its walls are 200 feet thick! Their will be no Temple for worship, because God Himself will be there. There will be no sunlight, for God is present; rather, there will be pure Son-light! There will be no nighttime, no darkness. “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Revelation 21:27).

Having browsed the Book of Revelation, I want to make it clear that I am a mere novice on the subject of eschatology, the “branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of mankind6.” Therefore, I will briefly mention several viewpoints regarding Christian end times theology and then elaborate on the one to which I currently subscribe.

What the Future Holds (2)

This is part 2 of chapter 10 of my book, Biblical Glasses.

Many Christians feel obligated to side with Israel on account of God choosing it for a special purpose. God did say to Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). Some believe God will use Israel in a magnificent way in the end times; others think God has already accomplished what He intended to work through the nation in His Word, Jesus Christ. Again we come back to an idea that leaves many people feeling bitter toward God: He chooses some for blessing and others for punishment. Keep in mind that …

The legacy of the chosen people included a heavy burden. They were chosen not only to showcase the love of God for all nations (see Isaiah 9:6; Genesis 12:1-3), but also to show all the people of the earth what happens to those who wander from the wisdom of their Creator (see Deuteronomy 28-30).

Even if God’s hand can be seen in Israel’s presence in the land, we need to remember her
spiritual condition. Israel today mirrors what the prophet Ezekiel foresaw in his vision of the dry bones. Hundreds of years before Christ, God predicted that in the last days Israel would come together physically before being reborn spiritually (see Ezekiel 37:1-14). [We will see tomorrow how this is coming to fruition.]

Israel’s present efforts to secure her borders by military strength and international support provide a striking parallel to Abram’s and Sarah’s attempts to have a son by Hagar. Attempts to solve their own problem of barrenness resulted in unintended consequences for themselves and
their descendants.

Yes, God has chosen Israel through whom to reveal Himself to the world. But we need to make that affirmation with discernment and impartiality. There is a difference between what God is doing through Israel, and what Israel is trying to do with or without Him. Let’s not get tangled in
the political and military arguments. Let’s instead try to help everyone see that the problems in the Middle East are a reminder of how much we all need the grace and peace of the Messiah born to this nation.

The Da Vinci Code

A friend asked me today what I would say in a brief response to the claim that "Since the canonical Gospels don't say anything about Jesus from age 12 to 30 (roughly), He conceivably could have gotten married around age 18, had two or three children, worked as a carpenter, and still gone into His ministry at age 30."

Here are my thoughts:

Luke 16:8 - "The people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light." Evil is clever! Satan is trying everything he can think of to overcome the predetermined outcome; Dan Brown is just his latest pawn. And it is sad that so many nominal Christians, that is, those not committed to consistent study of the Word, are reeled-in by the excitement that is to be found in this Jesus / Mary Magdalene conspiracy theory.

And that, too, is where sin comes in. There is a very real sense in which we'd like to disprove the Bible. As sin-natured humans, we want to avoid being accountable for our sin, and we'll do whatever it takes to avoid judgment. We'll be seen in the last days crying for rocks to fall on us to avoid the wrath of God, so it's no surprise when we find a gap in Scripture's account of Jesus' life, and we try to fill it with anything to keep Him from being Who He is.

As you can imagine, a 12-second answer is impossible, namely because an attention span of 12 hours is really required to adequately and permanently debunk Brown's assertions. That's what makes Brown's work so clever: He's done enough research and mixed enough fact with fiction to keep the layman and casual Christian from going to the effort to disprove him. And that's another reason why Christian leaders, as Shepherds, need to feed their flock - the visible church - the truth. If the flock is fed the truth, then no wolves in sheep's clothing will be able to steel them away.

Nonetheless, you asked for a 12-second answer, so here's my response, though slightly longer than 12 seconds when read aloud, to her assertion:

Regarding your thoughts that Jesus was married, you might find it interesting that the Bible does speak, quite often actually, about Jesus being married. In fact, Jesus refers to Himself as the Bridegroom (Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19-20; Luke 5:34-35). John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the Bridegroom (John 3:28-30). Paul explained to the Corinthian believers that he promised them "to one husband, to Christ, so that [he] might present [them] as a pure virgin to Him" (2 Corinthians 11:2). And it's quite certain that Mary Magdalene will be among the Bride. She believed, by grace (Acts 18:27), that Jesus was the forgiver of her sins (Luke 8:2), the Messiah. She did not recognize His resurrected body, but upon hearing Him call her by name, Mary turned to Jesus and called Him teacher (John 20:16). You see, those who believe that Jesus died for their sins and was raised from the dead for their justification, as Romans 4:25 says, are counted as the Bride of Christ. In Revelation 19:6-8, all praise is given to the Bridegroom, for He has prepared His bride and she is ready for Him to come to her. In Revelation 21, an angel shows John "the bride, the wife of the Lamb," and she is the new Jerusalem filled with none "who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

There it is. Here are some resources for further study.

The best book out there for the layman on the truth about The Da Vinci Code is:
The Da Vinci Deception by Erwin Lutzer. Check it out for $ 5.94, here:
http://www.wtsbooks.com/product-exec/product_id/4412

And there's an excellent DVD resource (so popular that it's currently out-of-stock) for the non-reader as well:
http://www.monergismbooks.com/davincidvd.html

Here is a bank of articles written by New Testament scholars and cultural commentators on the subjects addressed in The Da Vinci Code:

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/topic/davinci.html

All of them are good; James White's series is extremely in-depth and quite fabulous, but it takes lots of time invested in reading through it.

Here is an entertaining, but otherwise just okay sight explaining the truth about The Da Vinci Code:

http://www.thetruthaboutdavinci.com

What the Future Holds (1)

This is part 1 of chapter 10 of my book, Biblical Glasses.

About a third of the Bible is prophecy, some of which refers to the Messiah, Who came in the Person of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago. Some also relates to various events regarding nations and people of the Old Testament. A majority of Bible prophecy concerns the end times, when Jesus will come to earth a second time as judge of the world.

Many unbelievers mock God, because He has not yet come in judgment, as He said He would. They maintain that if God was all-loving, He would have already rid the world of evil, pain, and suffering. We saw God’s victory over evil in the resurrection of Christ, but we must be patient for the complete results of that victory to be realized at the second coming of Christ. Remember, God is patient, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

If God destroyed all evil right now, including potential evil, then potential Christians—potential followers of God—would forever be lost. Because God knows who will choose Him as Savior, He is waiting patiently and mercifully for that last person to repent from sin and come to Jesus Christ for forgiveness. It is out of perfect mercy that God has yet to eliminate evil, but we know from the fulfillment of several key Bible prophecies that the end times are growing near. Judgment is coming!

In this chapter we will note several Biblical references to the end times and mention specific prophecies coming true in our day. We will look at the varying positions of theologians on end times events. We will also contemplate the glories awaiting believers in heaven. But first, we need to address one current events issue that arises in nearly everyone’s ponderings of what the future holds. It is critical to acknowledge the significance of the modern day, tiny nation of mostly-Jewish Israel and its relationship with its larger, neighboring nations made up of mostly-Muslim Arabs.

The Arab/Israeli conflict is not solely based on a property issue as many people think. Nor is it only a religious feud; rather, it is a family feud. It is the oldest ongoing family feud in the world. Arabs, a majority of which are Muslim, do not hate the Jews only for their faith; they do not hate the Jews only for their land—although it is “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8, among others). They hate the Jews, because it is in their nature to “live in hostility toward all their brothers” (Genesis 25:18, emphasis added).

Recall that Abraham had a legitimate son, Isaac, by his wife, Sarah, after committing adultery and producing a bastard child, Ishmael, by his wife’s handmaid, Hagar. This family feud between the Jews and Arabs has been in the works ever since. Abraham’s wife and her handmaid fought for his affection, and his wife won. Sarah and Isaac stayed with Abraham, and the nation of Israel was formed. Hagar and Ishmael were sent out into the wilderness, and the angel of the Lord prophesied that Ishmael would “be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers” (Genesis 16:12).

Thus the Arab nation was born. Its people would forever feel scorned; they would be hostile toward their brothers, the Jews. The Bible “seemed to anticipate a common result of human rejection: Hurt people tend to hurt people.” It foretold both Isaac (the legitimate son) and Ishmael (the illegitimate son) fathering great nations; indeed this happened. Both nations have tremendous impact on the world, even in today’s society some 4000 years after their conception.

The Bible prophesied that the Arabs would covet the land of the Jews in the end times. Well, the Arabs actually took it by force in the 600s A.D.; then the Crusaders took it back; then the Arabs had the land from the time of the Ottoman Empire until World War I, when it was ceded to Britain. Even before Britain gained control, the beginning of the twentieth century saw Arabs selling what appeared to be worthless land to poor Jewish settlers at outrageous prices. The land had become desolate while controlled by the Arabs, so they took advantage of the Jews, who just wanted their homeland back.

The Jews planted millions of trees and provided proper irrigation; the land has since become beautiful again, just as the Bible prophesied. In 1922, Britain decided to use the land to create an Arab and a Jewish state. Britain gave two-thirds to the Arabs, calling the territory Trans-Jordan (the present day nation of Jordan), and one-third to the Jews. This did not satisfy the Arabs—they want the Jews wiped out! In 1948, after World War II, the United Nations approved the designated Jewish state, and Israel was reborn. The surrounding Arab nations immediately attacked this newly created state, but Israel miraculously defeated its invaders and gained more territory, which has since been returned to the Arabs. The Arab nations have ever since been aggressively fighting against the existence of Israel.

The P.L.O. (Palestinian Liberation Organization) was founded in 1964; its primary purpose was—and still is—to eliminate Israel. In 1967, the Six Day War saw the Arab nations fail again in their objective to destroy Israel. After the war, Israel offered to return the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank in return for peace, but Yasser Arafat, allied with Sadaam Hussein and extremely anti-Semitic Communist nations (such as the former Soviet Union), refused to accept the offer. Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in 1978, and those neighboring nations are on slightly better terms.

Israel has survived and thrived by allowing people of all religions and nationalities to live within its boundaries. The same is not true for the Arab nations. Interesting ….