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Many world leaders and presidents of the United States have sought to bring about peace in the Middle East. All have failed. The prejudices, fights and jealousies are centuries old. It appears there is no way that peace there can ever be achieved!

Furthermore, there are factions on both sides that really don’t want peace. Remember Anwar Sadat who was assassinated for trying to make peace with Israel?

It is a good prediction to say that neither our president nor the United Nations will be able to bring about peace in Jerusalem and the Middle East. It is torn by racial, religious, social, economic and political strife. Some religious leaders have come to predict that there will NEVER be peace in the Middle East in this age. They want it but think it will never happen until the return of Jesus Christ!

They are wrong! Biblical prophecy strongly indicates that there will be peace in the Middle East and that it will radiate out from there to world peace. But it won’t be an occasion for rejoicing. For God’s people it will be an occasion for deep concern and extreme caution.

Look at the conditions that will exist BEFORE Christ returns. What will they be saying? “Peace and safety!” (1 Thes. 5:3). That takes place before the “sudden destruction” comes upon them with Christ’s return. How did peace and safety happen? There will be no peace as long as the two witnesses are alive! They devour their enemies with fire. They cause drought, pollute water, and plague the earth as often as they will during their reign (Rev. 11:5-6).

But when they finish their testimony the Beast will make war with them, conquer them and kill them (Rev. 11:7). Their dead bodies will lie in the streets for the entire world to see (v. 9-10). This could not have happened before satellite TV and internet communications.

When the people of the world see that there is someone more powerful than the two witnesses then the whole world will stand in awe of the Beast and will worship him and the dragon from whom he receives his power. They will say, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” (Rev. 13:4). In effect, who can stand up to the Beast who has just killed these two witnesses which no one could do for 3 1/2 years!

The Beast then will wage war with the saints because they will not accept him as God. They won't receive his mark and they won't bow to his image. When he goes after the saints he will overcome them. Following that he will have authority over every “tribe and people and tongue and nation” (v. 7). The whole world will worship him (v. 8) as deceiving miracles are done.

He will sit in the inner temple of God where only priests could go and he will show and announce that he is God. Most of the world will worship him (2 Thes. 2:4). It will be a time of intense deception on the world and on all who have not received “the love of the truth” to be saved from this great deception (2 Thes. 2:9-10).

The world will be more prosperous than ever. Commerce will flourish. People will have an abundance of everything. But then God will step in and will destroy the Beast and his Babylonian system. The world will mourn the destruction of the Babylonian economic system (Rev. 18). Only the saints will rejoice when it ends (v. 20).

It sounds easy to discern but it will not be. Many "saints" will go along with it and many will have to suffer the last plagues because they received his mark and because they worshipped him.

May God help us to stay close to Him and His Son and the truth of His Word!

-- David L. Antion for Guardian Ministries