While Christian Zionists and evangelicals in general agonize that Jews are literally violently being torn from parts of the covenant land of Israel, I think there is a scenario few are considering: Will God allow this tragedy to go through to fulfillment and the ultimate, a Palestinian state on Jewish land? While some of this will be much more understandable in August if the disengagement goes through, I continue to sense that God will put a sovereign stop to it.

The push for this since 1967, intensified in 1993 with Oslo I, followed by Oslo II, Tenet Plan, Mitchell Plan, Camp David Plan, ad nauseum, has generally run into roadblocks where negotiators go home with their tail between their legs and regroup and try again.

My questioning is based on what is happening right now. Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority (PA but formerly the PLO) is besieged on all sides. Though a brutal terrorist himself and planner of the 1972 Munich Olympic slaughter of Israeli athletes, he is under relentless attack and opposition from other terrorist factions such as Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and even al-Qaida. He is a walking target as are his assistants. Many say he has lost all control and the ultra-violent factions are seeking ultimate control.

To put it in simple terms, the entire Palestinian Authority is descending into chaos. They have their own civil war going on. The 50,000 plus PA security and police forces are not doing their job. One of the world’s worst terrorist outfits, Hamas, is seeking to take over PA leadership and while Washington remains much too friendly with Hamas, it is hard to see America allow Hamas turn the entire region in chaos.

But here’s what would force America to back out of the pressure-tactics: An Israel 9/11. While that is drastic and would be tragic beyond words since Israel is following disengagement orders to the letter and truly seeks a deluded and false peace, America would have to step back or look like one gigantic hypocrite nation. Would we invite Osama bin Laden to occupy one of our 50 states and reward him for his terror? America simply could not pressure Israel if she suffered a devastating attack. To be sure the heartless E.U., U.N., and Russia, all members of the “Quartet” along with America could still push for it, but the likelihood of a Palestinian state emerging out of an Israeli 9/11 seems unthinkable, except in our upside-down world.

A disaster was averted last week. A young Palestinian woman, a suicide bomber, came into an Israeli hospital for treatment with legitimate burns. However, she was strapped with explosives and planned to detonate herself in the middle of a “crowded area of the hospital.” Only Israel treats injured people in such circumstances that are sworn to kill them.

Many attacks are thwarted daily due to the Hand of God. But multiply that incident on an even larger scale: A major office complex, hotel, or even the Knesset (parliament). Consider the slaughter of hundreds or even thousands of innocent Israelis, with the proven perpetrators being your average PA terrorist of any of the factions, and “peace plans” would take a terrible, if not permanent, set-back. The PA has a marvelous affinity for shooting themselves in the foot (while they massacre Israelis) and putting “peace plans” on hold over the years.

Could America support such a state or even special concessions for a regime that would pull off mass slaughter?

Yet Zechariah 12 says that ALL nations will turn on Israel, so we cannot rule out the fact that America may still push the creation of a Palestinian state no matter what the situation is in that region. Joel 3 clearly says that all nations who have participated in the dividing of God’s land will be severely judged. However, God’s land has been divided many times including in 1917, 1947 – 1949, and more. The reference to division may end there. There may, in fact, never be a Palestinian state on Israeli land. The clock is ticking and we may know sooner rather than later. Continue to pray for the situation, that the truth of the debacle could be revealed in a far less horrific manner than violence and bloodshed to awaken politicians and diplomats to the mistake they are making.

(Jan Markell is founder/director of Olive Tree Ministries. To learn more or sign up for her e-mail alerts or print newsletter, visit the Web site, www.olivetreeviews.org.)

I am deeply concerned and grieved that some of our nation’s most prominent Christian leaders just can’t get it right when it comes to issues of Bible prophecy or Israel. Equally troubling is the fact that eschatology has vanished from our pulpits some 15 – 20 years ago because it is “divisive,” “confusing,” and might drive away today’s “seekers.” I cannot figure out why the message that “the King is coming” doesn’t fit in to today’s “feel good” theology.

The Bible says in II Thessalonians that there will be a great “falling away” from sound doctrine in the last days.  Perhaps that explains the surge of the trendy theology called “Preterism” which teaches that all or most of prophecy is history. It took place in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem. The Tribulation was the persecution of the saints. Nero was the antichrist most likely, though he died in 68 AD by suicide.

There are Full and Partial Preterists. A Partial Preterist would consider a Full Preterist heretical, for a Full Preterist teaches that Jesus even returned in 70 AD, although only “in spirit.”  But all Preterists believe there is no future antichrist, Tribulation, Millennium, or role for national Israel present orfuture. They do believe in the Second Coming of Christ and the resurrection of believers, but not in a Rapture.

The theology came along in the 1600’s but wasn’t made trendy until 20thCentury teachers like Ken Gentry, R.C. Sproul, Gary DeMar, and “The Bible Answerman” Hank Hanegraaff started heralding it. Hanegraaff clearly never met a Dispensationalist he didn’t address in a demeaning manner. He uses his powerful international radio microphone to denounce Tim Lahaye, Hal Lindsey, and many more, on a weekly basis.

Hank or his guests weekly plead the cause of the persecuted and “occupied” Palestinians with distorted Scripture and historical revisionism, yet his books and radio show make him one of the most powerful men in the forefront of Christianity.

But even more respected is Rick Warren, the man trying to give us all “purpose” while at the same time telling his readers to stay away from Bible prophecy. While I know that many have grown from the whole “purpose-driven phenomenon,” I am grieved that this powerful Christian leader says on pages 285-286 of his book, “The Purpose Driven Life,” that Jesus told his disciples, “The details of my return are none of your business.”Rick, give us chapter and verse for that!  We are to focus on our “mission” which isn’t Bible prophecy. We are to preach the gospel to every nation and then the end will come says Rick, but that happens in the Tribulation. He suggests that prophecy is a “diversion of the devil” and then implies that those who do not focus on the work God has planned for us—from which prophecy diverts us—is not fit for the Kingdom of God.

He doesn’t get it that two thirds of the Bible is prophecy and that Jesus tells us to “watch and pray” for His return. In Matthew 16, He chastises the Pharisees for knowing the signs of the weather but not the signs of the times. Rick robs of us our “blessed hope” and our “purpose” could in no way have anything to do with sounding an alarm to the lateness of the hour which would fit into Rick’s evangelistic plan. Bible prophecy and evangelism fit like a hand in a glove!

The misunderstanding or abuse of prophecy goes all the way to the top. Many of us campaigned for George W. Bush praying that by his second term he would be reached by men with sound theology to better shape his Middle Eastgoals. But he remains blinded by his Replacement Theology background—that is, the Church is the new Israel so we can pressure Israel to carve up her land until the cows come home and there will be no consequences. Most of his staff falls into the same camp, but they all put America at risk. If they only had been taught sound eschatology, this might not be the case. I am not a Bush-basher so I urge you to pray for our president.

I conclude that you can have an international platform, sell millions of books, and even rise to high political office with little consequences if you have indifference towards prophecy or skewed eschatological theology, and have Israel not much more relevant than the Canary Islands.

The bottom line is this: Millions of prophecy books including “The Late-Great Planet Earth” and the “Left Behind” series have won untold numbers for Eternity.  The hour is much too late to have these theologies torn apart and ridiculed when we need to use such teachings to win the lost while we have time!

How convenient of the enemy to blur the sound theology behind true Dispensationalist teaching and get people wondering if all prophecy is history, the Church is Israel, and we are deluded if we think our “purpose” is to believe sound prophecy teaching when that is but a diversion.

I’m frustrated and I wonder if God isn’t weeping.

(Jan Markell is founder/director of Olive Tree Ministries. For more information, her e-mail alerts, or to sign up for her print newsletter, visit her Web site, www.olivetreeviews.org.)