Visiting Israel is like visiting hundreds of countries at one time. Every nation on Earth sends people to this mysterious place. Every tour is an international experience. So is every restaurant. Today, I write you from the vortex of the world. Not only do thousands of people groups converge in the Holy City of Jerusalem, but some four-thousand years of history are also piled on top of one another. From the temple wall, I stare across to the Mount of Olives and other mountains. It’s a mosaic of green meadows, ancient stone fences, churches, mosques and other structures, from Biblical times, to medieval times, to the time of the Ottoman Empire, to the modern era.
Yes, in Israel, we see almost every time period and throughout history these same chunks of chronology were dominated by an active interest in Israel, whether they called it Judea, Palestine or the Holy Land. From the ancient Philistines who tried to conquer her, to the Babylonians who succeeded, to the Greeks, the Romans, the Muslims, the Crusaders, the Turks and the British, Israeli history is world history! In present day, Israel is a topic discussed over coffee all over the outdoor cafes of Europe. She’s a controversial subject for almost every United Nations gathering. She’s a thorn to Russia and France with their interest in oil offered generously by Israel’s hostile neighbors. She’s a human rights concern on college campuses who are attuned to the Politically Correct plight of the “Palestinians.” You can be in Brazil, you can be in India, you can be in Australia, you can be in Canada, and you will still hear talk about Israel.
Israel, a tiny piece of property, no bigger than the state of New Jersey. She had bigger borders in ancient times, yet even then, Israel was a pipsqueak nation compared to the mighty Egypt or the mighty Rome or the Soviet Union and United States on the horizon.
One modest slice of real estate in the Mediterranean, and yet it captivates the interest of the entire globe. Three religions consider this place to be their place; their holy place. Secular people take interest for other reasons. But whatever the reason, whatever the cause, whatever the lie, whatever the truth, whatever the struggle, the Middle East controls the passions of our planet.
One must marvel, for certainly God knew what He was doing four millennia ago, when He promised this land to Abraham and his descendents. Both the Old and New Testaments predict that Israel will have a lot to do with the future of human history. One has only to look at the past of human history to see some evidence that the Bible may just be the word of God after all.
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