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When Will the Middle East Find Peace? By John Ross Schroeder Why does it seem that the Middle East is always in turmoil, perpetually on the brink of another war? Will this troubled region ever see lasting peace?
The area remains plagued by stubborn antagonisms that baffle and dispirit virtually anyone who hopes for satisfactory solutions to age-old problems. Recent events dramatize the problem. Whenever it seems that Israelis and Palestinians might reach an agreement that would let the two sides live in peace, violence and bloodshed break out. Ancient antagonisms are so great that political leaders are sometimes straitjacketed by their constituents. Prospects for peace remain dim in an area in which disputes have long been settled by sword, bullet and bomb.
Oil and age-old antagonisms Why is peace so elusive in this troubled region? Let's begin an assessment of the region's problems by surveying the background behind the present situation. Oil is the fuel of choice of the civilized world. Fifty percent of known crude-oil reserves lie buried beneath the sands of the Middle East. Oil is the real king (or all-powerful sheikh) in the Middle East. Oil is invariably the unseen player in the Persian Gulf region. But far more fundamental than precious petroleum reserves are the area's age-old antagonisms. Ancient territorial ambitions continue to spark friction between various nations in the region. The mere existence of Israel remains an issue in many quarters. Over the years Arab leaders and groups have repeatedly called for forcible elimination of the tiny nation. Since its founding in 1948, Israel has fought five wars -- in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973 and 1982. Does war ever make sense in the long run? Does it permanently solve these dilemmas? Where it all began Perhaps more than any other spot on the globe, in the Middle East the past meets the future. No other human conflict is so firmly rooted in antiquity. As the early chapters of Genesis show, religion -- true and false -- began in that fabled area. The Middle East is the home of three major belief systems that have significantly influenced the way we understand life and death, good and evil, right and wrong. The roots of three world religions -- Islam, Judaism and Christianity -- reside there.
In today's chaotic and confused world, the Middle East is not the source of spiritual enlightenment God intended it to be. Instead, the atmosphere there has been marked by armed conflict, hostility and, most of all, misunderstanding -- not the things the Creator wanted it to provide. Serious physical and spiritual problems will last into the foreseeable future. With unbridled killing permeating the Mideast landscape, breaking the Sixth Commandment remains all too common. Arms proliferation is the dominant tendency in the region. No one knows when the buildup of weapons will explode into the next war. Israel to be an example As recorded in the Bible, God told ancient Israel that its people were to serve as a good example to other nations. He presented them with an unparalleled system of laws that, if adhered to, would have provided peace and justice for all its citizens. God meant for other nations to see for themselves the blessings and wisdom that would naturally stem from Israel's way of life and voluntarily choose it for themselves.
Those laws, if studied and applied, would lead to greater peace in the Middle East. The region desperately needs such genuine biblical and spiritual solutions. Conflict in the cradle of civilization Meanwhile we need to understand the area's history. Since antiquity the Middle East has been a center of the world's attention. All nations are tethered to its geopolitical swings because it encompasses the fundamental story of man. To comprehend the present, we must, as always, examine the past.
How ironic that the cradle of civilization should often be the site of hatred, hostility and conflict. Yet it is not so ironic in the light of the history recorded in Genesis. How many realize that today's Middle Eastern antagonisms are rooted in events described in the Bible's first book? After all, nations are nothing more than families grown great. For instance, much of the Arab world stems from Abraham and his close relatives. An ancient passage of biblical wisdom advises us to "look unto Abraham your father" (Isaiah 51:2). Three major faiths trace their ancestry back to this patriarch. Yet historically the offspring of Abraham have split into bitterly feuding family factions. This legacy of broken families has led indirectly to today's problems in the Middle East. Battles between brothers are a recurring theme: Cain murdered Abel; Ishmael was banished in a family dispute; Jacob and Esau struggled for their father's blessings; 10 of Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery. On it goes, even to the present. The saga that began in Genesis is spilling over into the 21st century. In the 1991 Gulf War an Egyptian woman's three sons were engaged in battle -- one in the Egyptian army, one in the Saudi forces and another as an Iraqi solder. Her greatest fear was that one son might kill his brother. How little has changed in the world. The Bible and cycles of war No war brings permanent peace. Fighting typically only helps assure another war -- and much suffering en route. Real peace is something that must be built when the battles have stopped and the participants can pause to comprehend the futility of their combative conduct. But spilled blood begs for vengeance from the bereaved, and on we go again. World War I (supposedly the war to end all wars) begot World War II, which led to the Cold War. Not surprisingly, the Gulf conflicts also grew in the soil of continuing aggression. The eight-year Iran-Iraq war helped spawn the invasion of Kuwait and the predictable Allied response in 1991 and again in 2003.
Yet there could be real hope based on our common ground. True understanding of the roots of a problem is a step towards a solution. God has not left humankind without solutions. Long-neglected spiritual tools are still available that men and women ignore at their peril. Christians, Muslims and Jews share some measure of respect for the Holy Scriptures. Although that commonality is neither complete nor perfectly expressed, all three religions agree on some of the principles and truths of the Bible and highly esteem such figures as Abraham and Moses. Spiritual principles in common Bible principles could act as a bridge of understanding between the three great Mediterranean religions. Consider just three major spiritual precepts: We are instructed to love God (Deuteronomy 6:5), love our neighbor (Leviticus 19:18) and treat others as we would have them treat us. These three spiritual principles are enjoined in scriptures held sacred by Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
The chief rabbi of Great Britain and the Commonwealth succinctly illustrated what is desperately needed in an article in The Times (London). "The message is clear," he wrote. "You cannot have peace without communicating, without dialogue between faiths, between nations and races... Religion must once again become the principal communicator to bridge divisions." Hope in a fresh biblical perspective The Middle East has the potential to serve as a positive example. The apostle Paul crisscrossed this area several times, spreading a way of life that embraces the tenets of two major religions, though he saw the two as one. Problems can sometimes emerge in the context of commonality. What do we share and how do we make the most of our common ground?
An even broader perspective than different people's common religious ground compels our consideration. We are all of the same species. We were made "of one blood," as Paul reminded the men of Athens (Acts 17:26). The breathtaking view of our planet from space reminds us that we have a common home. Clumsy border disputes must seem bizarre from God's vantage point. Somehow we have to turn our genetic and geographic intimacy to our advantage. Selflessness -- the key to everything from the welfare of the planet to solving the bloodstained conflicts of the Middle East -- is an art that must be learned. As many concerned observers agree, certain essential priorities must be put before selfish interests. We desperately need a new vision, a new way of thinking based on biblical principles. Promise of peace to be fulfilled Whatever happens in the meantime, our only permanent hope lies in the pages of the Bible. According to its words, what began in the Middle East will also end there. Scripture prophesies a great end-time conflict involving Arabs, Jews and Europeans (see Daniel 11 and 12). The final conflagration will finish only with the return of the King of all kings, Jesus Christ, to earth (Revelation 19:11-21). Then, the Holy Scriptures assure us, human values will change for the better. God's great law of love will be practiced in Jerusalem, and nations will flow to the new world capital to learn to live by it (Isaiah 2:1-4; Micah 4:1-4). Jerusalem, the city of peace, will finally live up to its grand name.
At that time men, women, boys and girls in the Middle East will surrender their lives to their Creator. Muslim means "one who surrenders himself to God." Arabs and Israelis alike will yield their lives to a righteous God, giving up their narrow biases, prejudices and selfish interests. These former enemies, and many others, eventually will become one with each other and, most important, with God. The Middle East will again be the land of promise, a place that will spread peace and spirituality to the entire globe. But such a radical transformation will take a new spirit and new heart (Jeremiah 31:33). It will require a fresh burst of spiritual energy directly from God. This is part of what Jesus taught us at His first coming. What began at Bethlehem and Nazareth will gradually spread to the entire world when He returns to earth a second time as the Christ, the Messiah. Recommended Reading: What does the Bible reveal about the future of the Middle East? Be sure to request the eye-opening booklets and . Both will help you better understand the meaning behind world events and trends. to order or read these booklets on-line. Copyright 2003 by United Church of God, an International Association All rights reserved. |
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