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Who is Praying for the Arabs?
by
Josprel
Who is praying for the Arabs?
In our zeal to experience the fulfillment of Bible prophecy in the
Middle East, those Arabs who have been born again, have become the
forgotten sector of the body of Christ. Is anyone praying for the Arabs?
There are some 175, 000, 000 Arabs dwelling in the world’s Arab
nations, and we seem unaware that Christ also died for them. Among them are
Arabs who already have experienced the new birth; evangelical Christians,
suffering hardships along with other dwellers of the powder-keg Middle
East. Since these believers are neither Jewish or Moslems, they are
viewed with suspicion by both sides in the explosive Arab-Israeli
conflict. The hardships engendered by this "caught-in-the-middle" status are
intensified by the militant theology disseminated against Arabs by
so-called "muscular Christians" - some of them well-known Evangelical and
fundamentalist Americans. Amazingly, these muscular Christians endeavor to
hasten the fulfillment of Middle East Bible prophecy by manipulating
events in that area of the world, even at the risk of provoking a full
scale "holy war" between Israel and an alliance of Arab nations; a war
that would result in a catastrophic loss of life on both sides.
Such results are of no concern to muscular Christians since - in their
view - the war is absolutely necessary to the return of Jesus Christ to
Jerusalem, and such deaths have been preordained by God. Anything they
can do to hasten the pace of prophetical fulfillment is considered a
plus by them. In actuality, muscular Christians are attempting by human
manipulations to force the hand of God through political actions,
finances and propaganda.
Among the activities applauded and encouraged by muscular theologians
are terrorist activities against Arabs by groups outlawed by the Israeli
government. This includes attempts to destroy the Dome of the Rock
mosque in Old Jerusalem. They believe destruction of the mosque will lead
to the rebuilding of the Jewish temple, thus facilitating Christ's
return. Though most Jews and Christians, who revere the Old Testament
prophets, agree that the Dome of the Rock mosque someday will be destroyed
and replaced by a Jewish temple, the vast majority of them are
nevertheless willing to leave these events to God's discretion. Since God
requires no prompting by man to fulfill His Word, they hold that the mosque
will be destroyed by an act of God, such as an earthquake, not by an act
of terrorism. For those who subscribe to this view, God's time clock
does not run slow.
When muscular Christians are warned that their attempts to destroy the
Dome of the Rock mosque most likely will trigger a full scale
Arab-Israeli war with a horrendous loss of life, their response is a fatalistic
one. They reply that it all has been predicted in the God's Word - it
is all predetermined by God. They also respond that, since Zechariah 13:
8-9 predicts that Israel will suffer the loss of two thirds of her
population in her final conflict, such heavy casualties cannot be avoided;
they are the will of God.
Muscular Christians also view the Arabs as expendable, stating that
they are the enemies of Israel and, therefore, the enemies of God. With
such a calloused exploitation of scriptures, they rationalize their
attempts to quicken the pace of prophetical fulfillment.
Arab Christians find themselves in a precarious dilemma. Moslems hear
much regarding the views of muscular Christian preachers who broadcast
over evangelically built radio and T.V. stations located in the Middle
East. These preachers beam anti-Arab messages that equate anti-Arab,
Middle East politics with Christianity, charge the Arab populations with
condoning terrorist activities, and support the take-over of Arab lands
by Israel. Moslem Arabs consider such propaganda as representative of
all Christians. Understandably, the Moslem Arabs react negatively to
born-again Arabs and the Western nations. They reject the message of
redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ. After all, they reason, how
can an Arab be a Christian when Christians hate Arabs?
As we pray for Israel, can we not also pray for the Arabs? As we love
the Jews, can we not also love the Arabs? After all, God does; He loves
the world. Jesus assured us of this truth when He stated that, "God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believes in him, should not parish, but have everlasting life. For God did
not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved (John's Gospel, Chapter 3: verses 16-17;
The Holy Bible; New King James Version).
Who is praying for the Arabs?
-30-
© Josprel (Joseph Perrello)
josprel@verizon.net
About the Author:
Josprel is an ordained minister who resides in Western New
York - just across the Niagara River from Canada. Though brought up in
a Christian family, he rebelled against the Lord at an early age,
finally enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. He served three years in the Air
Force, two and one half of them in the Far-East, as an operating
engineer. Josprel was among the first Air Force troops to enter Japan after its
surrender. Upon returning home, he accepted Christ as his Savior and
studied for the ministry. Josprel is authoring two novels: "Beloved
Apostate" and "Kanfal."
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