1850-2000 150 Years of Prophecy Fulfilling

When we ask why the Middle East should be so important we have only to consider one word-oil. The world's economies are dependent upon Middle East oil. After the Yom Kippur war in 1973 the Arabs used the oil weapon to devastating effect. The price of oil was raised and supplies were cut. The following ten years are known as 'the oil decade'. Western economies were severely disrupted, suffering the crippling burdens of inflation, recession and unemployment. Developing countries spurred on by the high price of oil sought to exploit their own natural resources and borrowed heavily from western banks. The fall in oil prices in the 80s bankrupted these countries who now cannot repay the interest on the loans let alone the loans themselves. The consequence is that all nations, strong and weak, have been drawn closer into the politics of the Middle East.

But the Middle East has only relatively recently been so important. The recent history of the area can be divided into three phases:

Phase 1: The first phase began in the last century when Britain, France and Russia developed their imperialist ambitions. Whoever controlled the Middle East controlled the trade routes to India. What became known as the 'Eastern Question' was the policy of Britain to prop up Turkey as a buffer against Russian ambitions to obtain a Mediterranean seaport. The First World War saw the end of this phase with Britain and France replacing Turkey as protectors of Palestine, Arabia, Mesopotamia and Syria.

Phase 2: The second phase occupied the period between World War I and World War II. To understand what happened then we need to recognize the new force which emerged towards the end of the 19th century-Zionism, the movement to create a homeland for the Jews in Palestine. In 1917 the British Foreign Secretary announced what was known as the Balfour Declaration which committed the British Government to support the idea of a national home for the Jews in Palestine.

Israel and the West: The prophecy of Ezekiel 38 describes opposition to the northern invasion of Israel by a southern grouping called "Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof" (verse 13). Sheba and Dedan were nations in the Arabian peninsula. "Tarshish" represented the most western (and also probably the most eastern) trading areas of the ancient Middle East seafarers. Bible students for at least 150 years, have consistently identified Britain and the English speaking countries as fulfilling this description. Here we have, then, a Western alliance with Saudi Arabia and her near neighbors to the south of Israel in opposition to the Russian-led invasion. This alliance was given dramatic reality following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Within weeks, a multinational army of half a million troops and devastating weaponry was assembled on Saudi soil. The US is now committed to a long-term presence in the area and is perfectly placed with Britain and other allies to champion the concerns of "Sheba and Dedan".

Signs of our Times Prophecy Day

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[AndrewForster100]

great understand of bible prophecy and world history

[rabbisimon1]

1967 a great year

[raw28832]

great work