The Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism

[00:00:00] Psalm two why do the nations rage and the peoples meditate a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed or his messiah, saying, let us break their, their bonds asunder and cast away their cords from us. [00:00:32] He that sitteth in the heavens will laugh the Lord will have them in derision. Then will he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. [00:00:46] Yet I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will tell of the decree the Lord said unto me, thou art my son this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance and the outermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. [00:01:28] There is a tremendous amount that could be said about our present Middle east situation and indeed the situation within Israel herself. [00:01:44] But I feel that you have many other possibilities of hearing quite a lot of the details of our israeli situation and of the Middle east situation. I don't want to plug anything, but you have my Middle east updates and you also have the news digests that certainly brethren put out, which I think cover the situation very well. [00:02:19] There is, in fact, a tremendous amount at present that one could speak about. We could speak about the so called peace process and the fact that President Clinton has said he's going to get involved. That's the latest for good or for bad. [00:02:40] Then, of course, we have our own government, an extraordinary government, a wedding of some disparate parties that could only end in divorce. [00:03:05] But they are doing their best, and the word of God tells us to pray for them. [00:03:12] And we go from crisis to crisis with this particular government. [00:03:22] It does not have a mandate from a majority, a large majority of the israeli people. [00:03:34] And there are many other things. We could talk about the intafata, we could talk about the escalation of violence and so much else. [00:03:48] But the most significant and powerful factor in the present Middle east situation in my mind, without any doubt at all, is the islamic revival and islamic fundamentalism. [00:04:12] And it is upon this matter that I want to dwell in this report this morning, because, as I've thought about it, I believe that this will give a longer term view for all of you who really seek to, to pray for the work of the Lord in Israel, to pray for the nation, to pray for its security, to pray for the fulfillment of the purpose of God, for the nation and of course, also to pray for the arab peoples and for their salvation and the work of the Lord amongst them. [00:04:52] This phenomena or phenomenon of the islamic revival is in the first place, in the first place, not due to economic or political circumstances. We are told again and again that the whole specter of islamic fundamentalism, with its violence, with its terrorism, is due almost completely to economic and political circumstances that if they had not lived in poverty, if they were not, for instance, within the promised land, in refugee camps of very long standing islamic fundamentalism, would not have appeared on the world scene. This is, in my estimation, a total misreading of this vital subject. [00:05:56] No one can possibly understand the Middle east situation unless they understand its spiritual dimension. [00:06:08] If you reduce the Middle east situation to merely political, economic, social, moral issues, you fail to truly understand what is happening in the Middle east and in Israel in particular. [00:06:31] There is a fundamental, essential spiritual dimension to the Middle east situation, and it is in the understanding of that spiritual dimension that we come to truly understand what is happening in the Middle east and in Israel. Now, that's just by way of introduction. I want quite immediately to go to the point and to use the time I have this morning as far as possible to give the heart of this matter, the Lord helping me. Iran is the powerhouse of the islamic revival. [00:07:25] The islamic revival which, as most of you know, has gripped the whole islamic world from the Philippines right the way through to the west coast of Africa, and indeed is now gripping the muslim or islamic communities in Germany, in Holland, in Britain, in the United States and Canada and elsewhere. This islamic revival has given birth to twins. [00:07:57] And those twins are, first, islamic fundamentalism, which acts actually is only a return to the original tenets and principles of Islam, and secondly, to islamic revolution. That is, the creation and development of organizations devoted to revolution in islamic countries and to terrorism beyond those countries in the whole world as well. Now, Iran is the spiritual nerve center of this whole spiritual movement, and Iran is making preparations. [00:08:52] It is an amazing thing to me that although the foreign offices of the world are nervous concerning Iran and a nervous concerning the character, the fanatical and radical character of Iran, I really wonder at times whether they believe what they say. [00:09:15] German Christians often tell me it falls, as far as I'm concerned, on deaf ears. But german Christians often tell me that they had no idea that Adolf Hitler really would do the things he finally did. [00:09:35] I wonder what was wrong with german Christians. [00:09:41] After all, it is an extraordinary characteristic of the human being to be optimistic and somehow or other to put the best kind of construction on what he said, when Adolf Hitler spoke from the very beginning of the jewish people as the vermin and poison in european society, a vermin and a poison which he said had to be eradicated, and that the National Socialist party, of which he was founder and head, was going to do it, everybody thought that it was hot air. They thought it was rhetoric. They really did not believe that he was expressing exactly what he meant to do. Now, of course, the fact is all these comments about the jewish people were buried within a whole lot more about roads for Germany, a strong currency, national dignity, reconciliation, the recovery of german speaking parts of Europe, and all these other things, full employment. All these were the things that naturally people listened to and believed that if he got into power, he would do precisely that. [00:11:17] Even Jews, very often, until Kristallna really believed that much of it was hot air, and that once the Nazis got into power, they would calm down. [00:11:30] Now, it is a very interesting thing and quite of great interest to me personally when I discovered in Alan Bullock's extraordinary history of Hitler and Stalin, a study in parallel lives, that Hitler had been asked, when he was in the german army, to write a paper for his commanding officer along with others on other subjects. And the subject Hitler was given, this is 1918, was the solution to the jewish problem. [00:12:06] And Hitler put down in that paper exactly what later he was going to fulfill in 1941 to 44. [00:12:22] In other words, that demonized personality was saying the absolute truth when he talked about the eradication and liquidation of the jewish people. [00:12:39] We are facing a similar problem with islamic fundamentalists and islamic fundamentalism. [00:12:48] People in many foreign offices of the world do not really believe that they mean what they say. The view is a lot of it is hot air. A lot of it is because of economic and political circumstances. Get the political circumstances right. In other words, settle the palestinian question and start to lift the social standards of the arab peoples, and then all this will disappear like mist before the rising sun. [00:13:20] They all together fail to recognize that it is the powers of darkness that are using the brains of these demonized human beings and that they mean to do precisely what they are saying, which is to eradicate the name of Israel from the dictionary of the world, to obliterate the jewish people. [00:13:57] Certainly in Israel and in my estimation, everywhere where jews are found now. Dear friends, Iran's preparations are very interesting. The ayatollah, the word means word of God. [00:14:18] The Ayatollah Khomeini, who in the Shia community of Islam was looked upon as a prophet, an oracle of God, has had, so he says, a revelation and was given an oracle. And this revelation was all to do with the present state of Islam in the world and the immediate future. Now, most of you have heard me say years ago something about Khomeini when he was still here on earth. [00:14:52] But the fact of the matter is that Khomeini's revelation and his oracle are almost the foundation for all modern Iran's preparations for the next decade. [00:15:07] And what was that revelation? That the 21st century is the islamic century and that Islam will conquer the world and bring about its submission, which is the word Islam, its submission to Allah, even if it has to be by force and war. [00:15:41] And thirdly, Israel is the stepping stone. [00:15:47] In other words, until Israel is obliterated, until Israel is defeated, until Israel ceases to be as a state, the rest cannot come to be. [00:16:05] Now, there are many other things that Khomeini said, but the fact of the matter is that the iranian government is in the midst of an enormous revamping and renewing rejuvenation of its defense forces, of its weaponry, of its revolutionary guards, of the training of them all, as well as the seeking to bring about some form of confederation with other islamic nations. [00:16:47] The one problem that there has been, if you are following me thus far, has been the general weariness in sunni circles of the shiite community. [00:17:08] I think most of you know that Islam is basically divided into two denominations, Shia and Sunni. And the Shia, the Shiites, Iranians, Lebanese, and quite a few others, are those that we hear such a lot about at present. [00:17:26] They are more, if you like, more charismatic. They believe in prophecies. They believe in God speaking through human beings. They believe in anointing. They believe that they are destined to pioneer the final conquest and triumph of Islam. Now, the Sunnis, they believe they are the original. They believe the Shia are corrupters of Islam, and the Sunnis are the majority. [00:18:05] Without introducing anything into this very godly congregation, one could almost say it's the problem you have between Catholicism and Protestantism, the kind of general weariness that many people have at their protestant Catholicism and the wariness that many Catholics have of Protestants. It is exactly the same kind of problem. And until now, the nerve center of this whole islamic revival has basically been the powerhouse, has been Iran. [00:18:47] Now, that leads me to the second point and the point that I want to get over to you. If we only. I don't think we could do it necessarily today, but I trust that in the months to come, the Lord will give very real understanding of this to many of you who pray. You will have to make sure that you're guarded. You'll have to make sure that you're covered. You'll have to make sure that you're really safe in the Lord. [00:19:16] But it is, I believe, going to be one of the great focal points of intercession in the next couple of years. [00:19:25] Sudan has suddenly entered the scene and entered the scene with an enormous explosion. The Sudanese are Sunni Muslims, although it was the birthplace of Sufism and mis islamic mysticism, which most Sunnis look upon a little askance. Nevertheless, the Sudanese are Sunnis. Now suddenly, Sudan has become the center of Sunni, the sunni center of islamic fundamentalism and revolution. [00:20:09] Now listen very carefully to what I have to say in this matter. [00:20:12] Sudan has until recently been a supporter of the iraqi libyan camp. But in the last two years, three years, she has switched her allegiance from the iraqi libyan camp to the iranian camp and has received an enormous amount of technical, financial and administrative help from Iran. [00:20:43] Sudan sees herself in this great battle with the west and this great battle that is coming with Israel as the bridge, the reconciliation between the Shiites and the Sunnis. [00:21:08] I hope all this is clear, and I'm not boring you stiff on this whole matter, but when I was in Egypt, I don't know how many years ago, but it's a long time, and I lived in Egypt. [00:21:24] I remember there was an organization called the Muslim Brotherhood. [00:21:30] This Muslim Brotherhood was founded well over a century ago and is the most radical, violent islamic organization in the sunni world. [00:21:42] It has recently renamed itself the International Islamic Brotherhood and moved its headquarters from Egypt to Khatum, the capital of the Sudan. [00:21:57] It has recently defined its goals and they are remarkably in line with the Ayatollah Khomeini. [00:22:08] There are three goals they have defined that will be of interest to us. First, there is an islamic battle in which all sunni Muslims have to engage against all foreign influence, all foreign invasion of islamic lands. This influence can be commercial. It can be to do, for instance, with security. [00:22:36] It can be to do with foreign leasing bases or having foreign navies or armies helping. And so it covers it, even tourism. [00:22:48] Every single influence that is from the west or is non islamic has now to be battled by every means available to the Muslim until the west and non islamic forces withdraw altogether from the islamic world. This is the first thing, very interesting. The second thing is this, to liberate all muslim nations from secular and non fundamentalist muslim rulers. This means King Hussein. This means King Hassan. This means the president of Tunisia. This means the president of Egypt. It means King Fahid of Saudi Arabia. I could go on and on and on. All these are looked upon as secular, non fundamentalist muslim rulers. And the goal of the international islamic brotherhood is to liberate all these islamic countries from these rulers. The third thing is to liberate Palestine. [00:24:06] This is their words, to liberate Palestine and the islamic holy places in Palestine. Here, then, they have defined three goals and they mean exactly what they are saying. Now, dear friends, may I go a little further in this whole thing? If you are following me thus far, as I always say, if not, have a sleep. But, you know, I always say that I have to say it every time I come to these affairs. [00:24:45] Sudan is at present engaged, I think many of you believers know, in a murderous war against the southerners. [00:24:57] Now, these are sudanese people, but many of them are christian, real christian or nominal or animists in the south. [00:25:08] And this war with the south, this civil war that's now been going on for five or six years, is a murderous war. I cannot understand why some of the things that you have read, some of you in christian newspapers and magazines, are not on the front page of the world media newspapers. Why, when Israel deported 400 islamic clerics, all of whom had incited to murder, planned murder, or in one way or another, been involved in the Intifada strategy, the whole world went up in smoke. [00:25:56] Yet in the sudanese war in the south, they have been taking christian villages and crucifying all the males. [00:26:08] Now, even if it's exaggerated, one would have thought that the media in the west would at least investigate and find out what is the truth. Have just a few been crucified? So it is something worthy of going on the front page of newspapers. [00:26:26] What kind of government is it that has an army that could actually, in the 20th century, in the last decade of the 20th century, crucify people, rape the women and kill children simply because they are Christians or non Muslims? [00:26:57] I think the basic silence of the western press is itself an unbelievable indication of demonic activity. [00:27:14] Now, let me just move on just so that you don't think I'm just talking out the back of my head or just getting a little bit excited about these things. Sudan has become the training center for islamic terrorism. [00:27:32] The first training center, believe it or believe it not, was the. Was Afghanistan. And Muslims went from all over the islamic world to be trained by the mujahideen fighters in Afghanistan in sort of. [00:27:52] I wouldn't say terrorism necessarily, but in guerrilla warfare. [00:27:58] Then Pakistan became the second great center for the training of islamic terrorists. And of course, Iran has been from the overthrow of the shah has had training centers, but Iran has always been looked askance by the sunni world. Now, the main training center for islamic terrorism is the Sudan. Please listen carefully. At the present time, there are over 30 terrorists training camps and facilities in Sudan with 32,000 young men in training. [00:28:47] 32,000 young men in training. One camp is specializing in suicide bombs, another camp is specializing in Semtex. I think most of you know that Semtex is slimmer than tissue paper and can blow an aircraft out of the sky. [00:29:12] My dear friends, this isn't a fairy tale. It's actually happening. And whilst the whole world is engaged with Somalia and with Bosnia and with a so called peace process with us, which is at present on the back burner as far as the press is concerned, the interesting thing is all this is going on full pelt amongst those being trained, all in their late teens and early twenties. [00:29:50] Moroccans, Tunisians, Algerians, Libyans, a large number of Egyptians, Palestinians, Jordanians, Saudis. And so I could go on and on the actual account, firsthand of training is like a bond film. [00:30:19] It is hard to take it in, to recognize that this is actually happening. Not with a thousand, not with 5000, but with 32,000 fanatical radical islamic fundamentalist young men to be sent out in teams to cause every kind of mayhem possible in the islamic world and beyond. Now, let me just so that you get this absolutely clear. [00:31:00] The immediate objective of these terrorists or their training is, first, listen carefully. Subvert the subversion and takeover of islamic governments throughout the world. [00:31:19] Interestingly, Egypt is looked upon as vitally important in this matter. And that's why in the present situation in Egypt, which is virtually a no win situation, because. Because the stronger the government becomes, the more violent in its suppression, the more the islamic fundamentalist reaction and response will grow. [00:31:45] So Egypt is looked upon, especially as she is the only arab nation that signed a peace treaty with Israel as the prime and first target for this subversion and takeover. And I do not think. I think it is going too far to say that Egypt is today actually walking on a knife edge. [00:32:08] Anything could happen in Egypt over these next weeks. [00:32:15] The second thing that they are being trained for as an objective is the assassination of those leaders of islamic nations who in their eyes, are corrupt and non fundamentalist. I've already mentioned the whole names. Mubarak is very high on the list and so are a whole number of others. Now, my dear friends, this is, I believe, the most important and powerful and significant factor in the Middle east situation at present. [00:32:57] The third thing, please listen, is the assassination of those non Muslims who are considered enemies of Islam. [00:33:15] Unless the Lord steps in in a remarkable way in the very near future, we shall begin to see a very great escalation in islamic terrorism and disturbance. [00:33:34] Now, that leads me to the last thing I want to say, and then finally I want to draw up and go back to my point about spiritual dimension in this whole thing, lest you all be so depressed you can't even pray. [00:33:46] What are the consequences of this islamic fundamentalist revival? The first is this, the creation of islamic fundamentalist states such as Iran and such as Sudan. These are now both fundamentalist islamic states, and they are, if you like, the arch type of everyone that will follow. So how they deal with Christians and Jews, how they deal with religious minorities, gives us a very clear indication as to what will happen in any other islamic countries that follow suit. [00:34:30] Pakistan is also virtually an islamic fundamentalist state. Afghanistan, as you know, is still a bit in the sort of battle for it, but it is virtually an islamic fundamentalist state. Libya is in fact an islamic fundamentalist state. But the rest look upon Libya with somewhat questioning minds of Gaddafi. [00:35:02] The second thing I want to say as a consequence of this islamic revival is the destabilizing of the Near east and the Middle east. [00:35:13] You take all the countries, for instance, which are being destabilized. Morocco, Algeria. Do you realize that in Algeria's first and only free election, 80% of the votes cast were for islamic fundamentalists? So the army had to step in and put it down. Now you have an extraordinary situation where the world calls for democracy. And because the democratic procedure brought about an islamic fundamentalist response, the algerian government had to step, army had to step in and put it down. Tunisia is very greatly destabilized. Egypt. Well, you all know what's been happening in Egypt. You know the attacks on christians, you know the attacks on christian churches, you know what has been happening in the whole number of murders of tourists this morning. Yet another. [00:36:10] I mean, it is a whole strategy, a strategy and program to frighten away tourists from Egypt, the biggest dollar winner that Egypt has and thus destabilize the whole country. I could go on, I could talk about Jordan. I mean, Jordan gives the impression of being stable, but she is anything but stable. And the fact that the king has made the new prime minister, the head of, of the peace delegation to Washington, to the peace conference, a man who would sign a peace treaty with Israel tonight if he was free to do so, means that King Hussein has put his head on the chopping block. [00:36:59] Unless God preserves him. [00:37:03] There could be an enormous backlash in Jordan. Even Saudi Arabia is being destabilized. And the result has been that Saudi Arabia has actually offered to put a whole lot of money into Israel to build roads between Hebron and Gaza, between Bethlehem and Gaza, and somehow, as they say, make Gaza the Hong Kong of the Middle east. [00:37:32] It's an extraordinary thing. I mean, why are they doing it? Because they're frightened to death of the islamic fundamentalist movement. [00:37:41] Now, all of this, I believe, makes you realize what kind of Middle east we're living in just at present. But this is not the end. I mean, there's more to it than that. [00:37:53] It's not just the destabilizing of the Near east and the Middle East. I could go on, of course, because the destabilizing is in Central Asia as well. India is being destabilized because of Muslim Kashmir. [00:38:08] Very interesting. [00:38:10] Tajikistan is being destabilized. Azerbaijan is being destabiled, even Uzbekistan. [00:38:18] There's a whole number of the ex soviet republics that are being destabilized. Now another consequence of this islamic revival is the creation and development of Hamas and Hezbollah. These are the two main islamic fundamentalist and islamic revolutionary movements in Israel and Jordan and Lebanon. And it is very interesting that in the last poll that was conducted, at least 64% of Palestinians in Israel and in what we call the occupied territories, Judea, Samaria and Gaza support Hamas and not the PLO, which means that the real voice of the palestinian people is no longer the PLO, but is Hamas the islamic fundamentalist movement. [00:39:26] Now, the fact of the matter is that both Hamas and Hezbollah have both said that they, under no circumstances would ever accept or agree to a negotiated settlement with Israel. [00:39:42] They can only accept the complete eradication and obliteration of Israel from the map. Now, this is what they say. They say that if we can get rid of the jewish state and get rid of the jewish government, Jews will be permitted to stay. [00:40:03] But then we discover what they mean, because they say only Jews who come from four generations living in the holy land can stay. [00:40:13] One wonders exactly what kind of condition they will be in after so many years under such an islamic government. Now, another consequence of this islamic revival is the battle for the ex soviet republics. Muslim republicans, six of them in all. I don't know whether I can rehearse all of them by name. Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan. There should be one other, Gerald. Can you think of it? No. [00:40:49] Anyway, there's one other. And these are the six ex muslim, ex soviet muslim republics. Now, the huge battle is on to win these republics to islamic fundamentalism and islamic revolution. Can you imagine what will happen if they succeed? [00:41:16] When you remember that a large number of the missiles and of nuclear devices are in the hands of Kazakhstan alone and Tajikistan, you begin to realize what an amazing situation we are facing in the Middle east. If these weapons are to fall into the hands of islamic fundamentalist and islamic revolutionaries, then the situation in the Middle east takes on an altogether new color. [00:41:55] Now, it is not only the battle, and by the way, this battle is a very real one. I mean, the mullahs and imams that are being sent out from here, run all over these countries is just something unbelievable, the numbers alone. [00:42:12] But it's not only the battle for these republics, it is the battle for Africa. [00:42:19] The battle for Africa is enormous. And it is very interesting how high on the agenda of the International Islamic Brotherhood, headquartered in Khartoum. This matter of Africa is. Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda are all on the cards. On the cards for subversion. [00:42:48] Chad, of course, Niger is another. [00:42:53] Senegal, Mauritania, all of them are on the cards, and even Nigeria. [00:43:06] Now, many of these terrorists are true, trained in how to cause public riots, how to cause public disaffection, how to stop political rallies by causing disturbance. And one wonders, when you see all that's happening in Africa just at present, whether a lot may be actually due to these teems that have been sent out. [00:43:33] Nor is it only Africa that says question. There is also, of course, India with the Kashmir. [00:43:41] And the Kashmir is very high on the list. Why? Because the Ayatollah Khomeini's paternal line comes from Kashmir. [00:43:51] And he said again and again and again that Kashmir has to be secured for Islam. [00:43:57] So India may be destabilized and even subverted, or at least, at least broken up in this whole process. Can you believe it all from this islamic revival and the islamic revolutionaries. Now, having said all this, I come to the peace process. [00:44:18] Here we are in this unbelievable Shirad sitting down in Washington this week to talk about peace with our neighbors and with the Palestinians. And I'm fully aware, and I realize it again and again. I've said it many times, that peace is an emotive word, especially for christian people. You only have to use the word peace, and people get that gooey look in their eyes. You know, oh, peace, peace. You've only got to say it to Christians, and they almost unwittingly will range themselves behind you. It is a very interesting thing that in the run up to the second world war, nearly all the bishops barred just a few. And most of the Methodist leaders and most of the nonconformist leaders were all behind Neville Chamberlain because it was peace, peace, peace in our time. [00:45:12] Of course it wasn't peace. [00:45:15] None of them would have supported Winston Churchill, that old war monger, they called him, pugnacious, divisive. [00:45:27] It was one of the things they found most hard to swallow, that God used Winston Churchill to lead Britain through one of the greatest crises in her history. [00:45:39] Isn't that amazing? [00:45:42] It makes me sick because it makes me realize how easily deceivable christian people are. [00:45:51] Just talk about peace, talk about human rights violations and all the rest of it. And the whole lot of them are stirred up and they feel, oh dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, they don't even look into the situation. They don't even explore it in any depth. [00:46:10] Now we have a peace process. Interestingly, no one talks about islamic fundamentalism. Apparently. The view is this, that we must be very quick now and take the opportunity, while we have it to sign peace treaties. Even if it means great compromise, even if it means enormous concessions, Israel must do it, because within a few years the whole of the Middle east will be nuclear. [00:46:36] Even rabin has said this. Within ten years the whole of the Middle east will be nuclear. Therefore, we have very little time and we've got to come to terms with our neighbors. We've got to sign. My dear friends, if only it was true that we could sign a peace treaty with our neighbors which would cause their hatred and antagonism of us to disappear. But we have 4000 years of hatred of the jewish people with attempt after attempt after attempt after attempt to assassinate, obliterate, eradicate, liquidate us from the pharaohs of Moses day to the Gulf war of Saddam Hussein. [00:47:18] And nobody recognizes that it is a spiritual thing, that there is something in the very heart of hell that hates the jewish people with an unadulterated hatred and antagonism and will wipe them off the face of the earth. Now some christians come to me and say, well, they blind you. Of course they're blind. [00:47:46] Well, they're hard. Well, of course they're hard. Doesn't the Bible say it? It says they're hardened in part. It says they're blinded. God blind them. Good job he did. I mean, he did such a good job he blinded them. He hardened. It says it in the word. They're enemies of the gospel. For your sake, it's all in the word. [00:48:05] So why people tut about it all and say, well, how can God be behind a people that are blind and hard and enemies of the gospel. I mean, they break windows and meeting places now and again. [00:48:19] Treaty on the walls of the british and foreign Bible society. I mean, what, what are they doing? What kind of people are these people that all you peer fires support? [00:48:31] They're not born again, they're not filled with the spirit. [00:48:39] Well, you all know it, we all get it, don't we? Sooner or later from somewhere or other. [00:48:56] The fact of the matter is that really, basically God is working everything according to the counsel of his own will and at some amazing point in time the whole thing will change. But to come back to this peace process, we are being pressurized by every conceivable foreign office and state head in the world, basically, certainly in the west, to make concessions and compromises and thus avert a tragedy in the Middle east. My dear friends, people say to me again and again, do you think they'll sign a peace treaty? Do you think peace will come? [00:49:41] It's possible. [00:49:44] It's possible. [00:49:46] There's only one of two alternatives. We shall either have a syrian war or we will have peace. [00:49:54] But even if we sign peace treaties at great cost to Israel, with enormous compromises and concessions, mark my words, an islamic holy war is already on the horizon and it will not be averted by signing any peace treaties. It is just the same as Neville Chamberlain giving away Czechoslovakia to Adolf Hitler. [00:50:22] It did not avert a war, not for a moment. Adolf Hitler went straight on with the fulfillment of his strategy. He just thought Neville Chamberlain was a fool. [00:50:39] And so we are in exactly the same situation now. Dear friends, that's my Middle east report. [00:51:02] Well, don't clap that bit of it, please, because I think it's very depressing. If one didn't know the Lord, it would be extremely depressing. But we do know the Lord and that's the point that makes all the difference. We know the Lord. You know what the Lord is doing as he watches this whole build up, my dear friends, he's not in a panic, he's not nervous, he's not wondering what to do. He's not calling a divine cabinet meeting to discuss the kind of matters that should immediately be seen to, to avert this. [00:51:53] Hes sitting in the heaven and laughing. [00:52:00] Now that you can clap, hes sitting in the heavens and laughing. He will have them in Jerusalem. [00:52:09] Do they really think theyre going to unseat his kingdom king from that holy hill of Zion? [00:52:17] Do they think that because they believe that Islam will finally triumph and win the submission of all the nations, that wonderful word in psalm two, ask of me, and I will give you the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession, the nations for your inheritance, and the outermost parts of the earth for your possession, that it will not happen. No, my friend, this earth and all that is within it, the world and the peoples therein, they all belong to the Lord Jesus. [00:52:54] He is the rightful lord of this universe, king of this universe. Now, dear friends, if once we begin to see that we understand what all this is about, it isn't just poor little blind Israel, with all her humanism, facing an enormous situation. And because she's limited by humanism, her horizons are limited, having somehow or other to come to some terms with this whole thing. Don't worry. [00:53:29] God is above it all. And even behind it all, he's working out his own purpose. [00:53:38] I believe that this holy war with Islam is coming. [00:53:43] I don't have any doubt about it at all. I may be wrong. I hope I am. And if that's the case, you can all write your normal letters to me and point out where I was wrong in this statement made in Westminster Chapel. But in my estimation, there is a war coming, and a very big one indeed. A whole confederation of islamic nations in an official holy war against Israel. [00:54:13] I also have no doubt at all that miraculously, the Lord will deliver Israel. [00:54:20] And that will be the point. Point? I think possibly that will be the point where the veil is taken away and the beginning of the great reconciliation will take place, and the redemption of the house of Israel will become a fact. [00:54:39] I also believe that it will mark the beginning of an enormous harvest from the islamic world. [00:54:48] Young people in their millions, lovable in their own way, beautiful, intelligent, made originally in the image of God, blackened, darkened, demonized by the powers of darkness, delivered, saved and born of the spirit of God. [00:55:15] Then the prayers that have gone up for the islamic world for so many centuries will finally be answered, and so will the prayers for the jewish people. [00:55:26] May God hasten this in its time, and may he give us all the grace and power of endurance to stick at it and pray in the Spirit, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, in a way that will be effective in the fulfillment of God's purposes for the Middle east. Thank you.