Trouble Brewing: Praying & Watching

Trouble in the Middle East. Serious trouble: Iran sends missiles to Israel. Israel now prepares her deadly response. Some see old Persia attacking Judah, and enthusiastically regale us with apocalyptic analysis. One American pastor excitdedly messaged his mailing list (to which I have somehow been added):

Join me in this Youtube livestream because Prophet Josh Hamstra is in a bomb shelter in Israel right now with me online!

A prophet in a bomb shelter, indeed.

Once upon a time, I scoured the Daily Telegraph each day for evidence of end-times imminence. In a sense, that is good and proper, for we are to watch and pray. On the other hand, there is something sadly normal about simmering (and frothing) conflicts, even between the Jewish state and her many, fanatical enemies. So is this the conflict which shall conclude with some UN peace treaty between Arab and Jew, through which an admired antichrist-figure ushers false peace to a damaged world?

It is sometimes more helpful for Christians to hold their tongue on such matters, and just stick to the watching and praying. In the meantime, let us pray for, and help if possible, the many ordinary Joes caught up in this geo-political theatre of violence, who know little about scripture’s prophecies, but do recognise a bleeding child, a ruined house and a devastated economy.

Maranatha!

Image by ibrahim abed from Pixabay