The Vision of the Lord – April 1976
Given to Mary Ann Brown

Hab 2:2-3

Then the Lord answered me and said:

“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.

NKJV

I saw pictures and words.  The words that I saw under each picture appeared branded in fire.

THE VISION [1]

The vision opens in New York with the Statue of Liberty, she was tilted; they had put her up on crutches and covered her with paint.

WORDS

When you see her this way it is the beginning of great sorrow and deception for your nation.

THE VISION [2]

In this vision I saw a map of the United States with lights big and small all over.  I knew they were churches.  A sonic boom comes and shakes the map.  Some stay the same, others become bigger.

Revival has come by the Power of God.

WORDS

Do not be deceived it is the Angel of light

THE VISION [3]

I saw Banks with pad locks on the doors, one after another.

WORDS

The God of America will fail, and not provide bringing great confusion on the earth.

THE VISION [4]

I saw large businesses no longer there – Gone.  Broke.  Devastation.  All Hope Gone.

WORDS

Difficult times.   Fear will be released, money tight.  Will effect the church where she will become more money minded than people minded.

Gold will rise in prices.  People will try to find security in gold, but it will not be found.

This will set up the New World Monetary System.

THE VISION [5]

I saw a black cloud enter many people.  They were filled with confusion, depression, and hopelessness.

WORDS

Suicide will follow the spirit of death: Pills and Guns will be seen on the up rise.

THE VISION [6]

I saw earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.  Drastic weather changes in California, Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Washington, and Alaska, off the Richter scale.  St. Louis.  Volcanoes of great forces.  Whole cities being destroyed.

WORDS

God causing Fear, so men will hear the call: Return, Repent

THE VISION [7]

I saw food lines as far as the eye could see: food will begin to dwindle, because of no rain and floods.  It will be a difficult time, men will go wild because of a spirit to survive: Anger – Riots – Murder.  People will fear to come out of their houses.

WORDS

Return to the Cross to die of self.  The church will stop preaching the Cross and its Power: Life in the Blood.

THE VISION [8]

I saw epidemics break out everywhere.  Medical help will be impossible to have for many.  Return of diseases that once were gone.

WORD

Even many of my people will forget I am Jehovah Rapha (the healer), because of what I see.

THE VISION [9]

I saw hell come down to deceive, if possible even God’s people.  The morals inside the church will be the same as the world.  A demonic spirit of perversion and filth, so intense it will turn men’s minds to evil, many will fall inside the church because of a love affair with the world, not with Me.

WORDS

My people must hear as in the days of Noah: They must come out of “religion” into relationships and enter into Covenant.  They will not believe that a flood is coming.  MANY

THE VISION [10]

I saw an up rise in Homosexuality.  It will begin to be accepted in the government, in the educational system, in the family, in the church.  In the church same sex marriages will be encouraged to live free.  The moral fiber of the country will cave in.

WORDS

People will love themselves not God.  My people must press into having passion for God.

THE VISION [11]

I saw ministry coming down like falling stars, because of immorality.  Divorce, Affairs, Homosexuality.  Sin not dealt with, none of which bring shame nor carry a stigma any longer.  Satan in many cases will win their hearts, because they refuse to lay the axe to the root and they will have no discernment.

WORDS

Take heart, I will come to cleanse and judge my house.  It belongs to me.  Endure to the end!  I Am with you and will not forsake you.

THE VISION [12]

I saw the Bible opened wide, false doctrines that make man turn to End-Time events.  Faith centered on man rather than on truth.  Extremes will draw people away with itching ears.  The Antichrist and End-Times will be more important than the Angel of light inside the church.  Families will fall apart because of the focus on the wealth instead of home surrendering to Jesus Christ and His Lordship.  Focus on End-Times instead of the time we are now living in.

WORDS

Be not deceived by all that sounds right and good, it will be an hour where it is not “Right vs. Wrong” but “God’s way vs. Man’s way” and “God’s way vs. Easy way”.

THE VISION [13]

I saw gangs on the up rise, substitute families – no communication with parents – no love – no time invested.  The TV will become their parents.  Full of crime.  Violence, Sex, Anger, Rebellion.

WORDS

Many will not see because they are so caught up in self, they have little or not time for their children.  They cannot hear their cry.

THE VISION [14]

I saw hypocrites rise in the church: drinking drugs sex will be in preacher’s lives.  The will preach against these very things while they themselves are engaged in sinful activities.  The church will begin to loose her influence with believers in the world.

WORDS

Remember: the enemy, in the last days, will come into the church.  Watch, Fast, Pray.  There will be a Great Falling Away!

THE VISION [15]

I saw riots, chaos, murder, lack of food, people will be like animals.  It will make room for the One World Government, the One World Money, and the One World Church.  The Antichrist spirit will be behind it.  I saw government, civilians, military and churches being moved.  Make room for the Antichrist – in the midst of desperation, depression and lawlessness.

WORDS

Guard your heart and mind to stay focused on Him and His Kingdom.

THE VISION [16]

I saw Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Washington State, Washington D.C., Boston, Newark, New York City, Nashville, Little Rock on fire. cities burning. St. Louis on fire.

WORDS

Look to me, I am the Author and Finisher of your faith.  Look up, I am very near.

THE VISION [17]

I saw land burned — Oceans, Rivers, and Seas full of death.  I saw the whole earth groaning for His coming.

WORDS

Tell my church to wake up, Return to Me.  I am the only hope!  Men’s hearts will fail from fear.  Stay full of the Holy Ghost.  I am in control.

I believe Christians in the days and years ahead will be tested and tempted.

Remember: He is a deliverer.
Remember: We are not destined for destruction.

His kingdom is coming on earth.

Stay Faithful to Him

(Editor’s Note: This was a prophetic dream that was given to Maurice Sklar)

This week I had a dream.  It was a terribly frightening dream.  In it, I saw a huge angel standing suspended in the air over New York harbor.  It looked so large that it covered the night sky.  His body was clad in golden armor as if he was going to war.  His face and entire being were so bright that I could not gaze up at him for long.  White beams of light seemed to radiate outward from him in all directions. He was standing over the Statue of Liberty. It was night, but I could hardly see the lights around him coming from New York City as he blazed so brightly with divine light.

He reached for his belt that was covered with a red sash around his mid section, and drew out his sword.  It was so massive! It blazed with light and fire all around it.  It looked at least 100 feet long!  I have never felt such fear when I saw an angel before.  I just knew this mighty warring spirit had authority from the very throne of God.  He had a grim expression as he held this mighty sword over his head with both hands.  I could see that he was poised to hit the Statue of Liberty and cleave it in two!  I trembled and tried to hide, but the angel was looking directly at me, and I knew there was nowhere to go that he would not see me.

Then he spoke! His voice was like thunder and echoed throughout the whole harbor.  He said,

“How long will you refuse to humble yourself, O America!  You have been weighed in the balances of God and found wanting.  Your beginning was great and noble, but your end shall be disgrace and destruction!  

Thus saith the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the LORD of Hosts,

‘Time is running out.  The bowls of My wrath are full of My fury and judgment.  They shall be poured out upon you.  You shall drink them down…to the dregs…every drop! I have come to you day and night pleading with you to return to Me for over one hundred years.  I am merciful and long suffering.  It brings Me no joy to judge you. But, you have hardened your hearts, scoffed at My warnings through My prophets, and my holy servants.  I brought you from nothing and exalted you, O America, higher than any other nation!  But now you have fallen lower than Sodom.  You have sinned greater than Egypt.  You have become prouder than Babylon and Persia.  You have become more selfish than Rome.  You have exalted yourself in your own wisdom higher than Greece.  You have more idols and high places of idolatry and luxury than any Gentile kingdom in history.  Your beginning was pure and great, butnow the stench of your sin and filth fills My nostrils!  I shall cut you in pieces and you shall reap the harvests of wrath from what you have sown!  You shall no longer be the Queen of nations.  Now you shall bear your shame and become the lowest of the heathen nations! Now, as Agag, you shall be hacked in pieces!  O EARTH, EARTH, EARTH, HEAR YE THE WORD OF THE LORD!”
Then, to my horror, that massive sword came smashing down on Lady Liberty.  When it hit the top of her head, there was a blinding flash of light and that sword split her in two – right down the middle!  Then the sword came again and again against her.  It divided her in pieces.  As the sword would finish each strike, fires would burst forth.  I heard terrible explosions.  The vision of the Statue ended with an earthquake as it was hacked into pieces and sunk into the harbor.

I was weeping and crying out to God for mercy.  Never had I seen this side of God before.  I had only really known the love and goodness of Him, never had I seen the Wrath of the Almighty!

Then, as if I was watching from a zoomed-in close up…the dream shifted and I started to zoom outward from New York harbor and started traveling in the air over America.  What I saw was horror beyond anything I have ever seen!  I saw the United States seem to crack in two with a giant earthquake – right down the middle!  I saw the Southeastern United States covered with a giant wave of water from the ocean.  I saw a massive earthquake that just seemed to crack off the coast of California.  It reminded me of a Saltine cracker that just cracked in two!  The great cities along the West coast just fell into the ocean, all the way from Mexico up to Alaska and giant waves flooded inland until much of the West Coast just wasn’t there!  It had disappeared into the Pacific Ocean.

Then I saw three giant rocket missiles that took off into the air.  Two came from out of the ocean waters, and one came from land and traveled a great distance.  All of them blew up in the air one, two, and THREE in the upper atmosphere within five minutes of each other.  It was out near space.  They were terrible nuclear bombs.  But the last one was the biggest and it created a huge mushroom cloud over the Midwest part of America.  Then the ground shook and everything just went black.  There wasn’t any electric light coming out of any homes. Then candles began to be lit and fires, and a little light was seen.  There were other nuclear explosions, and many people perished throughout the nation.  There was just twisted metal and charred debris in cities that once were tall and majestic.

There was widespread looting and gangs roaming about everywhere with guns, stealing whatever food and supplies they could find.  Then I saw what looked like elite riot police by the thousands go into communities and even cities, force the people out of their homes, and brought into what looked like concentration camps.  Some, but not all of these “police armies” had light blue helmets on.  Hundreds of thousands of people were arrested in this way.  Many would not “cooperate” and were just shot and left dead in their homes.

But, there were millions of hidden groups that escaped the first wave of these terrible disasters. Revival broke out, and great evangelists and prophets and apostles rose up and began to preach to thousands out doors, and many were saved and were born again.  Miracles of provision, multiplication of food and water, and astonishing healings occurred.  Millions of people cried out to God andhe heard and answered.

I knew that this was not just happening in America, but the Great Tribulation was upon them, and all over the world these calamities were also taking place.

I saw multitudes of Tribulation saints refusing to renounce Jesus as LORD.  They were starving, many of them, but still refused to take the stamp on their bodies so they could eat and live.  There was what looked like kiosks that were in every little town.  They advertised food and water, only if you went inside them and took the electronic mark.  Some went in, bowed down to a holographic movie images of the Antichrist and were branded in their hands and foreheads with a electronic tattoo-like stamp.  When they came out, if they came out, they had a zombie-like look.  Their minds and souls were gone.  It looked like they had a spiritual lobotomy.  Then these immediately joined the armies of those police units, and were given weapons after they were fed and drank and rested in the kiosk.  They were like robots doing the Antichrist’s bidding.  I knew that they were lost forever.  But, quite a few did not make it out.  They were tortured mentally and physically inside the kiosk thing, but, if they still refused the mark of the beast, there was a laser that shot through their brain and heart, and sliced their heads off.  Then they were immediately incinerated.  Nothing but ashes remained.  This was the most horrifying of all.  It made the Nazi death campslook like a picnic, it that is possible. Millions of people were executed in this way via computer systems automatically with such precision and efficiency that I marveled that something like this was even possible and could take place on such a large scale.  The technology was more advanced than I had ever seen.

Then, I was back looking at that terrible angel of the LORD, and he said,

“Warn everyone!  Flee from the wrath to come.  Repent and turn to Jesus while you still can.  Pray that you may escape these things that are shortly to happen, and to stand in the Presence of the LORD.  These things are about to take place!  Turn to God and cry out for mercy.  Come into the ark of Salvation before the doors of grace close and it is too late!”

Blessings,

Maurice Sklar

Once upon a time, the vast majority of all Americans believed that the Bible was the Word of God, but now things have fundamentally changed.  With each passing year, the Bible is becoming less important to most Americans.  The results of the most recent State of the Bible survey are absolutely shocking.  The survey was conducted by the Barna Group on behalf of the American Bible Society, and it clearly shows that the Bible is becoming less important in the daily lives of Americans.  Sadly, young people are rejecting the Bible and rejecting Christianity in higher percentages than anyone else.  The Bible tells us that there will be a great apostasy in the last days, but to see it start to happen is incredibly sad.  The following are some of the most noteworthy results of the survey….

• In 2011, 54% of American adults said that the Bible has too little influence in society today.  In 2012, that number was only 47%.
• The survey found that 55% of all American adults read the Bible to be closer to God.  That was a 9% decline from 2011.
• In 2011, 53% of American adults believed that “the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life”.  In the 2012 survey, that percentage fell to 48%.
• Last year, 67% of all American adults said that they want to read the Bible more.  This year, only 60% of all American adults said that they want to read the Bible more.
• 54% of all respondents to the survey this year were not able to correctly identify the first five books of the Bible.
• 46% of all American adults believe that the Bible, the Quran and the Book of Mormon “are different expressions of the same spiritual truths”.
• 36% of all American adults read the Bible less than once a year.
• According to the survey, younger Americans consider the Bible to be less important than older Americans do. Only 34% of Americans in the 18-27 age bracket believe that “the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life”.  In the 66 and older age bracket, 62% believe that “the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life”.

As the Bible becomes less important to most Americans, they are also increasingly coming to believe that all major religions are acceptable paths to God.

In fact, a movement known as “Chrislam” that is attempting to draw together Christianity and Islam is making inroads in churches all over America.  For example, last year dozens of churches publicly read from the Quran during their worship services one Sunday as part of an interfaith project promoted by the Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First.

Most Americans simply do not believe that there is a single way to God anymore.  One survey that was conducted a while back discovered that 52 percent of all American Christians believe that “at least some non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life”.

For many other Americans, religion is simply not important at all.  A survey that was conducted by LifeWay Research found that 46 percent of all Americans never even think about whether they will go to heaven or hell at all.

Without a doubt, Christianity is losing its dominant role in American life.  Most Americans still consider themselves to be “Christian” in one sense or another, but the percentage of Christians in the United States is falling fast.  Back in 1990, 86 percent of all Americans considered themselves to be Christians.  In 2008, that number had plummeted to 76 percent.

So where are all of those people going?

Well, certainly a number of other religions have grown rapidly, but so has atheism.  In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau the number of Americans with “no religion” more than doubled between 1990 and 2008.

This is particularly true among young Americans.  According to one survey, 25 percent of all Americans in the 18 to 29 age bracket say that they have no religion.

Survey after survey has found that the younger a person is, the less likely they are going to be Christian.

Young adults in America today are far less likely to be engaged in religious activities than their parents or grandparents.  The following are some of the results of a survey of young adults that was conducted by LifeWay Christian Resources….

•65% rarely or never pray with others, and 38% almost never pray by themselves either.

•65% rarely or never attend worship services of any kind.

•67% don’t read the Bible or any other religious texts on a regular basis.

There appears to be a huge drop off in church attendance during the transition from the teen years to the young adult years.  The following comes from a CNN article….

David Kinnaman, the 38-year-old president of the Barna Group, an evangelical research firm, is the latest to sound the alarm. In his new book, “You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church and Rethinking Faith,” he says that 18- to 29-year-olds have fallen down a “black hole” of church attendance. There is a 43% drop in Christian church attendance between the teen and early adult years, he says.

But that doesn’t mean that young adults in America are fully rejecting spirituality.

In fact, spirituality and the supernatural have been at the very heart of some of the biggest entertainment phenomenons that we have seen in recent years.  Harry Potter and Twilight both captured the imaginations of millions upon millions of young Americans.

Our young people seem to have a craving for the supernatural, but they do not seem to have much of a desire for Christianity.

In fact, many music superstars have found great success by using dark imagery that fully rejects Christianity.  Satanic imagery seems to have a great allure for many young Americans today.  The following comes from a recent Fox News article….

Lady Gaga, for example, frequently uses satanic imagery in her music videos. A simple Google search of Gaga’s name yields results that suggests everything from her being a servant of the dark lord, which she does little to dispel, to her involvement with the Illuminati, an alleged secret society of powerful musicians, CEOs and politicians rumored to worship the devil.

Similarly, Kanye West has garnered attention with controversial satanic images in his music videos and joking that he is involved with the Illuminati. West’s frequent collaborators Jay Z and Beyonce are rumored to be involved with the group as well.

Rapper Tyler Okonma, better known by the stage name Tyler the Creator, has even branded himself the son of Satan in his song “Bastard.”

And with Satan’s imagery arguably translating to remarkable success for these stars, who have Grammys and gold records under their belts, experts don’t see it going away any time soon.

We need to reach these young people with the truth while there is still time.

Large portions of the church are sleeping and this generation of young people is rapidly slipping away.

We desperately need a true spiritual awakening in this country.

So what do you think about the things that you have just read above?  Please feel free to leave a comment with your opinion below….

If you want to know if a war is coming, don’t listen to what the politicians are saying.  Instead, keep an eye on where ships, troops and equipment are headed.  Right now, there are quite a few signs that intense military preparations are being made for war in the Middle East.  By April, there will be multiple aircraft carrier groups in the Persian Gulf.  Large numbers of U.S. troops are being massed within striking distance of Iran, and it is being reported that U.S. aircraft are heading to the Middle East in numbers not seen for years.  So does all of this mean that war is coming?  Not necessarily.  Perhaps the Obama administration is just trying to scare Iran into giving up its nuclear program.  Perhaps the Obama administration is just trying to convince Syrian President Bashar Assad that it is time to step down.  But the fact that such intense military preparations are being made right now is certainly very, very interesting.  Usually wars are planned long in advance.  The truth is that military planning does not begin when the politicians stop talking.  In just about every major military conflict in modern times, forces have been moved into position long ahead of time.

So will we see a war in the Middle East in 2012?

Only time will tell.

But things certainly are starting to heat up.

The following are 7 signs that intense military preparations are being made for war in the Middle East….

#1 France is sending a nuclear aircraft carrier into the Persian Gulf, and it is expected that the U.S. will have three aircraft carrier groups operating in the Persian Gulf by April.

#2 It is being reported that large numbers of U.S. troops are being positioned on two strategic islands within easy reach of Iran.  The following comes from a recent Debka article….

Debkafile’s military sources report a steady flow of many thousands of US troops for some weeks to two strategic islands within reach of Iran, Oman’s Masirah just south of the Strait of Hormuz and Socotra, between Yemen and the Horn of Africa.

#3 A major amphibious landing exercise known as “Bold Alligator” is currently being conducted along the Virginia and North Carolina coasts.  Eight other nations are also participating in this drill, and many analysts believe that this drill is in preparation for an Iranian operation.  The following comes from a recent Arutz Sheva article….

The Bold Alligator drill includes 20,000 U.S. forces, plus hundreds of British, Dutch and French troops – as well as liaison officers from Italy, Spain, New Zealand and Australia.

The drill includes a beach landing and air assault supported by 25 warships, and is intended to  “to revitalize, refine, and strengthen fundamental amphibious capabilities and reinforce the Navy and Marine Corps role as ‘fighters from the sea.’”

U.S. Marines have spent a decade out of their native element in the deserts of Iraq and mountains of Afghanistan, but with the Pentagon’s restructuring and forward-focus on Asia, the Marines are returning to their roots.

Admiral John Harvey, head of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, described Bold Alligator as “the largest amphibious exercise conducted by the fleet in the last 10 years.”

#4 There have been reports of huge numbers of U.S. aircraft moving into position in the Persian Gulf region.  The following comes from a recent Debka report….

Debkafile’s military sources report that flight after flight of US warplanes and transports were to be seen this week cutting eastward through the skies of Sinai on their way to Gulf destinations, presumably Saudi Arabia, at a frequency not seen in the Middle East for many years.

#5 A helicopter carrier (the USS Ponce) that was supposed to have been decommissioned after duty in Libya is now being upgraded and is scheduled to be able to be available for service in the Persian Gulf by June.

#6 The Saudis appear to be really preparing for something.  Just check out what Debka says has been going on in Saudi Arabia….

Our military sources report that the Saudis this week wound up their own intensive preparations for war. Large forces are now deployed around Saudi oil fields, pipelines and export facilities in the eastern provinces opposite the Persian Gulf, backed by anti-missile Patriot PAC-3 batteries. American, British and French fighter-bombers have been landing at Saudi air bases to safeguard the capital, Riyadh.

#7 Someone has been moving huge numbers of tanks around by train in California.  Just check out this video.

So what do you think?

Do you believe that these military preparations are a sign that we will see a war in the Middle East in 2012?

Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion below….

Are the Palestinians going to unilaterally declare independence and ask the UN to formally recognize an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders this September?  That is what many in the Israeli government now fear.  At this point the Palestinians have pretty much given up on negotiations with Israel and they have initiated an all-out effort to get the international community behind their effort to achieve statehood in 2011.  The Scriptures warn over and over again about dividing the land of Israel, and many believe that those warnings were put into the Bible for the last days.  So could we actually see the UN establish a formal Palestinian state without the approval of Israel by the end of 2011?  Unfortunately, a whole lot of signs are pointing in that direction.

A recent article in The New York Times noted the intense pressure that Israel is under right now.  Basically the global community is telling them to give away the farm to the Palestinians or else the UN is just going to go ahead and do it anyway….

With revolutionary fervor sweeping the Middle East, Israel is under mounting pressure to make a far-reaching offer to the Palestinians or face a United Nations vote welcoming the State of Palestine as a member whose territory includes all of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

So where is the incentive for the Palestinians to negotiate in all of this?  If the Israelis don’t give them a Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital they will just wait for the UN to hand it to them.

Yes, it could really happen.

The following are 10 alarming signs that momentum is building for the UN to formally recognize an independent Palestinian state in 2011….

#1 The World Bank has publicly endorsed the formation of an independent Palestinian state.

#2 The IMF is formally backing the establishment of a Palestinian state in the near future.

#3 A recent United Nations report made the following statement about the Palestinian Authority: “In six areas where the UN is most engaged, governmental functions are now sufficient for a functioning government of a state.”

#4 The Ad-hoc Liaison Committee on Palestine, composed of the EU, the United States, Canada, Norway, Russia, four Arab countries, the UN, the World Bank and the IMF, has endorsed the UN report and says that the Palestinians are ready for an independent state.

#5 U.S. and EU officials are warning that if Israel does not agree to a Palestinian state within the next few months, “the Quartet may be compelled to recognize a Palestinian State in the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital”.

#6 It is being reported in the international media that the following 4 points form the core of Obama’s strategy for bringing about a Palestinian state: “Israel’s acceptance of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders; Palestinian acceptance that there would be no right to return to Israeli land; Jerusalem as the capital of both states; and the protection of Israel’s security needs.”

#7 Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the following statement about the situation in Israel: “The status quo between Palestinians and Israelis is no more sustainable than the political systems that have crumbled in recent months.”

#8 New Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi is now asking the United States to formally recognize a Palestinian state.

#9 The Palestinian Authority has set September 2011 as the deadline to be ready for statehood.

#10 Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sounds convinced that Barack Obama is going to make good on his promise to deliver an independent state into the hands of the Palestinians by the end of the year: “We are counting on the words of U.S. President Barack Obama who said his vision is to see a Palestinian state this coming September according to a deadline set by the Quartet.”

Sadly, an independent Palestinian state would probably only make war more likely.

The following is how author Joel C. Rosenberg recently explained it….

If the Palestinians make a unilateral declaration of what they want, what will stop Israel from unilaterally declaring what they want? What if the Palestinians try to forcibly evict the Jews living in the West Bank? Those Jews would certainly fight back. Would the Israeli military move to defend the Jewish settlers? Would Palestinian security forces then fire upon the Israeli forces? Would the U.N. move into to condemn and isolate Israel, and even impose draconian economic sanctions on the Jewish state? Events could spiral out of control. Indeed, the likelihood is that far more violence — not peace — would result by such a Palestinian declaration of statehood outside the context of negotiations with Israel.

Unfortunately, even if the Palestinians get a state, there is going to be a massive war in the Middle East.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah is arming to the teeth and they are absolutely obsessed with driving Israel into the sea.

Syria had been getting ready for war for decades, and it is almost certainly just a matter of time before Israel and Syria go head to head.

Iran continues to develop their nuclear program and it is seemingly inevitable that at some point the Israelis will strike them in order to stop that.

Egypt has just taken a hard turn towards radical Islam and a recent poll found that the majority of the Egyptian people are in favor of ending the peace treaty with Israel.

So, no, the Middle East is not getting closer to peace.

In fact, it is getting much closer to war.

We live in very unstable times.  Please pray for peace in the Middle East.