"We will drive Israel into the sea..."

There is so much more to Israel than archeology and history. There is a political reality that can not be denied.

One of the very interesting things about Israel is the fear that the country lives in. Israel is a country that is about the size of New Jersey. You can cover most of the country in just a few hours of driving. I suppose that would not be a big deal if you lived in New Jersey.

But think about it. On the north is Lebanon. Just beyond Lebanon is Iran. To the North East is Syria. To the due east is Jordan. To the south is Egpyt. All of these nations at one time or another have wanted the Jews run out of the promised land. Arabs through the ages have made this their stated intention. Some countries have modified their stand... negotiated peace and co-exist with Israel. Iran and Syria seem to be the major threats right now. Iran's leader has come out and said that the goal of his administration is to destroy Israel. He has claimed that the Holocaust was a concoction of the CIA, Israel and other pro-Israeli groups, in an attempt to steal back the land.

Syria is more subtle. Damascus has chosen to take a more subtle approach by funding terrorists groups like Hezbollah ( in Lebanon), and Hamas(rooted in the Gaza Strip, south and west of Jerusalem). From both the north and the southwest the Jews have seen bombs rain down on them. Just two years ago some 800 bombs were sent from southern Lebanon into the Tiberias area... Our Guide said that only two out of the 800 hit anything and no one was injured. But can you imagine going to bed each night wondering what would drop out of the sky upon your home? It is almost unimaginable to us.

I was very interested in the Golan Heights... which is due west of Tiberias. We drove along the Syrian Border and heard about the desire that Syria has for the Palestinians to regain control of this strategic mountain range. It is no secret that the ones who control the Heights will indeed control the northern part of the country. Syria wants it, and they have fought with Israel over that strategic area for 40 years.

While we were there, President Bush and Secretary of State Rice were in Jerusalem. It was a tense visit at best. They were there to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Israeli independence. On the one hand our leaders were saying, "Israel has a right to to exist...we will stand with you... etc. " But then they met with Palestinian leaders and in effect said, "Everyone needs to negotiate the division of land in the area." Boy that really made the Jewish leaders mad. It worries the Jews that we send mixed messages. The older Jewish people are adamant that they do not give up any more land than they already have. I heard this several times on the tour... " When it comes to Palestinans and Jews, a peace treaty is not worth the paper it is written on." Perhaps this comes from the consistent message of Israel's enemeies that says, "We will drive you into the sea." It is kind of hard to trust someone when that is the message. It is hard to negotiate when you have this kind of statement hanging over your head.

I am so thankful to live in America. We live with limited fear of an attack. We do not fear those neighbors to the south or west. Internally, we are trying to identify the enemies that have made their way into our country and thwart their efforts to destroy us. Aside from 9/11, our government has been pretty successful. But it would not take much to see fear invade our country... I would never want to live the way the Jews do. They know where their gas masks are. They know where the bomb shelters are. They live under the very real threat that Iran will successfully manufacture a nuclear device and if they do they have only one target: Israel.

Ultimately, God is in control. I believe he gave the promised land to Israel. While Arabs and Jews have been battling over this land for generations, it is Israel's. But, while I believe that... the fear of the Jews only reveals the lack of understanding about Christ and God's plan to finally settle this once and for all. Christ is the difference maker here... If only they would come to Him, recognize him as the Messiah who has come, has died, and has risen from the dead. If only they would come to Him, recognizing that He will come again, this time not as a lamb, but as a Lion and he will make everything right once and for all...

Jews may say that it is not that simple...but I really think it is.

More info on our trip to come....

A POSTSCRIPT: TODAY Iran's Leader said tht Israel will soon cease to exist..and that the decline and destruction of the US has begun. (USA TODAY). He is crazy and that is what makes him so scary...