Forty Years after the Six Day War
A commentary by Rex Sexton
United Church of God Pastor, Tacoma and Olympia, WA
Some Israelis and Palestinians have assembled this week at the Anata refugee camp north of Jerusalem to remember the Six Day War and to demonstrate their desire for peace.
In June 1967 the tiny nation of Israel crushed an attempted invasion by Egypt, Jordan and Syria in less than a week. Perhaps the most memorable television images of that time were the black and white scenes of stunned Arab soldiers retreating from battle and of the emotionally elated Jews praying at the Wailing Wall in Old Jerusalem—a sacred place of worship that had been denied them for forty years.
Jews around the world celebrated. Ariel Sharon wrote in his autobiography, "For the Jews of Iran as for the Jews of Australia and the small Jewish community of Hong Kong, the victory was an inspiration that brought with it an overflow of relief and pride" (Warrior, page 208). For the Jews the wounds of the Holocaust started to heal, but the regional tensions never have.
Israel's complete military victory should have ended its security problems. But in the forty years since that conflict the Middle East has been anything but secure. Peace was not victorious.
Since 1967 Israel and its neighbors have engaged in six more conflicts: a war of attrition on the Suez Canal, the Yom Kippur war in 1973, two Intifada uprisings and two wars in Lebanon. Thousands have died on both sides. Reports are released almost daily of rocket attacks, bombings, and retaliation strikes, so much so that they are considered normal.
Some demonstrators for peace at the Anata refugee camp this week carried flags of Israel and Palestine and voiced their desire to peacefully share the land, hoping to influence political figures who decide war and peace. But other groups want the war to continue until the opposing side is completely defeated.
Many efforts have been made to bring peace between the Israelis and their Arab neighbors since 1967. The two most important were the Camp David agreement (1978) and the Oslo Accords (1995), both of which resulted in relative peace for two or three years before open conflict resumed.
Almost all major nations have tried to help broker peace or become involved in the Middle East conflict in one way or another. The UN General Assembly has passed hundreds of resolutions about Israel and the Palestinian issue. The whole world would like to be rid of the ongoing conflict over Jerusalem.
This dilemma is precisely what the Bible predicted long ago. Two thousand four hundred years have elapsed since the prophet Zechariah recorded God's prophecy about conflict over Jerusalem in the last days. "And it will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it" (Zechariah 12 3, NASB).
Events in The Middle East, whether for peace or war, will affect all of us. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" king David admonished in Psalm 122:6. However, history and God's word agree that real peace will not come to that region of the world until peace is forcibly restored by Jesus Christ at His Second Coming.
Shortly before that happens, however, biblical prophecy foretells the coming of another gigantic battle for Jerusalem. Only after that battle is ended will a time of real peace and prosperity for everyone engulf the world.
Listen to God's prediction in the closing verses of Zechariah's Jerusalem prophecy: "I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem ... The LORD [Jesus Christ] will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD ..." (Zechariah 14:2-4, 9, NIV).
Those carrying flags and making speeches at the Anata camp will have their peace, but only after Jesus Christ returns to this earth to set up His Kingdom. Therefore, we should pray "Thy kingdom come" more urgently every day.
  Why not learn more about how dramatically the future of the Middle East will affect your life? Just download, request or read online our free and informative booklets, The Middle East in Bible Prophecy and Are We Living in the Time of the End?
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