[Darris McNeely] We receive a lot of comments from those of you that watch "BT Daily" and watch Beyond Today, we don't always do a mailbag feature, but it's time to, kind of, catch up with a few comments that are coming in. Probably the one topic in recent times that has generated a lot of response and questions to us have been as a result of the latest war in the Middle East between the State of Israel and the Hamas terrorist group that took place with the rockets going back and forth, and many people being killed and a lot of damage being done.

A couple of questions that people have asked us, why do you think that the current conflict will escalate into one prophesied in the Biblical example? And another that probably captures so much of it, this viewer writes, "I am concerned with the recent developments that is happening in Israel and with all the rockets being fired back and forth, and I have a question. Does this have anything to do with the prophecies and the enemies of Israel surrounding them?" I pray for peace in Israel but I also know the clock is ticking pertaining to the events to come and the rise of the Antichrist. Indeed, the clock is ticking.

The Scripture she refers to is in Luke 21:20, where Jesus says, "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Those who are in the midst of her depart, let not those who are in the country into her, Jerusalem." And so the very clear teaching from Jesus in terms of armies surrounding Jerusalem, one way you could make an argument that today the armies do surround Jerusalem and Israel. We've covered this a lot on Beyond Today. And this most recent episode we have talked about here, it bears us just going back and understanding that the problems are deep. They are problems that go back as we have shown many times into the Bible to the very origins of the Arab peoples, and the Israelis, the Jewish people.

They both descend from Abraham. And they are providential peoples. There were problems then, and those problems have continued through history and into our modern world. Every solution has been sought. And there have been noble good efforts to try to make peace in the Middle East between the Jews and the Arabs. None of them have worked. When you actually study into the depth of them at times, you recognize that there are powerful spiritual forces at work that will continually prevent that.

Some of the best efforts in recent decades have resulted in the assassination of one Israeli leader who signed a peace treaty with the Arab peoples from his own people. And every Arab leader knows that if they ever make peace with Israel, they're signing their death warrant. When you're dealing with problems like that, you're dealing with some certain issues that there's ultimately no human solution.

So we take note of all of this. We cover it from a Biblical point of view, from a practical point of view. What is important for all of you to understand and our readers is, again, avoiding the anxiety that can come when these tensions ratchet up. It is with understanding of what the Bible says and teaches on these subjects that we can have a certain acceptance of what is taking place, while at the same time we are admonished to pray for the peace of Jerusalem because when Jerusalem ultimately does have peace, all peoples will have peace. That's what that means.

So keep prayers like that up and keep the Word of God. Our products here on Beyond Today can help you understand what is taking place, and not lose hope, and not get so anxious that we reach a point of despair. There will be more. But with that understanding comes the ability to deal with it and to keep our eyes focused on what is above, which ultimately is what Jesus tells us to do.

Thanks for all your comments to us here on Beyond Today.

That's "BT Daily." Join us next time.