10-20-25<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Only last week most of the world was celebrating peace in the Middle East. The \u201cDeal\u201d had 20 points \u2013 which is impressive, considering that God Almighty had only 10. It remains to be seen (a phrase that always accompanies every war and every peace) whether the nit-picking about bodies\u2019 DNAs or soldiers\u2019 weapons will be like pebbles in sandals or major stumbling-blocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am not carping. The current (at best) cease-fire is, in the context of the region\u2019s continual animosities, a monumental achievement. There is an aspect that aided President Trump\u2019s negotiations, one that was out of his hands: It happens in history that nations occasionally grow weary of hating each other. Peace sometimes presents itself as less costly, more attractive to politicians, and even a shinier legacy than the fruits of war. Israel brutalized all of its neighbors except for an unorganized band of murderers that attacked it, and peace has broken out.
I suspect that the Ukrainian war soon will end in similar fashion. Horrendous deaths now lead to exchanges of mere miles of land, as was the case for much of World War I. Ukraine had been part of Mother Russia for centuries; a significant portion of its land is Russian-speaking; spiritually, half the country is Russian Orthodox; etc. The leaders of the two countries display the quality of thugs, but they likely will seek Trump, or someone like him, to help them save face. Borders will be redrawn, history will be rewritten, and peace will come. Maybe even for a generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEven for a generation\u201d is not sarcasm nor cynicism. It is hardly a prediction. It is an observation, \u201cpast being prologue\u201d and all that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can be certain of one thing, however. Donald Trump, that unlikely angel of peace, has been far off the mark in his post-negotiation comments. He suggested that the Gaza deal would bring peace forever to that land. He increasingly has promoted and identified himself with evangelical Christianity, yet even atheists are aware that the Bible in many places forecasts the End Times, the final war between good and evil, the forces of the anti-Christ versus Christian believers, the Battle of Armageddon, in those very patches of sand, the Holy Land. Trump should know that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even more troubling was his banter with reporters when asked about his role as peacemaker. Will it gain his entry to Heaven? Half-joking and half-humble, and not for the first time, Trump addressed his standing with Eternal Life: \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything going to get me in heaven.\u201d He has said, \u201cI want to try and get to heaven, if possible. I\u2019m hearing I\u2019m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole.\u201d <\/sup>Last year, Trump explained that going to heaven is \u201cvery important\u201d to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Half-joking or half-humble, spending Eternity in any place other than with Jesus is a matter of, well, life and death far more significant than any accomplishments on earth. Hell is no laughing matter, but it is not out of our hands, as the president suggests. God is the Judge, but He has already promised a place in Heaven for those who accept Jesus. Trump would have to be a Catholic, a superstitious heathen, or a theologically ignorant Protestant to think that good works \u2013 even negotiating the end of wars \u2013 is enough to \u201cgo to Heaven.\u201d But the Old Testament features many people who are still on a faith-pathway to be His instruments nevertheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since we are discussing spiritual matters, including prophecies about the Holy Land, we can dig a little deeper, spiritually. Let us address the nature of miracles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I will switch from specifics like the Middle East conflict and the president, because both represent larger points. It might seem to most worldly people \u2013 and in fact might be so \u2013 that the end of a generational conflict is a miracle. Certainly it is a blessing! But the conversion of one single person, let us say a victim in such a war or, at the other extreme, leaders who are warmakers and peacemakers, would be a miracle too. I can classify it as such, because my own rotten, sinful self was cleansed and saved. I know where I was; I know where I am; and I know what was involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just as a sin is a sin is a sin in God\u2019s eyes, so are miracles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People tend to think that miracles must be of a certain magnitude to be regarded as such\u2026 or to merit our respect for God. I think humankind would understand God better, and draw closer to Him, if we didn\u2019t take a pass on every act of His that is short of a Hollywood spectacle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Settling a war, or settling your kids\u2019 argument\u2026 perhaps are the same in God\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Funding a homeless shelter, or sharing a simple meal\u2026 your heart is equally moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Performing a life-saving operation, or fervently praying with someone for her healing if that\u2019s all you can do\u2026 surely moves God\u2019s <\/em>heart equally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As followers of Jesus we should never presume things of our own thoughts. But neither should we neglect things because of ignorance of the Gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n