NORTH KOREA: What Is At Stake?

August 23, 2017 Kameel Majdali

It is not unusual for North Korea to be in the news. This highly-armed Stalinist state rattles the sabres from time to time. There are warnings, sanctions, negotiations, and then things go quiet.

Yet the current crisis is different – and more dangerous – than anything we have seen before. It has been said, with reason, that the stand-off with North Korea is the biggest confrontation since US President John F. Kennedy faced off Nikita Krushchev of the Soviet Union in the October 1962 Cuban missile crisis. This was probably the largest and most dangerous incident in the entire Cold War.

As a refresher, the Soviet Union placed nuclear-tipped missiles in Cuba, which is only 140 kilometres off the US coast. This was simply too close for comfort. President Kennedy solemnly warned that if the missiles were not removed, America would invade Cuba. For 13 days the world held its breath. It was the closest thing we have seen of Armageddon in living memory. Being a rational player, the Soviets negotiated a face-saving solution: America promised not to invade Cuba, the Soviets would take its missiles and America removed its missiles from Turkey, a Soviet neighbour. The crisis came to a peaceful end.

So why is this crisis different than the others?

Long-ranged missiles: First, North Korea is more advanced in her nuclear weapons program. She has bombs and is working tirelessly to make more. In addition, North Korea is developing long-range missiles which can deliver a nuclear bomb. It is one thing to have short-ranged missiles that can target South Korea or Japan. Yet it is another to have missiles that can reach Guam, Alaska, possibly the US mainland and even Darwin, Australia. The risk of a rogue state having that kind of capability is simply too much to bear.

The Trump factor: Second, the United States under President Donald Trump is taking a whole new approach. Instead of practicing ‘strategic patience,’ as earlier administrations have done, Trump says the time of patience is over. He has spoken of the possibility of military action, even pre-emptively, if necessary, to stop North Korea from advancing its nuclear and missile program.

ANZUS: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has invoked the ANZUS Treaty, with the support of Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. Formed in the 1950s, ANZUS (Australia, New Zealand, and the US) means that if one ally is attacked, the others will come to its defence. The only other time ANZUS was triggered was in 2001 by former Prime Minister John Howard just after the September 11th terrorist attacks. This means that if America goes to war, Australia goes with it.

China: To add to the mix, China has weighed into the fray. As a neighbour to North Korea, they have a great stake in stability. Yet they have given this warning: if North Korea attacks the United States, they will remain neutral. If America attacks first, they will stop them. Let’s not forget that during the Korean War of 1950, that Mao Zedong sent Chinese troops to North Korea. They like having a buffer state and do not want North Korean refugees flooding its border.

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un has said he will retaliate with fire and fury if he is attacked. There is no reason to doubt his threats. He is also armed to the teeth and can cause much damage to countries, near and far.

So what can be done? Negotiations are always the best option. Yet this is not easy, considering that the US does not have diplomatic relations with the North and South Korea is not even on speaking terms with its neighbour. A second option are sanctions, which are already in place. These methods may work and no blood will be spilled in the process. The military option needs to be available but as a very, very, very last resort – when no other way will work. The threat of a massive military response sometimes is the only language a dictator will understand, especially since the goal of North Korea is ‘regime-survival.’

Prayer power: Yet, as has been pointed out in an earlier article, believers have a powerful weapon the world knows little about: faith and prayer. South Korea has become up to one-third Christian in just a couple of generations. The Korean church is growing; indeed, some of the largest churches in the world are found there. It is also a praying church. Dozens of ‘prayer mountains’ dot the landscape. People take their 2 week annual leave to pray and fast at a prayer mountain. Consider this: Despite the highly-armed, bellicose, and belligerent nature of the North Korean regime, there has not been armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula since 1953. How is this possible? It should be obvious. The prayer of the saints makes a massive difference.

What is at stake in the North Korean crisis? Either a peaceful resolution or chaos. Never underestimate the power of prayer. As The Weekend Australian said in a editorial: for those Australians who believe in the power a prayer, now is the time to get busy.

Articles, Bible, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Seven Pillars to Understanding the Future: Final Pillar Number Seven

August 23, 2017 Kameel Majdali

In this important series we have been learning the pillars that help us to make sense of the future. When you understand the future, we are better prepared to face it. So far, the pillars we learned include:

Pillar 01: Bible Prophecy is the key;

Pillar 02: We live in a spiritual world and the challenges, problems and solutions are equally spiritual;

Pillar 03: We have power and victory over the enemy;

Pillar 04: We are called to fearlessness;

Pillar 05: We are simultaneously ‘dead’ and ‘alive;’

Pillar 06: God provides a way of escape.

To these we add the seventh and final pillar. It is well described in Proverbs 4:18-19:

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

In short, Pillar 07 can be summarised as this: Your God-given future is bright. This is very true, however, the converse is also correct: A future without the living God is wicked, dark, and full of offences that will make one stumble.

Ever notice how our mood is affected by weather. When the day is overcast, cold, and dark, it projects a sullen effect. When the day is bright and sunny, we respond with a open heart and uplifted countenance. In the United States, during the short, cold winter days, some people spend the season in the ‘sun belt’ like Arizona and Florida. Yet in the summer, these states become hot spots so the same people stay in the north. We cannot change the weather but we can change our location.

Regarding the seventh and final pillar, there are some important things to to understand:

DECISION

What is notable is that we actually have a choice of which future we want to embrace. Stay in default mode and you automatically gravitate towards way of the wicked, which is darkness. Make a decision to embrace wisdom, understanding, knowledge and prudence – qualities advocated by the Book of Proverbs – and you will be steered to the well-lit path of the just.

A NARROW PATHWAY.

The path of the just is a bright, lit pathway. It is also very narrow. We are told in Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV):

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

You will not necessarily be walking with the multitudes when you choose the path of the just. Yet you will have some choice company.

LIGHT ON THE PATHWAY COMES FROM GOD HIMSELF

The source of all light, life, and love, comes from Almighty God Himself. All His ways are just, holy, gracious, and true. A decision to walk on the ‘path of the just’ is essentially a decision to walk with God and God alone. Endeavouring to walk with God while trying to remain in the world brings all kinds of undesirable consequences. The Lord will not share His glory with anyone else and demands our complete attention, submission and cooperation.

OBEDIENCE

It is impossible to come and remain in God’s light while living in disobedience. God’s simple and just commands are to be obeyed, not merely acknowledged, and with that obedience comes light. In Isaiah 60:1-2, we are told to ‘rise and shine,’ The reason is the light has come and God’s glory is rising. Obedience brings us into every increasing light; disobedience leads us into gross darkness.

This theme of obedience is also enunciated in II Peter 1:19. Since we through Christ have been given a more sure word of prophecy, we would be well advised to heed this prophetic word. Why? It is a light that shines in a dark place. Indeed, the prophetic word is the brightest light we have in this planet until Jesus, the light of the world, comes.

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Obedience requires us to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light (Romans 13:12). God commands us to awake from sleep and rise from the dead so that Christ can give us life (Ephesians 5:14).

I John 1:5 tells us that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. Like the sun gives light to the earth and moon, God gives His light to those who follow him. So we can and should reflect His light and that becomes possible by being on the path of the just.

Future-friendly living is to live in obedience to God’s commands. Enter the path of the just: you will never lack God’s light, you will be future-ready, and you will never look back at past darkness. Guaranteed.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

JERUSALEM: A Burdensome Stone – Part 03

August 23, 2017 Kameel Majdali

Zechariah calls Jerusalem ‘a burdensome stone for all people.’ Whoever messes with it will be cut in pieces, even though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it (Zechariah 12:3). Could the whole world be obsessed with the holy city to the point of global conflict? Judging by the amount of international attention this city already receives – plus the uptake in violence – and you have a plausible scenario.

In Part 01 of this series, we learned that Jerusalem is the Number One foreign policy issue and will get increasingly more global attention in the days ahead. We also reviewed Jerusalem’s history from the time of its founding 4,000 years ago until the time of Christ. In Part 02, we reviewed Jerusalem’s history from the end of the Biblical period until today.

In this article, we will look at what is called ‘The Jerusalem Question.’

2017 ANNIVERSARY YEAR

Among other things, the year 2017 will be remembered as the ‘anniversary year.’ It is the year of the 500th Anniversary (1517) of the Protestant Reformation, where the ‘just shall live by his faith’ and the Bible was recognised as the sole and highest authority regarding faith and practice. It is the 120th Anniversary (1897) of the 1st Zionist Congress of Basle, Switzerland, convened by Theodor Herzl. 2017 is the 70th Anniversary (1947) of the UN Partition resolution, dividing British Mandatory Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. June 2017 commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War and Israel’s capture of the Old City, the first time it has been under Jewish sovereignty for nearly 1,900 years.

In 2017 are 3 centenaries (1917) worth noting:

1. Allied victory in Beersheba (October 31st) : With the help of the Australian Light-Horsemen, the town of Beersheba fell the Allies. This was be beginning of the end of 400 year of Ottoman Turkish rule, leading to the British Mandate of Palestine and the establishment of the State of Israel.

2. Balfour Declaration (November 2nd): Lord Arthur Balfour, British Foreign Minister, issued a letter to Lord Rothschild stating that His Majesty’s Government viewed with favour the creation of a Jewish national home in Palestine. Now the fledgling Zionist movement had the backing of the British Empire. Eventually, this declaration was incorporated into the League of Nations authorised British Mandate in Palestine.

3. Fall of Jerusalem: British General Edmund Allenby captured Turkish Jerusalem in December 1917.

(NOTE: 2017 is also the centenary of the February and October 1917 Russian Revolution and the birth of US President John F. Kennedy in May).

It is from this point that we begin to explore the Jerusalem question. For exactly 400 years, from 1517-1917, Jerusalem was under Ottoman Turkish rule. Turkey was the last internationally recognised legal owner of the holy city. From the time of the British conquest of December 1917 until now, however, the ownership of Jerusalem has been in dispute. Hence, we have the ‘Jerusalem Question.’

Remember, this question is not merely limited to Israelis and the Palestinians Arabs. Due to its location, history, and heritage, some major countries and organisations also claim a stake in Jerusalem. It was during the 19th Century that great powers established a presence in the holy city, usually by consulates, colonies and compounds. There was the German Colony, the American Colony, the Russian Compound (complete with hospice, hospital, and cathedral), French and British quarters as well.

Today, the following parties are involved in the Jerusalem Question, including: Israel, Palestinian Authority, the Arab League, the Vatican, the United Nations, the European Union, Russia, the United States, the Orthodox Church, the Muslim world through the Arab League and OIC. All these have their ‘fingers in the Jerusalem pie’ and all hold a veto. No wonder that over the last century, the 60 plus proposals of what to do with Jerusalem have failed to materialise because of the objections of one or more of these parties.

Jerusalem Tug-O-War

In the last century, apart from the Jerusalem Question, comes the actual situation on the ground. Here’s the history:

British Rule (1917-1948): During most of this period, Britain had a mandate in Palestine. This means they were internationally authorised to occupy the country and prepare the inhabitants for eventual independence. Initially, independence was to be given to the Jewish state but consistent Arab protests caused second thoughts. The British White Paper of 1939 was considered a repudiation of the mandate. Eventually, after the Second World War, Britain handed the problem of Palestine to the newly-formed United Nations in February 1947, who was authorised to determine its fate. The results was the UN Partition Resolution 181 of November 1947, dividing Mandatory Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state and consigning Jerusalem to an international regime to be administered by the UN

Divided City (1948-1967): While the Jews accepted the partition resolution, the Arabs rejected it out of hand. Jerusalem and Palestine’s fate was determined on the battle field. The 1948 Arab-Israeli War resulted in Israel gaining additional territory, including West Jerusalem; Egypt captured Gaza; Jordan the West Bank and East Jerusalem. When the UN asked Israel and Jordan to hand over their respective sectors to UN custody, they refused. Their argument: when Jerusalem was under siege, the UN was no where to be found. We defended it with our blood and now we will keep it!

Israeli Rule (1967-Present): In June 1967, Israel captured the Old City of Jerusalem and the eastern sector, which it annexed 3 weeks later. Though Israel has repeatedly affirmed that Jerusalem is its ‘eternal, indivisible capital’ and not subject to negotiations, Jerusalem still remains ‘on the table.’

Crux of the Matter

While the municipal boundaries of modern Jerusalem are large, the ‘real, original’ Jerusalem is the Old City. The 16th Century Turkish walls of Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent defined the city. Only in the 19th century did anyone live outside the walls. Thus the status of the Old City is the heart of the matter.

But it goes even further. There is 14 hectares of sacred space, known in Arabic as al haram al sharif and in English as the Temple Mount. No piece of real estate on earth commands so much attention. If the Old City is the body, the Temple Mount is the heart. Today, as it has been for much of the last 1,400 years, it has been under Muslim control, where the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque are housed. Yet the mount is considered the traditional site of the Jewish temples of Solomon and Herod. If ever there was a flashpoint, it would be the Temple Mount. Many times in its history, it has been the epicentre of unrest and riots; even the apostle Paul caused a riot by his very presence there (Acts 21).

The Jerusalem question dominates the world diplomatic agenda and the Old City and Temple Mount are the core. If you can solve these, we will have peace. But as one person aptly put it: ‘Jerusalem is a stick of dynamite and the Temple Mount is the fuse’ —TO BE CONTINUED