Benny Hinn recalled as “another major fulfillment of prophecy”, the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and three immediate neighbors, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria subsequently supported by Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria and how “against overwhelming odds, this tiny nation defeated the best armies, navies, and air forces in the Middle East.” He cautioned: ”Today, as the conflicts of 2009 heat up, it is apparent that we are living in times as momentous as 1948 and 1967.” Of course, there are no shortages of other viewpoints on these issues, but to my mind, the uncanny, pin-point accuracy of Biblical prophecy should be food for thought for us all. It should lead us all to the one conclusion, which is the raison detre for this column: that there is a kingdom perspective to every issue and that is the perspective that endures.
By the time you read this, it is a possibility that another ceasefire could be in place in the undeclared, yet costly war in Gaza. Being canvassed by George Mitchell, President Barack Obama’s special envoy to the Middle East who arrived the region during the week, it would be a desirable turn of event in the bloody operation which began as the year 2008 was winding down.
How long such a ceasefire will last and how rapidly it takes the gladiators to the negotiating table can only be speculated about, but if you believe in prophecy, you probably have an idea how it will all end! It is precisely the prophetic element that has made the Middle East conflicts nightmarish for peace-seeking diplomats and even military strategists. And this phase of the conflict is already being situated in the prophetic.
Benny Hinn, the world renowned evangelist has been doing just that. According to him, the Lord showed him “early in the morning of December 26…through this dream that the nation of Israel would be involved in a serious military operation in Gaza and that a part of Hamas, the terrorist organization supported by Iran, would be destroyed at the cost of many lives…” Shortly after waking from his dream, he said “to my amazement I began hearing and seeing the news bulletins about the attacks and air-strikes taking place primarily in Gaza…”
Flowing from the dream and its tragic accuracy, he said he felt a leading to head for the region to “gather footage… to present a clearer view of what is happening in the Holy Land, but especially because of the need to talk and mediate with many of the leaders in this region.” One is not sure how much mediation he has succeeded in doing, but from what he has seen, he reports that, “it is as if we are literally seeing prophecy come to life in front of our eyes. What has happened during recent days has been amazing as my December 26 dream has also come true. The infrastructure of Hamas has been literally destroyed…”
To supporters of Israel, that would be good music to the ears, but what the man of God said next should be of greater concern and interest to all. “Still”, he continued, “any student of history knows that hatred toward Israel will continue. Already, reports are pointing toward a desire to rebuild and re-arm Hamas and other anti-Israeli terrorist groups as soon as possible.…That is also why I have taken such an interest in what is happening right now in the Middle East, for I believe these recent developments in Israel are signaling a hot, accelerated, and unprecedented prophetic season that will quickly change the course of history.”
In making the huge claim that the current relatively small military exercise “will quickly change the course of history,” Benedictus Hinn went down history’s lane drawing parallels between Biblical prophecies actual events. Urging the world, particularly the church to be alert to and seek to understand the “prophetic significance that these events are signaling,” he quoted from the Bible book of Ezekiel chapter 36, verses 22-24 which reads in part: “ Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went… and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
He noted that this prophecy was fulfilled with the restoration of the State of Israel in 1948, which in his words saw the Jews “being gathered out of all countries into their own land after twenty centuries.” He recalled “those momentous times leading to 1948…including the 1947 United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181, which sought to resolve the Arab-Jewish conflict by partitioning Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab”; the conflict that followed that partition and Israel’s declaration of its rebirth as a nation. He declared: “The miracles that led to Israel’s defense of its independence are truly remarkable, even to the fact that they had only one plane for its entire air force and only seltzer bottles for bombs, yet they stood against the enemy in such amazing ways and began establishing themselves as an increasingly strong nation.”
“Isn’t it remarkable” he asked “that God inspired the prophet Jeremiah to write these words around 26 centuries before 1948: ‘Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness’ (Jeremiah 31:23). When they left the land of Israel, they spoke Hebrew. When they returned, they still spoke Hebrew. Do you know the chances of that happening? In most cultures, people who move into a new culture discard their old language within two generations. Yet God preserved the Hebrew language, despite the fact that His chosen people were displaced throughout the world.”
Benny Hinn recalled as “another major fulfillment of prophecy”, the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and three immediate neighbors, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria subsequently supported by Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria and how “against overwhelming odds, this tiny nation defeated the best armies, navies, and air forces in the Middle East.” He cautioned: ”Today, as the conflicts of 2009 heat up, it is apparent that we are living in times as momentous as 1948 and 1967.”
Of course, there are no shortages of other viewpoints on these issues, but to my mind, the uncanny, pin-point accuracy of Biblical prophecy should be food for thought for us all. It should lead us all to the one conclusion, which is the raison detre for this column: that there is a kingdom perspective to every issue and that is the perspective that endures.
KAKA, THE MODEL AGAIN!
The football world is still reeling in amazement at the collapse last week of a transfer deal between AC Milan and Manchester City. According to intense media speculation, the deal would have seen Kaka, the Brazilian soccer superstar move from his Italian San Siro base to the English Premiership club for a whopping £100million, which would have handed him an estimated weekly wage of about £500,000.
In an industry where deals are hatched and crashed with considerable frequency, the collapse of the deal is not unprecedented. What is unique is why it failed. It failed because the young man at the centre of the deal, the 2007 European and World Footballer of the Year, whose current weekly wage is around £150,000 had the courage to turn down such a mouth-watering offer. His reason: “I listened to my heart.”
If you are wondering what that means, here in Kaka’s own words, as reported on BBC Sports website is his explanation:
"I believe I have made the right choice. To have gone to Manchester City could have been a great project but in the past few days I have prayed a lot to understand what the right team would be and in the end I have decided to remain here.
"I don't want anything else, I just want to be well and be happy in the place where people love me. From this story I have understood how people love me at Milan, the fans and my team-mates have helped me make this choice. ..
"No member of my family has pushed me to go anywhere. I have not had any arguments with my father. My family has been very supportive and at no time have they forced me one way or the other…”
Did you read that? He prayed, listened and responded, not to the pull of lucre, but to the voice of God and the love of the people. That is true Kingdom living; true Christianity. Indeed, out of the life of this young man, God is revealing and perfecting wisdom; the kind that will stand all who confess to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, out in these days of threatened global recession – whether we be young or old; sportsmen or businessmen, politicians or professionals, tradesmen and clergy men. God bless you, Kaka
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