Note: Below are some observations of the webmaser of Medjugorje USA in regard to the discord between the State of Israel and Palestine. This is a matter that I have studied extensively for many year. These observations do not intend to suggest that a worse case scenario will result but to state that the possibility exists. Keep in mind that in a message to the Medjugorje visionaries on July 12, 1982, Our Lady stated, "The third World War will not take place". Be it war or a great conflict, Scripture does warn us of grave times to come.

I don't know why but I've always had an interest in Scriptures that speak about the destruction of Jerusalem. It was clear to me that nothing could stop Jerusalem's devastation, short of a God given miracle, yet somehow I could not grasp why this Holy place would be brought to such wrath. I first wrote an article on this subject matter in early 1999 after my five month stay in Israel as my visit to Israel was most enlightening.

From the prophetic books of the Old Testament to the book of Revelation in the New, much gloom and doom has been prophesied for the Israelites. In the end, Scripture tells us that Jerusalem will be destroyed and a New Jerusalem will be brought down from Heaven.

Scripture tell us that the Israelites were the chosen of God, but when they were invited to the wedding feast they were too busy to attend. They ignored the invitations of the prophets, and thus God sent His only Son with an invitation, but the Son was crucified instead. The Israelites were no longer worthy to attend the feast so God sent the Apostle Paul to the Gentiles that the wedding feast may be filled with guests. To this day Gentiles (who were not the chosen of God) have been given the right to share in the salvation of the soul, enter into the wedding feast and obtain eternal life in the Spirit.

This is not to say that all the "chosen of God" are unworthy to enter in the Kingdom of the feast, nor does this imply that all Gentiles will enter therein either. Scripture tells us, that those who come to the feast must be dressed in a wedding garment, and those who try to enter without the garment will be cast away.

The garment needed to enter the wedding feast is not a piece of clothing placed on the body of a man. The garment needed to enter is the faith of a man who cloths the love of God on his heart, keeping it and nurturing that love, till the time that all are called to the wedding feast.

This is much like the parable of the 10 virgins, in that 5 virgins brought extra oil for their lamps and 5 did not. While waiting for the door to open, 5 virgins ran out of oil and were forced to leave to seek more oil for their lamps because they were in darkness. While they were gone, the door to the wedding feast opened and only the 5 remaining virgins who brought extra oil could see their way clear to enter in. This tells us that only those who come prepared will enter into the feast.

Parables are simple stories which explain truth. Parables lead us to a greater understanding of the Kingdom of God where those who come prepared enter into life everlasting. 2000 years later these Scriptures and parables still apply. Uncanny events continue to unfold in our daily news, as men on this earth come closer to the day of the wedding feast.

The State of Israel was reformed some 50 odd years ago. History tells us the Jewish nation was scattered throughout the world prior to this reformation. Spread loosely in the world today, there are some "Messianic Jews" (Israelites, who believe in Christ,) but Israel as a whole still refuses Jesus as the Son of God. As if something could be more alarming then this, since the reformation of the State of Israel, it has become mostly secular in nature. For example, the State of Israel does not recognize a wedding ceremony in any Church, but it does recognize civil marriage. If married in a Church, documents are prepared by that Church and these documents must be hand delivered by the married couple to "The Ministry of Religion" and "The Ministry of the Interior". Only upon completion of this process will that State of Israel recognize the marriage.

Meanwhile, nearly all Kibbutz communities in the State of Israel are socialistic and atheists in nature. The general public in Israel views Christian pilgrims only as a source of revenue for the State. It was not until my 5 month stay in Israel that I began to understand why Scripture says, Jerusalem will be destroyed. In short, today per capita, Israel is a Godless nation. I don't make this statement lightly. The attention of a tour group of pilgrims in the Holy Land would be focused on religious icons, my time in Israel was spent in an atheists Kibbutz where I saw everday life.

Recenly the Arab Summit met and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was not allowed to attend due to oppersion by Israel. What will the Arabic Summit ultimately decide when it weighs the pros and cons of possible involvment in the affairs of Israel and Palestine? Vice President Dick Channey has recently visited nations in an ongoing effort against war on terrorism. During the Vice Presidents visits, most Arabic Nations have strongly voiced concerns about Iraq and Palestine. It is clear that Arabic Nations have sided with Palestine and if push comes to shove, I believe they will support Palestine in war efforts against Israel.

In the past, Saudi Arabia and Jordan have asked the Arab League to take a more moderate stance on these issues, however it is doubtful such a stance will be considered over the long term. If positive changes do not come about soon in the Israel-Palestine unrest, I see full scale conflict in the horizon, beyond what we are seeing in the news just this past month. Again, I say "conflict" and do not use the word "war" as again Our Lady of Medjugorje said there will not be a WWIII, however Scripture does clearly tell of the destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus also told us in Scripture that not one thing will be lost from Scripture till all things have been fulfilled, so there is no question that the destruction of Jerusalem will come, the only question is, when!

There is a growing number of Nations that for whatever reason, have no great love for the State of Israel. Israel has been at war with Lebanon for many years now, Iraq has fired chemical weapons into Israel territory in the past, Iran also stands against Israel, as does many other nations as well. Russia could be added to the growing list. In short, there are money issues which Russia blames Israel for. In the past year the U.S. sent home 50 Russian diplomats for spying, Russia responded by expelling 50 American diplomats. The cold war, which we thought had ended, seems to heat up from time to time again. Since his presidency, Russian President Putin has been building up the Russian military forces. Russia has also performed some nuclear testing.

In the past, The Associated Press reported that in Cairo, university students marched to the Israeli Embassy for a pro-Palestinian protest, chanting anti-Israeli and anti-American slogans. This month April, 2002, demonstrations for the support of Israel and Palestine have taken place here in Boston, one group supporting Palestine were on one side of the street and another for Israel were on the other side. These things show us that we still need to concern ourselves with groups that are at work here in the U.S. and abroad. The last thing we need is another, September 11, 2001.

If you recall the story of David and Goliath, then you remember that Palestinians were heathen, today there are many Palestinians who are Christian. On the local Palestinian television channel it is normal to see Christian broadcasting. The Arabic Nations, who would support Palestine in a war effort, per capita are not Christians, but they would still likely offer support to Palestine, regardless of religious beliefs.

On the other side of the coin, Israel receives more support from the U.S. than any other country in the world. There is no doubt that the U.S. would seek to maintain its interests in Israel. Should all these factors come into play, the results could be a horror beyond anything this world could imagine. In the mist of this gloom and doom I again remind the reader that Our Lady told the Medjugorje visionaries that there will not be a WWIII, so let us take some comfort that a miracle will take place avoiding a third world war. Such a miracle however will not likely change the fate of Jerusalem.