In fact, there was an air of confidence that I find intriguing. The people have confidence both in the Israel Defense Forces, and Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership abilities. This seems to be a broad consensus; the left is just as tired of the Palestinians’ refusal to embrace humanitarian values as the right is.

The Israelis’ confidence is not misplaced arrogance. They live there every day, and seem more grounded than Western observers who wring their hands over the threats to the Jewish state. Mind you, they are not cavalier about the threats, but they seem resigned to the fact that the Palestinian society is eons away from being capable of mutual respect.

A diplomat friend lamented the mood of the Palestinians. He said “In the end, they will force us to kill them first,” and his comment was really directed at the full range of Israel’s regional enemies (hint: Iran).

There is also nuance to the situation. What I mean is that sometimes Bible-believers become oddly worried about the situation in the Middle East.

Example: Turkey.

Bible prophecy students recognized the critical importance of Turkey in end-times scenarios. In short, we worry about Turkey’s recent sharp turn against Israel. The Turkish political leadership is moving closer to radical Islam; note the alliances with Iran.

Yet another friend explained the situation to me in a most interesting way.

“[Prime Minister] Erdogan wants to establish an Islamist regime similar to Iran, but at the same time, the Turks have been almost desperate for years to become a member of the European Union. And the EU will not welcome a radical Islamic state. So Erdogan’s embrace of radicalism is on a leash.”

Interesting. What that means, in part, is that while Turkey is becoming more hostile, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Gog-Magog will erupt this summer.

At the same time, Israel faces unprecedented challenges, from more sources than ever before. And I think this impacts how we view the region.

From a “humanist” standpoint, an “apocalyptic” confrontation can be not only a ways off, but could be avoided altogether. Biblically, we know that is not possible.

Take the issue of the Palestinian state.

My Turkish-expert friend is fairly dismissive of PA threats to go to the United Nations in September and seek recognition of statehood.

“Let them,” he said with a wave of his hand. “That type of recognition would not give them the practical means to actually establish a state.”

I agree, but I also know that prophetically, there must be a trigger for the Zechariah prophecies to come to pass. I personally believe Israeli reluctance to enter into a final settlement with the Palestinians will be that trigger. And that scenario is not far off at all.

The status of Jerusalem and the Israeli communities in the “West Bank” are reaching a boiling point and the world is almost out of patience.

So…I have probably been jumping all over the place this week for Israel Watch. On the one hand, being “in-country” for a week left me with the feeling that life goes on quite normally in Israel.

On the other hand, as one who must acknowledge that Bible prophecy is exceedingly relevant, the conditions for fulfillment are rapidly falling into place.

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