Page 53 - Signs of the End

THE SIGNS OF THE END 17

Israel dwell safely* and in "unwalled villages," after they have
been "gathered out of the nations."

The officer noted that those who attack Israel in this future
w ar are not the immediate neighbors of Israel, such as Syria,
Jordan and Egypt. Rather; they ate the more distant nations
mentioned above, led by the nation to the extreme north. He
further felt that the replacement of Communism by
Mohammedanism as a major doctrine in the countries formerly
composing the Soviet Union in no way diminished that area's
threat to Israel.

The coming difficulties that Israel faces are not a pleasant
subject, but they constitute the sad "time of Jacob's trouble" that
will prepare the nation for the return of its Messiah, the Lord
Jesus Christ. It is significant that at least some of those in Israel's
leadership structure recognize the current implications of these
Biblical prophecies.

MAYOR OF JERICHO

The day we arrived in Jerusalem with the TV crew, we had
a planning session with our Israeli production representative.
We indicated we would like to interview various people and
leaders about the peace agreement. The local representative
asked who we would like to talk to among the Arabs. Half
jokingly, we responded, "How about the mayor of Jericho?" He
said he would see what he could do. The next day he told us he
had arranged for an interview with the mayor.

Jericho is a small Arab city today, and is the oldest inhabited
city in the world. It is situated close to the Jordan River and the
Dead Sea. According to the terms of the peace agreement, the
first step is for the Palestinians to assume autonomous control
over Jericho and Gaza. The PLO leader, Arafat, at this writing,
has already assumed the title of President, and has announced
plans to set up his headquarters in Jericho.

Thus Jericho is about to change from being a relatively sleepy
Arab village to assuming the center of the stage for the success
or failure of the peace agreement. The mayor of Jericho is in the
heart of the changing situation, and we felt it was important to
find out how he felt about the new circumstances. In author