Wednesday, August 03, 2005
The problems of trying to predict the end-times
For the past 30 years, Bob Lang has believed God to be close at hand as he worked alongside other Jewish settlers in claiming the land of the Bible. But now he's pleading with God to not be so distant. That's because Israel's planned removal of as many as 9,000 settlers from Gaza in mid-August seems irreconcilable with Lang's belief that God ordained these Jewish settlements to prosper. It's raising a vexing question for people everywhere who regard the state of Israel as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Jewish settlers aren't the only ones struggling to reconcile this historic episode with their worldviews. From factions of religious Jews in Israel and the Diaspora to Christian Zionists who believe the gathering of Jews in the Holy Land is helping prepare the way for their Messiah's return, the Gaza pullout represents a problematic detour from what they thought was God's plan.
