A (not infallible) prediction
I am not a prophet. In fact, in my flesh I am not even a good speculator of future events. My calling is to report things and let the Holy Spirit bear witness or not bear witness of what may be true.
Keep that in mind as I speculate here. I mean, purely speculate.
There is a strange air in the Middle East. Terrorism has not abated, yet Israel's reaction has been relatively mild and constrained, contrary to the mindset that recently appeared ready to kill or deport Arafat during Israel's West Bank campaign, then shortly later drove Sharon's sudden, unscheduled departure from Washington with what appeared to be an imminent all-out attack on Gaza. This attack suddenly fizzled, ostensibly due to a "security leak." I don't think so. Now terrorism is not only back to normal, but even more lethal attempts are being made.
How can things continue without a major blow-up?
Today an Australian newspaper is reporting, "Israel is waiting for 'tacit approval' from Washington to dump Yasser Arafat as a player in the Middle East peace process, an Israeli official said today after a Palestinian bomber killed 17 people in an attack on a crowded bus."
And Sharon is heading for Washington again.
I believe something big is in the wind. Israel cannot afford to allow these terrorist attacks to continue. We may be about to see four things
1. The removal of Arafat.
2. A resulting turmoil. The above article says, "In the short term there'll be a lot of shouting but then there will be a lot of rapid progress."
3. The rapture. This circumstances and timing would fit the New Zealand pastor's claimed revelation in the fall of the year 2000 if, in fact, he truly heard from God. It would also fit various biblical interpretations and other revelations.
4. The hoped-for progress that would probably come about with Arafat's removal and the presence of the "restrainer" (the Holy Spirit in the church) still on the earth will degenerate into chaos, war, and the final end-time scenario.
Remember, this is not a prophecy, but only a human prediction from a very fallible predictor. Let's see what happens.
Jim