Kameel Majdali's Road Ahead

Of all the many challenges we face in this ‘world on fire,’ nothing has our attention more than the conflict between Israel and Hamas. My phone regularly ‘pings’ notifications of rocket sirens sounding across the country. The war is definitely ‘On.’   In our quest to know what is going on, we need to go a step higher and understand why it is going on. Like the sons of Issachar in 1 Chronicles 12:32 , when you understand the what and the why , the Lord will download to you what you need to do. While the war is in danger of going from single-front to multi-front, especially in the North, one thing is certain: this war is already multi-dimensional. Here are four reasons: This is a Blood Feud By definition, a blood feud is an inter-family squabble with a cycle of retaliatory violence. Arabs and Jews are cousins and neighbours, with a history of harmonious community interaction for centuries, even up to now. Yet if violence erupts, vengeance is a possibility. Middle Eastern memories are...

War is serious business and when it is in the Middle East, the stakes are very high. Its central location, oil reserves, long history and various theologies, and inter-connectedness with the rest of the world, mean that conflict can affect everyone. If the world were a stick of dynamite, the Middle East would be the fuse. Despite the dire challenges there is great hope. Never forget this reality: prayer is far more powerful than military might. Bowls in heaven are filled with the prayers, praise, worship, and thanksgiving of the saints (Revelation 5:8). The more you fill those heavenly bowls, the more there will be an overflow that will rain blessings on the earth. People of faith and goodwill want to pray about the current, and future, crises in the Middle East. This short essay will give you some prayer points BACKGROUND Here are a few things to consider before you pray: Arabs and Jews are cousins and neighbours. Historically they had harmonious relations and, by God’s grace, they ca...

  It started off as a quiet morning, which it should have been considering it was the sabbath day and the end of the high holy days. These days include a time of communal fasting on the Day of Atonement, known as Yom Kippur. Then from fasting, the Jewish people go to the festive ‘Simchat Torah,’ rejoicing in the law. There is dancing and celebrating in the synagogues because God gave the law to Moses ( Note : why don’t believers in Jesus match Jewish enthusiasm for the law? See Philippians 4:4 ). Around 6:00 AM on Saturday, October 7, 2023, a surprise attack was launched against southern Israel. The invader was the Hamas regime which rules the highly-populated Palestinian coastal enclave known as the Gaza Strip. The invaders attacked by land, air (hang gliders), and sea, while thousands of rockets rained down on the Jewish state. Once invaded, Hamas targeted the Israeli communities near the Strip. They raided homes, butchered men, women, and children, beheaded babies and kidnapped ...

Jerusalem’s central location and sacred association guaranteed it a front-row seat to history’s greatest drama. One of these key events was the Crusades in the Middle Ages.   The Crusades 1099-1187 AD The Crusades were a period of several European invasions of the holy land; they were considered a long overdue pushback after four centuries of Islamic conquests. It was a controversial period of claims and counterclaims. The main thing is that the pilgrims were motivated by piety to ‘defend the Holy Sepulchre’ and guarantee free access to all Christian holy sites in the land.   The first crusade succeeded in conquering Jerusalem in July 1099. The victorious Christians set up the ‘Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.’ They turned the Dome of the Rock and the al Aqsa Mosque into Christian houses of worship. They left an architectural legacy that remains to this day. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, destroyed in 1010 AD, was completely restored and the building you now see today dates back...