Scripture: Genesis 12, 15, 22, 21:1-3, 17:8, 16:1-5, 16:12, 21:8-10, 25:18, 11:17, 2 Samuel 7:23-24

For over 4,000 years, war and conflict has been at the center of life in the Middle East. It is a hotbed of terrorism, violence and often hatred that erupts regularly in rivers of violence. Even though we are physically and geographically separated by thousands and thousands of miles, this region affects our lives so much that it may as well be next door. The problem centers around one place, two peoples, and three persons. The place is Israel. The peoples are the Jews and the Arabs. The persons are Abraham, Jesus, and Mohammed. In this message, Dr. Merritt takes a biblical look at the Middle East and what God says about this region of the world, His people Israel, and our involvement.

"The Bible tells us in Genesis 16 that Ishmael and his descendents will be a people that cannot be tamed. In other words his people not only won’t get along with other people, but they really won’t get along with themselves. What do you see today? We look with amazement as we see Muslim terrorist suicide bombers bombing other Muslims. When you look at the Middle East you’ve got Arabs against Jews, Arabs against Arabs, Arabs against Persians, Muslims against Jews, Muslims against Christians and Muslims against Muslims." --Dr. Merritt

Keywords: terrorism, Israel, Middle East, Arabs, Jews, Christians, Muslims, suicide, bombing, Ishmael, Isaac, Abraham, Promise Land, Jacob, George W. Bush, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, unrest, Sarah, Hagar, Reader's Digest, prophet, Ramadan, Gabriel, Mecca, truth, God, 624 A.D., Allah, Nobel Prize, Felix Hoffmann, Jonas Salk, Alfred Eihhorn, Casimer Funk, Alfred Gilman, Dr. Selman Waksman, Albert Einstein