Organizers and attendees appear to agree: the Annapolis Conference, Tuesday, was a success. But more than that, I think it was prophetically significant.

For the first time, the entire international community -- including the United States, Israel and even the Arab nations -- gathered to declare their joint support for the creation of a Palestinian state. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas committed to working for a peace treaty by the end of 2008. (Read their statement of Joint Understanding here.) They're now creating a steering committee that will start continuous negotiations on Dec. 12. Olmert and Abbas will meet every two weeks to advance the negotiations.

Olmert and Abbas also agreed to begin immediate implementation of their nation's obligations under the Road Map for Peace, created in 2003 by the Quartet on the Middle East (the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations). They even agreed to let the United States monitor the implementation of the Road Map and judge whether both parties are fulfilling their obligations. And, Wednesday, the United States appointed a Special Envoy for Middle East Security -- General James Jones, an ex-NATO commander -- to help Abbas' government bring security to Palestine. Read about it here.

Despite the naysayers, I think we may see a peace deal within the next year. Of course, that's what we'd expect if we've entered the 70th week of Daniel. That's not to say there won't be bumps in the road and times when negotiations look like they've stalled. But we may look back to this conference as the breakthrough.

In my father, Herb Peters', book, Recommendation 666 (available to read free here), he cited the 1992 Israeli election as the first time Israelis began saying "Peace and safety!" -- when they voted for Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who ran on the platform of trading land for peace. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:3, when they are saying "peace and safety!" (in other words, when Israel is willing to give up its God-given land and turn to its enemies for protection) then destruction will come on Israel suddenly.

Note two very similar words in the statement of Joint Understanding read by Bush at the conference:

This is a formal declaration made by Israel -- and witnessed by the nations of the world -- that Israel has chosen to give up its land for peace. And it was a U.S. president -- sad for me to say -- that pushed for it.

Yes, I think we'll look back on this day as prophetically significant.