I'm a Gentile Christian who didn't feel like celebrating Christmas. Once, as Jesus approached Jerusalem, He felt the same. In fact, the Bible tells us Jesus wept over Jerusalem. And, He said:

If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes (Luke 19:41-42 New American Standard Bible).

No, I don't compare myself to Jesus. Just, when I look at the situation in Israel and America, that's the way I feel too. Here we go again. And, we can't see it coming.

Before we blame it all on our American government, we've got to think again. You see, beginning with the 1992 election of Yitzhak Rabin, I believe creating a Palestinian state was both an Israeli and American foreign policy. I write about this in my book.

Unbelieving Israel faced a dilemma. Israel couldn't go back to the undefendable borders that existed before the 1967 Six Day War. But, at the same time, Israel couldn't forever occupy all the Palestinian territories. So, I think the unbelieving government of Rabin felt only one thing could be done. Create a peaceful, Palestinian state.

The problem was, and is, this action of trading the biblical land for peace could be considered by some Bible believers -- both Jewish and Christian -- to be, not only apostasy -- but, "the apostasy!"

In the Old Testament we find the Jewish prophet Daniel in captivity and praying:

Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; nor have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets (Daniel 9:8-10).

And, in the New Testament we find the Apostle Paul saying it will happen again. Paul said:

Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3).

So, here we go again.

On October 20, 2004, at the biannual meeting of the Western European Union's Political Security Committee, Javier Solana's mandate as Secretary General is extended to November, 2007. Included are the possibility of further two-year extensions

On November 20, 2005, the Spanish government called for relaunching the 1995 Barcelona Process and creating an "Alliance of Civilizations."

On December 15, 2005, Shimon Peres called for 2006 to be a "Year of Peace." This he did before a meeting of the European Parliament and members of the Jewish Congress. All major political parties of the EU Parliament attended.

On December 15 - 16, 2005, the Conclusions of the European Council are an increase in the EU's next seven-year foreign policy budget for a "Global Approach to Migration." This new approach includes establishing a huge surveillance system over the entire Mediterranean region. Of course, they're talking about their Galileo project Read about it here.

On December 23, 2005, a new, more powerful, director for the European Neighbourhood Policy is appointed. His name is Fokion Fotiadis.

I almost forgot. Both requested budgets for the EU Commission and EU Parliament were cut. And, Germany's new chancellor, Angela Merkel, will be presenting a plan to save the EU's new Constitution.

And, they can't see it coming?