Sarkozy's Path To Peace

by Michael G. Mickey
(1-3-09)

2009 is off and running, already shaping up to be a year of great interest to those of us watching for signs predictive of the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

With all that's taking place in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, anything could happen as tensions are high - and the world is desperate, once again, to bring peace to the region.

The European Union, according to EUBusiness.com, is sending a team of diplomats to the Middle East that will include Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose nation took over the EU presidency on New Year's Day, as well as the French and Swedish foreign ministers and EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. This team will be seeking a truce between Hamas and Israel.

Meanwhile, on a separate mission to the region, French president Nicolas Sarkozy, is pursuing what EUBusiness.com is referring to as a 'path to peace' - a reference to a New Year's message wherein Sarkozy reportedly said, "France will continue to be active in Africa, in Asia and of course in the Middle East where I will go as of Monday, because it is France's duty to look everywhere for the path of peace."

Arguably the most influential voice in the EU coming off his very active six-month term as EU president, Sarkozy is looking to "fill the void" created by President Bush "taking a diplomatic back seat in the final weeks of his administration."

The following is Sarkozy's itinerary in the days ahead, as documented by EUBusiness.com:

Sarkozy will travel to Jerusalem on Monday for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and to the West Bank to show support for Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose faction was ousted from Gaza by Hamas in June 2007.

But he will first stop off in Cairo for talks with President Hosni Mubarak. France hopes Egypt can rekindle its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas.

On Tuesday, Sarkozy will try to enlist another key player in the search for peace when he travels to Damascus for talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose country hosts exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.

Opportunities Galore

What an interesting start to 2009! To see the revived Roman empire of Bible prophecy taking a leading and in-depth role in seeking to resolve the current conflict in the Middle East provides opportunities galore for the son of perdition, if he is alive and active in diplomacy today, to make inroads toward confirming a seven-year covenant of peace in the Middle East in fulfillment of Daniel 9:26-27!

While the latter EUBusiness.com article linked above focuses on the dramatic impact Nicolas Sarkozy could have in changing the atmosphere in the Middle East, a successful effort on the part of anyone involved in the revived Roman empire's diplomatic efforts could sway the future dramatically, bringing us closer to the advent of Antichrist and, before that, the Rapture of the Church.

Could 2009 be the year of our Lord's return for us? No one but the Father knows, but, as always, whether we stay or go, we're going to continue to see the greatest story ever told unfold. Whether it unfolds paragraph by paragraph, page by page or chapter by chapter remains to be seen, but SEE we will for we have been given a glimpse into things to come through God's unfailing prophetic Word, which, despite what the skeptics say, is always within the realm of possibility of being fulfilled, potentially very soon.

Keep looking up!

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